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Lt-o,  i    ig 


flospeP 


MESSENGE 


JANUARY  2,  1960 


Gendreau 


NOT  far  from  the  few  lonely  columns  that  still  remain  of  ancient  Corinth  a  young 
Greek  shepherd  plays  a  plaintive  tune  while  he  keeps  a  watchful  eye  on  wan- 
dering sheep.  He  may  belong  to  the  small  Christian  community  that  lives  near  the  site 
of  the  former  metropolis.  If  so,  he  is  aware  that  nearby,  amid  all  the  pagan  revelry  of 
a  Roman  capital,  a  Christian  church  was  born  and  developed  into  a  fellowship  that  lives 
long  after  the  city  fell  into  ruins.  Now  the  environs  of  Corinth  are  again  a  pastoral 
scene.  The  shepherd's  pipe  and  his  crook  are  older  than  "the  glory  that  was  Greece 
or  the  grandeur  that  was  Rome."  Cities  come  and  go,  their  greatness  fades,  but  not 
so  the  song  of  the  shepherd  who  believes  that  his  Lord's  rod  and  staff  are  beside  him 
still,  or  the  conviction  of  the  man  of  God,  once  a  workman  in  Corinth,  who  wrote  to 
his  friends,  "Now  faith,  hope,  love  abide,  these  three;  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  love." 


Gospel  Messenger        READERS   WRITE  .  .  .  to  the  editor 

'Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 

Other  Cancer  Merchants 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service. 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JANUARY  2,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  1 


In  This  Number  .  .  . 

Editorial  — 

A  Shepherd  in  Corinth  1 

Churchgoer  or  Christian?    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

The  City  Which  Is   to  Come. 

Julius  Belser    3 

Inspiration    (verse). 

Ernestine  Hoff  Emrick  4 

The  Light  That  Will  Not  Go  Out. 

Kenneth    Scott    Latourette    6 

Why  Shouldn't  Funerals  Change? 

Lucile   Johnson    10 

A  Professor's  Pacifism.  Albert  L.  Gray  13 
The  Crown  (verse).  Marvin  G.  Reeves  14 
Be  of  Good  Courage.  Marianne  Michael  15 

Family  Fun  Fare    23 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books    25 

News  — 

Kingdom   Gleanings    16 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    18 

Overseas  Report  From  Japan. 

Albert    Huston    19 

Church  News    28 

Toward  His  Kingdom  — 

Two    Maryland    Towns    at    Opposite 

Poles.  Theodore  A.  Braun   20 

The  Devil  Took  Him  Up  Into  a  High 

Mountain.    Amsey  Bollinger   21 

7,000  Miles  to  Opportunity. 

Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp    22 

Brethren  Want  to  Know   24 

Scholarships  for  Nursing  Education  .  .  24 
•  •  • 

The  United  States  has  made  an  ad- 
ditional contribution  of  $1,040,000  to 
the  World  Refugee  Year.  The  latest 
donation  brings  the  present  total  of 
American  contributions  to  the  Refugee 
Year  to  $3,200,000. 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


We  had  no  cranberries  for  Thanks- 
giving. Yet  we  thank  our  national 
and  state  health  departments  for  be- 
ing alert  to  the  dangers  of  contam- 
inated foods. 

There  are,  however,  two  other 
things  that  the  American  public  has 
been  warned  about  repeatedly  as 
contributive  to  the  growth  of  cancer. 
On  these  our  public  health  depart- 
ments have  not  taken  any  action, 
official  or  unofficial. 

The  American  Cancer  Society  has 
put  the  statistics  before  us,  proving 
that  cigaret  smoking  is  a  contribu- 
tive factor  to  lung  cancer.  In  1959 
the  people  of  the  United  States  con- 
sumed a  record-breaking  number  of 
cigarets. 

Continued  use  of  alcoholic  bev- 
erages has  also  been  proved  to  be 
a  strong  contributive  factor  to  cancer 
of  the  liver.  But  the  American  pub- 
lic goes  right  on  drinking  record 
amounts  of  beer,  wine,  and  other 
alcoholic  beverages. 

One  expert  has  said  that  it  would 
be  necessary  to  eat  15,000  pounds 
of  contaminated  cranberries  to  pro- 
duce the  same  cancerous  result  in  a 
human  being  that  was  produced  in 
laboratory  rats.  We  don't  have  the 
figures  on  the  number  of  cigarets  or 
gallons  of  alcoholic  beverages  it 
takes  to  produce  cancer  in  rats  or 
human  beings.  We  do  know  that 
they,  like  the  aminotriazole-treated 
cranberries,  do  cause  cancer.  Why 
haven't  the  tobacco  and  alcoholic 
beverage  stocks  on  hand  been 
seized  by  the  public  health  depart- 
ments? (Huge  financial  losses  have 
been  suffered  by  both  the  farmers 
and  dealers  of  cranberries  that  have 
been  contaminated  by  the  weed 
spray  aminotriazole. )  The  person 
who  dies  of  cancer  caused  by  tobac- 
co or  alcoholic  beverages  is  just  as 
dead  as  the  person  who  gets  too 
much  aminotriazole. 

Is  it  consistent  to  make  the  cran- 
berry farmer  look  like  a  desperate 
criminal,  and  then  do  nothing  about 
the  other  cancer  merchants?  —  Orlin 
F.  Frey,  R.  3,  Polo,  111. 

Parable 

A  group  from  our  junior  high  class 
attended  the  play  Aria  da  Capo, 
which  was  presented  at  our  district 
meeting  at  Franklin  Grove,  111. 

We  believe  the  play  was  very  well 
dramatized,   better   than   many   TV 


performances  we  have  witnessed. 
We  pray  earnestly  that  the  cast  may 
be  requested  for  a  performance  that 
would  be  nation-wide. 

Our  Secretary  of  State  warns  us 
of  self-deceptive  euphoria  resulting 
since  Khrushchev's  visit  to  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Khrushchev  himself  has 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
course  of  events  will  have  to  change 
soon  (he  offers  disarmament)  or  a 
nuclear  war  will  result  which  will 
end  in  suicide  for  all. 

The  parable  of  Aria  da  Capo 
demonstrates  overwhelming  antag- 
onisms, jealousies,  lures,  meddlings, 
and  wanderings  of  our  modern  na- 
tions today.  .  .  .  Shouldn't  we  remain 
more  at  home  and  use  our  nuclear 
resources  for  future  enrichment  of 
our  land?  —  Mrs.  Donald  Wilson,  711 
W.  Twelfth  St.,  Sterling,  111. 

Symbol  of  Thousands 

I  have  just  read  the  article,  "The 
Unknown  Soldier,"  in  your  Oct.  31 
issue  of  the  Gospel  Messenger. 

May  I  say  I  could  not  feel  any- 
thing but  shame  as  an  American  and 
a  Brethren  if  I  did  not  protest  such 
an  article  against  one  of  our  most 
sacred  national  shrines. 

How  does  this  man  dare  to  put 
words  in  this  soldier's  mouth  or  to 
say  he  symbolizes  "pride,  force,  and 
hate"?  We  are  not  dealing  with  one 
man  but  a  symbol  of  thousands  of 
men  who  were  lost  to  their  loved 
ones.  What  a  thing  to  say  to  the 
countless  mothers  and  wives,  to 
whom  this  symbolizes  their  loss. 

Surely  this  man  could  symbolize 
the  thousands  of  soldiers  that  have 
died  to  protect  their  country's  reli- 
gious freedom. 

How  much  less  Christian  was  he 
than  the  good  Brethren  who  worked 
in  the  factories  making  the  tools  of 
war  or  the  many  COs  who  hid 
their  cowardly  actions  behind  their 
church. 

I  spent  four  years  with  the  U.S. 
marines  and  let  me  say  there  were 
more  Christian  and  brotherly  acts 
among  many  of  the  men  than  I  may 
ever  hope  to  see  again. 

There  was  one  CO  I  know  of  in 
the  marines  who,  while  he  would 
not  carry  a  gun,  yet  won  the  respect 
of  all  around  him  because  of  his 
fearless  devotion  to  the  wounded, 
both  ours  and  the  enemy's.  Perhaps 
he  is  that  unknown  soldier!  —  James 
H.  Russell,  Copemish,  Mich. 


Here  we   have   no   lasting  city, 
but  we  seek 


The  City 

Which  Is 
to  Come 

Julius  Belser 


S.  W.  Hersch  from  A.  Devaney 

The  filth,  misery,  and  poverty  of  the 
inner  city  cannot  be  tolerated  forever 


IN  THE  early  church  Christians  summarized 
all  that  Christ  meant  to  them  and  to  their 
life  together  by  saying,  "Jesus  Christ  is 
Lord."  This  was  a  simple,  get-at-able  statement 
of  what  they  called  men  to  —  the  life  together 
under  the  Lordship  of  Christ. 

As  we  knock  on  doors  in  the  Maxwell  com- 
munity of  Chicago  and  preach  on  vacant  lots, 
we  must  have  a  simple,  clear,  concise  state- 
ment on  call.  I  propose  that  there  are  few 
phrases  that  have  more  meaning  than  simply, 
"Hope  in  Christ." 

A  slum  is  a  place  where  people  have  given 
up  hope.  It  is  not  necessarily  old  houses  or  bad 
schools  that  create  a  slum  but  a  lack  of  hope. 
Scarcity  of  hope  is  a  common  cause  for  alco- 
holism, sex  excess,  and  teen-age  pranks.  People 
in  the  inner  city  above  all  lack  hope,  genuine 
Christian  hope. 

A  year  and  a  half  ago  we  had  a  dedication 
service  for  the  Chapel  of  Hope  in  the  West 
Side  Christian  Parish  and  our  new  ministry 
in  the  Maxwell  community.  About  150  children 
gathered  in  the  Smyth  schoolground  and 
paraded  through  every  cluttered  street  of  our 
neighborhood.  They  marched,  carrying  flags, 
balloons,  big  signs  advertising  the  Bible  school 
to  open  the  following  day,  and  invitations  to 
our  dedication  program.  This  regal  procession 
approached  the  chapel  where  the  program  was 
about  to  begin.  Three  hundred  people  gathered 
in  the  street  in  front  of  the  chapel.  The  choir 
sang  from  their  loft  on  top  of  a  Suburban  Cut 
Stone  truck. 

In  this  community  where  sixty  per  cent  of 
the  dwelling  units  lack  running  water  and 
seventy-seven  per  cent  of  the  dwelling  units 
lack  private  toilet  or  bath,  I  got  up  to  clarify 
for  this  inquisitive  crowd  the  nature  of  the 
hope  for  which  the  chapel  was  named. 

Holding  up  a  Sears  catalogue  I  explained 
that  one  does  not  hope  as  one  shops  for  hours 
through  its  pages.  One's  activity  with  a  Sear's 
catalogue  is  called  wishing.  Neither  did  we 
find  hope  as  I  lifted  up  and  glanced  through  the 
morning  newspaper. 

Then  in  the  Bible  we  found  Christ's  last 
supper  assurance  to  his  disciples,  "In  the  world 
you  have  tribulation;  but  be  of  good  cheer,  I 
have  overcome  the  world."   Here  is  hope. 

The  Christian  hope  is  the  complete  assur- 
ance that  in  Christ  God  has  and  will  overcome 
the  world.  Here  we  have  no  lasting  city,  but 
we  seek  the  city  which  is  to  come.  We  must 
be  very  careful  that  we  do  not  offer  our  people 

JANUARY  2,  1960  3 


jobs,  activities,  influence,  re- 
spectability, without  new  life 
in  Christ  Jesus. 

There  is  no  lasting  city  for 
a  gang  called  Egyptian  Cobras. 
They  had  their  dance  broken 
up  by  the  police,  and  later  in 
the  evening  they  threw  stones 
through  the  windows  of  the 
police  station  and  welcomed 
the  police  who  came  out  after 
them  with  a  barrage  of  pop 
bottles.  Then  a  few  weeks  later 
they  seriously  beat  up  two  rival 
gang  members.  No  lasting  city 
for  the  Cobras;  unless  some- 
thing changes  fast,  their  end 
will  be  death  or  jail. 

No  lasting  city  for  a  young 
couple  who  owe  $40  to  $45  out 
of  every  $50  weekly  pay  check 
to  the  collecting  man.  The  sev- 
enteen-year-old mother  of  two 
children  is  deeply  troubled. 
After  a  final  tussle  with  her 
alcoholic  husband  she  leaves, 
taking  the  children  along  down 
to  the  confusion  of  her  mother's 
household.  These  parents  are 
still  separated. 

In  this  neighborhood  we  be- 
gan our  ministry  by  trying  to 
sense  what  the  felt  needs  of  the 
people  were.  A  sixteen-month- 
old  boy  was  killed  by  a  big 
truck  on  our  street.  The  group 
that  gathered  on  the  blocked- 
off  street  for  a  movie  that  night 
were  deeply  concerned  about 
why  children  had  to  play  on 
the  streets.  They  began  work 
eleven  months  ago,  kindly  ask- 
ing permission  of  the  suburban 
owner  of  a  vacant  lot  to  let  us 
use  it. 

After  talks,  letters,  and  prom- 
ises, she  offered  to  sell  her 
rubble-strewn  lot  for  $200  plus 
the  back  taxes,  which  we  found 
to  be  $8,000-$  10,000.  Our  peo- 
ple sold  used  clothes  and  chick- 
en dinners  and  raised  the  $200 
and  now  after  eleven  months 
of  waiting  she  still  will  not  sell 
us  the  lot.  There  is  so  little  that 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


these  people  can  do  about  their 
plight  —  even  trying  to  get  an 
uneven  vacant  lot  they  run  into 
unsurmountable  obstacles. 

This  city,  this  neighborhood, 
these  people  cannot  last.  God 
himself  cannot  allow  this  blight, 
misery,  poverty,  and  corruption 
to  go  on  forever.  Here  we  have 
no  lasting  city.  Let  us  not  fear 
what  the  man  around  the  cor- 
ner may  do  to  us,  but  rather  let 
us  fear  the  judgment  of  Christ 
who  is  coming  with  certainty 
and  who  will  separate  and  make 
clear  to  us  what  is  to  endure. 

But  we  seek  the  city  which  is 
to  come.  West  Side  Christian 
Parish  has  a  technical  assist- 
ance director  who  is  drawing 
plans  for  completely  clearing 
and  rebuilding  the  entire  com- 
munity in  which  I  am  minister- 
ing. This  will  be  planned  and 
financed  by  the  church. 

There  is  a  Community  Action 
Group  meeting  at  the  Chapel 
of  Hope  every  Wednesday 
night  to  discuss  fair  credit,  how 
to  get  a  job,  why  welfare  checks 
are  being  held  up,  how  to  help 
an  alcoholic,  and  many  other 
questions.  We  have  been  con- 
cerned with  and  have  done 
something  about  concrete  issues 
of  life  in  our  neighborhood. 

But,  meanwhile,  the  center 
of  what  we  have  been  doing  is 
calling  people  into  the  entirely 
new  kind  of  life  in  the  kingdom 
—  telling  them  and  by  our  life 
witnessing  to  the  fact  that  it  is 
in  Christ,  and  in  him  alone  that 
we  hope.  Cleaner  alleys  and 
better  schools  are  important, 
but  until  men  meet  Christ  and 
become  part  of  his  people  in 
the  church  they  are  not  really 
saved,  and  we  are  without  hope 
in  the  world. 

In  this  little  church  of  eight 
Christians,  the  new  life  and 
hope  in  Christ  Jesus  becomes 
real.  Three  of  our  members 
cannot  read  and  write  but  they 
are  learning  what  this  new  life 
is.    Their  lives  are  increasingly 


INSPIRATION 

ERNESTINE  HOFF  EMRICK 

Whence  comes  that  inspiration's 
flow 

That  poets  speak  about? 
From  memory's  remote  archives 

That  must  be  dusted  out? 

A  prejudice  that  has  a  slant 
For  humor  to  slide  down. 

Or    firm    conviction    that    must 
shout 
Its  truth  to  every  town? 

Perhaps,    but    still    methinks    a 
spark 

Of  light  must  find  its  course 
Into  this  foggy,  unlit  brain 

From  an  illumined  Source! 


open  to  one  another.  They 
speak  words  of  admonition 
when  they  see  a  brother  in  sin. 
Their  daily  lives  are  involved 
together  —  this  is  not  at  all  con- 
fined to  Sunday  morning.  They 
are  now  planning  to  meet  to- 
gether for  prayer,  fellowship, 
and  food  at  least  once  a  day. 

They  discover  that,  as  they 
rap  on  doors  and  try  to  say 
clearly  what  they  believe  Christ 
calls  for,  so  many  shake  their 
heads  affirmatively  and  add, 
"Yes,  that's  what  we  believe 
too."  Somehow  faith  must  be- 
come life  in  more  dynamic  ways 
if  the  new  hope  in  Christ  Jesus 
is  ever  to  become  real  to  them 
or  to  their  neighbors. 

In  this  little  church  fellow- 
ship they  can  help  Big  Mamma 
to  understand  that  the  young 
lady  who  stole  wash  off  her  line 
needs  our  deep  concern  and 
prayer  and  not  our  curses  and 
threats  in  the  center  of  the 
street.  Thieves  need  to  be  re- 
deemed. 

When  one  of  our  former  al- 
coholic members  spends  a  lost 
week  end  with  wine  and  women 
we  keep  him  in  our  prayers  and 
following  Matt.  18,  go  to  him 
in  love  and  share  our  concern 
as  his  Christian  brother. 

All  of  the  gifts  God  has  given 
to  his  people  are  to  be  sensed 

Continued  on  page  12 


EDITORIAL 


Hong  Kong  in  Trafalgar  Square 

RECENT  visitors  to  Trafalgar  Square  in 
the  heart  of  London  had  something  to 
look  at  besides  the  crowds  that  usually 
surge  around  Lord  Nelson's  monument.  The 
metropolitan  crossroads  no  longer  resembled 
London  but  Hong  Kong.  On  the  the  street  were 
exact  replicas  of  the  shacks  in  which  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  refugees  try  to  find  shelter  in 
the  Asian  city.  The  casual  Londoner  was  urged 
to  stop  for  a  moment  and  identify  himself  with 
his  less  fortunate  brothers  halfway  around  the 
world  —  and  to  think  more  seriously  about  the 
importance  of  the  World  Refugee  Year. 

Action  on  refugee  problems  might  come 
more  quickly  if  all  the  camps  were  located  in 
public  view  in  world  capitals.  Imagine  a  tem- 
porary barracks  on  the  White  House  lawn  or  a 
reception  center  in  Times  Square.  If  just  a  few 
of  Hong  Kong's  thousands  could  be  put  up 
temporarily  in  Grant  Park  the  people  of  Chicago 
might  not  view  the  total  refugee  situation  so 
indifferently.  If  Bedouin  tents  covering  a  few 
dozen  Arab  refugee  families  could  be  raised  for 
a  time  in  Central  Park,  who  can  measure  the 
new  interest  which  New  Yorkers  might  bring  to 
a  major  human  problem? 

We  note  that  the  Trafalgar  Square  idea  was 
the  work  of  the  British  Council  of  Churches. 
Surely  Christians  ought  to  be  among  the  first 
to  identify  themselves  with  their  homeless 
brothers  around  the  world.  Yet  to  respond  to 
so  vast  a  problem  requires  more  than  a  willing- 
ness to  pass  laws  and  cut  red  tape.  Another 
requirement  is  faith,  the  kind  of  faith  that  can 
open  the  eyes  of  men  not  only  to  what  happens 
i  in  Hong  Kong  but  also  to  what  God  is  doing 
in  their  midst. 

Many  years  ago  a  British  poet,  whose  songs 
were  often  songs  of  faith,  prayed  that  the  eyes 
of  men  should  be  opened  to  see  "the  traffic  of 
Jacob's  ladder  pitched  between  heaven  and 
Charing  Cross"  or  that  men  might  so  cling  to 
God  that  they  saw  "Christ  walking  on  the  water 
not  of  Genesareth,  but  Thames."  Francis 
Thompson  needed  only  his  poet's  vision  to  sense 
the  presence  of  Christ  where  men  walked  their 
crowded  ways. 

Jesus  himself  gave  a  needed  spur  to  our 
imagination  when  he  identified  himself  with 
the  hungry,  the  thirsty,  the  imprisoned,  the 
homeless,  and  the  sick.  When  we  minister  to 
their  needs  we  minister  to  him,  whether  we 


find  the  needy  in  Calcutta,  Berlin,  Tokyo,  Hong 
Kong,  or  Trafalgar  Square.  —  k.m. 

Churchgoer  or  Christian? 

YOU  are  invited  to  the  funeral  service  for 
a  word.  We  refer  to  the  common  ex- 
pression "churchgoer"  which  is  often 
confused  with  Christian.  We  do  not  expect  to 
bury  the  term  as  yet  since  it  seems  to  have  a 
lot  of  vitality.  But  as  we  would  like  to  see 
it  dropped  from  our  vocabulary,  a  few  last 
thoughts  may  be  in  order. 

The  trouble  is  that  "churchgoing"  sounds 
exactly  like  "bird-watching"  or  "sight-seeing." 
It  suggests  a  kind  of  exercise  in  the  nature  of 
a  field  trip  in  which  one  goes  to  observe,  but 
with  private  reservations.  A  man  may  indeed 
be  a  regular  churchgoer.  He  may  stand  at  the 
door  and  be  a  greeter  of  others.  He  may  be 
a  faithful  class-attender,  an  offering-giver,  a 
program-supporter  and  a  stoical  sermon-endur- 
er.  But  as  a  "goer"  he  is  still  far  from  being  an 
organic  member  of  the  body  of  Christ. 

As  a  fellowshiper  or  even  as  a  worshiper  he 
may  go  through  the  accepted  motions  of  mem- 
bership. In  the  Sunday  morning  service  he 
may  be  a  well-behaved  pew-sitter,  hymnbook- 
holder,  and  a  stander  or  kneeler  as  requested. 
In  the  social  hall  he  functions  as  a  doughnut- 
eater  and  coffee  drinker,  as  a  hand-shaker  or 
back-slapper  or  even  a  dish-washer  on  occasion. 
But  merely  to  follow  the  patterns  of  behavior 
that  are  expected  in  a  church  leaves  him  still 
a  churchgoer  and  not  necessarily  a  Christian. 

A  "Christian"  can  never  take  the  spectator- 
tourist  approach  to  religion  because  the  term 
itself  reflects  a  tone  of  derision  in  its  original 
use.  It  was  a  nickname  loaded  with  danger 
when  first  applied  at  Antioch.  It  suggests  a 
willingness  to  be  humiliated,  laughed  at,  criti- 
cized, scorned,  or  ignored  as  being  irrelevant 
to  the  issues  of  the  day  —  to  be  what  Paul 
called  himself  —  "a  fool  for  Christ's  sake."  The 
Christian  must  be  so  identified  with  Jesus  Christ 
who  is  the  head  of  the  church  that  as  a  mem- 
ber of  that  body  he  will  bear  on  his  own  person 
some  of  the  marks  of  suffering  that  his  Lord 
once  endured. 

There  is  a  world  of  difference  between  a 
churchgoer  and  a  Christian,  though  often  they 
sit  side  by  side.  —  k.m. 

JANUARY  2,  1960  5 


The  Bible  has 

an   inexhaustible  vitality, 

an  amazing  ability 

to  persist  and 

to   bring  light 


The  Light  That 


Will  Not  Go  Out 


Kenneth  Scott  Lcrtourette 


HERE  is  a  book,  really  a 
collection  of  books,  a 
library  composed  cen- 
turies ago.  In  it  are  mirrored 
cultures,  kingdoms,  empires, 
and  even  ideas,  which  have 
long  since  perished.  Many 
books  which  were  its  contem- 
poraries and  once  could  boast 
a  larger  circulation  than  it  en- 
joyed, have  disappeared  or  are 
read  by  only  a  limited  company 
of  scholars.  Even  other  ancient 
books  which,  like  it,  have  been 

An  ordained  Baptist  minister,  a  former 
missionary  to  China,  Sterling  professor 
of  missions  and  Oriental  history  emeri- 
tus in  Yale  University 

6  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


preserved  as  the  revered  scrip- 
tures of  great  religions  have  had 
their  day,  and  now  are  a  wan- 
ing influence. 

Yet  the  Bible  goes  on  with 
ever-widening  circles  of  read- 
ers. It  has  been  translated  in 
whole  or  in  part  into  more  than 
1,100  tongues.  The  majority  of 
those  translations  have  been 
made,  not  in  earlier  and  forgot- 
ten centuries,  but  in  the  past 
ten  decades,  within  the  life 
span  of  some  who  are  still  with 
us.  Hundreds  of  these  tongues 
have  for  the  first  time  been 
given  a  written  form  for  the 
express  purpose  of  putting  the 
Bible  into  them,  and  so  making 
it  available  to  those  who  speak 
them.  The  Eskimos  of  the  Arc- 
tic, the  Indians  of  the  prairies 


and  the  pampas,  the  cultured 
Chinese,  Japanese  and  Hindus, 
the  primitive  tribes  of  tropical 
Africa  and  the  islands  of  the 
Pacific  —  these  and  scores  of 
others  can  now  read  the  Bible, 
each  in  his  own  tongue. 

No  other  book  has  been  so 
widely  circulated.  No  other 
book  has  so  wide  a  currency 
today.  It  has  long  been  and 
still  is  the  world's  best  seller. 
Wherever  it  has  gone,  it  has 
brought  light.  In  its  light  men 
have  seen  their  sins,  and  have 
been  awakened  to  their  guilt. 
More  than  that,  they  have 
found  hope  and  salvation.  By 
it  they  have  been  steadied  in 
hours  of  conflict  and  weakness 
and  have  found  comfort  in  sor- 
row and  have  been  stirred  and 


sustained   to   heroic,    unselfish 
effort  for  their  fellows. 

The  Bible  has  had  the  pe- 
culiar ability  to  survive  the  col- 
lapse of  civilizations  with  which 
it  has  been  intimately  associ- 
ated and  to  bring  light  to  the 
dark  ages  that  have  followed. 
We  are  often  told  that  our 
generation  is  one  in  which  civi- 
lization is  being  shaken.  The 
familiar  world  about  us  is  being 
rapidly  altered  almost  past  rec- 
ognition. Many  are  terrified  by 
the  vague  shadows  of  the  un- 
known future,  by  the  dimly 
discerned  shape  of  things  to 
come.  We  need  to  remember 
that  ours  is  not  the  first  genera- 
tion in  which  this  has  happen- 
ed. In  similar  ages  of  revolution 
and  transition,  the  Bible  has 
been  handed  on  —  a  torch  to 
lighten  the  unknown  pathway, 
a  light  in  the  darkness  and 
chaos. 

A  Light  for  the  Dark  Ages 
In  the  fourth  and  fifth  cen- 
turies of  the  Christian  era,  the 
Roman  Empire  began  to  break 
up,  suffering  from  internal  de- 
cay and  overrun  by  invaders. 
In  the  fourth  century,  at  the 
very  time  of  the  first  disasters 
inflicted  by  the  barbarians,  his 
own  birthplace  destroyed  by 
them,  Jerome  used  his  vast 
scholarship  to  translate  the 
Bible  into  Latin.  His  was  not 
the  earliest  translation  into 
Latin,  but  it  became  the  stand- 
ard —  the  "Vulgate"  version. 

Latin  was  the  speech  of  the 
western  part  of  the  Roman  Em- 
pire, that  region  which  suffered 
most  severely  from  the  invasions 
and  where  the  collapse  of  civili- 
zation was  the  most  marked. 
Jerome's  translation,  made  on 
the  eve  of  the  Dark  Ages,  be- 
came a  light  in  the  murky  cen- 
turies which  followed.  It  was 
treasured  in  monasteries  and  in 
churches,  illumined  darkened 
souls,  and  was  one  of  the  chief 
means     of    perpetuating     and 


spreading  the  Christian  faith. 

In  that  same  fourth  century 
in  which  Jerome  was  born,  and 
somewhat  older  than  he,  Ulfilas, 
one  of  those  Goths  who  were 
soon  to  overrun  much  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  translated  the 
Bible  into  the  language  of  his 
people.  Partly  under  the  influ- 
ence of  that  translation,  the 
overwhelming  majority  of  the 
Goths  eventually  became  pro- 
fessedly Christian.  Because  they 
were  Christians,  they  were  less 
destructive  than  they  otherwise 
would  have  been.  When  they 
captured  Rome,  they  spared  the 
churches  and  those  who  took 
refuge  in  them.  As  Christians, 
the  noblest  among  them  sought 
to  stay  the  decay  of  civilization 
and  to  maintain  learning,  law, 
and  order. 

The  Light  Is  Carried 
to  Britain 

In  the  years  when  the  Roman 
Empire  was  collapsing,  pagan 
Germanic  tribes,  chiefly  the 
Angles  and  Saxons,  invaded 
what  had  been  a  Roman 
province  —  Britain.  Under  the 
impact  of  their  conquest,  Chris- 
tianity was  exterminated  in 
most  of  the  eastern  half  of  what 
is  now  England.  Yet  it  persisted 
in  Ireland.  There  the  Bible  was 
cherished  in  the  monasteries. 
Irish  monks  were  steeped  in  it, 
and  lovingly  transcribed  it  in 
beautifully  illuminated  manu- 
script copies. 

It  was  partly  through  Irish 
missionaries    that    Christianity 


Translation  it  is  that  openeth 
the  window  to  let  in  the 
light;  that  breaketh  the 
shell,  that  we  may  eat  the 
kernel;  that  putteth  aside 
the  curtain  that  we  may 
looke  into  the  most  Holy 
place. 

From  the  Preface  to  the 
Authorized  Version  of  the 
English  Bible,   Wll. 


was  brought  to  the  Anglo- 
Saxons.  The  Bible  came  with 
them.  Christianity  was  also 
brought  to  the  Anglo-Saxons 
by  missionaries  directly  from 
Rome.  It  is  significant  that 
when,  dismayed  by  the  prospec- 
tive perils  of  their  assignment, 
these  missionaries  would  have 
turned  back  had  not  the  one 
who  had  sent  them,  the  de- 
voted Pope  Gregory  the  Great, 
spurred  them  on  by  a  word 
from  the  New  Testament,  "No 
man,  having  put  his  hand  to 
the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is 
fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God." 

After  the  Anglo-Saxons  be- 
came Christians,  missionaries 
from  among  them  in  turn  car- 
ried the  gospel  to  the  pagans  of 
the  Rhine  Valley,  in  what  is 
now  Holland  and  Germany. 
The  greatest  of  these  English 
missionaries,  Winfrith  (or,  to 
give  him  the  Latin  name  by 
which  he  was  usually  known, 
Boniface),  must  have  had  the 
Bible  as  his  constant  compan- 
ion, for  it  sprang  naturally  to 
his  lips.  His  letters  abound  in 
quotations  from  it. 

The  Christian  faith,  trans- 
mitted through  the  Bible  and 
by  spirits  inspired  by  the  Christ 
of  the  Bible,  began  to  transform 
and  to  civilize  the  barbarians 
whose  raids  had  inaugurated 
the  Dark  Ages. 

The  Renaissance  and  the 
Reformation  Turn  Up 
the  Light 

The  fifteenth  century  was  a 
dark  time  for  Christianity.  Yet 
the  church  persisted,  and,  when 
it  broke  forth  again  and  with 
enhanced  power,  it  was  through 
a  word  of  Scripture.  It  was  a 
discouraging  period.  The  of- 
ficial church  was  corrupt.  It 
had  been  captured  by  France 
through  the  removal  of  its 
head  —  the  Pope  —  to  Avignon, 
where  he  could  be  dominated 

JANUARY   2,    1960  7 


by  the  French  kings.  Then,  not 
long  after  this  "Babylonian  cap- 
tivity" had  come  to  an  end,  the 
church  was  torn  apart  by  rival 
popes.  Before  this  breach  could 
be  healed,  the  Renaissance  had 
begun  to  fill  the  papal  throne 
with  men  who  were  more  en- 
amored of  art  and  literature 
and  were  more  bent  upon  pro- 
viding for  their  own  relatives, 
than  devoted  to  the  cause  of 
Christ. 

The  monasteries,  where  the 
light  had  been  guarded  during 
the  Dark  Ages,  had  become 
corrupt.  Good  men  were  scan- 
dalized and  grieved  by  the  state 
of  the  church.  At  the  same 
time,  while  Europe  was  divided 
and  the  church  was  nerveless, 
the  Mohammedan  Ottoman 
Turks  captured  Constantinople, 
that  centuries-long  bulwark 
against  Islam,  and  carried  the 
Crescent  to  the  very  walls  of 
Vienna.  To  the  excited  imagi- 
nation of  the  day,  they  seemed 
to  threaten  all  Europe  and 
Christianity  itself. 

In  these  gloomy  years  the 
faith  was  kept  alive  by  such 
groups  as  the  Brethren  of  the 
Common  Life.  It  is  significant 
that  their  greatest  pupil,  Eras- 
mus, the  outstanding  man  of 
letters  of  sixteenth-century  Eu- 
rope, had  as  his  foremost  single 
achievement  the  first  printed 
edition  of  the  Greek  New  Test- 
ament prepared  that  men  might 
go  to  that  book  in  its  original 
tongue  and  not  through  the 
intermediary  of  a  necessarily 
faulty  translation.  Even  more 
notably,  it  was  a  word  of  Scrip- 
ture, found  in  both  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  "the  just  shall 
live  by  faith,"  which  brought  to 
the  tortured  soul  of  Luther 
peace  and  assurance,  and  so 
contributed  mightily  to  that 
fresh  outburst  of  life  and  light 
which  we  call  the  Reformation. 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Setting  the  Whole  World 
Aglow 

In  the  nineteenth  century, 
movements  were  abroad  which 
seemed  to  place  in  jeopardy  the 
very  existence  of  the  Christian 
faith.  Eighteenth-century  ra- 
tionalism was  still  current.  The 
scientific  approach,  personified 
by  Darwin  and  Spencer,  ap- 
peared to  be  destroying  the 
bases  of  the  Christian  religion. 
Yet,  in  the  nineteenth  century 
the  Bible  attained  a  greater  and 
a  wider  circulation  than  ever 
before.  Devoted  missionaries 
translated  it  in  whole  or  in  part 
into  fresh  languages  on  every 
continent  and  in  scores  of  the 
islands  of  the  sea. 

The  great  Bible  societies, 
notably  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  and  the  American 
Bible  Society,  used  the  ma- 
chines which  had  been  pro- 
duced by  that  same  science 
which  seemed  a  threat  to 
Christianity,  to  print  the  Book 
in  larger  quantities  than  had 
ever  before  been  possible,  and 
carried  it  to  more  millions  and 
among  more  races  than  had 
ever  read  any  one  volume. 

More  than  once  the  American 
Bible  Society  canvassed  the  en- 
tire United  States  and  placed 
the  Bible  in  every  home  that 
would  receive  it.  What  had 
been  a  menace  was  thus  turned 
into  an  instrument  for  the 
ever-wider  dissemination  of  the 
Bible  and,  with  it,  of  the 
Christian  faith. 

The  Light  Shines  On 
in  the  Storm 

The  Bible  perpetuates  the 
gospel  light  in  lands  where 
it  has  been  all  but  crowded 
out  by  persecution.  In  the 
nineteenth  century,  for  about 
twenty-five  years  the  then  re- 
cently planted  Christian  com- 
munities in  Madagascar  were 
subjected  to  severe  persecution 
by  a  non-Christian  ruler.  The 
Christians  were  young  in  the 


The  Bible  is  purchased  in  India, 
a  Spanish-speaking  country,  and  in 
Liberia,  in  the  language  understood 
by  the  people  of  each  country 

faith;  for  missionaries  had  been 
present  less  than  a  generation. 
All  missionaries  were  compelled 
to  leave.  Yet,  on  the  eve  of 
their  expulsion,  knowing  that 
that  fate  might  be  impending, 
the  missionaries  rushed  to  com- 
pletion their  translation  of  the 
Bible. 

During  the  years  of  persecu- 
tion, although  the  government 
attempted  by  violent  measures 
to  deprive  them  of  their  books, 
the  Christians  cherished  their 
Bibles  and  reproduced  copies 
by  transcribing  them  by  hand. 
Aided  by  the  Bible,  not  only 
did  the  Christian  communities 
continue,  but  many  additional 
converts  were  made.  The  way 
had  been  so  prepared  that  when 
rulers  more  favorable  to  the 
faith  came  to  the  throne,  Chris- 
tianity spread  by  leaps  and 
bounds.  The  light  had  not  been 
put  out. 

From  early  in  the  seven- 
teenth century  until  past  the 
middle  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, Christianity,  once  flourish- 
ing, was  proscribed  in  Japan. 
Torture  and  death  were  meted 
out  to  any  who  were  discovered 
to  have  retained  the  faith  and 
who  refused  to  recant.  Late  in 
this  period  an  official  on  duty 
in  one  of  the  ports,  Nagasaki, 


chanced  to  see  a  book  floating 
in  the  harbor.  When  it  was  re- 
trieved, it  proved  to  be  in  a 
strange  language.  It  was  a 
Dutch  New  Testament. 

Like  other  educated  Japa- 
nese, he  could  read  Chinese.  He 
thereupon  procured  a  Chinese 
translation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  he  and  his  brother 
studied  it.  A  few  years  later 
they  heard  of  a  foreigner  who 
could  explain  the  Book  to  them 
and  visited  him,  one  of  the 
earliest  Protestant  missionaries 
in  Japan.  In  due  time  they 
braved  the  anti-Christian  laws 
and  asked  for  baptism,  and 
thus  were  among  the  first  Japa- 
nese to  receive  that  rite  from 
the  hands  of  Protestants. 

Both  remained  true  to  the 
faith  found  through  the  pages 
of  the  Book.  In  his  later  years 
one  of  them  worked  at  trans- 
lating it  from  Chinese  to  Japa- 
nese. The  other  became  a 
Methodist  local  preacher.  Sev- 
eral other  members  of  the  fam- 
ily became  faithful  Christians. 
One,  a  former  nurse  in  the 
household,  conducted  a  Bible 
class  some  members  of  which 
in  turn  became  Sunday  school 
teachers.  The  Bible  had  brought 
its  light  into  a  comer  where  the 
darkness  had  seemingly  crowd- 
ed it  out. 
"A  Light  Unto  My  Path" 

The  Bible  has  not  only  car- 


ried its  beams  into  distraught 
ages  and  countries  and  perpetu- 
ated the  gospel  light  in  lands 
where  persecution  has  abound- 
ed; it  has  also  brought  illumina- 
tion to  despairing  individuals. 
Indeed,  it  is  by  the  transforma- 
tion of  individuals  that  it  has 
usually  made  its  way. 

Sometimes,  one  who  has  had 
the  Bible  impressed  upon  him 
in  his  youth  and  then  has  de- 
parted from  it  has  had  a  passage 
from  its  half-forgotten  pages 
flash  into  his  memory  in  the 
blackest  hour  of  his  life  and 
lead  him  to  the  light. 

On  an  evening,  many  years 
ago,  there  wandered  into  a 
rescue  mission  in  one  of  our 
manufacturing  cities  a  derelict, 
who  later  described  himself  as 
then  having  been  a  drunken, 
homeless,  hopeless  wastrel.  He 
had  been  reared  in  a  good 
home  in  Scotland,  and  as  a  boy 
had  been  taken  regularly  to 
church.  He  had  ability  and 
energy,  and  in  his  young  man- 
hood had  held  excellent  posi- 
tions. The  social  glass  proved 
his  undoing.  Again  and  again 
he  had  resolved  to  make  a  fresh 
start.  He  had  will  power  and 
friends,  but  his  will  power 
failed  him  before  his  enemy; 
and,  disappointed  again  and 
again,  his  friends  lost  confi- 
dence in  him. 

On  that  night,  dirty,  ragged, 


shaky,  from  a  recent  spree, 
penniless  and  friendless,  he 
dropped  into  a  seat  in  this 
mission  in  a  strange  city  in  an 
alien  land.  A  Bible  verse  on  the 
wall  caught  his  eye:  "Trust  in 
the  Lord,  and  do  good;  so  shalt 
thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and 
verily  thou  shalt  be  fed."  With 
it  came  a  flood  of  memories;  for 
that  very  verse  once  hung  in 
his  home,  and  it  brought  back 
the  face  of  his  mother,  now 
gone,  his  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  all  the  dear  associations  of 
childhood.  The  contrast  be- 
tween those  days  and  his 
present  misery  overwhelmed 
him.  He  had  been  in  rescue 
missions  before,  but  as  a  scorn- 
ful critic,  looking  for  hypocrisy. 
Now  he  knew  himself  for  what 
he  was,  a  helpless  sinner. 

The  testimonies  came  to  him 
with  a  new  ring  of  sincerity. 
When  the  invitation  was  given, 
he  stumbled  forward,  knelt,  and 
repeated  the  simple  prayer  that 
was  taught  him :  "God  be  mer- 
ciful to  me  a  sinner,  and  save 
me  now,  for  Jesus'  sake."  There 
then  began  the  long  and  diffi- 
cult but  successful  struggle 
back  to  self-control  and  self- 
respect. 

For  many  years  he  was  the 
superintendent  of  a  rescue  mis- 

Continued  on  page  12 
JANUARY  2,   1960  9 


WHY 
SHOULDN'T 


FUNERALS 


CHANGE? 


Lucile  Johnson 


WHEN  death  would  come 
to  our  community,  my 
husband  Hal  always 
simply  refused  to  go  with  me 
to  "the  viewing"  at  the  funeral 
home.  "When  I  leave  this  life, 
I  don't  want  people  tramping 
past  me  saying  how  natural  I 
look,"  he  used  to  say. 

It  was  all  semikidding  until 
Hal's  brother-in-law,  Herb  Wil- 
son, died.  Herb's  wife,  Ethel, 
naturally  turned  to  Hal,  her 
only  brother,  for  support.  He 
was  at  her  side  during  the 
funeral  service,  stood  with  her 
while  tearful  good-bys  were 
said  before  the  casket  was 
closed,  walked  with  Ethel  be- 
tween lines  of  people  who  wait- 
ed outside  until  the  hearse 
pulled  away,  tried  to  calm  her 
during  the  graveside  service. 

He  was  shaken  by  the  experi- 
ence. That  night  at  bedtime  he 
talked  to  me:  "Look,  Luce, 
we've  joked  with  each  other 
about  this  funeral  thing,  but 
I'm  serious  now.  I  don't  ever 
want  a  funeral  like  Herb's.   It's 


Why  make  them  publie  displays  of  grief?    We 
tried  another  way  and  Pd  recommend  it 


10 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


taking  advantage  of  a  person  to 
dress  him  up  and  lay  him  out 
for  the  public  to  see.  It  must 
be  hideous  for  a  grieving  family 
to  confront  a  crowd  of  people 
who  are  trying  to  express  their 
sympathy  and  don't  know  how." 

I  wished  he  would  drop  the 
subject,  but  Hal  went  on:  "An- 
other thing  —  Ethel  bought  a 
new  suit  for  Herb  to  be  buried 
inl  When  my  time  comes,  just 
put  me  away  in  something  I'm 
used  to.  I  guess  Ethel  was 
comforted  by  the  compliments 
people  paid  her  on  the  bronze 
casket  she  bought  Herb,  but 
don't  spend  that  kind  of  money 
on  me.  You  can  skip  the  truck- 
load  of  flowers,  too." 

"In  short,  don't  mortgage  the 
homestead?"  I  quipped. 

"In  short,  don't  ever  bury  the 
children's  college  tuition  with 
me,"  Hal  replied  soberly.  "And 
don't  ever  let  yourself  in  for  an 
ordeal  like  I've  just  seen  Ethel 
go  through.  I  don't  see  how  she 
could  bear  the  strain." 

He  went  to  sleep  then.  But 
I  spent  a  restless  night.  Hal 
had    spoken    so    intently,    his 


words  seemed  ominous.  .  .  . 

A  month  later,  without  warn- 
ing or  any  last  word,  Hal  died 
of  a  heart  attack.  Even  in  my 
first  grief  I  realized  I  had  a  re- 
sponsibility: to  give  my  hus- 
band the  land  of  funeral  he 
would  approve  —  neighborhood 
customs  regardless. 

Our  religious  denomination  is 
such  that  funeral  rituals  are  not 
strictly  prescribed.  When  I  sent 
for  Dr.  Rait,  our  minister,  I  told 
him  of  Hal's  feelings.  "I  agree," 
he  said.  "The  purpose  of  a 
funeral  service  is  to  commemo- 
rate the  spirit  of  a  loved  one. 
The  empty  Tiouse'  he  has  left 
should  be  disposed  of  with  dig- 
nity and  reverence,  but  not 
with  display.  We  can  plan  a 
service  for  Hal  that  will  com- 
fort you,  and  perhaps  also  in- 
spire others  who  may  sometime 
wish  to  break  tradition." 

Because  Hal  had  emphasized 
privacy,  Dr.  Rait  conceded  that 
it  would  not  be  necessary  to 
bring  the  casket  into  church  for 
the  service.  "Some  families 
want  the  loved  one  to  rest  brief- 
ly before  God's  altar,"  he  said. 


Max  Tharpe 
A  memorial  service  might  be  much  like  any  other  service  of  worship 


"It's  a  matter  of  choice.  If  the 
casket  is  present,  many  prefer 
that  it  not  be  opened.  There's 
also  a  trend  to  include  the 
committal  service  as  part  of  the 
church  service.  Friends  go 
home  afterward  instead  of  re- 
assembling at  the  grave. 

"In  fact,"  Dr.  Rait  continued, 
"one  of  my  colleagues  over  in 
Centervale  conducts  a  memori- 
al service  that  I  like  very  much. 
It's  held  in  the  evening,  in  the 
church  or  mortuary  chapel,  but 
without  the  casket  present.  The 
service  consists  simply  of  music, 
Scripture  reading,  and  prayer. 
Burial  is  the  next  day,  with  only 
the  minister,  the  mortician  and 
attendants,  and  usually  the  fam- 
ily, at  the  graveside." 

We  decided  on  a  modified 
plan  to  which  I  hoped  the  rest 
of  the  family  would  agree.  We 
would  ask  our  close  friends  to 
call  at  our  house  instead  of  the 
funeral  home,  the  evening  be- 


fore the  burial.  Only  relatives 
and  members  of  the  family 
would  go  to  the  mortuary  to  see 
Hal  —  if  they  wished  to.  We 
would  have  a  memorial  service 
in  our  church,  the  following 
Sunday  so  Hal's  business  friends 
could  attend  without  taking 
time  off. 

I  called  in  the  children,  Janey 
who  is  ten  and  fourteen-year- 
old  David.  I  phoned  Jim  Moore, 
the  mortician  who  was  Hal's 
good  friend,  and  asked  him  to 
come  over.  He  picked  up  Hal's 
parents  on  the  way. 

I  told  them  all  of  the  talk  Hal 
and  I  had  had.  His  parents, 
long  in  the  community,  were 
timid  about  doing  things  differ- 
ently. But  they  respected  their 
son's  wishes  and  gave  me  the 
go-ahead.  (This  was  a  great 
help  which  some  widows  are 
denied. ) 

We  decided  that  there  would 
be  no  public  viewing  and  that 


we  would  ask  that  people  omit 
flowers.  We  would  suggest  that 
the  money  which  our  friends 
would  normally  spend  for  flow- 
ers be  given  instead  to  our 
church  camp  fund,  Hal's  pet 
project. 

We  discussed  how  much  I 
should  spend  for  funeral  and 
burial.  "Hal  wouldn't  want  me 
to  be  extravagant,"  I  explained. 
"He  wouldn't  want  me  to  use 
the  insurance  he  carried  for  the 
children's  education.  He  has 
one  other  policy,  for  $800.  Our 
burial  lot  is  already  paid  for." 

Jim  said  the  sum  I  had  named 
would  be  adequate.  "It's  usual- 
ly possible  to  do  things  well  for 
whatever  a  family  can  afford  if 
we  go  over  the  details  togeth- 
er," he  told  us.  He  asked  about 
clothes,  and  we  decided  to  have 
Hal  dressed  in  his  well-worn 
but  favorite  blue  suit.  We 
thought  he  would  have  wanted 
that. 

Janey,  David,  and  I  went 
alone  to  the  funeral  home  that 
afternoon.  We  had  cut  some 
flowers  from  the  border  Hal  had 
worked  so  hard  on  and  been  so 
proud  of.  We  took  these  with 
us  and  arranged  them  around 
the  room  where  Hal  lay. 

Janey  wept  and  David  scrub- 
bed at  his  eyes.  I  won't  discuss 
my  feelings  except  to  say  the 
knowledge  that  we  were  follow- 
ing Hal's  kind  of  thinking 
helped  me  enormously. 

The  children  and  I  talked, 
too,  of  the  good  times  we  had 
all  had  together.  We  could  act 
naturally,  free  from  public 
view.  I  remember  thinking  how 
right  it  seemed,  our  having  this 
time  alone  with  our  dead  —  not 
being  expected  to  be  a  recep- 
tion committee  for  the  custom- 
ary callers. 

When  friends  came  to  see  us 
that  evening,  the  mood  was  not 
somber.  Our  neighbors,  bless 
them,  had  brought  over  food 


JANUARY  2,  1960 


11 


and  we  set  it  out.  Hal  had 
loved  good  friends,  good  food, 
good  fellowship.  It  almost 
seemed  as  if  he  were  there  with 
us,  somewhere  just  out  of  sight. 

The  following  morning  our 
immediate  family  went  with 
Dr.  Rait  and  Jim  to  the  ceme- 
tery for  the  brief  committal 
service.  It  is  hard  to  take  final 
leave  of  someone  you  love.  We 
were  glad  not  to  be  the  target 
of  sympathetic  and  curious  eyes 
at  this  time. 

Sunday  afternoon  many 
friends  came  to  the  church  to 
pay  their  last  respects.  The 
memorial  service  was  simple. 
Dr.  Rait  followed  the  familiar 
pattern  of  our  church  services: 
opening  thoughts,  invocation, 
choral  response,  all  carefully 
chosen  for  the  occasion.  There 
was  no  prolonged  feeling  of 
sentimentality.  He  then  talked 
briefly  about  Hal:  the  way  he 
had  lived,  the  good  he  had  ac- 
complished, and  the  vacancy  he 
would  leave. 

After  the  benediction  and 
blessing,  we  left  the  church  to 
the  organ  strains  of  the  Halle- 
lujah Chorus. 

What  a  comfort  —  a  "funeral" 
service  without  lengthy  oratory 
or  display  of  grief!  It  created 
a  mood  of  victory;  a  conviction 
that  the  love  of  God  is  stronger 
than  death  or  sorrow. 

Afterward  the  children  and 
I,  Hal's  parents  and  other  rela- 
tives drove  to  the  cemetery  and 
placed  some  flowers  on  Hal's 
grave.  Then  we  went  home  to 
pick  up  the  threads  of  living. 

The  ordeal  of  grief  is  a 
personal  matter.  Not  every  be- 
reaved family  would  wish  to 
follow  the  plan  I  have  just  de- 
scribed. But  for  us  it  offered 
comforting  friendship  without 
maudlin  sentimentality,  dignity 
and  reverence  without  show. 

Reprinted    from    Farm   Journal 
by  permission 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  City 
Which  Is  to  Come 

Continued  from  page  4 

in  the  church  fellowship,  no 
election  of  officers,  but  sensing 
the  gifts  God  has  given  to  his 
church  for  the  enrichment  of 
the  church  and  for  the  salvation 
of  the  world. 

There  is  a  tremendous  ur- 
gency of  evangelism.  As  we 
meet  in  many  different  homes 
each  Thursday  night  for  our 
Bible  study  we  often  have  the 
sense  that  this  is  or  may  be  the 
last  chance  to  share  the  word 
of  God  in  this  couple's  nearly 
shattered  family  relationship. 

As  we  pass  the  corner  of 
Maxwell  and  Sangamon,  Toby, 
Rufus,  and  Claude  wave  to  us. 
These  three  winos  with  swollen 
ankles  and  brown  eyes  have 
come  to  be  our  friends.  In  our 
own  soul  of  souls  do  we  really 
believe  with  conviction  that  as 
God  raised  Christ  from  the  dead 
he  can  also  raise  these  three 
men  for  whom  psychiatrists 
have  given  up  hope?  Do  we 
deep  down  believe  that  the 
power  of  God  can  raise  up  these 
who  now  seem  desperately  far 
off?  We  cannot  be  evangelists 
unless  the  hope  of  the  resur- 
rected Christ  replaces  the  logi- 
cal doubts  of  our  minds.  Let  us 
pray  for  this  hope. 

Nowhere  but  in  Christ  Jesus 
do  a  man  and  wife  who  are 
estranged,  bitter,  and  hurt  find 
the  capacity  to  forgive.  When 
a  man  and  wife  have  really 
damaged  each  other,  what  hope 
is  there  for  this  relationship 
outside  of  the  forgiveness,  sacri- 
fice, resurrection,  and  hope  of 
Christ  Jesus? 

What  is  our  vision  of  success? 
In  our  situation,  if  two  or  three 
persons  in  a  year  come  to  un- 
derstand the  deep  meaning  of 
what  it  is  to  be  a  Christian  — 
part  of  the  body  of  Christ  —  we 
will  have  been  faithful.  Can  we 
see  the  city  of  God  which  is  to 
come  in  terms  of  a  motley  crew 


of  illiterate  Christians  seeking  t 
and  witnessing  in  the  basement 
of  Big  Mamma's  house,  a  bare 
light  bulb  hanging  from  the 
ceiling,  a  small  group  sitting 
on  milk  crates,  singing  hymns 
above  the  crackle  of  the  wood 
fire  in  the  potbellied  stove?  As 
they  sing,  "O  Lord,  have  mercy 
on  me,"  as  they  tell  their  visi- 
tor what  God  has  done  for  them 
and  seek  together  what  he 
wants  of  them  —  do  you  catch 
a  glimpse  of  the  city  which  is 
to  come? 

Between  that  city  of  God 
which  shall  be  and  these  cities 
of  ours  which  now  are,  there 
stands  only  the  Christian  con- 
gregation, the  colony  of  the  city 
of  God  in  the  cities  of  the 
world  —  living  and  witnessing: 
until  his  kingdom  come  and  his 
will  be  done  in  the  earth  as  it  is 
in  heaven. 

The  Light 
That  Will  Not  Go  Out 

Continued  from  page  9 

sion,  telling  his  story  to  the 
transients  who  slouched  into  its 
halls,  ministering  to  them  with 
sympathy  and  wisdom,  keeping 
warm  his  faith  in  God  in  the 
face  of  the  discouraging  tide 
which  flowed  by  him,  and  hav- 
ing the  joy  of  seeing  some  found 
by  the  One  who  saved  him.  It* 
was  from  the  Bible  of  his  boy- 
hood that  the  first  gleam  came 
to  guide  him  out  of  his  night. 

Sometimes  the  Bible  brings 
its  light  into  the  despair  of  one 
who  has  never  before  known  it. 
Years  ago,  in  India,  a  young 
Brahmin  had  a  New  Testament 
handed  him  on  the  train.  He 
never  learned  the  name  of  the 
donor,  but  the  gift  came  at  a 
most  opportune  time.  He  had 
lost  his  faith  in  his  inherited 
religion.  He  was  in  the  darl; 
and  was  groping  for  the  light 
The  Sriptures  brought  the  glac 
news  of  the  Light  of  the  world 
He  believed  and  accepted.  The 
step   cost  him  much.    Yet  he 


persevered,  and  became  one  of 
the  outstanding  leaders  of  the 
church  in  India. 

The  Light  of  Life 

Why  this  astounding  record 
of  this  ancient  book?  Why  has 
it  persisted  from  age  to  age  and 
from  civilization  to  civilization? 
Why  is  it  now  speaking  to  more 
different  tribes  and  peoples 
than  ever  before?  Whence  this 
amazing  power  to  bring  light  to 
nations  and  individuals?  Why 
does  the  Bible  meet  the  deepest 
needs  of  men?  It  is  because  it 
is  the  Word  of  God,  spoken  in 
time  and  through  imperfect 
men,  but  spoken  by  the  Father 
of  all  to  meet  the  needs  of  all. 

It  is  because  it  tells  of  Christ. 
The  Old  Testament  leads  up  to 
him.  The  New  Testament  con- 
tains our  enduring  record  of 
his  birth,  his  life,  his  words,  his 
death,  his  resurrection,  and  his 
effect,  through  the  Holy  Spirit, 
upon  the  greatest  of  his  early 
followers  and  in  the  formation 
of  the  church. 

The  perpetuation  of  that  light 
has  been  by  human  hands, 
which  have  passed  it  on  from 
one  to  another.  It  is  because  it 
has  been  treasured  in  the  hearts 
of  the  faithful,  and  transmitted 
by  them  to  others,  that  the  light 
has  never  gone  out. 

So  it  must  continue  to  be. 
We  of  the  present  generation 
must  see  to  it  that  the  next  gen- 
eration is  nurtured  in  the  Bible 
and  learns  to  prize  it.  It  and 
the  Christ  who  is  at  its  center 
are  indispensable  —  to  every  in- 
dividual, to  the  nations,  to  the 
world.  We  must  see  that  the 
Bible  and  its  message  are  car- 
ried into  those  dark  places 
which  are  so  numerous  in  our 
day.  The  light  will  never  go 
out.  We  must  see  that  through 
us  it  suffers  no  temporary  wan- 
ing; that  so  far  as  in  us  lies,  all 
men  shall  be  led  by  it  into  the 
way  of  peace. 

Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  American 
Bible  Society 


A  Professor's  Pacifism 


Albert  L.  Gray,  Jr. 

I  BELIEVE  that  as  an  intel- 
ligent loyal  citizen  of  the 
United  States  and  as  one 
who  tries  to  follow  Christ  it  is 
the  will  of  God  for  my  life  that 
I  refuse  to  prepare  for  or  par- 
ticipate in  war  or  violence  —  in 
so  far  as  this  is  humanly  possible 
—  and  that  I  must  work  cease- 
lessly to  foster  the  conditions 
that  make  for  universal  brother- 
hood and  peace. 

As  loyal  citizens  pacifists 
yield  to  no  one  in  their  love  for 
America  and  in  the  willingness 
to  serve  their  native  land.  This 
has  been  demonstrated  many 
times  in  the  past  when  consci- 
entious objectors  served  the 
country  as  forest  fire  fighters, 
human  guinea  pigs,  hospital  at- 
tendants, medical  and  ambu- 
lance workers.  Their  motives 
may  have  been  varied,  but  at 
least  they  were  not  diluted  by 
any  desire  for  monetary  re- 
wards. 

To  see  America  is  to  love  it. 
By  moonlight  I  have  climbed 
up  majestic  Mt.  Washington  in 
the  White  Mountains  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  in  the  glory  of 
wintertime  I  have  skied  down 
Mt.  Mansfield  in  Vermont's 
Green  Mountains.  I  have  ab- 
sorbed the  sun's  rays  on  the 
sands  at  Miami  Beach  and 
cooled  my  feet  in  the  muddy 
Colorado  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Grand  Canyon.  I  have  heard 
the  wind  blow  through  the  top 
of  a  towering  Douglas  fir  two 
hundred  feet  above  a  forest  of 
Oregon's  green  timber.  Could 
I  be  so  heartless  as  to  despise 
this  land  of  God's  beauty,  or 
could  I  be  unmoved  by  threats 
of  its  destruction? 

With  much  the  same  emo- 


tions, people  in  every  land 
know  and  love  the  scenic 
beauties  of  their  own  lands  — 
the  shifting  sand  dunes  of  the 
Sahara,  the  outback  grasslands 
of  Australia,  the  snowy  tundra 
of  Canada,  the  steppes  of  Bus- 
sia,  or  the  teeming  tropical  for- 
ests of  Brazil. 

War  can  destroy  all  of  this 
beauty,  and  the  irreplaceable 
natural  resources  can  be  con- 
sumed at  an  exhausting  rate. 
In  World  War  II  one  hundred 
million  tons  of  iron  ore  each 
year  were  removed  from  our 
iron  mines  and  pits  so  that  to- 
day ore  must  be  imported  from 
Canada,  Peru,  Liberia,  and 
Venezuela  to  replace  our  de- 
pleted supply.  Lead,  zinc,  cop- 
per, bauxite,  chrome,  timber, 
soil,  and  petroleum  were  all 
exploited  at  a  frightening  pace 
for  wartime  use.  For  one  who 
loves  his  country  and  has  a  con- 
cern for  posterity  this  destruc- 
tion must  be  protested. 

As  an  intelligent  and  loyal 
citizen  I  know  that  war  bank- 
rupts a  nation,  and,  therefore, 
I  protest  our  current  staggering 
military  appropriations.  Our 
national  debt  of  $280  billion 
was  incurred  primarily  as  a 
result  of  warfare  expenditures 
and  not  welfare  expenditures. 
Taxes,  then  bonds,  then  print- 
ing press  money  represents  the 
course  of  war  economics,  to  be 
followed  in  turn  by  inflation, 
devaluation,  and  repudiation. 
No  nation,  not  even  the  United 
States,  can  escape  economic 
bankruptcy  as  long  as  it  tries 
to  make  peace  by  preparing  for 
war. 

My  love  for  America  becomes 
real  when  I  protest  against  the 
killing  of  Americans  in  wartime. 
Those  now  buried  in  military 


Professor    of    business    administration, 
Elizabethtown  College,  Pennsylvania 


JANUARY  2.  1960 


13 


cemeteries  around  the  world 
were  my  fellow  citizens  and 
my  brothers.  Of  all  the  costs 
of  war  this  is  the  incalculable 
one.  Who  knows  but  that  one 
of  these  dead  may  have  now 
found  a  cure  for  cancer  had 
we  given  him  a  chance  to  live. 
No  loyal  intelligent  American 
should  remain  mute  when  con- 
templating the  human  cost  of 
past  wars  or  when  forecasting 
the  destruction  of  future  strife. 
Yet  on  we  plunge  in  a  mad  race 
to  exterminate  all  mankind. 

Then,  too,  as  students  of  his- 
tory, we  must  realize  that  war 
has  been  a  failure.  The  high 
and  noble  purposes  for  which 
wars  were  fought  crumble  as 
soon  as  the  fighting  stops.  Allies 
become  enemies  and  enemies 
become  friends  in  a  ceaseless 
confusing  turmoil  of  political 
juxtaposition.  Out  of  military 
victory  comes  the  unsettled 
problems  of  lands  and  people, 
and  after  the  "cease  fire"  of 
World  War  II  have  come 
the  bullets  of  Korea,  Israel, 
Indo  China,  Algeria,  Hungary, 
Egypt,  Formosa,  and  Berlin. 
How  long  can  intelligent  people 
tolerate  successive  failures  of 
this  type? 

And  so  out  of  my  love  for 
America  springs  my  pacifism, 
but  I  have  found  that  these  in- 
tellectual arguments  are  not 
enough.  There  are  many  peo- 
ple in  this  world  who  would 
agree  with  all  that  has  been 
said  here  about  the  stupidity  of 
war  and  violence,  yet  they  do 
not  act  as  pacifists.  So  for  them 
as  for  me,  belief  must  be 
substantiated  by  Christian  the- 
ology. 

From  the  Old  Testament  and 
the  New  verse  after  verse  of 
the  best  thinking  of  the  writers 
rejects  violence  even  though 
they  wrote  in  the  midst  of  con- 
stant human  brutality.  From 
the   first   chapters    of    Genesis 


man  is  viewed  as  being  in  God's 
own  image  so  that  to  destroy 
human  life  is  to  destroy  the 
likeness  of  God.  From  the  Ten 
Commandments  comes  the  ab- 
solute declaration,  ''Thou  shall 
not  kill."  From  Isaiah  comes 
the  unparalleled  vision  of  the 
time  when  nations  shall  leam 
war  no  more.  And  Zechariah 
prophesied  that  the  kingdom 
would  come  "not  by  might,  nor 
by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  says 
the  Lord  of  hosts." 

The  truth  of  these  Old  Testa- 
ment scriptures  were  reaffirmed 
again  and  again  by  God's  own 
Son.  Christians  need  only  to  be 
reminded  of  the  words  of  Jesus, 
"Blessed  are  the  peacemakers, 
.  .  .  love  your  enemies,  ...  go 
the  second  mile,  ...  do  unto 
others."  And  as  a  logical  and 
inescapable  conclusion  Jesus 
said  that  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment we  will  be  asked  if  we 
have  fed  the  hungry,  clothed 
the  naked,  and  visited  the  sick 
and  the  needy.    On  this  basis 


and  not  on  the  number  of  the 
enemy  we  slew  in  battle  will 
our  destiny  be  decided. 

The  Apostle  Paul  seemed  to 
understand  Christ's  spirit  for  he 
wrote,  "Repay  no  one  evil  for 
evil  ...  if  your  enemy  is  hun- 
gry, feed  him."  And  again,  "If 
I  speak  in  the  tongues  of  men 
and  of  angels,  but  have  not  love, 
I  am  a  noisy  gong.  .  .  ."  John, 
the  beloved  disciple  of  Jesus, 
put  the  truth  as  bluntly  as  possi- 
ble, "God  is  love.  If  any  one 
says,  T  love  God,'  and  hates  his 
brother,  he  is  a  liar." 

My  task  as  a  Christian  is  to 
strive  to  emulate  my  Master 
and  then  to  bring  others  to 
know  him.  But  dead  men, 
women,  and  children,  killed  by 
the  sword  or  a  bomb,  no  longer 
have  the  opportunity  to  know 
on  earth  the  love  of  God.  If 
men  are  to  be  saved  from  an 
eternal  fire,  this  will  not  be  done 
by  first  searing  them  with  a 
flame  thrower  or  an  atomic  ex- 
plosion. We  are  called  to  obey 


14 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


THE  CROWN 

MARVIN  G.  REEVES 

Though  man  thinks  he  rules  the  forest 
Yet  a  forest  in  rebellion 
Is  a  terrifying  thing. 

When  this  forest  revolution 

Is  accomplished  as  man's  own  way 
Makes  his  careless  fire  flee. 
Then  the  forest  like  a  nation 

In  rebellion,  shouts  and  glories. 
Sacrifices  to  be  free. 

So  at  last  the  forest  wearing 
On  its  head  a  crown  of  fire 
Will  rejoice  to  see  man  rim. 
Never  knowing  that  man  fleeing 
Weeps  to  see  the  forest  dying 

When  the  useless  fighting's  done. 

And  a  man  is  like  a  forest; 

He  rebels  against  his  Master 
And  exults  that  he  is  free. 
Never  knowing  that  his  Maker 

Weeps  to  see  his  children  dying. 
Wasted  in  futility. 


and  not  necessarily  to  triumph. 
For  the  Christian  there  is  no 
guarantee  that  pacifism  will 
conquer  the  Russians  or  stem 
the  tide  of  evil,  but  rather  there 
is  the  promise  that  if  we  try  to 
do  the  will  of  God  and  ask  for- 
giveness when  we  fail,  then  we 
will  see  God. 

As  a  loyal  intelligent  citizen 
of  the  United  States  and  as  one 
who  tries  to  follow  Christ,  I 
must  reject  war  and  violence. 


Be  of  Good  Courage 

Marianne  Michael 

THE  thought  of  courage 
has  always  been  associat- 
ed with  smart  uniforms, 
the  sound  of  drums,  a  flag 
snapping  smartly  in  the  breeze, 
the  glowing  admiration  of  the 
crowd  backing  one  up.  The 
going-  beyond  -  the-line-of-duty, 
the  over-and-above  which  no 
one  else  could  quite  bring  him- 
self to  do,  is  the  thing  which 
makes  the  headlines,  which 
stirs  a  sleeping  chord  deep 
down  somewhere  in  our  being 
and  makes  us  think,  "I  wish  I 
had  done  that." 

But  there  is  another  kind  of 
courage  which  scarcely  meets 
the  eye,  a  battle  fought  in  the 
deepest  recesses  of  a  heart, 
where  battles  are  fought  alone 
and  unapplauded,  And  there 
is  a  courage,  too,  that  runs 
counter  to  the  crowd,  where 
the  thing  one  says  and  does 
may  not  be  accepted  by  the 
group. 

On  the  floor  of  a  rude  porch 
I  sat  with  a  Christian  who  had 
just  received  word  of  the  death 
of  her  husband.  Half-reclining, 
supported  by  her  closest  friends, 
she  received  in  that  solemn 
company  the  sympathy  of 
scores  of  women  friends  who 
came  to  grasp  her  hand  and  to 
plead  the  familiar  "tie  your 
heart"  along  with  the  grim  re- 
minder  that   this    day    awaits 


each  one  of  us  in  God's  own 
time. 

Outside  with  chanting  and 
wails  rising  and  falling,  some- 
times almost  shaking  the  shel- 
ter in  which  we  sat,  friends  and 
relatives  sought  as  best  they 
knew  to  penetrate  the  impene- 
trable, to  reach  across  that 
chasm  which  separates  the  liv- 
ing from  the  dead,  to  pierce 
with  waving  spears  the  spirit 
of  death  which  hung  close 
about  us. 

But  in  the  center  of  this  dis- 
play, in  a  way  which  no  eye 
could  see,  here  was  a  woman 
answering  for  herself  the  ques- 
tion Job  and  all  the  generations 
since  have  had  to  answer  for 
themselves,  "I  know  that  my 
Redeemer  lives."  And  there, 
while  others  were  caught  up  in 
the  hypnotic  spell  of  fear 
which  characterizes  a  pagan 
funeral,  she  fought  her  own 
battle  and  won. 

Refusing  time  and  time  again 
the  pleas  of  her  friends  to  fol- 
low the  rites  practiced  by  her 
people  since  her  earliest  recol- 
lection, she  said  simply,  "Grieve 
in  the  way  that  you  know;  I 
take  no  part  in  the  charms  and 
disguises  which  give  me  no 
comfort."  Courage  which  she 
drew  from  beyond  the  depths 
we  saw  was  enough  to  bear 
her  up. 

So  often  we  compromise  in 
little  ways  the  best  we  know. 
When  times  of  trial  appear  our 
wills  are  but  shifting  sand.  We 
need  more  courage  to  stand  for 
the  difficult  right  against  the 
easy  wrong. 

That  singular  courage  comes 
only  to  those  who  have  laid 
down  a  foundation  on  solid 
rock,  whose  moral  courage  has 
been  tested  in  minor  ways  and 
not  found  wanting.  "Those  who 
wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  mount 
up  with  wings  as  eagles,  they 
shall  walk  and  not  faint,  they 
shall  run  and  not  be  weary." 


Using  or  Losing 

Robert  O.  Hess 

IN  MANY  ways  what  we  do  not 
use,  we  lose.  I  remember  a 
course  in  geometry  which  re- 
quired that  I  memorize  a  number 
of  theorems.  Many  of  these  I  com- 
mitted to  memory  but  now,  after 
twenty-three  years,  I  am  unable  to 
quote  one.  I  did  not  use  them; 
hence,  I  lost  them. 

The  writer  of  the  Hebrew  letter 
to  the  Jewish  Christians  suggests 
that  they  should  give  the  more 
earnest  heed  to  the  things  which 
they  have  heard,  lest  at  any  time 
they  should  let  them  slip.  Another 
translation  says  that  we  must  pay  all 
the  more  attention  to  what  we  have 
heard,  lest  we  drift  away  (Heb.  2:1). 

The  implication  is  that  unless  we 
become  users  of  the  word  we  be- 
come losers,  for  within  the  context 
of  this  idea  we  find  the  question, 
"How  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect 
so  great  a  salvation?" 

A  barometer  indicating  whether 
or  not  we  are  using  or  losing  is  the 
degree  in  which  we  find  Christians 
committed  to  Christ  and  the  church. 
One  of  our  contemporary  preachers 
states  that  many  persons  have  grad- 
uated from  the  church  and  have  be- 
come merely  members  of  the  alumni! 
It  could  be  added  that  it  is  likely 
that  many  return  to  their  alma  mater 
only  once  a  year.  If  America  is  to 
be  a  Christian  democracy  and  worthy 
of  that  which  the  name  implies,  we 
need  to  be  users  of  the  only  institu- 
tion that  represents  the  salvation  of 
the  world  lest  we  lose  it. 

No  one  looks  for  a  new  philosophy 
of  life  unless  that  which  he  has  has 
no  meaning.  America  needs  to 
awake  and  become  alert  to  the  valid- 
ity of  Christianity.  A  meaningful 
Christianity  is  our  strongest  defense 
against  any  new  philosophy  of  life. 
Since  love  is  the  principle  by  which 
Christianity  operates,  it  becomes  our 
strongest  weapon.  The  difficulty  is 
that  few  persons  are  willing  to  use  it. 

We  need  to  give  the  more  earnest 
heed  to  the  things  which  we  have 
heard,  lest  at  any  time  we  should 
let  them  slip.  May  we  be  users  of 
the  spirit  of  Christ  lest  we  lose  it. 
•  •  • 

"We  know  and  believe  the  love 
God  has  for  us.  God  is  love,  and  he 
who  abides  in  love  abides  in  God, 
and  God  abides  in  him.  In  this  is 
love  perfected  with  us,  that  we  may 
have  confidence  for  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, because  as  he  is  so  are  we  in 
this  world"   (1   John  4:16-17). 


JANUARY  2,  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


The  Chalmer  Shulls  have  returned  to  the  States  for 
retirement  after  almost  forty  years  of  service  in  India. 
They  are  residing  in  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  at  the 
present  time. 

Clara  Harper,  who  is  now  in  her  thirty-fourth  year 
as  a  missionary  in  Nigeria,  underwent  major  surgery  in 
Jos,  Nigeria,  recently.  Reports  indicate  that  she  is 
making  satisfactory  progress. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  at  Sacramento,  Calif., 
has  moved  to  a  new  location;  it  is  now  known  as  the 
Meadowview  Church  of  the  Brethren.  The  address  is 
1871  Meadowview  Road,  Sacramento. 

A  choir  of  125  voices,  under  the  direction  of  Donald 
R.  Frederick,  presented  The  Christmas  Oratorio,  by 
Camil  van  Hulse,  at  the  McPherson  church  on  Dec. 
13.  McPherson  first  presented  the  work  in  1950  soon 
after  its  publication. 

Living  Stone  church,  Cumberland,  Md.,  by  action 
of  the  recent  Western  Maryland  district  meeting,  is  now 
a  part  of  that  district  and  consequently  of  the  South- 
eastern Region.  Though  in  Maryland,  the  congregation 
had  formerly  been  part  of  the  Western  Pennsylvania 
District. 

Names  for  the  newest  buildings  on  the  Bridgewater 
College  campus  were  approved  at  the  November  meet- 
ing of  the  trustees.  The  science  building,  built  in  1953, 
was  named  Bowman  Hall  in  honor  of  Samuel  Bowman, 
who  gave  his  farm  to  the  college,  and  of  Paul  H.  Bow- 
man, who  for  more  than  twenty-five  years  was  president 
of  the  college.  The  new  men's  dormitory  has  been  des- 
ignated Wright  Hall  for  Charles  C.  Wright,  who  served 
the  college  in  approximately  every  possible  administra- 
tive position,  and  for  Frank  J.  Wright,  who  taught  for 
a  number  of  years  at  Bridgewater. 


Coming  Next  Week 

In  keeping  with  the  emphasis  on  the  call 
to  discipleship  the  Gospel  Messenger  begins 
in  the  next  issue  a  series  on  men  who  heard 
the  call.  The  first  four  are  written  by  Robert 
A.  Byerly,  a  member  of  the  Elizabethtown 
College  faculty.  The  one  appearing  next  week 
concerns  the  apostles  James  and  John. 

Another  chapter  from  the  new  booklet  by 
W.  Russell  Shull,  How  God  Guides  Us,  will 
be  found  on  page  3  of  next  week's  Messenger. 
This  chapter  is  Guidance  Through  Common 
Sense. 

Have  you  been  abroad  and  been  embar- 
rassed by  the  rudeness  and  boastfulness  of 
some  U.S.  tourists?  Perhaps  you  will  recognize 
some  of  them  in  William  Lipphard's  Obnoxious 
Americans  Abroad. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


First  church  of  Reading,  Pa.,  held  its  first  service  in 
the  sanctuary  of  its  new  building  on  Dec.  20.  The 
new  address  of  the  church  is  Box  143,  Bern  Road, 
Wyomissing,  Pa.  Dedication  services  are  scheduled  for 
April  7-10. 

Anyone  knowing  of  Brethren  families  living  in  the 
Detroit  area  who  do  not  attend  one  of  the  three  con- 
gregations of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  there,  please 
send  the  names  and  addresses  to  Rev.  Paul  Hoffman, 
9554  Inkster  Road,  Detroit  39,  Mich. 

J.  A.  Robinson,  pastor  of  the  Ephrata  church,  Pa., 
is  deeply  appreciative  of  the  many  greetings  he  received 
during  his  hospitalization.  It  is  impossible  for  him  to 
answer  them  personally.  Brother  Robinson  was  able  to 
preach  on  Dec.  6  for  the  first  time  since  his  surgery. 

Ira  W.  Moomaw,  executive  secretary  of  Agricultural 
Missions,  Inc.,  left  recendy  on  a  field  service  trip  that 
includes  consultations  with  agricultural  missionaries  in 
India,  Sarawak,  the  Philippine  Islands,  Korea,  and 
Japan.  A  major  assignment  is  in  Sarawak,  where  by 
special  invitation  he  will  join  with  Methodist  workers 
in  a  self-evaluation  of  their  field  program.  The  churches 
now  have  250  agricultural  missionaries  serving  abroad. 

The  sixteenth  anniversary  report  of  the  Ministerial 
and  Missionary  Pension  Plan  was  mailed  recendy  to 
members  of  the  plan  and  church  treasurers.  The  cover 
pictures  the  five-member  Administrative  Committee 
which  cares  for  details  of  administration.  Four  charts 
in  the  folder  vividly  illustrate  the  growth  across  the 
years  in  contributions,  assets,  and  investment  income. 
Others  interested  in  obtaining  a  free  copy  may  write  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  Pension  Plan,  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Look  Up  and  Live 

The  Protestant  segment  of  the  TV  program,  Look 
Up  and  Live,  returns  to  the  air  on  Jan.  3  and  will  con- 
tinue through  January.  This  series  will  be  a  Bible- 
based  sequence  embodying  Bible  stories  and  the 
exploration  of  their  significance  and  relevance  for  youth 
today.  They  will  be: 

1 .  The  sense  of  guilt  —  an  examination  of  the  rele- 
vance of  the  story  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  to  contem- 
porary man's  feeling  of  failure. 

2.  The  sense  of  spiritual  necessity  —  the  theme  of 
doubt;  Jacob  wrestling  with  the  angel  as  it  relates  to 
the  "hound  of  heaven"  image  of  God. 

3.  The  sense  of  divine  injustice  —  the  story  of  Job  , 
and  the  feeling  that  if  heaven  orders  the  world,  it  does 
so  in  a  fashion  obscure  to  man. 

4.  The  sense  of  rebellion  —  Christ  as  the  classic 
rebel  against  the  world;  rebellion  and  protest;  modern 
youth's  rejection  of  the  world  he  inhabits. 

5.  The  sense  of  sacrifice  and  dedication  —  the  cru- 
cifixion and  its  relation  to  pre-Christian  mythology; 
modern  man's  need  for  identification  in  the  area  of  giv- 
ing, of  sacrifice. 

Watch  your  local  papers  for  the  detailed  tides  for 
this  Sunday  program  at  10:30-11:00  a.m.,  ET. 


Brotherhood  Theme:  Brethren  Under  the  Lordship  of  Christ 


j  Protestants,  Roman  Catholics,  and  Jews 

J  Look  Toward  Greater  Theological  Understanding 

As  1960  begins  religious  leaders  in  this  country  are 
witnessing  signs  of  a  new  and  vital  chapter  in  the 
history  of  relations  between  the  Protestant  and  Roman 
Catholic  churches  on  the  one  hand,  and  between  the 
Christian  churches  and  Judaism  on  the  other. 

All  indications  are  that  the  coming  decade  will  see 
the  movement  for  intercreedal  goodwill  broaden  into 
a  concrete  program  for  establishing  also  greater  theo- 
logical understanding.  It  may  well  be  that  the  1960's 
will  become  known  as  the  ecumenical  era,  with  Chris- 
tian unity  of  transcendent  concern,  especially  against 
the  background  of  the  Ecumenical  Council  summoned 
by  Pope  John  XXIII  and  due  to  convene  within  the  next 
three  years. 

A  prominent  Lutheran  theologian  envisions  the 
1960's  as  a  period  when  relations  between  the  major 
faiths  would  move  from  "conference  to  confrontation." 

By  "confrontation,"  Dr.  Jaroslav  Pelikan,  professor 
of  historical  theology  at  the  University  of  Chicago's 
Federated  Theological  Faculty,  means  that  Protestant, 
Catholic,  and  Jewish  scholars  should  meet  to  investi- 
gate and  understand  their  respective  teachings  and  tra- 
ditions. 

Speaking  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  National 
Conference  of  Christians  and  Jews,  Dr.  Pelikan  pro- 
posed that  the  new  age  of  confrontation  be  set  in  full 
motion  by  establishing  a  study  center  where  these 
scholars  might  engage  in  theological  dialogues.  He 
suggested  that  it  be  set  up  under  neutral  auspices  like 
the  National  Conference,  and  have  access  to  the  re- 
sources of  such  institutions  as  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary (Protestant),  Fordham  University  (Catholic),  and 
the  Jewish  Theological  Seminary,  all  in  New  York. 

Dr.  Pelikan's  proposal  is  expected  to  elicit  consider- 
able practical  support  from  leaders  of  the  three  major 
faiths,  particularly  in  view  of  Dr.  Pelikan's  eminence 
among  Lutheran  scholars  and  the  wide  acclaim  given  by 
both  Catholic  and  Protestant  critics  to  his  recent  book, 
The  Riddle  of  Roman  Catholicism,  in  which  he  urged 
the  special  need  for  charity  and  understanding  to  heal 
the  deep  split  in  Christianity. 

In  his  address  to  the  National  Conference,  Dr.  Peli- 
kan said  the  existence  of  the  proposed  center  should  be 
based  on  the  premises  that  "Christianity  needs  con- 
frontation with  Judaism,"  and  that  "Protestantism  can- 
not understand  itself  without  confrontation  with  Roman 
Catholicism." 

"Our  great  need,"  Dr.  Pelikan  stressed,  "is  joint 
study.  .  .  .  Our  histories  are  so  intertwined  that  none 
of  us  can  understand  himself,  much  less  the  others, 
without  a  common  effort  at  understanding.  Roman 
Catholic  thought  doesn't  make  sense  without  Thomas 
Aquinas,  but  Thomas  Aquinas  doesn't  make  sense  with- 
out Rabbi  Maimonides."  Rabbi  Maimonides  was  a  12th 
century  Spanish-born  philosopher. 

A  highlight  in  growing  interreligious  "conversations" 
was  reported  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  when  thirty 
Protestant,  Catholic,  and  Jewish  clergymen  took  part 
in  a  three-day  seminar  on  religion  in  American  life 
sponsored  by  the  Fund  for  the  Republic.  Meanwhile, 
a  number  of  Catholic  schools  and  colleges  have  begun 
to  initiate  dialogues  with  non-Catholics,  and  only  re- 
cently Harvard  University  decided  to  create  a  visiting 


professorship  of  Catholic  thought  in  its  Divinity  school. 

At  present,  according  to  Dr.  George  A.  Lindbeck, 
assistant  professor  of  medieval  thought  at  Yale  Divinity 
School,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  the  Catholic  Church  is 
much  further  advanced  in  its  study  of  Protestant  theol- 
ogy than  are  Protestants  in  their  study  of  Catholicism. 

It  was  announced  in  Rome  recently  that  the  Catholic 
Church  is  planning  a  study  of  the  Reformation  and  will 
ask  Protestant  historians  to  join  in  the  project.  Al- 
though Msgr.  Michele  Maccarone,  secretary  of  the 
Pontifical  Commission  of  Historical  Sciences,  described 
this  as  a  strictly  scientific  venture,  observers  noted  that 
it  fitted  in  with  Pope  John's  efforts  to  promote  Christian 
unity. 

In  Europe,  pioneer  steps  toward  Protestant-Catholic 
theological  understanding  have  already  been  taken  in 
Germany  and  France.  At  the  Mohler-Haus  in  Pader- 
born  is  the  German  Catholic  Center  for  theological  dis- 
cussion with  Protestants.  In  Paris,  Catholics  have  set  up 
an  institute  to  study  Eastern  Orthodoxy. 

At  the  same  time,  in  Bensheim,  Germany,  the  Evan- 
gelical League  conducts  a  Research  Institute  for  Con- 
fessional Studies,  where  recently  a  conference  was  held 
to  discuss  Protestant  aspects  of  the  Catholic  Church's 
forthcoming  Ecumenical  Council.  At  Bossey,  near  Ge- 
neva, Switzerland,  the  World  Council  of  Churches' 
Graduate  School  of  Ecumenical  Studies  held  courses 
dealing  with  Catholic  Church  doctrine  and  practice. 

Church  Calendar 
January  3 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Launching  Out  on  a  World 
Mission.  Acts  13.  Memory  Selection:  Repentance  and 
forgiveness  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  to 
all  nations.    Luke  24:47  (R.S.V.) 

Jan.  3-10  Week  of  Prayer 

Jan.  17-23  Church  and  Economic  Life  Week 

Jan.  24-31  Youth  Week 

Jan.  31  —  Feb.  5  Brethren  Youth  Seminar,  Washington, 
D.C.,  and  New  York  City 

Feb.  1-3  General  Assembly,  Pennsylvania  Council  of 
Churches,  Harrisburg 
Feb.  2  Southeastern  Region  district  executive  secre- 
taries meeting,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 
Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Coulson 
church,  Va.,  Feb.  7-14. 

Sister  Anna  Mow  of  Roanoke,  Va.,  in  the  Muncie  church, 
Ind.,  Jan.  10-16. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Four  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  Silver 
Creek  church,  Ohio. 

Three  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  Pipe 
Creek  church,  Md.  Twenty-one  baptized  in  the  Montezuma 
church,  Va. 


JANUARY  2,  1960 


17 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Creation  of  Churchmen's  Com- 
mission on  Modern  War  Sought 

The  Methodist  Board  of  World 
Peace  has  recommended  the  creation 
of  a  twelve-member  commission  of 
church  leaders  to  study  "the  moral 
and  theological  problems  involved 
in  the  relation  of  the  Christian  to 
new  aspects  of  modern  war." 

At  its  annual  meeting,  the  board 
also  adopted  resolutions  asking  the 
U.S.  to  explore  the  possibility  of 
trading  with  Communist  China, 
favoring  a  ban  on  all  nuclear  tests, 
and  urging  all  big  powers  to  declare 
disarmament  as  their  ultimate  goal 
and  move  toward  it. 

Israeli  Christians  Permitted 
to  Enter  Old  City 

Some  three  thousand  Israeli  Chris- 
tians, mostly  Arabs,  were  permitted 
by  Israeli  and  Jordan  authorities  to 
cross  the  armistice  lines  to  the  Old 
City  of  Jerusalem  for  Christmas  Eve 
observances  in  Bethlehem.  A  total 
of  1,400  Latin  and  Uniate  Catholics 
and  200  Protestants  crossed  the  lines 
on  Dec.  24. 

On  Jan.  7,  Greek  Orthodox  be- 
lievers who  observe  Christmas  ac- 
cording to  the  Julian  calendar  will 
make  the  journey  to  Bethlehem.  It 
was  reported  that  10,000  persons 
had  applied  for  permission  to  make 
the  Bethlehem  pilgrimage,  but  the 
quota  was  set  at  3,000. 

Italian  Evangelicals  Charge 
Bias  in  Penal  Code  Revision 

Italian  Evangelicals  say  that  pen- 
alties for  offenses  against  the  "free 
profession  of  a  religious  faith"  in  the 
proposed  revision  of  Italy's  Penal 
Code  discriminate  against  believers 
who  are  not  Roman  Catholics. 

The  Federal  Council  of  Italian 
Evangelical  Churches  charged  that 
the  code  provides  greater  penalties 
for  acts  against  religion  when  they 
are  directed  toward  Catholics.  It 
urged  that  the  code  be  amended  so 
that  it  would  re-establish  equality  of 
faiths. 

President  Urged  to  Discuss 
Spanish  Protestants  With  Pope 

President  Eisenhower  has  been 
urged  by  Protestants  and  Other 
Americans  United  for  Separation  of 
Church  and  State  to  ask  Pope  John 
XXIU  to  use  his  influence  to  restore 
liberty  to  Spanish  Protestants. 

Dr.  Glenn  L.  Archer  in  writing  to 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the  president  said  the  question  of 
religious  freedom  for  non-Catholics 
in  Spain  is  relevant  since  the  pope 
is  titular  head  of  the  largest  denom- 
ination in  the  United  States  and 
General  Franco  is  a  political  ally 
who  has  received  hundreds  of  mil- 
lions of  dollars  in  direct  benefits 
from  taxpayers. 

Moravians  Take  Stand  on 
Alcoholic  Beverages 

The  triennial  Synod  of  the  South- 
ern Province  of  the  Moravian  Church 
in  America  took  a  strong  stand 
against  "the  evils  of  alcoholic  bever- 
ages" but  declined  to  adopt  a  meas- 
ure calling  on  members  to  work  to- 
ward liquor  referendums.  Moravian 
families  were  asked  to  ban  wine, 
beer,  and  liquor  from  their  homes 
and  to  have  no  part  in  the  "social 
practice  of  putting  temptation  before 
our  youth." 

Swiss  Protestant  Universities 
Hold  Peace  Congress 

Nearly  1,000  persons  attended  the 
second  Congress  of  Swiss  Protestant 
Universities  held  in  Zurich  under  the 
theme,  Christ  and  Peace.  Among 
them  were  many  prominent  personal- 
ities in  various  walks  of  life. 

Topics  included  the  conflict  be- 
tween ideologies,  the  use  of  nuclear 
weapons,  conscientious  objection, 
and  the  Christian  responsibility  to- 
ward undeveloped  countries. 

Housing  Tax  for  Music, 
Education  Ministers  Clarified 

A  clergyman  who  is  employed  as 
a  minister  of  music  or  of  religious 
education  is  eligible  to  exclude  from 
federal  income  tax  a  housing  allow- 
ance that  is  paid  him  in  lieu  of  a 
parsonage,  according  to  the  Internal 
Revenue  Service. 

However,  those  employed  in  such 
church  positions  are  not  eligible  un- 
less they  are  ordained  as  ministers 
of  the  gospel,  fully  authorized  to 
perform  all  sacerdotal  duties  custom- 
ary to  their  denomination. 

German  Mission  Distributes 
440,000  Scriptures 

More  than  440,000  Bibles  and 
Scripture  portions  were  distributed 
during  the  past  five  years  by  the 
Evangelical  Bible  Mission.  The  mis- 
sion was  founded  in  1954  to  provide 
Scriptures  to  escapees  from  Com- 
munist-ruled countries  and  other 
displaced  persons  living  in  West 
Germany  and  West  Berlin. 


Eighty-seven  per  cent  of  the  Scrip- 
tures went  to  refugee  camps  in  West 
Germany,  nine  per  cent  to  displaced 
foreigners,  and  the  rest  to  emigrants, 
Germans  abroad,  and  the  West  Ger- 
man armed  forces.  The  Bibles  are 
distributed  primarily  in  connection 
with  missionary  and  evangelization 
programs. 

Assemblies  Plan  Rallies 
to  Promote  New  Churches 

Plans  are  being  mapped  by  the 
Assemblies  of  God  home  missions 
department  for  400  rallies  through- 
out the  United  States  in  1960  to  pro- 
mote organization  of  new  churches. 
The  rallies  will  seek  a  total  attend- 
ance of  60,000  and  contributions 
amounting  to  $60,000  for  the  As- 
semblies of  God  revolving  building 
fund.  The  group  now  has  a  $200,000 
fund  exclusively  to  assist  pioneer 
congregations. 

EUB  Church  to  Study  Drop 
in  Membership  Gains 

A  serious  study  of  why  the  Evan- 
gelical United  Brethren  Church  had 
a  net  membership  increase  of  only 
664  during  the  last  year  was  ordered 
by  the  denomination's  General 
Council  of  Administration.  The 
council  acted  after  hearing  a  statis- 
tical report  presented  at  its  annual 
meeting. 

It  showed  that  the  present 
763,000-member  denomination  lost 
more  than  42,000  persons  through 
"roll-cleaning,"  death,  transfer,  and 
other  causes  last  year.  The  council 
urged  churches  to  include  an  every- 
member  canvass  in  their  annual  pro- 
grams. 

World  Christian  Education 
Parley  Scheduled  for  1962 

The  next  World  Institute  on  Chris- 
tian Education  will  be  held  in  or 
near  Belfast,  Ireland,  in  July  1962. 
The  time  was  announced  at  the 
semiannual  meeting  of  the  World 
Council  of  Christian  Education's 
North  American  Committee. 

More  than  200  Christian  education 
leaders  from  60  countries  attended 
the  last  world  institute  at  Kobe, 
Japan,  in  August  1958. 

Maryland  Cited  for 
Religious  Liberty  Role 

Representatives  of  religious,  his- 
torical, and  veteran  groups  joined  in 
paying  tribute  to  the  Protestant  and 
Roman  Catholic  founders  of  Mary- 
land as  the  first  colony  in  America 


to  guarantee  religious  liberty. 

The  occasion  was  the  unveiling  of 
a  historical  tablet  at  St.  Mary's  City, 
Md.,  calling  attention  to  Maryland's 
pioneer  role  in  religious  tolerance. 
The  observance  was  held  at  the  site 
of  Maryland's  first  capital. 

Catholic  Bishops  Denounce 
Birth  Control  as 
Population  Solution 

Promotion  of  artificial  birth  con- 
trol as  an  approach  to  the  popula- 
tion problem  was  denounced  in  a 
statement  by  the  Roman  Catholic 
heirarchy   of  the   United   States   as 


"morally,  humanly,  psychologically, 
and  politically  disastrous." 

The  bishops  categorically  denied 
as  simply  not  true  recent  assertions 
that  artificial  birth  prevention  within 
the  marriage  state  is  "gradually  be- 
coming acceptable  even  in  the  Cath- 
olic church." 

The  bishops  said  the  fundamental 
reason  for  their  position  is  "the  well- 
considered  objection  to  promoting 
a  moral  evil  —  an  objection  not 
founded  solely  on  any  typically  or 
exclusively  Catholic  doctrine,  but  on 
the  natural  law  and  on  basic  ethical 
considerations." 


►  It  has  been  nearly  two  months 
since  Japan  experienced  the  worst 
typhoon  in  its  history.  In  its  wake 
over  five  thousand  persons  were 
left  dead  or  missing.  Thousands  more 
were  forced  to  flee  from  their  homes 
and  live  in  crowded,  temporary  refu- 
gee quarters  set  up  in  schools,  of- 
fices, and  public  buildings.  Tens  of 
thousands  were  left  without  work 
for  varying  lengths  of  time.  When 
the  dykes  gave  way  to  the  pounding 
sea,  large  areas  of  land  formerly 
taken  from  the  ocean  were  flooded. 
About  one  third  of  Nagoya,  Ja- 
pan's third  largest  city,  was  under 
water.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  it  rose  in 
some  areas  to  ceiling  level  in  just  a 
few  minutes,  trapping  many  people 
inside  their  homes.  Frantic  people 
were  forced  literally  to  break  through 
the  roof  to  escape.  In  one  section  of 
the  city,  large  logs  from  a  nearby 


Albert  Huston 

plywood  factory  came  riding  into  a 
residential  area  with  the  flooding 
waters,  smashing  into  houses  and 
killing  many  who  tried  to  escape. 
Other  stories  of  equal  tragedy  come 
from  places  in  each  of  the  prefec- 
tures most  badly  hit  by  the  storm. 
Outwardly  things  have  greatly  im- 
proved since  that  fateful  day  in 
September.  All  but  one  large  area 
south  of  Nagoya  has  been  drained. 
Most  of  the  refugee  camps  have  been 
closed  and  those  families  whose 
houses  were  not  washed  away  have 
returned.  The  Japan  self-defense 
force  has  repaired  most  of  the  dykes, 
bridges,  and  roads  washed  out  by 
the  storm.  Children  are  back  in 
school  and  communications  have 
been  restored  with  those  villages 
first   isolated   by   the   typhoon. 


►  Christian  organizations  have  also 
made  their  contribution.  Japan 
Church  World  Service  was  on  the 
scene  with  food,  clothing,  and  vita- 
mins immediately  after  the  tragedy. 
The  National  Christian  Council  of 
Japan  followed  soon  with  several 
work  camps,  setting  up  milk  feeding 
stations,  cleaning  up  debris,  and 
distributing  clothing  among  victims. 

The  YMCA  and  teams  of  volunteer 
doctors  from  the  Christian  Medical 
Association  went  to  work  providing 
first  aid,  by  boat,  to  those  stranded 
in  their  flooded  homes.  This  latter 
group  Brethren  Service  helped  pro- 
vide with  medical  supplies.  Southern 
Presbyterians  began  a  feeding  pro- 
gram among  school  children  in  one 
of  the  worst  hit  sections  of  Nagoya, 
while  the  Mennonites  set  up  a  series 
of  interdenominational  work  camps 
in  a  neighboring  town,  cleaning  up 
public  welfare  institutions  and  dis- 
tributing bedding  to  families  who 
had  lost  everything. 

The  need  has  not  gone,  however. 
The  one  area  still  under  water  is  not 
expected  to  be  completely  drained 
for  some  weeks,  possibly  months.  In 
the  meantime  those  living  in  attics  or 
elsewhere  above  water  level  must  go 
for  food  and  clothing  and  make  all 
outside  contacts  by  boat.  Their  re- 
lief needs,  which  neither  the  local 
nor  national  government  seem  pre- 
pared to  meet  adequately,  will  re- 
quire continuing  help  from  voluntary 
agencies.  The  coming  of  winter  will 
create  new  demands. 

►  When  the  water  leaves  is  when 
the  work  really  begins.  Mud  and 
debris  must  be  cleaned  out  of  houses 
and  off  the  streets.  Businesses  must 
be  reopened  and  farm  work  started 
with  depleted  livestock  and  rice  pad- 
dies saturated  with  salt  from  the  sea 
water.  Public  institutions  have  to 
be  cleaned,  schools  started  and 
homes  rebuilt  or  repaired.  This  can 
be  back-breaking  as  well  as  heart- 
breaking work. 

It  is  just  because  the  Christian 
groups  have  helped  in  the  places  and 
at  the  times  they  were  needed  most 
and  stuck  to  it  that  they  have  gotten 
the  reputation  of  being  really  con- 
cerned. As  they  have  worked,  usual- 
ly wearing  an  arm  band  for  identity, 
they  have  been  asked  about  the  mo- 
tive for  their  service.  In  many  cases 
the  receiving  of  the  cup  of  cold  water 
has  been  followed  by  a  request  to 
know  more  about  the  faith  that  has 
prompted  it. 


JANUARY  2,  1960 


19 


OUR 


CHURCH 


AT    WORK     IN     THE     WORLD    TODAY 


Work  campers 
from  the  United 
States,  Syria,  and 
Indonesia  join 
forces  at  a 
sorting  table 


Two  Maryland  Towns  at  Opposite  Poles 


IN  THE  rolling  hills  of  western 
Maryland  there  are  two  towns 
that  hold  keys  to  the  world's 
destiny  in  their  hands.  Each  of  them 
has  an  answer  to  the  crucial  prob- 
lems of  international  tensions  and 
conflict.  The  two  towns,  Frederick 
and  New  Windsor,  are  only  twenty- 
three  miles  apart,  but  their  answers 
place  them  at  opposite  ends  of  the 
world. 

The  Frederick  Answer 

In  Frederick,  at  Fort  Detrick,  our 
government  is  preparing  for  chem- 
ical and  biological  warfare.  Germs 
and  toxins  and  the  means  of  spread- 
ing them  are  being  perfected  there 
to  enable  us  to  conquer  a  nation 
without  destroying  the  buildings, 
factories,  and  tools  that  might  have 
postwar  value.  We  shall  be  able  to 
strike  a  whole  population  —  adults, 
children,  babies  —  either  with  tem- 
porary physical  or  psychotic  disabil- 
ity or  with  permanent  destruction. 

Already  the  government  has  begun 
"Operation  Blue  Skies,"  a  campaign 
to  get  the  American  people  to  sup- 
port this  means  of  warfare,  and  vari- 
ous military  men,  such  as  Maj.  Gen. 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


William  M.  Creasy,  Gen.  J.  H.  Roth- 
child  and  Maj.  Gen.  Marshall  Stubbs, 
have  spoken  in  favor  of  it. 

The  New  Windsor  Answer 

Twenty-three  miles  away  in  New 
Windsor  is  the  Brethren  Service  Cen- 
ter. Here  on  the  grounds  of  an  old 
college  campus  is  a  most  remarkable 
community  —  a  beating  heart  of  com- 
passion that  sends  out  life-giving 
services  across  the  whole  earth. 
Through  New  Windsor,  heifers, 
goats,  chickens,  and  other  livestock 
are  sent  overseas  in  the  name  of  the 
Christian  churches.  Plans  are  made 
for  refugees  to  be  settled  in  the 
United  States.  Students  and  ex- 
change professors  from  Europe  are 
placed  in  homes  and  schools  across 
the  nation. 

In  New  Windsor  volunteers  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  are  prepared 
for  a  year  or  two  of  service  in  this 
country  or  abroad.  And  in  the 
Church  World  Service  warehouse 
clothing  that  has  come  from  churches 
is  processed  to  be  shipped  to  the  far 
corners  of  the  earth.  No  other  area 
in  the  country  has  such  a  reach  or 
such  a  cure  for  the  world's  sickness. 

World  Council  Work  Camp 

It  was,  therefore,  natural  that  the 


Theodore  A.  Braun 

Photos  by  the  Westminster  Studio 

World  Council  of  Churches  should 
decide  to  hold  one  of  its  forty-six 
international  work  camps  in  this 
unique  locality.  But  the  World 
Council  tried  one  new  experiment 
that  was  noteworthy.  Most  of  its 
ecumenical  voluntary  service  proj- 
ects continue  from  five  to  eight 
weeks  in  order  that  sizable  work 
projects  may  be  completed.  How- 
ever, three  two-week  camps  were 
held  last  summer  at  New  Windsor 
to  give  secretaries,  directors  of  Chris- 
tian education,  nurses,  and  others 
with  short  vacations  a  chance  to 
participate. 

Thus  a  new  and  exciting  complex- 
ion was  given  to  the  work  camp  con- 
stituency and  fellowship.  Young 
people  from  all  over  the  United 
States,  as  well  as  from  Japan,  Indo- 
nesia, Canada,  Brazil,  Switzerland, 
Germany,  France,  and  Denmark 
joined  hearts  and  hands  at  New 
Windsor  this   past  summer  to  help 


Evangelical  and  Reformed  pastor,  chap- 
lain at  Pennsylvania  State  University, 
and  a  participant  in  the  ecumenical  work 
camp  at  New  Windsor 


The   Church   at  Work 


speed  the  gifts  of  the  churches  of 
America  on  their  way. 

What  Happens  to  Clothes? 

What  happens  when  styles  change 
or  clothes  are  outgrown  or  a  person 
who  has  two  coats  wants  to  share 
one  —  and  these  are  sent  to  the 
Church  World  Service  Center  at 
New  Windsor?  This  clothing  comes 
by  mail,  truck,  or  personal  delivery, 
and  the  boxes  and  duffel  bags  are 
often  piled  to  the  ceiling.  Then  vol- 
unteers of  all  ages,  both  from  the 
center  and  from  nearby  churches, 
help  process  the  clothing. 

Shoddy  clothes  are  eliminated,  as 
are  shoes  with  spike  heels  and  pock- 
etbooks.  The  workers  are  reminded 
of  the  importance  of  quality  by  the 
sign  on  the  wall  above  the  sorting 
table:  "If  ours  are  to  be  gifts  of  love, 
they  cannot  appear  to  be  crumbs 
from  the  table  of  the  rich." 

The  wearable  material  is  separat- 
ed into  men's,  women's,  older  and 
younger  children's  lots,  and  these, 
in  turn,  are  divided  into  summer  and 
winter  weight.    Sometimes   clothing 


is  repaired,  washed,  or  dry-cleaned 
if  necessary.  But  most  of  it  comes 
in  very  good  condition,  often  freshly 
dry-cleaned,  sometimes  new. 

The  separated  clothing  is  then 
carefully  packed  with  moth  crystals 
and  baled;  the  bale  is  covered  with 
waterproof  paper  and  burlap,  then 
stenciled  with  weight  and  contents 
and,  finally,  with  its  destination.  The 
bales  are  then  carried  by  truck  to 
the  nearest  port,  where  they  are 
loaded  on  board  ship  for  their  jour- 
ney of  mercy,  making  Matt.  25:36 
come  alive. 

And  what  happens  when  the  bales 
are  opened?  Men  and  women  have 
been  so  moved  by  the  sight  of  this 
tangible  evidence  of  Christian  con- 
cern that  they  can  convey  their  grati- 
tude only  through  a  silent  handshake 
or  hug. 

Which  Symbol  Will  We  Choose? 

The  group  of  work  campers  who 
served  at  New  Windsor  this  past 
summer  —  each  of  whom  paid  $40 
for  the  privilege  —  is  now  scattered 
to  many  parts  of  the  world.  As  win- 


ter sets  in  again,  our  thoughts  go  out 
to  Europe,  the  Middle  East,  Hong 
Kong,  and  the  other  destinations  that 
we  saw  stenciled  on  our  bales.  In  a 
special  way  we  remember  New 
Windsor,  the  symbol  of  the  Chris- 
tian concern  and  mutual  burden- 
bearing  that  bind  the  church  to  the 
whole  world.  We  pray  our  nation 
will  choose  this  answer  to  the  world's 
problems  and  not  the  other  repre- 
sented by  the  laboratories  just  twen- 
ty-three miles  away. 

Reprinted    from    the    United    Church 
Herald 

The  Devil  Took  Him  Up 
Into  a  High  Mountain 

Amsey  Bollinger 

YESTERDAY  I  met  a  successful 
doctor  who  has  just  come  to  In- 
dia to  take  charge  of  a  mission 
hospital  on  a  missionary's  salary. 
One  of  my  colleagues  asked  him 
how  he  came  to  accept  the  call.  He 
said  that  he  and  his  wife  had  been 
considering  the  call  for  quite  a  while. 
"When  we  had  about  made  up  our 
minds  to  accept,"  he  said,  "the  devil 
sure  started  to  work  on  us." 

Asked  what  he  meant,  he  related 
that  a  leading  philanthropist  of  his 
state  tried  to  persuade  him  to  ac- 
cept the  job  of  director  of  a  big  new 
medical  center.  He  held  out  the 
bait  of  "name  your  own  terms," 
offered  a  $50,000  salary,  a  Cadillac 
with  chauffeur,  a  big  house.  "Yes, 
sir,  the  devil  sure  worked  on  us!" 

I  wonder  how  many  of  us  let  the 
devil  get  the  better  of  us  when  there 
is  a  call  to  the  work  of  the  Lord  in 
his  church? 

•  •  • 

James  Madison  Barr,  pastor  of  the 
First  Unitarian  church,  Albany,  N. 
Y.:  "While  millions  watch  with 
bated  breath  to  see  if  Mrs.  Know- 
Her-Bible  will  be  able  to  locate  the 
precise  chapter  and  verse  which  de- 
scribe David's  indiscretions  with 
Bathsheba  and  wrack  their  brains  to 
get  the  answer  for  themselves  be- 
fore the  time  is  up,  the  performer  on 
the  TV  program,  looking  intendy  off 
into  space,  showing  the  stress  of 
$15,000  riding  on  the  point  at  is- 
sue .  .  .  has  already  been  given  the 
answer  half  an  hour  before  the  show 
went  on  the  air.  What  kind  of  citi- 
zenry will  we  produce  if  our  young 
people  are  subjected  to  this  sort  of 
activity?" 


BVS'er  Dale  Minnich  and  ecumenical  work  camper  Les  McLean  wrap  and  stencil 
code  numbers  on  bales  of  clothes  at  the  New  Windsor  Brethren  Service  Center 


JANUARY  2.  1960 


21 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


££^j?  ^  &^?&&&?£&*&(^c 


The  following  series  of  articles  were  originally  published  in  the 
Record  Herald  of  Waynesboro,  Pa.  Mrs.  Kulp  is  the  mother  of  four 
small  daughters  and  is  in  charge  of  the  dispensary  at  Waka,  where 
her  husband,  Philip,  is  a  teacher.  The  dispensary  serves  about  350 
persons  —  students  as  well  as  the  families  of  the  household  help.  In 
introducing  the  series,  the  editor  commented:  "With  the  busy  sched- 
ule to  which  Mrs.  Kulp  must  adjust  herself,  this  editor  can  only 
ask,  When  can  she  find  the  time  to  write  with  such  professional 
ability?" 


Part  One 

IT  IS  difficult  to  say  exactly  when 
our  African  adventure  had  its 
real  beginning.  From  the  time 
that  my  husband,  who  was  born  of 
missionary  parents  in  Nigeria,  re- 
turned to  America  for  his  final  years 
of  schooling,  he  had  considered  go- 
ing back  to  Africa  to  teach. 

For  me,  of  course,  the  dream  be- 
gan when  I  met  him.  The  fire  of 
my  imagination,  fed  with  his  tales  of 
mission  life  in  a  far-off  land,  com- 
bined with  my  desire  to  serve  in  the 
medical  field,  provided  ample  rea- 
son for  me  to  agree  to  a  missionary's 
fife  in  Africa. 

The  fulfillment  of  this  dream  be- 
gan just  one  year  ago,  when,  after 
Philip  had  completed  college  and 
theological  seminary  and  I  had  com- 
pleted four  years  of  college  and 
nurse's  training,  the  Foreign  Mission 
Commission  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  officially  called  us  to  the 
field  of  foreign  service. 

Immediately  we  began  prepara- 
tions for  leaving  America.  These 
preparations  fell  into  two  categories 
—  physical  and  emotional.  The  for- 
mer were  fairly  easily  taken  care  of. 
It  was  the  emotional  ones  which 
caused  the  sleepless  nights  and  days 
of  concern. 

Decisions  and  Decisions 

It  is  one  thing  to  consider  the 
glorious  opportunity  and  rare  privi- 
lege of  being  called  to  serve  in  a 
foreign  country;  it  is  quite  another 
thing  to  prepare  to  transport  an  en- 
tire household  with  three  small  chil- 


dren (and  one  on  the  way)   to  that 
country. 

We  struggled  and  complained. 
We  went  through  a  hundred  frustra- 
tions (such  as  trying  to  steam  lard 
out  of  the  metal  drums  we  used  for 
packing).  We  shopped  until  we 
were  footsore  and  financially  at  rock 
bottom.  We  came  upon  decision 
after    decision    which    had    to    be 


Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp 


faced,  whether  to  buy  clothing  for 
a  baby  boy  or  trust  that  the  new 
baby  would  be  a  daughter.  We  en- 
dured countless  inoculations  and 
physical  examinations.  Above  all, 
we  were  concerned  about  the  effect 
this  would  have  on  our  children. 

Packing  presented  a  real  prob- 
lem. It  consisted  of  transferring  our 
worldly  goods,  with  the  exception 
of  our  furniture,  into  twenty  boxes 
and  drums  in  such  a  way  that  they 
would  travel  safely  over  several  thou- 
sand miles  in  a  period  of  three  or  four 
months.  There  was  the  added  prob- 
lem of  selecting  clothing  and  other 
essentials  which  would  suffice  during 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Mrs.  Kulp  takes  a  few  minutes  out  of  a  busy  schedule  to  pose  with  her  children 
at  Waka,  Nigeria,  West  Africa.  The  children  are  Crissy,  Tanya,  Naomi,  and  Diana 


The  Church  at  Work 


Waka  Teacher  Training  Center  —  the  sight  which  greeted  the 
Kulp   family   as   they   arrived   at  their  new   home   in   Nigeria 


the  months  until  our  main  shipment 
would  arrive. 

Traveled  by  Air 

As  we  were  traveling  by  air,  there 
was  the  limitation  of  weight  allow- 
ance. We  spent  the  afternoon  before 
we  left  Waynesboro  arranging  and 
weighing  and  rearranging  the  con- 
tents of  our  suitcases.  Finally,  hav- 
ing reached  a  point  where  nothing 
more  could  be  eliminated,  I  sat  on 
the  suitcases,  and  Philip  locked  them, 
and  the  girls  came  running,  "Just  one 
more  thing,  Mommy.  Just  this  teddy 
bear!" 

On  Monday,  Sept.  15,  the  KLM 
plane  swept  us  away  from  Idlewild 
International  Airport  in  New  York 
City,  away  from  America,  away  from 
family  and  friends.  The  beautiful 
earth  —  the  blue  and  green  and  silver 
shining  water  receded,  and  soon  we 
were  above  clouds,  winging  our  way 
toward  Africa. 

Noonday  heat,  shimmering  and 
oppressive,  and  flies  by  the  thousand 
linger  in  my  memory  as  my  first  im- 
pressions of  this  giant  land.  But 
there  was  beauty,  too.  We  arrived 
in  Nigeria  just  at  the  end  of  the  rainy 
season,  and  flowers  and  flowering 
trees  were  blossoming  everywhere. 
Their  brilliant  colors  splashed  against 
the  sky  like  daubs  of  paint  on  a 
canvas.  Vivid  sunsets  behind  banks 
of  towering  clouds  made  the  ending 
of  each  day  an  experience  to  remem- 
ber. 

We  spent  ten  days  in  Jos,  which 
is  a  comparatively  large  city,  with 
European  shops  as  well  as  a  large 
native    market.      Here    we    bought 


equipment  necessary  to  life  in  the 
African  "bush"  —  kerosene  lamps  and 
lanterns,  a  small  kerosene  stove,  a 
kerosene  iron. 

At  the  same  store  I  bought  a 
dozen  disposable  diapers,  a  botde 
of  hand  lotion,  and  a  box  of  Kleenex! 
(This,  in  darkest  Africa!)  We  were 
amazed  at  the  American  influence 
evident  in  many  of  the  stores.  Side 
by  side  for  sale  were  "sack"  dresses 
and  native  cloth,  Coca  Cola  and  na- 
tive beverages,  fine  imported  china 
and  the  enamel  bowls  used  for  food 
by  the  Africans. 

Through  the  "Bush" 

In  twelve  hours  we  had  flown  the 
three  thousand  miles  from  New  York 
to  Amsterdam.  It  took  the  same 
amount  of  time  to  drive  the  385 
miles  from  Jos  to  Waka.  One  dark, 
drizzly  morning  we  started  into  the 
"bush,"  traveling  at  an  average  speed 


of  thirty-five  miles  per  hour  over 
roads  fair  and  foul  (paved  and  un- 
paved. ) 

Before  we  had  gone  many  miles, 
a  large,  brown  animal  suddenly 
leaped  from  the  grass  at  the  side  of 
the  road  directly  into  the  path  of 
our  car.  It  was  impossible  to  avoid 
hitting  it,  and  we  did,  with  a  jolting 
thump.  Said  our  oldest  daughter, 
"I  think  it  was  a  camel."  But  it  was 
only  a  hyena  and,  by  the  time  we 
got  out  to  look  at  it,  a  very  dead 
hyena. 

Dawn  came,  and  with  it  the  Af- 
rican countryside  was  slowly  re- 
vealed to  us.  The  immensity,  the 
vastness,  is  almost  impossible  to  de- 
scribe —  mile  after  mile  after  mile  of 
flat,  sandy  soil  covered  with  low, 
scrubby  bushes  and  an  occasional 
gnarled  tree. 

Goats  Run  Free 

In  the  distance,  as  the  mist  rose, 
we  saw  jagged  hills,  ancient  volcanic 
mountains,  formations  of  black  rock. 
We  passed  through  villages,  their 
round,  mud-walled,  grass-roofed  huts 
squatting  in  clusters  beneath  hoary 
trees.  Sheep  and  goats  roamed 
free  in  the  road,  and  dirty,  naked 
children  ran,  waving  frantically  to 
us,  as  we  passed. 

Toward  late  afternoon,  after  two 
of  our  girls  had  been  quietly  carsick 
in  the  back  seat  and  we  were  all 
weary  of  jouncing  over  roads  not 
meant  for  modern  motors,  we  came 
to  a  gentie  rise  in  the  land.  After  a 
short  climb,  we  could  look  across  a 
valley,  and  there,  with  aluminum 
roofs  gleaming  in  the  sunlight,  was 
Waka,  our  new  home.  In  36  hours 
actual  traveling  time,  we  had  safely 
traversed  the  7,000  miles  from 
Waynesboro  to  Waka. 


Famflq  Fun  Fare 

Readers  of  the  Gospel  Messenger  are  invited  to  share  their  experiences  in 
wholesome  family  fun;  why  not  send  information  about  your  best  family  games, 
songs,  contests,  and  informal  worship  ideas  to  the  Recreation  Department, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois? 

HERE  'TIS 

THIS  IS  a  good  game  to  play  while  traveling.  The  idea  is  to  pick 
out  some  object  a  distance  ahead,  such  as  a  red  bam,  a  church,  etc.  The 
player  calls  the  object  and  then  shuts  his  eyes.  When  he  thinks  the  car 
is  just  passing  in  front  of  the  object  he  opens  his  eyes  and  says,  "Here  'tis." 
It  is  surprising  how  relaxing  this  game  can  be.  —  Submitted  by  Mearl  Sigmcm. 


JANUARY  2.  1960 


23 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


If  the  adage  is  true,  "give  me  a  child 
until  he  is  eight  years  of  age  and 
you  can  have  him  the  rest  of  his 
life,"  should  we  not  have  more 
Bible  stories  and  encourage  more 
memory  work  in  our  Sunday 
School  literature  for  children? 

Since  so  much  hangs  on  "the 
adage,"  one  must  raise  some  issues 
here  before  dealing  with  the  prac- 
tical aspects  of  this  question. 

Obviously,  the  early  years  are  ter- 
ribly important  —  especially  in  the 
matter  of  attitudes,  feelings,  ideals, 
and  values.  Childhood  experiences 
do  much  to  establish  the  direction  of 
life  in  these  areas. 

But  childhood  experiences  are  not 
complete  or  conclusive  in  an  abso- 
lute manner.  Some  children  who 
apparently  have  the  best,  turn  from 
the  way;  and  some  mature  beautiful- 
ly from  an  ugly  background. 

The  concept  of  conversion  must 
not  be  forgotten  in  this  picture. 
If  we  take  the  gospel  record  serious- 
ly, we  must  believe  the  power  of 
God  can  change  the  patterns,  the 
loyalties,  and  the  values  of  human 
personality.  For  the  most  part,  those 
we  meet  in  the  New  Testament  are 
adults  who  were  changed,  trans- 
formed, made-over-again  persons. 
This  does  not  reduce  the  importance 
of  the  best  possible  childhood  train- 
ing, but  it  should  keep  us  wary  of 
generalizations  and  remind  us  that 


life  is  open  toward  choice  and  is 
dynamic  in  nature. 

In  the  matter  of  Bible  stories  — 
or  more  basically,  perhaps,  Bible 
study  —  we  should  seek  for  maximum 
use  in  our  church  schools.  As  ma- 
terials are  planned  for  the  future, 
we  shall  seek  to  suggest  more  ex- 
tensive and  more  creative  use  of  the 
Bible.  This  could  include  memory 
work  as  one  aspect  of  Bible  study. 
New  materials  are  becoming  avail- 
able to  help  us  toward  the  goal  of 
more  fruitful  Bible  teaching. 

It  should  be  pointed  out  that  most 
classes  do  not  use  all  the  Bible  ma- 
terials in  the  present  curriculum.  Also 
that  teachers  should  feel  responsible 
for  securing  supplementary  Bible 
stories  and  illustrations  to  strengthen 
the  lesson. 

One  should  not  assume  that  Bible 
stories  or  memory  work  will  bring 
us  automatically  to  the  goal  implied 
in  the  question.  For  example,  the 
teachings  in  the  Bible  stories  must 
be  within  the  range  of  the  under- 
standing of  the  children  and  in  keep- 
ing with  the  spirit  and  purpose  of 
the  gospel.  There  must  be  a  con- 
nection or  a  relationship  established 
between  the  teachings  of  the  Bible 
and  the  life  of  the  child.  If  this  does 
not  happen,  the  stories  and  memory 
verses  will  remain  on  the  mental  or 
mechanical  level;  they  will  not  give 
direction  to  life  nor  provide  religious 
help  for  daily  living.  —  S.  Lor  en 
Bowman. 


Nole:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  at  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


SCHOLARSHIPS  FOR  NURSING  EDUCATION 


Bethany  Hospital's  Nursing  Edu- 
cation Council  is  going  into  its  second 
year  of  activity  by  stepping  up  the 
program  of  scholarships,  grants-in- 
aid,  and  loans  given  to  qualified  stu- 
dents interested  in  careers  in  nursing. 
Permission  granted  at  the  Des 
Moines  Annual  Conference  makes 
the  interest  income  from  the  nursing 
education  fund  available  for  this  pro- 
gram. So  far,  this  program  is  a  stop- 
gap operation,  satisfying  the  council's 
desire  to  do  something  constructive 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


for  nursing  education  until  such 
time  as  the  plans  and  future  of  our 
school  of  nursing  are  settled,  one 
way  or  another. 

Since  this  assistance  program  was 
announced,  sincere  appreciation  and 
interest  has  been  shown  in  the  in- 
quiries and  requests  which  have 
come  in.  It  is  gratifying  to  announce 
that  the  following  eleven  students 
are  now  being  helped  to  further  their 
education  in  nursing,  by  the  follow- 
ing means: 

1958-59  college  scholarships  ($250 
each):     Eleanor   Bessey   of   Porter- 


ville,  Calif.,  at  La  Verne  College; 
Romayne  Furry  of  Altoona,  Pa.,  at 
Elizabethtown  College. 

1959-60  college  scholarships  ($250 
each) :  Loreen  Johnson  of  Maysville, 
W.  Va.,  at  Bridgewater  College; 
Melvina  Johnson  of  Quakertown,  Pa., 
at  Juniata  CoDege;  Rebecca  Petre  of 
Bridgewater,  at  Bridgewater  College; 
and  Marlene  Wenger  of  Myerstown, 
Pa.,  at  Juniata  College. 

1959-60  interest-free  student 
loans:  Virginia  Mae  Frantz  of  Sun- 
field,  Mich.,  at  the  Cornell  University 
New  York  Hospital  School  of  Nurs- 
ing ($883.60);  Sylvia  Home  of  Chi- 
cago, at  the  Mennonite  Hospital 
School  of  Nursing,  Bloomington,  HI. 
($696.25) ;  Loreen  Johnson  of  Mays- 
ville, W.  Va.,  at  Bridgewater  College 
($1,320);  Clyde  A.  Nafzinger  of 
Earlsville,  Md.,  at  Delaware  (Wil- 
mington) Hospital  School  of  Nursing 
($1,500);  and  Sylvia  Shirky  of  Lom- 
bard, 111.,  at  Chicago's  Wesley  Me- 
morial Hospital  School  of  Nursing 
($235). 

1959-60  scholarship  for  comple- 
tion of  degree:  Mrs.  Lois  M.  Waters, 
R.N.,  of  Lansdale,  Pa.,  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  to  finish 
B.S.  degree  ($500). 

All  of  these  students,  except  Mel- 
vina Johnson  (Society  of  Friends) 
are  members  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  This  $4,843.05  total  repre- 
sents but  a  beginning  on  the  part 
of  the  hospital  to  promote  nursing 
and  nursing  education  in  the  Broth- 
erhood. Money  is  definitely  avail- 
able. Information  may  be  obtained 
from  the  Scholarship  Committee, 
Nursing  Education  Council,  Bethany 
Hospital,  3420  W.  Van  Buren  St., 
Chicago  24,  111. 


Norman  Cousins,  editor  of  the 
Saturday  Review:  "The  desensitiza- 
tion  of  twentieth-century  man  is 
more  than  a  danger  to  the  common 
safety.  It  represents  the  loss  or 
impairment  of  the  noblest  faculty  of 
human  life  —  the  ability  to  be  aware 
both  of  suffering  and  beauty;  the 
ability  to  share  sorrow  and  create 
hope;  the  ability  to  think  and  re- 
spond beyond  one's  wants.  There 
are  some  things  we  have  no  right 
ever  to  get  used  to.  One  of  these 
most  certainly  is  brutality.  The  other 
is  the  irrational.  Both  brutality  and 
the  irrational  have  now  come  to- 
gether and  are  moving  towards  a 
dominant  pattern.  If  the  pattern  is 
to  be  resisted  and  changed,  a  special 
effort  must  be  made." 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not 
necessarily  constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made 
through  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles 
recommended    for    church    libraries    are    marked    with    an    asterisk    (•).  — Editor. 


Looking  Toward  Christian  Mar- 
riage. Donald  M.  Maynard.  Abing- 
don, 1958.    144  pages.    $1.50. 

Dr.  Maynard  discusses  the  ques- 
tions which  most  couples  would  ask 
about  their  planned  marriage.  Some 
of  the  chapters  deal  with  religious 
differences,  the  period  of  engage- 
ment, the  honeymoon,  when  children 
come,  making  your  home  Christian, 
etc.  In  addition  there  is  a  final  chap- 
ter entitled  If  You  Don't  Get  Mar- 
ried. This  book  views  marriage  from 
the  Christian  perspective,  and  the 
counsel  is  wholesome  and  filled  with 
common  sense.  —  W.  Glenn  Mc- 
Fadden,  Elgin,  III. 

°Jesus  and  God's  New  People. 
Howard  Clark  Kee.  Westminster, 
1959.    92  pages.    $1.50. 

This  is  the  first  of  the  three  New 
Testament  volumes  in  the  new  West- 
minster Guides  to  the  Bible,  a  series 
designed  to  bring  to  the  educated 
layman  an  introduction  to  the  riches 
of  major  portions  of  the  Bible. 

This  book  on  the  gospels  begins 
with  a  helpful  chapter  on  faith  and 
facts  in  the  gospel  story  and  follows 
that  with  one  on  the  process  by 
which  the  gospel  came  eventually 
to  be  written  down  to  form  our  four 
gospels.  Then  come  four  chapters 
on  the  four  gospels,  in  chronological 
order:  Mark,  Matthew,  Luke,  and 
John.  Each  gospel  is  characterized, 
its  purpose  and  perspective  given, 
and  considerable  insight  into  its  mes- 
sage value  shared  with  the  reader. 
This  is  a  very  useful  book,  one 
which,  along  with  the  others  in  the 
series,  should  have  wide  circulation 
and  use.  —  Chalmer  E.  Fatv,  Chi- 
cago, III. 

The  Character  of  a  Quaker.  Hen- 
ry J.  Cadbury.  Pendle  Hill,  1959. 
32  pages.    35c. 

For  those  who  want  a  brief  yet 
illuminating  glimpse  of  the  essence 
of  Quakerism  seen  from  the  inside, 
here  is  a  seat,  front  row  center.  The 
author  attempts  to  spell  out  what 
is  central  to  being  a  Quaker  in  terms 
which  do  justice  to  the  genius  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  He  is  his- 
torically exact,  yet  conversant  with 
contemporary  trends  in  Quakerism. 

One  of  the  most  useful  features 
of  the  pamphlet  is  the  frank  recogni- 


tion accorded  to  the  issues  raised 
by  the  modern  world  for  those  of 
Quaker  persuasion.  Dr.  Cadbury 
tries  to  reconcile  in  nontechnical 
terms  the  newer  theological  aware- 
ness of  modern  Protestantism  with 
the  unique  character  of  the  Quaker 
witness.  Whether  or  not  he  has  suc- 
ceeded will  depend  on  the  reader's 
own  viewpoint. 

Brethren  readers  who  are  strug- 
gling to  think  through  the  implica- 
tions of  change  for  their  own 
tradition  will  find  much  in  this  dis- 
cussion that  is  helpful  and  sug- 
gestive. One  could  wish  that  a 
Brethren  scholar  might  take  on  a 
like  assignment  relative  to  the  Breth- 
ren heritage  and  handle  it  equally 
well.  —  Richard  A.  Bollinger,  To- 
peka,  Kansas. 

Four  on  the  Road.  Adrien  Stouten- 
burg.  Westminster,  1959.  175 
pages.    $2.95. 

Can  a  young  married  couple  with 
only  enough  money  to  get  them  to 
their  waiting  job  in  California  play 
the  Good  Samaritan?  When  Jean 
and  Frank  Sibley  see  lone  and  Dude 
Miller  and  six-month-old  Billy 
stranded  on  the  highway  out  of  gas, 
they  throw  all  caution  to  the  winds 
and  stop.  The  "chip  on  the  shoul- 
der" attitude  of  Dude  and  the  events 
which  follow  and  which  deplete 
their  resources  make  them  wonder 
whether  this  was  wise. 

This  is  a  well-written,  lively  story 
with  appeal.  It  is  demonstrative  of 
the  fact  that  the  surface  things  are 
only  superficial  and  that  the  milk 
of  human  kindness  can  work  in 
strange  ways.  —  Kenneth  O.  Holder- 
read,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

"Summer  With  Nursery  Children. 

Florence     Schulz.      Pilgrim     Press, 
1958.    156  pages.   $2.00. 

This  is  a  book  that  every  parent 
and  teacher  of  young  children  should 
read.  It  is  much  more  than  the  name 
implies.  Written  with  delightful  hu- 
mor, it  tells  of  the  experiences  of  a 
teacher  who  assumes  responsibility 
for  planning  a  vacation  church 
school  class  for  three-year-olds. 
When  she  visits  the  church  nursery 
class  she  finds  it  everything  a  good 
nursery  class  should  not  be.  The 
experiences  she  has  and  the  things 


she  learns  as  she  works  to  make  the 
church  nursery  "trustworthy"  make 
up  this  very  interesting  book.  She 
finds  that  the  way  to  teach  Christi- 
anity to  three-year-olds  is  far  more 
than  "lots  of  love  and  stories  about 
Jesus." 

Because  words  are  rather  ineffec- 
tive in  teaching  young  children  ma- 
ture Christian  teachers  need  to  use 
the  "language  of  relationships"  to  be 
able  to  communicate  to  them  the 
message  of  God's  love.  It  is  only 
as  a  child  experiences  love  or  trust 
or  forgiveness  that  he  can  be  loving, 
trusting,  or  forgiving.  Mrs.  Schulz 
is  the  kind  of  teacher  she  describes 
in  her  book.  It  is  an  inspiration 
to  observe  her  at  work  with  young 
children.  —  Margaret  Book,  North 
Manchester,  Ind  . 

"God,     Help     Me     Understand. 

Dorothy  LaCroix  Hill.  Abingdon, 
1959.    96  pages.    $2.50. 

The  discovery  of  truth  about  God 
becomes  an  exciting  and  growing 
wonder  as  one  reads  through  this 
collection  of  stories  for  children  ages 
seven  to  eleven.  Each  short  story 
is  about  different  children  and 
grownups,  who  through  everyday 
living,  discover  something  about 
God.  The  delightful  way  of  reveal- 
ing truths  comes  through  the  ques- 
tions and  probings  of  both  children 
and  adults.  The  book  shows  adults 
as  being  wise  for  their  years  but 
as  people  who  are  also  busy  discov- 
ering things  about  God.  Stories  take 
up  such  questions  as  "How  can  I 
know  that  there  is  a  God?"  "How 
am  I  created  in  the  image  of  God?" 
"Why  doesn't  God  prevent  terrible 
accidents?"  "What  are  death  and 
heaven  like?"  "What  does  it  mean 
to  be  a  Christian?"  Each  story  ends 
with  some  answers  having  been 
found  to  a  puzzling  question,  but 
revealed  in  such  a  way  that  the 
reader  is  led  to  the  discovery  along 
with  the  story  characters  and  is  left 
with  something  wonderful  to  pon- 
der. I  would  recommend  this  book 
as  one  to  help  any  child  grow  in 
Christian  faith.  —  Glennis  Parks,  El- 
gin, III. 

"Tidings.  Ernst  Wiechert.  Mac- 
millan,  1959.    302  pages.     $4.50. 

Ernst  Wiechert  speaks  to  a  dis- 
rupted and  suffering  world  with 
understanding  and  authority.  Having 
been  interned  in  Buchenwald  con- 
centration camp  for  many  months 
he  can  write  of  human  suffering  and 


JANUARY  2,  1960 


25 


complete  disintegration  of  spirit  on 
the  one  hand  and,  on  the  other,  the 
struggle  to  readjust  to  life  free  of 
hate,  with  conviction  and  force.  The 
story  is  woven  around  three  broth- 
ers, barons,  who  were  born  and 
reared  in  the  family  castle.  Sep- 
arated by  the  war,  Amadeus  von 
Liljecrona  returns  from  a  concentra- 
tion camp  to  find  the  castle  occupied 
by  soldiers  and  his  two  brothers  liv- 
ing in  the  shepherd's  hut  on  the  hill. 
Upon  the  soldiers'  withdrawal  the 
castie  houses  refugees.  The  two 
brothers  marry,  for  better  and  worse. 
Amadeus,  having  lost  his  bitterness 
borne  of  pain,  after  many  months, 
finds  his  life  in  losing  it  for  others 
in  service  and  concern.  He  stays 
on  in  the  hut  becoming  a  writer 
and  a  philosopher.  The  whole  gamut 
of  human  emotion  runs  through  the 
lives  of  the  brothers,  the  old  servant 
and  neighbors,  and  the  refugees. 
The  story  is  thoroughly  Christian  in 
interpretation  and  aspect.  It  de- 
serves a  wide  reading.  —  Ruth  B. 
Statler,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

"Discovering  Love.  Lance  Webb. 
Abingdon,  1959.    176  pages.    $3.00. 

All  of  us  yearn  for  love.  We  talk 
about  it  in  many  ways  and  at  many 
times.  However,  we  often  fail  to 
recognize  and  practice  the  giving 
love  that  heals,  inspires,  and  builds 
human  relationships.  Rather,  we 
seek  to  use  our  desiring  love  to  con- 
trol and  devour  relationships  to 
others. 

The  author,  an  active  pastor,  dis- 
cusses the  distinctions  between  the 
two  types  of  love  and  gives  workable 
suggestions  for  use  by  the  individual 
to  improve  personal  and  human  re- 
lationships. The  book  is  filled  with 
illustrations  from  life  and  with  poetry 
and  thought-provoking  quotations. 

This  is  the  kind  of  book  that  can 
be  used  to  stimulate  one's  thinking, 
to  provide  suggestions  to  improve 
relationships,  and  to  motivate  one 
to  action.  —  James  Renz. 

"The  Cokesbury  Party  Book.  Ar- 
thur M.  Depew.  Revised  edition. 
Abingdon,  1959.   377  pages.    $2.95. 

Here  is  a  revision  of  a  recreation 
book  which  has  been  a  favorite  of 
many  wanting  specific  plans  for 
parties.  The  fact  it  has  fifty-two 
"planned  parties"  should  not  detract 
from  it  as  a  source  book  for  games 
and  stunts.  There  are  four  or  five 
completely  planned  parties  for  each 
month  from  a  watch  party  in  Janu- 


26 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


ary  to  a  surprise  party  in  December. 
This  is  a  welcome  addition  to  the 
library  of  those  individuals  or  groups 
planning  parties  and  socials.  Such 
a  book  need  not  cripple  the  initiative 
of  party  planners,  but  rather  "guide 
them  in  planning  worthwhile  and 
stimulating  parties  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  groups."  One  of  the  good 
features  appearing  at  the  end  of 
each  party  is  a  check  list  of  equip- 
ment needed  for  the  games  and 
suggestions  for  costumes  (when  re- 
quired). —  Paul  M.  Weaver. 

"Racial  Problem  in  Christian  Per- 
spective. Kyle  Haselden.  Harpers, 
1959.   222  pages.   $3.50. 

Specifically  directing  his  book 
toward  the  church's  role  in  solving 
the  American  racial  problem,  Kyle 
Haselden  writes  from  a  lifetime  of 
concern  and  personal  experience  as 
a  Southern  Baptist  pastor. 

In  part  one,  he  points  accusingly 
at  the  church's  part  as  "mother  of 
racial  patterns,  the  purveyor  of  ar- 
rant sedatives,  and  the  teacher  of 
immoral  moralities."  The  major  sin 
of  the  church  is  not  merely  that  of 
passiveness  in  interracial  relations, 
but,  even  more,  its  direct  contribu- 
tion to  the  problem. 

In  part  two,  he  gives  understand- 
able Christian  definitions  of  preju- 
dice, discrimination,  segregation,  and 
stereotyping. 

Finally,  he  applies  the  Christian 
ethic  to  the  problem  he  has  defined. 
He  maintains  that  racial  division  and 
tension  cannot  be  overcome  until  the 
white  man  accepts  and  respects  the 
Negro  as  a  man. 

Written  with  clarity  and  passion, 
the  book  makes  a  Christian  grossly 
aware  of  his  own  sin  in  contributing 
to  the  Negro's  denial  of  rights  to 
own,  to  belong,  and,  even  more,  to 
be  recognized  as  a  fellow  human. 
Further,  it  challenges  any  Christian 
conscience  to  action  in  correcting  the 
wrong  done  his  Negro  brother.  Ex- 
cellent book.  —  Joyce  S.  McFadden, 
Detroit,  Mich. 

Blaze  of  Sunlight.  Faith  Baldwin. 
Rinehart,  1959.    269  pages.    $3.50. 

This  is  the  story  of  one  woman's 
struggles  and  adjustments  after  the 
death  of  her  husband.  The  ties  of 
affection  between  her  and  her  hus- 
band are  delightful;  however,  it  is 
to  the  extent  that  her  children  are 
a  litde  on  the  outside  of  the  circle 
so  far  as  feeling  needed  is  concerned. 
After  the  husband's  death,  the  vari- 
ous stages  in  the  wife's  struggles  to 
pick  up  the  pieces  and  go  on  are 


vividly  portrayed.  In  the  end,  she 
is  triumphant,  emerging  from  her 
long  dark  tunnel  into  the  sunlight. 
Now,  she  even  anticipates  a  "blaze 
of  sunlight"  some  time,  some  day. 
One  wonders  how  much  easier  it 
would  have  been,  had  she  possessed 
a  great  religious  faith  from  the  be- 
ginning. This  novel  should  be  help- 
ful to  all  who  have  lost  a  companion, 
as  well  as  being  helpful  in  preparing 
others  for  such  an  experience.  —  Mrs. 
Charles  E.  Zunkel,  Port  Republic, 
Va. 


Obituaries 

Alger,  Mary  Elizabeth,  was  born  in 
Girard,  111.,  May  12,  1885,  and  died 
Oct.  10,  1959.  She  was  married  to  Lon 
L.  Alger  on  July  20,  1913.  She  united 
with  die  Church  of  the  Brethren  when 
quite  young.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  one  son,  two  sisters,  and  five 
grandchildren.  Interment  was  in  the 
Lakewood  Memorial  park,  Calif.  —  El- 
sie Luke,  Modesto,  Calif. 

Allen,  Clara  M.,  was  born  June  17, 
1888,  and  died  in  Modesto,  Calif.,  July 
20,  1959.  In  1910,  she  was  united  in 
marriage  to  James  G.  Allen,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Modesto  church.  Surviving  are 
one  son,  three  brothers,  and  one  sister. 
—  Elsie  Luke,  Modesto,  Calif. 

Arnett,  Irene,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Nancy  Brandenburg,  was  born 
April  21,  1869,  and  died  Aug.  21,  1959. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Potsdam 
church,  Ohio.  In  December  1926,  she 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Joseph  B. 
Arnett,  who  preceded  her  in  death. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  in 
the  Potsdam  church.  Interment  was  in 
the  Mote  cemetery.  —  L.  John  Weaver, 
Potsdam,  Ohio. 

Babcock,  Minnie  M.,  died  Nov.  17, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
She  was  a  licensed  minister  and  evan- 
gelist in  the  Grand  Rapids  church, 
Mich.  She  was  married  to  Joseph  Bab- 
cock, who  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
is  survived  by  three  daughters,  a 
brother,  a  sister,  five  grandchildren,  and 
three  great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Vanderpool 
chapel.  Interment  was  in  the  Wyo- 
ming Township  cemetery.  —  Floyd  Hill- 
iker,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Bak,  Karl,  was  born  in  Weiborg,  Den- 
mark, Nov.  18,  1903,  and  died  at 
South  Bend,  Ind.,  Oct.  12,  1959.  He 
came  to  America  in  1927.  In  1929,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Karoline  Es- 
bensen.  He  was  baptized  at  the  First 
church,  Chicago,  in  1931.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  four  children,  five 
grandchildren,  one  sister,  and  two 
brothers.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Bremen  church,  Ind.,  by  the  un- 
dersigned and  Bro.  C.  C.  Cripe.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Bremen  cemetery.  — 
Jack  Kline,  Bremen,  Ind. 

Bixler,  Margaret,  daughter  of  David 
and  Martha  Englar,  was  born  in  Car- 
roll County,  Md.,  Feb.  2,  1880,  and 
died  March  12,  1959,  in  New  Windsor, 
Md.  In  1910  she  was  married  to  Ed- 
ward C.   Bixler,  who  preceded  her  in 


death.  She  was  a  long-time  member  of 
the  Pipe  Creek  church,  Md.  She  is 
survived  by  one  daughter  and  a  grand- 
son. The  funeral  was  conducted  by 
Bro.  Austin  Cooper.  Interment  was  in 
the  Pipe  Creek  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Fan- 
nie  G.    Myers,   Taneytown,   Md. 

Bollinger,  Elmer,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Ella  Kreider  Bollinger,  died  Oct. 
9,  1959,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Middle  Creek 
church,  Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
five  daughters,  two  sons,  step-mother, 
thirteen  grandchildren,  three  sisters, 
and  four  brothers.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  in  the  Middle  Creek 
church  by  Bro.  Elmer  Brubaker.  In- 
terment was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery. 
—  Emma  L.  Zook,  Lititz,  Pa. 

Bross,  Henry,  son  of  Uriah  and  Re- 
becca Balsbaugh  Bross,  died  Oct.  26, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Richland  church, 
Pa.,  where  he  was  a  deacon.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  Mamie,  three 
stepsons,  three  grandchildren,  two  sis- 
ters, and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  in  the  Richland 
church  by  Brethren  Jacob  W.  Fahne- 
stock  and  Ray  A.  Kurtz.  Interment 
was  in  the  Ridge  Lawn  cemetery.  — 
Michael  Kurtz,   Richland,  Penna. 

Browning,  William  Edgar,  son  of 
James  and  Millie  Clark  Browning,  was 
born  March  16,  1870,  and  died  Oct.  26, 
1959,  in  Mound  City,  Mo.  His  wife, 
the  former  Carrie  Fuller,  preceded  him 
in  death.  He  is  survived  by  two  daugh- 
ters and  six  grandsons.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  Bro.  Vernon 
Merkey  at  the  Pettijohn-Crawford  fu- 
neral home.  Interment  was  in  the 
Mound  Hope  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Tracy 
Seitz,  Mound  City,  Mo. 

Burgard,  Mattie  E.,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  July  9,  1882,  and  died  in 
San  Diego,  Calif.,  Oct.  19,  1959.  She 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Harry  C. 
Burgard.  Surviving  are  five  children, 
two  brothers,  and  five  grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  in 
the  Greenwood  mortuary  by  Bro.  Niels 
Esbensen.  Interment  was  in  the  Green- 
wood Memorial  park.  —  Anna  Schriefer, 
San  Diego,  Calif. 

Burger,  Albert  B.,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Sarah  Domer  Burger,  was  born 
Oct.  20,  1867,  at  Baltic,  Ohio,  and  died 
May  21,  1959.  He  is  survived  by  one 
daughter,  one  son,  and  two  grandsons. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  from  the 
Paradise  church  by  Bro.  Thomas  E. 
Shoemaker.  Interment  was  in  the  Para- 
dise church  cemetery.  —  Grace  Weig- 
ley,  Wooster,  Ohio. 

Burtner,  Charles  Albert,  son  of  Wil- 
liam H.  and  Mattie  Jane  Huffman  Burt- 
ner, was  born  May  10,  1900,  and  died 
Nov.  20,  1959,  at  Harrisonburg,  Va. 
On  Nov.  20,  1923,  he  was  married  to 
Pauline  Harshbarger.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  four  sons,  three  grand- 
children, one  brother,  and  four  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  Harrisonburg  E.U.B.  church  by 
Bro.  Robert  L.  Sherfy.  Interment  was 
in  the  Keezletown  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
John  E.  Moore,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

Cline,  Elizabeth  Catherine,  daugh- 
ter of  David  F.  and  Susan  Driver 
Wampler,  was  born  April  24,  1877,  at 
Timberville,  Va.,  and  died  at  Weyers 
Cave,  Va.,  Oct.  25,  1959.  She  was 
twice     married.      Her     first     husband, 


Samuel  H.  Wright,  died  in  1910.  Her 
second  husband,  John  W.  Cline,  also 
preceded  her  in  death.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Pleasant  Valley  church, 
Va.  She  is  survived  by  three  sons,  three 
grandchildren,  and  three  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  at  the 
Pleasant  Valley  church  by  Brethren 
Samuel  H.  Flora,  Jr.,  Wilmer  Q.  Crum- 
mett,  and  E.  B.  Craun.  Interment  was 
in  the  adjacent  cemetery.  —  Verma  E. 
Garber,  Weyers  Cave,  Va. 

Clodfelter,  Clifton  C,  was  born  near 
West  Salem,  111.,  on  March  2,  1902,  and 
died  at  Olney,  111.,  on  Nov.  24,  1959. 
On  Dec.  4,  1926,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Rudi  Matthes.  In  early  mar- 
ried life  he  united  with  the  Walnut 
Grove  church,  111.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  two  daughters,  one  son,  two 
grandchildren,  and  two  brothers.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Walnut 
Grove  church  by  Bro.  Paul  Ragsdale. 
Interment  was  in  the  adjoining  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  D.  A.  Ridgely,  Parkers- 
burg,  111. 

Coffman,  Ernest  S.,  was  born  near 
Dayton,  Va.,  April  22,  1881,  and  died 
Nov.  5,  1959,  at  Harrisonburg,  Va.  He 
was  a  minister  for  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  for  forty-five  years.  He  served 
as  pastor  at  Kansas  City,  Kansas;  Geiger 
Memorial,  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  Mack 
Memorial,  Ohio;  Harper's  Chapel, 
North  Fork,  and  Sandy  Ridge,  W.  Va.; 
Harrisonburg,  Beaver  Creek,  and  Sang- 
ersville,  Va.  From  1924-1933  he  was 
the  Brotherhood  evangelist,  traveling 
through  forty-four  states  in  a  trailer. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  Bessie  Phares 
Coffman,  a  daughter,  a  son,  two  grand- 
children, and  a  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  Beaver 
Creek  church  by  Bro.  Robert  L.  Sherfy. 
Interment  was  in  the  Beaver  Creek 
church  cemetery.  —  Rosamond  Young, 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

Copeland,  Denzil  F.,  was  born  May 
7,  1891,  and  died  Oct.  29,  1959.  He 
was  first  married  to  Dorothy  Tinder, 
who  preceded  him  in  death  in  1937.  In 
1938,  he  was  married  to  Jo  Richey.  He 
assisted  in  the  free  ministry  at  the 
Windfall  church,  Ind.,  for  about  thirty 
years.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  two 
adopted  children,  three  stepchildren, 
and  ten  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Windfall 
church  by  the  undersigned,  assisted  by 
Bro.  Tom  Davis.  —  Alva  L.  Hewitt, 
Tipton,  Ind. 

Cosner,  Howard  Elworth,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Daniel  F.  Cosner,  was  born 
Oct.  11,  1882,  and  died  Oct.  15,  1959. 
In  1909,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
his  first  wife,  Bessie  Weasenforth,  who 
died  in  1920.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  1925  to  Zela  Lena  Burgess.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  from  an  early  age.  Sur- 
viving are  four  sons,  ten  daughters, 
three  brothers,  three  sisters,  thirty-nine 
grandchildren,  and  five  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Fairview  church,  Md.,  by  Bro. 
Daniel  Spaid,  assisted  by  Bro.  Eugene 
Matthew  and  Reverend  Poland.  Inter- 
ment was  in  Locust  Grove  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Howard  Cosner,  Wilson,  W.  Va. 

Crist,  Grace  Edla  Rieke,  was  born 
Aug.  8,  1887,  at  West  Plains,  Colo., 
and  died  in  Haxtun,  Colo.,  Nov.  4, 
1959.  On  Dec.  20,  1912,  she  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Tom  C.  Crist,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.    She  was  a  member 


The  layman 
Learns  to 
Pray 


Lloyd  V.  Channels 

A  guidebook  suggest- 
ing where,  how,  when 
to  pray,  and  what  to 
say.  Shows  man's  need 
for  prayer  and  how  he 
must  understand  his  at- 
titudes toward  God. 
$1.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General    Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviv- 
ing are  five  children,  three  brothers, 
two  sisters,  fourteen  grandchildren,  and 
seven  great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  die  Church  of  the 
Brethren  by  Bro.  Virgil  Weimer  and 
Rev.  Willis  Phelps,  pastor  of  the  Metho- 
dist church.  Interment  was  in  the  Hax- 
tun cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Charles  F.  Ed- 
wards, Haxtun,  Colo. 

Dilley,  Edward,  was  born  in  Sumner, 
Iowa,  Dec.  22,  1876,  and  died  in  Du- 
luth,  Minn.,  Nov.  11,  1959.  He  was 
married  to  Myrtle  Neher  on  Feb.  11, 
1904.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  one  son, 
one  daughter,  and  five  grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  in 
the  Barnum  church,  Minn.,  by  Bro. 
David  Cave.  Interment  was  in  the 
Riverside  cemetery.  —  Hattie  C.  Neil, 
Barnum,  Minn. 

Dorward,  Ray,  was  born  Feb.  1, 
1894,  and  died  Oct.  23,  1959.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Conewago  church, 
Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  one 
son,  and  one  brother.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  in  the  Miller  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Harry  Aldinger.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Mt.  Tunnel  cemetery. 
—  Ellen  E.  Young,  Hershey,  Pa. 

Dyson,  Mary  Pearl,  daughter  of 
Annie  and  Samuel  Kirkpatrick,  was 
born  May  23,  1889,  near  Kmcross,  Iowa, 
and  died  Sept  10,  1959,  near  Sigourney, 
Iowa.  On  Oct.  22,  1911,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Olan  R.  Dyson,  who  preceded 


JANUARY  2,  1960 


27 


THE 

INTERNATIONAL 

LESSON  ANNUAL 

1960 

Edited   by    Charles   M.    Laymon 
Lesson  Analysis  by  Roy  L.  Smith 

This  new  edition  of  a  standard  refer- 
ence will  help  teachers  and  students 
of  adult  classes  bring  new  interest 
and  added  meaning  to  every  Interna- 
tional Sunday  School  Lesson  in  1960. 
The  volume  includes  all  the  features 
that  have  made  it  a  popular  teaching 
aid.  Still,  $2.95 

Order  from  your  bookstore 

ABINGDON      PRESS 


J 


Vacation 
Church  School 

BOOKLET 

24  pages  of  information, 
giving  text  titles  and  com- 
plete description  of  materi- 
als. Write  for  your  copy- 
now. 

Church  of  Ihe  Brethren 

General   Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


her  in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
English  River  church,  Iowa.  She  is 
survived  by  nine  children,  twenty-six 
grandchildren,  and  two  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  the  undersigned  in  the 
English  River  church.  Interment  was 
in  the  church  cemetery.  —  Jay  J.  John- 
son, South  English,  Iowa. 

Eikenberry,  Mina,  daughter  of  Josh- 
ua and  Mary  Waitman,  was  born  near 
Arcanum,  Ohio,  Sept.  30,  1884,  and 
died  Oct.  8,  1959.  On  Aug.  28,  1909, 
she  was  married  to  Josiah  Eikenberry. 
She    was    a    member    of   the    Potsdam 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


church,  Ohio.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  five  sons,  and  four  daughters. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
the  undersigned  at  the  Potsdam  church. 
Interment  was  at  the  Potsdam  cemetery. 
—  L.  John  Weaver,  Potsdam,  Ohio. 

Fike,  Lloyd  Kimmel,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Sarah  Kimmel  Fike,  was  born  at 
Waterloo,  Iowa,  April  29,  1885,  and 
died  near  Empire,  Calif.,  Sept.  6,  1959. 
He  was  married  to  Irene  Dickey  in 
1919.  He  united  with  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  his  youth.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife  and  three  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
M.  S.  Frantz  and  the  undersigned  at 
Salas  Brothers  chapel.  Interment  was  in 
the  Belmont  Memorial  park.  —  Lorell 
Weiss,   Empire,   Calif. 

Fike,  Martin  V.,  died  July  10,  1959, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Glade  Union, 
church,  W.  Va.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Cora  Teets  Fike,  one  daughter, 
one  son,  and  five  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Gleason 
funeral  home  with  Rev.  Joseph  Lewis 
conducting.  Interment  was  in  the 
Webbs  Chapel  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Edith 
Frazee,  Friendsville,  Md. 

Fike,  Uriah  J.,  son  of  John  and  Mary 
Miller  Fike,  was  born  April  4,  1887, 
near  Waterloo,  Iowa,  and  died  Oct.  11, 
1959,  at  Clarence,  Iowa.  On  June  21, 
1911,  he  was  married  to  Precious 
Jewel  Zuck.  He  was  pastor  of  the 
Pleasant  View  church,  Iowa,  for  over 
forty  years.  He  had  taught  for  several 
years  at  Daleville  and  Mt.  Morris  col- 
leges. He  was  active  in  the  community, 
local  church,  and  district.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  St.  John's  Evangelical 
and  Reformed  church  by  Bro.  Charles 
Lunkley,  Bro.  Merrill  Branson  and 
Rev.  E.  J.  Bowers,  pastor  of  St.  John's 
church.  Interment  was  in  the  Clarence 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Leo  Fisher,  Stanwood, 
Iowa. 

Fox,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Alexander 
and  Elizabeth  Wogaman,  was  born 
Nov.  12,  1883,  and  died  Nov.  8,  1959, 
in  Darke  County,  Ohio.  On  Sept.  7, 
1902,  she  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Esta  Fox,  who  preceded  her  in  death. 
She  became  a  member  of  the  Oakland 
church,  Ohio,  in  1913.  Surviving  are 
three  daughters,  four  sons,  twenty-nine 
grandchildren,  twenty-eight  great- 
grandchildren, and  one  sister.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  in  the  Oakland 
church.  Interment  was  in  the  Harris 
Creek  cemetery.  —  J.  Earl  Hostetter, 
Gettysburg,  Ohio. 

Frantz,  Charles  R.,  was  born  Jan.  2, 
1904,  at  Silver  Lake,  Ind.,  and  died 
Oct.  15,  1959,  at  Bakersfield,  Calif.  In 
1934,  he  was  married  to  Vestal  Goetze. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  one  daughter, 
and  his  mother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  Delano  mortuary.  Inter- 
ment was  in  Delano  cemetery.  —  Joseph 
R.  Jennings,  McFarland,  Calif. 

Fry,  Nathan,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Amanda  Christ  Fry,  was  born  Aug.  3, 
1882,  and  died  Nov.  9,  1959.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Middle  Creek  church, 
Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  two 
daughters,  two  sons,  eleven  grandchil- 
dren, nine  great-grandchildren,  three 
sisters,  and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  Stradling 
funeral  home  by  Brethren  Bard  Krei- 
der  and  Henry  Wenger.    Interment  was 


in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Emma  L. 
Zook,  Lititz,  Pa. 

Gantz,  Ronald  Lee,  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Robert  Gantz,  was  born  Oct.  17, 
1947,  in  Manheim,  Pa.,  and  died  May 
22,  1959,  at  Lancaster,  Pa.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  East  Fairview  Sunday 
school.  He  is  survived  by  his  parents, 
one  brother,  two  sisters,  and  grandpar- 
ents. The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  church  with  the  undersigned  in 
charge,  assisted  by  Bro.  David  G.  Gib- 
ble.  Interment  was  in  the  East  Fair- 
view  cemetery.  —  H.  A.  Merkey,  Man- 
heim, Pa. 

Huff,  Nora  E.,  daughter  of  George 
and  Clarine  Breightwiser  Noford,  was 
born  in  Smithsburg,  Md.,  and  died 
April  19,  1959,  in  Ringgold,  Md.,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  In  1903, 
she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Walter 
L.  Huff.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Welty  church,  Md.  Surviving  are  nine 
children,  ten  grandchildren,  and  three 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  from  the  Grove  funeral 
home  with  Bro.  Glenn  Heckman  and 
Rev.  Joseph  Porterfield  officiating.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Ringgold  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  Maurice  Miller,  Waynesboro, 
Pa. 


Church  News 

Northern  Indiana 

Roann  —  We  had  dedication  services 
for  the  new  babies  and  their  parents. 
On  Aug.  30  Bro.  Ernest  Bowman  was 
in  charge  of  our  morning  service,  and 
then  in  the  evening  we  had  a  farewell 
for  our  minister  and  his  wife.  At  the 
council  meeting  we  elected  officers  for 
the  coming  year.  Bro.  E.  P.  Weaver  in- 
stalled our  new  minister,  Ora  De  Lauter, 
and  his  wife.  We  held  our  communion 
service  in  October.  The  women's  fel- 
lowship made  thirty-two  comforts  and 
fifteen  kits  of  clothing,  rolled  bandages, 
and  sent  clothing  and  grease  to  relief. 
—  Edith  Hoppes,  Wabash,  Ind. 

Walnut  —  Our  church  bought  a  heifer 
for  shipment  to  Germany.  The  evan- 
gelistic services,  held  by  Bro.  Edgar 
Petry  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  closed  with  the 
love  feast.  Earl  Bolinger  and  Mrs.  Ralph 
Shoemaker  were  our  delegates  to  district 
conference.  The  women's  fellowship 
canned  fruits  and  vegetables  for  the 
Mexico  home.  An  installation  service 
was  held  for  the  Sunday  school  officers 
and  teachers.  A  junior  department  has 
been  organized  and  plans  are  going 
ahead  for  equipment.  —  Mrs.  Ralph 
Shoemaker,  Rochester,  Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 
Beech  Grove  —  Our  new  pastor,  Ray- 
mond Larue,  and  his  family  moved  into 
the  parsonage  the  first  of  September. 
The  installation  service  was  conducted 
by  Bro.  Albert  Harshbarger.  At  the  fall 
council  church  officers  were  elected  for 
the  coming  year.  Bro.  Lester  Fike  was 
the  evangelist  for  our  revival  meetings. 
Our  church  entertained  the  young 
people's  conference  of  Southern  Indi- 
ana. On  Saturday  evening  about  sixty 
people  attended  the  Billy  Graham  serv- 
ice at  Indianapolis.  Sadie  Fuqua  and 
Ruth  Paxton  were  our  delegates  to 
district  conference.  Bro.  E.  O.  Norris 
officiated  at  the  love  feast.   Seven  have 


been  added  to  the  church  since  our  last 
report.  —  Zella  Fuqua,  Fortville,  Ind. 

Nettle  Creek  —  Three  have  been  re- 
ceived by  letter  since  our  last  report. 
Brother  and  Sister  Byron  Miller  attend- 
ed the  family  life  institute  at  Manchester 
College.  Missionary  Glen  Campbell,  a 
native  of  our  district,  gave  us  an  in- 
formative message  and  showed  pictures 
of  the  work  in  India.  We  had  an  edu- 
cational program  on  stewardship  for 
every  member.  Bro.  Lloyd  Hoff  of 
Manchester  College  showed  pictures  of 
his  trip  to  Europe  during  the  anniver- 
sary year.  A  Negro  choir  of  Richmond 
presented  a  program  of  music  one 
evening.  The  CBYF  recently  had  a 
visitation  to  shut-in  members  and 
friends.  The  church  is  sponsoring  funds 
to  purchase  a  jeep  for  the  Hamers  in 
Africa.  Our  BVS'er  Donna  Pass  is  serv- 
ing in  a  project  near  Kingsport,  Tenn. 
Judy  Petty,  our  exchange  student,  is  in 
West  Germany.  —  Mrs.  Elmer  Wampole, 
Greensfork,  Ind. 

White  Branch  —  Bro.  Charles  Oberlin 
held  our  fall  revival.  Eleven  have  been 
baptized  this  year,  and  six  received  by 
letter.  During  the  observance  of  the 
church  centennial,  T.  Wayne  Rieman 
of  North  Manchester  preached  and  Paul 
Halladay  led  the  hymn  singing.  We 
have  started  a  prayer  circle  and  Bible 
study  this  year;  we  meet  at  the  church 
or  in  a  home.  —  Olive  Overton,  Hagers- 
town,  Ind. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

East  Fairview  —  Sister  Martha  Mar- 
tin led  the  women  in  an  hour  of  Bible 
study  one  evening.  An  evening  pro- 
gram of  sacred  music  by  various  musi- 
cal groups  was  sponsored  by  the  men's 
Fellowship.  Rally  Day  was  observed 
with  a  morning  sermon  by  Bro.  Ammon 
B.  Meyer  and  an  evening  program  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Charles  Hostetter  and 
die  Mennonite  hour  quartet.  Bro.  Les- 
:er  Schreiber  officiated  at  our  love 
east  services.  We  received  an  acknowl- 
edgement from  a  German  family  who 
eceived  the  heifer  sent  over  by  the 
nen  of  the  church.  Four  were  added 
:o  the  church  membership  after  evan- 
gelistic services  by  Bro.  Howard  J. 
Creider.  The  officers  and  directors  of 
he  women's  fellowship  met  with  the 
lational  director,  Anna  Warstler.  The 
vomen  filled  Christmas  stockings  for 
he  men  at  the  Emberville  state  hospi- 
al.  Bro.  Earl  Lehman  preached  the 
ermon.  On  Thanksgiving  Day  a  praise 
nd  thanksgiving  service  was  held.  Bro. 
iarry  Shenk  showed  slides  of  his  trip 
o  Europe  when  he  accompanied  a  ship- 
nent  of  heifers.  —  Mrs.  Mahlon  Gray- 
ill,  Manheim,  Pa. 

Elizabethtown  —  Our  new  deacons, 
/lerle  E.  Black,  Jr.,  and  Albert  L.  Gray, 
r.,  and  their  wives,  were  installed  in 
special  service;  Elder  Howard  Merkey 
ireached  the  morning  sermon.  Our 
acation  church  school  was  under  the 
sadership  of  Ruth  N.  Eby  and  Mrs. 
Valter  C.  Gingrich.  Dr.  James  M. 
ierkebile  and  his  family  left  July  3 
br  their  new  assignment  in  Formosa, 
/here  they  will  remain  for  a  two-year 
eriod.  The  board  of  Christian  educa- 
on  approved  an  experimental  program 
f  small  study  groups  to  be  held  during 
-ie  church  school  hour.  Twelve  of  our 
lembers  served  as  leaders  during  the 
ammer  program.  Bro.  Julius  E.  Belser, 

pastor    of  the    Chicago    West    Side 


How  to  be 
"rich  toward 
God" 


Luke    12:15-21  Edward    K.    Ziegler 

Moderator,  Church  of  the  Brethren 

"While  serving  our  church  in  various  posts,  I  have  talked 
with  many  hundreds  of  Brethren  who  are  deeply  dedicated  to 
Christ's  program  through  the  church,  and  who  would  like  to 
help  carry  it  forward.  Also,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  great  open  doors  before  the  church  in  America  and 
overseas.  I  have  seen  new  churches  rise  and  grow  into 
responsible  and  mature  congregations.  I  have  seen  churches 
bloom  with  new  life  and  enthusiasm  as  a  new  pastor  stirs  them 
to  serve  and  to  witness. 

"At  the  same  time,  all  of  us  are  aware  of  two  terrific 
pressures:  the  pressure  of  the  world  around  us,  seeking  to  force 
us  into  the  mold  of  materialism  and  pagan  practices,  spending 
our  money  on  that  which  is  not  bread;  and  the  pressure  of 
world  events,  with  their  sinister  forces  of  cold  war  and  prepara- 
tion for  hot  war,  hatred  and  racial  strife  in  America  and  abroad. 

"When  we  Brethren  discern  the  claims  of  Christ  on  one 
hand  and  feel  the  pressures  of  paganism  and  doom  on  the 
other,  we  seek  for  those  things  which  really  endure. 

"If  day  by  day  we  use  our  lives  and  possessions  for  Christ 
and  the  church,  and  thoughtfully  plan  for  the  enlargement  of 
our  Christian  influence  through  the  right  use  of  accumulated 
possessions,  we  can  be  sure  we  are  on  the  right  side  of  God's 
balance. 

"The  1957  Annual  Conference  spoke  forthrightly  on  the 
stewardship  of  accumulated  possessions.  Why  not  acquaint 
yourself  with  the  various  means  of  expressing  your  Christian 
faith  through  providing  substance  for  the  far-reaching  work 
of  the  Kingdom?" 

(Clip  and  Mail) 


lil|B 


GENERAL  BROTHERHOOD  BOARD 
CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 

1451   Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois 
Harl  L.  Russell,  Director  of  Special  Gifts 

Dear  Brother  Russell: 

Please  provide  information,  without  obligating  me  in 
any  way.  on  the  following  means  of  expressing  my.  faith 
and  my  interest  in  advancing  Brotherhood  work. 


f~|  A  Life  Income  Plan 

□  A  Real  Estate  Deed 
(reserving  life  use  and 
income ) 

□  A  Bequest  in  a  Will 


Name . _.. 

Street,  RFD. 


f"*|  A  Transfer  of  Stocks  or 
Bonds  (reserving 
for  life) 


n  An  Assignment  of  Life 
Insurance 


|~)  A  Gift  Annuity 

(providing  substantial 
income  benefits) 

□  A  Living  Memorial 


Westminster 
Introductions  to  the 
Books  of  the  Bible 


Ten  years  ago  a  helpful 
aid  to  the  study  of  the 
Scriptures  came  from  the 
press.  It  was  the  two 
thousand  page  Westminster 
Study  Edition  of  the  Holy 
Bible,  which  contained  in 
addition  to  the  King  James 
Version  articles  on  the  back- 
ground of  the  Bible  and 
each  one  of  its  books. 

Now  a  decade  later  the 
editors  have  wisely  brought 
these  introductions  together 
in  a  separate,  moderately 
priced  volume,  which  makes 
available  to  the  layman 
some  of  the  insights  of 
Christian  scholarship  into 
the  redemptive  work  of  God 
as  set  forth  in  the  Bible. 
$3.75 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Christian  Parish,  showed  pictures  and 
told  about  the  work  in  the  inner  city 
mission.  A  large  number  of  our  men 
and  women  answered  the  call  to  serve 
as  missioners  in  our  mission-to-members 
program.  John  Hilficker  has  accepted 
the  call  to  become  onr  minister  of  edu- 
cation. A  Christmas  choral  concert  was 
presented  by  the  music  department  of 
the  college.  Our  church  will  again  em- 
phasize a  Christmas  gift  for  Christ  in 
its  annual  Christmas  mission  offering. 
—  Esther  M.  Rohrer,  Elizabethtown,  Pa. 
Florin  —  Our  delegates  to  Annual 
Conference  were  Clarence  Douple  and 


30 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


James  Eshelman.  We  held  a  prayer 
meeting  at  the  Neffsville  Home.  Some 
of  our  choir  members  participated  in 
a  worship  service  at  the  Rosedale  camp- 
grounds. Bro.  Henry  Wenger  brought 
a  temperance  message.  Other  guest 
speakers  have  been  Brethren  Samuel 
Longenecker  and  Allen  B.  Hollinger. 
Delegates  to  district  meeting  were 
Brethren  Wm.  Longenecker,  Jr.,  and 
Howard  Bernhard.  Bro.  James  M. 
Eshelman  was  licensed  to  the  ministry. 
Brother  and  Sister  Heber  Shelly  were 
installed  into  the  office  of  deacon.  The 
women's  fellowship  of  the  church  had 
a  covered  dish  supper  which  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  message  from  Dr.  Charles 
Weaver  of  Manheim.  Sister  Ann  Hum- 
mer showed  pictures  of  her  work  in 
Ecuador  this  summer.  A  number  of 
our  men  attended  the  father-son  fellow- 
ship at  Palmyra.  Amos  Herr,  teacher 
at  the  East  Hempfield  high  school, 
showed  slides  and  told  of  his  travels 
in  Russia.  The  young  adults  joined  in 
an  afternoon  of  fellowship  with  the 
young  adults  of  the  West  Greentree 
congregation.  —  Mrs.  Mae  E.  Greiner, 
Columbia,  Pa. 

Fredericksburg  —  Eight  members  at- 
tended the  district  workshop  at  Eliza- 
bethtown. Bro.  S.  G.  Meyer  was  speak- 
er at  a  worship  service  given  at  the 
Neffsville  home.  Bro.  Harold  A.  Royer, 
missionary  on  furlough  from  Nigeria, 
showed  films  of  the  Africa  mission  work. 
Special  speakers  have  been  Bro.  Armon 
Snowden  of  Elizabethtown  at  the  Sun- 
day school  meeting  in  the  Fredericks- 
burg church,  Bro.  Frank  Layser  of 
Myerstown  at  the  German  service  in 
the  Moonshine  church,  and  Bro.  Ellis 
Powell  of  Allentown  at  the  meeting 
about  missions  held  in  the  Meyer 
church.  At  our  church  council  meeting, 
Bro.  Harry  Good  and  Bro.  Warren  Line- 
weaver  were  consecrated  to  the  office 
of  deacon.  Evangelistic  services  were 
held  in  the  Meyer  church  by  Bro. 
Richard  H.  Hackman.  Eight  were  bap- 
tized. Bro.  Rufus  Fahnestock  was  guest 
minister  at  the  harvest  home  service  in 
the  Fredericksburg  church.  The  Meyer 
church  was  host  to  the  district  Christian 
education  conference  on  Labor  Day. 
Bible  institute  in  the  Fredericksburg 
church  was  conducted  by  Sister  Martha 
Martin.  Richard  Hackman  and  Ralph 
H.  Jones  were  visiting  ministers  at  our 
love  feast.  Four  have  been  received  by 
letter.  Dr.  Charles  Weaver  was  guest 
speaker  at  the  temperance  emphasis 
meeting  in  the  Meyer  church.  —  Grace 
E.  Meyer,  Ono,  Pa. 

Lebanon  —  Work  on  our  new  educa- 
tion building  is  progressing  rapidly. 
The  cornerstone-laying  ceremony  took 
place  on  Sept.  20.  Bro.  Nevin  Zuck 
installed  our  new  pastor,  William  L. 
Gould.  Other  guest  ministers  recendy 
have  been  Howard  A.  Merkey  and  Roy 
McAuley.  Our  fall  evangelistic  cam- 
paign was  conducted  by  Bro.  DeWitt 
L.  Miller.  Bro.  Lester  Royer  was  elect- 
ed moderator.  World  Communion  Sun- 
day was  observed  in  our  church.  The 
area  women's  fellowship  meeting  was 
held  in  our  church  with  Sister  Anna 
M.  Warstler  as  guest  speaker.  Bro. 
Kenneth  Miller  brought  the  Thanks- 
giving message,  and  Bro.  Charles 
Walker  a  peace  message  in  November. 
—  Mrs.  Hylton  Reber,  Lebanon,  Pa. 

Lititz  —  The  delegates  to  the  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  district  meeting  held  at 
the  East  Fairview  church  were  Olden 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or  se- 
cure employment  in  Brethren  commu- 
nities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program,  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  433.  Family  (parents  and  boy 
and  girl  aged  12)  desire  work  on  a 
farm,  or  in  a  hospital,  orphanage,  or 
factory.  Husband  can  carpenter.  Wife 
likes  to  work  with  children.  All  are 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. Contact:  Mr.  Charles  C.  Myers, 
R.  1,  Twelve  Mile,  Ind. 

No.  434.  Wanted:  Full-time  chap- 
lain for  general  hospital.  Must  be  ac- 
credited by  American  Protestant  Hos- 
pital  Association.  Needed  immediately. 
Contact  Dean  L.  Farringer,  625  E.  Elm 
St.,  Lima,  Ohio. 

No.  435.  Wanted:  A  full-time  dis- 
trict youth  fieldworker.  Prefer  a  col- 
lege graduate  possibly  with  one  or  two 
years  teaching  experience  and  previous 
youth  work  experience.  Contact:  North- 
ern Indiana  District  CBYF,  Ken  Krull, 
Box  1001,  Manchester  College,  North 
Manchester,  Ind. 


Mitchell,  Glen  Crago,  Mrs.  Franklin 
Cassel  and  Mrs.  John  Graybill.  Final 
terms  of  agreement  with  the  Moravian 
congregation  on  the  purchase  of  the 
plot  was  reached.  Our  Christian  educa- 
tion commission  sent  delegates  to  the 
regional  laboratory  school,  the  regional 
conference,  and  the  conference  for 
workers  with  older  adults  at  Manches- 
ter College,  Ind.  A  church  school  class 
was  formed  for  all  unmarried  young 
people  of  post  high  school  age.  About 
twenty-five  children  and  youth  at- 
tended Camp  Swatara  during  the  sum- 
mer months.  —  Mrs.  Eugene  Ludwig, 
Lititz,  Pa. 

Quakertown  —  R.  W.  Schlosser 
showed  pictures  of  his  trip  to  Europe 
last  summer.  Mr.  Arlen  Hunsberger; 
who  spent  a  term  of  service  with  the 
Mennonite  Central  Committee  in  Eu- 
rope, spoke  and  showed  firsthand  pic 
tures  of  the  relief  work  there,  as  die 
also  Leon  Schanley,  missionary  h 
Central  America  with  the  Wycliffi 
Bible  translators.  We  again  co-operatee 
with  the  E.U.B.  church  for  Bibl 
school  this  year.  Bro.  William  Stone 
back,    a    student    at    Bethany    Biblics 


lie 

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Pa. 

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Seminary,  filled  the  pulpit  in  the  ab- 
sence of  our  pastor.  We  co-operated 
with  various  churches  in  the  Crusade 
for  Christ  meetings.  Bro.  Elmer  Hoover 
brought  the  morning  message  and  Bro. 
J.  Herbert  Miller  those  of  the  afternoon 
and  evening  at  the  harvest  home-coming 
services.  We  had  a  cornerstone-laying 
service  for  our  new  church  house.  A 
dedication  and  consecration  service  for 
Sunday  school  officers  and  teachers  was 
a  part  of  an  evening  worship  service. 
Two  persons  were  baptized.  Several  of 
our  young  people  went  to  the  district 
CBYF  rally  at  the  Royersford  church 
at  which  Bro.  Ed  Crill,  dean  of  students 
at  Elizabethtown  College,  was  the 
speaker.  Bro.  John  Landis,  our  elder, 
officiated  at  our  fall  love  feast  and 
communion.  One  of  our  young  people, 
Wayne  Hixson,  is  in  BVS  at  the  project 
in  Fresno,  Calif.  Our  women's  work 
group  have  been  rolling  bandages  for 
our  mission  hospitals  in  Africa.  —  Mrs. 
Blondell  Ludwick,  Perkasie,  Pa. 

Skippack— Bro.  John  Grimley  showed 
pictures  of  his  work  in  Africa  and 
Miriam  Steely  pictures  of  the  Flat 
Creek  mission  in  Kentucky.  Bro.  Joseph 
Mover  conducted  a  week  of  evangelistic 
services.  As  a  result,  one  was  baptized. 
A  group  of  men  from  the  Indian  Creek 
church  gave  a  musical  program  at  our 
church  one  evening.  On  Nov.  22  a 
student  deputation  team  from  Elizabeth- 
town  College  presented  a  panel  dis- 
cussion on  the  subject,  The  Witness  of 
the  Church.  Our  church  is  in  the  pro- 
cess of  building  an  addition  to  the 
present  building.  Brother  and  Sister 
Paul  Bucher  were  our  delegates  to  the 
district  meeting.  —  Mrs.  Elmer  Halde- 
man,  Eagleville,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 
Carson  Valley  —  We  had  our  fall 
evangelistic  services  at  which  D.  I. 
Pepple  preached.  Eighteen  persons  ac- 
cepted Christ.  Many  folks  rededicated 
their  lives  during  these  meetings.  Our 
women's  fellowship  participated  in  mak- 
ing school  kits  for  Nigeria.  Thirty-six 
boxes  of  clothing  were  sent  to  New 
Windsor.  The  young  married  men's 
Bible  class  are  refinishing  a  portion  of 
the  basement  of  the  church  for  class- 
rooms. —  Gladys  R.  Halbritter,  Altoona, 
Pa. 

Martinsburg  —  Community  vesper 
services  and  vacation  Bible  school  were 
(participated  in  by  our  church.  Brother 
porney,  Mrs.  Wilson  Burket,  Leonard 
IStoudenour,  and  Rawleigh  Clapper 
[were  delegates  to  Annual  Conference. 
jCarol  Dilfing  is  spending  a  year  in 
pVS.  She  will  serve  among  the  Mexi- 
cans at  Falfurrias,  Texas.  Brother  and 
jSister  Forney  spent  ten  days  at  Mas- 
jsanetta  Bible  Conference.  Forty-six 
children  and  young  people  attended 
ICamp  Harmony.  Brother  Forney  held 
h  week's  meeting  in  the  James  Creek 
fchurch.  At  the  first  fall  meeting  of 
the  men's  fellowship  Bro.  Ralph  Eber- 
kole  was  speaker.  Our  pastor  has  been 
feiving  expository  teaching  on  the  Gos- 
pel of  Mark  at  the  evening  services. 
pro.  Enos  Heisey  preached  for  us  on 
Kept.  13.  Under  the  Anniversary  Call, 
h  mission  to  members  visitation  was 
Carried  out.  The  Middle  Pennsylvania 
l&istrict  meeting  was  held  in  our  church. 
|3ro.  Raymond  R.  Peters  and  Sister 
|<\nna  Warstler  were  guest  speakers. 
iro.  Harold  Z.  Bomberger  held  evange- 
listic meetings.    Brethren  J.  M.  Blough 


N  E  Wf  BRETHREN 

BOOKS 


Handbook  on   Brethren   Hymns 

Ruth  B.  Statler  and  Nevin  W.  Fisher 

Since  the  publication  of  the  Brethren  Hymnal 
in  1951,  there  has  been  a  continuing  and  often- 
expressed  need  for  some  ldnd  of  a  handbook  which 
would  provide  users  of  the  hymnal  with  informa- 
tion concerning  the  hymns  written  by  Brethren 
authors  and  the  hymn  tunes  composed  by  Brethren 
musicians.  This  handbook  has  been  published  in 
part  to  meet  that  need. 

Each  hymn  written  by  a  Brethren  author  and 
each  hymn  set  to  a  tune  by  a  Brethren  composer 
is  discussed  by  Mrs.  Statler  as  to  its  spiritual  implications  and,  in  many 
cases,  as  to  its  origin  and  history.  Following  each  such  discussion  is  a 
set  of  suggestions,  written  by  Mr.  Fisher,  for  the  song  leader  in  order 
that  the  most  effective  use  may  be  made  of  the  hymn. 

A  brief  biographical  sketch  of  each  author  and  composer  is  also  given. 

$1.50 


Children  of  the  Bush  Country 

Mildred  M.  Grimley 

Lively,  real-life  stories  of  the  experiences  of 
the  three  Grimley  children  and  their  parents  in 
the  bush  country  of  Nigeria,  where  the  Grimleys 
are  in  charge  of  a  one-family  Brethren  mission 
station.  Illustrated  by  John  B.  Grimley.  For  jun- 
iors and  younger  junior  highs.  $2.00 


I  Was  a  Stranger 

Ruth  B.  Statler 

Readers  of  Mrs.  Statler's  two  other  novels, 
Whither  Thou  Goest  and  House  of  Clay,  will 
welcome  this  third  one.  Centered,  as  were  the 
other  two,  around  an  interest  of  vital  concern  to 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  I  Was  a  Stranger 
carries  forward  the  same  penetrating  insights  into 
the  human  personality  and  into  the  social  milieu 
in  which  that  personality  is  shaped  and  in  turn 
finds  expression. 

Plotted  in  simple  fashion,  this  novel  tells  the 
experiences  of  a  German  girl  from  the  time  she  first  hears  about  the 
high  school  student  exchange  program,  through  her  weeks  of  competing 
for  a  place  in  the  program,  her  voyage  to  America,  and  her  year  in  this 
country,  on  to  her  return  to  her  home.  During  her  stay  in  the  States 
she  was  the  foster  daughter  in  a  Brethren  home  in  Pennsylvania. 

Although  centering  about  the  experiences  of  a  teen-age  girl,  the 
book  will  be  read  with  interest,  enjoyment,  and  a  widening  of  horizons 
by  readers  of  any  age  from  junior  on  up.  To  be  published  middle  of 
December.  $3.00 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


of  Sebring,  Fla.,  and  Earl  Kaylor  of 
Juniata  College  were  guest  speakers 
during  the  absence  of  the  pastor  on 
vacation.  —  Mrs.  C.  O.  Beery,  Martins- 
burg,  Pa. 

Western  Pennsylvania 
Maple  Grove  —  Evangelistic  meetings 
were  held  by  Bro.  S.  Clyde  Weaver  of 
Lancaster,  Pa.    Four  were  baptized  into 


the  church  and  one  rededicated.  In- 
stallation services  led  by  Bro.  Earl  Bru- 
baker  of  Sipesville,  Pa.,  were  held  for 
our  new  pastor,  Bro.  Richard  Gillin 
of  Conemaugh.  We  had  communion 
services  on  Oct.  18.  Seven  children 
were    dedicated.     Four    new    members 


JANUARY  2,  1960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 


Name 


R.  D.  or  St 

....  Zone  State  

address  Promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


were  received  in  October.  Our  wom- 
25  fellowship  are  quilting  each  week. 
_  Mrs.  Florence  Kelley,  Elton,  Pa 

MarWeysburg  Asher  G  ade  -Vaca- 
tion Bible  school  was  held  in  July. JJur 
women's  fellowship  attended  the  wom- 
en's work  banquet  at  Somerset.  Our 
pastor,  Bro.  Joseph  Lewis,  attended  An- 
nual Conference.  Bro.  Gerald  Deffen 
baugh  was  the  evangelist  for  a  week 
of  revival  meetings.  Three  were  re- 
ceived into  the  church  by  baptism. 
Our  love  feast  and  communion  was 
observed  on  Oct  4.  -Mrs.  Edith  B. 
Frazee,  Friendsville,   Ma. 

Johnstown,   Roxbury  -We    accepted 
the  resignation  of  Bro.  D   Alfred  Rep- 
bgle  as'our  pastor.    Our  Bible  school 
June  8-19,  was  sponsored  by  the  three 
churches  in  Roxbury.    Annual  Confer 
ence    delegates    were    Grace    Clapper 
Zella  Link  and  Arlene  Ober.    Our  pas 
tor  was  Conference  director.    We  had 
Rev  Norman  Detra  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Temperance  League  as  guest  speaker  m 
Tune,  as  well  as  District  Attorney  David 
C    Wolfe  who   spoke   at   the   women  s 
fellowship    on    the    6ght    then    being 
waged  on  obscene  literature.   At  church 
council     the     new     constitution     was 
Adopted  and  Bro.  Clyde  L.  Carter  was 
elected   as  moderator.     Since   our   last 
report  nineteen  were  baptized  and  nine 
members     received    by     letter       Nine 
babies   were   dedicated     Brother   Rep- 
logle  and  family   attended  the  family 
life    institute     at     North     Manchester, 
Ind    A  number  of  our  youth   children, 
and  adults  took  advantage  of  the  vari- 
ous camps  and  work  meetings  at  Camp 
Harmony.    Bro.  Edgar  M.  Detwder    a 
former  pastor,  was  speaker  at  morning 
and    evening    services    on    Sept.    M. 
Viola  Rummel,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Florida,  Georgia  and  Puerto  Rico 

Miami,  Community  -  Following  our 
morning  worship  hour  on  Nov.  l, 
SSone  remained  to  have  a  fellowship 
lunch  out  under  the  trees,  after  which 
we  held  our  first  council  meeting.  We 
started  an  organization  for  the  women 
of  the  church.  We  are  also  holding 
Sunday  evening  services.  -  Lorraine 
Fries,  Miami,  Fla. 


Northern  Virginia 
Mr.  Pleasant -The  messages  of  our 
revival  were  delivered  by  Bro.  Donald 
Flancher  of  the  Luray  congregation. 
Our  former  pastor,  Bro.  Frank  B.  Lay- 
man, graduated  from  Bridgewater  Col- 
lege ht  August.  He  moved  back  to  his 
home  congregation  at  Rocky  Moun^ 
Va.  Our  new  minister  for  the  year  is 
Bro  M.  J.  Craun,  formerly  of  the 
Gre*nmount  church.  The  installation 
service  was  held  on  Sept.  6. -Carol 
Lambert,  Harrisonburg,  Va. 


PEWS,PULPIT«  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

d  write  for  Free !  catalog 

V  AND  LOW DlfiECT PRICES 

IP.Redington&Co. 


DEPT.  211  SCRANTOM  2.  PA. 

Classified  Advertising 

RETIREMENT  —  A  home  in  sunny 
Florida  is  ready  for  you  Located 
in  the  Florida  Keys  Ideal  for  eld- 
erly people.  Good  fishing  Write 
Thunderbird  Motel  &  Restaurant, 
P.  O.  Box  84,  Islamarada,  iia. 

Unity -Our  pastor,  Bro.  Earl  Row- 
i     a    La   Bro    D    W.   Huffman  were 
o"  debates  to  the  Annual  Conference. 
A  number  of  our  youth  attended  Camp 
Bethel  this  summer.    Stewardship  Sun- 
daywas  observed  at  both  church  houses 
mpthel    and    Fairview  ,    followed    by 
home  visSon  with  the  emphasis  on 
tKLeme  That  the  World  May  Know 
Bro.  A !  Joseph  Caricofe  conduced  our 
pvaneehstic      meeting      at      fairview. 
Twelve Twere  received  by  baptism    Bro. 
David  Metzler  ^om  Bridgewater  Cd- 
leee  officiated  at  our  love  feast  at  fair 
view     Our   Thanksgiving   service   was 
held  at  the  Bethel  church  house.  Broth- 
er   D     W.    Huffman    was    re-elected 
church  moderator. -Mrs.  David  Huff- 
man,  Timberville,  Va. 


The  Bible  and  Race 


T.  B.  Maston 

Here  is  a  dear  guide  to  Bible  teaching  about  an  area 
a,  ^aLn,  interest-  God's  intention  for  remans  £ 
tween  men  of  various  races.  The  author  has  -«*^~ 
Bible  and  has  sou*,  to  present  a  complete  and  far  mter 
pretation  of  every  scripture  passage  on  this  sub,ect. 


Segregation  and  Desegregation 

also  by  T.  B.  Maston 

Beginning  with  the  Supreme  Court >  decision  of  1954, 
Professor  Maston  traces  the  varied  reactions  that  followed, 
cmlshowshow  the  situation  is  one  of  dramatic  flux  Reveal- 
^g  dear  sense  of  moral  leadership  and  depth  of  insight, 
tedea ^Biblical  principles,  the  Will  of  God  cmd Jh. 
crucial  role  of  the  church  in  this  troubled  zone  of  human 
relationships. 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin.  111. 


CAttteA, erf Cne<&foecn/ierts 

Gospel 


MESSENGER 


JANUARY  9.  1960 


January 

in  the 

Afternoon 


Religious  News  Service 

OVER  the  river  and  through  the  woods  — what  more  delightful  ex- 
pedition awaits  a  traveler  than  to  venture  forth  through  the  still, 
soft  shadows  of  a  January  afternoon.  Here  the  silvery  bark  of  birches 
blends  into  a  background  of  winter  in  the  quiet  hills.  Overhead  the 
brief  moments  that  belong  to  the  sun  are  observed  through  a  lacy  net- 
work of  limbs  and  branches.  Nature's  designs  are  more  free  and  less 
symmetrical  than  the  wrought-iron  patterns  over  our  man-made  door- 
ways. But  the  sense  of  an  overarching  ceiling  is  still  present.  Who 
would  not  wish,  in  the  words  of  Robert  Frost's  appealing  poem,  to  stop 
by  these  woods  on  a  snowy  evening  and  watch  them  fill  up  with  snow 
even  though  he  has  many  miles  yet  to  go  and  many  "promises  to  keep." 


Gospel  Messenger  READERS    WRITE 

'Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


to   the   editor 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor  cchool  Tnteeration 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant  3Cn°01  ""gHKMm 

In  the  Messenger  of  Sept.  19,  Bro. 

Richard     C.     Dunham     writes     his 

THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official  views  on  the  question  of  school  inte- 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  gration.  He  seems  to  think  the  col- 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth-  ored  schools  are  inferior  to  the  white 
erhood  Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen-  schools  and  that  the  Negro  children 

iT1  f^rf7'  H51  °Undee /Ve"  %     would  have  a  better  chance  if  they 

111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  m  advance.    Life  ,     ,  ■> 

subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60.  attend  the  white  schools.  Most  of 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  the  schools  for  colored  are  more 
Illinois.    Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe-      modern  buildings,  having  been  built 

sSiofllot  ST  0Pctobedred3,fT9R  f  a  "ore  recent  date  than  those 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in  for  white  children.  The  teachers  in 
U.S.A.  Alabama  are  paid  a  salary  based  on 

the  certificate  they  hold  and  it  might 
MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press      £?  a  surprise  to  note  that  in  Mobile 

County  the  colored  teachers  average 

r.rrmarmmmK  „  „  .  „  „  .  a  few  dollars  more  than  the  white 
SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service.       .        , 

Ecumenical  Press  Service  teacners. 

Some    people    seem    to    think    it 

would  be  a  very  simple  matter  just 

JANUARY  9,  1960  to  open  the  white  schools  and  allow 

the    colored    pupils    to    enter.     But 

„  ,  ,„  _.      ,        „      with  our  white  school  in  Citronelle 

Volume     109  Number  2  j  j       i.  u 

overcrowded,  where  would  we  put 

an  additional  500  colored  children? 
In  Mobile  several  of  our  grammar 

schools,  both  white  and  colored,  are 

running  double  sessions  now.  One 
In    ThU    Numhpr  set  °^  teachers  and  pupils  are  in  class 

from  7:30  a.m.  until  12:15,  when 
Editorial —  another  group  uses  the  school  in  the 

January  in  the  Afternoon   1       afternoon. 

Thy  Kingdom  Come    5  T   have   been  sayjng  jn  my  letters 

The  General  Forum —  that  the  colored  people  do  not  want 

Guidance  Through  Common  Sense.  integration  any  more  than  the  white 

W.  Russell  Shull   3      people  do. 

Prayer  at  Morning  (verse).  The   only  place  in  Alabama  col- 

MEnw^ChHambrlLn  rViV'n ■■'■■■,'•  4  ored  children  have  asked  to  enter 
Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple-  ,  .  ,       ,  .    .  . 

ship:    James  and  John.    Robert   A.  a  white  school  is  in  Birmingham  and 

Byerly     6  two  days  later  a  petition  was  pre- 

An  African  Mother's  Prayer  (verse)  . .     8  sented  to  the  authorities   signed  by 

Obnoxious  Americans  Abroad.  2QQQ       j       d  j     aski       ^      ± 

William    Lipphard    9  '   ,  .  in  t  xt 

Christ  at  the  Wedding.  children  not  be  allowed  to  enter.   No 

Marianne    Michael    12  white    person's    name    was    on    the 

Darwin    Centennial    Stirs    Theological  petition.     The  colored   people   know 

Discussion    •■•••■••• 13  ^  t    through    integration    they   will 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books 15  ,  ,.      °  ° ,       ,       ,      ' 

lose  their  segregated  schools. 

News  —  Isn't  it  strange  that  Negro  parents 

Kingdom  Gleanings  16      jn  New  York  City  are  sending  2,000 

NWoridnd  C°mment  Fr°m  Ar°Und  the  18      children  to  the  South  this  year  to 
Church  News' '.'.'.'.'.'...'..'.'.'.'.'... ...'.  28      be  educated  in  segregated  schools? 

One  father  who  sent  his  son  to 
Toward  His  Kingdom—  Florida  said  New  York  City  has  too 

ATTuUrA°^I^yL«nd'  90  much  racial  tension. 

John  C.  Middlekauff 22  _    ,  ,  .   ,  , 

Host  to  Community  Forum  on  World  It  is  strange  how  right  and  wrong 

Affairs    23  can   change   so   rapidly.     The    14th 

Co-operation  of  Men  and  Women  in  amendment  was  passed  over  ninety 

WarSe""*  ^  ^  Brethren'  Anna  23  years  aS°-  More  *an  thirty  deci- 
BrethTen  Want'  to 'Know' '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.  24  sions  have  been  handed  down  stat- 
At  Home  in  the  Bush.  ing  that  equal,  separate  schools  are 

Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp  25      all  that  are  required.   After  we  have 

spent  millions  to  comply  and  trained 
1 GOSPEL  MESSENGER      5Q  Q00   colored   people   as   teachers 


now  we  are  told  all  those  decisions 
of  the  Supreme  Court  are  wrong. 

If  I  lived  in  the  North  and  had 
to  look  at  the  problem  through  a 
telescope,  I  would  likely  agree  with 
Brother  Dunham  but  I  live  in  Ala- 
bama, where  I  meet  the  problem 
every  day.  —  Glen  W.  Petcher,  Cit- 
ronelle, Ala. 

In  Support  of  Group  Practice 

Your  recent  report  in  the  Messen- 
ger of  an  interview  with  the  dean  of 
a  medical  school  represents,  it  seems 
to  me,  a  foray  into  a  controversial 
area  that  is  off  limits  to  a  religious 
journal.  Your  dean,  obviously  a  re- 
actionary in  his  attitude  toward  med- 
ical practice,  delivered  himself  ex 
cathedra  of  his  highly  controversial 
opinions  as  if  there  were  no  other 
side  to  the  argument  at  all. 

Group  practice,  to  cite  only  one 
instance,  he  dismissed  as  worse  than 
impractical,  despite  the  fantastic 
growth  in  recent  years  of  such  health 
care  plans  as  the  Ross-Loos  and 
Kaiser,  which  care  for  more  than  a 
half  million  people  far  better,  they 
feel,  and  at  far  less  cost,  than  the 
patient  pays  to  the  individual  prac- 
titioner. 

Another  famous  physician,  James 
Howard  Means,  has  this  to  say:  "The 
complexities  of  modern  medicine 
have  brought  about  a  state  of  affairs 
in  which  many  doctors  of  different 
skills  may  be  needed  in  the  case  of 
a  single  patient.  It  is  because  of  this 
that  group  practice  has  developed. 
I  am  convinced  that  group  practice, 
of  one  sort  or  another,  is  indispen- 
sable in  modern  society,  if  all  the 
people  are  actually  to  get  medical 
care  as  good  as  that  which  existing 
medical  knowledge  makes  possible." 
-Wendell  Glick,  504  E.  14th  St., 
Duluth  11,  Minn. 

Thankful 

I  note  that  a  reader  objects  to  ad- 
vertising a  record  club.  I  don't  un- 
derstand what  he  is  crying  about.  It 
seems  to  me  that  records  coming  in 
the  home  will  do  much  to  help  mold 
the  character  of  growing  children  and 
the  spiritual  strengthening  of  adults. 
We  appreciate  knowing  how  and 
where  we  can  get  such  records  so 
that  we  do  not  need  to  depend  upon 
deteriorating  television  advertising. 
We  are  thankful  for  that  type  of  ad- 
vertising in  our  church  paper.  —  Wal- 
ter E.  Hawke,  New  Carlisle,  Ohio^ 


Guidance 

Through 

Common 

Sense 


W.  Russell  Shull 


I  ask   no   dream, 

no  prophet  ecstasies, 

no  sudden  rending  of  the  veil  of  clay, 

no  angel  visitant, 

no  opening  skies; 

but  take  the  dimness  of  my  soul  away. 

—  George  Croly 


SOMEONE  has  said  that  the  only  trouble 
with  common  sense  is  that  it  is  not  com- 
mon enough.  One  might  ask,  Why  call 
it  common?  I  assume  the  answer  is  that  it 
refers  to  the  brand  of  good  sense  which  every 
human  may  be  expected  to  possess.  Like  pen- 
nies and  sparrows  and  grass  and  air,  it  is 
everywhere. 

But  why  dub  it  common  with  an  air  of 
slight  disparagement,  as  if  it  might  be  tainted 
with  a  bit  of  earthiness?  Common  sense  is 
something  precious.  How  we  admire  it  when 
we  find  it  in  some  wayside  traveler  or  in  a 
grandmother  who  never  had  any  formal  educa- 
tion or  some  "nobody"  along  life's  byways  1 
Sometimes  little  children  demonstrate  it,  as  out 
of  the  mouths  of  babes  wisdom  breaks  forth. 

Why  should  not  all  humans  demonstrate  the 
virtues  with  which  they  have  been  endowed  by 
the  great  Father?  We  are  children  of  God,  not 
animals!   Men,  not  beasts! 

In  our  discussion  of  guidance  we  need  to 
examine  these  so-called  human,  natural  capaci- 
ties, to  see  what  they  can  do  for  us  as  agents 
of  divine  guidance. 

Religious  people  have  built  up  a  wall  of 
separation  between  capacities  called  human  and 
those  called  divine.  There  should  be  no  sepa- 
ration. I  am  willing  to  have  the  words  secular 
and  sacred  thrown  out  of  the  dictionary.  There 
should,  indeed,  be  separation  between  carnal, 
meaning  sinful,  and  things  divine;  but  we  need 
not  identify  human  with  carnal.  As  men,  we 
are  created  in  the  image  of  God. 

When  the  Lord  got  ready  to  make  a  being 
with  whom  he  might  have  some  fellowship, 
with  whom  he  might  share  his  purposes,  and 
to  whom  he  might  delegate  some  of  his  tasks, 
he  said,  "Let  us  make  man  in  our  image,  after 
our  likeness;  and  let  them  have  dominion.  .  .  . 
So  God  created  man  in  his  own  image,  in  the 
image  of  God  he  created  him"  (Gen.  1:26-27). 

This  must  mean  that  we  have  some  qualities 
which  animals  do  not  possess. 

What  are  these  qualities?  Do  they  not  in- 
clude the  power  to  reason  and  think?  Do  they 
not  include  the  power  to  be  creative  and  the 
ability  to  think  some  of  God's  thoughts  after 
him?  Surely  this  image  of  God,  this  divine 
likeness  within  us  includes  the  capacity  to 
sense  the  mind  and  purposes  of  God.  Other- 
wise, how  could  there  ever  be  communion  be- 
tween the  mind  of  man  and  the  divine  Mind? 

We  have  the  capacity  to  do  creative  think- 
ing, creative  planning,  creative  acting.   Though 

JANUARY  9,   1960  3 


the  great  Creator  has  created  a  billion  earths 
and  designed  a  trillion  wonders  for  each  of 
these  earths,  he  has  not  finished  the  universe. 
He  has  left  some  things  for  us  to  do  and  has 
endowed  us  with  capacities  for  doing  them. 

This  all  means  to  me  that  the  capacity  to 
reason,  to  think,  to  form  judgments,  to  act 
wisely  is  of  God.  These  capacities  are  God- 
given  and  Godlike,  and  therefore  divine. 

If  this  is  true,  I  fail  to  see  why  we  should 
classify  those  so-called  spiritual  aptitudes  and 
functions  which  we  associate  with  prayer  meet- 
ings and  worship  and  church  as  religious,  and 
keep  these  other  so-called  natural  skills  in  a 
supposedly  lower  classification,  and  think  of 
them  as  nonreligious.  Visions,  dreams,  illumi- 
nations, the  inner  voice,  Holy  Spirit  guidance 
may  be  no  more  religious  than  thinking,  reason- 
ing, study,  judgment  forming. 

This  assumes,  of  course,  that  we  are  in 
earnest  about  finding  God's  highest.  Our  judg- 
ments are  never  safe  if  our  eyes  are  not  singled 
to  the  glory  of  God.  Reasoning  easily  degener- 
ates into  rationalizing  to  support  our  self- 
centered  wishes,  if  the  self  is  not  dedicated.  If 
the  dedication  is  genuine,  we  are  fairly  certain 
to  find  his  will. 

Our  power  to  think  is  very  much  the  gift 
of  God.  The  power  to  reason  things  out  and 
come  to  logical  conclusions  and  to  form  judg- 
ments is  one  of  the  greatest  gifts  ever  given 
to  man.  The  greatness  of  the  gift  is  dramatized 
for  us  negatively  when  some  brain  deteriorates 
and  loses  its  balance  and  sanity. 

If  then  this  capacity  to  evaluate  two  courses 
of  action  and  choose  and  follow  the  better  one, 
if  this  is  a  part  of  the  built-in  equipment  God 
has  given  us,  surely  we  should  use  it  to  the 
maximum.  We  should  labor  to  improve  this 
ability,  learn  to  think  a  little  straighter  and  to 
form  sounder  judgments. 

The  psalmist  prayed, 
"Teach  me  good  judgment  and  knowledge, 
Give  me  understanding,  that  I  may  keep  thy  law 

and  observe  it  with  my  whole  heart" 
(Psa.  119:66,  34). 

God  gave  Solomon  the  opportunity  of  mak- 
ing one  special  request  of  him,  and  Solomon 
asked  for  wisdom. 

"And  God  gave  Solomon  wisdom  and  under- 
standing beyond  measure,  and  largeness  of 
mind"  (1  Kings  4:29).  His  fame  spread  over 
the  world  and  he  uttered  3,000  proverbs  which 
have  provided  sound  guidance  for  millions. 
"And  the  whole  earth  sought  the  presence  of 

4  GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


Prayer  at  Morning 

ENOLA  CHAMBERLIN 

When  the  dawn  with  pearl  and 

silver 
Comes  flooding  all  the  sky. 
And  the  wind  on  fragrant  slippers 
Is  swiftly  hurrying  by, 

I  stand  in  silent  wonder 
To  watch  the  breaking  day. 
And   with   heart   filled   up  with 

gladness 
I  bow  my  head  to  pray. 

I  say  a  joyous  thank  you 

For  the  sweet  sleep  of  the  night. 

And  another  for  the  coming 

Of  the  daytime  warmth  and  light. 

And  before  my  heart  is  finished 
With    its    reverent,    praise-filled 

prayer, 
I  find  God's  cloak  around  me. 
Know  that  I  am  in  his  care. 


Solomon  to  hear  his  wisdom,  which  God  had 
put  into  his  mind"  (1  Kings  10:24). 

When  we  let  God  give  us  wisdom  we  may 
become  a  channel  of  his  guidance  for  others. 
The  great  author  of  Proverbs  wrote, 
"My  son,  if  you  receive  my  words  and  treasure 

up  my  commandments  with  you, 
making  your  ear  attentive  to  wisdom  and  in- 
clining your  heart  to  understanding.  .  .  . 
if  you  seek  it  like  silver  and  search  for  it  as  for 

hidden  treasures; 
then  you  will  understand  the  fear  of  the  Lord 

and  find  the  knowledge  of  God. 
For  the  Lord  gives  wisdom;  from  his  mouth 

come  knowledge  and  understanding; 
he  stores  us  sound  wisdom  for  the  upright;  he 

is  a  shield  to  those  who  walk  in  integrity, 
for  wisdom  will  come  into  your  heart,   and 

knowledge  will  be  pleasant  to  your  soul; 
discretion  will  watch  over  you;  understanding 

will  guard  you"  (Pro v.  2:1-11). 

Did  you  know  all  of  that  was  in  the  Bible? 
It  sounds  as  if  God  expects  us  to  use  our  heads. 

"Come  now,  let  us  reason  together,  says  the 
Lord"  (Isa.  1:18). 

And  Paul  said  to  the  Philippians,  "It  is  my 
prayer  that  your  love  may  abound  more  and 
more,  with  knowledge  and  all  discernment" 
(Phil  1:9). 

For  nine  out  of  ten  of  the  decisions  of  life 
I  depend  upon  my  God-perfected  judgment.  I 
expect  to  do  some  good  straight  reasoning  and, 

Continued  on  page  14 


EDITORIAL 


Thy  Kingdom  Come 

The  kingdom  comes  with  the  king, 
Some  people  talk  as  if  the  king  came  only  years 
ago. 
He  lived  and  died  as  a  king. 
He  taught  the  principles  of  his  kingdom. 
He  left  it  all  in  the  hands  of  his  followers: 
to  build  on  his  constitution, 
to  mold  the  world  after  his  pattern. 

Other  people  talk  as  if  the  long  went  far  away. 
The  kingdom  must  wait  until  he  comes  back  to 

reign  in  person. 
In  the  meantime  his  followers  can  pray, 

they  can  tell  the  story  of  the  king  who  is 

coming, 
they  can  observe  the  signs  of  the  times, 
they  can  watch  and  wait  and  be  prepared 
For  the  kingdom  that  comes  when  the  king 
returns. 

But  surely  the  king  is  here  now. 

He  is  actively  at  work  in  the  hearts  of  his 

followers. 
He  reigns  wherever  his  rule  is  acknowledged. 
If  we  open  our  eyes,  we  can  see  his  glory. 
If  we  open  our  ears,  we  can  hear  him  calling. 
If  we  open  our  hearts,  we  can  sense  his 
leading. 

Surely  the  king  is  here  now. 

Let  the  earth  receive  her  king. 

Let  the  rule  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord, 

claim  every  heart, 

capture  every  home, 

possess  every  city, 

bring  every  nation  into  his  realm  — 
So  that  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  become 

the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ, 
And  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.  —  k.m. 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call 

BEGINNING  with  this  issue  and  continu- 
ing almost  every  week  for  the  next  four 
months,  the  Gospel  Messenger  will  pre- 
sent a  series  of  biographical  articles.  The 
subjects  are  all  men  or  women  who  have 
responded  in  some  measure  to  the  call  to 
discipleship.  It  seems  appropriate  to  begin 
with  those  who  were  first  and  foremost  in  their 
loyalty  to  Jesus  during  his  earthly  ministry.  But 
other  disciples  of  periods  of  later  Christian 
history  will  be  included  also.    The  point  of  all 


this,  however,  is  not  merely  to  venerate  the 
pioneers  in  discipleship  but  to  stimulate  a 
similar  response  on  the  part  of  those  who  hear 
but  are  slow  to  heed  the  call.  —  k.m. 


Is  Religion  Outmoded? 

ACCORDING    to    Sir    Julian    Huxley,    a 
British  biologist,  the  only  religion  that 
can  survive  is  one  that  will  evolve  when 
man    takes    over    responsibility    for    his    own 
destiny  and  forsakes  "the  father-image  whom 
he  himself  has  created." 

The  British  scientist's  views  on  religion 
without  revelation  were  set  forth  at  a  recent 
centennial  of  the  publication  of  Charles  Dar- 
win's Origin  of  the  Species.  We  invite  our 
readers  to  note  the  response  of  Protestant, 
Roman  Catholic,  and  Jewish  thinkers  to  his 
criticism  of  the  Biblical  concept  of  creation 
(see  page  13). 

The  subject  is  too  involved  to  enter  into 
here,  but  it  is  important  to  point  out  that  when- 
ever both  scientists  and  theologians  are  willing 
to  enter  into  conversations  regarding  their 
differences,  there  is  a  possibility  of  understand- 
ing, if  not  complete  agreement.  There  must  be 
a  willingness  to  listen  on  the  part  of  both 
scientists  and  churchmen,  if  the  dialogue  be- 
tween the  two  is  to  be  mutually  beneficial. 

Unfortunately  the  attitude  of  dogmatism 
that  some  Christians  have  displayed  not  only 
closes  their  own  minds  to  discerning  new  in- 
sights but  contributes  to  the  feeling  of  many 
non-Christians  that  religion  is  outmoded,  that 
it  has  no  relevant  answers  to  current  issues,  and 
that  it  cannot  speak  to  the  modern  world. 

Surely  this  is  not  the  time  to  renew  a  century- 
old  controversy  setting  the  Old  Testament 
against  modern  science.  Far  more  important  is 
the  recognition  that  the  God  whom  Christians 
worship  is  a  creative  and  creating  Spirit  who 
uses  many  methods  to  achieve  his  purpose.  We 
are  daily  learning  more  and  more  about  his 
remarkable  creation,  but  our  discoveries,  instead 
of  making  man  more  arrogantly  self-confident, 
should  make  him  more  humble  in  the  presence 
of  the  mysteries  that  remain  and  more  conscious 
of  his  need  for  strength  greater  than  any  human 
resources.  —  k.m. 

JANUARY  9.  1960  5 


Men  who  heard 

the  call 

to  discipleship: 


Robert  A.  Byerly 

Drawings  by   Anthony  Gruerio  from  Three  Lions 


ANY  consideration  of  the 
call  to  discipleship  takes 
one  to  the  names  of 
James  and  John.  These  two, 
the  sons  of  Zebedee,  appear 
early  on  the  scene  of  Jesus'  min- 
istry. The  spirit  and  their  con- 
cerns show  through  the  pages 
of  the  gospel  records  in  a  way 
that  speak  to  us  in  the  twenti- 
eth century. 

James  was  the  first  man  of 
the  twelve  to  seal  his  loyalty 
to  Christ  in  his  own  blood.  This 


James 

and 

John 


man  has  been  called  by  Charles 
R.  Brown  "The  man  of  silence" 
because  we  have  very  little 
record  of  what  he  said.  The 
fact  that  James  was  the  first 
blood  witness  of  the  original 
twelve  testifies  that  he  lived 
much  even  though  the  record 
of  his  speeches  is  limited. 

While     Peter    was     talking, 
James   was   thinking.    Thomas 


& 


John  had  a 
boldness  that 
made  him  a 
witness  of 
significance  in 
the  early 
church.    His 
name  was 
associated  with 
a  great  teaching 
on  the 

redemptive  love 
of  Christ 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


and  the  others  could  make  bold 
statements,  but  James  was  alert 
to  the  deeper  dimensions  of  the 
Master's  words.  This  disciple 
was  ready  to  stand  up  to  be 
counted.  He  was  evidently  as 
ready  to  go  as  the  rest  when  the 
last  trip  to  Jerusalem  was  be- 
fore them.  One  of  the  signifi- 
cant marks  of  discipleship  is 
that  of  a  committed  willingness 
to  serve,  without  much  verbal 
display. 

James  teamed  up  with  his 
brother  John.  There  is  some  in- 
dication that  they  worked  in 
close  co-operation  with  another 
set  of  brothers  in  the  fishing 
business.  James  and  John  had 
come  a  long  way  since  that  day 
they  had  left  their  father,  Zebe- 
dee, along  the  shore  (Mark 
1:16-20).  They  had  made  the 
decision  to  go  along  with  this 
man  of  Nazareth. 

Zebedee  evidently  concurred, 
even  though  it  was  a  great  loss 
to  the  business.  The  old  father 
must  have  had  mixed  emotions 
as  he  stood  with  the  hired  hands 
in  the  boat  and  watched  the 
four  fishermen  walk  off  beyond 
the  horizon  with  Jesus.  It  was 
evidenced  on  that  occasion  and 
ever  since  that  time  that  dis- 
cipleship starts  at  home. 

John    may    have    been    the 


spokesman  for  Zebedee's  boys, 
although  the  record  is  not  ex- 
actly clear.  At  least  the  two  of 
them,  James  and  John,  accumu- 
lated a  nickname,  Boenerges, 
Sons  of  Thunder  (Mark  3:17). 
We  are  not  sure  of  the  full  de- 
rivation of  this  descriptive 
term,  but  it  may  well  have 
come  from  experiences  like  that 
at  the  Samaritan  village. 

It  was  toward  evening  and 
Jesus  and  his  company  had  in- 
tentions for  staying  the  night, 
but  no  hospitality  was  offered 
to  these  "wandering  Jews." 
James  and  John  did  not  take 
this  rudeness  without  some  re- 
tort. "Lord,  wilt  thou  that  we 
bid  fire  to  come  down  from 
heaven  and  consume  them? 
(Luke  9:51-56).  They  were 
ready  to  grant  a  divine  blasting 
to  the  uncouth  village.  They 
had  scripture  for  it  too  —  "as 
Elijah  did."  Jesus  rebuked  this 
spirit  and  found  another  village 
which  would  receive  them. 

Sons  of  Thunder  —  at  least 
this  says  that  the  two  disciples 
were  alert  to  their  calling  and 
tried  their  best  to  serve.  In 
their  enthusiasm  they  let  their 
messianic  ideas  run  ahead  of 
good  judgment  (Mark  10:35f). 
How  much  their  mother  was  in- 
volved we  are  not  sure,  but  here 
was  the  concern  presented  to 
Jesus:  "Grant  that  we  may  sit 
one  on  thy  right  hand,  the  other 
on  the  left  in  thy  kingdom." 
These  brothers  were  sold  on 
the  movement  and  they  were 
laying  claim  to  the  future  glory 
of  the  success  which  they  an- 
ticipated. 

The  men  are  to  be  commend- 
ed for  wanting  to  be  involved 
in  the  "kingdom"  as  they  saw 
it.  James  and  John  were  not 
holding  back.  "Yes,  we  are  able 
to  drink  the  cup  of  pain  and  to 
receive  the  baptism  of  suffer- 
ing." Jesus  had  to  change  their 
views  of  the  "kingdom"  —  even 
as  he  did  for  the  other  disciples. 

The  record  indicates  that  this 


■"■%+. 


Though  there 

is  very  little 

record  of  what 

James  said 

evidently  he 

was  not  afraid 

to  stand  up 

and  be  counted; 

Herod  trying 

to  please  the 

Jews  had 

him  beheaded 


special  request  of  the  Sons  of 
Thunder  was  not  well  taken  by 
the  others  in  the  company. 
Rightly  so,  since  there  is  evi- 
dence that  all  of  the  twelve  had 
earthly  designs  within  their 
messianic  hopes. 

Discipleship  has  in  it  the  de- 
mand for  some  careful  thinking 
about  the  kingdom.  Christ  ex- 
pects his  followers  to  "drink  the 
cup"  and  "share  the  baptism" 
but  they  must  be  willing  to 
have  their  minds  changed  about 
what  it  means  to  be  "in  the 
kingdom."  Some  earthly  ideas 
may  need  to  be  shaped  by  a  real 
encounter  with  Christ.  This 
happened  to  James  and  John 
and  to  many  disciples  since 
their  time. 

There  is  much  that  eludes 
our  knowledge  in  the  lives  of 
Zebedee's  boys.  The  qualities 
of  discipleship  were  evidently 
there.  Along  with  Peter,  these 
two  men  were  taken  with  Christ 
to  special  scenes  of  his  earthly 
ministry.  The  three  were  on 
the  mount  the  day  when  Jesus 
was  transfigured  (Mark  9:2f). 


^P^Tfe^. 


Jesus  let  the  three  stay  within 
the  house  of  Jairus  on  that 
memorable  occasion  of  healing 
(Luke  8:51).  James  and  John 
were  supposed  to  have  shared, 
along  with  Peter,  in  the  special 
prayer  vigil  in  Gethesemane 
that  last  Thursday  night,  but 
their  sleepiness  marred  the  oc- 
casion. 

We  must  see  the  total  picture 
of  these  men.  John  had  much 
to  learn.  One  day  he  had  told 
a  man  who  was  not  doing  work 
in  Jesus'  name  to  stop  because 
the  fellow  was  not  in  the  offi- 
cial group.  "He  was  not  follow- 
ing us."  Jesus,  had  to  point  out 
to  John:  "Do  not  forbid  him  .  .  . 
he  that  is  not  against  us  is  for 
us."  John  evidently  learned 
well  for  the  tradition  is  strong 
that  this  apostle  was  a  great 
proponent  of  love.  God  is  love 
and  discipleship  originates  and 
culminates  in  the  redemptive 
love  of  God  in  Christ.  John  had 
found  the  inner  secret  serving 
the  Lord. 

JANUARY   9,   I960  7 


James  evidently  witnessed 
clearly  enough  in  his  disciple- 
ship  at  Jerusalem  that  Herod 
made  him  exhibit  A  in  trying 
to  please  the  Jews  by  having 
him  beheaded  (Acts  12:1-3). 
That  was  a  troublesome  time 
for  the  early  church  but  the 
blood  of  the  martyrs  like  James 
was  the  seed  of  the  church. 

John,  the  other  brother,  went 
on  with  the  work.  He  had  help- 
ed to  care  for  the  family  of 
Jesus  following  the  crucifixion. 
John  had  evidently  understood 
what  Jesus  meant  when  from 
the  cross  came  the  words,  "Son, 
behold  thy  mother"  (John 
19:27).  How  much  this  entail- 
ed, we  are  not  sure.  There  is 
historical  evidence  that  the 
brothers  of  Jesus  came  to  be 
believers  soon  after  the  cruci- 
fixion. This  event  may  have 
modified  the  situation  in  the 
home  of  Mary  in  Nazareth. 

John  and  his  old  fishing  part- 
ner, Peter,  were  active  in  the 
church,  speaking  out  wherever 
there  was  opportunity.  John 
had  a  boldness  that  made  him 
a  witness  of  significance  in 
Jerusalem.  On  one  occasion  he 
was  forced  to  speak  in  a  rather 
obstreperous  manner  to  the 
magistrates:  "Whether  it  is 
right  in  the  sight  of  God  to 
listen  to  you  rather  than  to 
God,  you  must  judge"  (Acts 
4:19).  The  discipleship  of  John 
demanded  a  full  allegiance  to 
God  with  no  reservations. 

The  belief  that  John  outlived 
all  the  other  apostles  has  per- 
sisted in  the  church.  Many 
legends  and  traditions  concern- 
ing John  were  kept  alive  in  the 
church. 

The  sons  of  Zebedee,  fisher- 
man of  a  new  order,  were  true 
to  their  calling.  They  had 
known  the  Master.  Theirs  was 
a  discipleship,  as  long  as  life 
lasted,  of  catching  men  in  the 
net  of  God's  love. 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


AN     AFRICAN     MOTHER'S     PRAYER 

Now  the  children  are  asleep, 

my  Lord, 
I  am  tired  and  would  spend  a 
half   hour  in  stillness   with 
thee. 
I  want  to  bathe  my  soul  in  thy 

infinity,   like   the   working- 
men 
who  plunge  into  the  surf  to  shed 

the  dust  and  sweat  of  their 

bodies. 
Let  my  burning  heart  feel  thy 

ever-renewing  power; 
let  my  clouded  spirit  be  lost  in 

the   crystal   clarity   of   thy 

wisdom. 
Heal  my  unworthy  love  in  the 

waters  of  thy  love  which  is  so  true,  steady  and  deep. 

0  Lord,  I  couldn't  stand  being  a  mother  one  more  day, 

if  I  thought  I  had  to  account  for  all  my  faults.  I  am  all  sin. 
My  love  walks  over  my  wisdom.   But  I  love  my  children. 

1  know  that  their  little,  seeing  eyes  see  through  me, 
right  to  my  soul,  that  they  imitate  me. 

Help  me,  O  Lord,  to  be  good  in  the  deepest  of  my  intentions, 

good  in  all  my  desires. 

Make  of  me  what  I  wish  my  children  to  be, 

with  a  heart  that  is  strong,  true  and  great. 

Help  me  not  to  be  annoyed  by  the  little  things. 

Give  me  the  large  view  of  things,  a  sense  of  proportion 

so  that  I  can  truly  judge  what  is  important  and  what  is  not. 

Lend  me  strength  to  be  a  real  mother  to  my  children, 

knowing  how  to  turn  right  their  souls  and  their  imagination, 

knowing  how  to  help  them  unfold  their  dreams  and  care  for  their 

bodies. 
Guard  them  against  evil  and  let  them  grow  up  healthy  and  pure. 
This  I  ask  in  the  name  of  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ. 

Translated  by  Frederick  J.  Rex  from  the  French,  as  it  appeared  in  Envoi, 
No.  1,  November  1954,  the  illustrated  monthly  published  in  the  Belgian 
Congo.    From   the   Committee   on   World   Literacy   and   Christian   Literature 


Familq  Fun  Fare 

Readers  of  the  Gospel  Messenger  are  invited  to  share  their  experiences  in 
wholesome  family  fun;  why  not  send  information  about  your  best  family  games, 
songs,  contests,  and  informal  worship  ideas  to  the  Recreation  Department, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois? 

SOUND  DETECTORS 

HANG  UP  a  large  sheet,  either  across  a  doorway  or  in  the  middle 
of  a  room,  so  that  those  taking  part  can  stand  in  front  of  it  with  paper  and 
pencil.  A  folding  door  that  does  not  fit  too  tightly,  or  a  screen  might 
be  used  if  desired.  Behind  this  partition  have  one  or  two  players  make 
various  sounds.  Let  those  with  paper  and  pencil  put  down  what  the  sounds 
represent.  For  example,  the  following  sounds  might  be  made:  cracking 
a  walnut,  brushing  teeth  with  a  toothbrush;  turning  an  eggbeater;  cutting 
paper;  shining  shoes;  turning  pages  of  a  newspaper;  tearing  a  rag;  etc.  — 
Submitted  by  Mead  Sigmon. 


There  is  the  minor  official  who  uses 
his  rank  to  get  preferred  treatment 


William  Lipphard 

Drawings  by  Harry  Durkee 


Obnoxious  Americans   Abroad 


U.  S.  tourists  abroad  are  unofficial  ambassadors  and  by 
their  actions  create  goodwill  or  dislike  for  their  country 


L 


AST  summer  my  wife  and 
I  made  a  short  trip  to  Europe, 
spending  most  of  our  time  in 
Germany  and  England.  I  was 
profoundly  impressed  by  the 
strong  economic  recovery  of 
England  since  the  war.  The 
contrast  between  today's  fine 
British  living  and  the  severe 
austerity  of  ten  and  even  five 
years  ago  was  almost  unbe- 
lievable. And  the  spectacular, 
fabulous,  amazing  comeback  of 
Germany  from  the  ruined,  dev- 
astated, bomb-shattered,  rub- 
ble-covered land  of  1945  is 
fantastic.  Germany  is  again  on 
top  of  the  world. 

What  also  impressed  me  was 
the  disagreeable  and  sometimes 
quite  obnoxious  behavior  of 
some  American  tourists.  More 
than  half  a  million  Americans 
swarmed  across  Europe  last 
summer,  bringing  profits  to 
steamship  and  airplane  com- 
panies   and    much    welcomed 


tourists'  dollars  to  the  hotels, 
shops,  and  restaurants  of  Eu- 
rope. Most  of  them  behaved 
themselves  with  decency  and 
respect  and  with  courteous  ac- 
ceptance of  customs  and  pro- 
cedures to  which  they  are 
unaccustomed  back  home.  But 
quite  a  few,  by  their  behavior 
and  manners,  proud  insolence, 
loud  boastings,  and  discourte- 
sies, took  away  some  of  the 
luster  and  glory  of  America's 
reputation  and  brought  the 
good  name  of  our  country  into 
disrepute. 

On  our  arrival  at  Bremer- 
haven  on  the  S.S.  America  we 
stood  in  a  long  line  with  fifty 
or  more  Germans  and  Amer- 
icans, waiting  our  turn  at 
German  passport  and  customs 
inspection.  Suddenly  a  pomp- 
ous American  barged  ahead  of 
us.  Waving  his  American  pass- 
port in  the  air,  he  shouted 
loudly,  "Diplomatic  passport  I" 


Perhaps  he  was  some  new  sub- 
ordinate official  appointed  to 
administer  America's  foreign 
aid  program  in  Europe.  So  he 
threw  his  rank  at  all  the  rest  of 
us  and  rushed  to  the  head  of  the 
line.  All  of  us  had  to  wait  until 
his  diplomatic  passport  was 
stamped  and  his  sixteen  pieces 
of  baggage  were  cleared.  Such 
an  episode  makes  it  easy  to  be- 
lieve the  new  book,  The  Ugly 
American,  which  has  caused 
much  national  concern. 

A  superb  instance  of  Ameri- 
can boastfulness  occurred  at 
Heidelberg.  I  had  just  received 
my  mail  at  the  hotel  porter's 
desk  when  an  American  tourist 
appeared  and  demanded,  "My 
mail!"  The  porter  looked 
through  the  accumulated  mail 
on  his  desk  and  replied,  "I  am 
sorry.  There  is  no  mail  here 
for  you."  The  American  loudly 

JANUARY   9,    1960  9 


insisted,  "There  must  be.  I  gave 
this  hotel  as  my  forwarding  ad- 
dress at  Munich,  and  I  never 
make  a  mistake."  Courteously 
the  porter  replied,  "That  is 
really  remarkable,  sir.  Over 
here  most  of  us  are  willing  to 
admit  that  we  occasionally 
make  mistakes.  There  is  no 
mail  here  for  you."  I  could  only 
hope  that  the  porter  did  not 
judge  all  Americans  by  that 
egotistical  and  boastful  inquirer 
for  his  mail. 

Lunching  in  a  German  res- 
taurant, a  loudmouthed  Ameri- 
can and  his  wife  sat  at  a  table 
next  to  mine.  After  paying  his 
bill  which  included  the  15% 
gratuity  as  is  customary  in 
Europe,  his  change  consisted  of 
several  small  German  ten-pfen- 
nig and  five-pfennig  coins.  Al- 
though four  German  pfennigs 
are  worth  only  one  American 
cent,  to  the  German  waiter  ten 
pfennigs  meant  real  money  with 
real  purchasing  power.  To  this 
American  it  had  no  value.  With 
supreme  disdain  he  shouted, 
"Take  it  away.  That's  chicken 
feed!"  The  waiter  asked  the 
meaning  of  "chicken  feed," 
and  the  American  shouted, 
"Huhnerfutter!"  In  spite  of  the 
insult  to  his  currency,  the  wait- 
er kept  his  poise,  but  I  cringed 
in  shame  over  my  fellow  Amer- 
ican's bad  manners. 

One  morning  in  Heidelberg 
it  was  raining  quite  heavily. 
It  often  does  in  the  morning. 
Later  the  sun  appears  and 
ushers  in  a  grand  and  glorious 
day.  For  that  morning  an 
American  and  his  wife  had 
chartered  a  private  car  and  a 
chauffeur  for  a  sight-seeing 
drive  through  the  picturesque 
valley  of  the  Neckar  River.  The 
chauffeur  arrived  on  time  and 
was  waiting  at  the  hotel  recep- 
tion desk  as  the  American  came 
down  from  his  room.  He  looked 
for   a   moment    at    the   heavy 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


And  there  is 

the  matron  who 

lifts  the  covers 

over  the 

delectable 

products  of  the 

bakeshop  and 

pinches  and 

pokes  to  see 

if  the  rolls 

are  fresh 


clouds  and  the  rain.  Then  sum- 
marily and  discourteously,  as  if 
the  chauffeur  were  to  blame  for 
the  weather,  he  cancelled  the 
tour.  The  German  chauffeur 
maintained  his  courtesy  and  his 
dignity  even  though  that  can- 
cellation cost  him  a  day's  em- 
ployment. The  hotel  manager 
happened  to  be  a  witness  to  the 
scene.  He  said  nothing;  yet  his 
eyes  spoke  volumes  of  contempt 
for  American  bad  manners  and 
repudiation  of  obligations. 

Into  a  German  pastry  shop 
walked  an  American  woman. 
Under  glass  covers  for  protec- 
tion against  flies,  dust,  and 
customer  handling,  was  a  grand 
and  tempting  array  of  delicious 
German  pastry.  With  contempt- 
ible nonchalance  the  American 
woman  lifted  the  glass  covers. 
With  her  unwashed  fingers  she 
felt  of  the  pastry  to  determine 
her  preferences.  In  hesitant 
English  the  German  shopkeeper 
remonstrated.  The  American 
woman  became  furious.  In  a 
rage  she  walked  out.  I  wonder- 
ed if  she  would  thus  have  lifted 
covers  and  handled  pastry  in  a 
Fifth  Avenue  pastry  shop  in 
New  York. 

On  the  train  to  Cologne  an 
American  and  his  wife  comfort- 
ably settled  themselves  in  two 
first-class  seats,  totally  disre- 
garding the  plainly  marked 
"RESERVIRT"  signs  above  the 
seats.   When  two  Germans  en- 


tered the  compartment  to  claim 
their  reservations,  the  Ameri- 
cans adamantly  refused  to 
budge.  So  the  conductor  had 
to  be  summoned.  With  his 
broken  English  he  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  persuading  the  Amer- 
icans to  vacate  the  reserved 
seats  and  find  space  elsewhere 
in  the  train.  With  blasphemous 
profanity  the  American  express- 
ed his  violent  anger  and  his 
disdainful  contempt  for  every- 
thing German.  The  Germans  in 
the  compartment  said  not  a 
word,  but  their  looks  spoke  elo- 
quently of  what  they  thought. 

In  the  lounge  of  my  London 
hotel  I  was  enjoying  afternoon 
tea.  American  tourists  were 
sprawled  all  over  the  place. 
Their  boastful  chatter  and  their 
condescending  comments  could 
be  heard  throughout  the  spa- 
cious room.  Such  few  English 
tourists  as  were  present  wisely 
refrained  from  conversation.  In 
two  comfortable  chairs  at  my 
right  sat  an  American  and  his 
wife.  Both  were  flashily  dressed 
in  bizarre,  multicolored  sports 
attire,  the  mark  of  newly  ac- 
quired wealth  and  the  absence 
of  the  culture  and  background 
that  should  go  with  it. 

With  a  loud  call,  "Waitress!" 
the  man  summoned  the  wait- 
ress. She  happened  to  be  a 
grandmother  who  had  lost  her 
husband  in  the  war,  as  my  wife 
had  discovered  from  a  conver- 


sation  with  her  on  a  previous 
afternoon.  So  she  was  now 
earning  her  living  in  this  hotel. 
In  any  fearfully  crowded  lounge 
at  British  teatime,  the  service 
could  not  be  otherwise  than 
slow.  Moreover,  the  man  or- 
dered orange  juice,  not  realizing 
that  orange  juice  is  not  as  omni- 
present in  London  as  in  Miami 
or  Los  Angeles.  So  it  was  a 
long  time  in  coming. 

With  each  passing  minute  the 
man  and  his  wife  grew  visibly 
more  impatient.  Finally  the 
two  glasses  arrived.  With  su- 
preme disgust  the  man  threw  a 
ten-shilling  note  on  the  tea 
table.  The  waitress  placed  his 
change  on  the  table.  Then 
grabbing  all  of  it,  the  man 
shouted,  "Lousy  service!  No 
tip  for  you!"  The  aged  waitress 
kept  her  dignity.  All  she  said 
was  "Thank  you,  sir!"  and  de- 
parted. With  deep  chagrin  the 
man  and  his  wife  suddenly 
became  aware  that  I  had 
witnessed  and  had  overheard 
the  entire  proceedings.  Quick- 
ly they  gulped  down  their 
orange  juice  and  shamefacedly 
rose  and  left  the  lounge. 

At  this  same  hotel  one  eve- 
ning the  chief  porter  had  just 
given  me  some  information 
about  train  service  to  Coventry, 
where  a  new  cathedral  is  rising 


to  replace  that  destroyed  in  an 
air  raid  in  1940.  An  American 
tourist  guide  was  next  in  line 
seeking  information  from  the 
porter.  He  had  brought  a  party 
of  twenty-nine  Americans  to 
Europe.  All  were  housed  in  this 
hotel.  He  asked  the  porter  to 
telephone  each  of  the  twenty- 
nine  persons  at  6:30  the  next 
morning  so  that  they  would  be 
certain  to  leave  on  the  7:30  bus 
for  the  airport.  "All  are  mem- 
bers of  the  —  Tours,"  explain- 
ed the  leader. 

Politely  the  porter  asked, 
"Can  you  give  me  their  names 
and  room  numbers  so  that  I 
can  call  them?"  With  sharp, 
curt,  disrespectful  rejoinder,  the 
leader  replied,  "That's  your 
business.  Get  the  information 
from  the  hotel  registry."  And 
with  that  he  left  abruptly.  The 
look  on  the  hotel  porter's  face 
registered  immense  contempt 
and  disgust  for  Americans  and 
their  incivilities. 

At  the  post  office  in  London 
I  had  just  completed  the  for- 
malities of  sending  a  large  pack- 
age home  by  parcel  post.  Next 
in  line  was  an  American  from 
Chicago.  When  the  clerk  told 
him  that  his  huge  package  was 
two  ounces  above  the  legal 
limit,  and  would  therefore  re- 
quire  a  much  higher   rate   of 


postage,  the  American's  insult- 
ing rage  seemed  to  have  no 
limit.  He  challenged  the  ac- 
curacy of  the  scales.  He  de- 
manded that  the  clerk  overlook 
the  extra  two  ounces,  and  to 
accept  the  package  at  the  lower 
postage  rate. 

Assuredly  a  clerk  in  Chicago 
would  not  connive  in  cheating 
the  post  office.  Why  did  that 
American  expect  a  London 
post-office  clerk  to  do  so?  The 
clerk  was  courteous,  firm,  un- 
yielding. Finally  the  American 
lifted  his  heavy  package  from 
the  scales,  and  muttering  ex- 
quisite profanity,  he  took  it 
back  to  his  hotel. 

The  charming,  old,  pictur- 
esque city  of  Heidelberg  has 
long  been  noted  for  its  famous 
Church  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Ever  since  the  Reformation  this 
stately  edifice  had  been  shared 
by  Lutherans  and  Roman  Cath- 
olics, their  services  and  masses 
separated  throughout  the  cen- 
turies by  a  thick  stone  wall.  It 
rose  clear  to  the  roof  and  thus 
divided  the  nave  into  two  sec- 
tions. So  far  as  I  know,  it  is  the 
only  edifice  in  which  Roman 
Catholics  and  Protestants  had 
ever  worshiped  simultaneously. 
Ten  years  ago  the  Roman  Cath- 
olics, presumably  under  orders 
from  the  pope,  moved  out  and 
the  wall  was  torn  down.  Now 
the  entire  nave  is  used  exclu- 
sively for  Lutheran  services. 

One  Sunday  in  Heidelberg  I 
went  to  this  church.  An  im- 
pressive Lutheran  service  was 
already  under  way  when  I  en- 
tered somewhat  late.  I  had  not 
inquired  in  advance  about  the 
time  of  service  which  began  at 
9:30  instead  of  10:00  o'clock  as 
I  had  supposed.  Fortunately  I 
found  an  aisle  seat  in  the  last 
row.  So  my  late  entry  caused 
no  disturbance. 

Soon  thereafter  an  American 
tourist  camera  fiend  walked  in. 


And  there  is  the  camera  fiend  who  has  no  respect  for  anything  sacred 


JANUARY  9,   1960 


11 


His  camera  was  slung  from  his 
shoulders.  What  he  saw  before 
him  was  not  a  solemn  church 
service  but  only  a  marvelous 
scene  to  record  in  his  camera. 
The  massive  arches  in  the  nave, 
the  high  pulpit,  richly  carved, 
the  altar  with  candles,  cross,  and 
Bible,  the  reverent  congrega- 
tion, the  stained  glass  windows, 
and  the  minister  in  stately  vest- 
ments —  what  a  scene  to  register 
on  color  film!  Lacking  in  rever- 
ence this  American  camera 
fiend  started  to  walk  down  the 
aisle  beside  me  and  to  focus  his 
camera.  Instantly  the  sexton 
rushed  up,  grabbed  the  Ameri- 
can's arm  just  as  his  hand  click- 
ed the  shutter,  and  in  a  loud 
whisper  that  all  around  me 
could  hear,  he  said,  "Nein! 
Nein!  Es  ist  verboten!" 

The  frustrated  American,  his 
camera  shot  ruined,  let  forth  a 
torrent  of  profanity  which  for- 
tunately the  sexton  could  not 
understand  but  which  made  me 
shudder.  Angrily  the  American 
moved  to  the  door  and  van- 
ished. The  sexton  shrugged  his 
shoulders  and  returned  to  his 
chair  against  the  rear  wall.  But 
that  shrug  evidenced  immense 
quantities  of  contempt  for 
American  bad  manners  and  dis- 
respect. 

Multiply  these  incidents  by 
the  hundreds,  perhaps  by  the 
thousands,  because  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  Ameri- 
cans who  visit  Europe  every 
year.  Add  the  misbehavior  of 
American  soldiers,  usually  un- 
der the  influence  of  liquor.  For- 
tunately this  is  now  under  more 
rigorous  MP  control.  Together 
they  make  up  an  impressive 
balance  sheet  of  discredit  to  the 
United  States. 

Two  years  ago  the  Depart- 
ment of  State  began  issuing  a 
letter  from  President  Eisenhow- 
er to  every  applicant  for  a  new 
passport.    The   letter   reminds 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the  passport  bearer  that  he 
represents  the  United  States, 
and  that  his  conduct  and  his 
attitudes  increase  or  diminish 
the  global  reservoir  of  American 
goodwill.  The  President  urges 
the  passport  holder  to  be  cour- 
teous at  all  times,  to  respect  the 
people  in  whose  lands  he  is  a 
guest,  and  to  adjust  himself  to 
their  ways  of  life.  A  similar 
letter  goes  to  each  overseas 
member  of  the  armed  forces. 

Thus  abroad,  as  civilians  or  in 
uniform,  in  government  posi- 
tions high  or  low,  as  ordinary 
tourists,  Americans  by  their  be- 
havior, attitudes,  and  manners 
determine  the  prestige  of  their 
country.  The  President's  letter 
is  a  masterpiece.  Its  only  fault 
is  that  it  was  not  written 
and  furnished  American  tourists 
years  and  years  ago.  And  to- 
day the  pity  of  it  is  that  here 
and  there  a  few  Americans  pay 
no  attention  to  or  deliberately 
disregard  its  wise  and  impor- 
tant admonitions. 

While  the  above  incidents 
relate  exclusively  to  Europe, 
there  is  also  a  disturbing  mis- 
sionary implication  here.  Each 
year,  by  plane  and  ship,  thou- 
sands of  American  tourists  take 
long  or  short  trips  to  Asia  and 
Africa.  They  move  in  vast 
areas  where  American  churches 
have  for  many  years  main- 
tained missionary  projects. 
These  areas  are  now  seething 
with  nationalism,  with  color  re- 
sentment against  the  white  man, 
with  strong  movements  and  ef- 
forts to  emerge  from  colonial 
status  into  independence.  Al- 
ready more  than  a  score  of  new 
nations  have  emerged  since  the 
close  of  World  War  II.  Within 
the  next  year  five  more  will 
achieve  full  independence. 

How  easily  the  unseemly  con- 
duct of  a  few  American  tourists 
can  do  irreparable  damage  to 
years  of  devoted  and  sacrificing 
service  of  American  mission- 
aries whose  lifelong  efforts  have 


helped  to  build  that  reservoir 
of  American  goodwill  of  which 
President  Eisenhower  solemnly 
reminds  every  passport  holder. 

Christ  at  the  Wedding 

Marianne  Michael 

A  SUMMER  morning  with  little 
girls  hurrying  here  and  there 
with  bouquets  of  flowers 
could  be  any  place  in  the  world.  But 
this  was  deep  in  the  continent  of 
Africa,  where  marriage  rituals  have 
been  traditional  for  generations. 
Here  within  the  setting  of  family- 
arranged  marriages  was  a  Christian 
ceremony  taking  place. 

The  morning  service  over,  the 
minister  took  his  place  with  the  seri- 
ous young  bridegroom  beside  him  as 
the  congregation  sang.  Clean,  smil- 
ing, barefoot  attendants  came  in, 
carrying  bunches  of  white  periwin- 
kles, and  finally  the  bride  herself, 
shy,  unsmiling,  all  but  hidden  under 
a  heavy  scarf. 

The  words  of  the  ceremony  were 
not  unfamiliar.  The  promises  were 
not  new.  But  the  thing  that  touched 
one's  heartstrings  was  that  it  was  the 
leprosarium  church,  and  the  young 
couple  were  former  patients,  well 
and  strong  because  medicine  was 
available  in  time. 

On  the  smooth  floor  of  the  church 
one  could  feel  here  and  there  the 
tap-tap  of  the  canes  of  the  halt  and 
blind,  wedding  guests,  but  victims 
of  the  ravages  of  a  multiplicity  of 
diseases  whose  cure  was  not  known 
in  earlier  years. 

Here  was  a  young  couple  who  had 
been  rescued  from  a  disease  that  was 
once  an  object  of  dread.  Here  were 
young  people  who  could  read  and 
write  thanks  to  the  fact  that  oppor- 
tunities for  education  came  along 
with  their  medicine.  Here  were 
children  who  had  not  stepped  out  of 
their  own  culture,  but  who  had  en- 
riched it  when  they  took  Christ  into 
their  lives  and  covenanted  to  obey 
and  serve  him. 

And  so  —  even  as  centuries  be- 
fore —  Christ  was  called  to  a  wed- 
ding. The  miracle  was  there,  but  it 
had  been  enacted  slowly,  carefully 
over  the  years  through  the  hands  of 
Christian  doctors,  teachers,  pastors. 
As  a  couple  from  a  simple  back- 
ground they  were  relatively  unim- 
portant among  the  millions  who 
marry  each  year,  and  yet  Jesus  him- 
self had  been  present  there.  One  of 
his  healing  miracles  was  there  before 
our  eyes.  We  felt  his  love  surround 
us. 


From  the  left,  Charles  Darwin,  the  author  of  the  Origin  of  the  Species,  Sir  Julian  Huxley  and  Dr.  Pelikan, 
both  of  whom  spoke  at  the  University  of  Chicago  Darwin  Centennial  Convocation  in  honor  of  Darwin's  book 


Darwin  Centennial  Stirs  Theological  Discussion 


AN  EVENT  of  major  re- 
ligious as  well  as  scien- 
tific interest  took  place 
in  Chicago  when  2,500  scholars 
and  students  met  to  discuss  the 
theory  of  evolution  which  for 
the  past  century  has  had  a  pro- 
found and  continuing  impact 
on  Christian  thought. 

The  occasion  was  a  five-day 
celebration  at  the  University  of 
Chicago  to  mark  the  centennial 
of  the  publication  of  Charles 
Darwin's  Origin  of  Species,  a 
controversial  work  which  has 
caused  a  division  in  Protestant- 
ism between  "modernists"  and 
"fundamentalists,"  prompted 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
to  issue  important  pronounce- 
ments and  decrees,  and  stirred 
up  active  conflict  in  many  halls 
of  learning. 

Representing  nearly  200  col- 
leges, universities,  and  learned 
societies  in  27  countries,  the 
Chicago  gathering  was  marked 
especially  by  a  sharply  diver- 
gent exchange  of  views  between 
leading  Protestant  and  Catholic 
theologians  and  Sir  Julian  Hux- 


ley, 72-year-old  British  biolo- 
gist. The  scientist,  a  professed 
atheist,  rejected  the  Biblical  ac- 
count of  creation  and  main- 
tained that  man  evolved  and 
was  not  created.  He  went  on 
also  to  predict  the  doom  of  all 
religions  and  the  emergence  of 
a  new  ideology  centered  on 
evolution. 

At  the  same  time,  Sir  Julian 
alluded  to  a  "split  between  re- 
ligion and  science,"  which,  he 
said,  could  be  mended  only 
"through  acceptance  by  science 
of  the  value  of  religion  as  an 
organ  of  evolving  man,  and  ac- 
ceptance by  religion  that  re- 
ligions do  and  must  evolve." 

Sir  Julian  is  the  grandson  of 
Thomas  Huxley,  the  biologist 
who  defended  Darwin's  theory 
of  evolution  against  an  attack 
on  it  by  Dr.  Samuel  Wilber- 
force,  Anglican  Bishop  of  Ox- 
ford at  a  meeting  of  the  British 
Association  in  June  1860.  From 
this  historic  debate  developed 
a  kind  of  spiritual  cold  war  be- 
tween champions  of  the  tradi- 
tional  Bible  story   of  creation 


and  scientists  who  have  treated 
Darwin's  hypothesis  as  an  ab- 
solutely proved  fact. 

Speaking  at  an  Institute  on 
Science  and  Technology,  held 
as  part  of  the  celebration,  Dr. 
Jaroslav  Pelikan,  Lutheran  pro- 
fessor of  historical  theology  at 
the  University  of  Chicago's 
Federated  Theological  Faculty, 
insisted  that  "the  central  mean- 
ing of  the  Biblical  words  for 
'create'  is  divine  activity,  re- 
gardless of  when  the  'creating' 
is  said  to  have  taken  place  or 
how  or  from  what  previously 
existing  materials,  if  any." 

Creation,  therefore,  he  said, 
is  "not  principally  an  account 
of  origins,  but  of  dependence 
(upon  God)." 

Dr.  Pelikan  pleaded  for  more 
understanding  among  scientists 
regarding  the  Christian  doc- 
trine of  creation.  "From  quiet 
corners  all  over  Christendom," 
he  said,  "theologians  are  listen- 
ing to  scientists  with  serious- 
ness and  humility.    So  serious 


JANUARY  9,  1960 


13 


and  humble  are  they  in  their 
dedication  to  the  task  of  theol- 
ogy that  they  will  not  let  theo- 
logians pose  as  scientists.  So 
deeply  do  they  believe  in  the 
task  of  science  that  they  will 
not  let  scientists  pose  as  theo- 
logians." 

Commenting  later  on  Sir 
Julian's  views,  another  Protes- 
tant professor  said  the  British 
scientist  had  made  these  obser- 
vations before  "and  they  have 
not  noticeably  affected  the  de- 
velopment of  religious  faith." 

He  was  Dr.  Murray  H.  Leif- 
fer.  professor  of  social  ethics 
and  sociology  at  Garrett  Bibli- 
cal Institute,  Evanston,  111.,  who 
added  that  "to  say  that  the 
earth  and  man  evolved  and 
were  not  'created'  does  not  dis- 
may great  groups  of  thinking 
Christians  because  God  can 
create  by  way  of  evolution." 

This  view  was  strongly  back- 
ed by  the  Rev.  J.  Franklin 
Ewing,  S.J.,  professor  of  anthro- 
pology at  Fordham  University, 


New  York,  who  said:  "God  is 
the  Creator  of  man,  body  and 
soul.  Whether  he  used  the 
method  of  evolution  for  the 
preparation  of  our  human  body 
or  created  it  from  unorganized 
matter  is  not  of  primary  impor- 
tance. In  either  case  he  is  the 
Creator." 

Father  Ewing  said  that 
Christian  thinkers  by  and  large 
have  been  reserved  about  evo- 
lution but  currently  more  and 
more  theologians  are  showing 
themselves  favorable  to  it. 
"One  reason  for  this,"  he  ex- 
plained, "is  the  piling  up  of 
evidence,  particularly  paleonto- 
logical,  which  makes  human 
evolution  more  and  more  credi- 
ble. 

Moreover,  the  Jesuit  scientist 
added,  "God  is  continually  cre- 
ating his  creatures  —  if  he  were 
to  withdraw  his  creative  power 
for  a  second  from  you  and  me 
and  the  worm  and  the  elephant, 
all  would  disappear  into  noth- 
ingness.   This  means  that  God 


created  not  only  all  human  be- 
ings, but  also  all  potentialities 
for  evolution." 

The  Darwin  centenary,  mean- 
while, brought  comments  from 
a  group  of  rabbis  in  several 
synagogues  in  Chicago  and 
New  York.  They  stressed  what 
they  said  was  the  general  re- 
awakening of  faith  in  God  as 
the  Creator.  Addressing  the 
Congregation  Zichron  Ephraim 
in  New  York,  Rabbi  Zev  Zahavy 
said:  "Science  in  general  has 
failed  to  explain  the  human 
conscience  or  how  the  human 
spirit,  with  its  insatible,  imagi- 
native mentality,  can  be  related 
to  the  rest  of  animal  experi- 
ence .  .  . 

"There  seems  to  be  no  con- 
nection between  the  amazing 
moral  will  of  man  and  the  evi- 
dential mechanical,  operative 
processes  in  nature.  This  breach 
is  filled  by  God;  God  is  the 
only  missing  link  in  the  annals 
of  modern  science."  —  Religious 
News  Service. 


Guidance  Through  Common  Sense 

Continued  from  page  4 

on  the  basis  of  all  the  facts  at  hand,  make  in- 
telligent decisions.  This  becomes  my  guidance. 
It  is  divine  guidance,  too!  It  is  not  one  whit 
less  from  God  because  I  have  used  my  reason- 
ing powers.  These  powers  are  his  workmanship, 
not  mine. 

So  I  wait  no  hallowed  ecstacy.  I  wait  no 
special  flutter  in  the  heart.  I  do  not  require 
any  writing  in  the  sky.  I  go  by  the  inner  clarity 
of  my  mind  and  soul.  If  I  am  composed  and 
restful  about  a  pending  matter,  I  judge  my  de- 
cision to  be  in  line  with  God's  decision.  I  be- 
lieve I  have  found  his  will. 

This  view  of  guidance  makes  all  of  life 
sacred  for  me.  All  of  my  life  is  lived  under 
God.  This  does  not  pull  the  religious  down  to 
the  mundane,  the  secular;  rather,  it  lifts  the 
secular,  the  mundane,  up  to  the  religious. 

This  view  gives  me  a  day-by-day,  hour-by- 
hour  consciousness  of  the  Presence  in  all  that 
I  do.    Every  decision,  every  judgment,  every 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


move  is  under  his  guidance  and  unto  him.  And 
now  I  truly  live  and  move  and  have  my  being 
in  him.  I  have  guidance  all  the  time,  not  just 
on  special  religious  occasions,  or  when  I  stop  to 
pray. 

This  kind  of  guidance  allows  me  to  drop 
out  of  my  personal  practice  all  chance  methods, 
such  as  casting  lots  or  letting  the  Bible  open 
"where  it  will"  and  expecting  my  eyes  to  fall  on 
the  right  verse  for  me.  ( The  virtue  of  skimming 
through  the  pages  of  the  Book  to  glean  needed 
gems  of  truth  is  recognized;  I  do  it  often.)  I 
also  resist  going  to  some  exalted  leader  and 
letting  him  make  my  decision  for  me. 

No!  My  respect  for  the  God-given  capacity 
to  think  and  to  obtain  information  and  to  be 
well  enough  acquainted  with  my  Bible  to  find 
applicable  parts  and  to  know  my  own  soul  ( be- 
fore God )  better  than  any  other  can  know  it  — 
all  these  I  respect  too  much  to  use  any  chance 
methods  of  making  my  important  decisions. 

I  count  my  capacity  to  reason,  to  use  my 
common  sense,  to  form  reasonably  good  judg- 
ments one  of  God's  grandest  provisions  by 
which  I  find  his  guidance.  And  I  call  the  entire 
process  very  much  divine! 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not 
necessarily  constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made 
through  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles 
recommended    for    church    libraries    are    marked    with    an    asterisk    (*).  —  Editor. 


"Jesus  Was  Their  Friend.  Zelpha 
Henderson.  Warner,  1958.  64 
pages.    $1.95. 

The  fine,  colorful,  full-page  illus- 
trations and  general  format  enhance 
the  enjoyment  in  reading  this  book 
of  stories  about  those  men  and  wom- 
en of  the  Bible  who  followed  Jesus. 
Since  the  book  is  centered  on  Jesus' 
followers  rather  than  in  an  account 
of  his  life  and  death,  there  are  im- 
portant parts  of  his  life  left  un- 
touched. Each  story  is  based  on  a 
scripture  passage  (though  it  is  not 
annotated)  and  merely  retells  it  in 
language  more  readily  understood  by 
children.  The  stories  include  some 
simple  explanations  of  hard-to-un- 
derstand  details.  Zacchaeus,  Jairus, 
Bartimaeus,  Mary  and  Martha, 
Dorcas,  Lydia,  and  Paul  are  some 
of  the  followers  who  live  again  in 
the  brief  stories  of  this  book.  The 
stories  would  most  likely  appeal  to 
children  of  ages  eight  through 
twelve.  —  Glennis  Parks,  Elgin,  111. 

*We  Met  the  Master.  Richard  C. 
Smith.    Zondervan,  1958.    92  pages. 

This  book  embodies  a  grand  idea: 
the  dramatic  impersonation  of  six- 
teen characters  from  the  gospels  and 
Acts  who  tell,  in  the  first  person, 
the  stories  of  their  encounters  with 
Christ  and  his  people. 

The  style  and  idiom  of  the  book 
are  quite  traditional.  For  those  to 
whom  this  medium  is  attractive  this 
book  can  be  quite  useful  and  even, 
in  places,  exciting.  For  others, 
brought  up  with  a  growing  apprecia- 
tion for  more  contemporary  literary 
forms  the  book  may  prove  a  bit 
commonplace.  For  all  who  read  it 
carefully  and  conscientiously  it  will 
bring  incentive  and  encouragement. 
—  Chalmer  E.  Faw,  Chicago,  III. 

9  Luke,  Volume  18  of  Layman's 
Bible  Commentary.  Donald  G. 
Miller.  John  Knox,  1959.  175  pages. 
$2.00. 

A  commentary  especially  written 
for  laymen  is  an  event  —  and  this 
one  doubly  so  for  it  succeeds  in  a 
remarkable  way  in  achieving  its 
avowed  purpose  of  providing  "the 
most  helpful  explanation  of  funda- 
mental matters  in  up-to-date  terms." 

Here  the  readers  find  a  healthy  — 
but  not  radical  —  conservatism  which 
has  courageously  and  honestly  faced 
the    difficult    problems    confronting 


Biblical  scholars  today  and  has  come 
out  with  a  devout  faith. 

Donald  G.  Miller,  eminent  Bible 
scholar,  has  succeeded  in  producing 
a  commentary  that  preaches  the  gos- 
pel. It  is  written  out  of  a  faith  and 
enthusiasm  akin  to  Luke's  and  is 
unusually  reasonably  priced. 

Laymen,  church  school  teachers, 
and  Bible  study  groups  will  profit 
greatly  from  using  this  concise  non- 
technical guide  as  a  supplement  to 
their  firsthand  study  of  Luke.  — 
David  J.  Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 

Best  Sermons,  1959-60  Protestant 
Edition.  Edited  by  G.  Paul  Butler, 
Crowell,    1959.    304   pages.     $3.95. 

This  is  G.  Paul  Buder's  seventh 
volume  of  Best  Sermons,  the  first  to 
appear  since  1955-1956.  All  of  these 
sermons  are  from  Protestant  sources, 
coming  from  ten  Protestant  denom- 
inations in  U.S.A.  and  five  European 
countries. 

This  book  was  compiled  out  of  the 
examination  of  nearly  eight  thousand 
sermons.  Naturally,  many  come 
from  preachers  of  stature  and  re- 
nown such  as  Sockman,  Weather- 
head,  Stewart,  McCracken,  Scherer, 
Sizoo,  Trueblood,  Niemuller,  Bain- 
ton,  and  others. 

Others  have  been  chosen  from 
younger  and  little  known  clergymen, 
whose  messages  are  unmistakably 
significant.  Still  others  are  from 
John  Foster  Dulles,  Nathan  M. 
Pusey,  and  Irwin  J.   Lubbers. 

Again  it  is  a  great  book  of  "best 
sermons."  It  will  have  real  interest 
for  all  those,  clergy  and  laity  alike, 
who  enjoy  reading  the  current  great 
sermons  being  preached.  —  Charles 
E.  Zunkel,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

Four  Dramatizations  About  Home 
and  Church.  Frances  Dunlap  Heron. 
Christian  Education  Press,  1951.  42 
pages.    60c. 

These  four  dramatizations  would 
be  excellent  for  a  series  of  Sunday 
evening  services,  family  nights,  or 
parent-teacher  fellowship  meetings. 
People  will  readily  identify  them- 
selves with  the  Fair  family  members, 
as  the  Fair  family  is  a  real  family  and 
all  the  incidents  in  the  dramas  have 
occurred  within  the  life  of  the  family. 
In  seeing  how  the  Fair  family  re- 
solves issues  and  conflicts  all  can  be 
helped  in  their  own  Christian  family 
living. 


The  four  dramatizations:  The  Fair 
Family  Worships,  The  Fair  Family 
Meets  Moses,  The  Fair  Family  Talks 
It  Over,  Fun  for  the  Fair  Family.  — 
Glee  Yoder,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

•  Fathers  of  America  —  Our  Heri- 
tage of  Faith.  Elizabeth  L.  Davis. 
Fleming  H.  Revell,  1958.   159  pages. 

$2.75. 

Fifteen  biographical  sketches  of 
the  fathers  of  outstanding  Americans 
compose  this  book.  Each  story  is  a 
chapter.  These  stories  are  interest- 
ing reading  and  are  helpful  to  pres- 
ent-day fathers  who  are  seeking  ways 
for  effective  family  living.  Doing 
things  together  seems  to  have  been 
a  characteristic  of  each  of  these 
families.  Reading  the  Bible  to  their 
children,  family  prayers,  playing  to- 
gether, and  time  for  listening  to  the 
concerns  of  the  children  seem  to  have 
been  in  the  program  of  most  of  these 
fathers.  Among  the  stories  of  fathers 
in  the  book  are  Catherine  Marshall's, 
Billy  Graham's,  John  Foster  Dulles's, 
Woodrow  Wilson's,  Anne  Morrow 
Lindbergh's,  Nelson  Rockefeller's, 
Alice  Roosevelt  Longworth's,  Nor- 
man Vincent  Peale's,  Lloyd  C. 
Douglas's  and  the  Menninger  broth- 
ers' father.  This  book  can  be  highly 
recommended  for  reading  by  "all 
who  day  by  day  are  encircled  with 
the  care  of  children  and  who  need 
a  wise  and  helpful  perspective  —  for 
parents,  teachers,  preachers,  church 
groups,  parent-teacher  organizations, 
social  workers,  and  study  groups.  — 
Rufus  B.  King,  North  Manchester, 
Ind. 

The  Story  of  the  Other  Wise  Man. 

Henry  van  Dyke.    Revell,  1959.    62 
pages.    $1.00. 

A  new  edition  of  a  classic  story 
which  keeps  alive  a  theme  that  is 
timeless,  the  theme  being  the  "inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one 
of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren." 
In  beautifully  written  poetic  prose, 
Dr.  Henry  van  Dyke  narrates  the 
story  of  the  other  wise  man  who 
hoped  to  join  his  three  friends  fol- 
lowing the  star  in  a  search  for  the 
Messiah,  but  never  found  them  be- 
cause he  was  delayed  as  he  stopped 
to  give  aid  to  a  dying  stranger,  saved 
the  life  of  a  little  child,  ransomed  a 
girl  from  slavery.  His  years  were 
spent  and  his  sapphire,  ruby,  and 
pearl  had  been  used  when  he  came 
to  the  end  of  the  way,  a  way  that 
led  to  the  cross.  In  the  conflict  of 
the  expectation  of  faith  and  the  im- 
pulse of  love  he  experienced  peace 
of   soul.  —  Edith    Barnes,   Elgin,   III. 


JANUARY  9,  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


The  revised  Manual  of  Men's  Fellowship  for  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is  available  from  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  at  25c  per 
copy. 

Dr.  John  W.  Boitnott,  academic  dean  of  Bridgewater 
College,  has  been  named  a  Virginia  member  of  the 
Commission  on  Secondary  Schools  of  the  Southern  As- 
sociation of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools. 

Several  copies  of  the  Nicholas  Beery  History  written 
by  Joseph  H.  Wenger  could  be  used  by  the  Brethren 
Historical  Library.  Anyone  having  a  copy  he  is  willing 
to  sell  or  donate  is  invited  to  write  to  the  Historical 
Library,  Christian  Education  Commission,  General 
Brotherhood  Board,  Elgin,  111. 

The  Brethren  Youth  Seminar  will  be  held  from  Jan. 
31  to  Feb.  5  in  Washington  and  New  York.  A  late 
registration  fee  of  $1.00  will  be  added  to  the  total 
registration  of  $10  after  Jan.  17.  Mail  to  the  Youth 
Department,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

One  hundred  fifty  persons  attended  the  sixty-eighth 
anniversary  banquet  of  La  Verne  College.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
R.  K.  Pitzer,  Pomona  Valley  citizens  well  known  for 
their  philanthropy,  were  honored  with  a  Community 
Builder  Award  by  the  college.  The  Pitzers  donated  the 
browsing  room  in  the  W.  I.  T.  Hoover  Memorial 
Library. 

Joel  Thompson,  missionary  under  appointment  to 
Indonesia,  is  serving  as  interim  director  of  volunteer 
services  on  the  Brotherhood  staff,  where  a  vacancy  has 
existed  since  Ora  Huston  assumed  the  position  of  peace 
counselor.  Since  securing  of  visas  to  Indonesia  requires 
about  six  months,  it  is  expected  that  Brother  Thompson 
will  serve  until  a  director  is  secured  on  a  permanent 
basis. 

Church  of  the  Brethren  colleges  have  shared  in 
recent  grants  to  higher  education  made  by  various  foun- 
dations and  industries.  McPherson  College  received 
$450  from  the  Wichita  Division  of  the  Boeing  Airplane 
Company,  $2,140  from  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
Foundation,  and  $1,570  from  the  Santa  Fe  Foundation. 
From  the  Esso  Education  Foundation  Juniata  College 
received  an  unrestricted  grant  of  $2,000  for  1959-60. 

Manchester  College  would  like  to  complete  its  li- 
brary collection  of  Gospel  Messengers  and  Brethren 
Almanacs  and  Yearbooks.  The  entire  volumes  of  the 
Gospel  Messenger  are  needed  for  the  years  1899,  1900, 
1902,  1903,  1913.  And  the  entire  volumes  of  the 
Brethren  Almanacs  and  Yearbooks  for  the  years  1873, 
1874,  1875,  1876,  1879,  1880,  1887,  1889,  1890, 
1891,  1896,  1949.  The  college  will  pay  the  postage 
for  any  of  these  volumes  that  it  receives.  If  you  have 
any  of  these  materials  or  have  information  concerning 
where  some  may  be  found,  please  write:  Librarian, 
Manchester  College,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  Year  in  Religion 

World-wide  unity  discussions  among  the  three  great 
Christian  bodies,  Protestant,  Eastern  Orthodox,  and 
Roman  Catholic,  helped  make  1959  a  momentous  year 
in  the  realm  of  religion.  Sparked  by  Pope  John  XXIII's 
historic  decision  in  January  to  summon  an  Ecumenical 
Council  at  which  Christian  unity  would  be  a  major 
topic,  the  debate  was  nowhere  more  active  than  in  the 
United  States,  where  a  Protestant-Catholic  dialogue  is 
assuming  growing  importance. 

Vatican  officials  made  it  clear  that  the  Ecumenical 
Council  would  not  be  open  to  Protestant  or  Orthodox 
representatives,  except  as  observers.  Nevertheless, 
churchmen  in  general  hailed  it  as  one  of  the  greatest 
steps  taken  toward  Christian  solidarity. 

Two  arresting  proposals  in  the  United  States  during 
the  year  helped  to  keep  the  unity  pot  boiling.  One 
made  by  Catholic  scholars  was  for  a  unified  Bible  ac- 
ceptable to  both  Protestants  and  Catholics.  Another 
was  to  create  a  study  center  for  theological  dialogue  not 
only  between  Protestants  and  Catholics,  but  between 
Christians  and  Jews.  It  was  advanced  by  Dr.  Jaroslav 
Pelikan  of  the  Federated  Theological  Faculty,  University 
of  Chicago,  who  envisioned  the  1960's  as  a  period  when 
relations  between  the  major  faiths  would  move  from 
"conference  to  confrontation." 

New  developments  took  place  in  the  Protestant 
union  movement  in  the  U.S.  Announced  as  due  to  be 
completed  in  April  1960  is  a  merger  of  the  Evangelical, 
American,  and  United  Lutheran  Churches  into  the 
American  Lutheran  Church.  Finishing  touches  were 
given  to  another  plan  involving  a  union  of  the  United 
Lutheran  Church  in  America,  the  Augustana  Lutheran 
Church,  the  American  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
and  the  Finnish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  (Suomi 
Synod).  In  November,  the  American  Unitarian  Asso- 
ciation approved  union  with  the  Universalist  Church 
of  America. 

In  October  the  National  Council  of  Churches,  to 
which  thirty-three  Protestant  and  Orthodox  bodies  be- 
long, moved  to  the  new  Interchurch  Center  on  Riverside 
Drive,  New  York  City.  Among  the  denominational  and 
interdenominational  agencies  the  center  houses  is  the 
U.S.  Conference  for  the  World  Council  of  Churches. 
The  World  Refugee  Year  stood  out  as  a  major  event 
linking  Protestant  and  Catholic  as  well  as  Jewish  wel- 
fare groups  in  a  common  humanitarian  effort.  The  three 
faiths  were  represented  at  ceremonies  in  New  York  and 
Geneva  launching  the  year.  In  Geneva,  Protestant 
leaders  took  part  in  a  special  ecumenical  intercession. 
At  the  same  time,  Pope  John  issued  a  message  exhorting 
Catholics  everywhere  to  help  ease  "the  lot  of ^  those  who 
live  in  exile  far  away  from  their  homelands." 

At  home,  other  displays  of  Protestant  and  Catholic 
unanimity  were  noted  as  church  groups  denounced 
racial  discrimination,  spearheaded  drives  against  porno- 
graphic literature,  intensified  efforts  to  combat  juvenile 
delinquency,  and  voiced  indignation  over  fixed  quiz 
shows  and  other  forms  of  dishonesty  in  television.  They 
also  protested  against  the  Sunday  opening  of  stores  as 
violating  the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath,  although  the  prac- 
tice was  defended  by  leaders  of  the  Jewish  community, 
the  Seventh-day  Adventists,  and  others  who  observe 
Saturday  as  their  holy  day. 

During  1959,  new  chapters  were  written  in  the  Red 


Brotherhood  Theme:  Brethren  Under  the  Lordship  of  Christ 


war  on  religion.  In  East  Germany,  Communist  propa- 
gandists lashed  out  at  Lutheran  Bishop  Otto  Dibelius  of 
Berlin  after  he  had  published  a  pamphlet  in  which  he 
maintained  that  a  totalitarian  state  does  not  constitute 
a  "supreme  authority"  to  which  Christians  owe  alle- 
giance in  any  Biblical  sense.  Reports  from  Budapest 
confirmed  that  the  leaders  of  the  Protestant  and  Catholic 
churches  in  Hungary  have  been  stripped  of  their  admin- 
istrative functions  and  the  real  "boss"  is  the  State  Office 
for  Church  Affairs.  In  Poland,  the  delicate  relations  be- 
tween the  state  and  the  Catholic  Church  showed  many 
signs  of  deteriorating  into  the  open  conflict  that  marked 
the  former  Stalinist  regime. 

Reports  reaching  Hong  King  from  the  China  main- 
land revealed  the  growing  dismal  plight  of  Chinese 
Protestants  and  Catholics  as  churches  continued  to  be 
closed  and  believers  to  be  accused  of  using  religion  to 
mask  illegal  activities.  The  Peiping  regime  persisted  in 
giving  strong  backing  to  the  schismatic  "National  Catho- 
lic Church,"  which  has  cut  itself  adrift  from  the  Vatican 
because  of  its  "imperalist"  and  "reactionary"  policies. 

Elsewhere  in  the  Far  East  a  brighter  atmosphere 
prevailed.  In  Tokyo,  many  foreign  churchmen  took  part 
in  observances  for  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of 
Protestantism  in  Japan.  In  Seoul,  Korean  Christians 
marked  the  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the  beginning 
of  Protestant  mission  work  in  their  homeland. 

June  saw  celebrations  in  Geneva  to  observe  the  450th 
anniversary  of  the  birth  of  John  Calvin,  giant  of  the 
Reformation.  Earlier  commemorations  were  held  at  his 
birthplace  at  Noyon,  France,  to  mark  the  fourth  cen- 
tenary of  the  French  Reformed  Church. 

Brazil  also  had  Calvin  anniversary  celebrations.  The 
occasion  was  the  eighteenth  General  Council  of  the 
World  Alliance  of  Reformed  Churches  at  Sao  Paulo  in 
July  which  coincided  with  the  1959  Presbyterian  Cen- 
tennial in  Brazil,  where  Protestantism  has  had  its  biggest 
gains  in  Latin  America. 

One  of  the  highlight  events  of  the  year  took  place 
in  September  when  over  one  hundred  Protestant  clergy- 
men representing  the  National  Council  of  Churches 
called  on  President  Eisenhower  to  assure  him  of  their 
support  of  his  peace  aims  and  of  the  prayers  of  their 
denominations  for  his  peacemaking  efforts.  Two  months 
earlier,  the  council  launched  a  year-long  program  of 
education  and  action  for  world  peace.  This  was  pre- 
ceded in  turn  by  a  message  in  May  in  which  the  World 
Council  of  Churches  stressed  the  role  of  the  churches 
as  "a  force  for  peace." 

Protestant  and  Catholic  unanimity  in  the  face  of 
humanitarian  and  social  welfare  demands  contrasted 
with  the  theological  differences  that  made  headlines 
when  Protestant  spokesmen  took  issue  with  a  statement 
on  the  "population  explosion"  question  in  which  the 
U.S.  hierarchy  reaffirmed  the  Catholic  Church's  rigid 
stand  against  artificial  birth  control.  Issued  at  the 
bishops'  annual  meeting  in  Washington,  D.C.,  the  state- 
ment served  notice  that  U.S.  Catholics  would  not  sup- 
port any  public  assistance  at  home  or  abroad  to  promote 
this  practice. 

For  evangelical  Protestants,  a  major  1959  develop- 
ment was  Billy  Graham's  crusades  in  Australia  and  New 
Zealand,  where  the  American  evangelist  received  the 
same  response  in  terms  of  popular  hearing  and  spiritual 
decisions  as  he  has  in  his  campaigns  in  this  country. 

The  conservative  Protestant  wing  hailed  President 


Eisenhower  for  his  statement  on  the  eve  of  his  year-end 
overseas  tour  that  the  "core  of  our  nation  is  belief  in  a 
Creator  who  has  endowed  all  men  with  inalienable 
rights."  They  saw  the  statement  as  minimizing  attacks 
on  fundamental  Biblical  concepts  occasioned  by  the 
Darwin  Centennial.  The  conservative  Protestants  also 
regarded  as  especially  significant  the  action  of  the 
British  Council  of  Churches  in  taking  note  of  a  revival 
of  a  "very  evangelical  form  of  Christian  faith." 

A  major  Jewish  development  in  the  United  States 
during  the  year  was  the  launching  of  a  nationwide 
preaching  mission  by  the  Union  of  American  Hebrew 
Congregations  to  bring  some  2,500,000  unaffiliated  Jews 
into  the  Reform  Jewish  synagogues.  Topping  the  news 
in  the  area  of  Conservative  Judaism  was  the  formal 
organization  by  the  United  Synagogue  Council  of  Amer- 
ica of  a  World  Council  of  Synagogues  to  "foster  the 
Jewish  tradition  in  its  historic  continuity"  and  to  "advo- 
cate the  centrality  and  pre-eminence  of  the  synagogue 
in  the  life  of  the  Jewish  people."  This  marked  the  first 
time  that  the  Conservative  Jews  in  the  U.S.  and  other 
countries  have  been  brought  together  in  one  body. 

A  record-breaking  increase  of  5,368,063  in  1958 
brought  church  membership  in  the  United  States  to  an 
all-time  high  of  109,557,741,  or  63  per  cent  of  the 
country's  estimated  population  of  173,374,000,  accord- 
ing to  statistics  published  in  August.  Of  the  grand  total 
of  church  members,  61,504,669  were  Protestants, 
39,509,508  Catholics,  5,500,000  Jews,  and  2,545,318 
Eastern  Orthodox.  —  Religious  News  Service. 

Church  Calendar 

January  10 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Strengthening  New  Churches. 
Acts  14.  Memory  Selection:  May  the  Lord  direct  your 
hearts  to  the  love  of  God  and  to  the  steadfastness  of 
Christ.  2  Thess.  3:5  (R.S.V.) 

Jan.  3-10  Week  of  Prayer 

Jan.  17-23  Church  and  Economic  Life  Week 

Jan.  31  -  Feb.  7  Youth  Week 

Jan.  31  —  Feb.  5  Brethren  Youth  Seminar,  Washington, 

D.C.,  and  New  York  City 
Feb.  1-3  General  Assembly,  Pennsylvania  Council  of 

Churches,  Harrisburg 
Feb.  2  Southeastern  Region  district  executive  secretaries 

meeting,  Bridgewater,  Va. 
Feb.  9-11  Spiritual  Life  Institute,  Bridgewater  College, 

Va. 
Feb.  14  Race  Relations  Sunday 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 
Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Mt.  Hermon 
church,  Va.,  Feb.  14-21. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Four  received  in  the  Midland  church,  Mich. 
Four  baptized  in  the  Beaver  Dam  church,  Md. 


JANUARY  9,  1960 


17 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Sunday  Church  Attendance 
in  Sweden  Low 

Sunday  church  attendance  in  Swe- 
den averages  only  250,000  or  3.3  per 
cent  of  the  entire  population,  accord- 
ing to  a  report  made  public  by  the 
Lay  Workers  Central  Office  of  the 
State  Lutheran  Church,  to  which  an 
estimated  95  per  cent  of  Swedes 
belong. 

The  report  noted  that  an  over- 
whelming majority  have  their  chil- 
dren baptized  and  confirmed  and 
church  weddings  are  in  high  favor. 
It  also  stated  that  religious  radio 
services  are,  even  by  international 
comparisons,  very  popular,  attract- 
ing fifty  to  sixty  per  cent  of  all  radio 
listeners.  Eighty-six  per  cent  of  all 
children  are  baptized  in  the  Luth- 
eran Church.  Since  1952  all  mem- 
bers have  the  right  to  withdraw  from 
the  state  church,  and  a  few  have 
done  so. 

Russian  Church  Leaders  Wel- 
come World  Council  Delegation 

The  first  official  delegation  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches  ever  to 
set  foot  on  Soviet  soil  was  given  a 
warm  welcome  by  top  leaders  of  the 
Russian  Orthodox  Church. 

Headed  by  Dr.  W.  A.  Visser  't 
Hooft,  the  general  secretary  of  the 
World  Council,  the  team  is  the 
council's  first  official  delegation  to 
the  Russian  church.  The  purpose  of 
the  visit  was  to  continue  the  get- 
acquainted  process  which  was  in- 
itiated last  summer  to  representatives 
of  the  Russian  church,  who  spent 
four  weeks  at  the  World  Council 
headquarters  in  Geneva. 

Almost  2,000  worshipers  jammed 
Moscow's  only  Baptist  church  to  hear 
Dr.  Visser  't  Hooft  voice  an  appeal 
for  Christian  unity.  In  a  twenty- 
minute  talk  the  World  Council  secre- 
tary said  that  regardless  of  religious 
beliefs  unity  is  necessary  for  the 
Christian  churches.  He  appealed  to 
the  congregation  to  pray  "for  such 
unity  as  will  serve  peace  and  better 
mutual  understanding." 

National  Council  Calls  on 
Congress  to  Admit 
Nonquota  Refugees 

The  General  Board  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  has  called  on 
Congress  to  admit  10,000  nonquota 
refugees  and  escapees  to  this  coun- 
try every  year.  The  board  also  re- 
affirmed its  endorsement  of  universal 


disarmament.  In  response  to  a  reso- 
lution which  came  to  the  General 
Board's  attention  through  an  action 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  Gen- 
eral Brotherhood  Board,  the  National 
Council  requested  its  Department  of 
International  Affairs  to  study  and 
report  back  on  what  churches  and 
church  members  could  do  toward 
helping  the  nation  fulfill  its  respon- 
sibility in  working  toward  universal 
disarmament. 

First  Industrial  Evangelists 
to  Brazil 

Six  industrial  evangelists,  the  first 
to  work  in  Latin  America,  will  short- 
ly be  on  the  job  alongside  fellow 
workers  in  Brazil's  mines,  factories, 
and  steel  mills. 

Dr.  Howard  W.  Yoder,  executive 
secretary  of  the  Committee  on  Co- 
operation in  Latin  America,  said  that 
the  job  of  the  industrial  evangelist 
is  to  create  a  nucleus  of  Protestants 
in  factories,  mines,  and  mills  who  can 
"get  the  Christian  message  across  to 
the  man  on  the  bench  next  to  him." 

An  ordained  Presbyterian  minister 
who  expects  to  serve  as  an  industrial 
evangelist  pointed  out  that  "only 
when    the    Protestant    message    is 


pro-Christ  can  it  combat  successfully 
the  antireligions  of  communism  and 
nationalism. 

"Secular  Sunday"  Concerns 
Peoria  Churches 

The  increasing  infringement  by 
secular  and  even  church-related  or- 
ganizations on  Sunday  church  time 
is  regarded  by  members  of  the  Peoria 
Council  of  Churches,  111.,  as  a  matter 
of  concern  to  the  nation. 

In  a  recent  statement  by  the  coun- 
cil's board  of  directors,  the  situation 
is  regarded  as  "a  serious  cause  for 
alarm." 

Declaring  that  many  stores,  busi- 
ness houses  and  places  of  entertain- 
ment do  a  thriving  business  on  Sun- 
day, the  statement  points  out  that 
now  even  Boy  Scout  and  church 
youth  groups  plan  outings  and  other 
programs  which  take  hundreds  of 
children,  young  people,  and  adults 
away  from  church  school  and  wor- 
ship services  each  Sunday. 

Muslim  Head  Hails 
Missions'  Medical  Work 

Sir  Abubakar,  the  Sultan  of 
Sokoto,  head  of  all  West  Africa's 
orthodox  Muslims,  has  praised  the 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  papyrus 

page  shown 

here  from  the 

ancient  Coptic 

manuscript 

containing  114 

sayings 

attributed  to 

Jesus  which  has 

been  released 

simultaneously 

in  5  languages 

by  U.S.  and 

European 

publishers. 

Found  in  1945 

in  an  Egyptian 

cave  overlooking 

the  Nile  River, 

the  manuscript 

dates  from  the 

fourth  century 

and  is  ascribed 

to  Thomas,  the 

"doubting" 

disciple 


Religious  News 
Service 


medical  work  of  Christian  mission- 
aries in  a  goodwill  message  sent  to 
patients  discharged  from  the  Sudan 
Interior  Mission's  Leprosy  Isolation 
Center  in  Sokoto  Province. 

The  sultan  urged  the  former  pa- 
tients to  spread  "the  good  news"  of 
their  cure  so  that  others  would  come 
to  take  advantage  of  the  medical 
help. 

There  are  an  estimated  750,000 
persons  with  leprosy  in  Nigeria. 

Ground  Broken  for  Medical 
Center  Religion  Institute 

Ground  has  been  broken  in  Hous- 
ton, Texas,  for  the  $600,000  Institute 
of  Religion  building  in  the  Texas 
Medical  Center.  The  structure  is 
said  to  be  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the 
country. 

The  institute  is  pioneering  in  "re- 
ligion-in-medicine  education."  Seven 
hundred  medical,  nursing,  and  min- 
isterial students  have  been  trained 
there  since  its  creation  in  1955. 

Religious  Mailings  to 
Carry  1 V*  Cent  Stamp 

The  Post  Office  Department  has 
announced  that  it  will  issue  a  one 
and  one-fourth  cent  postage  stamp 
on  June  17,  1960,  in  preparation  for 
an  increase  in  the  bulk  mailing  rate 
for  religious  and  other  nonprofit  or- 
ganizations which  goes  into  effect  on 
Julyl. 

It  will  be  the  first  time  the  United 
States  has  issued  such  a  fractional 
postage  stamp,  although  at  the  pres- 
ent time  one  and  one-half-cent  and 
two  and  one-half-cent  stamps  are 
issued. 

The  present  bulk  rate  for  non- 
profit groups  is  one  cent  per  piece. 
Under  legislation  approved  by  Con- 
gress in  1958  which  raised  the  regu- 
lar postage  to  four  cents,  the  bulk- 
rate  for  ordinary  third  class  users  is 
to  go  to  two  and  one-half  cents  next 
July,  and  the  rate  for  nonprofit 
groups  has  been  fixed  at  one  half  the 
regular  rate,  thus  necessitating  a  one 
and  one-fourth-cent  stamp. 

Harvard  to  Build  World 
Religions  Center 

A  Center  for  the  Study  of  World 
Religions  will  be  built  by  Harvard 
University  near  the  institution's  Di- 
vinity School. 

The  new  center  will  provide  per- 
manent facilities  for  graduate  stu- 
dents and  visiting  scholars  from 
throughout  the  world.  Its  effort  is 
to  encourage  communication  be- 
tween men  of  differing  religious 
faiths. 


Minister  Postman  Retires 


■  On  July  30,  1959,  Harold  Ross, 
Roanoke  postmaster,  held  a  recog- 
nition service  at  the  main  post  office 
for  two  retiring  letter  carriers,  both 
of  whom  are  part-time  ministers, 
C.  Wickham  for  the  Methodist 
Church  and  H.  C.  Spangler  for  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Mr.  Spangler  began  working  for 
the  Post  Office  Department  on  July 
16,  1924,  and  retired  on  July  31, 
1959,  having  worked  as  a  letter 
carrier  for  thirty-five  years  and  fif- 
teen days.  Mr.  Spangler  served 
under  eight  postmasters. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Nation- 
al Association  of  Letter  Carriers, 
Branch  No.  524,  and  since  he  was 
the  first  ordained  minister  to  enter 
the  postal  service  here  he  became  the 
first  chaplain  of  the  branch.  He  at- 
tended the  National  Letter  Carriers 


Convention  at  Seattle,  Wash.,  in 
1950.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  Local  Postal  Credit  Union. 

Mr.  Spangler  was  baptized  on  the 
second  Sunday  of  January  1906  and 
was  ordained  into  the  ministry  in 
1919.  He  has  been  active  in  the 
part-time  ministry  since  that  time. 

He  has  helped  in  the  beginning  of 
a  number  of  the  churches  in  the 
Roanoke  and  Salem  area.  The  Ninth 
Street,  the  Hollins  Road,  the  Wil- 
liamson Road,  the  Central,  and  the 
Green  Hill  churches  have  become 
strong  and  active  during  these  years. 
Mr.  Spangler  helped  in  the  minis- 
terial leadership  of  the  Oak  Grove 
church  between  Salem  and  Cave 
Spring  for  about  twenty  years. 

In  October  1941  he  was  asked  to 
assume  the  leadership  of  the  Saun- 
ders Grove  church  in  Bedford  Coun- 
ty. He  helped  to  reorganize  this 
church  and  has  been  the  presiding 
elder  and  assistant  pastor  since  that 
time.  Under  his  leadership  a  new 
building  was  dedicated  in  August 
1953. 

Mr.  Spangler  has  four  children,  all 
of  whom  are  married,  and  three 
grandchildren.  One  son,  Dr.  M.  O. 
L.  Spangler,  is  teaching  in  King  Col- 
lege, Bristol,  Tenn.,  this  winter.  His 
oldest  daughter,  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Frederick  Wampler,  sailed  for  India 
in  September  to  serve  as  a  missionary 
for  the  church. 

Mr.  Spangler  plans  to  devote  more 
of  his  time  to  church  work,  probably 
in  the  church  extension  and  evange- 
listic field.  —  Mrs.  Lucille  William- 
son, Blue  Ridge,  Va. 


Clergyman  Is  Sierra  Leone's 
First  U.  S.  Diplomat 

A  young  Protestant  clergyman,  the 
Rev.  William  H.  Fitzjohn,  has  been 
sent  to  the  United  States  by  the 
British  colony  of  Sierra  Leone,  which 
will  attain  independence  in  1961,  as 
its  first  diplomatic  representative  to 
America. 

Mr.  Fitzjohn  is  an  ordained  min- 
ister of  the  Evangelical  United  Breth- 
ren Church.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
Lincoln  University  in  Oxford,  Pa. 

Sierra  Leone,  given  the  name 
Mountains  of  the  Lion  by  early 
Spanish  discoverers,  lies  along  the 
West  African  coast  between  Liberia 
and  the  new  Republic  of  Guinea, 
which  recently  seemed  its  inde- 
pendence from  France. 

Mr.  Fitzjohn,  who  may  become 
his  country's  first  ambassador  to  the 


United  States  when  independence  is 
obtained,  was  born  in  Sierra  Leone 
and  educated  at  Albert  Academy  in 
its  capital  city,  Freetown.  He  attend- 
ed the  United  Theological  Seminary 
in  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  was  ordained 
at  Dayton  in  1946.  He  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Colonial  House  of 
Representatives  and  served  there 
from  1951-57. 

Construction  Resumes  on 
Washington  Cathedral 

Construction  on  the  Washington 
Cathedral,  an  Episcopal  church,  has 
been  resumed  with  the  formal  sig- 
nature of  a  contract  which  will  take 
two  years  to  complete.  This  is  the 
seventh  major  construction  project 
in  the  fifty-two-year  history  of  the 


JANUARY  9,  1960 


19 


cathedral.  When  it  is  finished,  the 
cathedral  will  be  more  than  two- 
thirds  finished.  The  edifice  is  not 
expected  to  be  fully  completed  until 
about  the  year  2007,  which  will 
mark  the  100th  anniversary  of  the 
cornerstone  laying. 

Quakers  Hold  Prayer  Meeting 
for  Accused  Pacifist 

A  silent  prayer  meeting  was  staged 
on  the  steps  of  the  state  capital  of 
New  Hampshire  by  nine  Quaker 
pupils  and  their  teachers  in  a  plea 
for  Dr.  Willard  Uphaus,  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  a  Methodist  pacifist 
who  faces  life  imprisonment  for  re- 
fusing to  answer  questions  in  a  New 
Hampshire  inquiry  on  communism. 

Executive  director  of  the  World 
Fellowship,  Inc.,  Center  at  Albany, 
N.  H.,  Dr.  Uphaus  refused  to  sur- 
render the  names  of  its  guests  to 
investigators. 

Eisenhower  Pays  Historic 
Visit  to  Pope 

For  the  first  time  in  almost  100 
years  the  American  national  anthem 
was  played  in  the  Vatican  when  Pres- 
ident Eisenhower  paid  his  historic 
visit  to  Pope  John  XXIII. 

President  Eisenhower's  meeting 
with  the  pope  was  the  first  such  en- 
counter since  President  Woodrow 
Wilson  was  received  by  Pope  Bene- 
dict XV  in  1919.  Although  the  initial 
conversation  between  the  President 
and  the  pope  was  private,  it  was  be- 
lieved that  their  talk  covered  such 
topics  as  summit  conference  projects 
and  international  disarmament. 

Many  of  the  European  press  and 
radio  comments  on  the  Eisenhower 
visit  expressed  the  view  that  it  would 
result  in  closer  Vatican-U.S.  rela- 
tions, especially  as  the  number  and 
influence  of  American  Catholics  is 
increasing. 

Protestant  Leaders  Urge 
Ecumenical  Council  Speak 
on  Religious  Liberty 

Officials  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches  and  nine  other  internation- 
al Protestant  bodies  have  expressed 
hope  that  the  Ecumenical  Council 
summoned  by  Pope  John  XXIII 
would  "speak  clearly  on  the  question 
of  religious  liberty."  They  said  that 
this  was  important  for  the  sake  of 
improving  interchurch  relations. 

Many  Protestant  bodies  have  pro- 
tested in  recent  years  against  the 
alleged  mistreatment  of  Protestants 
in  Colombia,  Spain,  Italy,  and  other 


GROWING  PROTESTANT  EMPHASIS 
ON  LATIN  AMERICA  SEEN 

PROTESTANT  LEADERS  in  the     America,     "where     the 


Protestant 


United  States  are  turning  increasing- 
ly hopeful  eyes  on  Latin  America 
where,  according  to  authorities,  mis- 
sion opportunities  are  virtually  un- 
limited, especially  among  large 
sections  of  the  population  who 
profess  no  active  religious  ties. 

One  of  the  most  significant  indica- 
tions of  the  growing  Protestant  em- 
phasis on  Latin  America  was  re- 
ported from  Cali,  Colombia,  where  a 
new  organization  was  set  up  to  pro- 
mote Protestant  evangelism  through 
the  radio  and  television. 

Plans  for  the  organization,  which 
will  be  known  as  Difusiones  Inter- 
Americanos  (DIA),  were  approved 
by  153  delegates  from  major  con- 
servative Protestant  groups  in  the 
United  States  and  Latin  American 
countries  engaged  in  missionary 
work  through  the  press  or  radio. 

Hailed  as  one  of  the  best  repre- 
sented and  most  significant  con- 
gresses of  evangelical  leaders  of 
Latin  America  since  World  War  II, 
the  meeting  heard  a  talk  by  Dr.  Wal- 
ter Montano,  editor  of  Christian 
Herald,  published  in  Bolivia,  who 
said  the  establishment  of  DIA  meant 
that  the  Protestant  cause  had  "taken 
a  stride  forward  of  immense  and  far- 
reaching  importance." 

That  Latin  America  is  looming 
ever  larger  not  only  in  the  conscious- 
ness of  U.S.  Protestants  but  of 
Protestants  generally  is  evident 
meanwhile  from  the  fact  that  several 
important  gatherings  have  been 
scheduled  there  during  1960  and 
other  years  ahead. 

Among  these  is  a  meeting  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  World 
Council  of  Churches  at  Buenos 
Aires,  Argentina,  next  February. 
This  will  mark  the  first  time  that 
any  of  the  council's  deliberative 
bodies  has  met  in  Latin  America. 
Details  of  the  meeting  were  dis- 
closed by  Presiding  Bishop  Sante 
Uberto  Barbieri  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Argentina,  Uruguay,  and 
Bolivia,  who  said  he  hoped  it  would 
lead  to  better  understanding  of  the 
ecumenical     movement     in     South 


churches  are  expanding." 

Planned  for  Rio  de  Janerio,  Brazil, 
toward  the  end  of  June  is  the  10th 
Baptist  World  Congress,  at  which 
about  two  thirds  of  the  anticipated 
15,000  delegates  from  nearly  100 
countries  will  come  from  Brazil, 
where  there  are  229  Baptist  churches 
in  the  Greater  Rio  area  alone. 

In  1962,  youth  leaders  from  the 
United  States  are  expected  to  be  the 
guests  of  the  Union  of  Latin  Ameri- 
can Evangelical  Youth,  when  it  holds 
its  next  quintennial  congress  in  Mex- 
ico City.  Established  at  Lima,  Peru, 
in  1941,  the  organization  already  has 
affiliates  in  eleven  countries. 

Plans  have  been  approved  to  hold 
the  fourth  Latin  American  Lutheran 
Conference  in  1965  at  a  site  to  be 
decided  later.  It  will  be  under  the 
sponsorship  of  the  Lutheran  World 
Federation's  Committee  on  Latin 
America  which  is  especially  inter- 
ested in  establishing  closer  ties  be- 
tween the  Lutheran  Church  in  Latin 
America  and  scattered  congregations 
of  European  Lutheran  emigrants 
who  have  established  their  own  in- 
dependent churches  or  missions  in 
Latin  America. 

U.S.  churchmen  have  reported 
that  while  Protestants  continue  to  be 
persecuted  in  some  parts  of  Latin 
America,  in  general  the  atmosphere 
has  continued  to  improve. 

Brooks  Hays,  president  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  dis- 
closed recendy  that  he  had  found 
a  great  increase  in  religious  liberty 
in  six  Latin  American  nations  during 
a  two-week  tour  undertaken  on  be- 
half of  the  Southern  Baptist  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions. 

The  countries  visited  by  Mr.  Hays, 
a  former  member  of  the  House  For- 
eign Affairs  Committee,  were  Col- 
ombia, Ecuador,  Peru,  Panama, 
Costa  Rica,  and  Nicaragua.  He  made 
special  mention  of  Columbia,  for- 
merly a  trouble  spot  for  Protestant 
groups,  where,  he  said,  conditions 
had  improved  since  the  overthrow  of 
dictator,  President  Rojas  Pinellas.  — 
Religious  News  Service. 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


predominantly  Catholic  countries. 
The  World  Council  is  currently  en- 
gaged in  a  study  of  religious  liberty, 
including  the  situation  of  Protestants 
in  largely  Catholic  countries. 

Protestant  leaders  meanwhile  have 
noted  what  they  regard  as  differing 


opinions  among  Catholic  theologians 
regarding  whether  "error  should  have 
the  same  right  as  truth."  Or,  in  other 
words,  whether  Protestants  should 
have  full  rights  to  worship  and 
propagate  their  faith  in  the  so-called 
Catholic  countries. 


New  Standard  Set  for  Migrant 
Labor  Recruitment 

Secretary  of  Labor  James  P. 
Mitchell  has  announced  new  stand- 
ards governing  the  recruitment  of 
migrant  agricultural  labor  through 
U.  S.  Employment  Service  offices, 
which  will  become  effective  next 
year. 

The  standards  are  designed  to 
prevent  the  use  of  federally  support- 
ed employment  agencies  for  the  re- 
cruitment of  agricultural  workers 
who  are  paid  substandard  wages  or 
live  in  substandard  housing. 

Religious  groups  have  been  in  the 
forefront  of  those  demanding  that 
the  government  enforce  higher  stand- 
ards for  migrant  workers. 

:!  Pastors  to  Train  at 
Federal  Penitentiary 

Through  the  first  agreement  of  its 
Hand,  clergymen  will  soon  be  able  to 
aget  clinical  pastoral  training  in  resi- 
dence at  the  Lewisburg  federal  pen- 
S'itentiary,  Pa. 

The  plan  will  make  it  possible  for 
[pastoral  interns  to  study  from  three 
jto  twelve  months  at  the  institution. 
l|Mark  Shedron,  executive  director  of 
ikhe  Department  of  Pastoral  Services 
I of  the  National  Council  of  Churches, 
indicates  that  his  department  will 
[(nominate  prospective  trainees  for  this 
[(program  who  have  been  endorsed  by 
fitheir  respective  denominations.  Min- 
isters with  some  orientation  in  clini- 
cal training  will  receive  preference. 

t  World  Council  Support  Pledged 
Jto  Freedom-From-Hunger 
Campaign 

The  enthusiastic  support  of  the 
|  World  Council  of  Churches  has 
I 'been  pledged  to  the  international 
IjFreedom-From-Hunger  campaign  of 
I  (the  Food  and  Agriculture  Organiza- 
tion of  the  United  Nations. 

Dr.  Egbert  de  Vries  of  the  Neth- 
erlands told  the  FAO  biennial  con- 
[  Ference  held  in  Rome  that  the  World 
[Council  would  use  all  the  resources 
I  available  in  support  of  the  campaign. 
The  campaign   is  scheduled  to  get 
i  under  way  in   1960  and  will  extend 
I  through  1965.   It  will  be  highlighted 
ley    a    major    world    food    congress 
I  scheduled    for    1963,   the  twentieth 
anniversary    year    of    the    founding 
of  FAO. 

The  World  Council  of  Churches 
Sias  announced  that  it  will  convene 
a  world  consultation  of  church  spe- 
cialists in  the  field  as  soon  as  possible 
to  blueprint  plans  for  churches'  par- 
ricipation  in  the  campaign.  It  has 
authorized  the  appointment  of  an 
additional  staff  person  to  its  Division 


of  Inter-Church  Aid  and  Service  to 
Refugees  in  order  to  organize  the 
consultation  and  give  full  time  to 
the  campaign. 

Today's  Americans  Marrying 
Younger  Than  Grandparents 

Young  people  in  America  are 
marrying  at  a  much  younger  age 
than  their  grandparents,  according 
to  U.S.  Census  Bureau. 

A  survey  just  completed  of  the 
marital  status  of  the  U.  S.  popula- 
tion indicates  that  the  median  age 
of  men  at  first  marriage  was  twenty- 
two  years,  four  months,  among  cou- 
ples married  in  1959.  The  median 
age  of  the  bride  was  twenty  years, 
two  months.  One  half  were  younger 
than  that,  and  one  half  older. 

In  1890  the  median  age  of  men  at 
first  marriage  was  twenty-six  and  one 
tenth  years,  according  to  census  rec- 
ords, and  that  of  women  was  twenty- 
two  years. 

At  the  same  time  there  has  been 
an  increase  in  proportion  of  the  per- 
sons who  marry.  About  seventy  per 
cent  of  the  male  population  fourteen 
years  of  age  and  over  is  married, 
compared  to  only  fifty  per  cent  in 
1890.  The  proportion  of  women 
over  the  age  of  fourteen  who  are 
married  has  increased  to  two  out  of 
three  against  only  a  little  more  than 
half  seventy  years  ago. 

Daily  Lives  of  Oberammergau 
Players  to  Be  Filmed 

Two  documentary  films,  one  Brit- 
ish and  one  German,  are  being  pro- 
duced, based  on  the  life  and  people 
of  Oberammergau,  Germany,  which 
is  world  famous  for  its  centuries-old 
Passion  Play  and  religious  woodcarv- 
ing  industry. 

The  two  films  will  depict  the 
daily  lives  of  the  Oberammergau 
Passion  Play  actors  and  woodcarvers 
as  well  as  rehearsal  scenes  of  the 
1960  play.  The  British  Broadcasting 
Corporation  film  is  scheduled  to  be 
premiered  on  Easter  over  TV  sta- 
tions in  England,  Canada,  and 
Australia.  No  movies  of  the  Passion 
Play  performances  themselves  are 
permitted  by  village  authorities. 
They  believe  the  filming  of  the  actual 
play  would  violate  the  drama's  re- 
ligious purpose  and  reputation. 

The  eight-hour  production,  which 
is  expected  to  draw  800,000  spec- 
tators next  May  through  September, 
has  been  performed  faithfully  by  vil- 
lagers eveiy  ten  years  since  1634, 
with  only  a  few  interruptions.  More 
than  20,000  Americans  were  among 
the  foreign  visitors  who  saw  the  last 
series  of  performances  in  1950. 


Archaeologists  to  Search 
for  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 

American  and  Jordanian  archae- 
ologists will  carry  out  extensive  re- 
search in  the  region  of  the  Dead  Sea 
soon  to  discover  the  Biblical  cities  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 

Recendy  potteries  have  been 
found  near  the  southeast  portion  of 
the  Dead  Sea,  which  are  believed 
to  have  belonged  to  Sodom.  Pilots 
flying  over  the  Dead  Sea  have  re- 
peatedly reported  seeing  ruins  of 
buildings  beneath  the  water. 

News  Briefs 

The    ordination    of   physicians   to 

the  Christian  ministry  has  been  pro- 
posed by  a  leader  of  the  Seventh-day 
Adventists.  Elder  M.  S.  Richards 
said,  "The  day  has  come  when  the 
physician  needs  to  become  a  part  of 
the  ministry,  and  the  ministry  needs 
to  become  a  part  of  the  medical 
team." 

Twenty-two  new  congregations 
have  been  started  this  year  by  the 
Evangelical  and  Reformed  Church. 

Protestant  and  Orthodox  worship- 
ers launched  the  1959  nationwide 
Share  Our  Surplus  appeal  at  the 
sixth  annual  national  capital  service 
of  Thanksgiving  held  in  Washington 
Cathedral  in  Washington,  D.  C.  The 
observance  opened  a  series  of  serv- 
ices throughout  the  country  at 
which  churchgoers  were  asked  to 
contribute  toward  the  SOS  goal  of 
$865,210. 

The  Methodist  Church  reports  that 
more  than  eighty-two  per  cent  of  the 
persons  ordained  as  ministers  in  the 
church  last  year  had  seminary  de- 
grees. This  is  the  highest  percentage 
in  the  denomination's  history. 

A  budget  of  $982,000  for  1960 
was  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Na- 
tional Missions  of  the  Evangelical 
and  Reformed  Church.  This  repre- 
sented an  increase  of  nearly  one  third 
over  its  current  appropriations.  In- 
cluded in  the  new  allocations  is  more 
than  $100,000  for  special  mission 
projects  in  this  country. 

In  Indiana  the  state  Council  of 
Churches  has  issued  a  special  appeal 
for  contributions  to  the  Share  Our 
Surplus  offerings,  increased  gifts  to 
the  Christian  Rural  Overseas  Pro- 
gram, and  to  the  United  Clothing 
Appeal  during  World  Refugee  Year. 
The  Church  World  Service  collection 
center  at  Nappanee,  Ind.,  is  one  of 
five  across  the  nation  where  clothing 
and  blankets  are  processed  for  ship- 
ment overseas. 


JANUARY  9.  1960 


21 


CHURCH 


A 

Tour 

to  the 

Holy 

Land 

John  C.  Middlekauff 


AT    WORK    IN    THE     WORLD    TODAY 


I 


N  1954,  while  I  was  pastor  of  the 
Stone  church,  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  the 
members  of  the  church  gave  me  the 
finest  gift  a  congregation  can  give  to 
its  minister.  They  sent  me  on  a  trip 
to  Europe  and  the  Holy  Land.  The 
tour,  under  the  expert  leadership  of 
L.  W.  Shultz,  was  one  of  the  high 
points  in  my  life  and  certainly  one 
of  the  greatest  educational  experi- 
ences I  have  ever  had. 

Five  years  have  passed.  As  I  now 
evaluate  the  lasting  values  of  this 
experience,  I  think  of  many  advan- 
tages which  such  a  trip  holds  for  a 
minister  or  a  lay  member  of  the 
church. 

A  New  Book 

Such  a  trip  makes  the  Bible  a  new 
book.  I  thought  I  knew  the  Bible 
prior  to  this  trip.  I  had  been  trained 
to  read  it  in  the  original  languages 
—  Hebrew  and  Greek.  I  had  read  it 
from  cover  to  cover  a  number  of 
times.  I  had  studied  much  of  it  with 
great  care.  But  going  to  the  land 
where  it  was  written  opened  the 
Bible  to  me  in  an  entirely  new  way. 
I  am  sure  that  I  learned  more  about 
the  Bible  by  traveling  in  Bible  lands 
than  from  many  courses  in  college 
and  seminary.  Since  the  customs  of 
that  part  of  the  world  have  changed 
litde  in  the  past  twenty  centuries, 
new  light  is  thrown  on  nearly  every 
page  of  the  Bible.  I  never  pick  up 
the  Bible  that  I  do  not  call  upon  my 


■;■.:.  ■  ■; 


m 
f 


kif^  *£ 


Ora  Huston 


A  visit  to  the  Holy  Land  helps  the  traveler  to  understand  better  the  setting  of  the- 
Bible,  for  one  sees  many  scenes  today  similar  to  the  way  of  life  in  Bible  timet; 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


travels  to  illuminate  what  I  read. 

The  geography  of  the  Bible  is  now 
a  living  thing.  I  can  picture  Jeru- 
salem, the  temple  area,  the  garden, 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  road  from 
Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  and  hundreds 
of  other  places  mentioned  in  the 
Scriptures. 

Those  who  have  listened  to  me 
preach  over  the  years  have  told  me 
that  my  preaching  has  been  revital- 
ized since  my  trip.  The  experiences 
added  a  new  dimension  to  the  con- 
tent of  my  preaching. 

A  Sense  of  Kinship 

I  have  a  new  sense  of  belonging 
to  the  church  of  Christ,  which 
stretches  in  an  unbroken  line  for 
nearly  2,000  years.  One  cannot 
stand  in  Jerusalem,  on  Mars  Hill,  in 
ancient  Corinth,  or  in  Borne  and  not 
feel,  in  a  way  one  has  never  felt  be- 
fore, his  kinship  with  the  aposdes 
and  martyrs,  the  fathers  of  our  faith. 

As  a  Christian  walks  over  the 
ground  which  was  trod  by  the  foot- 
steps of  the  Master,  stands  in  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane  and  reads 
again  the  experiences  of  the  night 
of  betrayal,  walks  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives  and  beside  Galilee,  stands  on 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  sees  Jeru- 


salem shimmering  under  the  moon 
visits  the   garden  tomb,   and  walkji 
the  Via  Dolorosa,  an  emotional  anc 
devotional  impact  which  time  cannc 
erase  comes  upon  the  soul. 

To  see  the  work  the  Brethren  anc 
other  church  groups  are  doing  ir 
Europe  and  the  Near  East  is  to  be 
come  convinced  of  the  importance 
of  die  program  of  the  Brethren  Serv- 
ice Commission.  The  experience 
enables  the  traveler  to  interpret  the: 
needs  and  program  of  this  area  oi 
our  work  to  the  church  in  America! 

Space  forbids  me  to  go  into  detai 
as  to  the  cultural  advantages  of  such 
a  trip.  But  to  see  some  of  the  greal. 
cities  of  Europe  and  of  the  lands  oJ 
the  Bible,  to  visit  great  cathedrals 
to  see  the  architectural  wonders  ol 
the  past,  to  see  the  great  art  of  the 
centuries  —  these  are  of  inestimable 
value  to  a  minister  or  a  lay  Christian 

My  trip  opened  many  doors  to  me 
I  must  have  lectured  and  shown  my 
pictures  to  at  least  100  groups,  in; J 
eluding  churches  of  many  denomina- 
tions, service  clubs,  granges,  anc 
others. 

My  effectiveness  as  a  pastor  ha: 
certainly  been  increased  by  the  trip 
I  have  been  enabled  to  interpret  the 
Bible,  Bible  lands,  and  the  work  o' 


The  Church  at  Work 


The  fall  Brethren  tour  to 
Europe  and  the  Holy  Land 
will  begin  on  Sept.  15, 
1960.  For  further  informa- 
tion write  to  L.  W.  Shultz, 
tour  director,  603  College 
Ave.,  North  Manchester, 
Ind. 


Co-operation  of 
in  the  Church 


the  church  to  Sunday  school  classes, 
Sunday  evening  groups,  youth  meet- 
ings, etc.,  in  a  way  that  was  impos- 
sible before. 

Finally,  my  trip  has  enabled  me 
to  understand  in  a  little  better  way 
some  of  the  world  problems  and 
some  of  the  situations  which  make 
for  tension  and  misunderstanding. 
Although  I  certainly  am  not  an  expert 
on  the  Israeli-Arab  problem,  at  least 
I  understand  a  little  better  what  it  is 
all  about. 

For  half  the  price  of  a  new  car  I 
participated  in  one  of  the  finest  ex- 
periences a  Christian  can  have  —  a 
trip  to  Europe  and  the  Holy  Land. 

Quaker  Team  Presents 
Nonviolence  Drama  Plea 

Four  members  of  an  acting  team 
have  been  giving  a  dramatic  presen- 
tation to  the  Quaker  traditional  paci- 
fist message.  While  stating  the  case 
for  nonviolence  as  the  only  answer 
to  mass  nuclear  suicide,  the  team 
stages  what  it  calls  a  "DocuDrama," 
described  as  "a  dramatic  reading 
employing  a  new  form  of  stage  tech- 
nique." 

The  title  of  the  presentation  is 
Which  Way  the  Wind,  by  Philip  C. 
iLewis.  The  narrator  is  Albert  Smith 
jBigelow,  who  made  headlines  last 
jyear  when  he  tried  unsuccessfully  to 
jsail  the  ketch  Golden  Rule  into  the 
:  Pacific  nuclear  bomb  testing  area  as 
la  protest. 


Anna  Warstler 


In  August  1958  it  was  my  privilege 
to  attend  a  consultation  on  the  Ob- 
stacles to  the  Co-operation  of  Men 
and  Women  in  Church  and  Society. 
This  study  was  held  in  Odense,  Den- 
mark, under  the  auspices  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches.  There 
were  approximately  forty  partici- 
pants from  all  over  the  world.  They 
represented  both  church  and  secular 
life. 

The  days  in  Denmark  were  filled 
with  thought-provoking  discussion. 
The  participants  in  the  conference 
were  impressed  with  the  significant 
differences  in  philosophies  regarding 
the  basic  concern  of  the  conference. 
These  differences  lay  largely  in  the 
area  of  the  role  of  the  laity  and  the 
place  of  women  in  the  church.  Many 
went  away  feeling  that  time  and  ed- 
ucation were  very  necessary  to  a 
synthesis  in  thinking  and  practice  in 
the  matter  being  discussed.  The  rea- 
son for  this  conclusion  was  largely 
because  of  widespread  diversities  in 
culture  and  theology  represented 
among  those  attending. 

This  consultation  also  pointed  up 
that  a  number  of  basic  problems  in 
the  picture  did  not  lie  alone  in  dif- 
ferences related  to  culture  and  the- 
ology. This  was  especially  true  of 
the  American  scene.  The  difficulties 
in  the  West  were  related  more  to 
strong  and  autonomous  organization- 
al structures  for  men  and  women. 
These  were  the  result  of  past  atti- 
tudes and,  therefore,  a  hang-over 
from  another  day.  Some  of  these 
organizations  were  found  to  be  run- 
ning strong  programs  almost  parallel 
to  the  central  thrust  of  the  church. 
This  fact,  then,  became  more  nearly 
the    issue    for    such    denominations, 


Host  to  Community  Forum  on  World  Affairs 

The  Decatur  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Illinois,  served  as  host  to  a  forum 
on  The  Christian  and  World  Responsibility,  sponsored  by  the  Decatur  Coun- 
cil of  Churches  on  Nov.  22.  The  program  was  held  in  connection  with  the 
Nationwide  Program  for  Peace,  which  the  member  denominations  of  the 
National  Council  of  Churches  are  conducting  this  year. 

The  afternoon  program  included  a  worship  period  provided  by  three 
international  students,  a  keynote  address,  discussion  groups,  and  a  luncheon. 
The  film,  The  Way  of  Peace,  was  shown  following  the  meal,  and  two  young 
people  who  are  participating  in  the  Peace  and  Citizenship  Speech  Contest 
gave  their  speeches  on  World  Affairs  Are  My  Affairs. 


Men  and  Women 
of  the  Brethren 

rather  than  the  ones  mentioned 
above. 

In  the  light  of  this  background  a 
very  pertinent  and  practical  question 
loomed  upon  the  horizon  for  each 
participant.  It  was:  What  does  this 
all  say  to  the  denomination  of  which 
I  am  a  part?  It  is  in  this  light  that 
the  following  question  is  proposed 
and  discussed:  What  is  meant  by  the 
co-operation  of  men  and  women  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren? 

Related  aspects  of  the  question 
can  be  focused  best  by  proposing  a 
number  of  questions  and  possible  an- 
swers for  them. 

Have  strong  and  autonomous  organi- 
zations of  men  and  women  grown  up 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  be- 
cause of  past  theology  and  philoso- 
phy? No,  the  separate  organizations 
for  men  and  women  have  never  been 
as  autonomous  as  have  those  of  some 
larger  denominations.  Our  groups 
have  never  actually  separated  into 
officially  constituted  boards.  They 
have  operated,  in  the  main,  as  arms 
of  the  church.  Today  both  the  Wom- 
en's Fellowship  and  the  Men's  Fel- 
lowship are  administratively  related 
to  the  Christian  Education  Commis- 
sion of  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board.  Their  councils  are  advisory 
bodies  to  the  two  departments  with- 
in the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
structure  which  is  responsible  for 
the  program  and  activities  for  the 
church-at-large. 

Theologically,  does  our  church  ac- 
cept men  and  women  on  the  basis  of 
churchmanship  in  its  life  and  pro- 
gram? Yes,  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren is  increasingly  working  on  this 
concept  at  all  levels  in  its  life  and 
program.  The  direction  is  verified 
partly  in  the  increasing  number  of 
capable  women  who  are  being  cho- 
sen as  members  of  Standing  Com- 
mittee, General  Brotherhood  Board, 
district  and  local  commissions,  com- 
mittees, and  in  other  positions  of 
leadership  in  the  church. 

What  is  meant  by  the  co-opera- 
tion of  men  and  women  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren?  Basically 
co-operation  becomes  a  matter  of  the 
church  at  all  levels  involving  men 
and  women  on  the  basis  of  church- 


JANUARY  9.  1960 


23 


Toward  His  Kingdom 

manship  in  the  central  life  and  pro- 
gram of  the  church. 

Wayne  Zunkel,  pastor  of  the  Har- 
risburg,  Pa.,  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
says,  "In  recent  years  we  have  wit- 
nessed a  new  emphasis  in  the  church 
on  what  men  and  women  can  do  to- 
gether. We  have  seen  a  renewed 
emphasis  on  home  and  family  life. 
The  trend  in  church  organization  is 
to  work  the  commission  form,  where 
areas  once  pioneered  by  women 
are  now  being  planned  and  carried 
out  by  men  and  women,  elected 
to  be  representatives  of  the  entire 
church  ..." 

The  increasing  involvement  of  men 
and  women  (irrespective  of  organi- 
zations )  in  various  aspects  of  the  Call 
program  is  a  sample  of  what  can 
happen  when  men  and  women  ac- 
tively participate  in  the  implementa- 
tion of  the  program  of  the  church. 
Schools  of  missions  and  evangelism, 
visitation  schedules,  and  other  ac- 
tivities planned  and  implemented 
each  year  by  the  local  church  are 
other  aspects  of  healthy  family 
"teamwork." 

What  happens  to  the  co-operation 
of  the  Women's  Fellowship  and  the 
Men's  Fellowship  when  looked  at  in 
the  foregoing  perspective?  The  cen- 
tral thrust  in  closer  relationship  be- 
tween the  two  groups  becomes  a 
matter  of  sharing  across  fellowship 
lines,  rather  than  one  of  co-operation 
or  co-ordination.  For  example,  when 
a  good  speaker  is  to  share  his  experi- 
ences or  challenge  thinking  in  a  com- 
mon area  of  the  church's  program  in 
one  of  the  fellowships,  on  a  luncheon 
occasion,  this  can  be  an  opportune 
time  for  meeting  together.  A  par- 
ticularly good  program  of  another 
type  in  one  or  the  other  group  could 
warrant  an  invitation  to  attend. 

Another  area  for  sharing  between 
the  two  fellowships  may  be  related 
to  unchurched  or  new  families  in  the 
community.  Sometimes  women  may 
be  attracted  to  a  women's  meeting 
before  attending  church.  This  may 
also  be  true  of  the  husbands  and  the 
men's  meetings.  In  some  circum- 
stances, the  fellowships  ought  to 
share  in  a  profitable  joint,  informal 
meeting  to  foster  contacts  being 
made  in  the  same  family. 

These  examples  are  only  a  few  of 
a  number  of  possibilities  for  sharing 
across  fellowship  lines.  No  extra 
meetings  are  required  over  and  above 
regularly   planned   ones,   and   yet  a 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Why,  when  there  is  a  shortage  of 
pastors,  does  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board  employ  so  many  min- 
isters on  the  Brotherhood  staff? 
The  impression  that  the  pastorate 
is  the  chief  recruitment  ground  for 
Brotherhood   staff   service   is   rather 
commonly  held.    The  facts  are  that 
less  than  half  of  the  staff  members 
are  ministers  and  only  half  of  the 
ministers,  or  less  than  one  fourth  of 
the   total,   came    directly   from   the 
pastorate.    To  complete  the  picture 
we  must  also  recall  that   ministers 
who  leave  the  staff  usually  return 
to  the  pastorate. 

While  recognizing  pastoral  ex- 
perience as  very  helpful  in  certain 
staff  positions,  the  Board  has  made  a 
real  effort  to  recruit  laymen  for 
others.  This  is  not  easy.  Many  capa- 
ble laymen  find  it  difficult  for  valid 
reasons  to  disengage  themselves  from 
the  pursuits  in  which  they  are  in- 
volved. Pastors,  on  the  other  hand, 
have  already  committed  themselves 
to  full-time  work  in  the  church  and 
are,  therefore,  more  readily  available. 
The  answer  to  the  shortage  of 
pastors  would  seem  to  be  not  merely 
a  "hands-off-the-pastorate"  policy  for 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board,  col- 
leges, and  districts,  but  a  larger 
number  of  persons  committed  to 
full-time  service  in  the  church  both 
in  ministerial  and  lay  capacities.  The 
emphasis  on  leadership  development 
and  recruitment  approved  by  Annual 
Conference  for  a  two-year  period 
beginning  in  the  fall  of  1960  should 
help  accomplish  this.  —  Norman  J. 
Baugher. 


Some  of  our  brethren  are  thinking 
that  one  half  of  the  giving  of  a 
local  church  should  be  given  to 
outreach  and  one  half  to  operate 
the  home   church  program;   alsc 
that  of  the  money  received  by  the 
Brotherhood  one  half  should  be 
used  for  home  missions  and  onevL 
half  for  outreach.   Is  this  thinkingY 
considered  a  good  goal  to  work- 
toward? 

On  first  thought  it  appears  thaiji 
the  answer  to  this  question  should  ben 
an  unqualified  "yes."  But  on  further \ 
reflection  many  questions  arise.  One!! 
is  the  matter  of  determining  whether  I 
a  program  is  "local,  home  mission,  or,s 
outreach."  Much  of  the  church  pro-j  * 
gram,    local    or    Brotherhood,    doesji 
not  easily  classify  in  these  categories.|i. 
For  example,  a  large  portion  of  the  i  ] 
Brotherhood  Fund  is  allocated  foil 
Christian   education   which   consists; 
largely   of  providing  materials   and 
services  for  the  educational  program 
of  the  local  church.  In  the  local  con 
gregation  much  depends  upon  the 
situation  as  to  whether  it  is  real- 
istic to  expect  as  much  to  be  given 
to  outreach  as  to  local  expenses.  Foi 
example,  a  new  congregation  needs 
help  until  it  becomes  established  and 
obviously    can    not    give    a    large 
amount  for  outreach.  But  for  healthy! 
growth  the  concern  for  outreach  ir 
the  home  community  as  well  as  be- 
yond must  always  be  present.    The 
goal  of  fifty  per  cent  giving  for  out- 
reach is  a  good  one.    And  perhaps 
some  congregations  should  think  ir 
terms  of  increasing  that  percentage! 
—  Norman  J.  Baugher. 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


i 


;. 


unique  service  is  rendered  for  both 
groups. 

What  values  are  conserved  in  the 
approach  made  to  the  co-operation 
of  men  and  women  in  this  presen- 
tation? 

First,  the  basic  values  inherent  in 
the  two  special  fellowships  will  not 
be  lost  in  a  pseudo-attempt  to  get 
the  memberships  of  two  organiza- 
tions together. 

The  second  value  to  be  conserved 


lies  in  the  fact  that  a  healthier  cli- 
mate will  be  generated  for  the  in- 
volvement of  men  and  women  in  the 
life  of  the  "church  family"  on  the 
basis  of  churchmanship. 

A  clear  understanding  of  these 
two  factors  will  go  a  long  way  in 
getting  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
down  the  road  in  a  healthy  initial 
thrust  in  the  matter  of  men  and  wom- 
en, as  adults,  working  together  in  the 
life  of  the  church. 


tvl 


fc 


The  Church   at  Work 


The  type  of  home  Mrs.  Kulp  expected  to  live  in  before  she  reached  Nigeria 
|  NIGERIA,   WEST  AFRICA 

At  Home  in  the  Bush 


A  HOME,  whether  it  is  in 
Alaska  or  Waynesboro  or 
Nigeria,  is  what  the  house- 
wife makes  it.  When  we  first  con- 
sidered coming  to  Africa,  I  had 
visions  of  living  in  a  mud  hut  with 
a  grass  roof. 

No  doubt  this  would  have  made 
a  more  interesting  situation  to  write 
home  about,  but  such  is  not  the  case. 
All  of  our  mission  houses  are  built 
over  much  the  same  plan,  a  bunga- 
low type,  with  six  or  seven  rooms. 

The  homes  at  Waka  are  construct- 
ed of  stone,  with  plaster  walls,  ce- 
ment floors,  and  aluminum  roofing. 
We  are  occupying  a  six-room  house, 
around  which  is  a  spacious  yard, 
with  a  struggling  flower  garden  and 
a  large  area  for  raising  vegetables. 

To  the  traditional  furniture  styles 
(antique  and  modern ) ,  we  have  add- 
ed a  third  —  "mission."  This  furni- 
ture looks  ancient  enough  to  be 
antique,  but  is  not.  Neither  does  it 
jhave  the  fluid  simplicity  of  modern 
styling.    It  is  in  a  class  by  itself. 

Evidendy  it  was  constructed  with 
an  eye  to  the  future,  because  I  am 
certain  it  is  heavy  enough  and  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  last  almost  forever. 
We  are  provided  with  all  essential 
pieces  —  chairs,  table,  beds,  buffet, 
etc. 


Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp 


Adjustments  Are  Made 

With  curtains  at  the  windows, 
pictures  on  the  walls,  and  toys  scat- 
tered everywhere,  we  feel  as  much 
at  home  at  Waka  as  we  would  any- 
where. Of  course,  there  are  adjust- 
ments to  be  made,  such  as  learning 
to  five  with  mosquito  nets.  These 
can  be  most  aggravating  when  you 
find  yourself  wrapped  up  in  netting 
as  you  try  to  climb  out  of  bed  to 
heat  the  2  a.m.  botde. 

Our  kitchen,  too,  took  a  bit  of 
getting  used  to.  It  is  not  a  particu- 
larly beautiful  room,  with  the  large, 
black,  wood-burning  stove  on  one 
side,  the  woodpile  in  one  corner,  and 
the  windows  and  screen  door  always 
thick  with  flies.  Although  there  is  no 
sink,  water  is  piped  in  and  there  is 
a  drain  for  waste. 

This  is  a  real  luxury,  since  several 
of  our  mission  stations  are  still  with- 
out running  water  in  the  homes.  Of 
course,  all  water  for  cooking,  dishes, 
and  bathing  must  be  heated,  and 
drinking  water  must  be  boiled  and 
then  filtered  before  it  is  safe  for  use. 


Learns  Oven's  Secrets 

After  one  has  been  accustomed  to 
pressing  a  button  and  having  boiling 
water  in  a  matter  of  minutes,  cooking 
with  wood  leaves  a  lot  to  be  desired. 
In  the  first  place,  a  fire  must  be  built. 
This,  in  my  case,  takes  quite  a  while 
because  I  have  been  out  of  the  Girl 
Scouts  a  good  many  years.  After  a 
few  unsuccessful  attempts  at  cake 
baking  (we  couldn't  eat  them,  but 
the  chickens  did),  I  finally  learned 
the  secret  of  the  oven's  ventilating 
system.  Since  then  my  percentage 
has  improved,  but  still  there  is  an 
occasional  soggy  cake  with  top  and 
bottom  burned. 

Along  with  the  idea  that  we  would 
live  in  a  mud  house,  I  had  the  notion 
that  our  diet  might  consist  largely  of 
native  food.  How  mistaken  I  was! 
With  a  few  exceptions  our  meals  are 
similar  to  those  at  home,  and  the  only 
foods  which  we  really  miss  are  fresh 
fish  and  apples. 

The  village  of  Biu,  a  few  miles 
west  of  Waka,  has  a  large  native 
market  in  which  we  are  able  to  buy 
fruit  —  mangoes,  guavas,  bananas, 
and  occasionally  oranges  and  grape- 
fruit —  and  eggs,  rice,  peanuts,  yams, 
onions,  and  beef  every  Monday. 
Chickens  and  ducks  are  available, 
too.  We  once  bought  a  market 
chicken  and  had  to  keep  it  and  feed 
it  for  several  weeks  before  we  had 
the  courage  to  call  it  "fryer"  size. 
However,  after  the  feathers  were  off, 
our  cook  announced:  "No  fry  —  just 
gravy." 

Meat  Prices  Low 

Goat  meat  is  plentiful  and  all  meat, 
no  matter  what  the  cut,  is  one  shilling 
(approximately  14c)  a  pound.  When 
you  speak  of  cuts  of  meat,  however, 
you  are  not  referring  to  roast,  to 
steak,  or  to  chops.  You  merely  mean 
a  piece  of  meat  which  might  have 
been  cut  from  almost  any  part  of 
the  animal's  anatomy.  About  the 
only  palatable  end  for  most  of  the 
beef  is  hamburger,  but,  at  14c  a 
pound,  we  are  thankful  for  this, 
tough  or  not. 

Everyone  at  Waka  has  gardens  in 
which  vegetables  are  raised  the  year 
around.  We  are  able  to  supplement 
these  with  tinned  fruit  and  vegeta- 
bles from  Jos,  but  this  is  impractical 
and  very  expensive.  So  if  we  are 
fortunate  enough  to  have  a  garden 
which  is  producing  string  beans  at 
the  moment,  we  eat  string  beans. 


Second  in  a  series  of  articles  originally 
published  in  the  Waynesboro  Record 
Herald,    Pennsylvania 


JANUARY  9,  1960 


25 


■»    . 


A  home  such  as  the  Kulps  live  in  at  Waka 


This  presents  a  sort  of  challenge 
in  that  after  a  while  one  does  tire  of 
beans,  and  then  you  search  your  im- 
agination and  the  cookbooks  for  new 
ways  of  preparing  them.  Having  ex- 
hausted these  possibilities,  you  either 
start  over  again  with  your  first  meth- 
od, or  begin  canning  them  or  giving 
them  away  (trouble  is,  everyone 
else's  garden  is  madly  producing 
them,  too)  and  start  eating  whatever 
happens  to  be  next  in  line  for  har- 
vesting. 

Cooking  Is  Challenge 

Because  it  does  present  a  chal- 
lenge, cooking  here  can  be  just  as 
much  fun  as  it  is  at  home.  And,  to 
most  people,  eating  is  fun  no  matter 
where  you  are.    In  proof  of  this,  I 


have  seen  mighty  few  underweight 
missionaries. 

A  quarter  century  ago,  the  physi- 
cal life  of  the  missionary  was  terrifi- 
cally rugged.  This  is  no  more.  We 
feel  that  our  standard  of  living  at 
Waka  is  every  bit  as  good  as  it  was 
in  the  United  States.  To  be  sure,  it 
is  a  life  devoid  of  luxuries,  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  we  have  learned  to 
appreciate  greatly  the  things  which 
at  home  we  took  for  granted  —  run- 
ning water,  electricity,  well-stocked 
grocery  stores,  and  pure  drinking 
water,  to  mention  only  a  few. 

In  every  way,  life  at  Waka  is 
much  more  pleasant,  much  more 
convenient,  and  more  like  the  life 
we  were  used  to  than  we  had  ex- 
pected it  would  be.   It  is  a  good  life! 


Anniversaries 

Brother  and  Sister  W.  E.  Burroughs 

celebrated  their  fifty-ninth  wedding 
anniversary  on  Nov.  18,  1959.  They 
have  been  members  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  since  1898  and  have 
served  in  the  offices  of  deacon  since 
1916.  They  have  five  children,  eighteen 
grandchildren,  and  ten  great-grandchil- 
dren. —  W.  E.  Burroughs,  Independ- 
ence, Kansas. 

Brother  and  Sister  Ed  Follis  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Jan.  27,  1959.  -  Elsie  Luke, 
Modesto,  Calif. 

Brother  and  Sister  Lewis  Hyde  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary by  taking  a  two  months'  automo- 
bile trip  through  the  midwestern  states. 
They  were  married  Sept.  29,  1909. 
Brother  Hyde  has  been  a  minister  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  since  1917. 
They  are  now  members  of  the  Cajon 
Valley  church  in  El  Cajon,  Calif.  - 
Mrs.  Kenneth  C.  Forror,  El  Caion, 
Calif. 

Brother  and  Sister  Edwin  Longe- 
necker  of  Lititz,  Pa.,  celebrated  their 
golden  ^wedding  anniversary  on  Nov. 
16,  1959.  They  are  members  of  the 
White  Oak  church,  Pa.    They  have  six 


children,  nineteen  grandchildren,  and 
two  great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Alvin 
Diffenderfer,  Manheim,  Pa. 

Doctor  and  Mrs.  Charles  C.  Wright 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Oct.  31,  1959,  with  a  recep- 
tion. They  are  both  members  of  the 
Bridegwater  church  and  have  served  in 
the  office  of  deacon  during  their  entire 
married  life.  They  have  three  children 
and  seven  grandchildren.  —  Mattie  V. 
Glick,  Bridgewater,  Va. 


Obituaries 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Gish,  Mary  Catherine,  daughter  of 
John  and  Catherine  Bowman  Lair,  was 
born  May  12,  1863,  in  Washington 
County,  Tenn.,  and  died  Oct.  5,  1959. 
In  1898  she  was  united  in  marriage  to 
George  K.  Miller,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  In  1936,  she  was  married  to 
Elder  James  W.  Gish,  who  preceded  her 
in  death.  She  united  with  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  at  the  age  of  twelve. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
Lena,  111.,  by  Brethren  Dean  Frantz, 
Kenneth  Frantz,  and  David  Ockerman. 
Interment  was  at  Lena,  111.  —  Mrs.  O. 
C.  Frantz,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 

Good  Nora,  daughter  of  W.  H.  Bice 
and  Lydia  Ashenfelter  Good,  died  Oct. 
18,  1959,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years. 


Meditations 

ON  THE 

DEEPEST 


experience 
of  life 

THE  CHOICE 
TO  LOVE 

ROBERT  RAYNOLDS 

Convinced  of  the  central  im- 
portance for  man  today  of  the 
Christian  concept  of  love,  a  well- 
established  American  novelist  has 
written  an  eloquent  commentary 
on  this  theme.  Here  is  a  wise, 
rich  book  full  of  sound  helpful 
insights  which  are  simply  and 
beautifully  stated.  $3.75 

Church  of  ihe  Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


She  is  survived  by  one  brother  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  from  the  Raders  Lutheran  church, 
with  Bro.  Joseph  Mason  officiating.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Raders  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Dwight  Atwood,  Timberville,  Va. 

Graybill,  Lizzie,  daughter  of  David 
and  Barbara  Eberly  Mellinger,  died 
Sept.  23,  1959,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two  years.  She  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Jacob  L.  Graybill,  who  preceded  her 
in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
White  Oak  church,  Pa.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  from  the  Graybill 
church  by  the  home  ministers.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Alvin  Diffenderfer,  Manheim,  Pa. 

Hartranft,  Katharine  M.,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Sarah  Minnich  Hartranft, 
of  Maugansville,  Md.,  died  Aug.  25, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years. 
She  had  been  a  member  of  the  Broad- 
fording  church,  Md.,  since  girlhood. 
She  is  survived  by  one  brother.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Broad- 
fording  church  by  Brethren  J.  Stanley 
Earhart,  D.  R.  Petre,  and  Samuel  Lind- 
say. Interment  was  in  the  adjoining 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Edith  Myers,  Hagers- 
town,  Md. 

Helser,  Clinton,  son  of  Levi  and 
Catherine  Cover  Helser,  was  born  near 
Thornville,  Ohio,  Sept.  17,  1874,  and 
died  at  Zanesville,  Ohio,  Nov.  22,  1959. 
He  was  baptized  into  the  Olivet  church, 
Ohio,  in  1891.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
Blanche,  four  daughters,  three  sons, 
one    sister,    fifteen    grandchildren,    and 


«j  if  our  great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
ji  service  was  held  at  the  Boring  funeral 
I  home  by  Bro.  Guy  S.  Fern.  Interment 
4lwas  in  the  Zion  Ridge  cemetery.  —  Guy 
l]S.  Fern,  Thornville,  Ohio. 

Hershberger,  Edward  M.,  was  born 
UOct.  5,  1884,  and  died  Sept.  12,  1959. 
■He  is  survived  by  four  daughters,  a 
Bfoster  son,  seventeen  grandchildren, 
Ijand  six  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
ll neral    service    was    conducted    at    the 

■  Paradise    church,    Ohio,    by    Brethren 

■  Thomas  E.  Shoemaker  and  Virgil  Gerig. 

■  Interment  was  in  the  Paradise  church 

■  cemetery.  —  Grace    Weigley,    Wooster, 

■  Ohio. 

Hollar,   David   M.,   son  of   Christian 

■  and  Susan  Wampler  Hollar,  died  Nov. 

■  6,  1959,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

■  He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth 

■  Branner  on  Nov.  8,  1902.  Surviving  are 
Ibis  wife,  one  son,  and  two  daughters. 
I  The  funeral  service  was  held  from  the 
ITimberville  church,  Va.,  with  Brethren 

■  Joseph  Mason  and  Joseph  Miller  offi- 
I  dating.  Interment  was  in  the  Timber- 
Iville  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Dwight  Atwood, 
ITimberville,  Va. 

Holt,  Lavina  Shaver,  was  born  Aug. 

■  29,  1870,  and  died  Oct.  12,  1959.    She 

■  was    united    in   marriage    to    John    W. 
Holt.    She  was  a  member  of  the  Beth- 

llehem  congregation,  Va.,  uniting  with 
■the  church  seventy-three  years  ago. 
■She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  four 
I  children,  twenty-two  grandchildren, 
|  twenty-eight  great-grandchildren,  and 
lone  great-grandchild.  The  funeral  serv- 
Bice  was  held  by  Brethren  Newton 
■Peters,  Ezra  Bowman,  and  Dewey 
■Fleishman.    Interment  was  in  the  Holt 

■  cemetery.  —  Pauline  Bowman,  Calla- 
Iway,  Va. 

Hoover,  Lena  M.,  daughter  of  Daniel 

■  S.  and  Susan  Stayer  Replogle,  was  born 
I  May  20,  1884,  and  died  Sept.  18,  1959. 
I  On  April  9,  1908,  she  was  married  to 
I  Elmer    Hoover,   who   preceded   her   in 

■  death.  She  was  a  charter  member  of 
I  the  Roaring  Spring  church,  Pa.    She  is 

■  survived  by  four  sons,  two  daughters, 
■fifteen  grandchildren,  one  great-grand- 
I child,  and  two  sisters.  The  funeral  serv- 
I  ice  was  conducted  by  Bro.  Berkey 
■Knavel  at  the  church.  Interment  was 
■in  the  Fairview  cemetery.  —  Margaret 
IE.  Guyer,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 

I     Horner,  Lloyd  L.,  son  of  William  and 

■  Elizabeth  Horner,  was  born  at  North 
I  Manchester,    Ind.,    Dec.    3,    1902,    and 

■  died    at    East    Canton,    Ohio,    Nov.    9, 

■  1959.    He  was  a  long-time  member  of 

■  Center    church,    where    he    served    as 

■  deacon  and  church  clerk.  He  is  sur- 
Ivived  by  his  wife,  Edna  Foltz  Horner, 
land  three  daughters.  The  funeral  serv- 
lice  was  held  in  the  Center  church  by 
I  Bro.  Harlan  Grubb  and  the  under- 
I  signed.     Interment  was   in  the   Center 

■  church  cemetery.  —  John  H.  Blough, 
i Louisville,  Ohio. 

Huffman,  Mason  L.,  son  of  Tacob  and 
I  Susan  Zirkle  Huffman,  was  born  Oct. 
[2,  1875,  and  died  in  Timberville,  Va., 

■  Nov.  20,  1959.  He  was  married  to  Belle 
Hendricks,  who  preceded  him  in  death. 
He    was    a    longtime    member    of   the 

I  Church  of  the  Brethren   and  served  as 

■  minister  of  the  Flat  Rock  church  for  a 
I  number   of   vears.     He   is   survived   bv 

■  two  sons  and  one  daughter.  The  fu- 
neral  service  was  conducted  from   the 

I  Timberville  church  bv  Brethren  Paul 
IH.  Bowman  and  Tosenh  Mason.  Inter- 
i  ment  was  in  the  Fairview  church  ceme- 


A  book  of  FICTION 

FOR 

TEEN-AGERS 

FIRST  LOVE  FAREWELL 


ANNE  EMERY 


This  is  an  interesting  story  of  first  love  and  its  effect  on  the  par- 
ticipants. Love  has  become  a  comfortable  habit  for  Pat  Marlowe  and 
her  steady,  Tim  Davis.  When  they  go  to  college,  their  different  interests 
and  outlooks  become  more  and  more  apparent.  But  the  habit  of  being 
"steadies"  has  dimmed  their  critical  faculties,  and  it  takes  them  a  long 
time  to  see  what  should  have  been  obvious  much  earlier  —  that  in  their 
growing  up  they  are  growing  apart  in  serious  ways. 

An  honest  attempt  to  look  at  a  serious  problem,  and  a  hard  but 
necessary  facing  up  to  a  solution.  $2.95 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin.  111. 


When   moving  to   or   visiting   in 

Baltimore 

you  are  invited  to  worship  in  our  churches. 


DUNDALK  Church 

Harvey  S.  Kline,  Minister 
Yorkway  and  Shipway  (22) 
Eastern  Suburban 

ELLICOTT   CITY  Fellowship 

Daniel  C.  Haldeman,  Minister 
Brendel  Manor  Park 
Western  Suburban 

FIRST  Church 

David  K.  Markey,  Minister 

4500  Liberty   Heights  Avenue  (7) 

Northwest  Baltimore 

FRIENDSHIP  Church 
Lloyd  D.  Haag,  Minister 
Mansion  Rd.  &  Coronet  Drive 
North  Linthicum,  Maryland 
South  Suburban 


LONG  GREEN  Church 

Paul  Groff,  Minister 
Long  Green   Road 
Glenn  Arm,   Maryland 
Northeast  Suburban 

NORTH  Church 

Clyde  R.  Shallenberger,  Minister 
4615  Roland  Avenue  (10) 
Northeast  Baltimore 

REISTERSTOWN  Church 

Daniel  C.  Haldeman,  Minister 
Berryman's  Lane 
Reisterstown,   Maryland 
Northern  Suburban 

WOODBERRY  Church 

Thornton  O.  Black,  Minister 
36th  Street  at  Poole  (11) 
North-central  Baltimore 


Pastors  Jiaving  members  moving  to  Baltimore  are  encouraged  to  send 
their  names  and  addresses  to  Paul  Groff,  Chairman,  Baltimore  Brethren 
Pastor's  Association.   Help  in  locating  housing  is  available. 


tery.  —  Mrs.    Dwight  Atwood,   Timber- 
ville, Va. 

Hutchison,  Anna  Martha,  daughter 
of  James  and  Susanna  Hutchison,  was 
born  in  Fayetteville,  W.  Va.,  and  died 
Oct.  26,  1959,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years,  in  Easton,  Md.  She  at- 
tended Blue  Ridge  College,  Md.,  and 
Bethany  Bible  School,  teaching  for  a 
time  at  the  former.    She  was  a  mission- 


ary in  China  for  thirty  years,  retiring  in 
1941.  She  is  survived  by  four  sisters 
and  a  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Easton  church,  with  Bro. 
Floyd  Mitchell  officiating.  Interment 
was  in  the  Fairview  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Oscar  Mankamyer,  Easton,  Md. 


JANUARY  9.  1960 


27 


£>o.ziu  &ne£h>ie*t  Should  Khoua 

How  to  be 
"rich  toward 
God" 


Luxe    12:15-21  Edward    K.    Ziegler 

Moderator,  Church  of  the  Brethren 

"While  serving  our  church  in  various  posts,  I  have  talked 
with  many  hundreds  of  Brethren  who  are  deeply  dedicated  to 
Christ's  program  through  the  church,  and  who  would  like  to 
help  carry  it  forward.  Also,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  great  open  doors  before  the  church  in  America  and 
overseas.  I  have  seen  new  churches  rise  and  grow  into 
responsible  and  mature  congregations.  I  have  seen  churches 
bloom  with  new  life  and  enthusiasm  as  a  new  pastor  stirs  them 
to  serve  and  to  witness. 

"At  the  same  time,  all  of  us  are  aware  of  two  terrific 
pressures :  the  pressure  of  the  world  around  us,  seeking  to  force 
us  into  the  mold  of  materialism  and  pagan  practices,  spending 
our  money  on  that  which  is  not  bread;  and  the  pressure  of 
world  events,  with  their  sinister  forces  of  cold  war  and  prepara- 
tion for  hot  war,  hatred  and  racial  strife  in  America  and  abroad. 

"When  we  Brethren  discern  the  claims  of  Christ  on  one 
hand  and  feel  the  pressures  of  paganism  and  doom  on  the 
other,  we  seek  for  those  things  which  really  endure. 

"If  day  by  day  we  use  our  lives  and  possessions  for  Christ 
and  the  church,  and  thoughtfully  plan  for  the  enlargement  of 
our  Christian  influence  through  the  right  use  of  accumulated 
possessions,  we  can  be  sure  we  are  on  the  right  side  of  God's 
balance. 

"The  1957  Annual  Conference  spoke  forthrightly  on  the 
stewardship  of  accumulated  possessions.  Why  not  acquaint 
yourself  with  the  various  means  of  expressing  your  Christian 
faith  through  providing  substance  for  the  far-reaching  work 
of  the  Kingdom?" 

(Clip  and  Mail) 


GENERAL  BROTHERHOOD  BOARD 
CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 

1451   Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois 
Hari  L  Russell,  Director  of  Special  Gifts 

Dear  Brother  Russell: 

Please  provide  information,  without  obligating  me  in 
any  way.  on  the  following  means  of  expressing  my.  faith 
and  my  Interest  in  advancing  Brotherhood  worV. 


□  A  Life  Income  Plan 

□  A  Real  Estate  Deed 
(reserving  life  use  and 
income) 

□  A  Bequest  In  a  Will 


□  A  Transfer  of  Stocks  or 
Bonds  (reserving 
Income  for  life) 

Q  An  Assignment  of  Life 
Insurance 


□  A  Cift  Annuity 

(providing  substantial 
income  benefits) 

Q  A  Living  Memorial 


PJame...- 

Street,  RFD 

Cty    


Hylton,  Jabe,  son  of  Gilbert  and 
Salen  Hylton,  was  born  Oct.  22,  1901, 
in  Floyd  County,  Va.,  and  died  Oct. 
22,  1959.  He  was  a  member  of  thei 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  four  sons,  three; 
daughters,  seven  grandchildren,  four, 
brothers,  and  five  sisters.  The  funeral! 
service  was  held  at  the  Laurel  Branch' 
church  by  Brethren  L.  D.  Bowman  and 
Maurice  Strausbaugh.  Interment  was 
in  the  church  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  May- 
nard  Hylton,  Floyd,  Va. 

James,  Burl  Thomas,  son  of  Benja- 
min and  Margaret  Sechler  James,  was 
born  in  Ebensburg,  Pa.,  June  23,  1885, 
and  died  May  31,  1959.  On  July  31, 
1926,  he  was  married  to  Mabelle 
Kauffman  Jacobs.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Madison  Avenue  church,  York,  Pa. 
Surviving  are  his  wife  and  a  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Edward  W.  Baumeister  Colonial  mor- 
tuary, with  Bro.  Jesse  O.  Jenkins  of- 
ficiating. Interment  was  in  Mummerts 
meetinghouse  cemetery.  —  Paul  Wertz, 
York,  Pa. 


Church  News 


Michigan 

Beaverton  —  We  observed  our  love- 
feast  and  communion  the  evening  of 
World  Communion  Sunday,  and  our 
harvest  meeting  and  home-coming  on 
Oct.  25.  Bro.  Frank  Baldwin  was  our 
speaker.  Church  and  church  school 
officers  were  installed  on  Oct.  4.  The 
women's  fellowship  continue  to  work 
on  comforters,  clothing  for  relief,  and  I 
cancer  pads.  —  Mrs.  Chas.  E.  Ward, 
Beaverton,  Mich. 

Hope  —  Four  have  joined  our  fellow- 
ship since  our  last  report.  Brother  and 
Sister  Harold  Barigh  were  our  delegates . 
to  district  conference.  The  men  of  our 
church  gave  ten  acres  of  corn  to  CROP. 
Following  a  loyalty  dinner,  several  went 
out  on  the  Call  visitation.  We  had  a 
consecration  service  for  all  church  and 
Sunday  school  workers.  On  Oct.  4,  we 
observed  our  love  feast.  Our  quarterly 
council  meeting  was  moderated  by  Bro. 
Martin  Kreiger.  Our  pastor  and  his  wife. 
Brother  and  Sister  Rornmie  Moore,  held 
open  house  which  is  their  custom 
every  year  —  Wilmina  Wieland,  Free- 
port,  Mich. 

North  Atlantic 

Ambler  —  Nine  have  been  received 
by  baptism  and  six  by  transfer  of  letter. 
New  members  were  honored  at  a  family 
night  dinner  and  reception.  The  women 
of  the  church  sponsored  a  project  to 
help  raise  funds  toward  the  purchase 
of  two  small  trucks  and  one  large  truck 
for  Nigeria.  The  women's  fellowship 
held  its  first  fall  meeting  with  a  smorgas- 
bord and  installation  of  officers.  Breth- 
ren Irwin  S.  Hoffer  and  Donald  L. 
Kline  officiated  at  the  communion  on 
World  Communion  Day.  A  district 
leadership  training  school  was  held  for 
four  Monday  evenings.  Brother  Hoffer' 
was  re-elected  moderator  for  another 
year.  The  women  visited  the  United 
Nations,  Radio  City  Music  Hall,  the 
Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine  and 
Riverside  church  in  New  York  City. 
Two  infants  were  dedicated  on  Nov.  15. 
A  district  women's  prayer  retreat  was 
held  at  the  church.    Guy  West  was  the 


guest  speaker  for  the  men  and  women's 
Fellowship  banquet  at  the  Central 
Schwenkfelder  church.  —  Mary  E.  Har- 
ing,  Lansdale,  Pa. 

Norristown  —  On  Children's  Day  a 
chalk  artist  gave  a  message  to  the 
children.  During  our  pastors  vacation 
Brethren  A.  C.  Baugher  and  Claude 
Wisler  filled  the  pulpit.  We  had  a  dedi- 
cation service  for  children  one  Sunday. 
As  part  of  the  Call  emphasis  we  have 
used  envelopes  the  third  Sunday  of  each 
month  for  our  commitments  for  the  Call 
program.  We  had  our  love  feast  on 
Oct.  4  and  the  harvest  home-coming 
day  on  Nov.  8;  at  the  latter  Ezra  K. 
Bucher  was  the  speaker.  The  collection 
of  canned  goods,  books,  and  clothing 
were  given  to  the  Neffsville  Children's 
Home.  —  Sara  E.  Grimley,  Norristown, 
Pa. 

Philadelphia,  First  —  Bro.  John  Len- 
gle  was  licensed  to  the  ministry  in  a 
service  conducted  by  Bro.  Howard 
Keiper.  Nancy  Rosenberger,  our  parish 
visitor  for  the  summer,  made  a  door-to- 
door  survey  of  the  community  and  left 
a  copy  of  our  new  brochure  at  every 
home.  She  also  directed  our  Bible 
school.  Mrs.  Betty  Reber,  Barbara  Jones 
and  Henry  Eckenrode  were  counselors 
at  Camp  Swatara.  Mrs.  Gladys  Lengle 
and  Miss  Rosenberger  were  counselors 
at  Camp  Harmony.  The  youth  groups 
journeyed  by  bus  to  the  district  youth 
rally  at  Royersford.  Calvert  N.  Ellis, 
president  of  Juniata  College  spoke  at 
our  church  on  Oct.  25.  An  inter- 
communications system  has  been  in- 
stalled between  the  church  office  and 
the  choir  room.  Additional  land,  ad- 
joining the  church,  has  been  purchased. 
A  new  Sunday  school  class  has  been 
organized  for  our  older  youth.  One 
member  has  been  received  by  baptism 
and  nine  by  letter.  Our  outreach  giving 
this  year  is  double  that  of  last  year's. 
—  Mary  L.  Riethof,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 

Hollidaysburg  —  At  our  council,  Bro. 
Berkey  Knavel  was  re-elected  moderator 
and  our  pastor,  Bro.  Ivan  Fetterman, 
associate.  During  the  summer  months 
our  church  co-operated  in  the  com- 
munity union  services  held  on  Sunday 
evenings.  Prof.  Nevin  Fisher  held  a 
music  institute.  We  recendy  completed 
a  mission-to-members  program.  At  the 
district  mission  institute  Benton  Rhoades 
and  Charles  Bieber,  a  missionary  to 
Africa,  were  the  resource  leaders.  Eight 
of  our  young  people  are  enrolled  in 
various  colleges.  We  entertained  the 
Middle  District  men's  fellowship  ban- 
quet. The  young  people  are  planning 
for  a  live  nativity  scene  on  the  church 
lawn  for  the  Christmas  season.  Eighteen 
have  been  received  by  letter  and  five 
by  affirmation  of  faith.  —Elmer  J. 
Brubaker,  Hollidaysburg,  Pa. 

Leamersville  —  Our  pastor  and  his 
wife,  Brother  and  Sister  Pletcher,  were 
delegates  to  Annual  Conference.  In 
their  absence,  Brethren  Joe  Clapper  and 
A.  E.  Frederick  preached  for  us.  Ten 
of  our  CBYF  group  attended  the  re- 
gional youth  conference  at  Juniata  Col- 
lege. Bro.  Earl  Zigler  preached  for  one 
week,  closing  with  our  love  feast.  Four- 
teen have  been  added  to  the  church 
by  baptism  and  three  by  letter.  Our 
women's  fellowship  has  been  making 
cancer  dressings  and  school  kits  for 
Nigeria.  —  Mrs.  Rachel  Claar,  East 
Freedom,  Pa. 


^llllll!llllllllllll!lllll!llll[|||||l!IIIIII!l!!IIIIIIIIIII!lllllil!imy 


Atew.  haakl  ftiam  Abiwfydoti 


WITH  CHRIST  IN  THE  UPPER  ROOM 

Lynn  J.  Radcliffe.  Many  times  have  the  events  of  the  Upper 
Room  been  recounted,  but  seldom  with  the  vividness  of  Dr.  Rad- 
cliff's  presentation.  He  translates  the  events  into  personal  meanings 
for  twentieth  century  Christians.  $1.50 

SERMONS  ON  THE  PRODIGAL  SON 

Thomas  A.  Whiting.  Twelve  brief  messages,  rich  in  sound  theo- 
logical and  psychological  truths,  on  The  Parable  of  the  Prodigal 
Son,  pointing  out  striking  similarities  in  the  lives  of  men  and 
women  everywhere.  $2 

THE  MASTER'S  MEN 

William  Barclay.  By  examining  all  that  the  New  Testament, 
legend,  tradition,  and  early  Christian  and  Jewish  writers  have  to 
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Order  from  your  bookstore  today! 

PUBLISHER  OF  THE  INTERPRETER'S  BIBLE  I 


Roaring  Spring  —  During  the  sum- 
mer, forty-four  of  our  older  children 
and  youth  attended  Camp  Harmony. 
Our  church  has  adopted  the  board  of 
administration  and  commission  plan  to 
serve  better  the  various  areas  and  needs 
of  our  church  and  church  school.  Our 
love  feast  was  conducted  by  our  pastor, 
Bro.  Berkey  Knavel.  The  guest  minister 
for  our  spiritual  emphasis  week  was 
Bro.  Wilbur  Hoover.  Seven  persons 
have  been  received  by  baptism  and  four 
by  transfer  of  letter.  The  pastor  is 
conducting  the  class  in  church  mem- 
bership. Nov.  15  was  older  servants' 
day,  with  special  recognition  at  morn- 
ing worship  for  all  who  were  seventy 


years  of  age  or  older.  The  women's 
fellowship  served  the  noon  meal.  — 
Margaret  E.  Guyer,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 
Upper  Claar  —  Pearl  Walter  is  repre- 
senting our  congregation  in  BVS.  Bro. 
Ralph  W.  Schlosser  held  a  two-week 
meeting  in  our  church.  Our  church 
adopted  a  constitution  which  included 
a  reorganization  of  our  congregation  ac- 
cording to  the  commission  plan.  We 
dedicated  our  new  education  wing  along 
with  the  other  improvements  to  our 
present  church;  Calvert  N.  Ellis  was 
the  speaker.    A  new  organ  has   been 


JANUARY  9,  1960 


29 


For  superintendents 

Superintendent's 
Guide  1960 


85c 

This  handy  guide  offers 
for  each  Sunday  all  the 
lesson  references  and  addi- 
tional references  for  the 
home  study  of  the  Sunday- 
school  lesson;  prayer  sug- 
gestions; a  suggestion  for 
the  superintendent's  desk 
lesson,  the  appropriate  type 
of  hymns,  a  weekly  quiet 
meditation.  There  are  also 
timely  monthly  suggestions, 
a  program  for  the  monthly 
workers'  conference,  quar- 
terly orders  of  service,  and 
special  features  such  as 
suggestions  for  reference 
books  and  maps.  Blank 
pages  are  provided,  too,  for 
the  superintendent's  statis- 
tical records. 


Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


DISTRICT 

OF 

FLORIDA 

JACKSONVILLE 
CLAY  COUNTY 
WINTER   PARK- 
ORLANDO 
TAMPA 


ST.   PETERSBURG- 
SEBRING- 
LORIDA- 
ARCADIA- 
OKEECHOBEE 
FORT  MYERS 
POMPANO   BEACH- 
MIAMI-SOUTH   MIAMI- 

Brethren,  If  You  Are  Planning  A  Trip  To 
Florida,  We  Invite  You  To  Visit  Any  Or 
All  Of  Our  Churches.  If  You  Are  Planning 
To  Move  To  Florida,  We  Invite  You  To 
Settle  In  The  City  Of  Your  Choice,  And 
Unite  With  One  Of  Our  Churches. 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


presented  to  the  church  by  one  of  our 
families.  Our  women's  fellowship  has 
been  making  kits  for  Nigeria,  collecting 
and  making  bed  clodiing  for  Japan,  and 
rolling  bandages.  Our  pastor  is  now 
conducting  a  membership  class.  Three 
persons  were  received  into  the  church 
by  baptism.  On  Juniata  College  day 
Dr.  Morley  Mayes  was  the  speaker.  — 
Mrs.  Betty  Claar,  Claysburg,  Pa. 

Mardela 

Fairview  —  The  proceeds  from  a  dis- 
trict supper  at  Camp  Mardela  will  be 
used  for  improvements  on  the  swimming 
pool.  Some  of  our  members  attended 
the  home-coming  services  at  the  Ridgely 
church  to  celebrate  their  seventy-fifth 
anniversary.  Bro.  Ray  Showalter  spoke 
at  our  church  one  Sunday  night.  Our 
women's  fellowship  was  invited  to  a 
covered  dish  dinner  at  the  Easton 
church.  —  Mrs.  Helen  N.  Bridge,  Cor- 
dova, Md. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Piney  Creek  —  The  women's  fellow- 
ship visited  the  Fahrney-Keedy  home 
and  each  one  took  a  gift.  Our  moder- 
ator, Bro.  Joseph  Caricofe,  presided  at 
our  semiannual  council  meeting.  We 
had  our  installation  of  officers  and 
teachers  for  the  new  year.  Several  of 
our  youth  attended  the  district  CBYF 
retreat  at  Flower  Hill  church.  Our 
CBYF  has  recently  organized  under  the 
youth  action  plan.  Sister  Alice  Wolfe 
and  Bro.  Harry  Bowers  were  delegates 
to  district  conference.  On  Oct.  2-4, 
Bro.  Ralph  W.  Schlosser  of  Elizabeth- 
town,  Pa.,  directed  a  Bible  institute. 
As  guests  of  the  Westminster  women's 
fellowship,  our  women's  group  had  the 
privilege  of  hearing  Sister  Anna  Mow, 
retired  missionary  to  India.  Our  preach- 
ing mission  was  conducted  Oct.  18-24 
by  Bro.  Ray  Showalter  of  Bridgewater, 
Va.  We  gained  three  members  by  bap- 
tism. Our  love  feast  was  held  on 
Oct.  25.  —  Genevieve  Baumgardner, 
Taneytown,   Md. 

Middle  Maryland 

Broadfording  —  We  dedicated  our  ed- 
ucational building  and  remodeled  sanc- 
tuary. We  have  completed  our  first 
year  in  which  we  have  had  a  budget 
and  envelopes.  Delegates  to  Annual 
Conference  were  Bro.  David  R.  Petre 
and  Bro.  Charles  F.  Wasson,  Jr.  During 
the  past  year,  we  received  thirty-four 
persons  by  baptism  and  fourteen  by 
letter.  The  pastor  conducted  member- 
ship instruction  classes  for  adults  and 
for  the  junior  boys  and  girls.  Our 
evangelistic  services  were  held  by  Bro. 
Howard  A.  Whitacre.  Prior  to  the 
meetings,  we  had  cottage  prayer  meet- 
ings. A  service  was  held  commemorat- 
ing fifty  years  of  service  in  the  ministry 
by  Bro.  David  R.  Petre  and  also  by 
ministers  since  the  beginning  of  the 
congregation.  A  plaque  has  been 
placed  in  the  educational  building  on 
which  the  names  of  all  the  ministers 
appear.  Our  Sunday  school  classes  are 
conducting  a  visitation  program  as  the 
new  year  begins.  —  Edith  Myers,  Hag- 
erstown,   Md. 

Longmeadow  —  Bro.  LeRoy  Wastler 
was  our  guest  minister  while  our  pastor 
attended  Annual  Conference.  The  Bible 
school  offering  was  sent  to  the  retarded 
children  of  Washington  County.  Mr. 
Chauncey    Kauffman,    administrator    of 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or  se- 
cure employment  in  Brethren  commu- 
nities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program,  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  III. 

No.  433.  Family  (parents  and  boy 
and  girl  aged  12)  desire  work  on  a 
farm,  or  in  a  hospital,  orphanage,  or 
factory.  Husband  can  carpenter.  Wife 
likes  to  work  with  children.  All  are 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. Contact:  Mr.  Charles  C.  Myers, 
R.  1,  Twelve  Mile,  Ind. 

No.  434.  Wanted:  Full-time  chap- 
lain for  general  hospital.  Must  be  ac- 
credited by  American  Protestant  Hos- 
pital Association.  Needed  immediately. 
Contact  Dean  L.  Farringer,  625  E.  Elm 
St.,  Lima,  Ohio. 

No.  435.  Wanted:  A  full-time  dis- 
trict youth  fieldworker.  Prefer  a  col- 
lege graduate  possibly  with  one  or  two 
years  teaching  experience  and  previous 
youth  work  experience.  Contact:  North- 
ern Indiana  District  CBYF,  Ken  Krull, 
Box  1001,  Manchester  College,  North 
Manchester,  Ind. 


Brooklane  farms,  was  our  guest  speaker 
one  Sunday  evening.  Special  music 
was  provided  by  Brooklane.  We  gave 
a  worship  service  at  the  Western  Mary- 
land state  chronic  disease  hospital.  Bro. 
Lester  Fike  was  the  guest  minister  for 
our  preaching  mission.  Sister  Sonja 
Burger  showed  slides  of  her  volunteer 
service  experience.  The  women  have 
been  collecting  clothing  and  starting  to 
knot  comforters  for  the  needy.  Our 
church  conducted  an  evening  worship 
service  and  meal  at  the  Hagerstown 
union  rescue  mission.  —  Mrs.  Frank  E. 
Bywaters,  Hagerstown,  Md. 

Martinsburg  —  Our  vacation  Bible 
school  was  held  the  first  two  weeks 
in  June.  Bro.  Robert  L.  Byrd  and  his 
wife  were  our  delegates  to  the  Annual 
Conference.  Seven  of  our  young  people 
were  sent  by  the  church  to  Camp 
Peniel.  Since  the  resignation  of  our 
minister,  Bro.  Robert  L.  Byrd,  we  have 
been  without  one,  and  the  pulpit  has 
been  filled  by  other  ministers  from 
the  district.  The  worship  committee 
has  been  responsible  for  our  midweek 
services.  Our  junior  choir,  under  the 
direction  of  Miss  Betty  Brown,  brings 
us  a  special  number  the  first  Sunday 
of  every  month.  —  Blanch  Sponaugle, 
Martinsburg,  W.  Va. 


Western  Maryland 

Bear  Creek  —  On  Sept.  6,  Bro.  J. 
Rogers  Fike  was  installed  as  pastor  by 
Bro.  Edward  G.  Wenger.  Our  church 
was  hostess  to  the  district  women's 
meeting.  The  men's  meeting  and  ban- 
quet or  the  district  was  held  at  Maple 
Grove.  The  fall  banquet  of  the  district 
youth  was  held  at  the  Oak  Park  church. 
The  Thanksgiving  service  was  held  on 
Nov.  25.  Plans  are  being  made  for  the 
improvement  of  the  church  plant.  — 
Mrs.  Fred  Alexander,  Accident,  Md. 

Cherry  Grove  —  Brother  and  Sister 
Arthur  Scrogum  of  Hagerstown  were 
guests  on  family  night,  and  they  showed 
pictures  that  they  took  while  on  a  tour 
in  Germany.  We  held  vacation  Bible 
school  in  July.  Our  CBYF  meets  twice 
each  month  with  a  spiritual  program 
at  one  meeting  and  recreation  at  the 
other.  One  Sunday  evening  each  month 
other  denominations  are  invited  to  a 
program.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  J.  R.  Jack- 
son, held  our  revival  meeting.  Mrs. 
Clyde  Bowman  was  our  delegate  to 
Annual  Conference  this  year.  —  Mrs. 
Asa  E.  Wilhelm,  Lonaconing,  Md. 

Pine  Grove  —  During  the  Call  to  Wit- 
ness program  seven  were  received  by 
baptism  and  one  by  rededication.  Bro. 
Fred  Shaffer,  and  his  wife  were  our 
delegates  to  the  Annual  Conference. 
Vacation  Bible  school  was  held  during 
the  last  two  weeks  of  July.  Bro.  Eugene 
Matthews  held  revival  service  for  two 
weeks  in  September.  Eight  persons 
were  received  into  the  church  by  bap- 
tism. —  Pleasant  Rinker,  Oakland,   Md. 

Tennessee 

Jackson  Park  —  Our  church  elected 
Roy  E.  Clarke  as  pastor  and  moderator 
for  the  coming  year.  Charles  Rinehart, 
the  district  finance  chairman,  and  our 
pastor  conducted  the  every-member 
canvass.  Our  revival  was  held  in  Octo- 
ber by  Bro.  Butler  Sizemore.  The  re- 
vival closed  with  a  fellowship  meal.  Six 
have  been  received  by  baptism  and 
three  by  letter.  We  held  our  harvest 
meeting  at  the  church,  and  the  worship 
services  were  broadcast  over  WJSO. 
On  Dec.  6,  the  pastor  and  his  wife 
were  formally  installed  by  Bro.  G.  W. 
Petcher.  —  Mrs.  Roy  Clarke,  Johnson 
City,  Tenn. 

First  Virginia 

Hopewell  —  Brother  and  Sister  Roy 
Lowder  and  Brother  and  Sister  James 
Lassiter  were  installed  into  the  office 
of  deacon.  On  Oct.  4,  our  love  feast 
was  held.  Maurice  Nichols  has  been 
transferred  to  California  for  a  period 
of  his  work  in  BVS.  Bro.  David  E.  An- 
drews was  our  guest  minister  while 
Bro.  Clyde  Hylton  was  away.  An  in- 
terpretation session  on  Brethren  materi- 
als was  held  at  the  Richmond  church 
for  all  teachers  of  the  Tidewater  area.  — 
Mrs.  E.  D.  Green,  Hopewell,  Va. 

Pleasant  View  —  The  evangelistic  em- 
phasis of  the  Call  program  was  carried 
on  with  home  visitation.  Galen  McAvoy 
was  elected  as  our  moderator  for  anoth- 
er year.  Our  revival  was  held  by  Bro. 
Russell  G.  West.  As  a  result,  four  were 
received  by  baptism  and  one  awaits 
the  rite.  Brother  West  painted  a  scene 
for  our  baptistry  while  here.  We  re- 
modeled our  parsonage  by  adding  two 
rooms    and    installing    an    oil    furnace. 


Meditations  on  Garden  Themes 

Josephine  Robertson 


In  these  devotions  the  author  has  used  her 
garden  experiences  and  those  of  others  to  express 
universal  truths  about  everyday  living.  Each  devo- 
tion opens  widi  a  scripture  reading,  which  is 
followed  by  a  brief  meditation  and  a  prayer.  The 
illustrative  material  ranges  from  the  familiar  expe- 
riences of  today's  do-it-yourself  gardener  to  less 
familiar  adventures  of  early  plant  discoveries,  from 
the  little  garden  at  the  railroad  crossing  to  the 
great  Botanic  Gardens.  $1.75 


F^~ 


i    : 


A  Poet  Prays 

Violet  Alleyn  Storey 

This  collection  of  original  poetry  is  divided 
into  four  sections:  prayers  for  comfort  in  time  of 
grief,  prayers  of  strength  and  peace,  prayers  of 
brotherhood  and  service,  and  prayers  of  the  vision 
of  God  in  nature.  In  them  the  author  has  ex- 
pressed the  emotions  prompted  by  experiences 
familiar  to  all.  $2.00 


The  Bible  Speaks 
to  Daily  Needs 

Georgia  Harkness 
Here  are  86  meditations 
that  apply  Biblical  teachings 
directly  to  human  problems  and  anxieties.  Each 
meditation  begins  with  a  brief  citation  of  a  common 
need,  and  is  followed  by  a  scripture  passage  which 
answers  that  need.  Questions  for  self-examination 
make  the  messages  even  more  meaningful.  A  prayer 
closes  each  devotion.  $1.50 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


Our  communion  was  held  on  Oct.  4.  — 
Mrs.  Bertha  Hitchock,  Oak  Hill,  W.  Va. 

Roanoke,  Ninth  Street  —  Two  of  our 
members  were  licensed  to  the  ministry, 
David  Barnhart  and  Paul  Eller.  During 
November,  our  church  teamed  up  with 
the  Central  church  on  Sunday  nights 
for  a  Christian  life  and  leadership 
school.  Carroll  Ringgold,  Paul  Crumley 
and  Mrs.  Paul  White  were  in  charge  of 
the  classes.  Bro.  Russell  West  brought 
the  messages  at  our  revival.  We  re- 
ceived eight  by  baptism  and  two  by 
letter.  During  the  year  we  have  re- 
ceived forty-three  new  members.  On 
Thanksgiving  Day  we  held  a  fellowship 
breakfast  and  Thanksgiving  service. 
While  our  pastor,  Bro.  Paul  White,  held 
a  revival  at  Trinity  church,  our  choir 
presented  a  song  service.  —  Mrs.  J.  R. 
Flora,  Roanoke,  Va. 

Roanoke,  Williamson  Road  —  Since 
our  last  report,  our  church  has  elected 
Bro.    J.    Bunyan    Peters    as    moderator. 


During  the  past  year,  two  young  men, 
Donald  M.  Ziegler  and  James  C.  Wood, 
were  licensed  to  the  ministry.  During 
the  last  six  mondis  our  membership  has 
increased  by  twenty-two  members.  Bro. 
M.  Guy  West  conducted  our  evange- 
listic meeting  in  September.  Beverly 
Laird  is  working  in  our  church  as  a 
volunteer  worker.  A  church  kinder- 
garten was  organized  in  the  fall.  John 
A.  Solanky,  a  graduate  student  from 
India,  is  attending  college  at  Blacks- 
burg.  He  recently  became  a  member 
of  our  congregation.  Our  church  has 
just  completed  a  leadership  training 
school  in  co-operation  with  Hollins  Road 
church.  —  Mrs.  T.  E.  Scott,  Roanoke, 
Va. 

Trinity  —  Since  our  last  report,  we 
have  received  one  by  baptism  and  one 
by  letter.    Delegates  to  the  district  con- 


JANUARY  9,  1960 


31 


PEWS,  PULPITa  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

4/  WRITE  FOR //«e  CATALOG 
W   AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

J.RRedington&Co. 


DEPT.  211  SCRANTON  2.  PA. 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  . 


Name 


R.  D.  or  St. 


p  o Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


ference  were  Mrs.  C.  R.  Firestone  and 
John  Alderson.  Installation  service  was 
held  for  the  church  and  Sunday  school 
officers  and  teachers.  Bro.  D.  P.  Hylton 
was  guest  speaker  on  Oct.  4.  Cottage 
prayer  meetings  during  October  were 
sponsored  by  the  young  adult  class. 
Bro.  Paul  White  was  the  guest  minister 
for  our  revival  meeting.  In  connection 
with  the  Thanksgiving  service,  the  new 
educational  unit  of  our  church  was 
dedicated;  a  large  picture  of  Christ  and 
the  altar,  which  was  made  and  pre- 
sented by  our  pastor,  Bro.  E.  J.  Jacobs, 
were  also  dedicated.  The  women  have 
been  making  quilts.  —  Mrs.  H.  B.  Lay- 
man, Troutville,  Va. 

Northern  Virginia 

Timberville  —  We  have  been  con- 
ducting our  visitation  and  Call  program. 
The  women's  fellowship  filled  twenty- 
seven  Christmas  stockings  which  will  be 
distributed  to  the  jail  and  to  the  mental 
hospitals.  We  have  just  concluded  a 
week  of  evangelistic  services  by  Bro. 
David  Rogers.  Special  music  was  ren- 
dered each  night  and  guest  ministers 
were  invited  in  to  conduct  the  opening 
worship.  —  Mrs.  Dwight  Atwood,  Tim- 
berville, Va. 

Southern  Virginia 

Topeco  — We  called  Arthur  L.  War- 
ner of  Gaithersburg,  Md.,  to  be  our 
pastor.  Officers  elected  for  the  coming 
year  included  Bro.  S.  B.  Alderman  as 
moderator.  Bro.  Russell  West  of  Wiley, 
Colo.,  held  a  series  of  meetings.  As 
a  result,  four  were  baptized.  The 
church  is  making  an  office  at  the 
church.  At  a  council  meeting  on  Oct. 
4,  the  church  authorized  the  formation 
of  a  Boy  Scout  troop.  Bro.  C.  C.  Reed 
was  our  delegate  to  Annual  Conference. 
C.  W.  Harman,  Wilbur  Weddle,  and 
Roy  Quesenbeny  have  been  installed 
in  the  office  of  deacon.  —  Hannah  H. 
Hoback,  Floyd,  Va. 

Spray  —  We  held  our  love  feast  in 
October.  Bro.  Wilmer  Q.  Crummett 
was  the  evangelist  for  our  revival.  Six 
have  been  baptized.  Our  pastor,  Bro. 
Homer   J.    Miller   is    conducting    Bible 


32 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


study  on  Sunday  and  Wednesday  nights. 
We  participated  in  the  union  Thanks- 
giving service  sponsored  by  the  churches 
of  Spray.  —  Mrs.  Sam  B.  Thomas,  Leaks- 
ville,  N.  C. 


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The  International  Lesson  Annual,  1960 

edited   by    Charles    M.   Laymon;   lesson    analysis 
by  Roy  L.  Smith 

A  comprehensive  commentary  on  the  Interna- 
tional Sunday  School  Lessons,  using  both  the  King 
James  version  and  the  Revised  Standard  version. 
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THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
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MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

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JANUARY  16,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  3 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Cup  of  Water  .  .  .  Words  of  Faith   . .  1 

New  Year,  New  Decade  —  New  Hope?  5 

Call  and  Response    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Creeping   Materialism.     Dorris    Blough  3 

Peter  and  Andrew.    Robert  Byerly   .  .  6 

The  Demise  of  Sitka.    R.  E.  Mohler   .  .  9 
The  Truly  Satisfying  Life. 

Mark  O.  Hatfield   10 

Disaster  in  Japan   12 

"I'll  Get  By."     Phylis   Hunn    16 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books 24 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    18 

Church    News     27 

Toward  His  Kingdom  — 

Climate   Dictates  Nigerian  Life. 

Mary   Ann    Kulp    20 

Ft.    Wayne    Church    Moves. 

Harper  S.  Will   21 

Vigil  at  Fort  Detrick. 

Kermon    Thomason    22 

•  •  • 

Dr.  Elfan  Rees,  chairman  of  the 
International  Committee  for  the 
World  Refugee  Year:  "There  is  a 
new  class  in  society  today.  It  is  the 
proletariat  of  the  dispossessed  and  it 
provides  fruitful  soil  for  the  seeds  of 
evil.  When  history  is  written  this 
will  not  be  described  as  the  century 
of  the  common  man  but  as  the  cen- 
tury of  the  homeless  man." 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Under  a  Bushel 

Rom.  13:1-7  gives  good  advice  as 
to  our  relationship  to  the  govern- 
ment: to  pay  taxes  and  live  the  good 
life  as  loyal  citizens.  In  Paul's  day, 
however,  the  private  citizen  had  no 
voice  in  the  making  of  laws.  But 
here  in  a  government  "of  the  people 
and  by  the  people"  we  who  claim 
to  be  loyal  citizens  surely  should  be 
ready  to  let  our  sentiments  be  known 
in  matters  of  local  or  national  legis- 
lation  or/and  international  matters. 

If  we  never  let  our  men  in  Wash- 
ington know  our  sentiments  on  great 
issues  like  the  matter  of  atomic  tests 
and  a  build-up  in  armaments  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  our  peace  witness, 
will  we  have  anyone  to  blame  but 
ourselves  if  there  are  castastrophic 
terrible  results?  Yes,  there  are  times 
when  to  keep  our  light  under  a 
bushel  in  such  matters  is  just  too  bad. 
And  we  are  in  just  such  a  time  now. 
The  Friends  Committee  on  Na- 
tional Legislation  (FCNL)  urges  us 
to  write  to  our  President  and  our 
own  representatives  in  Congress  urg- 
ing that  "total  world  disarmament 
be  the  final  goal  of  U.S.  foreign  pol- 
icy and  to  initiate  studies  to  that 
end." 

Some  of  us  have  noticed  that  we 
Brethren  are  not  as  vocal  as  we 
should  be  in  these  matters.  Too 
often  we  fail  to  put  our  light  on 
a  stand,  for  a  little  light  can  light 
a  big  place.  In  John  1:5  (RSV)  I 
read,  "The  light  shines  in  the  dark- 
ness and  the  darkness  has  not  over- 
come it."  But  that  light  cannot  be 
under  a  bushel,  but  must  needs  shine 
through  you  and  me  today,  for  "the 
night  cometh  when  no  man  can 
work."  -  E.  F.  Sherfy,  Roanoke,  Va. 

The  Record  Record 

The  record  record  is  only  partly 
bad.  We  have  the  New  Testament 
(King  James  Version)  on  records  and 
it  has  been  a  blessing.  Now  we  listen 
to  the  Word  all  during  our  least 
hurried  meal  and  we  read  more  than 
twice  more  than  we  ever  did  before. 
Some  gospel  singing  is  too  inspiring 
to  be  limited  to  formal  church  at- 
tendance or  the  whim  of  some  radio 
director. 

Although  worldly  people  get 
worldly  records  to  stir  their  animal 
impulses,  yet  records  can  be  con- 
verted too.  They  can  be  used  of 
God  to  witness  for  Christ.  —Bible 
Record  Enthusiast. 


Word  of  Men -Word  of  God 

Is  the  Bible  a  holy  book?  Some 
people  today  would  say  it  is  not. 
I'm  not  as  well  educated  as  some 
people;  therefore,  I  take  my  Bible 
just  as  it  is  from  Genesis  1  to  Revela- 
tion 22. 

Let's  take  our  Sunday  school  les- 
sons from  the  Word  of  God  and  use 
the  Bible  for  doctrine,  reproof,  cor- 
rection, and  instruction.  For  it's  im- 
possible to  skin  all  the  sheep  we 
have  today  to  find  the  wolves  that 
would  try  to  lead  us  astray.  For 
anyone  that  would  desire  to  do  away 
with  or  substitute  it  by  using  the 
word  of  men  could  not  have  a  reli- 
gion that  is  more  than  skin  deep  to 
start  with.  Let's  encourage  and 
thank  Lorell  Weiss  for  the  fine  job 
he  is  doing  in  presenting  us  the 
Word  of  God.  We  have  the  Word 
of  God  and  live  in  a  country  where 
it  can  be  read  and  lived.  —  Frederick 
Snyder,  R.  3,  Red  Lion,  Pa. 

Who  Are  We  to  Condemn? 

Concerning  the  letters  of  Brethren 
Frank  Miller  of  Modesto,  Calif.,  and 
Edwin  Chrisman  of  San  Diego, 
Calif.,  they  seem  to  overlook  the 
fact  that  a  lot  of  people  believe  the 
Bible  to  be  holy  regardless  of  what 
the  individual  Christians  make  of  it. 
Rather  than  "do  away  with  large 
portions  of  it,"  many  would  be  de- 
lighted with  "additions."  This  was 
shown  by  the  excitement  aroused 
over  the  finding  of  the  Dead  Sea 
Scrolls  and  other  ancient  documents. 

Some  of  the  stories  may  not  be 
written  as  they  actually  occurred  but 
as  parables  based  on  truth  to  illus- 
trate man's  relationship  to  his  Cre- 
ator or  to  his  fellow  men.  As  for 
what  we  call  the  "supernatural"  can 
we  say  in  this  age  that  there  is 
anything  supernatural  when  we  be- 
hold the  fearful  and  terrible  things 
that  man  has  invented  by  studying 
and  using  natural  laws  of  the 
universe? 

If  after  2,000  years  of  opportunity 
to  learn  the  Christian  way  of  life 
the  human  race  is  still  indulging  in 
wholesale  slaughter  of  their  brothers, 
drunkenness,  drugs,  illicit  affairs, 
cheating,  covetousness,  exposure  of 
nakedness  in  public,  and  filthy  litera- 
ture and  pictures  to  poison  the  minds 
of  the  young,  who  are  we  to  con- 
demn the  Biblical  characters  or  to 
call  the  Bible  an  immoral  book?  — 
Nell  Graves,  709  W.  Race  St.,  Port- 
land, Ind. 


i 


"luxurious  necessities"  that  do  the  damage.  It 
is  this  "creeping  materialism"  that  touches  our 
everyday  lives,  invades  our  checkbook  every 
month,  and  weakens  our  ability  to  resist  further 

temptation. 

To  many,  the  word  materialism  is  a  vague 
term  which  lecturers  and  writers  use  to  describe 
the  present  deplorable  condition  of  America. 
The  usual  admonition  is  to  "look  at  the  millions 
of   people    who    are    hungry    while    we    have 

P  6  But  our  observation  has  been  that  when  a 
need  is  told  or  pictures  are  shown  presenting 
the  story  of  those  less  fortunate,  the  average 
churchgoer  is  sympathetic  and  generous. 


Dorris  Blough 

I  CAN'T  afford  to  tithe;  it  just  takes  too 
much  to  live,"  said  our  friend.  And  he  is 
right!  He  is  caught  up  in  the  mad  whirl  ot 
materialism  about  which  we  had  read  and 
heard  so  much  during  the  three  years  we  were 
in  Africa.  Upon  our  return,  we  discovered  that 
we  were  seeing  America  with  a  perspective  al- 
together different  from  that  when  we  left.  We 
found  it  possible  to  observe  objectively  the 
problem  of  materialism. 

The  degree  of  materialism  in  American  lite 
was  obvious  to  us,  but  when  we  discussed  it 
with  other  people,  they  were  vague  in  their 
ideas  of  what  could  be  done  about  it.  Little  by 
little  we  discovered  that  they  actually  were  un- 
aware of  how  materialism  was  affecting  their 
spending.  In  the  course  of  adjusting  to  the 
American  scene  we  learned  how  this  could  be 

I  believe  the  term  creeping  materialism  de- 
scribes what  is  happening  to  the  average  Ameri- 
can home.  ,  , 

The  sales  of  automatic  washers,  TVs,  and 
new  cars  are  staggering,  and  Brethren  people 
have  their  share  of  them.    But  it  is  not  the 


The  real  problem  lies  at  the  level  of  weekly 
or  monthly  giving  for  the  over-all  program  of 
the  church.  It  is  at  that  point  that  the  church- 
goer declares,  "I  can't  ? afford  to  tithe;  it  just 
takes  too  much  to  live." 

Many  sincere  Christians  would  like  to  ar- 
rive at  the  point  at  which  they  could  give 
regularly  to  the  church,  but  when  such  a  tatty 
ideal  is  brought  down  to  "checkbook  reality, 
the  modern  American  can  see  no  way  out  ot  his 
dilemma.  He  is  too  close  to  his  budget  to  see 
the  creeping  materialism  which  makes  true  his 
statement  that  he  cannot  afford  to  tithe. 

Let  me  show  you  what  I  mean,  by  a  tew 
examples  from  our  own  experience. 

Arriving  in  a  new  town,  we  were  given  2UU 
check  blanks  with  our  names  printed  on  them. 
When  the  checks  were  almost  used  up,  a  re- 
minder prompted  us  to  decide  whether  or  not 
we  would  have  more  printed.  We  had  only  to 
fill  out  the  form  and  send  it  to  the  bank.  They 
would  take  care  of  the  details.  The  charge 
would  come  through  on  our  statement.  It  would 

be  painless. 

Well,  we  thought,  it  was  pleasant  to  haye 
our  name  right  there  on  the  check.  The  checks 

JANUARY  16.  I960 


m*f^2~Js&am 


Where  We  Put  Our  Money 

1957  Personal  Consumption  Expenditures  in  the  U.S.A. 

(in  billions  of  dollars) 


Crime 

$22.0 

Clothing  and  accessories  except  footwear 

$20.8 

Gambling 

$20.0 

Education 

$19.7 

Medical  care  and  death  expenses 

$16.3 

Recreation 

$15.9 

Automobiles  (purchases,  new  and  old) 

$14.5 

Accidents 

$11.9 

Alcoholic  beverages 

$10.7 

Advertising 

$10.3 

Tobacco 

$6.0 

Religion  and  welfare 

$3.6 

: 


Compiled   by   Fred   D.    L.   Squires   from   U.S.    Department   of 
Commerce,    National    Safety    Council,    and    industrial    sources 


were  numbered,  making  our  bookkeeping  sim- 
pler. Yes,  we  might  as  well  pay  the  two  dollars 
for  personalized  checks. 

Two  dollars!  Suddenly  before  our  eyes  ap- 
peared visions  of  what  two  dollars  would  do  on 
the  mission  field.  We  decided  to  use  the  plain 
blanks  and  number  our  own.  The  check  blanks 
in  themselves  were  good,  but  they  represented 
a  standard  of  living  which  we  could  not  con- 
scientiously afford. 

Everywhere  we  looked  there  were  delight- 
ful items  to  make  life  easier  and  more  enjoyable. 
We  had  not  suffered  from  a  lack  of  anything  in 
Africa,  but  what  fun  to  have  some  of  these 
products  of  modern  America's  inventiveness. 
But  a  second  look  showed  us  that  the  magnetic 
potholders,  automatic  broilers,  barbecue  equip- 
ment, and  self-propelling  toys,  each  one  good 
in  itself,  could  constitute  major  expenditures  be- 
fore we  realized  it. 

One  of  the  phases  of  American  life  which 
changed  tremendously  in  the  three  years  we 
were  gone  is  the  food  which  Americans  eat. 
Foods  previously  seen  only  on  the  tables  of  the 
rich   are   found   on   the    average    churchgoer's 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


table.  That  is  not  because  the  price  has  come 
down,  but  that  the  items  are  more  generally 
available  in  our  local  grocery  stores  instead  of 
specialty  stores  as  before. 

Shrimp,  mushrooms,  olives,  soft  drinks,  im- 
ported mandarin  oranges,  and  frozen  pies  and 
dinners  of  every  description,  are  frequent,  if  not 
common,  fare  on  many  tables.  They  bring  about 
a  steadily  rising  grocery  bill  and  a  "richer"  diet. 

We  discovered  from  experience  with  our 
own  children,  that  it  is  often  in  the  realm  of 
children's  needs  and  desires  that  "creeping 
materialism"  makes  the  most  gains. 

We  note  that  American  parents  find  it  diffi- 
cult to  say  no  to  their  child  in  response  to  a 
request  for  something  like  that  which  other 
children  have.  Perhaps  one  example  will  serve 
my  purpose. 

Last  winter  a  fad  was  introduced  to  the 
style-conscious  younger  set.  Within  days  we 
saw  little  girls  and  big  girls  wearing  full-length 
stockings,  called  tights  or  leotards.  A  cry  was 
raised  in  our  household  which  lasted  for  days 
and  weeks,  as  more  and  more  children  in  kinder- 
garten acquired  the  coveted  tights. 

I  explained  to  my  "suffering"  daughter  that 

Continued  on  page  16 


EDITORIAL 


New  Year#  New  Decade  — New  Hope? 

STRANGE  and  wonderful  things  were  hap- 
pening on  this  planet  as  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1959  drew  to  a  close.  The  fabulous 
fifties  seemed  determined  to  set  new  records 
in  the  final  hours  of  a  disturbing  decade. 

Just  a  few  days  before  the  holiday  season 
an  air  force  jet  flew  at  2  1/3  times  the  speed 
of  sound  to  reach  more  than  1,520  miles  per 
hour.  At  this  rate,  a  world-visiting  president 
could  be  halfway  around  the  globe  and  easily 
make  it  home  for  Christmas. 

Personal  income  in  the  United  States  also 
hit  a  record  high.  For  1959  it  would  amount 
to  nearly  385  billion  a  year.  Where  all  the 
money  went,  no  one  knows  for  certain,  but  you 
can  count  on  the  Department  of  Internal  Reve- 
nue making  a  sweeping  review  of  most  of  it 
during  the  next  three  months. 

About  6.8  billion  of  that  income  was  spent 
by  around  60  million  persons  for  a  total  of 
455  billion  cigarettes,  thus  setting  a  new  record 
for  consumption  -  and,  if  the  Surgeon  General 
of  the  U.S.  could  be  believed,  for  expectation 
of  lung  cancer.  Assured  that  cranberries  and 
chickens  were  at  last  safe  from  possible  cancer- 
producing  poisons,  smokers  went  merrily  on 
their  way  to  set  a  new  record. 

As  the  year  neared  its  ending  Tommy  Man- 
ville,  heir  to  an  industrial  fortune,  picked  out 
his  eleventh  bride.  At  the  age  of  sixty-five  he 
had  been  married  and  divorced  often  enough 
to  set  some  kind  of  reputation  if  not  a  record. 
The  newest  bride  is  twenty  years  old. 

All  this  time  normal  TV  programming  con- 
tinued even  as  the  Federal  Communications 
Commission    asked   for   opinions    as    to    what 
should  be  done  to  prevent  rigging,  limit  the 
power  of  advertisers,   and  improve  programs. 
Radio  disc-jockeys  promised  to  reject  "payola," 
but  the  entertainment  industry  was  not  always 
convincing  in  its  promises  to  clean  up  its  offer- 
ings or  its  practices.  Fingers  of  accusation  were 
pointed    at   newsstands    for   their    lurid   book 
covers  and  questionable  literature.    Some  per- 
sons even  doubted  whether  the  millions  spent 
to  produce   the   movie,    Solomon   and    Sheba, 
which  opened  on  Christmas  Day,  were  really 
intended  to   encourage   Bible   reading -or   to 
profit  by  the  combination  of  Brynner  and  Lollo- 
brigida  in  a  mixture  of  spectacle  and  sex. 


Yet  there  were  brighter  moments  in  the  gray 
December.  Surgeons  succeeded  in  removing 
part  of  a  man's  aorta,  the  main  artery  leading 
from  the  heart,  and  replacing  it  with  a  tube 
made  of  dacron.  The  patient  was  expected  to 
recover.  And  Americans  were  invited  to  forget 
their  aluminum  Christmas  trees  long  enough  to 
contribute  two  million  blankets  which  Church 
World  Service  sought  for  shivering  refugees. 

There  were  other  sobering  concerns  for 
sober  people  who  watched  the  sixties  come  in. 
Could  the  thaw  in  the  cold  war  open  the  way 
for  some  streams  of  kindness  and  rivers  of 
understanding  to  flow  once  again  between  East 
and  West?  In  Red  China  it  looked  as  if  the 
freeze  was  deeper  than  ever  since  the  Peiping 
government  put  a  ban  on  showing  the  pictures 
of  Premier  Khrushchev's  visit  to  the  United 
States.  And  there  were  other  incidents  to  chill 
an  optimistic  heart,  but  there  were  also  some 
solid  reasons  for  hoping  that  at  least  a  start 
toward  disarmament  could  be  attempted  in  the 
new  decade. 

Can  1960  become  the  year  of  our  Lord?  We 
have  almost  twelve  months  in  which  to  answer 
for  ourselves,  if  not  for  the  entire  world.  In 
an  era  of  speed,  we  can  look  to  our  faith  in 
Christ  as  a  star  to  steady  us.  In  a  time  of  con- 
spicuous consumption,  we  can  recognize  the 
hunger  and  thirst  that  only  the  bread  of  life 
and  living  water  can  satisfy!  In  a  period  of 
confused  moral  values,  we  can  be  eternally 
grateful  for  a  gracious  and  redeeming  Master 
who  bids  us  seek  first  his  kingdom  and  its 
righteousness.  —  k.m. 

Call  and  Response 

WHEN  Christians  heed  the  call  to  disciple- 
ship  and,  like  Peter  and  Andrew  (see 
page  6)  leave  their  nets  to  find  a  new 
calling,  they  discover  ways  of  warding  off  the 
creeping  materialism  (see  page  3)  that  so 
quickly  overcomes  us  and  they  are  ready  at  a 
moment's  notice  to  give  emergency  help  when 
disaster  strikes  (see  page  12).  Best  of  all,  they 
are  well  on  their  way  to  realizing  what  the 
governor  of  Oregon  calls  "a  truly  satisfying 
life"  (see  page  10).  Some  may  even  be  stimu- 
lated to  give  an  open  and  eloquent  witness  to 
their  deep  convictions  (see  page  22). -k.m. 

JANUARY  16,  1960  * 


Men  who  heard 

the   call 

to   discipleship : 


Robert  A.  Byerly 


"And  he  said  unto  them,  'Follow  me, 
and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men'  " 


Federigo  Barocci 


Three  Lions 


THERE  was  a  live  rumor 
running  through  Galilee. 
Israel  had  a  prophet 
again!  Andrew  of  Capernaum 
had  spent  hours  discussing  the 
rumor  and  the  facts  concerning 
John  Ben  Zacharias.  John  had 
been  appearing  in  the  Jordan 
area  and  talking  in  recent  weeks 
much  like  the  prophets  of  old. 

Eager  to  leam  more  of  John's 
message,  Andrew  had  identified 
himself  with  him  whom  the 
people  called  the  Baptizer.  He 
went  often  from  his  business  of 
fishing  to  hear  the  Baptizer.  The 
message  of  a  "coming  one  of 

6  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


God"  began  to  make  sense  to 
Andrew,  and  one  day  John  wit- 
nessed to  the  man,  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  saying,  "Behold,  the 
lamb  of  God,  who  takes  away 
the  sin  of  the  world!"  (John 
1:29).  Andrew  was  curious 
enough  to  follow  and  to 
ask  questions  of  the  Nazareth 
Prophet. 

Remembering  their  mutual 
concern  in  these  things,  Andrew 
quickly  ran  to  the  place  where 
he  believed  he  would  find  his 
brother,  Simon,  and  invited  him 
to  come  along.  We  have  no 
tape  recording  of  all  that  was 
said  that  day  but  out  of  it  was 
to  come  two  disciples,  fisher- 


men, who  had  heard  the  call  of 
Jesus. 

Peter  was  full  of  enthusiasm 
about  the  new  adventure.  It 
was  no  big  problem  to  lay  aside 
the  fishing  nets  and  even  per- 
suade his  lakeshore  colleagues, 
James  and  John,  to  go  along 
(Mark  1:16-20).  He  had  aU 
kinds  of  questions,  and  he  was 
always  eager  to  make  a  com- 
ment on  practically  every  idea 
that  came  along.  It  was  this  un- 
bridled enthusiasm  that  caused 
later  men  to  call  Peter  a  "man 
of  impulse." 

The  impulsiveness  of  Peter 
crops  out  in  the  gospel  records 
again  and  again.    He  was  the 


one  who  jumped  into  the  water 
;  and  rushed  to  greet  the  Master 
on  the  shore  (John  21:7f).  The 
miraculous  catch  of  fish  had 
convinced  the  group  that  the 
voice  from  the  shore  was  that 
of  the  Master.  Once  convinced 
of  this,  Peter  could  wait  on  no 
boat.  At  another  time  Peter 
could  not  help  but  blurt  out  his 
confession  when  Jesus  pinned 
them  down  with  the  question: 
"Who  do  ye  say  that  I  am?" 
The  confession  has  become  a 
monumental  one:  "You  are  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God"  (Matt.  16:16).  This  was 
an  impulsive  loyalty  and  one 
that  was  to  be  tested  and  fully 
proved  in  the  months  that  fol- 
lowed. 

Peter  also  had  much  to  learn. 
When  it  came  to  forgiveness,  he 
was  willing  to  practice  it  seven- 
fold. Peter  learned  that  forgive- 
ness was  to  go  beyond  seven, 
even  to  seventy  times  seven 
(Matt.  18:22).  ' 

Andrew's  brother  had  a  sensi- 
tive spirit  along  with  all  his 
rashness.  He  was  quick  to  rec- 
ognize the  significance  of  Jesus. 
At  a  disturbing  time,  Jesus  said : 
"Will  you  also  go  away?"  Peter 
was  quick  to  respond,  "Lord,  to 
whom  shall  we  go?  You  have 
the  words  of  eternal  life"  ( John 
6:67-68).  Many  who  had  been 
hearing  Jesus  had  been  offend- 
ed by  some  of  his  spiritual- 
ly penetrating  statements,  and 
they  began  to  depart  and  no 
longer  follow  him. 

This  same  man  was  taught  by 
the  Master  in  the  upper  room. 
Peter's  feet  needed  the  washing 
which  Jesus  offered  to  give, 
even  though  Peter  could  not 
see  the  need  at  first.  Even  in 
this  sacred  place  this  fisherman 
made  some  strong  statements 
with  the  same  old  enthusiasm: 
"Though  they  all  fall  away  be- 
cause of  you,  I  will  never  fall 
away"  (Matt.  26:33).  We  know 
that  the  denials  in  the  courtyard 
were  to  follow  soon  after. 


But  Peter  still  loved  the  Lord. 
He  returned  to  the  faith  and 
found  a  place  in  the  apostolic 
fellowship  at  Jerusalem.  Prison 
was  to  be  his  lot  and  the  influ- 
ence of  Peter  can  be  found  in 
full  evidence  in  the  first-century 
Christian  church.  A  group  over 
at  Corinth  claimed  Cephas  to 
be  their  sponsoring  apostle  and 
were  making  an  issue  of  the 
matter  (1  Cor.  1:12). 

The  vision  at  Joppa  had  af- 
fected Peter's  outlook  (Acts 
10:9f).  The  fiery  fisherman 
could  not  easily  forget  his 
Jewish  traditions.  The  new  in- 
clusivenes  that  allowed  for 
Gentiles  to  believe  in  God  as 
revealed  in  Christ  made  the 
apostle  stretch  his  mind  and 
spirit.  He  could  accept  Cor- 
nelius but  later  some  of  the 
"Judaizing"  men  had  caused 
Peter  to  have  reservations  as 
to  how  far  one  should  go  in  ac- 
cepting the  Gentile  into  the 
fellowship  of  believers. 

Should  a  Jew  eat  with  a 
Gentile?  Was  this  right  even 
though  they  both  believed  in 
Christ  as  Lord?  Peter  had  evi- 
dently dissented  with  Paul  on 
this   matter.    The   two   had   a 


lively  face  to  face  conversation 
on  this  item  and  Paul  implies 
that  he  came  out  on  top  in  the 
discussion  (Gal.  2:llf). 

That  experience  may  have 
helped  Peter  in  his  expanding 
ministry  in  the  church.  The  ex- 
tracanonical  tradition  is  strong 
in  indicating  that  Peter,  like 
most  of  the  other  disciples,  was 
martyred.  The  tradition  per- 
sists, whether  historically  true 
or  not,  that  Peter  requested  his 
executioners  to  crucify  him 
head  downwards  because  he 
was  not  worthy  to  be  crucified 
in  the  same  way  as  his  Lord. 

In  giving  only  a  cursory  sur- 
vey of  Peter's  witness  one  is 
impressed  with  its  significance. 
All  this,  because  a  man  intro- 
duced his  brother  to  Christ! 
Andrew  deserves  considerable 
credit  for  his  part  in  the  story. 
The  talkative,  energetic  Peter 
may  have  overshadowed  An- 
drew, but  that  does  not  lessen 
our  appreciation  for  him.  This 
man  evidently  could  stand  the 
familiar  introduction:  "This  is 
Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother." 
Andrew  was  happy  to  have 
shared  in  the  discipleship  of 
Jesus. 


Simon,  the 

fisherman  of 

Galilee,  became 

Peter,  the  fisher 

of  men,  faithful 

even  to 

imprisonment 

and,  tradition 

says,  to 

crucifixion 


Raphael 

H.   Armstrong 

Roberts 


JANUARY  16.   1960 


In  addition  to  bringing  his 
brother  to  meet  the  Lord,  the 
records  attribute  two  other  high 
moments  to  Andrew,  moments 
winch  may  have  earned  him  the 
title,  "The  Man  of  Decision." 
The  first  incident  was  the  dis- 
covery of  a  boy  —  a  boy  willing 
to  share  his  lunch  (John  6:5f). 
Once  the  question  was  asked: 
"How  are  we  to  buy  bread  so 
that  these  people  may  eat?"  An- 
drew produced  the  resources  of 
the  lad.  There  was  observant 
forethought  in  this  brother  of 
Peter. 

The  same  decisive  action  was 
to  show  up  again.  This  time  it 
was  a  group  of  Greeks  interest- 
ed in  talking  with  the  Master 
(John  12:20-22).  Philip  had 
been  accosted  by  the  delega- 
tion but  Philip  was  not  sure 
about  letting  these  foreigners 
move  into  the  inner  circle  of  the 
Master.  Was  this  a  good  thing? 
So  he  sought  out  Andrew  and 
the  sensitive  man  without  hesi- 
tation took  the  visitors  to  Jesus. 
All  three  of  the  scenes  which 
portray  Andrew  to  us  present 
him  as  bringing  someone  to 
Christ  — his  brother,  the  lad, 
the  inquiring  Greeks.  This  re- 
mains to  be  a  distinctive  mark 
of  discipleship. 

There  was  no  hesitation  on 
Andrew's  part.  He  would  have 
made  a  good  usher  in  the 
church.  This  man  saw  that 
there  was  room  in  the  Christian 
fellowship  for  all  who  came 
seeking  —  Greeks,  Jews,  or  who- 
ever. 

The  inclusiveness  of  the 
church,  her  willingness  to  re- 
ceive all  who  come  saying  "We 
would  see  Jesus!"  owes  much 
to  the  "order  of  Andrew." 
Twentieth  century  discipleship 
may  well  emulate  this  Galilean 
fisherman  who  served  his  Lord 
so  faithfully.  The  tradition  that 
Andrew  served  in  a  way  that 
led  to  his  martyrdom  is  testified 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Sacchi 


Camera  Clix 


The  artist  has  painted  Andrew  kneeling  before  the  cross  that  has  come  to 
be  designated  as  St.  Andrew's  cross  testifying  to  the  disciple's  martyrdom 


to  by  the  liturgical  symbol  of 
the  X  cross,  designated  as  St. 
Andrew's  cross. 

Peter  and  Andrew,  Andrew 
and  Peter  —  either  way  you 
wish  to  put  the  names  makes  no 
great  difference.  They  were 
two  men  who  early  heard  the 
call,  "Come  follow  me."  They 
became  disciples  that  were 
worthy  of  their  Master's  call, 
even  unto  the  cross.  The  call 
to  discipleship  still  comes  across 
the  years  and  the  "order  of 
Andrew"  and  the  "order  of 
Peter"  include  all  who  have  ears 
to  hear  and  the  willingness  to 
follow  and  serve. 


They  Heard  the  Call 
Readers  will  be  interested  in  \ 
following  the  entire  series  of) 
articles  dealing  with  disciples 
and    discipleship.      Look    for, 
studies  of  Matthew  and  Zac-1 
cheus,     Philip     and     Thomas, 
Mary    and    Martha,    Stephen 
and  Barnabas,  Paul  and  Silas, 
Luke  and  Timothy.   These  will 
be    followed    by    biographical] 
sketches  of  leaders  in  Christian 
history  such  as  Augustine,  Fran- 
cis  of  Assist,   Luther,   Calvin, 
Fox,  Wesley  and  a  few  Brethren 
leaders.     Some    contemporary 
disciples  will  be  considered  al- 
so —  Editor. 


The  small  community  is  a  way  of  life 
as  well  as  a  colony  of  buildings  and 
people 


Religious  News   Service 


have  affected  Sitka:  one,  the 
coming  of  the  automobile,  and 
the  other  the  building  of  hard- 
surfaced  roads.  To  many  Sitka 
does  not  seem  to  be  needed, 
and  to  others  there  is  a  genuine 
note  of  sadness  experienced  as 
we  drive  through  the  country 
and  see  evidences  of  what  were 
formerly  farm  homes  and  vil- 
lages now  surrounded  by  and 
a  part  of  wheat  fields. 

"Sitka"  is  not  limited  to  Clark 
County,  Kansas.  Many  of  us  as 
children  and  youth  lived  in 
"Sitka,"  and  it  has  been  with 
sadness  that  we  have  noted  our 
Sitka,  passing,  or  pass,  from 
the  map.    The  Sitka  that  has 


The  Demise  of  Sitka 


NO,  SITKA  is  not  dead. 
But  the  difficulties  and 
hardships  that  have  be- 
fallen Sitka  in  recent  years  leads 
one  to  know  that  its  demise 
cannot  be  long  delayed.  Sitka 
is  a  small  village  located  near 
the  state  line  in  south-central 
Kansas.  It  is  located  in  a 
prosperous  farming  community 
where  wheat  growing  and  cattle 
raising  are  the  principal  occu- 
pations. Oil  is  also  an  important 
product.  Sitka  can  further  be 
described  as  a  village  located 
eight  miles  from  the  county 
seat  of  Clark  County. 

Sitka  enjoyed  a  financial 
boom  during  the  prosperous  ag- 
ricultural years  of  this  century, 
during  which  there  seemed  to 
be  a  market  for  all  of  the  wheat 


it  was  possible  for  a  farmer  to 
produce  and  when  he  was  not 
limited  in  the  acres  that  he 
could  grow.  With  the  more  re- 
cent discovery  of  oil  in  that 
region  Sitka  again  became  pros- 
perous. 

Sitka  has  not  been  prosperous 
in  recent  years.  Business  has 
declined,  folks  have  moved 
away,  and  homes  as  well  as 
business  buildings  have  been 
allowed  to  deteriorate.  To  make 
things  still  more  discouraging, 
a  fire  recently  destroyed  two  of 
the  remaining  business  build- 
ings. The  citizens  of  Sitka  are 
largely  older  people;  the  young 
people  have  moved  to  cities. 
Sitka  today  is  not  the  Sitka  of 
former  years. 

Two   evolutionary  processes 


R.  E.  Mohler 

troubled  us  most  as  we  have 
seen  it  disappear  has  not  been  a 
material  something  but  rather 
a  spiritual  Sitka,  for  truly  the 
small  community  of  yesterday 
was  a  way  of  life  as  well  as  a 
colony  of  buildings  and  people. 
The  Sitka  that  I  remember  was 
one  of  family  homes,  a  com- 
munity of  people,  a  way  of  life, 
a  country  school,  and  a  small 
church.  Materially  Sitka  has 
moved  to  the  county  seat,  but 
the  spiritual  Sitka  has  many 
times  not  moved  with  it. 

Must  Sitka  die?  It  seems  at 
times  that  the  only  answer  is 
yes.    We  are  in  the  grip  of  an 

JANUARY   16,   1960  9 


economic  order  that  does  not 
permit  Sitka  to  live.  It  would 
probably  be  economic  folly  to 
pour  much  money  into  rebuild- 
ing the  Sitka  that  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  the  automobile,  and 
good  roads.  We  hear  much  talk 
about  the  "good  old  days,"  but 
who  wants  to  live  there?  Our 
older  people  can  no  longer  do 
the  work  and  our  younger 
people  will  not,  for  they  know 
of  easier  and  more  inviting 
places  to  live.  Our  people  have 
left  Sitka,  and  they  will  not 
return. 

I  am  not  very  much  con- 
cerned about  the  material  Sitka, 
for  automobiles  and  good  roads 
make  eight  miles  only  a  chance 
for  a  deep  breath  as  we  travel 
to  a  larger  city.  I  am  concerned 
about  some  spiritual  values  that 
may  be  lost  in  the  transition 
from  village  to  city.  There  is 
something  about  the  family  life 
found  in  the  village  and  the 
general  friendliness  of  its  people 
that  lead  to  rich  living  and  the 
development  of  character.  We 
dare  not  become  so  enwrapped 
by  the  bright  lights  and  the 
ease  of  living  in  the  larger  com- 
munity that  we  forget  some  of 
the  good  ways  of  our  fathers. 

Every  move  from  a  small  to 
a  larger  community  means 
change.  These  changes  affect 
our  homes,  our  school,  and  our 
churches.  There  are  some  ways 
of  the  village  that  we  cannot 
carry  into  the  larger  communi- 
ties. These  are  largely  the 
material  and  physical,  and  the 
customs  and  manners  of  the 
village,  but  certainly  the  spirit- 
ual and  abiding  values  must  be 
kept.  We  may  have  to  adjust  to 
the  demise  of  the  material 
Sitka,  but  the  finer  spiritual 
qualities  can  live  on  and  grow 
if  we,  with  our  increased  power 
will  continue  the  "faith  of  our 
fathers"  and  work  with  our 
Lord. 


The 

Truly 

Satisfying 

Life 


Mark  O.  Hatfield 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


COMING  from  a  home  of 
strong  religious  and  po- 
litical convictions,  I  was 
well  aware  of  the  need  for 
integrity  in  government  even 
as  a  child.  My  family's  in- 
terest in  the  affairs  of  both 
the  church  and  the  state 
aroused  in  me  a  similar  interest. 
I  came  to  share  not  only  their 
abhorrence  of  corruption  in 
government  but  also  their  re- 
spect and  admiration  for  those 
leaders  who  upheld  the  most 
noble  precepts  of  our  nation. 
My  childhood  heroes  included 
nearly  as  many  political  figures 
as  cowboys  and  athletes. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  time 
one  of  these  heroes  visited 
Salem.  Our  school  band  wel- 
comed him  at  the  capitol,  where 
he  was  to  give  a  speech.  After 
the  program  he  shook  hands 
with  each  member  of  the  band 
and  thanked  us  for  playing. 
This  greatly  impressed  us,  but 


we  were  really  thrilled  when 
we  later  received  personal  let- 
ters of  thanks  from  Washington, 
D.C.  I  framed  my  letter  and 
placed  it  among  my  most  prized 
boyhood  possessions. 

Through  the  influence  of 
such  men  and  the  encourage- 
ment of  my  parents,  I  seriously 
began  to  consider  a  political 
career.  Through  reading  I  ac- 
quainted myself  with  great 
leaders  of  the  past  and  present 
and  tried  to  discover  the  secrets 
of  their  success.  I  discovered 
that  the  most  effective  leaders 
were  those  who  dedicated 
themselves  to  the  highest  ideals 
and  who  worked  unceasingly 
for  the  realization  of  them. 
From  the  enthusiasm  of  Jeffer- 
son to  the  dedication  of  Lincoln, 
there  was  a  contagious  spirit 
about  these  men  and  I  soon 
found  myself  dreaming  of  how 
I  might  best  serve  my  country. 

Governor  of  Oregon 


This  boyhood  dream  later 
I  developed  into  an  earnest  desire 
Id  to  become  a  politician  and  all 
I  my  education  was  directed  to 
||  that  end.  I  became  more  prac- 
E  tical  as  the  years  passed  and 
fl  began  adopting  certain  rules 
I  for  political  success.  For  in- 
fo stance,  from  the  1948  national 
1  election  I  learned  that  over- 
i\  confidence  could  be  deadly  and 
:  decided  then  and  there  never 
i)  to  take  an  election  for  granted; 
[I  to  present  my  case  to  the  people 
y  rather  than  to  the  politicians; 
$  and  to  speak  to  any  audience, 
[j  no  matter  how  small. 

An  opportunity  to  apply  these 
I  rules  came  in  1949  when  I  ac- 
^  cepted  a  teaching  position  in 
|  the  political  science  department 
|  at  Williamette  University.    My 
i  campus  activities  involved  me 
j  in  many  issues  concerning  state 
'  government  and  I  soon  found 
j  myself  nominated  for  the  state 
j  legislature.    After  winning  the 
I  election  and  serving  two  terms 
j  in  the  lower  house,  I  went  on 
to  the  state  senate.  In  the  mean- 
time, I  was  appointed  dean  of 
i  students  at  the  university.    All 
!  of  these  honors  were  highly  en- 
couraging to  me  as  an  aspiring 
I  young  politician.  But  with  these 
!  outward  advancements  came  a 
disturbing  inner  awareness   of 
my  inadequacy  in  the  area  of 
the  spiritual  life. 

One  of  my  major  duties  as 
dean  of  students  was  to  counsel 
college  men  who  sought  advice 
regarding  academic  or  personal 
problems.  The  tremendous  re- 
sponsibility of  this  task  was 
overwhelming.  I  often  felt  that 
the  spiritual  problems  they  pre- 
sented to  me  were  not  com- 
pletely answered  in  my  own 
life  and  that  I  had  no  right  to 
counsel  others  on  matters  which 
I  had  not  worked  out  person- 
ally. This  fact  affected  not  only 
my  position  as  dean  of  students, 
but  my  entire  career.  If  I  could 
offer  little  real  spiritual  help 
to  individuals,  what  did  I  have 


to  offer  the  state  or  the  nation 
or  the  world? 

Not  only  did  I  wonder  about 
my  personal  inadequacies,  but 
I  also  began  to  think  about  my 
purpose  in  life  and  my  motive 
for  living.  This  resulted  pri- 
marily from  my  contact  with  a 
group  of  students  who  had 
asked  me  to  serve  as  adviser  to 
a  Bible  study  group.  These  stu- 
dents, many  of  whom  became 
my  very  close  friends,  by  their 
lives  and  by  the  goals  for  which 
they  were  striving  brought  to 
mind  some  of  the  things  I  had 
heard  in  church  about  what 
Jesus  Christ  wanted  of  us. 
When  I  compared  my  self-made 
ideals  with  Christ's  ideals,  I 
found  certain  conflicts. 

It  seemed  as  though  my  pur- 
pose was  self-centered  while 
the  purpose  of  the  students 
might  best  be  expressed  in  the 
words  of  the  apostle  Paul:  "For 
we  preach  not  ourselves,  but 
Christ  Jesus  the  Lord;  and  our- 
selves your  servants  for  Jesus' 
sake."  Their  purpose  was  to 
live  completely  for  Jesus  Christ. 
Their  motivation  was  a  love  for 
the  Son  of  God.  Their  enthusi- 
asm for  the  Bible  was  not  just 
an  academic  or  scholarly  en- 
thusiasm, but  a  sincere  desire  to 
know  the  hero  of  the  Bible  in 
a  more  intimate  way.  This  was 
a  real  challenge  to  me. 

As  I  have  said,  this  idea  was 
not  completely  new  to  me,  as  I 
had  always  been  a  member  of 
the  church,  attending  regularly 
and  giving  financial  aid.  This 
relationship  did  not  satisfy  me, 
but  I  gave  it  little  thought  be- 
cause of  the  press  of  business. 
But  now,  as  I  saw  the  impact 
God  had  made  on  the  lives  of 
these  students,  I  had  to  re-eval- 
uate my  conception  of  Christi- 
anity. Through  them  and  many 
outstanding  Christian  leaders 
whom  they  invited  to  speak  on 
the  campus,  I  discovered  that 
real  Christianity  is  not  a  rela- 


tionship to  an  organization  — 
the  church  —  but  a  relationship 
to  Jesus  Christ. 

After  this  I  began  to  read  the 
Bible  in  the  evenings,  seeing  if 
I  could  find  some  of  the  answers 
for  which  I  was  looking.  More 
and  more  as  the  great  gospel 
message  began  to  make  sense, 
I  discovered  what  all  can  dis- 
cover if  they  will  only  look.  All 
we  need  to  do  is  put  our  faith 
in  Christ  to  make  this  possible. 
"But  as  many  as  received  him, 
to  them  gave  he  power  to  be- 
come the  sons  of  God,  even  to 
them  that  believe  on  his  name." 

I  saw  that  for  thirty-one  years 
I  had  lived  for  self  and  now  I 
decided  I  wanted  to  live  the  rest 
of  my  life  only  for  Jesus  Christ. 
I  asked  God  to  forgive  my  self- 
centered  life  and  to  make  my 
life  his  own.  I  was  again  as- 
sured by  the  words  of  Paul  that 
"if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is 
a  new  creature:  old  things  are 
passed  away;  behold  all  things 
are  become  new." 

Following  Jesus  Christ  has 
been  an  experience  of  increas- 
ing challenge,  adventure,  and 
happiness.  How  true  are  his 
words:  "I  am  come  that  they 
might  have  life,  and  that  they 
might  have  it  more  abundant- 
ly." It  is  not  to  a  life  of  ease 
and  mediocrity  that  Christ  calls 
us,  but  to  the  disciplelike, 
Christ-empowered  life.  No  mat- 
ter what  field  we  are  in,  we  are 
called  to  give  our  complete  al- 
legiance to  him.  No  cause, 
noble  as  it  may  seem,  can  be 
satisfying  or  purposeful  without 
the  direction  of  Christ.  I  can 
say  with  all  sincerity  that  living 
a  committed  Christian  life  is 
truly  satisfying  because  it  has 
given  me  true  purpose  and  di- 
rection by  serving  not  myself, 
but  Jesus  Christ. 

The   above   article   is   available   in  tract 

form    and    may    be    obtained    from    the 

American    Tract    Society,    513    W.    166th 

Street,   New  York  32,   New  York 


JANUARY  16,  1960 


11 


THE  ENORMITY  OF  THE  DISASTER  .   .   . 

left  everyone  so  appalled  that  there  were  few  persons  able  to 
comprehend  and  direct  activities  in  an  effective  way.  Thus  wrote 
Albert  Huston  of  Typhoon  Vera  which  struck  Japan  at  the  end 
of  September. 

Early  in  October  word  was  sent  to  our  churches  that  an 
emergency  fund  of  $1,000  was  being  sent  to  Japan  to  be  used 
by  our  representative,  Albert  Huston,  as  needed  in  connection 
with  relief  to  the  victims  of  the  typhoon.  Brethren  responded 
immediately  and  generously  so  that  additional  programs  are  being 
planned  to  give  more  assistance  than  the  original  amount  would 
make  possible. 

These  pictures  present  the  destruction  and  some  of  the  activi- 
ties at  the  time  of  Brother  Huston's  first  visit  on  October  5  and 
during  later  visits. 


Photos  by  Japan  Church  World  Service  and  Albert  Huston 


"?":;■" 


: 


A  flood  victim  carrying  salvaged 
personal  effects  either  to  be  sold 
for  food  or  stored  in  the  home 
of  a  relative.    Some  people 
had  literally  to  escape 
through  the  roof,  the  waters 
rose  so  quickly 


Much  of  Nagoya,  Japan's  third  largest  city,  was  damaged  like  this. 

Because  there  had  been  no  idea  that  the  sea  walls  could  be 

broken  there  was  no  warning  to  the  people  to  flee.    The  water 

rushed  in  and  rose  to  fifteen  feet  in  less  than  ten  minutes 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


ilNAL  AREA  FLOODED  E7 

i  STILL  FLOODED  NOVEMBER  9, 1959 


Right,  top: 

Clothes  and  bedding  laid  out  to 

dry  on  the  logs  that  were 

washed  from  a  nearby  river  into  the 

residential  area  at  the  height  of  the  typhoon. 

Right,  center: 

Relatives  of  persons  still  missing  come 

to  the  ward  office  to  identify 

recovered  distorted  bodies  by  patches  taken 

from  their  clothing. 

Right,  bottom: 

A  family  living  on  top  of  their 

flooded  home.   In  two-floor  houses, 

most  upstairs  rooms  and  apartments  were 

occupied  even  while  the  downstairs  was  flooded 

Below: 

With  many  factories  also  flooded,  refugees 

like  these  were  without  homes  or 

work  —  nothing  to  do  and  nowhere 

to  go.    Brethren  funds  for  milk 

feeding  programs  have  been  authorized 


ifiy 


K 


'i    mmB  ■ 


9BM 


f«ji§j 

lillPli 


i  i  fir  - 


II 


HI 


A», 


tiKS? 


iii^ipiiiliifi 

■■■■■■  ■■■■:■■     ■■....      ■■.■■.■■■■■     ■■   ■  .   ■      :■■■■■.  -.---.       ■  v    :;..■.■   . 

■■■      :■■:       .  :       ■■..■■         ■■■■..■         ■.■■■■ 

''Wm 

.■'.■...'  ■■.■:■ ■  ■         ■■.■■. 


If 


■est  '■■'"-  *Sllt 


. .  ■  ■  .■■■■       ■  ■.  ■. 

... 


JANUARY  16.  1960 


13 


Japan  Church  World  Service 

medical  team  setting  up 

headquarters  for  work  among  the 

injured.    Brethren  contributed 

funds  toward  medicine  and 

expenses  of  this  team.    Japan 

Church  World  Service  was  one 

of  the  first  organizations  on 

the  scene  following  the  disaster 


Disaster  victims  stop  to  chat 

while  earning  a  little  by  hauling 

futon  which  are  heavy  Japanese 

comforters  as  shown  in  the  cart 

(right)  from  government 

warehouses  to  relief  distribution 

centers.    Albert  Huston  represented 

the  Brethren  at  a  Church  World 

Service  distribution  of  fifteen 

hundred  futon  which  was  one  of 

the  items  most  needed  by 

typhoon  victims.    Brethren  made 

funds  available  for  emergency 

aid  through  Church  World  Service 


a 

pwii 


With  streets  flooded  the 
only  means  of  transportation 
was  by  boat,  raft,  or 
anything  that  would  float 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


On  November  10  three  schools, 
four  nurseries,  one  hospital, 
and  an  old  folks'  home  were 
still  under  water  in  Tsushima. 
Assistance  will  be  needed  in 
cleaning  them  up  when  the 
water  recedes.    City  officials  have 
welcomed  a  work  camp  group. 
Al  Huston  and  Paul  Peachey, 
Mennonite  representative  in 
Japan,  are  planning  joint 
Brethren-Mennonite  work 
camps.    Japanese  Christian 
youth  like  these  at  left  will 
participate  in  these  camps 


Albert  Huston  assists  in 

unloading  supplies  from  Japan 

Church  World  Service  for 

distribution  in  Nagoya.    Albert 

and  Margaret  Huston  had 

planned  to  terminate  their 

services  in  Japan  this  December 

but  will  now  stay  on  in  Japan 

to  assist  in  disaster  relief 

and  to  direct  work  camps 

this  winter  and  spring 


Typhoon  victims,  seven  weeks 
after  the  disaster,  gather  at  a 
local  school  to  receive  some 
of  the  relief  clothing  being 
unloaded.    Most  of  the  first 
clothing  that  arrived  was 
summer  apparel  and  was  useful 
at  that  time.    The  winter  now 
requires  warmer  clothing  and 
Brethren  funds  are  being 
provided  for  the  purchase  in 
Japan  of  winter  clothing, 
especially  much  needed 
heavy  underwear 

These  Mennonite  work  campers 
are  dumping  mud  hauled  away 
from  a  kindergarten  they  were 
cleaning.    The  big  dramatic  work 
is  done.    But  there  remains 
plenty  of  dirty  work  yet  to  do 

JANUARY  16.  1960  15 


Creeping  Materialism 

Continued   from  page  4 

she  did  have  jeans  to  keep  her  legs  warm  on  the 
way  to  school;  therefore,  she  could  get  along 
without  tights.  It  was  pointed  out  that  as  long 
as  she  had  adequate  clothing,  it  would  not  be 
right  to  spend  money  for  something  she  could 
do  without. 

Impossible  to  get  across  to  a  kindergartener? 
I  overheard  her  telling  a  friend  that  she  did 
not  have  tights  because  she  had  warm  jeans 
and  there  were  people  in  the  world  who  needed 
clothes  worse  than  she  did. 

People  can  say,  and  justly  perhaps,  that  it 
is  easier  for  someone  to  resist  the  temptations 
of  America's  plenty  if  that  person  has  seen 
human  need  at  first  hand.  But  you  cannot  pick 
up  a  newspaper  or  magazine  without  seeing 
evidence  of  the  world's  needs. 

Our  battle  of  materialism  is  won  or  lost,  not 
in  the  decision  of  whether  to  buy  a  new  car 
this  year,  but  each  day's  choices  of  where  to 
spend  twenty-five  cents  or  a  couple  of  dollars. 
From  experience,  we  found  that  if  our  tithe  was 
to  come  out  first,  then  each  expenditure  would 
have  to  prove  its  worth. 

The  instances  in  which  materialism  is  creep- 
ing into  our  pocketbook  and  into  our  philosophy 
will  become  evident  if  we  make  a  frank  ap- 
praisal of  what  is  important,  after  all.  We  can 
ask  ourselves,  "Can  I  buy  this  in  the  light  of 
my  responsibility  to  God's  kingdom?" 


U.  S.  CONSUMER  BUYING 

•  There  were  over  54  million  passenger 
cars  registered  in  the  U.S.  at  the  begin- 
ning of  1957,  or  one  car  for  every  3.1  per- 
sons. This  was  69.4%  of  the  world's 
passenger  motor  vehicles.  —  Sources :  De- 
partment of  Commerce;  American  Auto- 
mobile; United  Nations. 

•  By  December  1957,  U.S.  consumer  in- 
stallment credit  outstanding  totaled  over 
$33  billion.  This  figure  was  nearly  triple 
the  amount  outstanding  at  the  end  of 
1949.  —  Source:  Federal  Reserve. 

•  Per  capita  personal  income,  for  the 
U.S.  in  1958,  was  $2,057  ;  for  Plains  states, 
$1,823.  This  is  38%  more  per  capita  than 
in  1950.  —  Source:  Department  of  Com- 
merce. 

•  Consumer  expenditures  for  goods  and 
services  increased  nearly  $100  billion  be- 
tween 1950  and  1958  — $195  billion  was 
spent  in  1950;  $293  billion  in  1958.  After 
discounting  price  changes  during  the  eight 
years,  consumer  spending  rose  $57  billion. 
—  Source :  Department  of  Commerce. 

•  Money  and  interest  rates  have  climbed 
to  their  highest  levels  in  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  The  Federal  Reserve  discount 
rate  rose  in  September  1959  to  a  postwar 
high  of  4%.  —  Source :  Federal  Reserve. 


We  might  discover  that  eliminating  some  of 
those  nonessential  expenditures  would  allow  us 
to  give  to  the  church  first,  a  planned  amount 
each  month. 


"I'll  Get  By  .  .  ." 

Phyllis  Hunn 

THESE  words,  "I'll  get 
by,"  are  the  title  and  the 
first  words  of  a  song  that 
was  popular  not  so  long  ago. 
The  song  is  not  heard  so  much 
now,  but  the  philosophy  which 
those  first  words  state  so  clearly 
is  increasingly  popular. 

This  peculiar  disease,  "I'll  get 
by"-itis,  strikes  at  an  early  age. 
By  junior  high  and  high  school 
age,  it  is  noticeably  affecting 
the  lazy  student  and  the  student 
who  sacrifices  scholarship  to 
popularity.  By  college  days 
those  afflicted  with  the  malady 
are  usually  too  far  gone  on  the 
road  to  apathy  to  rouse  them- 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


selves  and  reap  the  harvest 
from  their  college  investment  of 
time  and  money. 

Nor  does  the  disease  stop 
when  study  days  are  over  and 
working  days  begin.  By  this 
time  we  have  acquired  habits 
that  are  quite  easily  transfer- 
able to  our  new  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities. We  get  jobs,  and 
we  do  what  we  must  to  keep 
these  jobs  in  order  to  keep  the 
money  rolling  in.  We  have 
children  and  care  for  them  fi- 
nancially, but  spend  no  more 
time  and  energy  understanding 
and  guiding  them  than  abso- 
lutely demanded.  We  make 
friends  and  gather  in  the 
warmth  of  their  love  without 
investing  more  than  a  token 
amount  of  our  own  love.  We 
join  a  church,  but  let  another 


fellow  do  the  hard,  soul-search- 
ing work  of  strengthening  the 
church  spiritually. 

Unfortunately,  this  disease  is 
inherited,  and  consequently  is 
passed  from  one  generation  to 
another  with  increasing  fre- 
quency and  increasing  strength. 

What  can  we  do  to  stop  the 
spread  of  "I'll  get  by"-itis,  the 
malady  that  is  robbing  us  of  the 
vitality  and  enthusiasm  of  liv- 
ing? Like  so  many  reforms,  this 
one  must  start  with  us.  We 
must  learn  to  give  of  ourselves 
—  of  our  time,  of  our  energy, 
our  talents,  our  brainpower, 
and,  most  of  all,  of  our  love. 
Giving  increasingly  of  these 
inner  gifts  —  is  not  that  what 
is  meant  by  "living  life  to  its 
fullest"? 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


A  new  over-all  campus  plan  was  approved  at  a 
special  meeting  of  the  La  Verne  College  trustees^  The 
jfuture  building  plans  include  the  gymnasium,  chapel 
jscience  building,  men's  dormitory,  health  center,  and 
if  acuity  offices. 

Howard  Brooks,  a  1958  graduate  of  La  Verne  Col- 
lege has  been  awarded  a  Rotary  Foundation  Fellow- 
ship for  study  in  Europe  next  year.  He  will  study 
business  administration  and  economics  in  preparation 
for  a  career  in  public  relations  and  business  manage- 
!  ment.  Mr.  Brooks  was  one  of  121  outstanding  graduate 
]  students  in  27  countries  to  receive  this  honor. 

Treasures  in  Heaven  is  a  dramatic  new  film  which 
I  stresses  how  important  it  is  for  parents,  as  well  as  others, 
I  to  make  a  will.  Schedule  this  29-minute,  16  mm  film 
1  for  a  special  wills  education  program  in  your  church. 
i  Arrange  now  for  its  use  by  writing  Visual  Education 
!  Service,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices  Elgin, 
\  111.,  or  to  La  Verne  College,  La  Verne,  Calif.  Service 
!  charge,  $2.50. 

Living,  the  third  edition  of  a  basic  text  for  college 

health  courses,  published  1959  by  Scott,  Foresman  and 
I   Co    features  two  La  Verne  College  campus  photos  as 

illustrations.  Classroom  or  campus  life  pictures  from 
>  six  other  colleges  across  the  nation,  including  Fresno 
i    City  College,  St.  Olaf  College,  University  of  Colorado, 

University  of  South  Carolina,  University  of  Michigan 
i    and  the  University  of  Southern  California,  were  selected 

to  appear  in  the  book.    La  Verne  and  St.  Olaf  College 

each  have  two,  the  other  colleges,  one. 


From  the  BSCM  Conference 

The  Brethren  Student  Christian  Movement  confer- 
ence was  held  at  Bridgewater  College  on  Nov.  26-28. 
Among  the  actions  taken  were  the  following: 

In  place  of  the  Brethren  student  luncheon,  which 
has  been  held  during  Annual  Conference,  two  sessions 
for  college  students  and  older  youth  are  being  planned. 
To  be  held  on  Friday  and  Saturday  evenings,  the  ses- 
sions will  deal  with  some  phase  of  Conference  business 
or  an  address. 

Next  year's  BSCM  conference  will  be  at  Ashland 
College,  Ashland,  Ohio.   The  date  was  not  set  because 
of  some  unresolved  concerns.  The  theme  tentatively  se- 
lected is  Christian  Faith  in  Christian  Higher  Education. 
Brethren  students  on  non-Brethren  campuses  are  to 
name  a  representative  on  the  BSCM  cabinet     Harold 
Daveler,  a  student  at  American  University,  Washington, 
D    C.    was  selected  for  the  coming  year.    Other  mem- 
bers of  the  cabinet  are:  Mary  Elaine  Cline    chairman 
Tom   Davis,  faculty  member,  and   Iva   Hylton,   all   of 
Bridgewater     College;     from     Ashland     College -Phil 
Lersch,  faculty,  Lois  Berkshire,  and  Marlin  McCann; 
from  Elizabethtown  College  -  Armon  Snowden,  faculty 
and    Charles    Denlinger;    from    Juniata    College -Earl 
Kaylor,   faculty,    and    Rick   Gardner;    from    La    Verne 
College -Vernard  Eller,  faculty,   and  Larry  Cunning- 
ham; from  Manchester  College  -  William  Eberly  and 
T    Wayne    Rieman,    faculty,    and    John    Kreps;    from 
McPherson  College  -  Dale  Brown,  faculty,  and  Treva 
Brown;  and  Joseph  Long,  youth  director. 


The  La  Verne,  California  Community  Chorus  of  150 
voices,  under  the  direction  of  Douglas  McEwan,  La 
Verne  College  assistant  professor  of  music,  presented 
The  Magnificat  by  J.  S.  Bach  and  choruses  from  The 
Messiah  in  the  fifth  annual  Christmas  season  concert. 
The  group,  composed  of  the  college  choir  and  numerous 
Pomona  Valley  musicians,  was  accompanied  by  the 
Montebello  Symphony  Orchestra,  trained  by  John 
Coppin  of  the  Los  Angeles  Philharmonic  Orchestra. 

The  last  day  of  1959  was  the  last  in  this  life  for 
Alberta  Yoder  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  who  served  tor 
more  than  twenty  years  in  the  Elgin  offices,  most  at 
the  time  as  administrative  assistant  in  the  orhce  of 
Ministry  and  Home  Missions.  Owing  to  ill  health  she 
was  forced  to  resign  from  the  Brotherhood  staff  five 
years  ago  and  went  to  live  with  her  parents,  Reverend 
and  Mrs  W.  H.  Yoder  in  McPherson,  Kansas  Funeral 
services  were  held  in  the  McPherson  church  on  Jan. 
2,  1960. 

Ordained  to  the  Ministry 

Theodore  E.  Whitacre,  ordained  in  the  Waynesboro, 
Penna.  church,  where  he  is  serving  as  intern  minister. 

Church  Calendar 
January  17 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian EducaS,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:    The  Gospel  Versus  Legalism. 
Acts  15-1-35;  Gal.  2:1-16.    Memory  Selection:    A  man 
t  not  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law  but  through  faith 
in  Jesus  Christ.    Gal.  2:16.    (R.S.V.) 
Jan.  17-23  Church  and  Economic  Life  Week 
Tan.  24-31  Youth  Week 
Jan.  31  -  Feb.  5  Brethren  Youth  Seminar,  Washington, 

D.C.,  and  New  York  City 
Feb.   1-3  General  Assembly,  Pennsylvania  Council  ot 

Churches,  Harrisburg 
Feb.  2  Southeastern  Region  district  executive  secretaries 

meeting,  Bridgewater,  Va. 
Feb.  9-11  Spiritual  Life  institute,  Bridgewater  College, 

Va. 
Feb.  14  Race  Relations  Sunday 

Feb  19-21  Brethren  Homes  conference,  Columbus,  Unio 
Feb.  21-23  Pennsylvania  State  Youth  Conference,  Bed- 
ford 
Feb.  21-28  Brotherhood  Week 

Feb.  28  -  March  4  Adult  Seminar,  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  New  York  City 


With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  uou  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Wu\  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 
Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo    in  the  Mt.  Herman 
church,  Va.,  Feb.  14-21;  in  the  New  Bethel  church,  Va.,  Feb. 
21-28.  ' 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 
Three  baptized  in  the  Grand  Rapids  church,  Michigan. 

JANUARY  9,   1960 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Health  Service  Grants  $1,000,000 
for  Alcoholism  Study 

The  federal  Public  Health  Service 
has  awarded  a  $1,000,000  research 
grant  to  support  a  five-year  co- 
ordinated study  on  alcoholism  in  the 
U.S.  and  Canada.  The  grant  is  being 
made  to  the  North  American  Associ- 
ation on  Alcoholism  Programs,  which 
will  establish  an  independent  com- 
mission to  conduct  the  work. 

The  Public  Health  Service  has 
described  alcoholism  as  "a  public 
health  problem  of  major  proportions 
in  this  country  and  Canada." 

Members  of  the  new  commission 
will  be  selected  from  the  ranks  of 
eminent  scholars  and  laymen.  It  will 
have  twenty-five  members,  including 
a  scientific  director. 

Crime  Sets  New 
Record  in  1959 

Murders,  rapes,  stabbings,  and 
felonious  assaults  continued  to  in- 
crease during  the  first  nine  months 
of  1959  to  new  record  highs  in  cities 
throughout  the  United  States,  ac- 
cording to  the  Federal  Bureau  of 
Investigation. 

The  FBI  said  there  has  been  an 
increase  of  five  per  cent  in  forcible 
rapes,  four  per  cent  in  murders,  and 
seven  per  cent  in  aggravated  assaults. 

Needy  Abroad  Get  Half 
Billion  Pounds  Surplus  Foods 

The  U.  S.  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture reports  that  it  gave  more  than 
half  a  billion  pounds  of  surplus  food 
to  voluntary  agencies  for  distribution 
to  needy  persons  abroad  in  the  first 
quarter  of  the  1960  fiscal  year. 

Recently  the  donation  of  dried 
milk  has  been  terminated  and  relief 
agencies  are  protesting  to  Washing- 
ton that  this  will  cripple  the  most 
vital  part  of  their  overseas  relief 
program. 

Quakers  May  Start  First 
Theological  School 

The  first  theological  school  in 
Quaker  history  may  be  established 
at  Earlham  College  in  Richmond, 
Ind.  The  college  trustees  are  expect- 
ed to  consider  the  possibility  early 
in  1960. 

Dr.  Wilmer  Cooper,  associate  pro- 
fessor of  religion  at  the  college,  con- 
ducted a  study  which  emphasized 
the  need  for  such  a  school.  He 
observed  that  Friends  from  the 
beginning   have   been   suspicious   of 


theological  training  and  the  paid 
ministry.  But  there  is  a  growing  con- 
cern for  the  kind  of  leadership  which 
could  help  Friends  broaden  their 
spiritual  and  intellectual  horizons. 

The  purpose  of  a  theological  school 
at  Earlham  would  be  "to  train  and 
prepare  men  and  women  for  the 
Christian  ministry  within  the  frame- 
work and  tradition  of  Friends." 

Biblical  Verse  on 
New  Airmail  Stamp 

A  Bible  verse  will  appear  on  a 
new  ten-cent  stamp  for  overseas  air- 
mail to  Latin  America  and  the  West 
Indies. 

The  stamp  will  picture  the  Liberty 
Bell  and  its  famed  inscription,  "Pro- 
claim liberty  throughout  the  land  to 
all  its  inhabitants,"  which  is  taken 
from  Lev.  25:10. 

This  inscription  from  the  Bible 
was  chosen  by  Isaac  Norris,  a  Quaker 
who  was  speaker  of  the  colonial 
House  of  Representatives  in  Penn- 
sylvania when  the  legislature  ordered 
the  bell  cast  in  1752.  It  is  the  in- 
scription which  caused  the  bell  to 
be  known  as  the  Liberty  Bell  rather 
than  the  fact  that  it  was  run  on  July 
4,   1776. 


Legend  of  Solomon's  Temple 
Claimed  Disproved 

Government  officials  in  Jordan 
have  announced  that  they  have  dis- 
proved a  legend  that  remains  of  the 
Temple  of  King  Solomon  he  under- 
neath the  Mosque  of  Omar,  built  in 
the  7th  century  A.D.  to  protect  the 
famed  Holy  Rock,  sacred  to  Islam, 
in  the  old  walled  city  of  Jerusalem. 

The  Jordanians  said  that  exca- 
vations taking  place  beneath  the 
mosque  indicated  the  presence  only 
of  natural  rock  and  not  any  remnants 
of  the  ancient  temple. 

An  Egyptian  firm  has  been  doing 
restoration  work  on  the  mosque, 
which  also  is  known  as  the  Dome  of 
the  Rock. 

National  Council  Sees 
Government  Intervention 
in  Strikes  Justified 

The  General  Board  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  recently  said 
that  government  intervention  in 
strikes  is  justified  when  it  can  aid 
free  bargaining  through  mediation 
or  when  it  is  necessary  to  protect 
public  welfare. 

In  a  statement  on  Ethical  Issues 
in    Industrial    Relations,    the    board 


STRATEGY  CONFERENCE  ON 
CO-OPERATIVE  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


■  The  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
Virginia  was  represented  by  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Harley  and  the  Rev.  Glenn 
Garner  at  a  Strategy  Conference  on 
Christian  Education  at  Roslyn  Nov. 
30 -Dec.  2. 

With  representatives  of  nine  other 
Protestant  denominations  they  stud- 
ied the  present  needs  in  Virginia  and 
planned  for  meeting  these  needs  co- 
operatively. 

To  give  a  basis  for  discussion,  the 
following  presentations  were  made: 
The  Objective  of  Christian  Educa- 
tion, by  Dr.  William  B.  Kennedy  of 
Richmond,  professor  of  Christian 
Education,  Union  Theological  Sem- 
inary; A  Philosophy  of  Co-operative 
Christian  Education,  by  Dr.  A.  L. 
Roberts  of  New  York,  director  of 
the  Commission  on  General  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of 
Churches;  Our  Task  in  the  Larger 
Setting  of  Our  Culture,  by  Dr. 
David  Hunter  of  Greenwich,  Conn., 
national  director  of  Christian  educa- 
tion,  Episcopal  Church;   Population 


Trends  in  Virginia,  by  Dr.  Lorin 
Thompson  of  Charlottesville,  director 
of  the  Bureau  of  Population  Studies, 
University  of  Virginia;  Present  Status 
of  Christian  Education  in  Virginia, 
by  Rev.  Myron  S.  Miller,  executive 
secretary  of  the  Virginia  Council  of 
Churches. 

After  discussing  the  current  situa- 
tion in  Virginia  it  was  recommended 
that  the  denominations  should  work 
together  through  the  Division  of 
Christian  Education  of  the  Virginia 
Council  of  Churches  in  the  following 
areas:  religion  and  public  education; 
ecumenical  experiences  for  children, 
youth  and  adults;  community  leader- 
ship education;  specialized  leader- 
ship training  for  radio  and  TV, 
church  drama,  music  and  the  arts, 
camps  and  conferences,  and  senior 
citizens;  relation  of  the  church  to 
agencies  such  as  Scouts;  research, 
surveys,  and  studies  in  Christian  edu- 
cation. The  recommendations  will  be 
brought  to  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Virginia  Council  of  Churches  in 
February. 


This  manuscript 
copy  of  the  four 
Gospels  in 
Ethiopia's 
Amharic 
language,  a  gift 
from  Emperor 
Haile  Selassie  I, 
was  presented  to 
the  American 
Bible  Society  to 
mark  the 
opening  of  its 
Christmas 
Scripture  exhibit. 
Shown  are 
Tesfaye  Roba 
(left),  Ethiopian 
acting  consul 
general  in  New 
York,  and  Dr. 
Eric  M.  North, 
consultant  and 
recording 
secretary  of  the 
Bible  society 


Religious  News 
Service 


also  declared  that  union  membership 
as  a  condition  of  continuing  employ- 
ment should  be  neither  required  nor 
forbidden  by  law. 

The  2,500-word  pronouncement 
was  approved  by  73  delegates  at  the 
board's  meeting  and  opposed  by  16, 
with  12  abstaining. 

Mortgage  Insurance  Terms 
Eased  for  Churches 

Commissioner  Julian  H.  Zimmer- 
man of  the  Federal  Housing  Admin- 
istration has  called  the  attention  of 
religious  and  other  nonprofit  organi- 
zations to  the  fact  that  they  can  now 
obtain  mortgage  insurance  on  more 
liberal  terms  to  build  special  apart- 
ment housing  projects  for  elderly 
persons. 

A  new  program  of  the  Federal 
Housing  Act  provides  FHA  mortgage 
insurance  on  projects  designed  to 
provide  housing  for  persons  sixty-two 
years  of  age  and  over,  whether  mar- 
ried or  single. 

News  Briefs 

The  Church  of  the  Nazarene  or- 
ganized 159  new  churches  during 
1959,  or  an  average  of  three  per 
week.  At  the  year  end,  the  de- 
nomination reported  a  net  total  of 
4,696  churches.  Church  membership 
climbed  to  311,299.  This  was  a  net 
gain  of  9,624.  Per  capita  giving 
reached  $135  during  the  year.  This 
was  a  denominational  record. 

American  Evangelist  Billy  Graham 
has  been  banned   from   Jordan   be- 


cause of  alleged  "pro-Israel  activities, 
including  fund-raising,"  according  to 
a  statement  by  an  official  in  the  in- 
terior ministry  of  that  country.  The 
spokesman  indicated  that  the  action 
was  based  on  a  report  received  by 
the  Jordan  government  from  its 
Washington  embassy. 

Membership  of  the  Church  of  God, 
Anderson,  Ind.,  reached  138,432  in 
the  United  States  and  Canada  during 
1959.  This  represented  a  gain  of 
2,175  over  the  previous  year.  In  ad- 
dition, the  denomination  reported 
4,500  adherents  of  its  home  mission 
stations  in  the  U.S.  and  47,865  ad- 
herents of  its  foreign  mission  stations. 

The  House  subcommitee,  which 
in  the  last  session  of  Congress  in- 
vestigated pornography  in  the  mails, 
has  announced  that  it  will  open  hear- 
ings on  Feb.  2  into  the  need  for  both 
the  movie  and  publishing  industries 
to  clean  up  "overdramatization  of  sex 
and  the  spread  of  obscenity." 

The  importance  of  local  congrega- 
tions as  a  manifestation  of  the  uni- 
versal church  will  be  the  theme  of 
the  annual  Week  of  Prayer  for  Chris- 
tian Unity,  which  is  sponsored  from 
Jan.  18-25  by  the  World  Council  of 
Churches'  Faith  and  Order  Commis- 
sion. The  commission  calls  upon 
Christians  in  all  churches  to  join  in 
prayers  for  unity. 

Quotes  in  the  News 

Dr.  Virgil  A.  Sly,  chairman  of 
the  National  Council's  Division  of 
Foreign  Missions:  "Unlike  the  Com- 


munist, the  Christian  missionary  can- 
not become  involved  in  the  political 
struggles  of  any  state.  Neither  is  the 
church  worker  abroad  a  missionary  of 
the  American  way  or  an  ambassador 
of  his  country." 

Dr.  A.  Dudley  Ward,  secretary, 
Methodist  Board  of  Social  and  Eco- 
nomic Relations:  "One  of  the  haz- 
ards facing  the  U.S.  currently  is  the 
lack  of  clear,  objective,  enthralling 
aims  which  command  the  attention 
of  the  leaders  of  all  aspects  of  our 
life  and  the  dedication  of  our  citi- 
zens." 

Dr.  C.  Nelson  Davis,  Philadelphia 
psychiatrist:  "One  of  the  tragedies 
of  alcohol  is  that  its  principal  vic- 
tims are  our  most  brilliant  people 
—  doctors,  lawyers,  professors,  busi- 
nessmen, and  even  clergymen.  Alco- 
holism is  a  disease  of  the  station 
wagon  set  and  is  not  confined  to 
Skid  Row  bums.  Somehow  we  have 
to  teach  our  competent  people  to 
understand  themselves,  to  live  with 
their  discomforts  so  with  that  knowl- 
edge they  can  keep  their  anxiety 
constructive  rather  than  destructive." 

Dr.  W.  A.  Visser  t'  Hooft,  general 
secretary  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches:  "Questions  arise  with  re- 
gard to  the  unity  sought  by  the  ecu- 
menical movement  in  relation  to 
both  mission  and  renewal.  We  see 
that  unity  cannot  be  unity  that  is 
empty.  It  must  at  the  same  time 
be  a  unity  that  is  renewal." 

James  E.  Colville,  vice-president 
of  a  wholesale  produce  firm:  "No 
area  of  a  Christian  businessman's 
life  is  more  vulnerable  to  the  at- 
tack of  the  enemy  than  is  his  busi- 
ness life.  In  competition  with  the 
world  the  temptation  is  great  often- 
times to  meet  competition  on  its 
level  or  resort  to  worldly  practices. 
Let  us  desire  to  be  faithful  rather 
than  to  be  successful.  Let  us  desire 
to  be  right  rather  than  to  be  rich. 
Let  us  desire  to  prove  the  reality  of 
Christ  in  the  crucible  of  daily  ex- 
perience more  than  to  prove  our 
cleverness  as  businessmen." 

Samuel  H.  Miller,  dean  of  the 
Harvard  Divinity  School:  "One  of 
the  tragedies  of  our  time  is  that  the 
minister  is  both  overworked  and 
unemployed;  overworked  in  the 
multitude  of  tasks  that  do  not  have 
the  slightest  connection  with  reli- 
gion and  unemployed  in  the  serious 
concerns  and  exacting  labors  of  main- 
taining disciplined  spiritual  life 
among  mature  men  and  women." 


JANUARY  16.  1960 


19 


Hl$    KINGDOM 


C  H  URC H 


AT    WORK     IN     THE     WORLD     TODAY 

Climate 

Dictates 

Nigerian 

Life 

Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp 


JUST  as  weather  is  an  important 
topic  of  conversation  in  the 
United  States,  so  it  is  in  Africa. 
However,  this  particular  part  of 
Africa  is  neither  as  hot  nor  as  wet 
as  I  had  imagined  it  might  be.  We 
arrived  in  Nigeria  just  as  the  rainy 
season  was  ending.  During  Septem- 
ber and  October  there  were  small 
rains  once  or  twice  a  week,  which 
in   November  dwindled   to   nothing. 

In  December  and  January  we  ex- 
perienced the  "harmattan,"  a  fog- 
like mist  of  dust  that  settles  over 
everything,  reducing  visability  con- 
siderably and  making  house  clean- 
ing seem  more  futile  than  ever. 

Winds  laden  with  sand  blowing 
south  from  the  Sahara  Desert  create 
this  condition  which,  by  obscuring 
the  sun,  helps  to  lower  the  temper- 
ature of  the  air.  During  this  time  of 
year  blankets  are  necessary  at  night 
and  sweaters  in  the  early  morning 
and  evening. 


Leland  S.  Brubaker 


Nearly    every    Nigerian,    regardless    of    his    main    occupa- 
tion,  farms   a  small   patch   of  ground   near  his   compound 


Days  Become  Warmer 

By  the  end  of  February  the  days 
become  progressively  warmer  and 
moisture  creeps  into  the  air.  At  noon 
the  temperature  rises  to  105-110  in 

Part  three  of  a  series  of  articles  describ- 
ing missionary  life  in  Nigeria,  written 
originally  for  the  Waynesboro  Record 
Herald,  Pennsylvania 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the  shade,  and  the  humidity  tends 
to   wilt   animals   and  humans   alike. 

Many  nights  are  hot  and  still, 
making  rest  difficult.  This  pattern 
continues  into  May,  with  the  hu- 
midity gradually  increasing  until, 
one  magic  day,  it  rains.  After  this, 
the  rains  are  sporadic,  with  only  a 
few  in  May,  and  perhaps  every  sec- 
ond day  or  so  in  June. 

By  July,  in  a  normal  year,  it  is 
raining  at  least  every  other  day  and 
sometimes  oftener.  August  is  the 
month  of  heavy  rains,  which  then 
begin  tapering  off  in  September. 

These  rains  are  not  constant.  As 
a  rule,  the  air  is  clear  and  cool  in 
the  early  morning,  with  heat  and 
humidity   building  up   by   noon. 

Cloud  formations  begin,  and  by 
late  afternoon  there  is  a  thunder- 
storm lasting  an  hour  or  two  after 
which  the  air  clears  and  grows  cool- 


er. (This  rain  "schedule"  is  most 
convenient,  as  the  laundry  is  usually 
dry  enough  to  take  down  by  the 
time  the  first  drops  fall.) 

Lightning  here  surpasses  any  I 
have  seen  at  home.  It  is  brilliant, 
constant,  flashing  up  from  the  hori- 
zon all  across  the  heavens,  in  weird, 
fantastic  designs.  At  times  there  is 
thunder,  but  always  there  is  light- 
ning. 

Plenty  of  Mud 

Mud  is  in  order  at  Waka  during 
the  rains,  and  boots  become  a  natu- 
ral part  of  one's  attire.  It  seems  that 
water  holds  a  fascination  for  all 
children,  and  ours  are  no  exception. 

With  the  first  drop  of  rain,  they 
rush  for  their  raincoats  and  boots, 
and  after  the  deluge  is  over,  they 
happily  slosh  around  in  mud  up  to 
their  ears.   It  is  difficult  to  say  which 


■The  Church  at  Work 


is  more  discouraging  from  the  house- 
wife's point  of  view:  the  dust  of  the 
dry  season  or  the  mud  during  the 
rains. 

Nearly  every  African,  regardless 
of  his  main  occupation,  farms  a 
small  patch  of  ground  near  his  com- 
pound. Because  tinned  fruits  and 
vegetables  shipped  out  from  Jos  are 
so  expensive,  we,  too,  try  to  raise 
the  majority  of  vegetables  for  our 
own  use. 

The  climate  necessitates  having 
two  separate  gardens  —  one  situated 
near  water  so  that  it  may  be  irrigated 
during  the  dry  season,  and  another 
in  a  location  above  the  flood  level 
during  the  rains.  The  dry  season 
garden  is  planted  in  September  or 
October  and  the  wet  season  one  in 
May  or  June,  although  it  often  must 
be  watered  artificially  until  the  rains 
come  regularly. 

Monkeys  Invade  Garden 

Gardening  in  Africa,  especially  for 
beginners,  is  full  of  disappointments 
and  frustrations.  For  example,  we 
started  three  plantings  of  corn.  Each 
time,  just  as  the  ears  were  beginning 
to  form,  monkeys  invaded  the  garden 
and  reaped  the  harvest.  The  fourth 
time,  we  planted  near  the  house, 
where  the  animals  dared  not  venture. 

Lizards  and  grasshoppers  chewed 
off  our  tiny  cabbage  plants,  and  ants 
ate  our  lettuce  seeds.  For  every  plant 


that  grows,  there  seem  to  be  a  dozen 
pests  to  finish  it  off.  We  struggled 
with  carrots  and  beets  and  at  last 
have  managed  to  raise  about  three 
dozen  of  each.  In  the  dry  season,  the 
blistering  sun  scorches  the  tender 
leaves. 

During  the  rains,  things  are  likely 
to  rot.  (The  exception  to  all  rules  is 
string  beans.  Every  seed  matures 
and  produces  faithfully. )  Gardening 
at  best  is  a  challenge  anywhere,  but 
in  Nigeria,  we  have  found  it  slightiy 
more  so. 

Just  as  the  weather  is  responsible 
to  a  large  extent  for  the  success  of 
our  gardens  (after  the  plants  have 
passed  the  stage  of  being  snipped  off 
and  before  the  crops  have  devel- 
oped sufficiently  to  be  attractive  to 
monkeys)  so  it  determines  to  an  even 
greater  extent  our  travel.  The  roads 
between  our  mission  stations  are 
unpaved. 

Two  of  our  stations  are  completely 
inaccessible,  except  on  foot,  during 
at  least  two  months  of  the  year  be- 
cause of  mud.  When  one  travels  dur- 
ing the  rains,  he  allows  twice  as  much 
time  as  the  trip  would  normally  take, 
and  also  carries  extra  water  and  food. 

African  weather,  you  see,  does 
provide  plenty  of  fare  for  conversa- 
tion. And  when  conversation  lags, 
we  can  always  comment  on  how 
much  we  miss  snow  and  ice. 


Ft.  Wayne 
Church 
Moves 

Harper  S.  Will 

SATURDAY,  Feb.  14,  1959,  will 
stand  as  a  memorable  date  in 
the  records  of  the  Lincolnshire 
church.  On  that  day  a  host  of  men 
and  women  loaded  up  their  church 
belongings  —  chairs,  tables,  books, 
pianos,  etc.  —  on  Smith  Street  and 
moved  them  four  miles  southwest  to 
Calhoun  Street.  The  next  day  with 
Roy  Gilmer  directing  the  worship 
and  Carl  Zook  preaching  the  sermon 
the  Lincolnshire  church  worshiped 
for  the  first  time  in  their  new  build- 
ing. 

Sunday,  Sept.  20,  will  stand  as 
another  high  day  in  the  records  of 
the  church.  On  that  day  a  few  over 
one  thousand  people  gathered  for 
the  morning  and  afternoon  dedica- 
tion services.  A.  Blair  Helman  gave 
the  morning  sermon  and  William  M. 
Beahm  the  afternoon  sermon.  Four 
former  pastors  assisted  in  the  dedica- 
tion worship:  S.  S.  Blough,  Leo 
Miller,  Harlan  Smith,  and  Glen 
Baird.  Messages  were  received  from 
Van  Wright,  Eugene  Gnagey,  and 
Mrs.  Wilbur  Bantz,  who  had  for- 
merly  served  the   church. 

The  Lincolnshire  church  is  of 
contemporary  design,  functional  in 
structure,  with  facilities  for  a  com- 
plete program  of  church  activities 
—  worship,  teaching,  and  fellowship. 
Arthur  L.  Dean  served  as  architect, 
and  the  building  committee  was 
composed  of  Eldo  Miller,  chairman, 
Mrs.  Francis  Barr,  Chester  Burgette, 
Harlan  Dietzel,  Mrs.  Carl  Nobles, 
Earl  Rutledge  and  Mrs.  Gene  Valen- 
tine. These  along  with  the  general 
contractor,  C.  Goenges  &  Son  of 
Fort  Wayne,  merit  the  highest  com- 
mendation. The  general  opinion  is 
that  much  was  received  for  the  in- 
vestment made. 

It  has  been  not  uncommon  to  hear 
remarks  from  the  congregation  such 
as  these,  "The  best  thing  that  ever 
happened  to  the  Fort  Wayne  church 
was  its  moving";  and,  "If  there  is 
something  I  can  do,  remember  I  am 
ready,  as  this  may  be  the  only  church 
Continued   on   page  23 


Beryl  McCann 


A  road  during  the  rainy  season  in  Nigeria 


JANUARY   16.   1960 


21 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


Vigil  at  Fort  Detrick 


ONE  October  day  a  group  of 
thirty-five  Brethren  Volunteer 
Service  workers  stood  silently 
for  three  hours  along  the  roadside  at 
West  7th  and  Military  Road  in  Fred- 
erick, Md.  Inside  Fort  Detrick,  just 
beyond  the  gate,  the  government  was 
engaged  in  producing  germs  and 
toxins  for  biological  warfare,  but 
nothing  outside  the  fort  gates  sug- 
gested war.  With  a  blue  sky  over- 
head and  warm  Indian  summer 
weather  prevailing,  life  went  on  as 
always:  school  buses  going  by  with 
laughing  children,  housewives  hurry- 
ing home  with  groceries,  a  gas  sta- 
tion attendant  trying  to  pursue  a 
normal  routine,  ignoring  the  silent 
line  of  people  across  the  highway 
from  him. 

Besides  the  BVSers,  a  group  of 
ministers  had  swelled  the  line  to  a 
record  high  number.  Among  them 
was  Guy  M.  West,  pastor  of  the  York 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  who  was 
teaching  a  pacifism  class  in  the  BVS 
training  program  at  nearby  New 
Windsor.  At  the  head  of  the  line 
stood  a  small  sign:  Vigil  and  Appeal 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Kermon  Thomason 

Drawing  by  the  author 

against  Biological  Warfare.  The 
group  simply  stood  in  silence  for 
three  hours.  It  was  not  easy.  By 
five  o'clock  backs  and  legs  were  ach- 
ing, but  there  was  a  satisfaction  that 
in  silence  the  group  had  been  heard. 

Why  was  this  group  there  that 
afternoon?  Why  has  there  been  a 
group  at  Fort  Detrick  each  day 
since  July  1,  1959? 

Initiated  by  the  Fellowship  of  Rec- 
onciliation's Middle  Adantic  Chap- 
ter, the  appeal  and  vigil  at  Fort 
Detrick,  Md.,  is  a  silent,  nonviolent 
protest  against  germ  warfare  and  a 
petition  to  stop  preparation  for  it. 
At  Fort  Detrick  germs  and  toxins  and 
the  means  of  spreading  them  are  be- 
ing perfected  for  massive  slaughter. 
Most  Americans  do  not  know  this  is 
being  done  in  their  name. 

The  Fort  Detrick  vigil  serves  as 
a  symbol.  According  to  Charles 
Walker,  co-chairman  of  the  move- 
ment, from  it  emerges  the  image  of 
someone  standing  silently,  in  peni- 
tence as  well  as  in  petition,  endur- 
ing all  in  order  to  "speak  truth  to 


power."  The  vigil  is  a  channel  for 
those  with  sensitive  consciences  to 
challenge  what  they  feel  is  wrong. 
The  vigil  participants  feel  a  need  to 
point  out  the  drastic  blow  given  to 
humane  ethics  by  germ  warfare 
preparation.  What  are  the  values  of 
the  free  world  which  we  so  proudly 
uphold  if  not  the  very  values  which 
would  condemn  wholesale  biological 
warfare  upon  entire  populations. 

To  those  who  view  the  vigil  as  a 
futile  gesture,  Henry  Hitt  Crane  an- 
swers, "Conscientious  Christians  are 
not  responsible  for  the  results  of  what 
they  are  doing,  if  they  do  what  they 
honestly  believe  is  right.  You  plant 
your  good  deed,  and  you  don't  weigh 
or  scale  or  calculate  in  advance  what 
might  happen,  but  you  believe  and 
you  trust  and  you  know  that  some- 
thing is  going  to  happen.  This  is 
what  it  means  to  believe  in  a  creative 
God." 

Since  the  vigil's  beginning,  Breth- 
ren have  taken  an  active  part  in  its 
support.  Besides  active  participation 
in  the  vigil  line  by  two  Brethren  Vol- 
unteer Service  units  and  Brethren 
ministers  and  laymen,  the  districts  of 
Western  Maryland,  First  and  Second 


-The  Church   at  Work 


West  Virginia,  Mardela,  and  Eastern 
Maryland  have  received  vigil  pub- 
licity through  their  district  fieldmen. 
The  appeal  and  vigil  is  undertaken 
in  a  spirit  of  contrition,  in  a  spirit  of 
shared  responsibility  for  the  acts  of 
the  government.  All  actions  are  tak- 
en in  the  Christian  spirit  of  truth  and 
nonviolence.  The  way  of  peace  is 
not  self-defense  by  retaliation,  rather 
it  is  self-sacrifice  through  love  for 
God  and  man. 


Ft.  Wayne  Church  Moves 

Continued  from  page  21 

my  hands  will  have  a  chance  to  help 
build."  A  spirit  of  faith  and  spiritual 
venture  prevailed  throughout  the 
time  of  transition. 

The  history  of  the  Fort  Wayne 
church  goes  back  to  the  1890's  when 
Brethren  began  to  gather  in  and 
about  the  city.  It  was  organized  on 
Feb.  14,  1897,  and  the  building  on 
Smith  Street  was  dedicated  on  July 
24,  1901.  In  the  early  days  there 
were  some  difficult  struggles,  but  it 
developed  into  a  solid  Christian  fel- 
lowship. 

Neighborhood  changes  made  it  ap- 
parent by  the  coming  of  the  50's  that 
there  was  little  future  for  the  Breth- 
ren in  the  Smith  Street  section  of  the 
city.  Accordingly,  the  Smith  Street 
holdings  were  sold  to  a  Negro  con- 
gregation and  the  transition  was 
made  to  South  Calhoun  Street, 
changing  the  name  of  the  church  to 


Lincolnshire,  the  area  into  which  it 
moved. 

One  factor  and  two  happenings 
disclose  essentially  the  secret  of  this 
moving  process  which  involved  300 
people,  the  expenditure  of  $275,000, 
and  the  elevation  of  the  annual  budg- 
et from  $15,000  to  $40,000. 

The  all-important  factor  was  the 
people.  There  were  differences  of 
opinion;  there  were  tensions;  there 
were  even  tears;  but  the  Lincoln- 
shire people  were  and  are  a  com- 
mitted people.  They  have  limited 
resources,  but  they  have  faith,  and 
accordingly  they  have  not  been 
afraid  to  venture.  They  have  deep 
Christian  convictions  and  loyalties, 
and  accordingly  they  have  wanted  to 
do  their  best.  One  might  properly 
say  the  decisive  factor  in  any  enter- 
prise is  the  people. 

The  first  happening  that  gave  a 
strong  push  to  this  moving  project 
occurred  before  it  was  given  much 
consideration.  The  Smith  Street 
church  gave  birth  to  a  mission 
church.  In  1952  some  thirty  charter 
members  organized  the  Beacon 
Heights  Church  of  the  Brethren  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  Fort  Wayne. 
They  built  and  prospered  and  the 
growing  fellowship  inspired  the  par- 
ent group.  Isn't  this  the  usual  order 
—  help  a  mission  get  started,  increase 
missionary  and  service  supports,  and 
you  strengthen  your  own  program? 
They  lettered  away  many  of  their 
finest  members,  potentially  thousands 


of  dollars,  and  the  result  —  it  prodded 
them  to  start  moving. 

The  second  happening  occurred  in 
1956.  The  Wells  Organizations  was 
called  in  to  supervise  a  stewardship 
visitation.  The  miracle  occurred. 
They  discovered  you  do  not  need  a 
thousand  members  or  $100,000  ex- 
ecutives to  build  a  church.  Assem- 
bled tithes  mount  into  surprising 
figures.  They  discovered  a  handful 
of  people,  banded  together  in  the 
name  of  Christ  and  committed  to  a 
common  effort,  can  do  a  significant 
work.  We  ought  to  know  this  any- 
time and  anywhere.  Jesus  demon- 
strated it  with  twelve  disciples 
nineteen  hundred  years  ago. 

After  seeing  what  they  could  do, 
they  formed  a  bond  committee  head- 
ed by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  Butledge 
and  issued  through  the  Lincoln  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Fort  Wayne  $190,000 
worth  of  bonds  at  5%  interest  which 
were  purchased  by  149  investors  in 
quantities  from  $50  to  $50,000. 
Without  further  delay  they  started 
erecting  their  church.  They  will  al- 
ways be  grateful  for  the  encouraging 
assistance  of  their  pastor  and  elder 
through  these  formative  days  — 
Glen  Baird  and  Mark  Schrock. 

The  future  for  the  Lincolnshire 
church  is  bright,  and  already  there 
is  talk  that  in  ten  years  there  should 
be  a  chain  of  Brethren  churches 
around  the  growing  city  of  Fort 
Wayne. 


Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Brubaker  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Dec.  9,  1959.  They  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Heidelberg  church  and  have 
served  in  the  office  of  deacon  for  forty 
years.  They  have  three  daughters,  one 
son,  and  nine  grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Al- 
ton Bucher,  Myerstown,  Pa. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  E.  Burkholder  of 
Harmony,  Minn.,  observed  their  fifty- 
seventh  wedding  anniversary  on  Nov. 
27,  1959.  The  couple  has  eight  chil- 
dren, twenty  grandchildren,  and  three 
great-grandchildren.  —  Mae  Fishbaugh- 
er,  Preston,  Minn. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Hanes  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  March  1,  1959,  with  a  recep- 
tion at  the  church.  —  Mrs.  Harold  Alter, 
Mt.  Morris,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Martin  cele- 
brated their  sixty-first  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Jan.  19,  1959.  —  Mrs.  Harold 
Alter,  Mt.  Morris,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilbur  E.  Ritchie  of 
Continued  on  page  25 


The  sanctuary  of  the  Lincolnshire  church,  Ft.  Wayne,  Indiana 


JANUARY  16,  1960 


23 


HOW  DO  YOU  LOVE  YOUR  NEIGHBOR? 


ANICA,  daughter  in  the  new  ref- 
ugee family  which  has  just  moved  to 
town,  introduces  her  mother,  who 
can  speak  very  littie  English,  to  Mrs. 
Whitney,  a  friendly  neighbor,  in  the 
new  filmstrip,  How  Do  You  Love 
Your  Neighbor?  But  all  does  not  run 
as  smoothly  as  expected.  Because  of 
differences  of  language  and  culture, 
misunderstandings  arise  —  in  spite  of 
the  efforts  of  the  Whitney  family  to 
be  friendly.  The  problems  are  by  no 
means  all  solved  when  the  filmstrip 
ends,  but  the  Whitneys  sense  their 


task  ahead  and  become  aware  that 
being  a  good  neighbor  applies  in 
their  own  community  as  well  as  in 
clothing  drives  for  refugees  overseas. 
This  filmstrip  should  be  especially 
helpful  to  a  community  about  to  re- 
ceive a  refugee  family  or  to  any 
group  which  has  contact  with  people 
of  different  cultures.  This  98-frame 
color  filmstrip  may  be  purchased  for 
$5.50  or  rented  for  $1.50  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


.;.•>■>■■     ■  . .  .  i  ".'■: 


iiiiiiiiiil 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not 
necessarily  constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made 
through  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles 
recommended    for    church    libraries    are    marked    with    an    asterisk    (*).  —  Editor. 


"Paul,  the  Dauntless.  Basil 
Mathews.  Revell,  1959.  375  pages. 
$3.95. 

This  is  an  attractive,  readable  re- 
print of  a  valuable  book  of  a  genera- 
tion or  two  ago,  making  the  dramatic 
life  and  work  of  Paul  a  living  reality 
for  the  reader.  While  perhaps  most 
useful  for  the  adolescent  and  youth, 
the  book  is  not  without  its  appeal 
to  the  adult  church  worker  and  lead- 
er. The  author  has  combined  a  first- 
hand knowledge  of  the  lands  of  Paul 
with  access  to  careful  scholarship, 
and  has  presented  the  story  with  all 
the  vivid,  dramatic  style  of  a  novel- 
ist. This  book  deserves  to  have  wide 
circulation  among  adults  and  youth 
who  are  eager  to  thrill  again  to  one 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


of  the  most  exciting  lives  ever  lived 
and  to  breathe  something  of  the 
grandeur  of  spirit  that  was  in  Paul.  — 
Chalmer  E.  Faw,  Chicago,  III. 

"Brave  Boys  and  Girls  of  Long 
Ago.  Dorothy  C.  Haskin.  Baker, 
1959.   62  pages.   $1.50. 

Spun  from  facts  and  probabilities 
are  these  stories  of  great  Christian 
personalities  of  yesteryear.  Fanny 
Driscoll  braves  the  wrath  of  Queen 
Mary  of  Scotiand  when  she,  as  a 
girl,  smuggles  bits  of  scripture  to 
her  father,  imprisoned  for  his  faith. 
The  story  is  told  of  Robert  Raikes 
starting  his  Sunday  school  for  the 
ne'er-do-well  street  urchins.  In  sev- 
eral of  the  stories  the  Bible  is  held 
as  a  precious  but  nearly  unobtainable 
possession  because  of  its  scarcity  and 


high  cost.  Those  who  wanted  the 
Bible  paid  dearly  with  much  hard 
labor.  Other  great  persons  woven 
into  these  stories  include  John 
Wycliffe,  Martin  Luther,  and  Mary 
Jones.  Children  will  enjoy  these 
stories  of  brave  boys  and  girls  and 
the  book  is  suitable  for  the  library 
of  a  child.  Church  school  teachers 
will  find  the  book  one  that  can  be 
added  to  their  treasuries  of  stories.  — 
Glennis  Parks,  Elgin,  III. 

Father  to  the  Child.    Everett  S. 

Ostrovsky.       Putman,      1959.       173  I 
pages.    $3.75. 

The   subtide   of   the   book,    Case 
Studies  of  the  Experiences  of  a  Male   ; 
Teacher  With  Young  Children,  helps 
to  suggest  its  nature.    It  probes  the 
meaning  of  the  role  of  the  father  by  ] 
what  happens  to  children  who  are   , 
to  varying  degrees  deprived  of  their 
father's  presence.    It  also  helps  us  to   ! 
see  the  effect  on  such  children  when 
a  male  adult  assumes  a  prominent  [ 
place  in  their  environment.    It  is  be- 
lieved  that  the  absence  of  the  father 
from  the  home  has  a  crucial  effect 
upon  the  developing  child  and  that 
inadequate   male   influence   involves 
the  danger  of  limiting  and  inhibiting 
serious    psychological    disturbances. 
Therefore,  male  participation  in  early 
child   rearing   should   be   increased, 
both  within  the  family  and  outside 
of  it,  to  help  maintain  a  balance  be- 
tween  the  feminine   and   masculine 
influences.    A  most  interesting  book 
on    a    very    timely    subject.  —  Glee 
Yoder,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

*  Reading  the  Bible  Aloud.  J. 
Edward  Lantz.  Macmillan,  1959. 
144  pages.    $3.50. 

Few  things  would  improve  church 
services  more  than  a  marked  im- 
provement in  the  reading  of  the 
Bible  aloud.  The  words  of  the  print- 
ed page  need  to  become  the  living 
Word  of  God.  This  can  be  done  only 
if  they  come  alive  through  the  mind, 
thought,  and  voice  of  the  reader. 

Within  the  pages  of  this  book  one 
finds  help  in  understanding  the  Bible, 
in  selecting  appropriate  passages,  in 
preparing  for  reading,  and  in  the 
actual  presentation. 

Reading  the  Bible  Aloud  "has 
come  to  the  kingdom  for  such  a  time 
as  this."  If  its  suggestions  are  fol- 
lowed they  cannot  help  but  lead  to 
marked  improvement  in  public  read- 
ing. This  is  a  "must"  book  for  many 
ministers,  church  school  teachers, 
and  others  who  would  take  their 
Christianity  seriously.  —  David  J. 
Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 


Anniversaries 

Continued  from  page  23 

Bealeton,  Va.,  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary  on  Nov.  1,  1959, 
with  open  house.  They  have  four  sons, 
four  daughters,  and  twenty-two  grand- 
children. —  Mrs.  Thelma  Dettra,  Mid- 
land, Va. 

Brother  and  Sister  J.  E.  Small  of 
Roanoke,  111.,  celebrated  their  sixtieth 
wedding  anniversary  on  Jan.  1,  1960. 
Brother  Small  has  served  the  church  as 
a  minister  for  fifty-four  years.  They 
have  six  children,  nineteen  grandchil- 
dren, and  fourteen  great-grandchildren. 
—  Mrs.  Wm.  M.  Miller,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Brother  and  Sister  Eldie  Smith  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Nov.  14,  1959,  with  a  family 
dinner  in  the  Martinsburg  church,  Pa., 
of  which  they  are  members.  They  have 
nine  children  and  twenty  grandchil- 
dren and  great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs. 
C.  O.  Beery,  Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Brother  and  Sister  Orval  Snider  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  August  5,  1959.  —  Elsie  Luke, 
Modesto,  Calif. 


Obituaries 

Kagey,  Emma  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  David  W.  and  Betty  Miller  Wamp- 
ler,  was  born  Sept.  22,  1876,  and  died 
Nov.  10,  1959.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Harrisonburg  church,  Va.  In  Au- 
gust 1900,  she  was  married  to  Joseph 
H.  Kagey.  She  is  survived  by  five  chil- 
dren, thirteen  grandchildren,  two 
great-grandchildren,  two  sisters,  and 
three  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Harrisonburg  church  by 
Bro.  Robert  L.  Sherfy.  Interment  was 
in  the  Greenmount  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
John  E.  Moore,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

Kauffman,  Luella  Yoder,  was  born 
Nov.  6,  1904,  and  died  near  McVey- 
town,  Pa.,  Nov.  4,  1959.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Pine  Glen  church,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  Her- 
man S.  Kauffman,  three  daughters,  two 
sons,  one  stepson,  four  grandchildren, 
six  brothers,  and  three  sisters.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  in  the  Pine  Glen 
church,  with  Bro.  David  Markey  offici- 
ating. Interment  was  made  in  the  Pine 
Glen  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  George  Kerr, 
McVeytown,  Pa. 

Kilhefner,  Anna  M.,  daughter  of 
Frank  B.  and  Emma  Rineer  Shank,  died 
on  Nov.  5,  1959,  in  Ephrata,  Pa.,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years.  She  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Bro.  Nathan  F. 
Kilhefner.  Surviving  are  her  husband, 
two  daughters,  three  grandchildren, 
one  sister,  and  a  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Ephrata  church 
by  Bro.  V.  Lester  Schreiber.  Interment 
was  in  the  Mohler  cemetery.  —  Mabel 
M.  Myer,  Ephrata,  Pa. 

Klingler,  Harry  E.,  son  of  James  and 
Lavina  Leckrone  Klingler,  was  born  in 
Hopewell  Township,  Ohio,  Jan.  10, 
1886,  and  died  near  Somerset,  Ohio, 
Nov.  5,  1959.  He  was  baptized  in  1898 
into  the  Olivet  church,  Ohio.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  Rosella,  one  son,  two 
grandsons,  one  brother,  and  one  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Thomas  funeral  home  by  the  under- 
signed.   Interment  was  in  the  Somerset 


cemetery.  —  Guy  S.  Fern,  Thornville, 
Ohio. 

Layman,  Charles  C,  son  of  James 
and  Mary  Wampler  Layman,  was  born 
on  Aug.  3,  1866,  and  died  on  Nov.  3, 
1959.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Mill 
Creek  church.  His  wife,  Ruth  Knibb 
Layman,  preceded  him  in  death.  He 
is  survived  by  one  son,  two  daughters, 
and  six  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  from  the  Lindsay  fu- 
neral home  by  Bro.  Charles  Zunkel. 
Interment  was  in  the  Keezletown  ceme- 
tery. —  Eulalia  L.  Miller,  Port  Repub- 
lic, Va. 

Lisk,  George  L.,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ray  Lisk,  was  born  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  June  21,  1908,  and  died  at  New- 
ark, Ohio,  June  25,  1959.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Hazel  Daniels  on 
October  11,  1930.  He  was  baptized 
into  the  Olivet  church,  Ohio,  on  Aug. 
24,  1941.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
two  daughters,  one  son,  four  grand- 
children, two  sisters,  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Olivet  church  by  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Somerset  cemetery. 

—  Guy  S.  Fern,  Thornville,  Ohio. 
Love,  James  Lawrence,  son  of  John 

and  Effie  Snider  Love,  was  born  at 
Thornville,  Ohio,  Dec.  3,  1904,  and 
died  at  Zanesville,  Ohio,  July  23,  1959. 
He  was  baptized  into  the  Olivet  church, 
Ohio,  on  Sept.  2,  1917.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  Laura,  one  son,  two  daugh- 
ters, five  grandchildren,  his  mother,  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Olivet  church  by  the  un- 
dersigned. Interment  was  in  the  Somer- 
set cemetery.  —  Guy  S.  Fern,  Thorn- 
ville, Ohio. 

Martin,  Albert,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harry  Martin,  was  born  July  26,  1893, 
in  Shannon,  111.,  and  died  Oct.  4,  1959, 
in  Rockford,  111.  He  was  married  to  L. 
Marie  Knorr  on  Jan.  6,  1915.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Lanark  church,  111.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  three  daughters, 
three  sons,  sixteen  grandchildren,  and 
a  brother.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  John  Thomas.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Lanark  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  R.  M.  Livengood,  Lanark,  111. 

McFadden,  William  D.,  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Sarah  Coffman  McFadden, 
was  born  May  21,  1882,  and  died  Sept. 
12,  1959.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
Dessie  Hoover  McFadden,  two  daugh- 
ters, three  grandchildren,  a  foster 
grandson,  and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  Bro.  Thomas 
E.  Shoemaker  from  the  Paradise  church, 
Ohio.  Interment  was  in  the  church 
cemetery.  —  Grace  Weigley,  Wooster, 
Ohio. 

McMullen,  Alice  F.,  was  born  Sept. 
10,  1878,  and  died  Oct.  22,  1959.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Conewago  church, 
Pa.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  one 
son,  one  daughter,  and  four  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted in  the  Miller  funeral  home  by 
Brethren  Eshleman  and  Risser.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Greenwood  cemetery. 

—  Ellen  E.  Young,  Hershey,  Pa. 
Miller,  Cynthia  Lee,  infant  daughter 

of  Samuel  and  Barbara  Miller,  was  born 
Feb.  26,  1958,  and  died  Oct.  14,  1959. 
She  is  survived  by  her  parents  and  a 
sister.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  the  undersigned  in  the  Pots- 
dam church.  Interment  was  in  the 
Riverside  cemetery.  —  L.  John  Weaver, 
Potsdam,  Ohio. 


Minnich,  Clara  E.,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Martha  Neher  Blocher,  was  born 
March  16,  1876,  and  died  Nov.  8, 
1959.  She  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Jesse  Minnich,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Fred-" 
ericksburg  congregation,  Pa.  Surviving 
are  two  daughters,  two  sons,  eleven 
grandchildren,  one  brother,  and  one 
sister.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Spring  Creek  church  by  Brethren 
J.  Herbert  Miller  and  Amnion  B.  Mey- 
er. Interment  was  in  the  adjoining 
cemetery.  —  Grace  E.  Meyer,  Ono,  Pa. 

Myers,  Hattie  Griffith,  was  born  in 
Uniontown,  Kansas,  Feb.  7,  1883,  and 
died  in  La  Verne,  Calif.,  in  November 
1959.  She  and  her  husband,  Arthur 
Myers,  served  in  the  office  of  deacon 
until  his  death;  they  were  charter  mem- 
bers of  the  church  in  Olympia,  Wash. 
She  made  a  home  for  twelve  young  men 
attending  La  Verne  College,  Calif.  Sur- 
viving are  two  sons,  four  grandchildren, 
and  six  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  in  the  La  Verne 
church  by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  Sunnyside  cemetery,  Wash. 
—  Galen  K.  Walker,  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Noll,  Wilbur  G.,  son  of  R.  B.  and 
Jennie  Noll,  was  born  May  27,  1894, 
and  died  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  May 
17,  1959.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Crystal  church,  Mich.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  two  daughters,  one  son, 
ten  grandchildren,  two  brothers,  and 
one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted at  the  Crystal  church  by  Bro. 
Dean  Kindy,  assisted  by  Brethren  J.  J. 
Cook  and  Harley  Townsend.  Interment 
was  in  the  Crystal  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Beulah  Oyler,  Carson  City,  Mich. 

Nusbaum,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Bartholemew  and  Mary  Fletcher  Ris- 
ser, was  born  April  23,  1871,  and  died 
June  9,  1959.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Yellow  Creek  church,  Ind.  Her  hus- 
band preceded  her  in  death.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  the  Yellow 
Creek  church,  with  Bro.  Oscar  R.  Fike 
officiating.  Interment  was  in  the  Yel- 
low Creek  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Elmer  L. 
Weaver,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Nuss,  Harry,  died  Oct.  1,  1959,  at 
Columbia,  Pa.,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Middle  Creek  church,  Pa.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  five  daughters,  two 
sons,  sixteen  grandchildren,  and  six 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  at  the  Beck  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Henry  Wenger.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  East  Fairview  ceme- 
tery. —  Emma  L.  Zook,  Lititz,  Pa. 

Over,  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of  William 
and  Jane  Hoover  Pearson,  was  born  in 
1870,  and  died  in  November  1959.  Sur- 
viving are  three  daughters,  three  sons, 
seven  grandchildren  and  seventeen 
great-grandchildren.  Interment  was  in 
the  Dry  Hill  cemetery.  —  William  F. 
Smith,  New  Enterprise,  Pa. 

Plaugher,  Charles,  was  born  in  Van 
Wert,  Ohio,  May  4,  1897,  and  died  in 
Lima,  Ohio  Oct.  9,  1959.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Lima  church.  Surviv- 
ing are  his  wife,  a  daughter,  two  sons, 
nine  grandchildren,  two  brothers,  one 
sister,  and  one  half  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Lima  church 
by  Brethren  A.  P.  Musselman  and  Dean 
Farringer.    Interment  was  in  the  Pleas- 


JANUARY   16,  I960 


25 


ant  View  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Clark  An- 
spach,  Lafayette,  Ohio. 

Pyle,  David,  was  born  March  5,  1896, 
and  died  Oct.  19,  1959.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Somerset  church,  Pa. 
Surviving  are  his  wife  and  one  daugh- 
ter. Interment  was  in  the  Greene  Coun- 
ty Memorial  park.  —  Mrs.  L.  A.  Bow- 
man, Stoystown,  Pa. 

Reid,  J.  Richard,  son  of  Josiah  and 
Mary  Ellen  Gower  Reid,  died  Nov.  9, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Broadfording 
church,  Md.  He  had  served  as  Sunday 
school  superintendent  and  in  the  office 
of  deacon  for  many  years.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  two  sons,  two  daugh- 
ters, ten  grandchildren,  and  one  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Broadfording  church  by  Brethren  J. 
Stanley  Earhart  and  D.  R.  Petre  and 
Rev.  Charles  Wassen.  Interment  was 
in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Edith 
Myers,  Hagerstown,  Md. 

Reiman,  Jacob  C,  son  of  John  F. 
and  Sara  Schrock  Reiman,  was  born 
Sept.  21,  1880,  and  died  Oct.  29,  1959. 
He  was  preceded  in  death  by  his  first 
wife,  Annie  Knepper  Reiman.  He  was 
a  long-time  member  of  the  Brotherton 
church,  where  he  served  as  a  Sunday 
school  teacher  and  in  the  office  of  dea- 
con. He  is  survived  by  his  second  wife, 
Emma  Peck  Reiman,  one  son,  two  sis- 
ters, three  grandchildren,  and  three 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  in  the  Brotherton  church, 
with  Bro.  Herald  V.  Seese  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  Pike  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Ruth  C.  Knepper,  Berlin,  Pa. 

Replogle,  Victoria,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  F.  Lantz,  was  born  at  New 
Enterprise,  Pa.,  April  13,  1878,  and  died 
Nov.  29,  1959.  Her  husband,  A.  T. 
Replogle,  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  New  Enterprise 
church.  She  is  survived  by  one  son, 
three  grandchildren,  three  great-grand- 
children, two  brothers,  and  three  sis- 
ters. The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  New  Enterprise  church  by  Brethren 
William  F.  Smith  and  E.  M.  Detwiler. 
Interment  was  in  the  New  Enterprise 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  James  A.  Davis,  Loys- 
burg,  Pa. 

Rice,  Jessie  May,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  Everhock,  was  born  Feb. 
25,  1882,  and  died  Oct.  22,  1959.  Her 
husband,  William  W.  Rice,  preceded 
her  in  death.  Surviving  is  a  sister.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Yoder- 
Culp  funeral  home,  with  Bro.  Clarence 
Fike  officiating.  Interment  was  in  the 
Violett  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Lewis  Dixon, 
Goshen,  Ind. 

Reppert,  Alta  Edna,  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Mary  Ellen  Wagoner  Shul- 
theis  Fetterhoff,  was  born  Jan.  21,  1891, 
and  died  Nov.  10,  1959.  On  Feb.  3, 
1909,  she  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Charles  Reppert,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are  two 
daughters,  two  sons,  five  grandchildren, 
one  sister,  and  one  brother.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  Carter's  fu- 
neral home  by  Bro.  Dolar  Ritchey.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Pyrmont  cemetery.— 
Edna  Allbaugh,  Bringhurst,  Ind. 

Ringer,  Edna  P.,  was  born  Dec.  23, 
1894,  in  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  and  died 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Sept.  11,  1959,  in  Tampa,  Fla.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Somerset  church. 
Surviving  are  her  husband,  Ferris  Ring- 
er, twelve  children,  three  sisters,  and 
three  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  James  C.  Boitnott. 
Interment  was  in  the  Somerset  Memo- 
rial park.  —  Mrs.  L.  A.  Bowman,  Stoys- 
town, Pa. 

Rubeck,  Clarence,  was  born  March 
23,  1894,  and  died  Nov.  28,  1959.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Welsh  Run  church, 
Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  three 
sons,  four  daughters,  nine  grandchil- 
dren and  two  sisters.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Minnich  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Russell  Martin.  Interment 
was  in  the  Welsh  Run  church  cemetery. 
—  John  D.  Martin,  Mercersburg,  Pa. 

Rupel,  Charles  David,  was  born  Dec. 
27,  1896,  in  North  Liberty,  Ind.,  and 
died  Sept.  20,  1959,  at  La  Verne,  Calif. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  La  Verne 
church.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
Sylva  L.  Rupel,  three  sons,  three 
daughters,  two  brothers,  two  sisters, 
his  father,  and  twelve  grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Todd  Memorial  North  chapel,  with  the 
undersigned,  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  Evergreen  cemetery.  —  Harry  K. 
Zeller,  Jr.,  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Ryder,  Ida,  was  born  Jan.  3,  1874, 
and  died  Oct.  18,  1959.  She  was  a 
long-time  member  of  the  Welsh  Run 
church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by  two 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  home  by  Brethren  Clarence 
Hunsberger  and  Henry  Hunsberger.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Welsh  Run  church 
cemetery.  —  John  D.  Martin,  Mercers- 
burg, Pa. 

Sand,  Hilda  Pauline,  was  born  in 
Roseville,  111.,  Oct.  21,  1883,  and  died 
at  Haxtun,  Colo.,  Oct.  30,  1959.  On 
Jan.  1,  1911,  she  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Justis  A.  Sand.  Surviving  are 
her  husband,  two  daughters,  two  broth- 
ers, two  sisters,  and  four  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Haxtun  church,  with  Bro.  Virgil 
Weimer  officiating.  Another  service 
was  held  at  the  Harris  funeral  home  at 
Holdrege,  Nebr.  Interment  was  in  the 
Moses  Hill  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Charles 
F.  Edwards,  Haxtun,  Colo.       , 

Sanger,  Myrtle  E.,  daughter  of  Mar- 
tin and  Kate  Pobst  Sanger,  was  born 
May  6,  1885,  at  Fayetteville,  W.  Va., 
and  died  Nov.  4,  1959,  at  Atchison, 
Kansas.  She  is  survived  by  one  sister 
and  one  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  Atchison,  Kansas.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Calvary  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.   Matilda   Sanger,   Springfield,   Mo. 

Saylor,  Annie  L.,  daughter  of  An- 
drew and  Maryann  Plasterer  Hummer, 
was  born  in  Lancaster  Countv,  Pa., 
Sept.  27,  1881,  and  died  at  Neffsville, 
Pa.,  Aug.  21,  1959.  She  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Harry  W.  Saylor  in  1903. 
She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  two 
sons,  five  grandchildren,  and  one  great- 
grandchild. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Chiques  church  by 
Brethren  David  Gibble,  Robert  Hess, 
and  Benjamin  Stauffer.  Interment  was 
in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  G.  R.  Say- 
lor, Columbia,  Pa. 

Sell,  Matthew  W.,  son  of  James  A. 
and  Esther  Stiffler  Sell,  was  born  Jan. 
13,  1869,  and  died  Oct.  14,  1959.  He 
was  married  to  Haria  Hayes,  who  died 
in  1924.    In  July  1928,  he  was  married 


to  Clara  Garver,  who  also  preceded 
him  in  death.  He  was  a  deacon  of  the 
Roaring  Spring  church,  Pa.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  one  daughter,  two  grandchil- 
dren, and  four  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Bro.;: 
Berkey  Knavel  at  the  Roaring  Spring 
church.  Interment  was  in  the  Green- 
lawn  cemetery.  —  Margaret  E.  Guyer, 
Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 

Shanck,  Jennie  Kleppinger,  was  born 
Feb.  5,  1890,  and  died  Sept.  21,  1959. 
She  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Pots- 
dam church,  Ohio.    On  Nov.  6,  1909, 
she   was   united   in   marriage   to   Jesse  I 
Shanck.    She  is  survived  by  her  hus-  ' 
band  and  two  sisters.   The  funeral  serv-  ; 
ice  was  conducted  at  the  Miller  funeral ' 
home.    Interment  was  in  the  Potsdam 
cemetery.  —  L.  John  Weaver,  Potsdam,  I 
Ohio. 

Sharrah,  Mabel  L.,  was  born  Jan.  10,  | 
1908,  in  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  and  died 
Oct.  30,  1959.  Surviving  are  her  hus- 
band, Frank,  and  one  brother.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
James  C.  Boitnott.  Interment  was  in  the 
Somerset  County  Memorial  park.  — 
Mrs.  L.  A.  Bowman,  Stoystown,  Pa. 

Simmons,  Ada  M.,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Margaret  Shoemaker,  was  born 
April  22,  1887,  and  died  Oct.  30,  1959. 
Her  husband,  Howard  Simmons,  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  Surviving  are  two 
sons,  three  grandchildren,  and  three 
brothers.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Fred  Bowman  at  the 
Conner  funeral  home.  Interment  was 
in  the  Reformed  church  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Freda  Harclerode,  Everett,  Pa. 

Smith,  Myra,  was  born  June  14,  1870, 
and  died  Sept.  30,  1959.  She  was  a 
long-time  member  of  the  Welsh  Run 
church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by  three 
daughters,  two  sons,  twenty-two  grand- 
children, and  twenty-six  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Welsh  Run  church,  with  Breth- 
ren Russell  Martin  and  Bro.  Clarence 
Hunsberger  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  adjoining  church  cemetery.  — 
John  D.  Martin,  Mercersburg,  Pa. 

Spigle,  Fred  Layman,  was  born  Dec.  I 
11,  1901,  and  died  Nov.  16,  1959.  He 
was  a  deacon  in  the  Trinity  church, 
Va.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  Margaret 
Ross  Spigle,  two  sons,  one  daughter, 
two  brothers,  four  sisters,  and  five 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Rader  funeral  home  by 
Brethren  O.  S.  Garber  and  E.  J.  Jacobs. 
Interment  was  in  the  Trinity  cemetery. 

—  Mrs.  H.  B.  Layman,  Troutville,  Va. 
Stallsmith,    Emma    Louise,    daughter 

of  Peter  and  Susannah  Koegle  Lauver, 
was  born  in  Millerstown,  Pa.,  Feb.  15, 
1858,  and  died  at  the  age  of  one  hun- 
dred one  years.  Her  husband,  Isaac, 
died  in  1900.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  The  fu- 
neral was  conducted  by  Bro.  Otis  Lan- 
dis  in  the  Littleton  funeral  home.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Ferncliff  cemetery. 

—  Barbara  J.  Hinkle,  Springfield,  Ohio. 
Stamm,  Hattie  E.,  daughter  of  Reu- 
ben and  Rebecca  Stamm,  was  born 
near  Hagerstown,  Ind.,  Oct.  22,  1877, 
and  died  Oct.  17,  1959.  She  united 
with  the  Nettle  Creek  church,  Ind.,  in 
1892.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Byron  Miller.  Interment 
was  in  the  cemetery  nearby.  —  Mrs.  El- 
mer Wampole,  Greensfork,  Ind. 

Stutzman,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Benja- 


i 


if)  liin  and  Lydia  Pifer  Roback,  was  born 

]  Jan.  6,  1910,  and  died  Oct.  26,  1959. 

iShe  was  married  to  W.  Dean  Stutzman 

pn  Sept.  28,  1930.    They  were  charter 

llmembers  of  the  Adrian  church,   Mich. 

•['They  were  serving  in  their  tenth  year 

J  as   superintendent    and   matron   of   the 

]  Brethren  Home  in  Fostoria,  Ohio.    Sur- 

Eviving  are  her  husband,  one  son,  her 
parents,  four  sisters,  and  one  brother. 
"  The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
I  Adrian  church  by  Brethren  Clyde  Mul- 
[.ligan,  Harold  Hendricks,  and  the  un- 
dersigned. —  Paul  B.  Haworth,  Fos- 
ptoria,  Ohio. 

Taylor,  Hogueland  Wayne,  was  born 
May  2,  1946,  and  died  July  10,  1959. 
!He  was  baptized  on  Aug.  19,  1958. 
'The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
home  by  Bro.  David  B.  Wampler  and 
;the  undersigned.  Interment  was  on  the 
I  (Taylor  homestead.  —  G.  G.  Hesse,  Pet- 
ersburg, W.  Va. 

Tice,   Elmer   Levi,   son   of   Mr.    and 

I  ,  Mrs.  Eli  Tice,  was  born  Jan.  27,  1879, 

I; in  Philipsburg,  Ohio,  and  died  Nov.  7, 

i '  1959,  at  Fostoria,  Ohio.    He  was  mar- 

|  ried   to   Kathryn   Edna   Whitenack   on 

JAug.  3,   1904.    He  is  survived  by  his 

wife,  a  daughter,  a  grandson,  a  brother, 

I  and  a  sister.    The  funeral  service  was 

j  held  by  Bro.  Paul  B.  Haworth  and  the 

undersigned.    Interment  was  at  Fosto- 

]  ria„  Ohio.  -  Wendell  H.  Tobias,  Mar- 

!  ion,  Ohio. 

Tice,  Kathryn  Edna,  was  born  Feb. 
j  15,  1882,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-seven years.    On  Aug.  3,   1904,  she 
I  married  Elmer  L.  Tice,  who  preceded 
her  in  death  by  one  month.    She  was 
a  member  of  the  Marion  church,  Ohio. 
I  She  is  survived   by  one  daughter   and 
one  grandson.    The  funeral  service  was 
1  conducted  at  the  Harrold  funeral  home, 
j  with   Bro.   Paul   Haworth   and   the   un- 
i  dersigned  officiating.    Interment  was  in 
1  the   Fountain   cemetery.  —  Wendell    H. 
Tobias,  Marion,  Ohio. 

Trostle,  William  E.,  was  born  June 
7,  1868,  in  Illinois,  and  died  Nov.  6, 
1959,  in  Inglewood,  Calif.  On  Dec. 
19,  1895,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Katie  Rowland,  who  preceded  him  in 
death.  Early  in  life  he  became  a  min- 
ister of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Surviving  are  his  adopted  daughter, 
one  grandson,  and  two  great-grandchil- 
dren. —  J.  E.  Steinour,  Montebello, 
Calif. 

Wallace,  Oliver,  son  of  Aaron  and 
Mary  Sala,  was  born  in  Elkhart  Coun- 
ty, Goshen,  Ind.,  May  21,  1882,  and 
died  Oct.  20,  1959.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Yellow  Creek  church,  Ind.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  Anna,  and  a 
stepson.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Oscar  Fike  and  Rev. 
Carl  Lemma,  pastor  of  the  Dunlop 
EUB  church.  Interment  was  in  the  Yel- 
low Creek  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Elmer  L. 
Weaver,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Webster,  Florence  Ramsey,  was  born 
Nov.  3,  1884,  and  died  Sept.  28,  1959. 
She  was  a  member  of  Monte  Vista 
church,  Va.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  Parker  Webster,  eight  chil- 
dren, and  fifteen  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Breth- 
ren Dewey  Fleishman  and  Ezra  Bow- 
man. Interment  was  in  the  church 
cemetery.  —  Pauline  Bowman,  Calla- 
way, Va. 

Wehrli,  Warren  Edward,  son  of  Jesse 
F.   and   Bertha  Anderson  Wehrli,   was 


born  Nov.  22,  1921,  near  Mound  City, 
Mo.,  and  died  Sept.  5,  1959.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  North  Bethel  church, 
Mo.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  the 
former  Eva  Jane  Martin,  one  daughter, 
and  his  father.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Pettijohn-Crawford  funeral 
home,  with  Bro.  Vernon  Merkey  offi- 
ciating. Interment  was  in  the  Mount 
Hope  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Tracy  Seitz, 
Mound  City,  Mo. 

Wenrick,  John  L.,  son  of  John  G. 
and  Mary  Moler  Wenrick,  was  born  in 
Warrensburg,  Mo.,  Oct.  5,  1879,  and 
died  Oct.  2,  1959.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Springfield  church.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  Bessie,  one  daughter, 
one  son,  two  grandsons,  and  a  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  Richards  Memorial  home  by  Bro. 
Otis  Landis.  Interment  was  in  the 
Ferncliff  cemetery.  —  Barbara  J.  Hinkle, 
Springfield,  Ohio. 

Zook,  Alice,  daughter  of  Adam  and 
Julia  Hackman  Lutz,  was  born  Nov.  25, 
1870,  and  died  at  Millport,  Pa.,  Oct. 
30,  1959.  She  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Wallace  M.  Zook,  who  preceded  her 
in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Middle  Creek  church,  Pa.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  three  daughters,  five  sons, 
seventeen  grandchildren,  and  thirteen 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  at  the  Middle  Creek 
church  by  Brethren  Bart  Kreider  and 
Henry  Wenger.  Interment  was  in  the 
adjoining  cemetery.  —  Emma  L.  Zook, 
Lititz,  Pa. 


Church  News 

Northern  California 

Modesto  —  Our  church  is  participa- 
ting in  the  intern  pastoral  program.  Bro. 
Arnold  H.  Mower  is  our  intern  from 
Bethany  this  year.  Under  direction  of 
the  Call  chairman  and  evangelism  and 
personnel  commission,  the  church  is 
conducting  a  community  survey  and 
visitation  program.  The  men's  fellow- 
ship was  host  to  a  meet-your-congress- 
man  dinner.  John  McFall,  representa- 
tive from  the  local  congressional 
district,  spoke.  The  children  of  the 
Sunday  school  celebrated  Halloween  by 
collecting  funds  in  the  community  for 
UNICEF.  Our  church  sponsored  a 
migrant  workers'  workshop  for  five 
days.  Two  of  our  young  people  worked 
as  volunteers  for  two  weeks  this  sum- 
mer at  the  Navajo  mission  in  New 
Mexico.  Our  women's  fellowship  has 
been  divided  into  four  circles,  which 
meet  each  month,  with  a  joint  meeting 
each  quarter.  Plans  are  progressing  to- 
ward establishing  a  Christian  fellowship 
home  site  in  the  Modesto  area  for  re- 
tired citizens.  Several  families  in  the 
church  and  one  from  another  church  are 
providing  $5  a  month  for  an  artificial 
insemination  program  for  India  cattle. 
The  young  people  have  been  taking  a 
tape  recording  of  Sunday  worship  serv- 
ices to  shut-ins  on  Sunday  afternoons. 
During  the  past  year,  Bro.  Vernon  Mil- 
ler conducted  evangelistic  meetings.  — 
Mrs.    Ralph    Webber,    Modesto,    Calif. 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 

La  Verne  —  Recent  pulpit  guests 
have  been  Bro.  Galen  Snell,  of  the  Ly- 


IS 


GOD 

INESCAPABLE 

David  Wesley   Soper 

Even  among  faithful  church- 
goers there  are  many  persons  in 
whom,  at  the  deepest  level  of 
apprehension,  the  idea  of  God 
remains  vague  and  shadowy. 
Now,  in  this  book,  one  of  Prot- 
estantism's most  provocative 
thinkers  helps  every  reader  to 
focus  his  own  thoughts  sharply 
and  see  the  import  of  his  own 
consciousness.  $2.50 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


brook  Indian  mission,  and  Bro.  A.  R. 
Coffman.  We  selected  as  deacons  for 
a  three-year  term  David  and  Mary  Bru- 
baker,  Mark  and  Inez  Colbert,  Lynn 
and  Jennie  Ebersole,  Ernest  and  Leona 
Eikenberry,  and  Gerry  and  Bernice 
Pence.  We  had  a  school  of  Brethren 
Service  during  November.  A  special 
recognition  service  was  held  for  Prof. 
Ralph  Travis,  who  has  been  our  or- 
ganist for  thirty  years.  He  was  pre- 
sented a  trophy  by  the  church  and  a 
citation  signed  by  the  moderator,  the 
chairman  of  the  church  board,  and  the 
pastor.  Work  has  been  started  on  the 
second  unit  of  Hillcrest  homes.  —  H.  M. 
Brubaker,  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Los  Angeles,  Imperial  Heights  Com- 
munity —  Our  Challenger  class  enjoyed 
a  party  at  Griffith  Park  with  the  Long 
Beach  young  adults  as  guests.  We  en- 
joyed our  "retreat  at  home"  under  the 
leadership  of  J.  H.  Mathis.  Activities 
began  with  a  breakfast,  and  luncheon 
was  served  by  the  women's  fellowship 
at  noon.  We  are  having  mission  study 
during  January.  The  theme  is  Africa. 
One  of  the  highlights  of  the  school  will 


JANUARY  16,  1960 


27 


Newly  revised, 
enlarged   .    .    . 
the   trusted  guidebook 

before  you  marry 

SYLVANUS  M.  DUVALL 

Though  many  books  about  marriage  and  sex 
are  available,  those  contemplating  marriage  have 
few  books  to  help  them  consider  the  whole  range 
of  questions  to  ask  themselves  and  their  future 
partners  beforehand.  The  continued  demand  for 
and  use  of  Before  You  Marry  leads  to  this  revision 
which  up-dates  materials,  reflects  current  problems, 
uses  recent  research  findings,  and  adds  some  80 
pages  in  all. 

Dr.  Duvall  puts  into  the  young  person's  think- 
ing the  knowledge  and  insights  of  psychologists 
and  marriage  counselors  about  love,  readiness  for 
marriage,  suitability,  family  relationships,  money 
matters,  sex  attitudes,  character  tests,  mixed  mar- 
riages, behavior  in  crises,  etc.  $3.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


be  an  African  dinner.  —  Mrs.   Jay  Ge- 
reaux,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

Washington 

Sunnyside  —  We  had  as  summer  pas- 
tor Bro.  Mark  Carmichael  from  Beth- 
any. He  and  his  wife  helped  in  our 
vacation  Bible  school.  Our  regular 
council  met  and  voted  to  have  Brother 
Carmichael  back  next  July  as  our  regu- 
lar pastor.  Until  then  we  are  having 
a  local  speaker,  Warren  Hall.  Herald 
Wagner  was  elected  our  new  adult 
superintendent.  The  women's  fellow- 
ship canned  fruit  for  the  Front  Street 
mission.  They  have  also  repaired  cloth- 
ing which  was  sent  to  the  Modesto  cen- 
ter. The  church  is  having  natural  gas 
put  in  for  heat.  —  Mrs.  H.  G.  Beeves, 
Sunnyside,  Wash. 

Colorado 

Haxtun  —  We  had  our  love  feast  and 
communion  Oct.  4.  Several  members 
attended  the  regional  conference  at 
McPherson  College,  Oct.  24-28.  Teams 
from  our  church  and  the  Methodist 
church  conducted  a  community  religious 
census.  The  women's  fellowship  made 
clothes  to  be  sent  to  the  Lybrook  mis- 
sion. They  also  made  up  Thanksgiv- 
ing fruit  sacks  which  were  presented  to 
various  shut-ins  of  our  church.  The 
parents  were  the  guests  of  the  CBYF 
on  Nov.  18.  Bible  study  has  been  held 
in  various  homes  on  Sunday  evenings 
when  not  held  at  the  church.  The  Hax- 
tun Ministerial  Association  sponsored 
the    community    Thanksgiving    service 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


held  at  the  Methodist  church.  Several 
of  our  young  people  attended  the  dis- 
trict CBYF  rally  at  Denver,  Colo. - 
Mrs.  Charles  F.  Edwards,  Haxtun,  Colo. 

Northern  Iowa,  Minnesota  and 
South  Dakota 

Barnum  —  Brother  and  Sister  Walter 
Bucher  told  of  their  trip  to  Borne  and 
other  historical  Bible  places.  Bro.  Bay 
Zook  was  our  guest  speaker  -one  Sun- 
day. Bro.  David  Cave  and  his  family 
arrived  at  the  parsonage  at  the  end  of 
the  school  year;  he  is  now  our  full-time 
pastor.  We  held  a  two  weeks'  vacation 
Bible  school.  Brother  Cave  and  six  of 
the  junior  high  class  attended  Camp 
Pine  Lake  in  Iowa.  Mrs.  Donald  Hen- 
nenger  and  Anita  Luing  were  our  dele- 
gates to  district  conference.  We  are 
having  midweek  Bible  study  at  the 
church.  Our  missionary  society  met  in 
an  all  day  session  and  tied  two  com- 
forters; they  also  rolled  bandages  for 
hospital  work.  —  Hattie  C.  Neil,  Bar- 
num, Minn. 

Fairview  —  Three  babies  have  been 
dedicated.  Don  Hollenbeck,  McPher- 
son College  junior,  was  a  delegate  to 
the  United  Christian  Youth  Movement 
twenty-fifth  general  council.  The  church 
had  laboratory  school  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Sister  Anna  Mae  Boyer.  Many 
from  here  attended  the  dedication  of 
the  Ottumwa  church.  We  held  ground- 
breaking ceremonies  for  the  educational 
unit  which  we  are  adding  to  our  church. 
At  the  annual  birthday  supper  in  honor 
of  Bro.  Orlando  Ogden,  Arlene  Merkey 
showed  slides  and  told  of  her  teaching 
activities  in  Greece.  We  held  our 
fourth  annual  Lord's  acre  auction.    The 


ladies'  trio  from  McPherson  College 
sang  on  Nov.  22.  Union  Thanksgiving 
services  were  held  at  Fairview,  with 
Bev.  Banks  Doggett,  pastor  of  the 
Moulton  Methodist  church,  delivering 
the  sermon.  The  youth  class  will  give 
the  Christmas  play.  —  Mrs.  Marilyn 
Joyce  Koehler,  Udell,  Iowa. 

Southern  Iowa 

Libertyville  —  Our  vacation  Bible 
school  was  held  under  the  direction  of 
Mrs.  Wendyl  Ogden.  The  children'* 
offering  went  for  school  packets  for  the 
children  of  Ecuador.  Bro.  Jasper  Smith 
was  elected  elder  of  our  church  for  the 
coming  year.  We  are  enjoying  the  serv- 
ices of  our  new  pastor  and  his  wife, 
Brother  and  Sister  John  B.  Wieand.  — 
Nellie  Ogden,  Batavia,  Iowa. 

Monroe  County  —  Bro.  Bay  Zook  was 
our  guest  speaker  one  Sunday.  Seven 
have  been  baptized  into  the  church. 
Brother  and  Sister  Elmer  West  at- 
tended Annual  Conference.  Bro.  W.  H. 
Brower  preached  during  the  absence  of 
our  pastor.  Mrs.  Grace  Miller  and  Mrs. 
Lois  Mosley  served  as  church  delegates 
to  our  district  meeting.  Our  pastor 
spoke  at  a  rally  day  service  at  the  Scola 
church,  Iowa.  Our  birthday  supper  was 
observed  on  Nov.  16.  —  Mrs.  Christina 
Morris,  Albia,  Iowa. 

Northeastern  Kansas 

Buckeye  —  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Earl  M. 
Frantz,  and  his  wife  and  Brother  and 
Sister  Frank  Correll  attended  the  dis- 
trict stewardship  meeting.  Maryland 
Correll,  one  of  our  youth,  was  one  of 
the  leaders  at  junior  camp.  Buckeye 
and  Navarre  churches  had  a  joint  all- 
day  Sunday  service.  We  had  our  com- 
munion on  World  Communion  Sunday. 
For  Oct.  11,  the  theme  was  Discover- 
ing Christ.  —  Mabel  Kreider,  Abilene, 
Kansas. 

Southeastern  Kansas 

Verdigris  —  We  had  the  district  sing- 
spiration  at  our  church  one  month.  A 
group  attended  the  Scott  Valley  church 
when  Peggy  Zimmerman  showed  pic- 
tures and  told  of  her  experiences  in 
Germany.  Since  our  last  report,  our 
women  have  finished  three  quilts  and 
one  comforter.  We  sent  one  large  box 
of  used  clothing  and  one  comforter  to 
New  Windsor.  During  the  summer 
Bro.  Gerald  Hornbaker  preached  three 
Sundays  each  month  and  Bro.  Loren 
Pendergraft  on  the  fourth.  At  our  coun- 
cil meeting  this  fall  we  elected  our 
officers.  We  have  secured  Bro.  Glen 
Faus  for  our  pastor  this  winter.  Sev- 
eral folks  from  our  church  attended  the 
district  meeting.  Several  of  our  mem- 
bers attended  the  love  feast  held  at  the 
Gravel  Hill  church.  —  Awilda  Matile, 
Madison,  Kansas. 

Middle  Missouri 

Osceola  —  We  met  in  council,  with 
Bro.  James  Mohler  presiding.  We  were 
glad  to  have  Bro.  Lawrence  Lehman, 
our  district  fieldman,  with  us  at  that 
time.  Bro.  Bobert  Sooby,  who  was 
called  as  pastor,  was  installed  by  Broth- 
er Lehman  on  the  first  Sunday  of  Oc- 
tober. They  are  now  occupying  the 
parsonage,  which  has  been  redecorated. 
—  Mrs.  Nettie  Earnheart,  Osceola,  Mo. 

Spring  Branch  —  At  our  quarterly 
council    we    elected    our    church    and 


church  school  officers.  Diane,  Lillian, 
\  and  Snowda  Breshears  attended  the  tri- 
j  district  state  camp  at  Knobnoster.  We 
I  held  a  supper  and  sing  at  the  church. 
i  Brother  and  Sister  Joe  Ihrig  of  Califor- 
I  nia  attended  church  here,  and  a  dinner 
I  was  given  in  their  honor.  —  Mrs.  Iva 
iBird,  Fairfield,  Mo. 

Northern  Missouri 

North  Bethel  —  Our  church  was  rep- 

:  resented  at  state  camp  by  five  of  our 
young  people,  along  with  our  pastor  and 

I  his  family.    Mrs.  Cletus  Seitz  and  Mr. 

j  and  Mrs.  S.  H.  Andes  represented  us 
at  district  conference.  The  mission-to- 
members  canvass  was  made  and  met 
with  a  good  response.    Council  meeting 

j  was  held  and  provisions  were  made  in 

i  the  budget  to  send  the  Gospel  Messen- 
ger and  Upper  Room  to  every  family. 
Our  love  feast  was  held  on  World  Com- 

:  munion  Sunday.  Six  young  people  along 
with  our  pastor  attended  the  youth 
temperance  council  meeting.  Our 
women's  work  sent  articles  and  a  com- 
forter to  the  Piney  Woods  school.    Bro. 

I  Floyd  Evans  filled  the  pulpit  on  Oct. 
25,  when  Brother  Merkey  was  attending 

I  the  regional  conference  at  McPherson. 
—  Mrs.  Tracy  Seitz,  Mound  City,  Mo. 

Southern  Missouri  and  Arkansas 

Carthage  —  Since  our  last  report,  we 
have  elected  the  following  to  the  office 
of  deacon:  Fern  Erisman,  Ray  Trow- 
bridge, and  Merle  Moore.  A  welcome 
dinner  was  held  for  the  new  pastor  and 
his  family,  Brother  and  Sister  William 
H.  DeBerry.  Lawrence  Lehman  in- 
stalled Brother  DeBerry  as  pastor. 
Twenty-one  of  our  young  people  at- 
tended district  camp  this  summer.  Our 
CBYF  group  has  taken  as  a  project  the 
improvement  of  the  district  camp,  and 
also  has  raised  an  acre  of  corn  for  the 
promotion  of  the  work  of  the  church. 
Our  women's  fellowship  meets  once  a 
month  to  quilt.  Our  men's  fellowship 
has  reorganized  and  is  planning  for  im- 
provements on  the  church  and  parson- 
age. We  held  a  laymen's  revival.  Our 
love  feast  was  held  on  Nov.  27.  —  Mrs. 
Velma  Teeter,  Jasper,  Mo. 

Mountain  Grove  —  Our  pastor,  Bro. 
Ramie  Gass,  with  the  help  of  Bro.  Lee 
Kendall  of  Cabool,  organized  and  con- 
ducted a  summer  camp  and  Bible  study 
for  children  of  this  district.  The  young 
people's  class  had  a  hayride  party.  The 
women's  fellowship  has  completed  elev- 
en quilts  and  thirty-five  sets  of  dish 
towels.  The  Gideons  conducted  one  of 
our  Sunday  morning  services.  Our  love 
feast  was  observed  on  Nov.  11.  Bro. 
Fred  Bastion  gave  the  address.  —  Mrs. 
Lois  Hurlburt,  Mountain  Grove,  Mo. 

Nebraska 

Beatrice  —  A  farewell  was  given  for 
Bro.  Ira  Gibbel  and  family.  Brother 
Gibbel  has  accepted  a  pastorate  at  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.  Bro.  William  Gahm  was 
installed  as  pastor  by  Bro.  Edward  Dun- 
can. The  women's  fellowship  have  been 
making  quilts  and  clothes  for  tiny  tots, 
which  were  collected  on  World  Com- 
munity Day.  A  number  from  here  at- 
tended district  conference.  The  fellow- 
ship committee  sponsored  Bro.  Harold 
Beam,  who  showed  slides  of  his  Euro- 
pean trip.  Brother  Gahm  and  his  fam- 
ily held  open  house  on  Nov.  1.  The  Mc- 
Pherson College  ladies'  trio  gave  a  con- 


The  Cokesbury 


PARTY  BOOK 


(REVISED  EDITION) 


Arthur  M.  Depew 

Almost  every  conceivable  occasion,  includ- 
ing hikes  and  picnics,  is  given  consideration 
in  this  all-purpose  book  of  nearly  600  games 
and  stunts.  Planned  around  a  whole  year's 
entertainment,  these  52  party  plans  include 
suggestions  for  invitations,  decorations,  games, 
and  refreshments.  A  check  list  of  simple 
equipment  needed  for  games  and  suggestions 
for  costumes  is  also  given. 

All  of  the  parties  in  this  revised  edition 
have  been  brought  up-to-date  and  a  new  party 
has  been  added  to  make  this  book,  long  a 
favorite  of  recreation  leaders  and  all  party 
givers,  even  more  valuable.  The  parties,  arranged  by  months,  are 
indexed  alphabetically  and  according  to  classification.    384  pages. 

$2.95 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


G&fZ3 


cert  in  our  church.  At  our  love  feast  the 
pastor,  Brother  Gahm,  officiated,  as- 
sisted by  Brethren  Sutton,  Miller  and 
Harris.  Our  pastor  attended  the  region- 
al conference  at  McPherson.  —  Mrs.  Al- 
bert Kuhn,  Beatrice,  Nebr. 

North  Dakota  and  Eastern  Montana 

Surrey  —  At  our  council  meeting  Bro. 
Walter  Miller  was  elected  moderator. 
We  had  a  birthday  supper  at  the 
church;  each  table  was  responsible  for 
part  of  the  program.  A  hymn  was  dedi- 
cated to  the  oldest  person  present,  and 
following  this  a  film  was  shown.  Bro. 
Mike  Petry  spoke  at  the  morning  service 
on  Nov.  1  in  the  absence  of  our  pastor, 
Bro.  A.  P.  Becker.  In  the  evening  we 
met  for  our  regular  monthly  fellowship 
supper  and  film.  The  young  people  of 
the  congregation  conducted  a  Sunday 
morning  service  in  the  pastor's  absence. 
Our  pastor  and  his  wife  held  a  two 
weeks'  service  at  Astoria,  111.  At  the  an- 
nual harvest  service  Bro.  A.  P.  Becker 
brought  the  morning  message,  and  in 
the  afternoon  Bro.  Floyd  Kauffman 
spoke.  The  CBYF  enjoyed  a  hayride 
and  a  skating  party  recently.  The  Sur- 
rey church  was  host  to  the  district 
youth  rally.  —  Mrs.  H.  F.  Hodler,  Sur- 
rey, N.  Dak. 

Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 

Lanark  —  Our  church  co-operated 
with  the  other  churches  in  a  vacation 
Bible  school.  The  laymen  had  charge 
of  the  worship  service  while  our  pastor 
and  his  family  were  on  vacation.  On 
Sept.  20,  Brother  and  Sister  Charles 
Bieber,  whom  the  Lanark  church  sup- 


ports on  the  mission  field,  were  with  us. 
Our  church  observed  communion  on 
World  Communion  Sunday.  An  every- 
member  visitation  was  completed  re- 
cently. Some  of  our  members  attended 
regional  conference  at  Manchester  Col- 
lege. World  Community  Day  was  held 
in  the  First  Brethren  church  on  Nov. 
6.  Dr.  Joseph  Schechter  was  guest 
speaker  for  the  family  night  supper.  We 
participated  in  a  union  Thanksgiving 
Day  service.  Some  of  our  ladies  go  to 
the  Dixon  state  hospital  one  day  each 
month  to  help  sew  and  mend.  —  Mrs. 
R.  M.  Livengood,  Lanark,  111. 

West  Branch  —  Our  church  met  in 
our  regular  council  meeting  with  our 
moderator,  LaVern  Edwards,  presiding. 
Bro.  Don  Snider  gave  us  some  very 
inspirational  messages  during  our  special 
meetings.  Bro.  David  Ockerman  was 
our  guest  speaker  for  the  evening  of 
our  harvest  home  day.  Our  love  feast 
was  held  on  World  Communion  Sun- 
day, with  our  pastor,  Bro.  Orlin  Frey, 
officiating.  We  have  organized  a  wom- 
en's fellowship  meeting.  Our  aid  society 
has  quilted  nine  quilts  during  the  year. 
We  have  made  several  improvements  to 
the  church.  We  have  received  three 
new  members  in  our  church  recently  by 
letter.  -  Sadie  R.  Stover,  Polo,  111. 

Southern  Illinois 

Girard  —  Bro.  Curtis  Weddle  preached 
for  us  while  our  pastor  was  on  vacation. 
A  Bible  study  and  prayer  group  has 
been  formed.    Bro.  R.  C.  Wenger  was 


JANUARY  16.  1960 


29 


The   life  story  of 
the  American 
Gandhi 


Martin 

Luther 

King,  Jr. 


CRUSADER 

Without  Violence 

by  L.  D.  Reddick 

This  is  the  first  book  to 
chronicle  in  full  detail  and  so- 
cial perspective  the  rapid  rise 
in  the  American  scene  of  a 
significant  and  challenging  fig- 
ure. Dr.  Reddick  approaches 
his  subject  from  the  dual 
viewpoints  of  close  observer 
and  professional  historian.  His 
view  and  understanding  of 
this  extraordinary  30-year-old 
Negro  man  and  the  role  that 
events  prepared  for  him  could 
therefore  be  scarcely  improved. 
$3.95 

Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


the  speaker  at  the  morning  services  on 
World  Communion  Sunday  and  offici- 
ated at  our  love  feast  in  the  evening. 
Bro.  Gordon  Gerlach  and  his  wife,  and 
Bro.  Virgil  Knox  and  his  wife,  were 
elected  deacons  for  a  two-year  period. 
The  children  are  receiving  weekday 
Bible  instructions.  The  women  of  the 
church  had  an  all-day  meeting  at  which 
they  completed  twenty-four  comforters, 
which  were  sent  to  Church  World  Serv- 
ice along  with  several  boxes  of  clothing. 
At  fellowship  supper  Brother  and  Sister 
Simmons  who  are  superintendent  and 
matron  of  the  Home,  showed  slides  of 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the  Lybrook  mission.  Six  have  been 
baptized.  —  Eva  Brubaker,  Waggoner, 
111. 

Middle  Indiana 
Markle  —  We  observed  Christian  ed- 
ucation week  by  showing  and  discussing 
the  filmstrip,  Plainview's  Awakening. 
We  enjoyed  a  spiritual  revival  during  a 
week's  evangelistic  meetings  at  which 
Bro.  Howard  H.  Keim  was  the  speaker. 
Four  were  baptized  and  two  received 
by  letter.  Brother  Keim  officiated  at  our 
love  feast.  The  district  youth  confer- 
ence at  which  Bro.  Paul  Hoffman  was 
the  guest  leader  was  held  here.  Our 
harvest-home-coming  was  on  Nov.  8, 
with  the  sermon  brought  by  Bro.  Wil- 
liam R.  Eberly.  We  expect  to  have 
Bro.  Tom  Pobst  here  in  January  to 
speak  on  his  experience  in  BVS  in  Aus- 
tria. —  Charles  A.  Bonebrake,  Markle, 
Ind. 

Northern  Indiana 

Bethel  —  During  the  summer  months, 
the  work  of  painting  the  exterior  of 
the  church  was  completed.  Sister  Clara 
Cory  was  our  delegate  to  district  con- 
ference. Seven  women  from  our  group 
attended  the  women's  camp  held  at 
Camp  Mack.  At  our  October  council 
meeting,  the  church  approved  a  budget 
increasing  our  giving  to  the  district  and 
General  Brotherhood  funds.  Family 
night  was  observed  with  a  potluck  sup- 
per and  a  program  afterward.  —  Mrs. 
Lucile   Strayer,   Milford,   Ind. 

Blissville  —  Thirteen  attended  the  fel- 
lowship training  under  the  leadership  of 
our  pastor,  Sister  Opal  Pence.  The 
women's  fellowship  has  been  quilting, 
and  sewing  rag  rugs.  Our  revival  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Jack  Kline.  The 
father-son  banquet  was  held  at  the 
church  on  Nov.  21.  The  Christmas  pro- 
gram was  on  Dec.  20.  —  Mrs.  George 
Geller,  Walkerton,  Ind. 

Elkhart  City  -  Bro.  Dale  E.  Shene- 
felt  is  our  new  intern  pastor.  Our  com- 
munion service  was  held  on  World 
Communion  Sunday.  Work  is  proceed- 
ing to  partition  our  basement  to  meet 
the  needs  of  our  expanding  church 
school.  A  school  of  peace  was  held  the 
first  three  Sunday  evenings  in  Novem- 
ber under  the  direction  of  the  Brethren 
service  commission.  The  women's  work 
organization  entertained  the  guild 
women  of  the  church  in  an  evening 
meeting.  Our  adult  choir  held  a  week- 
end workshop  at  Camp  Mack  under  the 
leadership  of  Mrs.  George  Heeter  and 
Elizabeth  Barringer.  —  Mrs.  James  K. 
Garber,  Elkhart,  Ind. 

Goshen  City  —  Rev.  Spencer  Gentle, 
pastor  of  the  First  Brethren  church, 
showed  pictures  one  evening  and  talked 
of  his  trip  to  the  250th  Anniversary 
celebration  in  Germany.  During  Sep- 
tember, we  had  more  pictures  of  Rus- 
sia by  Dr.  J.  E.  Hartzler,  and  of  our 
local  congregation  in  action  by  Bro. 
Dale  Hess.  Bro.  Elmer  Bowers  spoke 
on  Laymen's  Sunday  and  in  the  evening 
Mrs.  June  Harris  showed  pictures  of 
her  trip  abroad.  Films  on  the  life 
of  Paul  are  being  shown  on  Sunday 
evenings  to  supplement  the  Sunday 
school  lessons.  The  new  church  officers 
were  installed  during  a  morning  wor- 
ship service.  A  church  luncheon  was 
enjoyed  on  a  Sunday  evening  in  Novem- 
ber, after  which  the  children  of  the 
clubs  furnished  a  program  entitled  The 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program,  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  if  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  435.  Wanted:  A  full-time  dis- 
trict youth  fieldworker.  Prefer  a  col- 
lege graduate  possibly  with  one  or  two 
years  teaching  experience  and  previous 
youth  work  experience.  Contact:  North- 
ern Indiana  District  CBYF,  Ken  Krull, 
Box  1001,  Manchester  College,  North 
Manchester,  Ind. 

No.  436.  URGENT:  Doctor  is  need- 
ed to  locate  in  a  community  which 
lost  an  excellent  physician  in  a  car  acci- 
dent. The  town  of  2,500  has  good 
schools,  churches,  and  business.  Civic- 
minded  men  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  will  help  arrange  details 
for  the  location  of  a  doctor  in  the 
community.  Office  space  and  other 
requisites  are  available.  Contact:  Rev. 
Carl  Zigler,  403  S.  Congress  St.,  Polo, 
111. 


Cross.  Bro.  Kenneth  Morse  was  with  us 
for  a  series  of  spiritual  life  messages 
relating  to  the  Call.  —  Mrs.  Lewis  Dix- 
on, Goshen,  Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 

Indianapolis,  Northview  —  The  lay- 
men of  our  church  had  charge  of  the 
morning  services  on  Oct.  17.  The 
women's  fellowship  and  the  men's  fel- 
lowship met  jointly  for  a  program  which 
was  presented  by  Dr.  Breedlove.  The 
children's  workers  of  the  district  had 
a  business  meeting  in  our  church; 
on  the  same  day  the  ministerial 
retreat  was  held  at  the  medical  center, 
with  Galen  Ogden  and  Arthur  Dean  as 
guest  speakers.  The  women  brought 
canned  food  to  the  church  from  their 
circle  meeting  for  a  Thanksgiving  box 
to  be  given  to  the  Wheeler  mission.  Our 
family  night  meeting  was  a  recognition 
service  for  all  members  uniting  with  our 
church  during  the  past  year.  Judge 
Saul  Rabb  was  the  guest  speaker.  The 
union  Thanksgiving  service  for  our  area 
was  held  in  the  new  Lawrence  Method- 
ist church  on  Thanksgiving  Day.  — 
Annis  Heiny,  Noblesville,  Ind. 

New  Hope  —  Our  moderator,  Bro. 
Estel  McCullough,  presided  at  our  bus- 
iness meeting;  we  elected  our  church 
and  Sunday  school  officers.  Brother 
McCullough  was  re-elected  moderator 
for  another  three  years.  Bro.  John 
Smeltzer  is  now  serving  as  our  pastor. 


Installation  services  for  Brother  Smelt- 
zer  and  his  wife  were  conducted  by 
Bro.  Albert  Harshbarger.  Manville 
Murphy  and  James  Fleetwood,  with 
their  wives,  were  called  to  the  deacon's 
office.  Brother  McCullough  officiated  at 
our  communion  services.  Bro.  C.  Er- 
nest Davis  of  La  Verne,  Calif.,  was  the 
speaker  for  our  evangelistic  meetings. 
One  was  baptized  and  two  received  by 
letter.  On  Thanksgiving  night  a  pro- 
gram was  given  in  the  church.  Our 
women's  fellowship  have  been  collect- 
ing clothing  and  making  comforters  for 
overseas.  —  Mrs.  John  Smeltzer,  Sey- 
mour, Ind. 

Michigan 

Detroit,  First  —  After  much  discus- 
sion, we  decided  to  retain  the  original 
name  of  our  church  for  the  present. 
Brother  and  Sister  Olden  Mitchell  and 
their  family  moved  to  Lititz,  Pa.,  ac- 
cepting a  call  to  serve  the  church  there. 
On  Sept.  1,  Bro.  Lloyd  B.  Stauffer  was 
installed  as  our  new  pastor.  Brother 
Stauffer  led  us  in  our  communion  serv- 
ice. We  are  happy  to  have  an  active 
junior  high  and  youth  group.  A  number 
of  our  youth  have  served  in  BVS; 
latest  is  John  Stites.  His  experiences 
were  shared  with  our  people  one  Sun- 
day morning  during  the  school  hour  and 
also  on  a  panel  discussion  at  night.  In 
the  past  two  years  the  choir  has  co- 
operated in  a  tri-church  concert.  We 
take  an  active  part  in  the  projects  of 
the  Detroit  Council  of  Churches.  We 
participated  in  the  Japanese  disaster 
fund.  The  family  night  dinner  was  fol- 
lowed with  a  program  for  all  ages.  —  E. 
Helen  Rudolph,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Woodland  —  We  entertained  a  sec- 
tional group  meeting  to  study  temper- 
ance and  family  life  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Bro.  James  Renz.  Our  pastor, 
Bro.  Martin  Krieger,  attended  the  rural 
leadership  school  and  directed  the  ob- 
servance of  the  Lord's  Supper.  The  va- 
cation Bible  school  made  a  contribution 
to  the  American  Bible  Society.  Bro. 
Guy  Kantner  and  Sister  Janice  Flanni- 
gan  were  our  delegates  to  district  meet- 
ing. Rev.  A.  C.  Bauman  was  a  guest 
speaker  in  connection  with  our  evan- 
gelistic services.  We  had  a  communion 
service  on  Oct.  4.  Bro.  Robert  L.  Ham- 
mond was  a  Sunday  morning  guest 
speaker.  Family  night  meetings  are 
held  bimonthly.  During  the  past  year, 
the  women  have  made  thirty-seven 
comforters  for  relief;  sent  eight  pounds 
of  pads  and  fifteen  pounds  of  rolls  for 
lepers;  and  made  fourteen  aprons  for 
the  hospital  in  Puerto  Rico.  Bro.  Martin 
Krieger  has  been  re-elected  moderator 
for  the  coming  year.  Bro.  Walter 
Bucher  was  our  evangelist  for  our  meet- 
ings held  in  November.  —  Grace  E. 
Messner,  Woodland,  Mich. 

Northeastern  Ohio 

Reading  —  Bro.  G.  S.  Strausbaugh 
and  Bro.  J.  H.  Zigler  have  been  guest 
speakers.  Bro.  Perry  Prather  brought 
the  message  at  our  home-coming.  Our 
women's  work  gave  eight  comforters 
and  fifty-two  cans  of  food  for  relief  at 
our  district  meeting.  We  observed 
communion  with  the  Alliance  City 
church  on  World  Communion  Day. 
Brother  Benson  held  a  short  meeting, 
Nov.  10-13.  —  Rena  Heestand,  Alliance, 
Ohio. 


JUST  PUBLISHED! 


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editor,  under  the  pen  name  of 
Simeon  Stylites,  in  The  Christian 
Century,  and  for  the  more  than  24 
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Preaching  Values  in  New  Trans- 
lations of  the  New  Testament,  and 
In  the  Minister's  Workshop. 


365  WINDOWS 

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These  365  meditations  enable  the 
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cock combines  vivid  illustrative 
material  with  his  own  sharp  obser- 
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PUBLISHER  OF  THE   INTERPRETER'S  BIBLE  ^^ 


Woodworth  —  The  women's  fellow- 
ship published  and  sold  a  booklet  of 
favorite  recipes.  Five  babies  have  been 
dedicated.  A  recognition  service  was 
held  for  the  twenty-five  new  members. 
Bibles  were  given  to  all  the  children 
who  entered  the  junior  department.  A 
monthly  newsletter  is  being  published 
and  sent  to  all  the  families  of  the 
church.  Our  every-member  canvass 
was  held  in  September.  We  have  be- 
gun a  weekday  Bible  study  program.  — 
Feme  C.  Miller,  Poland,  Ohio. 

Northwestern  Ohio 

Adrian  —  We  had  our  vacation  Bible 
school  in  the  evening.  As  a  project, 
the  offerings  were  used  to  buy  two 
desks  for  the  Navajo  Indians.  In  the 
summer  we  had  an  all-day  mission 
meeting,  at  which  the  guest  speaker  was 
Bro.  Owen  Shankster  and  his  family 
from  the  Nigerian  mission  field.  Bro. 
H.  H.  Hendricks  held  a  series  of  meet- 
ings, closing  with  the  love  feast.  Sis- 
ters Ina  Hendricks  and  Marjorie  Kint- 
ner  were  our  delegates  to  district  con- 
ference. —  Lulu  Kintner,  Adrian,  Mich. 

Lakewood  —  Brethren  A.  P.  Mussel- 
man  and  Paul  Haworth  installed  our 
new  minister,  Bro.  Kenneth  Long.  Our 
district  junior  high  fellowship  met  at 
the  church  for  a  supper  and  an  eve- 
ning of  worship.  On  Laymen's  Sunday, 
Bro.  Jim  Marks  assisted  in  the  morning 
worship.  Our  women's  fellowship  pre- 
sented the  play,  The  Call.  Bro.  Earl 
H.  Kurtz  conducted  our  evangelistic 
services,    closing    with    the    love    feast. 


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Our  church  gained  three  new  members 
by  baptism.  —  Mrs.  Frank  McLaughlin, 
Millbury,  Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 
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JANUARY  16,  I960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 


Name 

R.  D.  or  St. 
P.  O 


Zone 


State 


Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change   in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


member  canvass  for  the  unified  budget 
plan  which  was  adopted.  The  church 
has  completed  remodeling  the  balcony 
which  will  be  used  for  Sunday  school 
classrooms.  Teachers  and  officers  were 
installed  on  rally  day.  We  began  Sun- 
day night  services,  with  the  various  or- 
ganizations of  the  church  and  the 
church  school  in  charge  of  the  pro- 
grams. We  had  a  Sunday  school 
teachers'  training  session  especially  for 
the  newly  elected  teachers  on  the  basic 
principles  of  proper  teacher  technique 
so  that  their  classes  will  benefit  from 
the  lesson  as  fully  as  possible.  —  Mrs. 
William  Brubaker,  Piqua,  Ohio. 

Potsdam  —  Bro.  Glen  Rust  is  our  new 
elder  replacing  Bro.  Phil  Lauver  who 
has  moved  from  the  district.  Twenty- 
two  babies  have  been  welcomed  into  our 
church  during  the  past  year.  We  have 
had  fourteen  baptisms  and  received 
eight  by  letter.  Bro.  C.  Ernest  Davis 
held  our  revival  in  October.  Our  mis- 
sionary committee  planned  a  school  of 
missions  for  January.  Brother  and  Sis- 
ter Robert  Honeyman  are  now  in 
charge  of  the  Greenville  Home.  —  Na- 
omi Hutcheson,  Laura,  Ohio. 

West  Alexandria  —  During  this  year, 
ten  new  members  have  been  received 
into  the  church  by  baptism  and  four  by 
letter.  Under  the  leadership  of  Bro. 
Stanley  Buchanan,  who  is  chairman  of 
the  Call  program,  our  church  had  an 
every-member  canvass  and  a  loyalty 
dinner.  We  held  a  communion  service 
on  World  Wide  Communion  Sunday. 
Three  babies  were  dedicated  on  Oct. 
25.  Our  pastor  conducted  a  preaching 
and  teaching  mission.  The  community 
Thanksgiving  service  was  held  at  our 
church.  Rev.  Claude  Stogsdill,  pastor 
of  the  First  Brethren  church,  gave  the 
message.  An  all-church  Christmas  party 
was  planned  for  Dec.  20.  White  gifts 
of  staple  foods  and  toys  were  used  to 
prepare  baskets  for  the  less  fortunate  of 
our  community.  The  women's  fellow- 
ship had  its  annual  Christmas  program 
and  party.  The  offering  at  the  women's 
fellowship      Christmas     program     was 


given  to  the  Flat  Creek  mission  chil- 
dren. —  Mrs.  Arthur  Henry,  West  Alex- 
andria, Ohio. 

West  Charleston  —  In  our  council 
meeting,  we  held  an  election  of  officers 
for  the  coming  year.  Our  pastor,  Bro. 
George  Wright,  gave  a  report  on  his 
work.  Bro.  Dale  Shoup  was  chosen 
moderator  for  the  coming  year.  Breth- 
ren Kenneth  Bowman  and  Harold  Bow- 
man, and  their  wives,  were  elected  to 
the  office  of  deacon.  The  Kenneth  Bow- 
mans  and  Bro.  Dave  Dinsmore  and  his 
wife  were  delegates  to  district  meet- 
ing. -  Mrs.  Ruth  Shroyer,  Tipp  City, 
Ohio. 


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Classified  Advertising 

BRETHREN  TRAVEL:  Leaving 
July  6,  1960,  for  a  44-day  bus  tour 
of  Europe.  Visiting  8  countries, 
highlighted  by  visiting  Schwarz- 
enau  and  various  Brethren  Service 
centers  and  projects,  and  attend- 
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32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


ESCAPE 

FROM 

TERROR 

FRIEDRICH  NEUMANN 

The  Brethren's  professed  interest  in  the  dispossessed  and  persecuted 
peoples  of  the  world  should  lead  many  to  read  Escape  From  Terror.  The 
author,  a  professor  of  languages  in  Elizabethtown  College  since  1945 
and  a  member  of  the  Elizabethtown  Church  of  the  Brethren,  has  expe- 
rienced what  few  other  Brethren  could  have  experienced  —  the  murderous 
persecution  of  a  minority  group  by  a  cruel  and  fanatical  government,  and 
conversion  from  Judaism  to  Christianity.  By  birth  an  Austrian  Jew,  Dr. 
Neumann  studied  in  Austria  and  England.  After  a  quarter  of  a  century 
of  teaching  in  Europe  he  escaped  to  England,  where  he  became  a  bap- 
tized Christian,  and  then  came  to  the  States  to  take  up  a  new  life. 

Through  the  pages  of  this  book  one  follows  sympathetically  the 
tragic  experiences  of  the  author,  the  suffering  of  the  Jews  under  the 
Hitler  regime,  the  author's  acceptance  of  Christianity,  his  growth  into 
the  pacifist  position,  his  flight  from  Europe  and  his  subsequent  years 
of  adjustment  to  life  in  the  United  States. 

This  is  both  a  disturbing  and  a  heartening  book.  Only  reading  it 
can  show  you  why  this  is  true.  $6.00 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin.  IU. 


Gospel 


MESSENGER 


JANUARY  23,  1960 


Waltner 


M0St  PrecioUS  PoSSeSSionS  .  .  .  are  neither  lands  nor  securities 
nor  houses  nor  titles  but  the  human  treasures  that  have  been  entrusted  to  man's  keeping. 
Like  the  baby  whose  responses  are  genuine  and  spontaneous,  whose  love  is  without  dis- 
crimination. Like  the  child  whose  speech  is  straightforward  and  merciless.  Like  the 
youth  whose  idealism  can  shame  his  elders  .  .  .  These  possessions  have  been  loaned 
by  the  Father  of  all  for  safekeeping  and  wise  guiding  into  his  truth.  .  .  .  (see  page  10) 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom   Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE      -----      Editor 
ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS  WRITE 


to   the   editor 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:     The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JANUARY  23,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  4 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Missing  the  Mark 5 

The  Feather  Bed  Holds  Many  Sleepers     5 

The  General  Forum  — 

So  Much  to  Be  Thankful  For.  Ira  Frantz  3 
Old  Mister  At-It-Again.    H.  H.  Helman     4 

Deadline.   Don  Fike  4 

Guidance     Through     the     Counsel     of 

Friends.    W.  Russell  Shull   6 

Wanted:    Christian   Statesmen. 

Kenneth  Maxwell 8 

Most  Precious  Possessions 10 

The  Only  Correct  Response. 

Robert  McFadden   12 

Winter    Oaks    on    an    Overcast    Day 

(verse).    Jean  Hogan  Dudley  13 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books 26 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   16 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    18 

Church  News 29 

Toward  His  Kingdom  — 

When  Men  Shall  Revile  You 22 

Brethren  Want  to  Know  24 

Glimpses  Into  Life  in  the  Jungle   ....  24 

•  •  • 

Dr.  Fredrik  A.  Schiotz,  president 
of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church: 
"We  have  not  given  enough  attention 
to  interpreting  the  Ten  Command- 
ments so  that  they  are  relative  to  our 
day.  We  have  become  concerned  in 
the  promotion  of  the  church,  and  we 
may  be  putting  a  one-sided  emphasis 
on  the  love  of  God  while  ignoring 
God's  holiness." 

2  GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 

day  and  every  minute  of  every  day.i 
I  believe  that  God  is  just  as  most 
of  us  human  beings  are,  that  is,  he 
is  more  interested  in  how  we  treat 
his  children  than  what  attitude  we 
take  toward  him.  We  should  remem- 
ber that  all  people  are  God's  chil- 
dren. Christ  said,  "In  as  much  as 
you  have  done  it  unto  the  least  of 
these  my  brethren,  you  have  done 
it  unto  me." 


By  Grace  or  Works  —  or  Both? 

I  joined  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren while  D.  C.  Flory,  the  founder 
of  Bridgewater  College,  was  preach- 
ing at  the  old  Garbers  church.  For- 
ty-eight years  have  elapsed  since 
that  time  and  I  have  heard  literally 
thousands  of  sermons  of  all  varieties, 
most  of  which  I  have  entirely  for- 
gotten. But  I  still  remember  some 
of  those  practical  sermons  which  D. 
C.  Flory  preached  with  such  great 
enthusiasm  in  which  he  told  us  what 
to  do  and  what  not  to  do.  I  remem- 
ber one  expression  that  he  seemed 
to  enjoy  making,  "Do  you  do  good 
to  be  saved,  or  because  you  are 
saved?  Do  you  take  medicine  to  get 
well,  or  because  you  got  well?"  Per- 
sonally, I  do  not  think  it  is  important 
how  you  express  it,  the  important 
thing  is  that  you  do  good. 

Why  are  so  many  of  our  present 
day  preachers  so  much  concerned 
about  the  grace  of  God,  and  have 
so  little  to  say  about  our  own  works? 
Don't  they  realize  that  "God  is  the 
same,  yesterday,  today,  and  forever," 
that  he  will  continue  to  do  his  part 
and  the  important  thing  for  us  is 
what  we  do.  God  will  always  give 
us  plenty  of  opportunities  to  suc- 
ceed if  we  will  only  bring  ourselves 
in  harmony  with  his  will  and  do  our 
part. 

What  did  Christ  tell  the  lawyer 
when  he  asked,  "What  shall  I  do 
to  inherit  eternal  life?"  Did  he  say, 
"Oh,  well,  it  doesn't  make  much  dif- 
ference what  you  do;  I  am  going 
to  die  on  the  cross  to  redeem  you 
from  your  sins"?  No,  he  said,  "What 
is  written  in  the  law?  How  readest 
thou?"  And  the  lawyer  read,  "Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy  soul,  and 
with  all  thy  strength,  and  with  all 
thy  mind  and  thy  neighbor  as  thy- 
self." And  Christ  said,  "Thou  hast 
answered  right;  this  do,  and  thou 
shalt  live." 

I  believe  that  Christ  came  into 
the  world  to  teach  us  and  show  us 
how  to  live.  He  died  on  the  cross 
to  give  us  an  example  of  supreme 
sacrifice.  Fortunately  most  of  us  do 
not  need  actually  to  lose  our  lives 
on  the  cross,  but  we  need  to  make 
sacrifices  every  day.  In  other  words, 
our  selfish  natures  must  be  crucified; 
as  Paul  says,  "I  die  daily." 

Accepting  Jesus  Christ  simply 
means  to  me  living  as  he  taught 
us  to  live,  not  on  Sundays  but  every 


It  seems  to  me  that  the  people 
who  have  the  idea  that  they  are 
being  saved  by  the  grace  of  God, 
almost  regardless  of  what  they  have 
done  and  are  doing  for  themselves 
and  their  fellow  men,  are  doing 
nothing  but  deceiving  themselves. 
"Be  not  deceived,  God  is  not 
mocked;  for  whatsoever  a  man  sow- 
eth,  that  shall  he  also  reap."  — 
Charles  W.  Wampler,  Sr.,  R.  1, 
Harrisonburg,  Va. 

All  Holy? 

The  heading  of  this  letter  is  the 
heading  of  a  recent  letter  appearing 
in  this  department,  and  we  think  it 
needs  a  bit  of  answering.  It  is  not 
a  question  where  the  Bible  is  a  holy 
book  or  whether  all  scripture  is  di- 
vinely inspired.  It  is  more  of  a 
question  of  the  Book  being  a  record 
of  the  doings  of  God's  people,  reveal- 
ing his  way  to  all  people  through 
a  progressive  revelation  through  a 
chosen  people. 

Let  us  not  forget  that  the  Bible 
was  lived  before  it  was  ever  written 
and  that  God  has  had  much  to  do 
with  the  history  of  mankind;  a  post- 
view  rather  readily  reveals  his  divine 
providences  and  progressive  revela- 
tions.   God  is  in  history. 

It  seems  to  the  writer  that  some 
of  the  would-be  critics  are  like  the 
Platte  River,  which  at  places  is< 
"three  miles  wide,  and  only  three 
inches  deep."  They  are  so  moral 
that  the  awful,  cruel,  shameful,  and 
humiliating  death  of  Christ  is  too 
nasty  to  be  included  in  the  Bible. 
We  once  sat  through  an  evangelistic 
meeting,  and  never  once  did  the 
evangelist  preach  on  the  crucifixion 
of  Christ  or  even  refer  to  it.  Yet; 
it  is  the  greatest  death-bed  story  ever: 
recorded  in  history,  the  greatest 
power  or  phenomenon  to  break 
down  the  sin-barrier  between  man 
and  God. 

If  some  of  the  would-be  Bible 
critics  were  consistent  as  some  non- 
Continued  on  page  twenty-four 


Ira  Frantz 


Mary  Neher  has  never 
walked  alone 
hut  she  still  insists 
that  she  has 


Bo-  MidjeU 


THE  baby  was  beginning  to  stand 
alone  and  the  Neher  family  was 
watching  eagerly  to  see  her  take  her 
first  step.  But  before  she  took  that  step 
Mary  Neher  was  stricken  with  polio.  She 
has  never  walked  alone.  But  although  she 
was  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
Mary,  now  eighty-four  years  old,  is  the 
only  one  who  survives. 

Her  home  at  North  Manchester,  just 
around  the  block  from  the  Manchester 
church,  is  a  place  of  cheer.  College  boys 
who  have  lived  there  while  in  school 
speak  of  it  affectionately  as  the  Hash 
House.  Mary  thinks  with  affection,  too, 
of  "her  boys"  and  likes  to  recount  their 
names  and  their  achievements.  The  list 
includes  several  well-known  ministers  — 
Ernest  Detrick,  Victor  Bendsen,  James 
Pottenger  (Presbyterian,  who  died  on  the 
Africa  mission  field),  Don  Bowe,  Bruce 
Wood,  Glen  Mulligan,  Dana  Heaton,  Jack 
Kline,  Stanley  Bittinger,  and  Paul  Den- 
nison.  Three  or  four  of  these  were  married 
and  lived  there  with  their  wives. 

Other  names  she  is  fond  of  recalling 
are  John  Young,  Virgil  St.  John,  Emmert 
McCune,  Caleb  Frantz,  and  Bobert  Coyle. 
She  takes  almost  a  motherly  interest  in 
the  successful  careers  of  these  men. 

Mary  was  baptized  when  she  was 
sixteen,  and  began  teaching  a  Sunday 
school  class.  Her  father  carried  her  to  and 
from  the  class.  When  she  was  seventeen, 
her  six-year-old  sister  was  unwilling  to 
start  to  school  unless  Mary  would  go  with 
her.  Mary  had  never  gone  to  school,  al- 
though she  had  learned  to  read  some.  So 
she  went,  and  explained  to  the  teacher  that 
she  was  not  a  pupil  but  had  come  merely 
as  company  for  her  sister.  The  teacher  put 
a   McGuffey   Fourth    Beader   before   her, 


^UohALU  tf-ob 


opened  to  The  Old  Oaken 
Bucket  and  asked  her  to  learn 
to  read  it. 

Tins  continued  for  four  days, 
the  father  taking  them  to  school 
in  a  buggy  and  the  schoolgirls 
carrying  Mary  in  on  a  "pack 
saddle"  made  by  clasping  four 
hands  together.  Each  day  Mary 
protested  that  she  was  there 
merely  because  of  her  sister, 
and  each  day  the  teacher  per- 
sisted in  wanting  her  to  read. 

By  the  end  of  the  fourth  day 
Mary  wanted  to  learn  and  keep 
on  going  to  school.  She  went 
four  years  and  graduated  from 
the  common  schools  with  the 
third  highest  grade  in  the 
county. 

Going  to  school  inspired  her 
to  learn  to  walk  with  crutches. 
She  used  crutches  for  thirty 
years.  For  thirty-five  years  now 
she  has  been  in  a  wheel  chair. 
Both  her  sight  and  hearing  are 
failing  some  now.  But  each 
Sunday  morning  finds  her  in 
her  place  in  the  women's  Bible 
class  and  later  in  the  church 
service,  where  she  maneuvers 
her  chair  into  a  position  direct- 
ly in  front  of  the  preacher.  The 
young  men  from  the  Home 
Builders  class  take  turns,  a 
month  at  a  time,  bringing  her 
to  church  and  taking  her  home. 
They  find  it  a  pleasure  to  do 
this  for  her. 

Through  the  years  she  has 
made  her  living  by  sewing  — 
in  addition  to  keeping  roomers. 
She  is  a  happy  person.  She  says 
her  Christian  faith  means  much 
to  her,  and  that  she  has  so  much 
to  be  thankful  for.  "I  found  a 
new  cause  for  thankfulness  the 
other  day,"  Mary  said  recently. 
"I  read  about  a  child  who  has 
muscular  dystrophy  and  cannot 
laugh.  I  had  never  thought 
about  it  before,  what  a  blessing 
it  is  to  be  able  to  laugh."  At 
eighty-four,  Mary  Neher  in  her 
wheel  chair  can  still  laugh. 

4  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Old  Mister  At-lt-Again 


H.  H.  Helman 


THEBE  is  one  golden  ager 
I  could  write  much  about. 
Some  of  it  would  make 
good  reading  and  some  would 
not.  It  would  be  in  the  first 
person;  that  is,  it  would  be 
about  myself. 

I  had  a  normal  youth,  much 
too  brief,  and  not  much  in  it  to 
be  excited  about,  except  per- 
haps the  experience  under  an 
ash  tree  at  the  far  end  of  the 
farm  lane,  where  God  and  I,  or 
I  alone,  decided  on  a  life  voca- 
tion. 

I  entered  that  vocation,  the 
ministry,  in  a  roundabout  way: 
by  college  and  university  (in 
several  hitches),  and  school- 
teaching  and  supervision.  But  I 
got  there  —  the  hard  way,  but 
a  glorious  way. 

I  was  taken  on  by  churches 
that  thought  I  had  what  it 
takes.  Whether  I  did  or  did  not 
is  not  the  question  now.  The 
question  is,  Why  am  I  still  at 
it? 

I  have  retired  from  pastoral 
work  twice  and  twice  picked 
up  and  harnessed  again.  Should 
I  have  let  them  do  it  again? 
For  heaven's  sake,  yes!  You 
folks  who  read  this,  let  your  sons 
enter,  or  perhaps  urged  them  to 
enter  more  prominent  and  lu- 
crative vocations.  And  since 
they  did,  pulpits  are  being 
vacated  in  greater  numbers 
than  there  are  ministers  to  fill 
them. 

So  do  not  criticize  the  Bever- 
end  Mister  At-it-again.  He  was 
caught  in  the  squeeze  and, 
being  conscientious,  could  not 
sit  by  and  see  a  church  weep- 
ing its  eyes  out  for  want  of  a 
leader. 

So  he  answered,  "Yes,  I  will 
come  back  at  it  as  soon  as  I 
can  limber  up  my  old  muscles 
and  chase  the  cobwebs  out  of 


my  brain,  and  liven  up  my  soul 
with  a  new  spiritual  energy." 
That  very  process  made  me 
younger  and  so  I  am  not  really 
OLD  Mr.  At-it-again,  just  Mr. 
At-it-again,  reinvigorated  for 
another,  and  perhaps  final, 
thrust  at  Old  Mr.  Satan,  who 
has  been  at  it  longer  than  I 
have  been. 


Deadline 

Don  Fike 

I  KEEP  myself  so  busy  and' 
cram  a  day  so  full  of  activi 
ty  that  no  time  is  left  to  be 
sensible  about  my  own  spiritual 
welfare.  Sure,  salvation  is  free; 
it  is  there  for  the  taking.  It  is 
the  taking  part  on  which  so 
many  go  wrong. 

To  accept  any  gift  takes  some 
action  on  the  part  of  the  recipi- 
ent. "Taking"  means  doing 
something  more  than  just  ac- 
quiescing. Accepting,  in  the 
Christian  sense,  means  obeying, 
and  obeying  requires  action.  If 
we  are  not  really  obeying,  we 
have  not  really  accepted  His 
way  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
word. 

It  may  take  no  action  —  other 
than  that  of  receiving  —  to  be- 
come a  Christian,  but  it  cer- 
tainly takes  a  great  deal  more 
than  that  to  remain  one  living 
by  the  teachings  of  Jesus! 

Could  you  be  ready  to  die  by 
five  o'clock  this  evening?  If  the 
thought  fills  you  with  fear,  then 
you  are  not  ready  and  probably 
could  not  be  ready  by  the 
"dead"-line. 

What  have  I  done  today  that 
would  better  prepare  me  to  ap- 
proach the  time  when  I  shall 
have  to  go?  If  nothing,  then  do 
not  waste  time  tomorrow  on 
that  which  does  not  nourish  the 
soul. 


1 


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EDITORIAL 


Missing  the  Mark 

THE  giant  cargo  plane  was  only  ten  sec- 
onds away  from  Chicago's  Midway  airport 
when  it  dropped  down  to  cut  a  fiery  path 
through  several  houses  and  leave  a  trail  of  death 
behind.  Ten  seconds  more  and  the  frantic  pilot 
might  have  landed  with  only  slight  damage  to 
his  plane  and  no  loss  of  life.  But  for  some  reason, 
some  failure  he  could  not  anticipate  or  prevent, 
]  he  missed  the  mark. 

Almost  every  day  we  learn  of  a  tragedy  that 
results  from  missing  the  mark.  In  spite  of  all 
the  safety  precautions  that  an  electronic  age  can 
supply  there  are  instances  of  "man-failure"  that 
endanger  thousands  of  travelers.  Or  an  unex- 
pected "power-failure"  throws  a  well-organized 
] community  into  confusion.  Even  the  remarkable 
instruments  that  keep  our  aircraft  on  the  beam 
or  point  out  approaching  trouble  on  a  radar 
screen  are  not  capable  of  preventing  frequent 
cases  of  missing  the  mark.  And  an  error  of 
seconds  can  mean  the  difference  between  life 
and  death. 

New  Testament  writers  defined  sin  as  miss- 
ing the  mark.    The  Greek  word  they  chose  re- 
ferred to  a  spear  which  went  wide  of  its  target 
or  a  traveler  who  missed  his  road.  It  applied  to 
all  kinds  of  failure  in  realizing  one's  objectives 
or  purposes.    But  in  the  New  Testament  the 
Greek  word  described  something  far  more  im- 
portant than  an  ordinary  failure.  It  was  not  just 
' [  a  mistake  in  judgment,  not  just  an  attempt  that 
.almost  succeeded  but  lost,  not  just  a  miscal- 
culation resulting  from  poor  aim.    The   early 
Christian  writers  thought  of  sin  as  a  basic  "man- 
failure"  in  which  every  person  shares.   You  do 
'  ||  not  escape  from  sin  or  its  power  merely  by  de- 
'•  |  veloping  your  aim  or  surrounding  yourself  with 
If ,  accurate  instruments.    Even  the  most  careful 
i  person  will  occasionally  swing  wide  of  the  mark 
i  and  discover  how  it  feels  to  go  crashing  down 
where  there  is  no  landing  field,  prayerfully  hop- 
'  ing  that  his  own  life  and  others  will  be  spared. 
Though  sin  is  inescapable,  it  need  not  control 
us.    Paul  assured  Roman  Christians  that  they 
who  were  once  slaves  to  sin  could  be  released 
from  its  power  if  they  kept  themselves  "alive  to 
i   God,"  responsive  to  the  leading  of  his  Spirit, 
f  |  trusting  in  his  grace  to  keep  them  on  the  path 
>J    they  should  follow.   It  is  true  that  God  is  a  just 
]o|i  God,  but  he  is  not  to  be  thought  of  only  as  a 
in    referee  who  blows  his  whistle  sharply  to  mark 
if    every  failure.    He  is  also  a  merciful  and  loving 
God  who  ever  seeks  to  restore  and  redeem  those 


who  go  astray,  who  miss  the  mark.  Through  his 
Son  men  are  offered  forgiveness  of  their  sins  and 
an  invitation  to  "press  toward  the  mark  of  the 
high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  —  k.m. 

The  Feather  Bed  Holds  Many  Sleepers 

AN  ISSUE  in  the  recent  steel  strike  was 
described  by  the  term  featherbedding. 
This  is  a  graphic  way  of  referring  to  jobs 
which  are  either  unnecessary  or  almost  entirely 
unproductive.  We  can  understand  why  many 
industries  want  to  change  working  rules  that 
may  once  have  been  justified  but  no  longer 
apply  to  situations  where  more  work  is  handled 
by  machinery.  At  the  same  time  we  can 
sympathize  with  workers  who  have  carried  re- 
sponsibilities and  are  loathe  to  see  them  ab- 
sorbed by  automation  —  and  the  number  of 
jobs  decrease  accordingly.  However,  no  one 
can  make  a  case  for  "featherbedding,"  for  hours 
spent  loafing  at  company  expense. 

But  if  featherbedding  is  to  be  condemned 
on  the  part  of  workers,  it  is  equally  as  repre- 
hensible when  it  is  maintained  by  management 
or  by  government.  Many  a  congressman  has 
railed  against  the  inflationary  effects  of  union 
rules,  but  some  have  no  hesitation  in  putting 
close  relatives  upon  congressional  payrolls  or 
in  taking  off  on  expensive  government-paid 
junkets  around  the  world.  Our  military  depart- 
ments are  notorious  for  waste  —  not  only  of 
money  and  materials  but  of  man-hours.  The 
businessman's  skill  in  using  expense  accounts 
to  provide  for  a  variety  of  personal  conven- 
iences represents  another  kind  of  inflationary 
featherbedding.  In  far  too  many  professions 
there  are  similar  devices  for  charging  for 
services  not  rendered.  And  when  farmers  get 
paid  for  keeping  their  land  out  of  production 
where  will  featherbedding  end? 

Let's  do  some  honest  soul-searching  about 
our  own  productivity  in  any  job  or  position  we 
carry  before  casting  too  many  stones  at  what 
someone  else  seeks  to  maintain.  If  we  under- 
stand the  New  Testament  correctly,  Christians 
are  called  to  a  full-time  dedication  which  in- 
volves productive  labor  for  their  Lord.  Yet 
far  too  many  part-time  Christians  want  their 
names  in  the  books  and  look  forward  to  all  the 
fringe  benefits  that  accrue  in  Christian  service. 
Is  this  also  featherbedding?  —  k.m. 

JANUARY  23,  1960  5 


I    !    i   i 
S   *  1  «   *  !«H 

»ttti22U2.m 


A  wise,  spiritually  balanced  friend 
can  help  us  view  a  problem  more 
objectively  and  in  clearer  perspective 


W.  Russell  Shull 


William  Smith 


Guidance  ThrougJ 


IS  ANYONE  so  self-reliant 
that  he  has  never  sought 
out  a  friend  to  gain  help 
in  solving  a  crucial  problem? 
None  is  so  wise  that  he  always 
knows  the  right  steps  to  take. 

Life  confronts  some  of  us 
with  unusually  tough  problems. 
For  a  few,  the  chief  problems 
are  physical.  For  others  they 
are  social,  involving  human  re- 
lations situations.  In  all  of 
these  human,  realistic,  day-to- 
day matters  God  is  desiring  to 
give  us  his  guidance.  He  is  not 
a  Sunday  God,  not  a  prayer- 
meeting  God,  not  a  retreat  or 
mountaintop  or  rainbow-in-the- 
sky  type  of  heavenly  Father. 

There  are  many  situations 
where  it  is  very  difficult  to 
know  what  God  would  say. 
Situations  can  get  terribly  in- 
volved. And  we  get  ourselves 
all  mixed  up  with  the  situations. 

6  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Our  emotions  get  tangled  in. 
Our  pride  and  social  status  get 
mixed  in  with  the  greater 
values.  We  come  to  the  place 
sometimes  where  we  cannot  tell 
the  difference  between  little 
and  big.  We  actually  cannot 
detect  between  the  sound  of 
the  devil's  voice  and  God's. 

In  perplexing  situations  it  is 
wonderful  to  be  able  to  seek 
out  a  wise,  spiritually  balanced 
friend  and  lay  our  problem 
before  him.  Being  detached 
emotionally,  he  can  be  more 
objective.  His  perspective  is 
likely  to  be  better.  He  can 
check  us  on  the  items  that  we 
may  be  minimizing  or  over- 
emphasizing. 

If  we  are  on  the  serving  side, 
when  we  have  a  strong  inner 
urge  to  try  to  help  a  particular 
person,  we  had  better  respond 
—  for  God  may  be  seeking  to 
speak  some  special  message  to 
that  person  through  us. 


Have  you  ever  considered; 
how  much  of  God's  social; 
service  work  is  done  through) 
people?  Is  not  this  what  was! 
happening  when  the  Spirit  sent  j 
Philip  to  join  the  eunuch?  Is 
it  not  what  occurred  when  the  i 
Lord  asked  Ananias  to  open  the 
eyes  of  Paul?  The  Holy  Spirit; 
was  bringing  major  guidance  to  j 
needy  persons  through  others.! 

A  city  resident  awakened  un- ; 
usually  early  one  morning.  Im- 
mediately   he    became    keenly: 
aware  of  an  acquaintance  living  j 
on  the  other  side  of  the  citv,  i 

1 

and  he  had  an  intuitive  urge  to ; 
go  and  see  him.    How  foolish, 
he  thought!    This  early  in  the 
morning!    What  will  the  man 
think? 

But  the  inner  voice  insisted. 
So  he  dressed  and  went.    He 
rapped  at  the  friend's  door,  and  j 
waited!  He  rapped  again  —  and  j 
waited!      Finally,     the     friend  j 
came  to  the  door. 


When  he  saw  who  it  was,  he 
exclaimed,  "What  are  you  doing 
here?  You  came  just  in  time! 
I  was  in  the  attic  rigging  things 
up  to  end  everything." 

Some  persons  have  a  knack 
j  for  knowing  when  another  is  in 
trouble.  When  my  little  sister 
was  kicked  by  a  horse  in  a  run- 
away, my  older  brother,  who 
was  at  work  a  mile  away,  knew 
something  had  happened.  Such 
persons  are  said  to  be  psychic 
or  telepathic.  Or  maybe  it  is 
straight  Spirit  communication. 

Anyway,  whether  through 
the  subconscious  or  some  hid- 
den mental  process,  or  the  inner 
voice  itself,  God  is  continually 
trying  to  get  each  of  us  to  help 
him  in  guiding  his  other  chil- 


ously,  this  falls  short  of  true 
friendship. ) 

To  how  many  different  peo- 
ple should  we  go  with  one 
problem?  We  do  not  want  to 
be  a  nuisance.  Nor  do  we  want 
to  become  an  addict  to  the 
habit  of  seeking  counsel.  Soon- 
er, or  later,  we  must  learn  to 
stand  on  our  own  feet  and  solve 
our  problems  —  with  God  as 
our  chief  counselor.  For  some 
persons,  too  much  counseling 
may  be  only  a  delaying  or  pro- 
crastinating tactic. 

The  author  of  Proverbs  says, 
"In  an  abundance  of  counselors 
there  is  safety"  (Prov.  11:14). 
I  do  not  take  it  that  this  verse 
is  referring  to  counseling  with 
a  group.    It  suggests,  however, 


one  resource  recommended  by 
many  leaders.  Stanley  Jones 
calls  it  the  counsel  of  a  dedi- 
cated group  —  or  corporate  dis- 
cipline. Elton  Trueblood  speaks 
of  a  redemptive  f ellowship  —  a 
small  group  of  Christians  seek- 
ing the  iner  meanings  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

Group  counsel  can  be  tre- 
mendously effective.  I  have 
seen  newcomers  in  a  spiritual 
fellowship  be  spiritually  trans- 
formed by  the  stimulation  of  a 
dynamic  group.  Alert  ministers 
are  more  and  more  recognizing 
the  spiritual  potency  of  small 
questing  groups.  They  trans- 
form lives.  They  provide  God's 
guidance  for  the  group. 

Continued   on  page   fifteen 


fie  Counsel  of  Friends 


dren.  Have  you  heard  him  say 
to  you,  "Bear  one  another's 
burdens,  and  so  fulfill  the  law 
of  Christ"  (Gal.  6:2)? 

If  we  are  on  the  seeking  side, 
to  what  type  of  person  should 
we  go  for  help?  Certainly  not 
to  a  prizefighter  when  the 
trouble  is  a  toothache.  Certain- 
ly not  to  a  veterinarian  when 
the  issue  is  the  school  plans  of 
our  child.  If  it  is  a  human  rela- 
tions difficulty,  talk  with  a 
kindly  understanding  soul  or  a 
person  who  specializes  in  such 
problems;  if  it  is  a  tangled 
moral  situation,  then  a  minister, 
or  some  layman  who  knows 
what  the  grace  of  God  can  do, 
and  what  it  requires. 

We  should  be  careful  not  to 
go  to  friends  who  may  be  too 
eager  to  please  us.  Some 
friends  —  even  those  we  trust 
—  may  only  add  to  our  weak- 
nesses, by  telling  us  what  they 
think  we  want  to  hear.    ( Obvi- 


PSS* 


A   closely   knit   spiritual   life    group    can   transform   lives,    bring 
keener  insights,  and  provide  guidance  for  members  of  the  group 

JANUARY  23,  1960 


Howard  Sollenberger  (left)  and  An- 
drew Cordier  were  featured  speakers 
at  the  Ocean  Grove  conference. 
Both  paid  tribute  to  the  motivations 
they  received  in  Christian  homes  and 
communities  for  their  present  serv- 
ice in  agencies  working  for  peace 


Wanted: 


Christian  Statesmen 


A  PHONE  caU  at  the 
United  Nations  brought 
an  invitation  to  confer 
with  the  Hon.  Brooks  Hays.  It 
was  soon  after  the  strange  elec- 
tion when  the  expectation  of  his 
return  to  Congress  was  upset.  I 
was  particularly  eager  to  see 
him  again  to  express  my  con- 
cern as  a  fellow  Christian  and 
to  hear  his  reactions. 

As  we  talked,  only  a  few 
words  about  the  election  were 
enough.  He  quietly  expressed 
his  conviction  that  seeming  de- 
feat could  in  the  long  run  con- 
tribute to  victory  for  the  values 
he  cherished.  There  was  no 
bitterness,  only  deeper  dedica- 
tion to  the  causes  he  served.  In 
fact,  his  mission  then,  as  a  con- 
secrated Christian,  temporarily 
out  of  Congress,  was  undertak- 
ing to  devote  time,  thought,  and 
energy  in  other  ways  for  justice, 
freedom  and  peace. 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Here,  it  seemed  to  me,  was  an 
example  of  statesmanship:  a 
man  rising  above  personal  and 
partisan  concern,  working,  in 
season  and  out,  for  the  larger 
good. 

A  group  of  students  helping 
to  plan  for  the  eighteenth  Ecu- 
menical Student  Conference  on 
the  Christian  World  Mission 
raised  this  question:  "In  a 
world  where  communities  stand 
in  precarious  antagonism,  can 
a  Christian  witness  be  made 
through  constructive  statesman- 
ship?" 

Christians  not  only  can,  but 
must  witness  in  statesmanship 
in  international  relations  now 
for  at  least  two  reasons:  First, 
because  of  the  facts  of  life  in- 
ternationally. We  live  in  an 
age  of  revolution:  scientific  and 
technological;  political;  eco- 
nomic; social,  including  de- 
mands for  human  rights;  racial; 
religious  and  moral.  Vast 
changes   taking   place    can   be 


Kenneth  Maxwell 


affected  for  good  or  evil.  This 
is  also  a  nuclear-space  age  pos- 
ing decisions  which  may  well 
mean  either  nuclear  incinera- 
tion or  more  abundant  life  for 
most  of  mankind. 

Second,  and  more  funda 
mentally  for  Christians,  our 
faith  compels  us  to  witness.  Be- 
lieving in  a  God  of  justice, 
righteousness,  love,  and  peace 
revealed  through  Scriptures, 
through  history,  and  supremely 
through  Jesus  Christ,  we  as 
Christians  must  witness  to  that 
faith  not  only  in  words  but  also 
in  deeds  making  for  justice, 
righteousness,  love,  and  peace, 
in  human  life  around  us  and 
around  the  world. 

The   heart   of   the   students' 
question    is:     How    can    such 

Executive  director.  Department  of  Inter- 
national Affairs  of  the  National  Council 
of  Churches 


Christian  witness  be  made 
I  through  constructive  statesman- 
ship? 

Statesmanship  is  usually  as- 
sociated with  world  leaders. 
However,  statesmanship  in 
transcending  self,  party,  and 
narrower  interests  for  the  sake 
of  higher  and  broader  concerns 
is  needed  in  all  of  life  from  the 
United  Nations  and  global  is- 
sues to  the  smallest  village  and 
its  problems. 

The  thrust  of  this  article  has 
to  do  mainly  with  one  type  of 
statesmanship:  political  action 
related  to  international  affairs. 
Some  Christians  say  that  Chris- 
tianity and  politics  do  not  mix. 
A  main  aim  of  their  religion  is 
to  keep  "unspotted  from  the 
world." 

Most  Christians,  however,  in- 
creasingly recognize  that  the 
world  mission  of  the  church  and 
evangelism  are  profoundly  af- 
fected by  whether  Christianity 
makes  for  a  constructive  or  de- 
structive contribution  to  the 
political,  economic,  and  social 
life  around  the  world  —  and  ul- 
timately to  the  lives  of  human 
beings.  This  is  a  standard  by 
which  millions  of  uncommitted 
people  are  evaluating  Christi- 
anity and  by  which  God  him- 
self makes  judgment,  according 


to  the  Scriptures. 

If  Christians,  who  should 
have  a  statesmanlike  approach, 
do  not  influence  politics,  others 
will.  Many  Protestants  have 
held  themselves  aloof  from  poli- 
tics, condemning  it  as  a  "dirty 
business."  By  their  own  politi- 
cal irresponsibility  they  have 
contributed  to  some  political 
failure.  "Dirty  politics"  largely 
result  from  the  so-called  "good 
people"  who  fail  to  fulfill  their 
political  responsibility.  Often 
our  church  people  have  re- 
ceived better  than  they  deserv- 
ed in  political  representation 
and  action. 

Many  churches  and  Chris- 
tians are  taking  more  seriously 
their  political,  economic,  and 
social  responsibilities  beginning 
at  the  community  level  and 
reaching  out  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth. 

This  trend  is  seen  in  the  tre- 
mendous response  to  the  nation- 
wide program  of  Education  and 
Action  for  Peace.  The  thirty- 
three  Protestant  and  Orthodox 
denominations  in  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  through 
its  Department  of  International 
Affairs  are  combining  their  ef- 
forts in  a  year  of  education  and 
action  on  Christian  responsi- 
bility in  international  relations 


Religious  News  Service 

Theologians,  educators,  scientists,  and  experts  in  other  fields  discuss  the 
church's  role  in  the  era  of  satellites  and  nuclear  weapons.  At  left  is 
Roy  Blough,  professor  of  international  economics,  Graduate  School  of 
Business.  Columbia  University,  and  son  of  S.  S.  Blough,  Brethren  minister 


from  June  1959  to  June  1960,  to 
move  through  six  months  of 
training  in  councils  of  churches, 
then  into  every  possible  local 
church  beginning  in  January. 
Students  and  youth  are  also 
significantly  involved. 

To  date  the  response  has  ex- 
ceeded even  the  highest  expec- 
tations of  those  who  for  four 
years  have  been  developing 
plans.  There  is  a  hunger  for 
responsible  leadership  for  peace 
and  a  ready  response  by  people 
across  the  fifty  states  of  the 
Union.  This  is  especially  true 
when  people  see  that  there  are 
specific  issues  in  which  they  can 
be  concerned  and  make  their 
influence  felt. 

Through  the  Department  of 
International  Affairs  and  the 
Commission  of  the  Churches  on 
International  Affairs,  related  to 
the  World  Council  of  Churches 
and  the  International  Mission- 
ary Council,  the  Protestant  and 
Orthodox  communions  have 
been  working  for  many  years 
in  specific  "things  which  make 
for  peace."  Through  the  Na- 
tional Council  these  include: 
Support  for  the  United  Nations 
and  its  specialized  agencies, 
atoms-for-peace,  reduction  and 
regulation  of  armaments,  in- 
cluding nuclear  weapons,  with 
inspection  and  control,  world 
economic  development,  includ- 
ing mutual  aid  and  reciprocal 
trade,  promotion  of  human 
rights,  improvement  of  immi- 
gration and  refugee  policies, 
creation  of  a  more  peaceful 
image  by  the  United  States 
around  the  world,  the  ministry 
of  reconciliation,  with  emphasis 
on  negotiations  and  exchanges, 
concern  for  total  U.S.  foreign 
policy. 

In  the  work  of  the  churches 
in  international  affairs,  compe- 
tent laymen  who  are  specialists 
in  various  disciplines   develop 

Continued  on  page  fifteen 
JANUARY   23,    1960  9 


Little  mischief!   So  filled  with  a  zest 
for  living  and  eager  for  each  new 
experience,  captivating  us  with  his 
winning  ways  even  though  soiled  or 
sleepy 


So  nice  to  come  home  to 


Most  Precious  Possessions 


It  is  for  us  to  teach  through  play  such  important 
lessons    as    patience,    not    only    in    solving    childhood 
puzzles  but  life's  knotty  problems  as  well 


Soon  our  precious  possessions  grow  from  babyhood  to 
independent  boyhood  or  girlhood,  needing  the 
companionship  of  others  beyond  the  home 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


It  is  for  us  to  teach  them  that 

responsibility    goes    hand    in    hand 

with  the  joy  of  ownership 


We    see    them    nearing    adulthood, 

ambitious,  seriously  preparing 

for  the  next  step  forward 


The  Only 


The  Bible  points  to  Christ 

and   not  to   itself  as   the 

culminating  point  of  God's 

revelation 


Robert  McFadden 


AT  OCEAN  GROVE  this 
summer,  one  of  the  del- 
egates to  Annual  Con- 
ference spoke  to  me  concerning 
the  declaration  of  purpose 
which  he  had  signed  on  his 
credentials  statement.  We  dis- 
cussed the  interpretation  that 
one  would  give  to  the  state- 
ment, "I  again  declare  my  faith 
in  .  .  .  the  Bible  as  God's  infall- 
ible Word  of  Truth,  and  the 
New  Testament  as  the  ultimate 
rule  of  faith  and  practice  for 
men."  It  was  our  particular 
concern  to  note  the  changes  of 
interpretation  given  to  the  word 
infallible  by  different  denomi- 
nations and  to  consider  what 
the  word  now  means  to  us. 

There  are  many,  I  am  sure, 
who  would  feel  that  this  partic- 
ular word  ought  to  be  dropped 
from  the  Christian  vocabulary. 
The  concepts  it  conveys  —  they 
would  say  —  are  archaic;  the  is- 
sues involved  were  debated  in 
the  1920's  and  '30's,  and  those 
arguments  pro  and  con  are  now 


Correct 
Response 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


over.  Even  our  conservative 
friends  now  wish  to  define  what 
they  mean  by  the  term,  and 
furthermore  desire  to  be  re- 
garded as  "evangelicals"  and 
not  as  "fundamentalists." 

What  has  brought  about  this 
change,  and  what  can  Chris- 
tians believe  about  the  Bible? 
What  interpretation  will  we  as 
Brethren  give  to  our  statement 
that  the  Bible  is  God's  infallible 
Word  of  Truth? 

Let  me  use  an  analogy  from 
the  New  Testament  itself  to 
show  an  attitude  we  might  well 
take  toward  the  Scriptures.  The 
analogy  does  not  answer  all 
questions,  but  I  believe  that  it 
points  in  a  helpful  direction. 
When  the  disciples  answered 
Jesus'  question,  "Who  do  men 
say  that  I  am?"  they  gave  five 
different  answers.  Some  said 
Jeremiah,  some  Elijah,  some 
John  the  Baptist  returned  from 
the  dead,  and  some  said  one  of 


Religious  News  Service 

the  prophets.  But  Peter  said, 
"You  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  living  God"  (see  Matt.  16: 
13-20).  In  answer  to  the  reply 
of  Peter,  Jesus  said,  "Blessed  are 
you  ...  for  flesh  and  blood  has 
not  revealed  this  to  you,  but  my 
Father  who  is  in  heaven." 

Jesus  said  in  effect,  Your  un-  i 
derstanding  of  me  is  the  only 
correct  response;  it  is  not  mere- 
ly the  testimony  of  your  own 
human  knowledge,  but  it  is  the 
expression  of  the  inspiration  of 
the  Father  in  heaven.  The  other 
answers  are  at  best  partial;  they 
are  not  derogatory  to  be  sure, 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are 
not  the  full  truth  of  the  Chris-  1 
tian  faith. 

And  just  as  Peter's  response 
to  Jesus  was  a  divine  and 
unique  inspiration,  so  the  Bible 
is  a  divine  and  unique  response 
to  God's  revelation  in  his  chosen 
people  and  his  Son. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  more 


Iithan   a  prophet;   he   was   the 

IjChrist.  The  Bible  in  comparison 

fcwith  all  other  religious  writings 

jialone  points  to  God's  revealing 

I  activity  in  history  and  its  clear- 

I  est  expression  in  Jesus  Christ. 

As  Christians,  we  regard  the 

Bible  as  conveying  the  WOBD 

of  God,  but  not  as  being  the 

(literal  words  of  God.    In  the 

Bible   and   through   the   Bible 

I  God  discloses  himself  to  us,  yet 

the  Bible  points  to  Christ  and 

not  to  itself  as  the  culminating 

point  of  God's  revelation. 

Five  years  ago,  in  an  inter- 
national work  camp,  I  became 
i  the  friend  of  a  Muslim  fellow. 
1  One  day,  discussing  our  scrip- 
]  tures,  he  reminded  me  that  all 
I  orthodox  Muslims  believe  that 
!  the  Koran,  the   Muslim  scrip- 
1  tures,    is    absolutely   infallible. 
J  In  fact  the  Koran,  so  states  their 
faith,  is  perfect  Arabic.   It  can- 
not even  be  translated  without 
losing  its  perfectness. 

That  is  why  the  paperback 
edition  available  for  students  in 
the  United  States  is  entitled 
The  Meaning  of  the  Glorious 
Koran.  It  is  a  translation  of  the 
Koran,  but  since  it  is  not  the 
infallible  Arabic,  it  must  be 
called,  not  the  Koran,  but,  "the 
meaning  of  the  Koran."  Every 
period,  comma,  and  word  is  ab- 
solutely perfect.  Some  would 
say  that  there  is  a  copy  of  the 
Koran  in  gold  in  heaven  and  the 
one  which  came  to  Mohammed 
while  he  was  in  a  trance,  from 
the  angel  Gabriel,  is  merely  a 
replica  of  that  one. 

As  Christians  we  have  always 
believed  that  God  revealed  him- 
self most  clearly  in  the  person 
of  Jesus  Christ.  We  have  be- 
lieved that  the  Holy  God  —  the 
living  God  —  has  revealed  him- 
self as  Spirit  and  Truth  in  the 
spirit,  the  person,  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  While  we  have  al- 
ways insisted  on  the  centrality 
and  indispensable  nature  of  the 
Bible,  we  have  usually  avoided 
equating   the    Bible    with    the 


Person,  or  making  the  Bible 
central  instead  of  the  Person. 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  incarnation 
of  God,  but  we  have  never 
spoken  of  the  Bible  as  the  in- 
carnation of  God. 

We  have  also  learned  as 
Christians  that  the  Bible  is  pri- 
marily a  religious  book  and  not 
a  secular  one.  In  a  New  Eng- 
land summer  home  two  years 
ago  I  discovered  a  Bible,  issued 
by  the  American  Bible  Society 
in  1867,  which  had  a  chronology 
throughout  in  the  margins.  It 
was  the  chronology  worked  out 
by  Bishop  James  Ussher  in  the 
middle  of  the  17th  century.  The 
date  given  for  creation,  opposite 
the  first  verse  of  Genesis,  was 
4004  B.C.  Needless  to  say,  the 
American  Bible  Society  no 
longer  prints  this  chronology  in 
the  margins  of  its  Bibles!  We 
have  learned  much  since  the 
middle  of  the  17th  century  both 
from  archaeology  and  geology. 

If  we  must  deal  in  statistics, 
we  would  be  further  ahead  to 
note  that  the  word  God  appears 
thirty-four  times  in  the  first 
chapter  and  that  the  basic 
teaching  of  that  chapter  con- 
cerns why  we  are  on  earth  and 
not  how  we  got  here:  God  has 
created  us,  and  we  are  his 
children  and  "restless  until  we 
rest  in  him." 


God  does  not  reveal  to  us  in 
the  Scriptures  a  set  of  statistics; 
but  he  does  disclose  to  us  the 
meaning  and  purpose  of  our 
lives.  God  would  have  us  to 
know  the  Word  made  flesh  in 
Christ,  and  the  character  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  which  speaks  to  us 
through  the  church  and  prayer. 
He  would  disclose  to  us  how  he 
has  acted  for  our  salvation. 

Jesus  himself  often  pointed 
to  the  spiritual  significance  of 
scriptural  passages.  When  he 
was  asked  by  his  disciples  about 
the  last  two  verses  of  Malachi 
(chapter  4:5-6),  he  did  not 
give  a  literal  interpretation  to 
them  as  did  the  scribes.  The 
scribes  believed  literally  that 
Elijah  was  to  return  before  the 
Messiah  appeared.  Jesus  in- 
stead pointed  to  John  the  Bap- 
tist as  the  fulfillment  of  the 
promise.  The  spiritual  mean- 
ing, that  John  the  Baptist  was 
the  forerunner  of  Christ,  could 
be  seen  by  faith;  the  literal 
meaning  provided  a  stumbling 
block  to  those  who  would  not 
accept  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God 
(Matt.  17:9-13). 

But  if,  on  the  one  hand,  we 
do  not  accept  a  wooden  literal- 
istic  concept  of  the  Scriptures, 
neither  do  we  regard  them 
simply  and  merely  as  part  of 
the  world's  great  religious  liter- 


WINTER  OAKS  ON  AN  OVERCAST  DAY 

JEAN  HOGAN  DUDLEY 

Across  a  pearl-gray  haze  the  dark  forms  rise 
Of  winter  oaks,  and  strange  what  graceful  line 
Is  fluted  from  thick  trunks  against  the  skies. 
What  branching  symmetry,  what  curled  design! 
These  boughs  that  seem  gray  lace  and  fragile-fine. 
And  wholly  delicate  and  taper-thinned. 
Against  the  pewter  sky's  soft,  curious  shine. 
Have  inner  strength  to  bear  the  winter  wind. 
Have  deep  resources  in  the  trunk  and  roots 
To  carry  them  through  weeks  of  snowdrifts  swirled. 
And,  spring-released,  to  send  triumphant  shoots 
And  swelling  buds  into  a  waking  world. 
Within  God's  love,  our  hearts  can  learn  to  keep 
Resources  as  tremendous  and  as  deep! 


JANUARY  23,  1980 


13 


L.    Thiersch 


Three    Lions 


Christians  believe  that  God  has  revealed  himself  as  Spirit  and 
Truth  most  clearly  in  the  spirit  and  the  person  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth 


ature  alongside  the  Upanishads 
and  Bhagavad-Gita  of  India, 
the  Koran  of  Islam,  the  Writ- 
ings of  Buddha  and  the  Ana- 
lects of  Confucius.  In  none  of 
these  other  writings  do  we  find 
the  clear  revelation  of  God  in 
Christ.  In  none  of  them  do  we 
find  God  who  so  loved  the 
world  that  he  gave  his  only  Son 
that  we  might  have  eternal  life. 
Many  of  the  secondary  mean- 
ings, therefore,  seem  distorted 
and  in  error.  I  cannot  believe 
that  history  is  meaningless  to 
God  and  is  some  sort  of  cyclic 
process  as  the  Upanishads 
would  lead  me  to  believe.  Nor 
can  I  believe  that  suffering  is 
the  basic  evil  as  Buddha  taught, 
but  rather  sin  for  which  I  need 
to  repent  and  find  forgiveness. 
Nor  can  I  believe  that  human 
wisdom  and  prudence  is  all 
that  is  needed  for  salvation  as 
Confucius  indicated,  but  rather 


14 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


I  believe  that  God  in  his  agape 
love  has  come  to  us  through 
Christ. 

Thus  for  the  Christian,  the 
Bible  is  an  indispensable  testi- 
mony to  Jesus  of  Nazareth;  it 
is  the  only  correct  response  to 
God's  revelation  in  Christ.  It 
is  the  primary  witness  to  the 
source  and  nature  of  God's 
Word  to  us.  Therein  I  find  wit- 
ness to  the  Word  made  flesh 
and  there  I  find  the  guide  to 
God's  Word  and  message  to  me 
today. 

When  Matthew  recorded 
Peter's  response  to  Jesus,  it  was, 
"You  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  living  God."  Mark's  record 
of  Peter's  response  is,  "You  are 
the  Christ."  Luke's  record  of 
Peter's  response  is,  "The  Christ 
of  God."  The  meaning  is  the 
same,  but  the  literal  words  are 
different.  Would  you  say  that 
since  we  do  not  have  a  tape  re- 
cording of  the  exact  words  that, 
therefore,    the    answer    is    in- 


correct or  that  there  are  three i 
different  answers?  Of  course 
not,  for  alongside  the  other  an- 
swers of  "Jeremiah,  Elijah,  or 
one  of  the  prophets,"  there  can 
be  no  doubt  of  the  meaning  and 
significance  of  the  response  of 
Peter. 

So,  too,  in  the  writings  of  the 
apostles  in  the  New  Testament, 
although  there  are  minor  differ- 
ences, there  is  in  all  the  con- 
necting and  underlying  themes 
that  God  raised  Jesus  from  the 
dead  and  exalted  him  as  Lord 
and  Savior,  that  we  are  called 
to  repent  and  be  baptized  for 
the  forgiveness  of  sins,  that  we 
are  to  become  identified  with 
the  community  of  the  New 
Covenant  in  Christ,  that  each 
of  us  has  a  specific  vocation  to 
fulfill  in  the  context  of  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  that  we  are  to 
look  forward  to  the  triumph  of 
that  kingdom  beyond  the  end 
of  history. 

And  also  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, even  though  there  are 
many  books  and  various  types 
of  writing,  there  is  throughout 
the  conviction  that  God  is  the 
Creator  and  Lord  of  all  man- 
kind. 

Hosea  saw  God  suffering  in 
love  in  order  to  redeem  his 
children;  Isaiah  saw  his  people 
suffering  in  order  that  all  men 
might  know  of  God  and  worship 
him.  All  lived,  not  in  confine- 
ment to  the  crude  demands  of 
idols,  but  in  the  awareness  that 
God  is  God  of  our  worship,  our 
institutions,  and  our  daily  life. 

In  the  context  of  the  world 
in  which  we  live,  and  in  the 
midst  of  many  different  and  di- 
verse religions,  we  can  say  as 
Christians  in  confidence  and 
faith  that  in  the  Bible  we  find 
the  only  correct  response  to  the 
revelation  of  God  which  culmi- 
nates hi  the  person  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  It  is  here  that  God's 
Word  of  Truth  is  ever  made 
known  to  us. 


Wanted: 

Christian  Statesmen 

Continued  from  page  nine 

policy  statements,  lead  in  edu- 
cation, and  make  representation 
to  government.  Constructive 
statesmanship  marked  the 
Christian  witness  of  layman  and 
minister  who  worked  together 
in  these  responsibilities  for 
many  years:  the  late  John 
Foster  Dulles  and  Walter  W. 
Van  Kirk.  While  usually  but 
not  always  agreeing  on  policies, 
both  gave  lives  of  Christian 
statesmanship    in    service    for 

I  justice,    freedom,    and    peace. 

I  Through  the  years  the  churches 
have  been  building  a  reputation 

|  for  responsible,  competent  par- 

|  ticipation  in  international  rela- 
tions, particularly  as  they  have 
made  representations  to  the 
government  and  at  the  United 
Nations. 

Now  the  question  is  increas- 
ingly raised  by  those  in  govern- 
ment: "What  about  the  people 
back  home?"  Men  in  public 
office  seeking  to  take  statesman- 
like actions  are  asking  for  un- 
derstanding and  backing  from 
an  informed  citizenry,  such  as 
they  hope  may  be  found  in  the 
churches.  Often,  however,  on 
crucial  issues  our  church  people 
are  weighed  in  the  political 
balances  and  found  wanting.  It 
is  only  fair  to  report  that  there 
is  an  important  growing  edge 
of  politically  well-informed  and 
articulate  persons  in  our 
churches.  There  is  also  increas- 
ing organization  in  the  churches 
at  the  national  and  local  level  to 
help  in  the  education  of  church 
members  in  Christian  social 
action. 

These  agencies  of  the 
churches  are  becoming  more 
effective  in  helping  people  to 
know  the  times  and  places 
where  crucial  decisions  are  be- 
ing made.  More  basically,  they 
are  also  working  at  fundamental 
education  in  the  statesmanship 
responsibilities  of  Christians  so 


that  people  will  be  more  con- 
sistently aware  of  crucial  issues, 
will  work  on  them  more  effi- 
ciently at  the  upstream  levels, 
will  help  to  elect  more  states- 
men to  office,  and  will  help  to 
create  the  political  and  public 
climate  in  which  those  in 
government  can  carry  out  their 
responsibilities  in  the  most 
statesmanlike  way. 

Government  service,  or  state- 
craft, today  urgently  demands 
statesmanship  of  the  highest 
order.  What  contributions  can 
be  made  by  men  like  the  Hon. 
Lester  B.  Pearson  of  Canada! 
The  son  of  a  Christian  minister, 
he  became  a  minister  in  govern- 
ment, with  an  opportunity  to 
put  Christian  principles  into 
practice.  He  was  one  of  "the 
three  wise  men"  who  reviewed 
NATO  and  recommended  that 
much  more  attention  be  paid  to 
political,  economic,  and  social 
matters.  Again,  in  the  United 
Nations  during  the  Middle  East 
crisis  over  Suez,  he  proposed 
ways  by  which  the  world  was 
able  to  bring  about  an  end  to 
hostilities  and  some  possible 
steps  toward  peace. 

More  of  such  statesmanship 
is  demanded  of  Christians  dedi- 
cating their  lives  to  government 
service.  Such  work  is  needed 
at  all  levels,  in  the  United  Na- 
tions, in  national  governments 
—  in  the  executive,  legislative 
and  judicial  branches,  and  also 
in  state  and  local  government. 

A  largely  secular,  mate- 
rialistic, selfish  society  pre- 
sents tremendous  imperatives 
to  Christians  for  statesmanship. 
Are  parents  challenged  to  en- 
courage their  young  people  — 
by  word  and  deed  —  to  be  con- 
cerned on  Christian  grounds 
for  other  people  and  to  be  more 
interested  in  service  than  in 
security?  More  Christian  homes 
should  be  producing  more 
Christians  going  into  vocations 
with  Christian  motivation :  into 
government,     education,     eco- 


nomic fields,  the  ministry, 
mission  service  and  other 
undertakings,  seeking  to  wit- 
ness to  their  Christian  faith 
through  Christian  statesman- 
ship. 

We  are  moved  to  think  of 
the  influential  factors  in  the 
lives  of  understanding  Christian 
statesmen  and  how  we  may 
help  to  increase  the  number  of 
such  men  and  women.  Some  of 
us  recently  shared  in  a  private 
luncheon  with  the  President  of 
the  thirteenth  General  Assem- 
bly of  the  United  Nations,  the 
Hon.  Charles  Malik.  We  are 
impressed  again  by  his  compe- 
tent concern  with  the  tremen- 
dous and  complicated  problems 
of  the  world  in  light  of  his 
Christian  faith. 

This  revolutionary,  nuclear- 
space  age  desparately  cries  out 
for  Christian  statesmanship. 

Guidance 
Through  Counsel 

Continued  from  page  seven 

All  the  potency  of  group  dy- 
namics comes  into  play  here. 
Things  happen  to  our  minds 
and  souls  which  otherwise 
would  not  happen.  One  mind 
stimulates  another,  and  insights 
become  more  keen.  Soul  bar- 
riers melt  away,  and  one  is 
made  responsive  to  God's  Spirit. 
The  informal  singing  in  some  of 
these  groups  is  especially  effec- 
tive in  breaking  down  the  soul's 
defenses  against  the  Spirit. 

To  any  reader  not  familiar 
with  what  a  closely  knit  spirit- 
ual life  group  can  do  to  help 
him  find  God's  guidance,  I  can- 
not recommend  too  highly  the 
importance  of  seeking  out  such 
a  group  and  aligning  himself 
with  it.   Or  help  form  one. 

In  these  difficult  and  baffling 
days,  counseling  with  friends, 
leaders,  groups  are  among 
God's  best  ways  of  giving  us 
his  guidance. 


JANUARY  23,   1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


At  their  1959  district  meetings  Northern  and  Middle 
Missouri  districts  voted  to  unite  into  one  district.  Com- 
mittees are  now  at  work  to  complete  the  union  in  the 
near  future. 

November  was  a  record  month  for  the  Heifer  Project 
which  made  fifteen  shipments  of  animals  and  poultry  in 
thirty-one  days  to  nine  countries,  including  a  "first"  to 
Yugoslavia. 

Roy  and  Edith  Ott  sailed  to  the  Near  East  on  Jan.  1 
to  become  teachers  at  Birzeit  College,  Birzeit,  Jordan, 
as  their  BVS  assignment.  They  will  also  serve  as  Breth- 
ren Service  representatives  in  this  area. 

Copies  of  The  Fence,  a  picture  pamphlet  describing 
the  need  for  more  democratic  immigration  laws  in  our 
country,  have  been  mailed  to  pastors  and  Brethren 
Service  representatives.  Additional  copies  may  be  ob- 
tained from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111.,  at  5  cents  each. 

A  tour  that  includes  Europe,  where  attendance  at 
the  Oberammergau  Passion  Play  will  be  a  highlight, 
and  the  Bible  Lands,  is  being  planned  for  this  coming 
summer,  June  26  —  July  30,  by  M.  R.  Murray,  Sr.,  and 
his  son.  For  information  write:  M.  R.  Murray,  Sr., 
3715  Warwick  Blvd.,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

The  establishment  of  schools  of  theology  to  provide 
short-course  training  for  lay  leaders  has  been  endorsed 
by  officials  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S. 
(Southern).  Following  patterns  developed  in  Europe 
since  World  War  II,  the  lay  schools  would  offer  courses 
in  the  Bible,  the  church,  theology,  and  Christian  life. 

A  two-year  project  to  recruit  adults  for  Sunday 
school  classes  was  launched  in  January  by  more  than 
1,800  men's  work  groups  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  U.  S.  (Southern).  The  drive  is  aimed  at  new 
members  as  well  as  those  who  have  enrolled  in  Sunday 
school  but  are  inactive.  The  goal  of  the  campaign  is 
to  triple  adult  Sunday  school  attendance  in  the  de- 
nomination. 

Giving  to  religious  causes  in  1959  reached  an  esti- 
mated $3.9  billion,  compared  to  $3.6  billion  in  1958. 
The  figure  was  announced  by  the  American  Association 
of  Fund-Raising  Counsel,  which  organizes,  directs,  and 
advises  drives  to  raise  money.  The  association  said 
the  total  philanthropy  for  the  year  was  well  in  excess  of 
$7.5  billion.  Religious  contributions  were  51  per  cent 
of  the  over-all  total  during  the  year. 

Register  Christian  Opinion,  1960  edition,  a  pam- 
phlet listing  the  members  and  officers  of  the  U.  S.  Senate 
and  House  of  Representatives,  has  been  mailed  to  pas- 
tors and  Brethren  Service  representatives  for  use  in 
corresponding  with  legislators.  Persons  desiring  this  in- 
formation may  contact  one  of  these  persons  in  their 
congregation  or  order  a  copy  at  10  cents  each  from 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


More  than  70,000  complaints  were  received  by  the! 
Post  Office  Department  in  1959  from  indignant  citizens! 
protesting  against  obscenity  in  the  mails.  The  depart-  > 
ment  said  that  many  of  the  complaints  were  based  on; 
the  receipt  of  unsolicited  and  unwanted  circulars  giving 
information  as  to  where  the  obscene  material  may  be 
obtained. 

Mrs.  Alice  Ebey  died  Jan.  5,  after  a  short  illness,  at 
the  home  of  her  daughter  in  Walkerton,  Ind.   Mrs.  Ebey  i 
and  her  husband,  Adam,  served  in  India  from  1900  to 
1931.    Under  the  sponsorship  of  the  women  of  Middle  | 
Indiana  she  returned  to  India  for  the  years  1945  to  1947 
The  funeral  service  was  held  on  Friday,  Jan.  8,  at  the 
Manchester  church,  Ind. 

The  Annual  Conference  Resolutions  Committee  in- 
vites Brethren  who  have  deep  concerns  about  the  mes- 
sage which  Annual  Conference  should  speak  to  the 
church  and  to  the  world  to  share  these  concerns  with 
the  committee.  Please  address  the  committee  in  care  of 
A.  Stauffer  Curry,  Conference  Secretary,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  before  March  1. 

Statistics  on  Church  Finances  is  a  four-page  folder 
with  the  latest  information  on  the  contributions  and 
expenditures  of  fifty-five  North  American  denomina- 
tions as  compiled  by  the  Department  of  Stewardship 
and  Benevolence  of  the  National  Council  of  Churches. 
You  may  order  this  informative  folder  from  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  10c  per 
copy. 

Ruth  Early,  who  has  served  for  a  number  of  years 
as  director  of  Immigration  Services  for  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  with  offices  at  the  Brethren  Service  Cen- 
ter, New  Windsor,  Md.,  has  resigned  to  become  office 
assistant  for  the  emergency  disarmament  campaign  be- 
ing sponsored  by  the  Consultative  Peace  Council.  The 
Brethren  Service  Commission  is  a  member  of  this 
agency  and  is  actively  participating  in  this  campaign. 
Offices  of  the  campaign  are  in  Nyack,  N.  Y. 

A  General  Brotherhood  Board  deputation  will  visit 
Puerto  Rico,  Feb.  9-14  to  review  the  program  of  the 
Brethren  there  and  to  study  possibilities  for  the  program 
in  the  future.  The  deputation  will  be  composed  of 
Norman  J.  Baugher,  general  secretary  of  the  Board; 
Galen  B.  Ogden,  executive  secretary  of  the  Ministry 
and  Home  Missions  Commission;  W.  Harold  Row,  ex- 
ecutive secretary  of  the  Brethren  Service  Commission; 
and  Myrl  Weyant  and  Merril  Heinz,  representatives  of 
the  Florida,  Georgia,  and  Puerto  Rico  District. 

A  Summer  School  of  Alcohol  Studies  will  be  held  at 
Yale  University  from  June  26  to  July  22.  The  sessions 
will  include  lectures  and  seminars  and  workshops  on 
the  problems  of  alcohol  and  alcoholism.  The  school 
will  be  of  special  help  to  public  health  personnel,  clergy, 
physicians,  case  workers,  psychologists,  nurses,  edu- 
cators, probation,  parole  and  correctional  officers,  per- 
sonnel directors  and  supervisors  in  industry,  and 
community  leaders.  Interested  persons  should  write  to 
the  Director  of  Social  Welfare,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


Brotherhood  Theme:  Brethren  Under  the  Lordship  of  Christ 


General  Lewis  B.  Hershey,  head  of  Selective  Service, 
and  members  of  his  staff  met  with  representatives  of 
the  National  Service  Board  for  Religious  Objectors  and 
of  peace  churches  at  a  dinner  meeting  in  Washington  on 
Jan.  4.  Present  were:  W.  Harold  Row,  chairman  of  the 
NSBRO  and  executive  secretary  of  the  Brethren  Service 
Commission;  William  G.  Snyder  and  Elmer  Neufeld  of 
the  Mennonite  Central  Committee;  Harold  Sherk,  ex- 
ecutive secretary  of  the  NSBRO;  and  Ellis  Shenk,  asso- 
ciate executive  secretary  of  the  NSBRO.  General 
Hershey  reported  on  his  recent  visit  in  Europe  to  al- 
ternative service  and  Selective  Service  leaders  and  to 
young  men  participating  in  these  two  programs.  He  told 
of  plans  in  European  countries  for  alternative  service 
patterned  after  the  American  system.  The  present  op- 
eration of  the  I-W  program  was  reviewed. 

BVS  Age  Requirement 

The  minimum  age  for  entering  Brethren  Volunteer 
Service  has  been  raised  to  nineteen  years.  This  change 
has  been  made  so  that  young  men  desiring  to  do  alterna- 
tive service  will  not  enter  BVS  before  their  cases  have 
been  processed  by  Selective  Service.  Also  this  will 
encourage  young  people  to  participate  in  study  or  work 
experiences  beyond  high  school  before  entering  BVS. 

Radio  and  TV  Workshops  and  Institutes 

For  those  interested  in  radio  and  TV  work,  espe- 
cially in  the  religious  field,  the  Broadcasting  and  Film 
Commission  of  the  National  Council  of  Churches,  in 
co-operation  with  local  or  state  councils,  has  arranged 
workshops  and  institutes.  They  are: 
March  9-11,  Erie,  Pa.,  a  three-day  workshop,  sponsored 

by  the  Erie  Council  of  Churches 
April  25-29,  Portland,  Oregon,  five-day  workshop,  spon- 
sored by  the  Oregon  Council  of  Churches 
May  2-6,  Edmonton,  Alberta,  Canada,  five-day  work- 
shop, sponsored  by  the  United  Church  of  Canada 
and  the  Edmonton  Council  of  Churches 
May  23-27,  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  five  one-day  institutes, 

sponsored  by  the  Iowa  Council  of  Churches 
Aug.   1-12,  Interchurch  Center,  New  York  City,  two- 
week   international  television   and   radio   workshop 

About  Our  Missionary  Personnel 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harold  Royer  and  Ruth  Utz  left  the 
States  in  late  December  to  return  to  their  work  in 
Nigeria.  The  Royers,  who  first  went  to  the  field  in  1930, 
are  returning  to  Waka,  where  they  will  assist  in  the 
program  of  the  Teacher  Training  Center.  Miss  Utz, 
who  also  began  her  service  in  1930,  has  been  assigned 
to  medical  work  at  Shafa. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  Tritt  and  Maurice  Flora  are  be- 
ginning their  work  as  new  members  of  our  mission  staff 
in  Nigeria.  The  Tritts  are  located  at  Waka,  where  Ray 
will  assist  in  the  building  work  of  that  area.  Maurice 
Flora  will  give  two  years  of  alternative  service  as  a 
teacher  at  Waka. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Kreps  have  completed  their 
language  study  in  Costa  Rica  and  have  arrived  in  Ecua- 
dor, where  George  will  serve  as  field  director  of  the 
mission  program. 

Laura  Sewell  recendy  completed  her  second  term 
of  service  in  India.  She  is  making  her  home  in  Grange- 
ville,  Idaho,  during  her  furlough. 


Ordained  and  Licensed 

Ralph  E.  Schildt,  ordained  to  the  eldership  in  the 
Upper  Conewago  congregation,  Southern  Pennsylvania. 

Butler  Sizemore,  ordained  to  the  eldership  in  the 
Bristol  church,  Term. 

Bobby  Roe,  licensed  in  the  Liberty  church,  Tenn. 

Annual  Conference  Plans 

Your  1960  Annual  Conference  plans  will  need  to  be 
made  early.  The  location  is  the  University  of  Illinois  at 
Champaign-Urbana;  Conference  dates  are  June  14-19. 

The  university  is  requesting  preregistration,  with 
April  30  as  the  deadline  for  registrations  to  reach  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices.  Registration 
forms  will  be  provided  and  sent  to  local  churches  in 
ample  time  to  meet  the  deadline. 

Lodging  and  meals  will  be  a  "package  deal,"  and 
no  luncheon  or  dinner  meetings  will  be  scheduled.  De- 
tails will  be  announced  in  succeeding  weeks.  This  is 
your  warning  to  plan  early  so  you  can  meet  the  regis- 
tration schedule. 

Church  Calendar 

January  24 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  The  Converting  Power  of  the 
Gospel.  Acts  15:36-16:40;  Phil.  2:12-18.  Memory 
Selection:  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  you  will  be 
saved:    Acts  16:31  (R.S.V.) 

Jan.  24-31  Youth  Week 

Jan.  31  —  Feb.  5  Brethren  Youth  Seminar,  Washington, 

D.C.,  and  New  York  City 
Feb.   1-3   General  Assembly,   Pennsylvania  Council  of 

Churches,  Harrisburg 
Feb.  2  Southeastern  Region  district  executive  secretaries 

meeting,  Bridgewater,  Va. 
Feb.  9-11  Spiritual  Life  Institute,  Bridgewater  College, 

Va. 
Feb.  14  Race  Relations  Sunday 
Feb.    19-21    Brethren    Homes    conference,    Columbus, 

Ohio 
Feb.  21-23  Pennsylvania  State  Youth  Conference,  Bed- 
ford 
Feb.  21-28  Brotherhood  Week 
Feb.  28  —  March  4  Adult  Seminar,  Washington,  D.  C, 

and  New  York  City 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 
Bro.   Luke  Bowser,  Jr.,  of  Mechanicsburg,  Pa.,   in  the 
Woodbury  church,  Pa.,  Feb.  14-21. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

One  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  Tucson 
church,  Ariz. 

Three  baptized  in  the  Danville  church,  Ohio. 

Four  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  Lebanon 
church,  Va.  Two  baptized  in  the  Living  Stone  church, 
Cumberland,  Md. 


JANUARY  23,  1960 


17 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Elgin   Courier  News 


Bethany  Biblical  Seminary  grants  honorary  degree  to  French  Christian  leader 


"A  Man  of  Forgiving  Love  in  the  Midst  of  Hatred" 


this  was  the  designation  given  to 
Andre  Trocme,  traveling  secretary  of 
the  International  Fellowship  of  Rec- 
onciliation when  he  was  presented 
with  the  honorary  degree  Doctor  of 
Divinity  by  Bethany  Biblical  Sem- 
inary, on  Dec.  7,  1959. 

The  chapel  of  the  new  General 
Offices  Building  in  Elgin  was  the 
setting  for  the  presentation  ceremony. 
Participating  in  the  program  were 
Norman  J.  Baugher,  general  secre- 
tary of  the  Brotherhood  Board,  who 
conducted  the  special  service  of  wor- 
ship; David  J.  Wieand,  secretary  of 
the  Bethany  faculty;  William  M. 
Beahm,  dean  of  the  seminary,  who 
read  the  citation  introducing  Dr. 
Trocme;  and  Paul  M.  Robinson, 
president  of  the  seminary,  who  con- 
ferred the  degree.  Mr.  Trocme  was 
the  guest  speaker  at  the  annual  re- 
treat held  by  members  of  the  Beth- 
any Seminary  faculty  and  the  Elgin 
staff. 

The  citation  concerning  Dr.  Troc- 
me called  attention  to  his  years  of 
ministry  in  the  Reformed  Church  of 
France  as  well  as  his  part  in  found- 
ing the  College  Cevenol  in  Cham- 
bon,     France,    which    has    become 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


known  as  a  Christian  International 
School  for  Peace.  The  citation  read, 
"During  the  Nazi  occupation,  much 
was  done  here  to  assist  Jewish  refu- 
gees, even  though  this  led  to  Mr. 
Trocme's  own  flight  in  hiding  and 
imprisonment  in  a  concentration 
camp. 

"Since  1948  Mr.  Trocme  has 
widened  his  ministry  by  serving  as 
traveling  secretary  of  the  Internation- 
al Fellowship  of  Reconciliation.  In 
tiiis  he  has  made  repeated  journeys 
to  America  and  across  western  Eu- 
rope as  well  as  recent  significant 
visits  to  Russia  and  Japan."  In  pre- 
senting the  French  Protestant  pastor 
as  a  candidate  for  the  honorary  de- 
gree, the  dean  of  the  seminary  de- 
scribed him  as  "a  man  of  forgiving 
love  in  the  midst  of  hatred,  a  recon- 
ciler in  the  midst  of  estrangement,  a 
voice  of  hope  in  the  midst  of  despair, 
a  man  of  God  knee-deep  in  human 
need." 

In  an  address  on  the  Peace  Wit- 
ness of  the  Church,  Dr.  Trocme 
turned  to  the  use  made  by  Jesus  of 
the  Hebrew  year  of  jubilee  as  a  basis 
for  justice  and  peace.  The  speaker 
argued  that  when  Jesus  read  from 
Isaiah  61  and  announced  that  he  had 
come  to  bring  a  fulfillment  of  the 


promises  made  in  that  prophecy,  he; 
was  announcing  the  year  of  jubilee: 
which  set  forth  two  basic  principles 
described  in  the  Old  Testament:  a 
foundation  of  freedom  and  a  founda- 
tion of  social  justice. 

Dr.  Trocme  commented  that  the 
Communists  are  right  in  their  in- 
sistence that  peace  shall  be  the  fruit 
of  justice.  He  said  it  is  not  enough 
merely  to  do  good  works  but  that 
only  justice  between  men  will  lead 
to  peace. 

The  speaker  argued  that  the  Jew- 
ish concept  of  the  year  of  jubilee  had 
not  only  a  spiritual  meaning  but  also 
was  a  means  for  the  establishment  of 
social  justice.  However,  when  Jesus 
was  rejected  by  lawyers,  scribes,  and 
priests,  then  God  instituted  at  the 
cross  a  new  jubilee  based  upon  the 
gospel  of  grace,  but  he  did  not  set 
aside  or  minimize  the  social  require- 
ments of  the  former  jubilee.  The 
crucifixion  really  made  possible  an 
expansion  of  the  forgiveness  original- 
ly granted  to  the  Jews.  Through  the 
blood  of  Christ  the  jubilee  is  granted 
not  only  to  the  Jews  but  to  the  world. 
This,  according  to  the  speaker, 
should  be  the  foundation  of  the 
peace  witness  of  the  church. 

Dr.  Trocme  pointed  out  that  in 
the  present  world  situation  the 
church  instead  of  permitting  injus- 
tice to  spread  should  declare  a  ju- 
bilee. One  expression  of  the  jubilee 
should  be  manifest  in  land  reform 
and  in  the  principle  of  sharing  not 
only  of  income  from  capital  but  of 
capital  itself.  God  was  willing  to 
share  the  life  of  Christ.  The  early 
Christian   aposdes   gave   their  lives. 

For  Christians  today  to  share  their 
surplus  is  not  enough;  they  must 
share  their  capital,  even  their  own 
lives  with  the  peoples  of  underdevel- 
oped countries.  Christians  have  no 
other  witness  than  to  be  those  per- 
sons who  witness  that  God  is  their 
Lord,  that  he  has  liberated  them, 
and  that  they  are  ready  to  share  all 
that  they  own  and  possess  in  order 
that  all  persons  everywhere  may 
share  in  a  divine  jubilee. 

Special  attention  was  given  in 
other  sessions  of  the  annual  retreat 
to  peacemaking  in  a  world  of  ten- 
sions with  special  reference,  under 
the  direction  of  Andre  Trocme,  to 
tensions  in  North  Africa.  Ora  Hus- 
ton, a  member  of  the  Elgin  staff  who 
recendy  returned  from  a  trip  around 
the  world,  called  attention  to  par- 
ticular ways  in  which  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  could  offer  a  peace 


'  witness  in  the  areas  of  tension.  Es- 
|  pecially  he  urged  the  sending  of 
i  Brethren  personnel  from  younger 
1  churches  in  Africa  and  India  to  ten- 
1  sion  areas  behind  the  Iron  Curtain. 

;  Reds  to  Take  Over  Buddhist 
i  Land  in  Tibet 

A    Peiping    radio    broadcast    an- 
nounced that  all  lands  belonging  to 
;  Buddhist  monasteries   in  Tibet  will 
I  be  organized  on  "a  democratic  basis" 
and    placed    under    the    control    of 
J  Communist  government  officials. 
Meanwhile,  radio  stations  in  For- 
mosa report  that  the  Chinese  Com- 
munists   are    now    trying    hard    to 
organize  a  body  of  "patriotic"  Bud- 
dhist  clergy   to   take    over    all    the 
Buddhist  monasteries   in  Tibet   and 
run  them  in  accordance  with  orders 
from  Peiping. 

It  is  also  reported  in  India  that 
Chinese  Communists  are  forcing 
Buddhist  monks  in  Tibet  to  many 
in  violation  of  their  vows  of  celibacy. 

World  Council  to  Aid 
Refugees  in  Tunisia 

A  program  to  assist  Algerian  war 
refugees  in  Tunisia  will  be  inaugu- 
rated by  the  World  Council  of 
Churches  in  1960. 

The  agency  will  sponsor  an  ecu- 
menical team  of  four  or  five  persons 
to  work  with  women  in  Tunis,  the 
capital,  with  the  poor  in  the  city's 
overcrowded  "Bidonville"  slums,  and 
with  Moslem  students  and  young 
intellectuals. 

Minister  Breaks  Stalemate 
in  Forty-day  Strike 

A  Presbyterian  minister  is  credited 
with  breaking  a  stalemate  in  negotia- 
tions over  a  bitter  forty-day-old  strike 
in  Albert  Lea,  Minn.,  which  brought 
a  declaration  of  martial  law  and  na- 
tional troops  to  the  city. 

Dr.  Lloyd  Allan  Peterson,  pastor 
of  Albert  Lea's  First  Presbyterian 
church,  announced  that  agreement 
had  been  reached  to  allow  renewal 
of  bargaining  in  the  dispute  between 
Wilson  and  Company  and  the  United 
Packinghouse  Workers. 

Postage  Stamp  to  Commemorate 
World  Refugee  Year 

The  United  States  will  issue  a  com- 
memorative postage  stamp  on  April 
7,  1960,  to  mark  American  participa- 
tion in  the  World  Refugee  Year. 

Postmaster  General  Summerfield 
said,  "Issuance  of  this  stamp  will 
again  confirm  this  country's  long  tra- 
dition of  aid  to  the  world's  homeless 
and  destitute,  and  will  serve  to  point 


up  in  a  most  graphic  manner  the  im- 
portance which  the  United  States, 
its  President,  and  its  people,  attach 
to  World  Refugee  Year." 

The  stamp,  which  will  be  of  four- 
cent  denomination,  will  be  issued  in 
an  initial  printing  of  120,000,000 
with  its  first  day  of  sale  at  appropri- 
ate ceremonies  in  Washington,  D.C. 

Tax  Exemption  Sought 
for  Parsonages,  Rectories 

A  bill  which  would  exempt  all 
parsonages  and  rectories  from  real 
estate  taxes  was  passed  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania legislature  and  sent  to  Gov. 
David  L.  Lawrence. 

The  measure  would  mean  thou- 
sands of  dollars  for  churches.  But  by 
the  same  token,  municipalities  would 
lose  tax  income. 

Under  terms  of  the  bill,  parsonages 
and  rectories  would  be  exempt, 
whether  or  not  they  are  attached  to 
churches.  In  some  counties  at  pres- 
ent church-attached  dwellings  of  the 
clergy  are  exempted  by  local  rule, 
while  in  others  they  are  taxed. 

World  Mental  Health  Year 
to  Be  Launched  in  1960 

A  World  Mental  Health  Year  will 
be  launched  in  1960  in  an  effort  to 
give  the  same  kind  of  impetus  to  ad- 
vances in  this  field  that  the  Interna- 
tional Geophysical  Year  did  for  the 
physical  sciences. 

The  Academy  of  Religion  and 
Mental  Health  and  the  World  Feder- 
ation for  Mental  Health  will  inaugu- 
rate the  year  at  the  academy's  first 
annual  meeting  here  on  Jan.  1-15. 

Climaxing  the  year  will  be  an  In- 
ternational Congress  on  Mental 
Health,  to  be  held  in  Paris  in  August 
1961,  at  which  reports  on  the  prog- 
ress of  the  event  will  be  presented. 

Southern  Baptists  Launch 
Jubilee  Revival  Program 

A  new  program  of  co-operative 
revival  meetings  by  churches  in 
local  Baptist  associations  has  been 
launched  by  Southern  Baptist  state 
secretaries  of  evangelism. 

Called  the  Baptist  Jubilee  Revival, 
the  effort  is  designed  to  help  reach 
the  denomination's  goal  of  4,100,000 
baptisms  in  the  Baptist  Jubilee  Ad- 
vance during  the  next  five  years. 

German  Socialist  Party  Program 
Has  Section  on  Religion 

The  German  Socialist  Party  has 
adopted  a  new  party  program,  in- 
cluding a  section  on  religion  and  the 
church,  which  signals  a  marked  re- 
vision in  its  traditional  attitudes.  The 
Socialist  Party  has  been  traditionally 


more   Marxist   and   secularist   in   its 
views. 

Among  other  things  the  new  state- 
ment says,  "Socialism  is  not  a 
substitute  for  religion.  The  party 
respects  the  churches  and  religious 
associations,  their  special  tasks  and 
their  individuality.  It  approves  their 
protection  by  the  authorities.  It  is 
always  ready  to  co-operate  with  the 
churches  and  religious  associations 
in  a  free  partnership." 

Protestants  to  Double 
Clothing  Relief  in  1960 

American  Protestant  and  Eastern 
Orthodox  churchgoers  will  be  asked 
to  give  10,000,000  pounds  of  used 
clothing  for  overseas  relief  in  1960. 
This  would  double  their  1959  efforts. 

Dr.  R.  Norris  Wilson,  executive  di- 
rector of  Church  World  Service,  gave 
an  urgent  call  for  2,000,000  blankets 
to  keep  refugees  in  several  lands 
from  freezing  this  winter.  The  ap- 
peals were  issued  at  a  special  con- 
ference sponsored  by  CWS  and  five 
other  National  Council  units. 

Among  the  regional  centers  to 
which  blankets  may  be  wrapped  up 
and  sent  are  the  Brethren  Sendee 
Centers  at  New  Windsor,  Md.;  Nap- 
panee,  Ind.;   and  Modesto,  Calif. 

Quaker  Reports  on  Algerian 
Refugee  Conditions 

According  to  Frank  Hunt,  refugee 
program  director  for  the  American 
Friends  Service  Committee,  there 
are  many  more  Algerian  war  refu- 
gees in  the  border  countries  of 
Tunisia  and  Morocco  than  there 
were  Hungarian  refugees  in  Austria, 
yet  the  world  knows  litde  about  it. 
Instead  of  flocking  to  villages  or 
cities  in  either  Morocco  or  Tunisia, 
he  said,  a  large  number  of  the  refu- 
gees have  kept  to  themselves  near 
the  Algerian  border  under  appalling 
conditions. 

Episcopal  Church  Backs 
Birth  Curbs 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
has  reaffirmed  its  position  in  favor  of 
birth  control,  in  a  statement  adopt- 
ed by  the  denomination's  National 
Council. 

The  council  called  attention  to 
canons  of  the  church  which  declare 
tiiat  "we  hold  marriage  to  be  a  life- 
long union  of  husband  and  wife,  and 
that  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  mutual 
fellowship,  encouragement,  and  un- 
derstanding, for  the  procreation  (if 
it  may  be)  of  children  and  their 
physical   and   spiritual  nurture,   and 


JANUARY   23,   1960 


19 


for  the  safeguarding  and  benefit  of 
society." 

East  German  Crowds  Flock 
to  Evangelism  Campaigns 

Autumn  preaching  campaigns  in 
the  East  German  Republic  have 
drawn  large  crowds.  An  Evangelism 
Week  in  the  St.  Nicholas  church  at 
Stralsund,  was  widely  advertised  by 
posters  in  the  streets  of  the  town  and 
by  personal  invitations.  Attendances 
grew  every  night  and  included  youth, 
some  of  whom  stayed  behind  after 
the  meetings  to  talk  things  over  with 
the  evangelist. 

Another  big  response  is  reported 
at  a  campaign  in  Dresden.  On  two 
nights  people  had  to  be  turned  away 
from  a  church  packed  with  2,500 
listeners.  Some  morning  and  after- 
noon Bible  study  groups  were  at- 
tended by  over  1,000. 

Co-operative  Mennonite 
Programs  Mapped 

Co-operative  Mennonite  programs 
of  missions,  relief,  and  education  for 
1960  were  outlined  by  the  Council 
of  Boards  of  the  General  Conference 
Mennonite  Church. 

The  group  approved  raising,  in 
co-operation  with  the  (Old)  Men- 
nonite Church,  $110,000  to  enlarge 
a  seminary  and  Bible  training  school 
in  Montevideo,  Uruguay. 

An  inter-Mennonite  delegation  is 
scheduled  to  go  to  Africa  early  in 
1960  to  initiate  a  leadership  program 
designed  to  involve  Congolese  Chris- 
tians in  more  responsible  positions  in 
Mennonite  work  there. 

The  General  Conference  Board  of 
Education  and  Publication  will  es- 
tablish with  the  (Old)  Mennonite 
Church  and  possibly  other  bodies  a 
co-operative  program  of  student  fel- 
lowship groups  at  non-Mennonite 
colleges  and  universities. 

Billy  Graham's  East  Africa 
Schedule  Announced 

American  evangelist  Billy  Graham 
will  preach  at  public  meetings  in 
sixteen  cities  in  nine  countries  dur- 
ing his  seven-week  African  crusade, 
early  this  year. 

The  tour  began  Jan.  21  at  Mon- 
rovia, Liberia,  and  will  end  March 
9  at  Addis  Ababa,  Ethiopia.  In  each 
city  a  preliminary  campaign  about 
one  week  long  is  being  conducted  by 
one  of  the  Billy  Graham  team  asso- 
ciates. 

In  addition  to  public  services,  in 
certain  centers  meetings  have  been 
arranged  also  for  such  special  groups 


Because  it  was  felt  that  "a  busy  person  is  a  happy  one"  Brethren  Hillcrest 
Homes  in  La  Verne,  California,  aims  to  develop  an  environment  in  which 
every  person  feels  that  he  is  wanted,  that  he  belongs  to  a  group,  and  that 
he  has  a  definite  part  in  making  the  place  a  happier  one.  A  full-time  ac- 
tivities director  plans  a  program  that  includes  physical,  mental,  spiritual, 
and  social  activities.  Areas  are  provided  for  solitary  relaxation  and  reflection 
as  well  as  for  social  games  and  social  communication.  The  physical 
exercise  class,  which  helps  keep  the  participants  nimble,  had  Bob 
Richards    (above)    as    a    guest    at    one    of    its    twice    weekly    meetings 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


as  ministers,  missionaries,  university 
students,  businessmen,  and  civic 
leaders. 

Russian  Baptists  Urged  to 
Work  for  Disarmament 

A  message  has  been  issued  by  the 
Evangelical  Baptist  Council  of  the 
U.S.S.R.  urging  all  Baptists  to  work 
for  disarmament,  according  to  a 
foreign-language  broadcast  of  the 
Moscow  Radio. 

The  message  was  addressed  to  the 
World  Baptist  Union,  the  European 
Baptist  Federation,  and  to  several 
national  Baptist  organizations  in  the 
United  States,  England,  and  other 
countries. 

The  message  said,  "The  best  and 
most  reliable  way  to  achieve  general 
disarmament  is  to  implement  the 
Soviet  disarmament  plan,  to  establish 
friendly  co-operation  among  all  na- 
tions and  all  churches  and  Christian 
peace  committees." 

Details  of  New  World  Council 
Headquarters  Disclosed 

Plans  for  the  new  $2,500,000 
headquarters  of  the  World  Council 
of  Churches  in  Geneva  call  for  a 
modern  structure  with  275  offices 
and   a   centrally   located   chapel,   li- 


brary, and  meeting  room  for  200  to 
400  persons. 

A  proposed  second  wing  "to  be 
constructed  if  and  when  need  should 
arise"  would  contain  an  additional 
169  offices. 

Cash  and  pledges  that  will  total 
$1,600,000  have  already  been  re- 
ceived, including  about  $1,000,000 
from  the  U.S.  The  total  includes 
donations  from  foundations  and  in- 
dividuals as  well  as  from  the  WCC's 
171  member  churches  in  more  than 
50  countries. 

The  international  church  center, 
on  which  construction  will  start  in 
March,  will  be  located  on  an  eight- 
and-one-half-acre  tract  in  a  Geneva 
suburb  near  the  United  Nations' 
European  headquarters.  It  also  will 
house  the  Lutheran  World  Federa- 
tion and  the  World  Presbyterian  Alli- 
ance. 

Methodist  Church  Lists 
798  Openings 

The  Methodist  Church  has  798 
specific  openings  for  missionaries 
throughout  the  U.  S.  and  40  countries 
overseas.  Of  the  total  number  of 
vacancies,  634  are  abroad  —  in  Asia, 
Africa,  and  North  and  South  Amer- 
ica. 


Overseas  personnel  requirements 
j  come  under  the  following  categories: 
agricultural,  business  and  secretarial, 
church  and  social  work,  communica- 
tions, educational,  medical,  and  spe- 
cialized ministries. 

World  Disarmament  Progress 
Quaker  1960  Goal 

Progress  toward  world  disarma- 
ment will  be  the  1960  goal  of  the 
Friends  Committee  on  National 
Legislation. 

At  its  annual  meeting,  the  Quaker 
group  called  for  "a  firm  and  un- 
equivocal declaration  by  the  Presi- 
dent and  Congress  that  total  world 
disarmament  under  United  Nations 
supervision  and  control  is  in  the  na- 
tional interest  and  is  a  basic  goal  of 
U.S.  foreign  policy." 

Name  Chosen  for  Four  Merging 
Lutheran  Denominations 

Representatives  of  four  merging 
Lutheran  bodies  have  voted  to  name 
their  new  3,000,000-member  denom- 
ination the  Lutheran  Evangelical 
Church  in  America. 

Included  in  the  union  are  four 
bodies  of  German,  Swedish,  Finnish 
and  Danish  background.  They  are 
the  American  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran Church,  Augustana  Lutheran 
Church,  Finnish  Evangelical  Luther- 
an Church,  and  United  Lutheran 
Church  in  America. 

Graham  Sees  Birth  Control 
Answer  to  Population  Rise 

Evangelist  Billy  Graham  called 
birth  control  one  of  the  answers  to 
the  "terrifying  and  tragic"  problem 
of  overpopulation,  but  said  it  should 
be  handled  by  private  foundations  or 
agencies  and  not  as  a  "political  issue." 

The  evangelist  said  he  saw  nothing 
morally  wrong  in  birth  control.  He 
said  most  Americans  practice  it 
"whether  they  be  Protestants  or 
Roman  Catholics." 

News  Briefs 

More  than  $69  million  was  raised 
by  the  United  Jewish  Appeal  during 
the  past  year  for  the  aid  of  distressed 
Jews.  About  600,000  Jews  through- 
out the  world,  particularly  in  Israel, 
were  helped  by  the  organization. 

Helping  backward  countries  to 
develop  their  natural  resources,  and 
not  artificial  birth  control,  is  the  way 
to  solve  the  problem  of  overpopula- 
tion, according  to  Pope  John  XXIII. 
The  pope  said,  "It  is  necessary  that 
the  riches  of  the  earth  be  placed  at 
the  disposal  of  all,  as  God's  com- 
mandment and  justice  demand." 

The  Evangelical  United  Brethren 
Church  is  launching  a  world-wide, 


$5,150,000  mission  advance  program 
to  raise  funds  for  building  new 
churches  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada  and  expanding  its  ministry 
overseas.  The  program  will  last  four 
years.  It  will  emphasize  spiritual 
commitment  of  the  denomination's 
763,000  members  as  well  as  the  fi- 
nancial objective. 

A  check  for  $900,000,  represent- 
ing part  of  the  money  collected  on 
Halloween  by  more  than  two  million 
American  children  participating  in 
the   "Trick   or   Treat"   program   has 


been  turned  over  to  the  United  Na- 
tions International  Children's  Emer- 
gency Fund.  The  total  sum  collected 
is  expected  to  top  last  year's  amount 
of  $1,250,000. 

The  world-wide  Week  of  Prayer 
for  Christian  Unity  sponsored  by  the 
Faith  and  Order  Commission  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches  will  be 
celebrated  in  more  than  sixty  coun- 
tries, Jan.  18-25.  The  general  theme 
of  the  observance  is  the  Unity  of  the 
Local  Congregation  in  the  Unity  of 
the  Universal  Church. 


MOVEMENT  GROWING  FOR  COMMON 
PROTESTANT-CATHOLIC  BIBLE 


A  UNIFIED  BIBLE,  acceptable 
to  both  Protestants  and  Roman  Cath- 
olics, is  being  discussed  by  American 
Biblical  scholars  as  a  real  possibility. 
Such  a  Bible,  it  is  commonly  agreed, 
is  actually  indispensable  if  Christian 
unity  is  ultimately  to  be  achieved. 

The  proposal  for  a  common  trans- 
lation of  the  Bible  has  been  dis- 
cussed —  publicly,  at  least  —  mainly 
by  Roman  Catholic  experts,  but  it 
is  reported  to  have  aroused  much 
interest  and  sympathy  also  in  Protes- 
tant circles.  Apart  from  its  theologi- 
cal implications,  it  is  regarded  as  a 
potentially  vital  contribution  to  the 
cause  of  intercreedal  co-operation 
and  understanding. 

A  widely-publicized  article  in 
America,  national  Catholic  weekly, 
stressed  that  the  possibility  of  a  com- 
mon Bible  has  already  been  heartily 
endorsed  by  some  of  the  country's 
outstanding  Catholic  Biblical 
scholars. 

However,  the  article,  written  by 
Father  Walter  M.  Abbott,  S.J.,  an 
associate  editor  of  the  Jesuit-pub- 
lished magazine  and  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  Biblical  Associa- 
tion, cited  especially  an  endorsement 
by  two  outstanding  Protestant  schol- 
ars —  Dr.  Robert  M.  Grant,  professor 
of  New  Testament  on  the  Federated 
Theological  Faculty  of  the  University 
of  Chicago  and  president  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Biblical  Literature  and 
Exegesis;  and  Dr.  J.  Coert  Rylaars- 
dam,  another  member  of  the  Feder- 
ated Theological  Faculty. 

In  the  joint  statement,  both  agreed 
that  the  ecumenical  significance  of 
a  generally  accepted  English  version 
of  the  Bible  would  be  "hard  to  over- 
estimate." They  said  a  common 
translation  could  "exercise  a  unifying 
influence  theologically  and  become 
a  tremendous  cultural  force." 

The  idea  of  a  unified  Bible,  al- 
though apparently  somewhat  new  in 


this  country,  has  actually  long  been 
under  favorable  consideration  in  oth- 
er countries,  notably  Germany,  the 
Netherlands,  and  France,  where 
some  translations  of  the  Bible  taken 
from  the  original  texts  have  been 
accepted  by  all  denominations. 

Writing  in  Worship,  published  by 
the  Benedictine  Order  in  College- 
ville,  Minn.,  two  Catholic  Biblical 
scholars  have  proposed  that  Cath- 
olics adapt  the  RSV  into  a  Catholic 
edition  as  a  means  of  furthering 
Christian  unity. 

Fathers  Bernard  Orchard  and 
Edmund  Flood,  both  Benedictines, 
stressed  that  a  Catholic  BSV  edition, 
if  church  approval  could  be  obtained 
for  one,  would  not  replace  the  Com- 
mon (or  Vulgate)  edition  of  the  Bi- 
ble used  in  the  Catholic  Church. 
But  they  said  if  Catholics  and  Prot- 
estants accepted  the  same  version 
of  the  Bible,  "a  long  step  would 
be  taken  toward  the  reunion  of 
Christendom." 

Father  Abbott's  article,  which 
may  be  expected  to  touch  off  far- 
reaching  discussion  in  both  Protes- 
tant and  Catholic  circles,  emphasized 
that  gatherings  of  Catholic  and  Prot- 
estant as  well  as  Jewish  Biblical 
scholars  have  ceased  to  be  rare 
events  either  here  or  abroad. 

Father  Abbott  recalled  that  Dr. 
William  F.  Albright,  a  Methodist, 
has  taught  Catholic,  Protestant,  and 
Jewish  clergymen  in  his  department 
of  Semitic  studies  at  Johns  Hopkins 
University.  In  Palestine  and  the 
Near  East,  he  reported,  scholars  of 
different  faiths  work  together  at  ex- 
cavating Biblical  sites.  And  mean- 
while, he  added,  Catholic  and 
Protestant  experts  are  now  writing 
for  each  other's  best  scholarly  jour- 
nals. —  Religious  News  Service. 


JANUARY  23,   1960 


21 


Hl$   KIIVIGDOM 


OUR 


CHURCH 


AT    WORK     IN     THE     WORLD    TODAY 


This  excerpt  from  the  November  1  newsletter  of  the 
Koinonia  Community  in  Americus,  Ga.,  tells  of 
some  of  the  disadvantages  they  experience  because 
they  dare  to  live  as  an  interracial  community  and 
of  their  reaction  to  these  persecutions. 


"When  Men  Shall  Revile  You  .  .  . 


r>i 


IN  ONE  of  our  previous  newslet- 
ters we  mentioned  our  "cow  li- 
brary," whereby  a  needy  family 
could  check  out  a  fresh  cow,  return 
her  when  she  went  dry  and  check  out 
another.  This  set  off  a  chain  reaction 
of  phone  calls,  letters,  and  visits  be- 
tween Koinonia  and  Heifer  Project, 
Inc.  Heifer  Project,  sparked  largely 
by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  was 
set  up  after  the  war  to  help  supply 
stricken  countries  with  high  quality 
livestock.  While  the  work  has  been 
primarily  overseas,  Mr.  Thurl  Metz- 
ger,  head  of  Heifer  Project,  felt  that 
there  was  real  need  here  at  home.  He 
was  impressed  with  the  "cow  library" 
idea  and  offered  to  send  a  shipment 
of  bred  dairy  heifers  to  Georgia  if 
we  would  see  to  their  distribution 
and  care,  and  supervise  them  after 
they  had  been  placed  with  the  re- 
cipients. 

All  details  were  finally  worked  out, 
and  on  Sept.  10  a  semitrailer  loaded 
with  twelve  fine  heifers  arrived. 
Georgia  law  requires  that  all  cattle 
shipped  into  the  state  be  quarantined 
for  thirty  days,  then  tested  by  a 
veterinarian  for  T.B.  and  brucellosis. 
We  kept  them  quarantined  as  re- 
quired, then  called  the  local  vet  to 
test  them.  He  said  it  was  up  to  the 
Federal  men  to  do  this.  The  USDA 
men  said  they  weren't  allowed  to  do 
it,  that  it  must  be  done  "by  a  licensed 
veterinarian  at  the  owner's  expense," 
and  they  suggested  we  contact  a  vet 
in  another  county. 

This  we  did,  and  he  said  he  would 
be  right  up,  but  when  he  found  out 
it  was  Koinonia,  he  suddenly  became 
so  booked  up  that  he  couldn't  come 
within  the  foreseeable  future.  We've 
now  put  the  problem  in  the  hands  of 
the  state  department  of  agriculture. 

Meanwhile  the  cows  remain  in 
quarantine,  and  families  needing  milk 


22 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


will  have  to  wait.  We  hope  it  will 
not  be  long  until  the  problem  will  be 
solved  and  the  cows  can  be  placed. 
Instead  of  being  loaned,  they  will 
be  given  to  the  family  with  the  con- 
dition that  they  give  back  the  first 
heifer  calf  for  distribution  to  some- 
one else.  Koinonia  will  maintain  gen- 
eral oversight  of  the  cows  to  see  that 
they  are  taken  care  of.  (Late  note: 
The  state  department  of  agriculture 
just  sent  a  vet  and  the  cows  were 
tested,  results  yet  unknown.) 

Boycott  Reactions  Re-examined 

At  a  recent  community  meeting 
the  matter  of  our  attitude  toward  the 
boycott  against  us  was  brought  up 
for  re-examination.  It  has  been  our 
policy  in  the  past  that  when  a  busi- 
ness or  professional  man  notified  us 
that  he  would  no  longer  serve  us,  we 
would  call  upon  him,  explain  our  po- 
sition clearly,  seek  to  challenge  him 
from  the  standpoint  of  his  Christian 
commitment,  and  then  more  or  less 
assure  him  of  our  co-operation  in  his 
boycott  of  us. 

We  did  not  always  live  up  to  this 
latter  part,  for  sometimes  when  we 
desperately  needed  something  in  a 
hurry  and  there  were  guests  here 
who  were  unknown  to  the  merchants, 
we  would  send  the  guests  in  for  the 
needed  supplies.  There  was  some 
feeling  in  the  group  that  this  was  not 
stiicdy  honest,  and  in  trying  to  come 
to  "the  mind  of  Christ"  on  this,  we 
began  to  question  whether  or  not  it 
was  right  and  loving  to  co-operate 
with  someone  in  doing  an  evil  act, 
regardless  of  whether  or  not  that  act 
was  directed  toward  you.  In  other 
words,  did  we  believe  in  passive  re- 
sistance, or  passive  acquiescence? 

Actually  the  boycott  is  now  of 
little  economic  significance  to  us,  for 
we  have  pretty  well  succeeded  in 
establishing  other  sources  of  supplies 
and  other  outiets  for  our  products. 


But  we  are  deeply  concerned  about 
its  moral  and  spiritual  implications 
—  for  us,  for  those  who  oppose  us, 
and  for  society  in  general.  It  was  a 
time  of  soul-searching  for  us,  and 
we  humbly  trust  that  our  action  was 
directed  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Decide  to  Act  Normally 

We  decided  to  contact  again  the 
people  involved  in  the  boycott  and 
assure  them  that  they  have  our  con- 
tinued goodwill,  but  that  from  now 
on  we  intend  to  act  as  normal  people 
in  a  normal  society.  If  they  have  any 
goods  or  services  which  are  offered 
to  the  general  public  and  which  we 
need,  we  shall  feel  free  to  purchase 
them  in  a  quiet  and  orderly  way.  If 
refused,  we  shall  make  no  scene  or 
argument,  nor  put  on  any  demonstra- 
tion, but  leave  peaceably  and  cheer- 
fully. However,  we  shall  give  no 
promise  that  we  won't  return  as  often 
as  we  might  have  need,  but  always 
with  the  same  attitude  of  goodwill. 

In  other  words,  the  boycott  must 
be  a  day-by-day,  item-by-item,  per- 
son-by-person affair,  rather  than  a 
general,  blanket  affair.  In  this  way, 
it  is  a  decision  which  the  person 
must  repeatedly  make  (and,  we 
hope,  as  often  re-examine),  instead 
of  being  a  condition  which  prevails 
without  being  challenged.  We  sin- 
cerely pray  that  we  may  so  conduct 
ourselves  that  there  will  not  be  the 
slightest  hint  of  defiance  or  stubborn- 
ness, but  a  genuine  desire  for  the 
redemption  and  reconciliation  of  all 
concerned,  including,  of  course,  our- 
selves. 

Insurance  Troubles 

Some  years  ago  when  State  Farm 
Mutual  Insurance  Company  can- 
celled the  insurance  on  all  our  ve- 
hicles, a  number  of  you  wrote  to  the 
company  in  protest  and  were  told 
that    the    cancellation    was    due    to 


The   Church   at  Work 


im 


■tine 


ATTENTION:  Businessmen 

is  your  business  facing  the  need  to  make  your  hiring  nondis- 
criminatory? What  happens  when  a  company  hires  its  first  Negro? 
Will  there  be  violence?    Will  other  workers  leave  their  jobs? 

The  New  Girl  is  a  film  which  dramatizes  experiences  at  the  time 
a  company  extends  an  equal  job  opportunity  policy  to  its  office  staff. 
It  is  a  realistic  film  which  is  especially  appropriate  for  showing  to 
members  of  management  and  employees  in  preparation  for  taking  the 
step  of  hiring  Negroes  for  the  first  time.  Also  civic,  educational,  reli- 
gious, and  intergroup  relations  organizations  concerned  with  employ- 
ment can  profit  much  from  seeing  The  New  Girl. 

This  28-minute  black  and  white  film  may  be  rented  free  of  charge 
from  The  President's  Committee  on  Government  Contracts,  Washington 
25,  D.C. 


Koinonia's  unusual  number  of  acci- 
dents by  underage  drivers.  We  feel 
that  the  real  truth  has  finally  come 
out  in  a  recent  exchange  of  letters 
between  Don  DeVault  and  Edward 
B.  Rust,  president  of  State  Farm. 
Dr.  DeVault  is  an  associate  professor 
at  the  College  of  the  Pacific.  While 
on  leave  of  absence,  he  decided  to 
come  to  Koinonia  for  an  extended 
visit. 

During  his  visit,  his  insurance 
with  State  Farm  expired,  and  be- 
cause he  was  not  using  his  car  at 
the  time,  he  did  not  renew  his  policy. 
Later,  when  he  wanted  to  take  a  trip 
with  his  family  and  needed  insur- 
ance, he  found  that  even  though  he 
was  not  a  member  of  Koinonia,  he 
was  considered  by  State  Farm  to  be 
too  poor  a  risk  to  qualify.  Here  are 
some  excerpts  from  Don's  letter  to 
Mr.   Rust: 

"I  joined  State  Farm  Mutual  and 
took  out  my  first  policy  in  1940. 
Since  then  I  have  insured  with  your 
company  exclusively.    Fortunately,  I 


have  never  had  to  file  a  claim  in  all 
this  time.  .  .  .  When  my  wife  and  I 
with  our  two  children  planned  a  trip 
.  .  .  we  sought  to  reinstate  our  insur- 
ance through  your  local  agent.  He 
refused,  explaining  that  residents  of 
Koinonia  would  be  subject  to  preju- 
dice against  them  in  Southern  courts 
because  of  Koinonia's  stand  against 
racial  segregation  and  that  this  makes 
them  a  'poor  risk'  for  an  insurance 
company.  We  contacted  our  agent 
in  California,  where  my  wife  and  I 
still  have  our  bank  accounts,  our 
property,  and  my  associate  professor- 
ship at  the  College  of  the  Pacific.  .  .  . 
He  graciously  took  our  application. 

'It  was  shocking  for  us,  in  the 
middle  of  our  trip,  to  receive  a  letter 
from  your  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  office, 
cancelling  the  application  and  giving 
us  about  one  week  to  'obtain  insur- 
ance elsewhere.'  He  gave  no  reasons 
for  his  actions,  but  we  have  no  doubt 
that  the  reasons  are  those  given  us 
by  your  Americus  agent.    We  were 


in  North  Carolina  when  the  deadline 
passed  and  finished  our  trip  without 
insurance. 

"I  wish  to  question  the  policy 
that  persons  having  ideas  which 
are  unpopular  in  some  section  of 
the  country  should  be  considered 
'poor  risks.'  Do  you  refuse  insur- 
ance to  Jehovah's  Witnesses,  who 
are  sometimes  unpopular?  To  so- 
cialists? To  Negroes?  The  funda- 
mental ideal  of  insurance  —  that  of 
people  coming  together  and  sharing 
risks  —  is  sublimely  ethical.  But  if 
these  people  then  begin  to  exclude 
each  other  from  the  group  —  this  one 
because  the  shape  of  his  nose  makes 
him  a  little  riskier,  that  one  because 
red  hair  is  unpopular  and  an  untrust- 
worthy court  might  be  so  prejudiced 
as  to  rule  against  him  —  what  claim 
has  the  group  to  be  doing  an  ethical 
business?  .  .  .  R  seems  to  me  that 
there  is  a  difference  between  refus- 
ing insurance  to  a  person  who  does 
not  drive  carefully  and  one  against 
whom  some  local  people  may  simply 
have  a  prejudice." 

Some  excerpts  from  Mr.  Rust's 
reply: 

"In  order  to  approach  the  underly- 
ing principles  involved  in  our  attitude 
toward  insuring  Koinonia  Farm  and 
those  connected  with  it,  it  is  first 
necessary  to  examine  the  basic  phi- 
losophy of  State  Farm  since  it  was 
organized.  Stated  simply,  this  phi- 
losophy was  and  is  to  attempt  to 
insure  the  average  driver  with  nor- 
mal exposure  to  the  hazards  covered 
by  our  policies.  Clear-cut  examples 
of  the  application  of  this  policy  are 
our  refusal  to  engage  in  tire  business 
of  insuring  such  vehicles  as  long-haul 
trucks  and  taxicabs.  .  .  .  Not  so  clear 
cut,  because  a  greater  element  of 
judgment  is  involved,  are  those  cases 
where  the  hazard  involves,  not  driv- 
ing conditions  or  habits,  but  rather 
an  unusual  prejudice  which  could 
unfavorably  affect  fair  determination 
of  liability  or  extent  of  damages  in 
the  event  such  becomes  necessary. 

"In  our  considered  opinion,  die 
situation  with  respect  to  Koinonia 
Farm  is  such  that  there  exposure  is 
not  normal  or  average.  We  do  not 
in  any  way  attempt  to  pass  on  the 
social  or  ethical  aspects  which  create 
this  situation.  Right  or  wrong,  it 
exists,  and  its  existence  is  die  basis 
for  our  determination  that  the  risk- 
is  not  normal  by  our  standards.  .  .  . 
Our  members   have   engaged   us   to 


JANUARY  23,  1960 


23 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


prodde  automobile  insurance,  not  to 
provide,  with  their  money,  subsidies 
of  special  causes,  however  meritor- 
ious." 

What  Is  Ethical? 

Obviously  both  sides  have  a  point. 
And  here  is  the  eternal  conflict  be- 
tween "business"  and  religion,  eco- 
nomics and  morality.    Where  would 


you  stand  on  this  question?  It  would 
be  extremely  interesting  to  get  your 
reactions,  although  due  to  lack  of 
time  we  would  be  unable  to  acknowl- 
edge them.  In  case  any  of  you  wish 
to  communicate  direcdy  with  Mr. 
Rust  his  address  is  Mr.  Edward  B. 
Rust,  State  Farm  Insurance  Com- 
pany, Bloomington,  111. 


Glimps 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Is  not  the  Brotherhood  program  vir- 
tually saying,  "From  now  on 
Brethren  Service  must  increase 
and  missions  must  decrease?" 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  basis 
for  this  question.  But  assuming  that 
it  arises  from  observations  on  Broth- 
erhood budget  allocations,  let  us 
attempt  to  analyze  major  trends  in 
Brethren  Service  and  mission  par- 
ticipation in  this  budget. 

In  1946  giving  to  Brethren  Serv- 
ice reached  its  peak  and  amounted 
to  approximately  sixty  per  cent  more 
than  was  given  for  all  other  Brother- 
hood program  combined.  The  Breth- 
ren Service  share  of  the  current  budg- 
et is  a  little  less  than  twenty-five 
per  cent.  Foreign  missions  receives 
a  little  more  than  twenty-five  per 
cent  and  home  missions  another 
eighteen  per  cent  of  the  current 
budget.  The  foreign  mission  percent- 
age has  remained  rather  constant  in 
recent  years,  while  home  missions  has 
increased,  and  Brethren  Service  has 
decreased.  Though  percentages  have 
not  fluctuated  appreciably  the  dollar 
amount  allocated  to  foreign  missions 
during  the  past  several  years  has 
increased  with  the  increase  in  total 
budget. 

These  observations  on  Brother- 
hood budget  allocations  seem  to 
contradict    the    implication    of    the 


question.  However,  the  amount  in 
the  Brotherhood  budget  does  not  re- 
flect all  that  is  being  done  in  the 
Brotherhood  either  in  Brethren  Serv- 
ice or  missions.  It  reflects  only  a 
very  small  percentage  of  the  re- 
sources going  into  such  programs  as 
student  exchange,  material  aid,  refu- 
gee resettlement,  work  camps,  and 
establishment  of  new  churches  in  our 
own  country.  Then,  too,  foreign 
missions  includes  programs  in  vari- 
ous areas  of  service  as  well  as  edu- 
cation, evangelism,  and  even  "home" 
missions  in  Nigeria,  India,  and  Ecua- 
dor. The  Brethren  Service  budget, 
on  the  other  hand,  includes  an  item 
to  cover  the  assignment  of  alterna- 
tive service  workers  to  mission  areas. 
As  we  take  all  these  factors  into 
consideration,  we  discover  that  the 
Brotherhood  budget  allocation  is  al- 
most irrelevant  to  the  comparative 
emphases  on  these  two  great  areas  of 
our  church  life. 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
recognizes  the  urgency  of  church  ex- 
tension both  at  home  and  abroad. 
At  the  same  time  it  recognizes  that 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  in  a 
unique  position  to  witness  for  peace 
in  a  turbulent,  peace-hungry  world. 
Somehow  a  way  must  be  found  to 
move  forward  together  in  both  these 
areas  of  the  church's  mission.  — 
Norman  J.  Baugher. 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
thai  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


Readers  Write 

Continued  from  page  two 
critics  are,  they  would  rule  God  out 
of  the  Bible  because  of  the  awful 
sufferings,      death,      and      slaughter 
caused   by  the  laws   of  God   as  in 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the  floods,  earthquakes,  and  tor- 
nadoes. Again  we  repeat,  the  Bible 
was  lived  before  it  was  ever  written, 
over  a  period  of  1,600  years,  and 
we  choose  to  take  it  in  its  totality, 
a  record  of  the  providences  of  God 
in  a  progressive  revelation  to  the 
world.  —  Wm  Kinsey,  R.  2,  Boons- 
boro,  Md. 


Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp 

IT  IS  quite  a  task  to  attempt  to 
condense  an  accurate  description 
of  the  native  African  into  a  col- 
umn of  newsprint! 

We  happen  to  be  working  among 
the  Bura  tribe  which,  until  thirty-five 
years  ago,  lived  in  a  state  of  complete 
animism  and  savagery.  Except  for  a 
few  men  who  had  had  opportunity 
to  travel,  no  one  had  heard  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  the  people  centered  their 
religious  beliefs  around  natural  phe- 
nomena such  as  trees,  rocks,  and 
animals. 

With  the  coming  of  Christianity, 
there  occurred  a  breakdown  of  many 
of  their  ancient  customs,  as  they  slow- 
ly recognized  the  superiority  of  the 
new  faith.  For  some,  the  transition 
was  not  simple,  and  the  process  of 
teaching  and  drawing  new  souls  to 
Christianity  is  a  continual  one. 

Changes  Cited 

Africans  are  people.  While  living 
among  them  for  the  past  year,  I  have 
found  them  to  be  much  the  same  as 
people  everywhere,  with  the  same 
basic  needs  and  wishes. 

With  the  coming  of  independence 
to  many  countries  of  Africa,  Western- 
ization is  taking  place  rapidly,  with 
the  result  that  the  people  are  becom- 
ing conscious  of  materialistic  values 
and  are  eager  to  possess  "things" 
such  as  those  across  the  sea  possess. 

I  came  across  a  startling  example 
of  one  result  of  this  Western  influence 
recendy  when  I  went  into  a  native 
hut  to  comfort  a  mother  whose  baby 
had  just  died.  Completely  covering 
the  inside  walls  of  the  mud  house 
were  pages  carefully  torn  from  a 
Montgomery  Ward  catalogue.  They 
were  fastened  to  the  wall  with  small 
nails.  It  must  have  taken  nearly  a 
whole  catalogue  to  accomplish  this, 
and  the  result  was  most  unusual, 
since  normally  the  walls  are  bare  and 
of  a  mud  color. 

Homes  of  Mud 

The  primitive  Buras  actually  have 
few  material  possessions.  Their 
homes  are  made  of  mud,  with  grass 
roofs.  Grass  mats  serve  as  beds,  clay 
pots  as  cooking  utensils,  three  rocks 
with  a  fire  in  the  center  as  a  stove, 


Part  four  of  a  series  of  articles  describ- 
ing missionary  life  in  Nigeria,  originally 
published  in  the  Waynesboro  Record 
Herald.  Pennsylvania 


■The   Church   at  Work 


to  Life  in  the  Jungle 


gourds  as  dishes,  and  small  cala- 
bashes with  handles  as  spoons.  For 
clothing  the  men  wear  trousers  with 
a  high  necked,  sleeveless  shirt. 

Women  wear  a  wrap-around  cloth 
which  covers  the  body  from  the  waist 
down.  Children  usually  run  naked. 
In  recent  years,  however,  many  are 
beginning  to  wear  Western  styles. 
Men  have  short  sleeved  shirts  such 
as  American  men  wear  in  summer 
and  women  sew  simple  dresses  for 
themselves  and  their  children. 

Food  of  Natives 

For  the  most  part,  the  coming  of 
the  white  man  has  had  little  effect 
on  the  native  diet.  Their  staple  is 
guinea  corn  which  they  grind  and 
make  into  mush.  With  this  they  serve 
various  types  of  gravy,  consisting  of 
meat,  fish,  or  vegetables,  or  a  com- 
bination of  these. 

They  also  make  a  porridge  from 
rice  and   cassava;   this  is   often  fed 


to  infants.  They  depend  upon  their 
own  farms  for  the  majority  of  their 
foods,  and  buy  what  meat  and  fruit 
they  need  in  the  market.  Also  avail- 
able in  the  markets  are  matches, 
soap,  cloth,  and  an  increasing 
amount  of  imported  articles  —  plastic 
jewelry,  boots,  powder,  cosmetics, 
etc. 

Salutations 

Salutations  play  a  large  part  in 
native  conversation,  and  the  lan- 
guage itself  reflects  to  a  great  extent 
the  African  way  of  life.  For  example, 
one  common  salutation  is,  "San  da 
gajiya,"  or  "Greetings  in  your  tired- 
ness." Another  is,  "San  da  aidi,"  or 
"Greetings  in  your  work." 

In  the  dispensary,  I  do  not  a  ask 
a  woman  how  many  children  she  has 
borne.  Instead,  I  ask  how  many 
times  her  back  has  hurt!  When 
angry,  the  African  expresses  himself 
by  saying  he  has  a  white  stomach. 


Lawrence  Clark 


When  disappointed,  he  has  a  spoiled 
heart. 

When  inquiring  about  a  friend's 
health,  he  does  not  ask,  "How  are 
you?"  The  proper  question  is  "How 
is  your  body?"  or  "How  are  you  in 
your  tiredness?"  A  favorite  pastime 
is  conversation  —  around  a  fire  in  the 
evening,  in  the  market  places,  under 
a  shade  tree  at  noon.  Exchange  of 
news,  ideas,  and  opinions  constitutes 
an  important  part  of  the  African's 
day. 

Accept  White  Man 

In  most  cases,  in  this  area  the 
natives  have  graciously  accepted  the 
white  man,  and  are  trying  to  work 
with  him  to  build  the  Africa  of  the 
future.  But  in  their  desire  to  attain 
this  future  Africa,  they  wish  to  reach 
the  end  of  the  road,  so  to  speak, 
without  first  traveling  that  road. 

The  desire  for  progress  —  for  more 
and  better  schools,  for  opportunities 
for  higher  education,  for  economic 
improvements,  for  more  hospitals 
and  dispensaries,  for  self-government 
—  is  in  evidence  everywhere. 

In  Nigeria,  at  least,  independence 
is  not  far  away  and  when  it  does 
come,  these  people,  with  their  past 
steeped  in  superstition,  their  present 
in  struggling  Christianity,  and  their 
future  uncertain,  will  be  put  to  the 
test.  It  is  a  thrilling  privilege  to  be 
a  part  of  the  group  of  outsiders  who 
will  witness  the  birth  of  an  inde- 
pendent nation. 

Progress  Is  Cited 

In  one  short  year  the  African  peo- 
ple have  stepped  out  of  the  pages  of 
geography  books,  have  taken  on  flesh 
and  blood  and  personality  for  me, 
and  have  planted  themselves  in  my 
heart.  I  have  come  to  realize  that 
they  are  to  be  esteemed  for  their 
childlike  simplicity,  their  generosity, 
their  friendliness. 

They  are  to  be  admired  for  their 
search  for  self-improvement  and  en- 
couraged in  their  desire  for  freedom. 
They  are  to  be  pitied  for  their  ig- 
norance of  many  things  and  for  their 
refusal,  in  many  instances,  to  give  up 
old  superstitions  which  bind  them  to 
darkness  and  fear. 

They  are  to  be  counseled  and  as- 
sisted by  all  the  advantages  of  our 
experience  and  our  superior  econ- 
omy. But,  above  all,  they  are  to  be 
loved  as  our  brothers,  which  indeed 
thev  are. 


A  Christian  Bura  family.   The  husband  told  a  missionary  that  his  wife  "is 
a  blessing  from  God  to  me"  -  a  very  rare  thought  among  African  men 


JANUARY  23,   1960 


25 


Hanging 

of  the 

Greens 


*  The  Boulder  Hill  Neighborhood 
Church  of  the  Brethren  (Northern  Illi- 
nois and  Wisconsin)  held  its  third  an- 
nual "Hanging  of  the  Greens"  ceremony 
in  early  December.  It  was  well  attended 
by  all  ages. 

The  children  made  wreaths.  .  .  .  The 
junior  highs  put  the  lights  on  the  Christ- 
mas tree.  .  .  .  The  senior  highs  put  up 
the  manger  scene  with  the  help  of  a 
number  of  adults.  .  .  .  Adults  helped 
to  hang  wreaths  in  the  windows  and  to 
hang  the  greens  around  the  church. 

Two  of  the  ladies  were  responsible  for 
the  efficient  serving  of  refreshments  and 
the  appropriately  and  beautifully  dec- 


orated table. 

The  service  was  concluded  by  all  en- 
tering into  the  inspirational  singing  of 
Christmas  carols. 

When  it  comes  right  down  to  it,  there 
is  just  no  way  to  speak  of  the  "heartfelt" 
warmth  of  the  occasion.  Some  folks 
observing  from  the  other  side  of  the 
street,  said,  "It's  like  a  picture  —  if  I 
were  an  artist,  I'd  paint  it."  Others, 
"There's  a  poem  here  —  if  I  were  a  poet, 
I'd  write  it."  But  for  most  of  us  who 
are  the  prosaic  type  we  can  only  say,  "It 
was  good  to  be  there,"  and  really  mean 
it.  —  Adapted  from  Chimes,  Dec.  8, 
1959. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not 
necessarily  constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made 
through  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles 
recommended    for    church    libraries    are    marked    with    an    asterisk    (*).  —  Editor. 


The  Revelation  of  God  in  Human 
Suffering.  Wayne  E.  Oates.  West- 
minster, 1959.    143  pages.    $2.75. 

Don't  by-pass  this  little  book  be- 
cause you  think  it  might  be  another 
book  of  sermons!  These  sermons  are 
not  ordinary  ones  and  their  preacher 
is  not  an  ordinary  preacher.  Dr. 
Wayne  E.  Oates  is  professor  of  psy- 
chology and  religion  and  pastoral 
care  at  the  Southern  Baptist  Theo- 
logical School  in  Louisville.  With 
the  fervor  of  an  evangelist,  he  inter- 
estingly and  convincingly  presents 
the  compassion  of  God  through 
Christ  for  suffering  and  sinning  peo- 
ple. Biblical,  Christ-centered,  psy- 
chologically sound,  warmly  human, 
deeply  spiritual  and  relevant,  these 
sermons  are  a  living  testimony  to  a 
triumphant  Christian  faith.  Note 
such  helpful  chapters  as:  Jesus  and 
the  Reality  of  Suffering,  The  Fellow- 
ship of  Suffering,  The  Revelation  of 
God  in  Human  Suffering,  Anger  and 
Suffering  and  the  Revelation  of  God, 
Parenthood  and  the  necessity  for  Suf- 
fering, and  particularly,  The  Struggle 
for  Maturity. 

This  is  a  book  for  laymen  as  well 
as  preachers.  Few  books  could  be 
more  helpful  or  more  basic.  —  Har- 
old Bomberger,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Communion  With  Young  Saints. 
E.  Ashby  Johnson.  John  Knox,  1959. 
Ill  pages.    $2.00. 

One  of  the  most  refreshing  books 
on  father-son  relationships  I  have 
ever  read.   The  author,  father  of  two 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


boys  (now  thirteen  and  fifteen  years 
of  age),  engages  in  a  series  of  discus- 
sions with  his  sons  on  subjects  rang- 
ing from  motivation,  swearing,  and 
theology  to  sex  education,  temper- 
ance, racial  prejudice,  and  conscrip- 
tion. All  subjects  are  treated  with 
a  humorous,  yet  sometimes  workable 
manner. 

The  author  is  quick  to  relate  that 
by  using  dialogue  (the  generally 
used  form  of  presentation  in  this 
book)  he  can  usually  make  the  par- 
ent appear  to  come  out  the  best  in 
these  discussions  —  which  is  not  al- 
ways true  to  life.  The  professorial 
footnotes  are  both  novel  and  a  wel- 
come change  from  many  writings. 

The  writer  does  have  insights  and 
beliefs  about  children  and  adoles- 
cents. One  of  his  profound  state- 
ments is,  "The  only  atmosphere  in 
which  a  child  is  able  to  grow  spir- 
itually and  morally  is  one  in  which  he 
comes  to  realize  that  his  being  loved 
is  not  dependent  upon  his  being 
good."  The  book,  once  started,  will 
not  be  put  down  until  finished.  — 
Paul  M.  Weaver. 

*  The  Letters  to  the  Philippians, 
Colossians,  and  Thessalonians.  Wil- 
liam Barclay.  Westminster,  1959. 
253  pages.    $2.50. 

°  The  Letters  to  the  Galatians  and 
Ephesians.  William  Barclay.  West- 
minster, 1959.    219  pages.    $2.50. 

These  two  further  numbers  in  the 
valuable  Daily  Bible  Study  Bible 
Series  continue  the  high  quality  of 
scholarship,    the    open-minded,    yet 


reverent  point  of  view,  and  eminent 
usability  seen  in  the  earlier  volumes 
of  this  series.  Here  are  books  for 
minister  and  layman  alike,  very  val- 
uable for  Bible  study  classes  and  in- 
dividual Bible  study  and  as  the  basis 
for  Biblical  preaching. 

Given  comparatively  short  New 
Testament  books  on  which  to  com- 
ment, Dr.  Barclay,  the  eminent 
Scottish  expositor,  has  been  able  to 
treat  key  passages  rather  fully,  using 
sometimes  two  or  three  of  his  com- 
pact pages  to  one  or  two  verses  of 
scripture.  The  background  thought 
and  mood  of  each  epistle  is  constant- 
ly kept  before  the  reader's  mind  and 
the  spiritual  truths  of  each  passage 
are  brought  to  fight  and  often  illus- 
trated. The  one  pair  of  books  on 
which  the  author  has  had  to  com- 
press his  comments  unduly,  no  doubt 
because  of  space,  is  the  Thessalonian 
correspondence,  unfortunately  slight- 
ed in  favor  of  the  more  weighty 
Philippian  and  Colossian  letters.  — 
Chalmer  E.  Faw,  Chicago,  III. 

Christian  Baptism.  Edited  by  A, 
Gilmore.  Judson,  1959.  344  pages. 
$4.50. 

As  Cecil  Norcott  has  said,  "This 
is  an  irenical  and  ecumenical  study 
of  Christian  baptism"  by  a  young 
group  of  British  Baptist  ministers, 
edited  by  Alex  Gilmore  with  an  in- 
troduction by  Ernest  Payne. 

It  is  an  honest  attempt  to  "under- 
stand the  rite  in  terms  of  Scripture, 
history,  and  theology." 

It  is  a  most  thoughtful  and  help- 
ful, as  well  as  scholarly,  treatise  and 
points  up  the  "new  look"  which  the 
ecumenical  movement  has  given  to 
the  discussion  of  baptism.  When 
one  considers  it  was  written  by  Bap- 
tist scholars,  he  is  conscious  how 
open,  honest,  and  searching  the  work 


as.  Recent  scholarship  makes  neces- 
sary such  an  inquiry  into  so  contro- 
versial a  rite. 

The  book  has  an  excellent  plan: 
■Chapter  1  deals  with  recent  discus- 
sion; Chapter  2  with  Scripture,  tra- 
■dition  and  baptism;  Chapter  3, 
Jewish  antecedents;  Chapter  4  (a 
large  chapter),  with  baptism  in  the 
New  Testament;  Chapter  5,  Baptism 
in  the  early  centuries;  Chapter  6,  the 
Anabaptists  and  the  rise  of  the  Bap- 
tist movement;  Chapter  7,  Baptismal 
controveries  (1640-1900);  and  Chap- 
ter 8,  the  theology  of  baptism. 

In  addition,  the  book  has  an  ex- 
cellent bibliography  for  further  read- 
ing and  indicies  on  subjects,  authors, 
.and  scripture  references.  —  Charles 
E.  Zankel,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

The  Magic  of  Bringing  Up  Your 
Child.  Frances  R.  Horwich.  Mc- 
Graw-Hill, 1959.    257  pages.    $3.95. 

Written  by  Miss  Frances  of  Ding- 
Dong  School,  this  book  is  a  delightful 
"how-to-do-it"  guide  to  parents  in 
bringing  up  a  child.  She  gives  realis- 
tic and  practical  advice,  stressing  the 
fun,  the  gratification  and  satisfaction, 
the  actual  magic  of  child  relation- 
ships, and  shows  how  parents  and 
their  children  can  live  and  work 
happily  together.  A  heart-warming 
and  enjoyable  book  for  parents.  — 
•Glee  Yoder,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

°Her  Own  Way.  Helen  A. 
Monsell.  Broadman,  1958.  188 
pages.    $2.00. 

The  life  of  a  missionary  is  made 
to  seem  exciting  and  heroic  in  this 
story-biography  of  Lottie  Moon, 
missionary  to  China.  We  see  her 
as  a  child  in  her  Virginia  home  in 
1850  —  full  of  fun,  mischief,  and  de- 
termination. Then  we  follow  her  as 
she  goes  away  to  school,  takes  care 
of  the  wounded  during  the  Civil 
War,  becomes  a  schoolteacher,  and 
finally  a  missionary.  Always  a  strong 
character,  she  resisted  until  her  late 
school  days  the  claim  of  Christ  on 
her  life  and  the  author  tells  of  her 
spiritual  life  and  of  her  growing 
faith;  her  enthusiasm  even  in 
hardship. 

The  book  will  have  special  appeal 
to  junior  girls  as  they  find  in  Lottie 
Moon  a  woman  to  love  and  admire. 
The  book  is  readable  and  attractive 
with  uncrowded  pages  and  black  and 
white  sketches.  —  Glennis  Parks,  El- 
gin, III. 

*  Renewal  in  Retreats.  John  L. 
'Casteel.  Association  Press,  1959.  250 
pages.    $4.50. 

There  are  some  books  that  "need- 


ed to  be  written."  This  is  one.  In  it 
John  L.  Casteel  has  provided  Prot- 
estantism with  its  more  comprehen- 
sive and  practical  retreat  manual 
available  today. 

Perhaps  never  prior  to  our  day  has 
it  been  so  true  that  "the  world  is  too 
much  with  us."  The  intensity,  com- 
plexity, and  demonic  nature  of  our 
times  calls  for  spiritual  renewal  on 
the  part  of  those  who  make  up  the 
membership  of  the  churches.  The 
author  explains  how  this  can  happen 
through  retreats  and  gives  instruc- 
tions for  holding  them.  Those  desir- 
ing to  do  additional  reading  will  find 
in  the  bibliography  a  list  of  valuable 
resources  for  conducting  retreats. 
Church  leaders  will  want  to  have 
this  book  in  their  own  library.  — 
David  J.  Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 


Anniversaries 

Mr.    and    Mrs.    Clifford    A.    Blocher 

celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  13,  1959,  with  open 
house.  They  have  two  daughters,  one 
son,  six  grandchildren,  and  three 
great-grandchildren.  —  Edith  Wilder, 
Franklin  Grove,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Homer  Garber  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Oct.  25,  1959,  with  open 
house.  They  are  members  of  the  Mid- 
dle River  church,  Va.  They  have  two 
daughters,  three  sons,  and  a  number 
of  grandchildren.  —  Mae  V.  Diehl, 
Staunton,  Va. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason  R.  Hicks  of 
Sterling,  111.,  celebrated  their  sixtieth 
wedding  anniversary  on  Nov.  29,  1959. 
They  have  five  children,  twelve  grand- 
children, and  sixteen  great-grandchil- 
dren. —  Mrs.  Kathryn  Miller,  Sterling, 
111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephen  D.  Miller  of 
Shickley,  Neb.,  observed  their  fifty-fifth 
wedding  anniversary  on  Oct.  5,  1959. 
They  are  members  of  the  Bethel 
church.  They  have  two  daughters,  one 
son,  and  five  grandchildren.  —  Mrs. 
Milo  Horner,  Carleton,  Nebr. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell  Powers  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  6,  1959,  with  open 
house.  They  have  four  sons,  four 
daughters,  thirteen  grandchildren,  and 
one  great-grandchild.  —  Mae  V.  Diehl, 
Staunton,  Va. 


Obituaries 

Alfred,  John  William,  son  of  William 
and  Catherine  Clayton  Alfred,  was 
born  May  18,  1877,  and  died  at  his 
home  near  New  Hope,  Va.  On  July 
18,  1914,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to '  Laura  Antoinnette  Garber.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife  and  a  son.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Middle 
River  church  by  Bro.  F.  Y.  Garber, 
assisted  by  Bro.  Marvin  Clingenpeel. 
Interment  was  in  the  adjacent  ceme- 
tery. —  Mae  V.  Diehl,  Staunton,  Va. 


Avey,  William,  son  of  Joe  and  Mary 
Avey,  was  born  May  15,  1939,  and  died 
Oct.  8,  1959.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
Mary  Spamer  Avey,  his  parents,  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Fred  Bowman  at  the 
Everett  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Everett  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Freda  Harclerode,  Everett,  Pa. 

Barnhart,  Elsie  Ryman,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Catherine  Dresher  Ryman, 
was  born  Sept.  2,  1881,  and  died  Dec. 
10,  1959.  Surviving  are  four  daughters, 
one  son,  two  brothers,  three  sisters, 
twelve  grandchildren,  and  eight  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Littleton  funeral  home 
by  Bro.  Otis  Landis.  Interment  was 
in  the  New  Carlisle  cemetery.  —  Bar- 
bara J.  Hinkle,  Springfield,  Ohio. 

Black,  Catharine  Altivater,  daughter 
of  Jacob  and  Lydia  Altivater,  was  born 
Dec.  4,  1925,  and  died  Oct.  1,  1959. 
She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  Or- 
ville  Black,  one  daughter,  her  parents, 
two  sisters,  and  one  brother.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  at  the  Mon- 
ocacy  church,  Md.,  by  Bro.  Arthur  Rice, 
assisted  by  Brethren  S.  R.  Weybright 
and  Oren  Garner.  Interment  was  in  the 
church  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Denda  I.  Ren- 
ner,  New  Midway,  Md. 

Brandt,  Fannie  Gipe,  was  born  March 
19,  1882,  and  died  Nov.  24,  1959.  She 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Conewago 
church,  Pa.,  for  nearly  fifty-five  years. 
She  is  survived  by  eight  children,  twen- 
ty-four grandchildren,  and  five  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  sendee  was 
held  in  the  Conewago  church  by  Breth- 
ren A.  N.  Eshelman,  R.  S.  Young  and 
D.  L.  Kettering.  Interment  was  in  the 
Shenks  cemetery.  —  Ellen  E.  Young, 
Hershey,  Pa. 

Butkau,  Maria,  was  born  in  Darke 
County,  Ohio,  April  19,  1864,  and  died 
Nov.  10,  1959,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 
She  was  a  long-time  member  of  the 
Grand  Rapids  church.  —  Floyd  Hilliker, 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Frick,  Walter  C,  son  of  Nathan  and 
Sarah  Brumbaugh  Frick,  was  born  in 
Kent,  Ohio,  Oct.  21,  1881,  and  died  in 
Braidwood,  111.,  Nov.  23,  1959.  In 
1906,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Frieda  Anding.  He  had  been  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  die  Brethren,  but 
transferred  his  membership  to  the  Pres- 
byterian church  after  moving  to  Braid- 
wood.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  four  chil- 
dren, four  grandchildren,  and  one 
brother.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Patterson  funeral  home.  Inter- 
ment was  in  Hill  of  Rest  cemetery.  — 
Hope  Frick,  Braidwood,  111. 

Garber,  James  William,  son  of  Da-\id 
A.  and  Elizabeth  Huff  Garber,  was  born 
June  28,  1878,  and  died  Sept.  20,  1959. 
He  was  an  ordained  minister  in  the 
Middle  River  church.  He  is  survived 
by  one  brother  and  three  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  Middle 
River  church  by  Bro.  Marvin  Clingen- 
peel, assisted  by  Brethren  F.  Y.  Garber 
and  W.  Paul  Coffman.  Interment  was 
in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mae  V. 
Diehl.  Staunton,  Va. 

Gwynne,  Paul  W.,  son  of  William  and 
Ida  Gwynne,  was  born  Dec.  9.  1S99, 
and  died  Dec.  2,  19.59.  in  Alliance. 
Ohio.  He  united  with  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  early  manhood.    Surviv- 


JANUARY  23,   1960 


27 


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CLOVIS  G.  CHAPPELL 

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CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  111. 


ing  are  his  wife,  two  sons,  one  daugh- 
ter, seven  grandchildren,  his  mother, 
one  brother,  and  two  sisters.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  at  the  Cas- 
sady  and  Turkle  funeral  home  by  the 
undersigned  and  Bro.  Richard  Overly. 
Interment  was  in  the  city  cemetery.  — 
J.  D.  Zigler,  Alliance,  Ohio. 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Hengst,  Anna  Bahn,  daughter  of 
Chester  and  Leah  Lehman  Bahn,  was 
born  June  30,  1894,  and  died  Oct.  28, 
1959.  She  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Howard  Hengst  in  December  1920. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Codorus 
church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  eight  children,  twenty-eight 
grandchildren,  eight  great-grandchil- 
dren, two  brothers,  and  three  sisters. 
The   funeral    service   was   held   in   the 


Codorus  church,  with  Brethren  David 
C.  Wilson  and  Jacob  Miller  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  Codorus  church 
cemetery.  —  Ruth  B.  Hartman,  York, 
Pa. 

Howe,  Elizabeth  Wertz,  daughter  of 
John  A.  and  Susan  Strayer,  was  born  in 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  Jan.  22,  1877,  and  died 
Nov.  18,  1959.  She  was  the  wife  of 
Bro.  William  M.  Howe,  who  was  the 
first  full-time  pastor  of  the  Walnut 
Grove  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  two 
daughters,  one  stepson,  one  stepdaugh- 
ter, and  two  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  Brethren  Clyde  L. 
Carter  and  J.  William  Stoneback.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Grandview  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Margaret  R.  Shaffer,  Johns- 
town, Pa. 

Hunter,  Mildred  M.,  daughter  of  Ja- 
cob and  Mary  Penrod  Findley,  was  born 
in  Johnstown,  Pa.,  Dec.  12,  1888,  and 
died  June  4,  1959.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Springfield  church,  Ohio.  She  is 
survived  by  her  husband,  Thomas  E. 
Hunter,  one  daughter,  eight  grandchil- 
dren, and  two  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  at  the 
Springfield  church  by  Bro.  Otis  Landis. 
Interment  was  in  the  Myers  cemetery.  — 
Barbara  J.  Hinkle,  Springfield,  Ohio. 

Kemp,  Ammie  Cleo,  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Maria  Hopkins  Beck,  was 
born  near  Decatur,  111.,  Nov.  7,  1882, 
and  died  in  Decatur,  111.,  Dec.  5,  1959. 
She  was  married  to  Charles  Kemp  on 
Jan.  25,  1905.  Surviving  are  her  hus- 
band, one  son,  two  daughters,  three 
brothers,  two  sisters,  and  four  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Oakley  church  by  Bro.  D.  L. 
Blickenstaff,  assisted  by  Bro.  W.  T. 
Heckman.  Interment  was  in  West 
Frantz  cemetery.  —  Mildred  Fulk,  Cerro 
Gordo,  111. 

Laughman,  Clara  Essie,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  K.  Myers,  was 
born  March  26,  1884,  and  died  Nov. 
24,  1959.  On  Feb.  19,  1905,  she  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Willis  Laughman. 
With  her  husband  she  served  in  the 
office  of  deacon.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  two  sons,  two  daughters,  four- 
teen grandchildren,  three  great-grand- 
children, and  three  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Panther  Creek 
church,  with  Brethren  Paul  E.  Miller 
and  Kenneth  Frantz  officiating.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Brethren  cemetery.  — 
Willis  Laughman,  Adel,  Iowa. 

Lentz,  Margaret  Lucinda  Williams, 
was  born  in  Ray  County,  Mo.,  July  15, 
1885,  and  died  Dec.  4,  1959.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Rockingham  church, 
Mo.  On  Dec.  27,  1905,  she  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Lee  Lentz.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  husband,  one  sister,  and 
three  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Rockingham  church 
by  the  undersigned,  assisted  by  Bro. 
John  Armstrong.  Interment  was  in  the 
Wakenda  cemetery.  —  Harold  C.  Cor- 
rell,  Hardin,  Mo. 

McClain,  Emma  Nora,  daughter  of 
Francis  C.  and  Amanda  Harshman  Ren- 
ner,  was  born  Aug.  14,  1876,  and  died 
Oct.  30,  1959.  Her  husband,  William 
F.  McClain,  preceded  her  in  death.  Sur- 
viving are  two  brothers  and  two  foster 
children.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted at  the  Monocacy  church,  Md., 
by  Bro.  Arthur  Rice,  assisted  by  Bro. 
S.  R.  Weybright.  Interment  was  in  the 
church  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Denda  I.  Ren- 
ner,  New  Midway,  Md. 


McCune,  Isaac  Melville,  son  of  Sam- 
uel Isaac  and  Ada  McCune,  died  Oct. 
15,    1959,   at   the   age    of   seventy-five 
years.     He   became    a   member   of   the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  later  an  or- 
I  dained  minister  and  elder.    He  moved 
to  Irricana,  Alberta,  Canada,  in   1916. 
I  He  served  both  the  First  and  Second 
3  Irricana  and  the  Grants  Pass  churches 
'  as  pastor.    He  had  served  on  the  school 
board    and   in   the   Alberta    legislature, 
i  Surviving  are  his  wife,  Lula,  two  sons, 
;  three  daughters,  two  brothers,  two  sis- 
ters,  sixteen   grandchildren,   and   seven 
great-grandchildren.    The  funeral  serv- 
|  ice  was  held  by  Bro.   T.   R.   Northup. 
|  Interment  was  in  the  Queen's  park  cem- 
etery,   Calgary.  —  Mrs.    Barbara   Wade, 
Lyalta,  Alberta,  Canada. 

Myers,  Douglas  Lee,  infant  son  of 
Ernest  and  Barbara  Myers  of  Clare- 
mont,  Calif.,  died  Dec.  3,  1959.  Sur- 
viving are  the  parents,  a  brother,  and 
maternal  and  paternal  grandparents. 
Graveside  services  were  held  in  the 
Evergreen  cemetery  by  the  under- 
signed. —  Earl  R.  Myers,  Parsons, 
Kansas. 

Myers,  Mabel,  daughter  of  Daniel 
R.  and  Salome  Teeter  Dooley,  was  born 
in  New  Enterprise,  Pa.,  and  died  July 
10,  1959.  She  was  the  widow  of  Oscar 
Reiff  Myers,  who  had  taught  English 
for  many  years  at  Juniata  College.  She 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Stone 
church,  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  for  more  than 
fifty  years.  She  gave  the  organ  to 
the  church  and  established  two  schol- 
arship funds  at  Juniata  College.  She 
is  survived  by  one  daughter,  three 
grandchildren,  and  one  sister.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  in  the 
Stone  church  by  Bro.  John  C.  Middle- 
kauff  assisted  by  Bro.  T.  F.  Henry.  — 
Chester  E.   Shuler,   Huntingdon,  Pa. 

Pollard,  Martha  B.,  died  June  30, 
1959,  at  Roaring  Spring,  Pa.  She  is 
survived  by  six  sisters  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Al- 
bright church,  Pa.,  by  Bro.  D.  I.  Pepple. 
Interment  was  in  the  Albright  ceme- 
tery. —  Grace  Johnson,  Roaring  Spring, 
Pa. 

Pote,  Margaret  Lulella,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  Jane  Morrison,  was 
born  Jan.  7,  1889,  in  Bloomfield  Town- 
ship, Pa.,  and  died  Aug.  20,  1959,  at 
Roaring  Spring,  Pa.  She  was  united  in 
marriage  to  D.  Earl  Pote  on  Oct.  27, 
1908.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Al- 
bright church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by 
her  husband,  three  children,  four 
grandchildren,  one  sister,  three  half 
sisters,  and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Holsinger 
church  by  Bro.  D.  I.  Pepple.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Holsinger  cemetery.  — 
Grace  Johnson,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 

Steven,  Albert  G.,  son  of  John  and 
Amanda  Steven,  was  born  in  Colmar, 
Pa.,  June  9,  1876,  and  died  on  Oct. 
25,  1959.  His  wife,  Laura  G.  Vollen- 
tine  Steven,  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Ambler 
church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  five  sons, 
three  daughters,  sixteen  grandchildren, 
eleven  great-grandchildren,  and  two 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  George  Huff  funeral  home  by 
Bro.  Donald  L.  Kline.  Interment  was 
in  Whitemarsh  Memorial  park.  —  Mrs. 
Mary  E.  Haring,  Lansdale,  Pa. 


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How  to  Teach  tire  Revelation,  75c 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


Church  News 

Northern  California 
Laton  —  A  very  successful  vacation 
Bible  school  was  held  for  eight  days 
in  August.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Wilbur 
Liskey,  resigned  as  of  Sept.  1,  to  accept 
the  pastorate  of  the  Yuba  City  church. 
Bro.  Jarvis  Hunt  was  called  as  our 
pastor  and  was  installed  by  Bro.  Forest 
Eisenbise  in  October.  Bro.  Jack  Allen 
filled  the  pulpit  one  Sunday  while  our 
pastor  attended  district  meeting.  The 
radio  choir  of  the  Pacific  Bible  Institute 
gave  a  program  one  Sunday  evening. 
The  young  people  presented  a  Thanks- 
giving play  on  Nov.  22.  Bro.  Herbert 
Ruthrauff,  representative  from  La  Verne 
College,  spoke  to  us  on  Nov.  29.  We 
are  holding  fellowship  dinners  after 
church  on  the  second  Sunday  of  each 
month.  A  Christmas  play  was  presented 
on  the  evening  of  Dec.  20.  —  Mrs.  Glen 
Dooley,  Laton,  Calif. 


Yuba  City  Community  —  We  were 
very  fortunate  to  have  Bro.  Glenn 
Campbell,  missionary  to  India,  minister 
to  us.  We  had  a  variety  of  fellowship 
meetings,  die  outstanding  one  was  In- 
dian food  served  as  it  is  in  India.  We 
had  to  sit  on  the  floor  and  eat  with 
our  fingers.  He  also  showed  a  variety 
of  films  on  India.  Brodier  Campbell 
baptized  seven  new  members  into  our 
church.  Brodier  and  Sister  Coffman 
stayed  with  us  for  a  while,  and  then 
returned  to  La  Verne.  On  Sept.  1,  Bro. 
Wilbur  Liskey  became  our  pastor.  We 
have  received  five  by  baptism  and  ten 
by  letter.  —  Sarah  Gaither,  Yuba  City, 
Calif. 

Western  Canada 

Bow  Valley  -  Bro.  Willard  McDaniel 
and    wife    began    their    nindi    year    of 


JANUARY  23.   1960 


29 


Devotions 
lor 

Women 
at  Home 

MARTHA  MBSTH*r 


DEVOTIONS 

FOR  WOMEN 
AT  HOME 

MARTHA   MEISTER  KIELY 

115  brief  devotions  to  help 
housewives  keep  a  Christian 
perspective  on  life  —  to  keep 
daily  aware  of  higher  spiritual 
horizons.  Centering  the  devo- 
tions around  familiar  objects 
found  in  the  home  —  a  house 
plant,  a  thermostat,  an  empty 
chair  —  Mrs.  Kiely  then  draws 
the  spiritual  truths  which  these 
objects  suggest.  Each  devotion 
is  complete  with  a  scripture 
text,  the  meditation,  and  a 
prayer.  $1.75 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


service  with  us  in  September.  A  com- 
munity daily  vacation  Bible  school  of 
one  week  was  directed  by  Bro.  McDan- 
iel.  The  district  meeting  theme  was 
Faith  in  Action.  Such  able  leaders  as 
Brethren  Galen  Ogden,  Harold  Fas- 
nacht,  Forest  Eisenbise,  Stanley  Keller, 
and  Jeff  Mathis  were  in  attendance. 
Bro.  Leonard  Blackwell  held  evangelis- 
tic meetings,  Nov.  11-22.  A  love  feast 
was  held  on  Nov.  29.  The  Sunday 
school  children  presented  their  Christ- 
mas play  on  Dec.  20.  —  Mrs.  F.  Ober- 
holtzer,  Arrowwood,  Alberta,  Canada. 

Irricana,  First  and  Second  —  At  the 
church  services  on  Sundays  the  pastor 
is  presenting  a  series  of  sermons  on 
basic  Christian  beliefs  as  found  in  the 
Apostle's  Creed.  Mrs.  Eldon  Wray, 
Mrs.  A.  B.  McCune  and  the  pastor 
will  hold  a  teacher  training  conference 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


at  Arrowwood.  The  annual  Irricana 
4-H  Beef  Club  had  its  banquet  and 
awards  night.  A  Christian  education 
institute  was  held  at  the  Airdrie  United 
Church.  On  Dec.  9,  a  special  film  pro- 
gram was  presented  by  Andrew  S. 
Wood,  district  secretary  for  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society.  The  Christmas 
carol  festival  by  the  choirs  of  the 
churches  in  the  area  was  held  on  Dec. 
11.  The  annual  Christmas  program  was 
given  by  the  Irricanna  choir  on  Dec. 
20  and  23.  -  Mrs.  Barbara  Wade,  Ly- 
alta,  Alberta,  Canada. 

Idaho  and  Western  Montana 

Boise  Valley  —  Bro.  Joe  Campbell 
was  our  guest  speaker  for  a  week  in 
October.  At  the  conclusion  of  this 
preaching  mission,  two  new  deacons 
and  their  wives  were  installed  by  Bro. 
Bruce  Tharrington.  We  had  a  Thanks- 
giving breakfast  again  this  year,  planned 
and  served  by  the  women's  fellowship. 
Our  pastor,  Bro.  Edwin  Glover,  has 
moved  to  his  own  home.  —  Mrs.  Warren 
Kessler,  Meridian,  Idaho. 

Twin  Falls  —  On  Sept.  6,  our  church 
went  to  the  south  hills  where  the 
church  has  acquired  a  camp  site  for 
services  and  recreation.  Our  pastor, 
Bro.  Bobert  Keim,  was  moderator  at 
our  district  meeting.  On  Oct.  2,  we 
had  our  fall  communion  and  love  feast. 
Loyalty  Sunday  was  on  Oct.  11,  with 
Bro.  Bicshard  Keim  as  the  speaker, 
and  the  harvest  festival  on  Nov.  6. 
Twelve  have  been  received  by  baptism 
and  ten  by  letter.  Mrs.  Anna  Irwin, 
Twin  Falls,  Idaho. 

Washington 

Ellisforde  —  The  district  conference 
was  held  at  our  church.  The  women's 
fellowship  group  furnished  the  meals 
at  the  church.  Harold  Fasnacht  and 
J.  H.  Mathis,  with  the  help  of  most 
of  the  pastors  of  the  Washington 
churches,  made  diis  a  successful  confer- 
ence. On  Nov.  8,  the  new  sanctuary 
of  our  church  was  dedicated,  with 
Brother  Fasnacht  giving  the  address. 
He  was  assisted  by  our  pastor,  Bro. 
Bruce  Flora.  Sister  Hazel  Bothrock, 
missionary  to  Africa,  was  in  charge  of 
our  Christmas  program.  —  Mrs.  Mae 
Bullock,  Oroville,  Wash. 

Northern  Iowa,  Minnesota,  and 
South  Dakota 

Slifer  —  Our  church  entertained  die 
district  conference  the  last  week  end 
in  August.  The  remodeled  church  with 
the  use  of  additional  rooms  and  an 
electric  speaker  met  the  need  very 
well.  Lee  Fisher  and  Abbie  Nettleton 
served  as  delegates.  It  was  voted  by 
the  delegates  to  merge  Northern  Iowa, 
Minnesota,  and  South  Dakota  with  the 
other  two  Iowa  districts.  The  men 
are  helping  to  finish  the  church  build- 
ing. When  the  baptistry  is  completed 
three  young  people  will  be  baptized. 
The  women  of  the  church  have  regular 
monthly  meetings  and  serve  where 
there  is  need.  Clothing  is  being  col- 
lected at  present  for  shipment  to  New 
Windsor.  The  junior  highs  attended 
the  youth  rally  at  Kingsley  with  Bro. 
Bobert  Boyer  in  charge.  A  family  night 
potluck  fellowship  meal  was  followed 
by  a  film,  Beason  for  Being.  —  Mrs.  J. 
Wm.  Nettleton,  Farnhamville,  Iowa. 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program,  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be   assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  436.  UBGENT:  Doctor  is 
needed  to  locate  in  a  community  which 
lost  an  excellent  physician  in  a  car 
accident.  The  town  of  2,500  has  good 
schools,  churches,  and  business.  Civic- 
minded  men  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  will  help  arrange  details  for 
the  location  of  a  doctor  in  the  commu- 
nity. Office  space  and  other  requisites 
are  available.  Contact:  Bev.  Carl  Zig- 
ler,  403  S.  Congress  St.,  Polo,  111. 


Western  Kansas 

Quinter  —  A  large  number  of  our 
congregation  attended  the  second  fam- 
ily camp  at  Camp  Lakeside.  Several 
saw  the  color  motion  pictures  of  Harold  : 
and  Gladys  Boyer  showing  their  work 
as  missionaries  in  Nigeria.  The  men 
of  our  church  took  part  in  the  commu- 
nity service  project,  working  on  the 
Edwin  Eberly  home.  Bro.  Ernest  L. 
Ikenberry  was  guest  minister  one  Sun- 
day morning  and  in  the  evening  Ernest 
and  Olivia  Ikenberry  discussed  and 
showed  pictures  of  their  work  with 
the  Navajo  Indians.  The  young  people 
had  charge  of  the  morning  worship 
service  at  which  Boyce  Roesch  gave 
an  interesting  report  of  his  work  in 
volunteer  service  in  Greece.  In  the 
evening,  the  new  organ  was  dedicated 
with  Miss  Marguerite  Long  as  guest 
organist.  Bro.  Charles  E.  Dumond,  Jr., 
helped  train  the  missioners,  who  then 
went  out  and  visited  in  all  the  members' 
homes  explaining  the  work  of  the 
church  and  the  plans  for  the  new  church 
building.  Brodier  Dumond  brought  the 
morning  and  evening  messages  while 
he  was  with  us.  Sunday  evening  union 
services  were  held  jointly  with  tire 
Methodists  during  the  summer  months. 
Bro.  Leon  Neher  was  a  guest  minis- 
ter. —  Mrs.  Melvin  Reinecker,  Quinter, 
Kansas. 

North  Dakota  and  Eastern  Montana 

Minot-On  Nov.  28,  the  Minot 
church  ordained  to  the  ministry  Bro. 
Lester  A.  Zook,  Jr.,  who  had  been 
licensed  previously.  Bro.  Byard  Snyder 
conducted  the  service  and  was  assisted 
by  our  pastor,  Bro.  A.  P.  Becker,  and 


CHRISTIAN  HERALD'S  FAMILY  BOOKSHELF 


ALL  7 


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BOOKS  YOU  RECEIVE 

YOU  NEED  NEVER  WALK  ALONE 

by  Alexander  Lake.  Fourteen  inspiring 
true  scories  of  definite  answered  prayer 
which  will  help  direct  your  life  and  the 
lives  of  your  family  toward  the  abun- 
dance God  offers  to  all  who  follow  His 
commandments.  Reg.  price,  S2.95. 

DR.  IDA  by  Dorothy  Clarke  Wilson. 
Young  Ida  Scudder  didn't  want  to  be  a 
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ALL  THE  WOMEN   OF  THE   BIBLE 

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library  volume.  Reg.  price,  $4.95. 

STILLMEADOW  SAMPLER  by  Gladys 

Taber.  This  is  perhaps  the  most  beau- 
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this  or  any  year  .  .  .  the  most  genuinely 
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decade  .  .  .  certainly  the  "smilingest" 
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A  BESS  STREETER  ALDRICH  TREAS- 
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Mama  and  will  for  you,  too!  Here's 
don't  miss  reading!  Reg.  price,  $3.50' 

THE  JOHN  WOOD  CASE  by  Ruth 

Suckotv.  What  happens  when  the  first 
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be  a  faker?  This  rare  story,  which  has 
caught  the  imagination  of  both  readers 
and  critics  alike,  is  designed  to  hold  you 
spellbound!  Reg.  price,  $3.95. 


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and  your  first  selection    DR.    IDA 

CHRISTIAN  HERALD'S  FAMILY  BOOKSHELF,  Dept.    223 
27  East  39th  St.,  New  York   16,  N.  Y. 

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Nome. . . 
Address. 


JANUARY  23,  1960 


31 


PEWS,  PULPIT&  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

it  write  for  Free  catalog 

W    AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

J.P.Redington&Co. 


DEPT.  211  SCRANTON  2.  PA. 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 


DISTRICT 

OF 

FLORIDA 


Name  JACKSONVILLE 

e   CLAY  COUNTY 

R.  D.  or  St WINTER   PARK 

ORLANDO 

P.  O Zone  State  TAMPA 

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in       ST.    PETERSBURG 

address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address.  SEBRING" 

LORIDA- 

ARCADIA- 

OKEECHOBEE 
FORT  MYERS 
POMPANO  BEACH- 
MIAMI-SOUTH   MIAMI- 


Bro.  E.  C.  Zook.  The  church  and 
Sunday  school  have  been  growing  in 
interest  and  attendance.  Minot  and 
Surrey  churches  held  a  joint  harvest 
meeting  at  Surrey  on  Nov.  22.  —  Mrs. 
Charles  A.  Zook,  Minot,  N.  Dak. 

Oklahoma 

Oklahoma  City  —  The  Harmony  Sun- 
day school  class  raised  enough  money 
to  tile  the  entire  basement.  At  the 
home-coming  service  our  pastor,  Bro. 
Van  B.  Wright,  announced  that  the 
final  payment  had  been  made  three 
months  ahead  of  time  on  the  parsonage; 
so  a  mortgage  burning  closed  the  serv- 
ice. Brother  Wright  has  started  pub- 
lishing a  church  paper,  The  Parish 
Visitor.  We  had  an  early  morning 
service  on  Thanksgiving  morning.  Our 
pastor  is  serving  the  Greater  Oklahoma 
City  Council  of  Churches  as  chairman 
of  the  Church  World  Service  Commis- 
sion and  is  their  representative  to  the 
State  Council  in  that  field.  He  is  also 
vice  chairman  of  the  county  CROP 
program.  Two  boxes  of  relief  clothing 
were  sent  to  McPherson  for  transporta- 
tion to  service  centers.  —  Mrs.  John  M. 
Miller,  Oklahoma  City,  Okla. 

Waka  —  District  meeting  was  held  at 
Pampa,  Texas.  Bro.  Robert  E.  Mohler 
was  guest  speaker.  Bro.  Clyde  C.  Fry 
left  in  September  to  go  to  Myersville, 
Md.,  after  serving  our  church  and  com- 
munity for  four  years.  Bro.  Darrell 
Fryman,  Pampa,  Texas,  held  installation 
services  for  our  new  pastor  Bro.  Willis 
O.  Bosserman.  The  women's  fellowship 
continues  to  meet  each  month.  Over 
three  hundred  pounds  of  used  clothing 
has  been  sent  out  this  year.  Women 
go  in  groups  of  two  to  call  on  new 
families  or  on  those  who  are  ill.  The 
Homebuilder's  class  made  a  creche 
scene  which  was  placed  near  the  high- 
way. —  Mrs.  Marvin  J.  Groves,  Waka, 
Texas. 

Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 

Mt.  Morris  —  A  school  of  missions 
was  held  on  consecutive  Sunday  eve- 
nings, Oct.  14  to  Nov.  15,  with  the 
theme,  Africa.  On  the  concluding  eve- 
ning,   the   school    featured    an   African 


meal  and  a  presentation  by  Bro.  J. 
Henry  Long  including  the  showing  of 
colored  slides  of  our  work  in  Northern 
Nigeria  and  a  discussion  period.  The 
congregation  was  represented  at  the 
Franklin  Grove  district  conference  by 
Mrs.  Howard  Corbett,  Mrs.  Ray  Hol- 
singer  and  Dale  Kinsley.  Other  district 
events  in  which  the  church  participated 
were  the  leadership  training  institute, 
the  youth  counselors'  training  confer- 
ence, and  the  Board  of  Administration 
Planning  Retreat.  On  Layman's  Sun- 
day, Dr.  Joseph  Schechter  of  Freeport 
was  the  speaker.  At  the  annual  me- 
morial service  the  pastor  read  the 
names  of  those  of  the  church  family 
who  have  died  during  the  year  and 
presented  the  memorial  gifts  for  dedi- 
cation. On  older  servants'  day  all  mem- 
bers seventy  years  and  older  were 
honored  at  the  morning  worship  service 
and  at  a  church  family  dinner  at  noon. 
Our  Christmas  program  featured  The 
Church  at  Home,  when  family  groups 
met  in  homes  of  the  congregation  for 
fellowship  and  discussion  of  the  theme, 
Keeping  Christ  in  Christmas.  We  held 
the  dedication  of  infants  and  the  pres- 
entation of  new  members  on  Dec.  20. 
Council  of   Churches   sponsored   activ- 


==\ 


Brethren,  If  You  Are  Planning  A  Trip  To 
Florida,  We  Invite  You  To  Visit  Any  Or 
All  Of  Our  Churches.  If  You  Are  Planning 
To  Move  To  Florida,  We  Invite  You  To 
Settle  In  The  City  Of  Your  Choice,  And 
Unite  With  One  Of  Our  Churches. 

ities  recently  have  included  a  Reforma- 
tion Day  service  at  the  Christian  church 
on  Nov.  1,  featuring  an  address  by  Dr. 
Paul  Macy;  World  Community  Day  on 
Nov.  6,  at  which  time  Gerhard  Mann, 
German  exchange  student,  and  Dale 
Kinsley,  CBYF  member  who  spent  the 
summer  of  1959  in  Germany  as  an 
American  field  service  exchangee,  both 
spoke;  the  annual  Thanksgiving  service 
in  our  church,  when  our  pastor  spoke, 
a  presentation  of  Handel's  Messiah  in 
our  church  in  the  afternoon  of  Dec.  6; 
a  leadership  training  school  on  Jan. 
10  to  Feb.  15.  Guest  speakers  who 
have  been  in  our  fellowship  recendy 
are  Bro.  Robert  Faus,  a  senior  at  Beth- 
any Biblical  Seminary,  and  Bro.  S.  Lor- 
en  Bowman.  —  Mrs.  Harold  Alter,  Mt. 
Morris,  111. 


Minister's  Book  of  the  Month 


SELECTION 
FOR  FEBRUARY 


The  Creative  Years 


Reuel  L.  Howe 

Dr.    Howe    deals    realistically    with    the    problems    of    love,    sex, 
marriage,   parenthood,   work,   and   recreation,   and   shows   how   a 
mature  faith  can  make  the  middle  years  truly  creative. 
Regular  price,  $3.50;  to  members  $2.45  plus  postage  and  handling 

Notice  mid-January  Pastors  Packet  for  more  information 
regarding  this  book  and  other  club  selections 


32 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES 


Elgin,  Illinois 


Gospel 


MESSENGER 


JANUARY  30.  1960 


In  Quest 

of  a 
Kingdom 


Hays  from  Monkmeyer 


C 


mHRISTIAN  youth  have  known  the  prayer  as  long  as  they  can  re- 
member. They  have  recited  it,  repeated  it,  sung  it,  and  also  prayed  it. 
"Thy  kingdom  come  ...  on  earth."  But  where  on  earth  has  the 
kingdom  come?  In  whose  hearts  has  it  been  realized  in  its  fullness,  bind- 
ing life  to  life  and  bringing  every  heart  in  subjection  to  the  King  of  all 
life?  This  week  is  Youth  Week,  a  time  when  Christian  youth  will  not 
only  pray  the  prayer  but  earnestly  ask  why  the  answer  is  so  long  in 
coming.  They  will  search  their  own  hearts,  they  will  look  into  the  Scrip- 
tures, they  will  examine  the  church  and  its  responsibility,  they  will  join 
together  across  denominational,  national,  and  racial  lines  to  worship 
God,  start  out  in  quest  of  his  kingdom  .  .  .  and  pray  that  it  may  come. 


! 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Tlwj  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS   WRITE 


to    the   editor 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:     The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service. 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JANUARY  30,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  5 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

In  Quest  of  a  Kingdom 1 

Are  You  a  Number  or  a  Name?    ....  5 

A  Memory  of  Mauthausen  5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Far  More  Life.   John  C.  Middlekauff  . .     3 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship:  Zacchaeus  and  Matthew. 
Robert  A.   Byerly    6 

On  Fire  for  a  Cause. 

H.   Robert  Gemmer    8 

Doors  (verse).  Mildred  Allen  Jeffery  . .    10 

Moonrise  in  Ecuador. 

Arlen    Strietzel    13 

God  Is  Power.    Glen  Weimer 13 

Evangelical  Spirit  Still  Alive  in  the 
Waldensians    14 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books    25 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   16 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    18 

Church   News    27 

Toward  His  Kingdom  — 

Freundschaftsheim  —  A   Living  Dream  22 

A  Legislator  Talks  Back  23 

Brethren  Want  to  Know   23 

Domestic  Help:  A  Necessity  and  a 
Responsibility.  Mary  Ann  Moyer 
Kulp     24 

•  •  • 

In  the  last  ten  years  annual  circu- 
lation of  the  Scriptures  in  Latin  Amer- 
ica increased  from  1,935,151  copies  to 
4,758,975  volumes  for  which  the  Amer- 
ican Bible  Society  provided  about  sev- 
enty per  cent.  The  results  of  this  work 
can  be  seen  in  more  rapid  accessions  to 
the  Christian  church  than  in  any  other 
comparable  area  of  the  world. 

2  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


Suppose 

Here  are  the  contents  of  one  Gos- 
pel Messenger  clipping  of  Jan.  18, 
1936,  which  I  think  would  be  good 
for  everyone  to  review. 

Your   Church   Membership 

Suppose  the  membership  of  your 
church  was  limited  to  one  hundred 
members,    would    you    be    in    or    out? 

Suppose  that  membership  was  good 
for  one  year  only,  and  that  re-election 
depended  upon  the  good  you  had  done 
in  the  church  during  the  year.  Would 
you  be  in  or  out? 

Suppose  you  had  to  "run"  for  church 
membership  as  a  candidate  "runs"  for 
office.    Would  you  win? 

Suppose  your  re-election  depended 
upon  your  winning  one  person  to  Christ 
during  the  year.  Would  you  be  sure 
of  re-election  or  not? 

Suppose  you  were  called  upon  to 
give  just  two  reasons  why  your  name 
should  be  kept  on  the  church  roll. 
Could  you  qualify? 

Suppose  every  member  of  the  church 
was  just  as  faithful  as  you  are.  Would 
we  need  more  space? 

Suppose  your  church  had  this  set 
of  rules:  (1)  Financial  support  accord- 
ing to  financial  ability;  (2)  regular  at- 
tendance at  all  services,  sickness  being 
the  only  excuse;  (3)  each  member  re- 
quired to  help  when  called  upon. 

Suppose  you  were  called  upon  to 
explain  what  it  means  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian, to  define  the  duties  and  privileges, 
could  you   give  a  satisfactory  answer? 

Suppose  someone  wanted  to  purchase 
your  church  membership  for  cash,  how 
much  would  you  ask  for  it? 

—  L.  M.  Metzger, 
R.  4,  Delphi,  Ind. 

Most  Important 

I  liked  the  front-page  picture  of 
the  Messenger  of  Nov.  16.  Jesus  is 
saying,  "Let  the  little  ones  come 
unto  me." 

When  I  read  so  much  about  juve- 
nile delinquency  in  our  papers,  I 
wonder  why  we  have  neglected 
teaching  our  youth  the  most  impor- 
tant book.  True,  we  do  teach  the 
Bible  in  our  church  schools  and  in 
our  Christian  homes,  but  there  are 
many  who  do  not  have  this  blessing. 
I  believe  we  would  be  surprised  to 
find  how  few  young  people  know  the 
Ten  Commandments. 

In  our  public  schools  we  teach  the 
subjects  which  we  consider  impor- 
tant for  our  children's  education. 
The  most  important  of  all,  that  which 
God  commanded  us  to  teach,  we 
leave  out.  In  the  November  copy  of 
the  Christian  Herald  I  read  that  more 
than  three  fourths  of  266  local  super- 
intendents in  Iowa  believe  that  reli- 
gion should  be  taught  in  the  public 
schools  if  presented  with  no  sectarian 


( 


viewpoint.  We  know  many  fine, 
Christian  teachers  who  are  having 
wonderful  influence  upon  the  lives  of' 
our  youth.  Surely,  God's  truths  and 
principles  read  from  his  Word  would 
help  both  teacher  and  youth. 

Having  taught  in  a  system  where 
we  were  requested  to  read  Bible 
stories,  I  came  to  realize  their  great 
value.  We  had  reason  to  believe  that 
only  good  influences  prevailed.  God's 
Word  stored  in  the  hearts  of  his 
"little  ones"  will  bless  and  be  a  real 
help  in  times  of  temptation.  He  tells 
us,  "My  word  shall  not  return  unto 
me  void."  —  Mrs.  J.  C.  Williamson, 
Morrill,  Kansas. 


Recommendation 

We  wish  to  recommend  the  recent 
book,  A  Heap  of  Livin',  compiled 
by  Cora  Helman.  This  book  honors 
the  lives  of  Rev.  J.  Edson  and  Sylva 
Ulrey  of  Onekama,  Mich.,  who  died 
in  the  last  year. 

Here  are  glimpses  into  the  lives  of 
these  pioneers  in  the  building  of  sev- 
eral Michigan  churches.  The  first 
pastorate  of  the  Ulreys  was  at 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1906.  The 
Ulreys  spent  several  years  as  workers 
for  Manchester  College.  Bro.  J.  Ed- 
son  was  noted  as  a  Bible  teacher  and 
evangelist.  They  helped  to  build  the 
Onekama  church.  —  E.  Helen  Ru- 
dolph, 18639  Kelly  Rd.,  Detroit, 
Mich. 

Signs  of  the  Times 

He  preached  on  Satan's  kingdom, 
Fallen  angels,  the  mark  of  the  beast; 
The  pyramid  in  prophecy, 
Religious   beliefs   of  the  East. 

He  preached  on  communism, 
The  current  rock  and  roll, 
Divorce,  the  social  problem, 
Child  delinquents,  the  accident  toll. 

He  preached  about  the  Antichrist, 
False  prophet,  Babylon; 
Idolatry,  dope,  and  suicide, 
World-end   phenomenon. 

His  congregation  tripled 
But   he  made  room  for   all; 
He  leased  a  downtown  theater 
And  named  it  "Gospel  Hall." 

He  preached  on  love  and  tithing, 
His  soul  was  warped  and  thin; 
He  never  made  a  convert, 
But  how  he'd  pack  'em  in!  —  M.A.J. 


fc 


5 


i 


''  !^^X  NE  of  the  advantages  of 

1 1      1  moving  is  that  you  dis- 

^"•^^    cover    things    you    did 

;i]not  know  you  had.  When  we 
moved  recently,  we  came  across 
a  number  of  things  we  had  for- 
gotten all  about.    One  of  them 

"■was  an  anthology  which  the 
Reader's  Digest  published  in 
1941  to  celebrate  its  twentieth 
anniversary.  From  each  of  the 
first  twenty  years  of  its  publica- 
tion, one  article  was  selected  by 
a  panel  of  judges  —  an  article 
I  voted  the  best  of  that  year. 
The  twenty  articles  were  then 

i  printed  in  book  form. 

The  very  first  article  was  by 
Stuart    Chase    and    was    con- 
densed   from    one    which    he 
•wrote    for    The     Nation    and 

i  which  Reader's  Digest  pub- 
lished  in   its   September    1922 

!, issue.  The  title  of  this  article 
'asked  an  intriguing  question: 
■  Are  You  Alive? 

With  considerable  interest  I 
read   this    article,   now   thirty- 
,  seven  years  old,  which  attempt- 
ed   to    answer    the    question: 
What  does  it  mean  to  be  alive, 

(to  live  intensely?  And  when  I 
had  finished  it,  I  was  disap- 
pointed, for  Mr.  Chase  gave  his 
answers  in  purely  humanistic 
terms.  He  listed  eleven  "plus" 
reactions,  among  them:  art,  en- 

i  joyment  of  natural  beauty,  lov- 
ing and  being  loved,  eating 
when    hungry,     and     sleeping 

!  when  tired,  laughter.  Then 
he   listed  five   states   of  what 

,  he  called  "existence":  acts  of 
drudgery,  attending  ordinary 
social  functions,  and  becoming 
angry  —  to  mention  just  three. 
I  laid  the  article  aside  and 
thought  about  Jesus,  and  espe- 
cially  his    claim:    "I    came    to 

1  bring  them  life,  and  far  more 
life  than  before  (Phillips)." 
How  would  Jesus  answer  this 

;  question:  What  does  it  mean  to 

1  be  alive,  to  live  intensely? 

I  am  sure  that  Jesus  would 

begin  by  saying  that  life  in  its 

fullness  and  abundance  is  not 

to  be  found  in  material  things. 


John  C.  MiddlekauH 


Now  Jesus  would  not  deny  that 
we  can  enjoy  the  good  things  of 
this  life:  art,  music,  beauty, 
food,  sleep,  and  all  the  other 
things  which  can  and  do  enrich 
our  lives.  But  he  would  say  that 
these  things  are  not  enough. 
They  are,  like  everything  phys- 
ical, impermanent;  they  can  be 
taken  away  from  us;  they  do  not 
satisfy  our  basic  needs. 

Not  only  is  the  world  incapa- 
ble of  satisfying  our  deepest 
needs  but  it  has  the  power  to 
keep  our  minds  off  God  and  his 
offer  of  life.  Several  years  ago  I 
read  in  the  newspapers  the  story 
of  some  wild  geese  that  got 
themselves  in  trouble.  They  in- 
terrupted their  migration  north 
to  rest  and  feed  among  some 


marshes  in  North  Carolina.  The 
food  was  so  good  and  so  plenti- 
ful that  they  stayed  on  day  after 
day  until  they  got  so  fat  that 
when  they  decided  to  continue 
their  migration  they  could  not 
fly. 

Since  they  could  not  fly,  they 
decided  to  swim  north  on  the 
river.  Soon  they  reached  some 
rapids  that  were  so  steep  and 
swift  that  they  could  not  ascend 
them  —  so  there  they  were,  un- 
able to  fly  and  unable  to  swim 
up  the  rapids.  The  state  game 
officials  were  at  a  loss  to  know 
what  to  do.  Of  course,  what 
happened  was  this:  They  swam 
around  for  a  few  days,  knock- 
ing off  some  of  their  excess 
weight  and  then  they  were  able 
to  fly  once  again. 

JANUARY  30,   1960  3 


The  world  is  always  doing 
this  to  Christians.  We  turn 
aside  from  the  path  of  duty  that 
God  has  laid  out  for  us  and  we 
feast  on  the  world  —  and  before 
we  know  what  has  happened 
we  lose  our  wings.  Would  you 
"mount  up  with  wings  like 
eagles"?  Then  you  must  not  be 
tricked  into  turning  aside  to 
feast  at  the  world's  table  or  you, 
too,  will  find  that  you  are  too 
fat  to  fly. 

Whenever  we  are  tempted  to 
turn  to  the  world  and  away 
from  God,  we  ought  to  remind 
ourselves  that  one  of  the  basic 
laws  of  life  is  this:  "All  that  is 
in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh 
and  the  lust  of  the  eyes  and  the 
pride  of  life,  is  not  of  the  Father 
but  is  of  the  world.  And  the 
world  passes  away,  and  the  lust 
of  it  .  .  ."  (1  John  2:16-17). 

Christ  came  to  give,  to  all 
who  would  receive  it,  the  gift 
of  life -life  that  is  full,  life 
that  is  abundant  or,  as  Phillips 
phrases  it,  "far  more  life"  than 
men  had  ever  known  prior  to 
Christ's  coming.  "I  came  to 
bring  them  life,  and  far  more 
life  than  before." 

This  is  life  as  God  intended 
it  to  be  lived;  life  that  fulfills 
its  potential;  life  that  measures 
up  to  its  capacity.  All  of  us 
realize  that  it  is  one  thing  to 
exist  —  to  eat,  to  sleep,  to  re- 
produce our  kind,  to  satisfy  our 
bodily  appetities  —  and  quite  a 
different  thing  to  live.  Now  the 
tragedy  is  this:  God  offers  all 
men  life  and  most  men  settle 
for  less  —  for  existence. 

So  many  of  us  are  like  the 
little  girl  I  read  about  some 
years  ago.  To  reward  her  for 
some  act  of  bravery,  a  wealthy 
department  store  owner  turned 
her  loose  in  his  store  with 
the  instructions  that  she  could 
have  any  two  items  she  want- 
ed. She  could  have  chosen 
a  fur  coat  for  her  mother,  an 
electric  range,  a  piano,  dresses, 

4  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Religious  News  Service 


Two  men,  both  of  whose  lives  have  been  marked  by  a  controlling  purpose, 
meet  for  the  first  time  in  Alsace,  France.  Father  Georges  Pire  (left), 
a  Belgian  priest,  has  founded  a  number  of  villages  to  care  for  the  home- 
less after  World  War  II.  Albert  Schweitzer  has  given  his  life  to  the 
medical   care   of   the    Africans    at   Lambarene,    French   Equatorial   Africa 


a  hi-fi,  TV.  What  did  she 
choose?  A  box  of  candy  and 
a  doll  —  things  that  could  have 
been  purchased  for  less  than 
$10.  Christ  offers  us  life,  and 
we  settle  for  less. 

Now,  just  how  does  Christ 
give  us  this  life  that  is  "far 
more  life"  than  we  ever  had 
before?  Let  me  suggest  sev- 
eral ways  he  enables  us  really 
to  live. 

The  first  thing  that  Christ 
does  is  to  forgive  our  sins.  Now 
sin  is  not  a  very  popular  word 
in  our  world  today.  We  prefer 
to  talk  about  immaturity,  mal- 
adjustment, self-expression.  In- 
stead of  saying  that  people  sin, 
we  say  that  they  are  frightened 
or  underprivileged  or  sick.  One 
of  the  reasons  our  world  is  sick 
is  the  fact  that  for  nearly  fifty 
years  we  have  been  taught 
by  Freudian  psychologists  that 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  sin 
and  that,  to  use  the  words  of 
one  of  his  followers,  "no  human 
being  should  ever  be  blamed 
for  anything  he  does."  These 
men  have  taught  that  we  be- 
come emotionally  disturbed,  not 
because  we  have  done  anything 
obviously   wrong   but   because 


we  have  lacked  knowledge  and 
insight. 

For  one,  I  was  heartened  to 
read  a  review  of  an  address 
which  Dr.  O.  Hobart  Mowrer 
of  the  University  of  Illinois  de- 
livered to  7,000  members  of  the 
American  Psychological  Associ- 
ation, which  met  in  Cincinnati 
this  past  September.  In  this  ad- 
dress, Dr.  Mowrer  insisted  that 
sin  is  a  real  factor  in  human  life; 
that  there  are  God-given  stand- 
ards of  right  and  wrong;  and 
that  when  men  violate  them, 
they  sin  and  that  sin  needs  to 
be  removed. 

And,  said  Dr.  Mowrer,  if  this 
sin  is  not  removed,  it  leads  to 
a  hell  here  on  earth.  "There  is 
a  very  tangible  and  very  present 
hell  on  this  earth.  It  is  this 
—  the  hell  of  neurosis  and  psy- 
chosis —  to  which  sin  and  un- 
expiated  guilt  lead  us.  If  it 
proves  true  that  certain  forms 
of  conduct  characteristically 
lead  to  emotional  instability, 
what  better  or  firmer  basis 
would  one  wish  for  labeling 
such  conduct  as  destructive, 
self-defeating,  evil,  sinful?" 

Nearly  2,000  years  ago,  Jesus 

Continued  on  page  12 


EDITORIAL 


Are  You  a   Number  or  a   Name? 

THE  picture  itself  would  help,  but  you  can 
get  some  idea  of  what  cartoonist  Ed  Fisher 
is  driving  at  if  you  merely  read  his  caption. 
Beneath  a  drawing  of  two  robots  appears  a  quo- 
tation that  sounds  like  a  genealogy  from  Genesis 
or  Matthew.  It  reads  "  -  and  RB  50462  begat 
RB  50463,  who  begat  RB  50464,  who  begat  -  " 
It  looks  to  us  as  if  there  is  more  truth  than 
laughter  in  the  cartoon.  Automation  may  not 
have  proceeded  so  far  yet  as  to  perfect  a  purely 
mechanical  method  of  reproducing  the  machines 
that  surround  us;  but  something  mechanical,  on 
the  other  hand,  has  crept  into  our  human  exist- 
ence so  that  we  feel  sometimes  more  like  num- 
bers than  like  names. 

How  difficult  it  is,  even  at  this  moment,  to 
regard  the  people  we  associate  with  as  individu- 
als, as  persons  and  not  statistics.  Too  often  we 
think  only  in  terms  of  subscribers  or  customers, 
of  voters  or  taxpayers,  of  consumers  or  em- 
ployees. Each  one  has  his  number,  and  his 
records  are  conveniently  kept  on  punched  cards 
that  can  be  mechanically  sorted  and  filed.  It  is 
hard  to  remember  that  persons  are  human:  if 
you  cut  them  they  bleed;  if  you  hurt  them,  they 
weep;  if  you  encourage  them,  they  smile;  if  you 
nourish  them,  they  grow. 

Some  persons  would  like  to  cut  the  geneal- 
ogies out  of  our  sacred  Scriptures.  They  seem  to 
offer  little  as  textual  material  for  the  preacher, 
and  they  do  not  belong  in  most  Sunday  school 
lessons.  The  names  are  strange  and  it  may 
not  matter  too  much  whether  Ezekias  begat 
Manasses  or  Manasses  begat  Ezekias.  But  at 
least  the  ancient  record  gives  them  names  and 
not  numbers. 

There  were  times,  of  course,  when  the  peo- 
ple who  thought  themselves  chosen  of  God  for- 
got themselves  and  turned  to  numbering,  setting 
up  a  census  and  demanding  the  conscription  of 
labor  for  purposes  that  God  could  not  accept. 
When  they  lost  sight  of  individuals  and  began 
to  think  of  their  subjects  as  so  many  warriors  or 
so  many  captives,  they  showed  how  far  they  had 
departed  from  the  ways  of  God.  There  may  even 
be  some  irony  in  the  fact  that  it  was  an  enroll- 
ment for  taxation,  or  a  kind  of  census  taking, 
that  placed  Mary  in  Bethlehem  when  Jesus  was 
to  be  born.  Yet  how  grateful  we  are  that  the 
eternal  Word  became  flesh  — not  just  a  social 
security  number  or  a  statistic  to  be  recorded  for 
a  computing  machine  —  but  the  flesh  and  blood 
of  a  living  human  child.    Thus  God  came  in 


human  form,  in  the  person  of  Jesus,   to  live 
among  us. 

This  year  is  once  more  the  time  of  census 
taking.  The  Christian  church  can  make  good 
use  of  information  that  is  gathered  and  tabulated 
and  interpreted.  But  every  such  enrollment,  or 
numbering,  whether  in  the  time  of  Hebrew  kings 
or  the  result  of  a  decree  from  Caesar  Augustus 
or  as  a  service  of  our  own  government  ought  to 
put  us  on  guard  against  substituting  code  num- 
bers for  names  and  losing  sight  of  men  who  have 
been  created  in  the  image  of  God.  —  k.m. 

A  Memory  of  Mauthausen 

MAUTHAUSEN  is  a  name  to  speak  in  the 
same  breath  with  Dachau.  This  con- 
centration camp  raises  its  stone  walls 
and  barbed-wire  barriers  high  on  the  hills  above 
the  Danube  not  far  from  Linz,  Austria.  One 
rainy  day  a  few  years  ago  we  walked  inside  its 
gates  and  looked  into  its  deserted  barracks. 

Mauthausen  was  a  prison  and  a  place  of 
execution.  Some  of  its  unfortunate  inmates  were 
captured  soldiers,  but  most  of  them  were  politi- 
cal refugees,  and  thirty-eight  per  cent  of  them 
were  Jews.  We  saw  the  wall  of  persecution 
where  victims  of  the  nazis  were  chained  in  the 
open  air  without  food  until  they  died.  We  saw 
the  dissection  rooms,  the  gas  chambers,  and  the 
crematorium  whose  fires  were  visible  along  the 
Danube  for  many  miles. 

This  concentration  camp  where  Jews  were 
allowed  only  forty-eight  hours  to  live  was  the 
end  result  of  a  sequence  that  began  several 
years  earlier  when  swastikas  were  painted  on 
synagogues  and  Jews  were  driven  from  German 
cities. 

In  the  last  few  weeks  sporadic  incidents 
have  reminded  us  that  prejudice  was  not  elimi- 
nated by  defeating  Hitler.  Fortunately  the 
occasions  of  anti-Semitism  are  still  scattered. 
Religious  and  governmental  leaders  in  Germany 
have  taken  a  firm  stand  and  have  assured  Jews 
of  protection  and  assistance.  But  some  of  the 
instances  of  prejudice  are  closer  home.  In  this 
country  synagogues  have  been  bombed,  fiery 
crosses  have  appeared  in  respectable  neighbor- 
hoods, and  hooded  figures  meet  at  night.  Chris- 
tians cannot  cease  to  pray  and  work  until 
segregation  and  discrimination  are  everywhere 
abolished.  —  k.m. 

JANUARY  30.  1960  5 


Wood  Carving  by  Bramanti 
Photo  by  Three  Lions 


"[Jesus]  looked  up  and 
said  to  him,  'Zacchaeus, 
make  haste  and  come 
down;  for  I  must  stay 
at  your  house  today.' 
So  he  made  haste  and 
came  down,  and 
received  him  joyfully" 


Men  who   heard  the  call  to   discipleship ; 


Zacchaeus  and  Matthew 


Zacchaeus,  make  haste  to 
come  down  for  today 
I  must  abide  at  thy 
house."  That  was  the  start  of 
a  new  and  redemptive  friend- 
ship. The  news  of  the  coming 
of  Jesus  had  spread  through  the 
Jericho  area.  Zacchaeus  had  re- 
ceived the  word  from  one  of  his 
underlings  and  had  arrived  too 
late  to  get  in  the  front  line  of 
the  crowd.  Even  on  his  tiptoes 
he  could  not  see  the  coming 
visitors.  So  Zacchaeus  had 
climbed  up  the  sycamore  tree 
just  down  the  way  (Luke  19: 
1-10). 

The  surprise  of  Jesus'  abrupt 
announcement  that  he  would 
visit  in  Zacchaeus'  home  was 
shared  by  both  the  host  and 
those  who  stood  by.  Some  were 

6  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


critical.  "He  is  gone  to  lodge 
with  a  man  that  is  a  sinner." 
But  amazement  gave  way  to 
open  hearted  hospitality  on  the 
part  of  Zacchaeus  and  the  tax 
collector  took  Jesus  to  his  home. 
Evidently  Mrs.  Zacchaeus  was 
equally  warm  in  her  welcome 
to  Jesus  or  the  head  of  the 
house  could  not  have  promised 
what  he  did. 

To  give  Jesus  an  open  wel- 
come in  a  home  is  to  expect 
something  to  happen.  Some- 
thing did  happen  to  Zacchaeus. 
Before  the  visit  was  over  the 
tax  collector  had  made  his 
commitment  to  the  Lord.  This 
decision  had  some  drastic  di- 
mensions for  a  man  who  had 
been  in  the  employ  of  the 
Roman  government.  He  was 
willing  to  make  good  the  ir- 
regular   things    he    had    done, 


Robert  A.  Byerly 


even  to  restoring  fourfold  to 
any  person  he  had  wronged. 

Salvation  came  to  the  house 
of  Zacchaeus.  The  fact  that  a 
tax  collector  had  become  a  dis- 
ciple of  Jesus  was  astounding. 
We  can  imagine  a  couple  of 
reactions.  Some  of  the  narrow- 
er critics  of  Jesus  probably 
said:  "The  leader's  standards 
are  not  very  high  if  that  man 
Zacchaeus  can  be  in  the  new 
movement."  Others  may  have 
said:  "If  Zacchaeus  can  follow 
Christ,  we  can  also." 

In  accepting  Zacchaeus,  Je- 
sus indicated  again  his  mission 
to  all  who  had  spiritual  need 
regardless  of  social  status.  It 
was  the  sick  who  needed  the 
healing,    and    the    ministry   of 


Jesus  was  to  those  who  were  in 
need  of  the  great  physician. 

The  evangelists  do  not  record 
the  later  life  of  Zacchaeus.  One 
can  wonder  how  the  tax  collect- 
ing business  was  affected  by 
this  new  disciple.  This  is  es- 
pecially pertinent  since  the  role 
of  the  "publican"  was  very  un- 
popular in  Jewish  opinion  of 
the  day.  There  is  some  evidence 
that  Zacchaeus  was  rather  high 
in  status  in  the  internal  revenue 
department  as  administered  in 
the  Jericho  area.  The  Roman 
government  leased  the  taxgath- 
ering  business  to  local  men  on 
a  quota  basis.  The  abundant 
supply  of  palm  groves  and 
balsam  in  Zacchaeus'  territory 
made  the  tax  business  lucrative. 

The  publicans  often  thrived, 
not  from  unfair  practices  alone, 
but  simply  from  the  amount  of 
business  in  some  of  the  pros- 
perous years.  It  was  the  wealth 
of  the  tax  collectors  which  prob- 
ably increased  the  animosity  of 
the  nationalistic  Jews  against 
them.  These  men,  publicans, 
appeared  to  prosper  by  working 
for  the  Roman  oppressors. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  the  Jews 
spit  out  this  word  with  distaste 
and  often  spoke  of  despised 
"publicans  and  sinners."  The 
saving  of  sinners  was  Jesus'  mis- 
sion, and  this  included  those 
within  the  ranks  of  tax  collec- 
tors. Discipleship  reached  into 
all  vocations  in  Jesus'  day,  and 
to  be  valid  it  still  calls  men  from 
every  walk  of  life. 

There  was  another  man  in  the 
tax  business  who  became  a  dis- 
ciple. His  name  was  Levi  (Mark 
2:13-14).  He  was  evidently  in 
another  branch  of  the  Roman 
revenue  system  for  he  was  a 
collector  of  toll.  Levi's  job  was 
not  to  collect  the  tax  from  the 
crops  and  produce  of  the  land, 
but  to  check  the  merchandise  at 
the  place  of  toll. 

This  was  a  good  job,  also  in- 
teresting. You  met  all  kinds  of 
folk  in  this  work.  You  took  some 
abuse  and  were  often  shunned 


and  occasionally  cursed  —  but 
there  were  compensations  in  the 
work.  For  example,  all  the  news 
of  the  day  came  to  your  ears.  A 
tax  collector  could  keep  abreast 
of  things. 

Levi  had  heard  a  variety  of 
stories  about  the  Nazarene 
prophet.  The  teaching  and  the 
doings  of  Jesus  had  become  sub- 
jects for  discussion  for  the  com- 
mon folk.  Here  and  there  Levi 
picked  up  this  idea  and  that 
idea  about  Jesus.  He  sifted  out 
the  rumors  from  the  truth  and 
had  some  pretty  sound  convic- 
tions about  the  Man  of  Galilee. 

It  was  a  red  letter  day  for 
Levi  when  Jesus  stopped  before 
his  place  of  business.   The  invi- 


tation to  follow  Christ  brought 
an  immediate  response.  It  was 
evidently  after  this  event  that 
the  name  Matthew  was  applied 
to  Levi,  the  son  of  Alphaeus. 
Matthew  means  "God's  gift." 

This  new  disciple  proved  of 
great  worth  to  the  company  of 
the  kingdom.  He  had  a  feast 
for  Jesus  and  the  disciples. 
Matthew  invited  all  his  friends 
and  neighbors  for  the  occasion. 
"Many  tax  collectors  and  sin- 
ners were  sitting  with  Jesus  and 
his  disciples"  (Mark  2- 15).  This 
provided  a  unique  opportunity 
for  Matthew  to  share  his  wit- 
ness and  his  Lord  with  others. 

There  is  a  real  relationship 
between  discipleship  and  home 


Clement  O.   Skilbeck 


Three   Lions 


"[Jesus]    saw  a  tax  collector,  named  Levi,   sitting  at  the   tax   office;   and 
he  said  to  him,  'Follow  me.'   And  he  left  everything,  .  .  .  and  followed  him" 


JANUARY  30,  1960 


life.  If  men  and  women  can 
meet  Christ  in  our  homes  the 
faith  can  spread.  Both  Zaccheus 
and  Matthew  were  willing  to 
start  their  discipleship  right 
where  they  lived. 

There  is  a  pleasant  tradition 
that  in  his  late  years,  Zacchaeus 
had  the  practice  of  going  in  the 
early  morning  hours  to  the  place 
where  Jesus  had  called  to  him  in 
the  tree.  The  old  sycamore  tree 
became  a  sacred  place  for  the 
aged  publican.  In  order  to  re- 
new his  commitment  Zacchaeus 
would  stand  again  at  the  place 
of  his  first  encounter  with  his 
Lord. 


Matthew  evidently  had  a 
fruitful  life  in  the  work  of  the 
early  church.  He  took  his  part 
in  the  mission  of  the  twelve. 
He  was  in  the  upper  room  at 
the  time  of  Pentecost.  One  of 
the  records  of  Jesus'  ministry 
had  Matthew's  name  ascribed 
to  it.  This  man  had  brought  to- 
gether the  high  points  of  Jesus' 
earthly  life,  following  the  order 
of  Mark's  earlier  account,  but 
giving  much  more  attention  to 
the  teaching  of  Jesus. 

There  appear  six  great  clus- 
ters of  Jesus'  discourses  in  the 
Matthean  account.  This  evan- 
gelist saw  Jesus  as  the  promised 


Messiah  of  the  Jews.  It  is  be- 
cause of  the  Jewish  emphasis 
of  Matthew's  account  that  it 
makes  the  best  bridge  from 
the  Old  Testament  thought  to 
the  message  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

The  church  is  indebted  to 
these  two  converted  publicans, 
Zacchaeus  and  Matthew,  tax 
collectors  who  found  new  life 
in  the  Lord's  work.  These  were 
men  who  were  willing  to  wit- 
ness for  Christ  in  their  homes 
and  in  their  daily  lives.  The 
discipleship  of  Christ  still  has 
this  demand  for  all  who  will 
hear  the  call. 


ON  JANUARY  29,  1959, 
my  wife  and  I  came 
home  from  a  shopping 
trip  to  find  our  house  in  flames, 
with  fires  in  seven  different 
spots  in  six  different  rooms. 
What  was  the  cause?  It  is  obvi- 
ous that  it  did  not  just  happen. 
There  are  various  theories.  The 
one  which  we  feel  is  most  accu- 
rate, and  detectives  concurred 
in  it,  is  that  it  is  related  to  some 
testimony  that  we  had  made 
within  the  preceding  week. 

One  week  before,  we  had 
spoken  to  the  Safety  Commit- 
tee of  the  Cleveland  City 
Council  on  behalf  of  the  Social 
Welfare  Department  of  the 
Church  Federation,  indicating 
our  opposition  to  the  sale  of 
alcoholic  beverages  to  minors 
and  specifically  urging  that  3.2 
beer  be  put  under  the  same 
regulations  as  the  so-called 
high-powered  beer  so  that  it 
could  not  be  sold  to  minors  and 
on  Sunday.  This  would  greatly 
simplify  enforcement  in  the 
state  of  Ohio,  where  it  is  now 
permissible  to  sell  3.2  beer  on 
Sunday  and  to  minors  legally, 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


On  Fire 
for  a  Cause 


H.  Robert  Gemmer 


and  then  illegally  under  the 
counters  sell  whatever  else  you 
might  like. 

For  four  days  following  that 
testimony  two  white  men  in  a 
mysterious  car  watched  our 
home.  On  January  29  we  again 
testified  to  the  same  committee, 
this  time  on  behalf  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  Church 
Federation  and  the  Greater 
Cleveland  Ministerial  Associa- 
tion. After  we  finished  our 
testimony,  the  head  of  the 
Cuyahoga  County  Tavern  Own- 
ers Association  said  to  me,  "Do 
you  realize  that  what  you  pro- 
pose would  put  half  of  the 
alcoholic  permit  holders  in  the 
state  of  Ohio  out  of  business 
and  they  would  not  like  that?" 


Director    of   the   social   welfare    depart- 
ment, Cleveland  Area  Church  Federation 


I  told  him  that  I  thought  the 
welfare  of  the  young  people 
was  more  important  than  the 
financial  welfare  of  the  tavern 
owners.  The  committee  then 
proceeded  to  vote  to  ask  the 
law  department  to  draw  up  a 
memorial  to  the  state  legisla- 
ture to  ban  the  sale  of  3.2  beer 
to  minors.  That  night  while  we 
were  out  shopping  our  house 
was  entered  and  seven  fires  ig- 
nited. 

We  will  not  be  able  to  estab- 
lish the  cause  of  this  fire  unless, 
and  until,  the  arsonists  are  actu- 
ally caught,  but  one  thing  we 
are  sure  of.  If  churches  and  if 
Christians  are  to  be  truly  Chris- 
tian they  need  to  be,  figurative- 
ly at  least,  on  fire  for  Christ. 
This  is  what  he  was  talking 
about  when  he  said  that  he  had 


H.  Armstrong  Roberts 
Only  a  few  private  housing  projects  offer  houses  to  those  in  minority  groups 


a  baptism  of  fire  which  he 
wished  we  would  be  kindled 
with.  In  other  parts  of  the 
scripture  he  said,  "Take  up  your 
cross  daily  and  follow  me." 

Many  of  us  are  like  the  young 
boy  who  fell  out  of  bed.  When 
his  mother  asked  him  why  he 
fell  out  of  bed,  he  said,  "Well, 
I  guess  I  went  to  sleep  too 
close  to  where  I  got  in."  Many 
of  us  go  to  sleep  too  close  to 
where  we  get  into  the  church. 
We  do  not  continue  to  grow. 

Being  a  Christian  is  not  an 
easy  life.  It  is  not  a  life  of  peace 
and  contentment.  In  fact,  our 
world  today  cannot  be  that  kind 
of  a  world.  Dr.  Robert  Maynard 
Hutchins,  former  president  of 
the  University  of  Chicago  and 
now  president  of  the  Fund  for 
the  Republic,  says,  "At  ease,  in- 
deed! Anybody  who  feels  at 
ease  in  the  world  today  is  a 
fool."  We  cannot  be  at  ease.  A 
dairy  once  had  a  sign  posted: 
Our  cows  are  not  contented 
cows;  they  are  constantly  striv- 
ing to  produce  more  and  better 
milk. 


We  cannot  be  contented  in 
our  world  as  it  is  today  or  in 
any  day.  We  need  to  be  striv- 
ing constantly  to  make  it  a 
better  world  and  that  means  at 
times  that  there  may  be  tension 
between  Christ's  way  and  the 
way  of  the  world.  This  is  what 
he  was  talking  about  when  he 
said  that  a  father  would  be 
against  his  son  and  a  mother 
against  her  daughter,  mother- 
in-law  against  the  daughter-in- 
law,  and  so  on. 

Suppose  the  son  of  any  army 
colonel  believes  that  Christ 
meant  it  when  he  said  that  love 
was  the  way  to  overcome  evil, 
to  overcome  evil  with  good  and 
return  good  for  evil,  even 
in  international  relations.  And 
suppose  that  young  man,  there- 
fore, becomes  on  fire  for  the 
cause  of  Christ,  the  Prince  of 
Peace,  and  the  army  colonel, 
because  of  his  militaristic  back- 
ground, is  not  able  to  see  it. 
At  this  point  there  can  be  ten- 
sion, anxiety,  and  disturbance 
within  that  family. 

The  early  Christians  were  at 


tension  with  their  society.  Some 
of  them  were  literally  on  fire 
for  Christ  —  as  human  torches 
to  light  up  the  Coliseum!  Others 
were  thrown  to  the  lions  be- 
cause they  could  not  go  along 
with  what  they  believed  to  be 
wrong  in  society. 

They  were  willing  to  serve  in 
the  fire  department,  the  police 
department,  the  civil  functions 
of  government,  but  they  could 
not  put  incense  at  the  altar  of 
Caesar,  nor  could  they  serve  in 
an  army  to  go  out  to  kill  their 
fellow  men,  and  many  of  them 
during  the  first  three  centuries 
went  to  their  death  rather  than 
do  that. 

Today  it  is  much  easier.  Our 
Selective  Service  Law,  for  ex- 
ample, allows  alternative  serv- 
ice. There  is  the  option  under 
the  law  of  becoming  a  consci- 
entious objector  to  killing  our 
fellow  men  in  war  and  of  doing 
constructive  service.  Even  on 
a  broader  scale  this  can  be  done, 
perhaps,    in    the   future.     Life 

JANUARY  30,   1960  9 


Magazine  once  featured  a  new 
"White  Fleet,"  a  fleet  of  mercy, 
to  help  people  around  the 
world.  This  is  a  far  better  use 
for  a  military  machine  than  its 
present  one. 

Or  take  another  major  prob- 
lem facing  "Christian  America." 
In  1954  the  Supreme  Court 
declared  segregation  in  the 
schools  unconstitutional.  It  said 
that  you  could  not  have  sepa- 
rate but  equal  schools,  and,  yet, 
in  the  South  today  there  are 
still  many  schools  that  are  seg- 
regated, and  there  are  very  few 
voices  in  the  church  that  have 
dared  speak  up  against  it. 

True,  no  major  church  body 
has  come  out  in  favor  of  segre- 
gation and  tried  to  reconcile  it 
with  the  Christian  gospel,  but 
very  few  have  come  out  against 
it,  and  those  who  have,  have 
often  been  asked,  "What  about 
your  segregated  churches?"  We 
in  the  North  cannot  sit  back 
and  condemn  the  South  be- 
cause we  are  not  blameless.  We 
are  just  as  guilty  as  they  are 
but  in  a  different  way. 

What  would  you  do  if  the 
house  down  the  street  were  sold 
to  a  Negro?  Would  you  be  a 
Christian  reconciling  force  in 
that  community  or  would  you 
become  a  victim  of  the  fear, 
panic,  and  tension  that  might 
result,  and  maybe  fear  that 
your  property  values  would  go 
down?  Incidentally  this  is  not 
true,  unless  there  is  a  great 
panic  and  too  many  homes  are 
put  on  the  market  at  one  time. 
The  law  of  supply  and  demand 
then  would  obviously  say  that 
you  have  more  people  wanting 
to  sell  than  there  are  wanting  to 
buy,  and  so  the  price  goes 
down. 

But  because  Negroes  are  not 
privileged  to  buy  good  homes 
in  most  parts  of  America,  those 
who  are  able  to  afford  such  a 
home  will  have  to  pay  more  for 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


the  home  than  the  white  person 
might  pay.  I  can  illustrate  this 
by  our  own  area.  The  vacant 
lots  in  the  Ludlow  school  dis- 
trict of  Shaker  Heights,  where 
we  live,  have  doubled  in  price 
since  Negroes  have  moved  into 
the  area.  A  man  who  is  the 
sales  manager  of  a  large  corpo- 
ration said  he  was  offered  sev- 
eral thousand  dollars  profit  on 
his  home  over  what  he  had  paid 
just  a  few  years  ago,  before  the 
Negroes  first  moved  in,  but  he 
said,  "Without  a  moment's  hes- 
itation we  turned  it  down  be- 
cause we  did  not  want  our 
children  to  be  deprived  of  the 
democratic  experience  of  inter- 
cultural  living." 


DOORS 

MILDRED  ALLEN  JEFFERY 

Doors  ore  opened  many  ways  — 
By  a  key  or  beam  of  light; 
By  gentle  touch  or  sudden  jar. 
Or  by  the  wind  at  night. 

Doors  are  opened  many  ways. 
Which  we  can  understand; 
But  most  important  are  the  doors 
God  opens  with  his  hand. 


This  man  happened  to  be 
Jewish  but  he  was  more  Chris- 
tian than  some  of  the  people 
who  moved.  One  man,  for  ex- 
ample, moved  from  the  Ludlow 
school  district  of  Shaker  Heights 
to  the  University  Heights  area, 
another  nice  suburb,  but  in  a 
matter  of  months  a  Negro  doc- 
tor moved  onto  the  street  a  few 
doors  from  him.  This  man  was 
unable  to  face  such  realities  of 
life,  and  he  retreated  into  un- 
reality and  is  now  in  a  mental 
hospital  —  a  white  man  who 
was  trying  to  run  away  and 
hide. 

We  cannot  run  forever.  In 
Cleveland  we  sometimes  say 
that  those  who  are  moving  east 
to  get  away  from  the  Negroes 
are  going  to  run  into  the  people 


moving  west  from  Youngstown. 
There  is  no  place  to  hide. 

Incidentally,  I  do  not  wish  to 
imply  that  our  churches  are 
the  most  segregated  institu- 
tions. They  certainly  are  not. 
One  time  it  was  charged  that 
11  a.m.  on  Sunday  morning  was 
the  most  segregated  hour  in  the 
week.  I  am  quite  sure  that  11 
p.m.  on  Saturday  night  at  the 
country  club  is  far  more  segre- 
gated. 

In  Cleveland,  at  least,  the 
churches  have  been  making 
progress.  A  survey  that  our  de- 
partment made  in  late  1957 
showed  that  a  majority  of  the 
Cleveland  area  churches  have 
in  their  active  fellowship  now, 
or  have  had  at  some  regular 
period  in  the  past,  more  than 
one  racial  group.  This  means 
that  persons  whose  ancestors 
came  from  Asia  and  Africa,  as 
well  as  from  Europe,  are  in  the 
majority  of  the  Cleveland  area 
churches. 

I  wonder  if  this  is  true  in 
your  area,  for  example,  in  your 
fellowship  and  visitation  evan- 
gelism? In  the  larger  area  from 
which  members  of  your  church 
come  there  are  Negroes  living. 
Are  you  concerned  about  reach- 
ing the  unchurched  Negroes  as 
well  as  the  unchurched  white 
people?  Does  your  church  have 
a  concern  for  all  of  God's  chil- 
dren in  your  town  as  well  as  in 
Africa? 

In  tangible  form  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  is  working 
on  this.  I  would  like  to  quote 
just  a  part  of  their  resolution 
for  it  is  too  long  to  read  the  en- 
tire one.  "Whereas,  the  impera- 
tives of  the  Christian  gospel 
are  opposed  to  the  segregation 
of  any  of  God's  children  on  the 
basis  of  race,  because  it  is  a 
violation  of  the  intrinsic  worth 
which  God  has  given  to  all  men: 
and  Whereas,  the  churches 
themselves  have  not  been  guilt- 
less   in    prolonging    discrimi- 


natory  practices,  more  often 
through  evasion  and  indiffer- 
ence than  through  deliberate 
restriction." 

And  then  after  some  more 
whereases  it  gets  down  to  some 
very  specifics.  "The  churches 
urge  their  members  to  sign  and 
make  public  covenants  which 
commit  them  to  support  open 
occupancy  housing  in  their  re- 
spective neighborhoods."  Chris- 
tians in  Cleveland  and  other 
areas  are  doing  this.  Are  they 
doing  it  in  your  town?  Chris- 
tian forces  throughout  America 
are  working  to  help  achieve 
democracy  in  housing  as  a 
Christian  concern.  Is  it  one  of 
your  concerns? 

Or  what  about  the  whole 
problem  of  liquor?  Are  we 
ready  to  speak  our  Christian 
convictions  or  do  we  allow  the 
society  around  us  to  determine 
what  we  think?  Is  our  code  of 
conduct  governed  by  the  Christ 
within  or  by  a  crisis  without? 
When  we  are  out  with  the 
gang,  who  reigns?  I  think  most 
people,  if  they  are  true  friends, 
will  really  respect  us  if  we  say 
we  do  not  drink.  For  that 
matter,  I  think  they  will  respect 
us  if  we  say  we  do  not  smoke. 

But  is  personal  example 
enough?  It  ought  to  be  a  first 
step.  We  ought  to  walk  as  we 
talk.  We  ought  to  try  to  make 
our  world  a  better  world.  A 
man  was  riding  on  a  plane  from 
Texas  to  Washington.  A  couple 
of  drunks  tried  to  press  their 
friendship  upon  him  and  when 
he  got  off  the  plane  he  went  to 
a  telephone  and  called  his 
friend,  Representative  Oren 
Harris,  chairman  of  the  House 
Interstate  and  Foreign  Com- 
merce Committee,  and  said, 
"When  are  you  going  to  start 
having  the  hearings  on  the  bills 
to  prevent  the  sale  and  con- 
sumption of  alcoholic  beverages 
on  aircraft?" 

And  Representative  Harris, 
who  happens  to  be  a  teetotaler 


himself,  was  spurred  on  to  have 
these  hearings.  The  man  who 
asked  him  to  do  it  was  no  tee- 
totaler, but  was  a  rather  influ- 
ential man,  Speaker  of  the 
House  Sam  Ray  burn. 

You  may  not  have  the  oppor- 
tunity of  voting  on  local  option 
as  we  have  in  Ohio,  but, 
whether  you  have  a  local  option 
election  or  not,  you  have  the 
opportunity  every  day  by  your 
patronage  to  vote  on  the  sale 
of  liquor.  For  every  time  we 
buy  anything,  we  vote  that  that 
place  from  which  we  buy  is  a 
good  place  and  ought  to  con- 
tinue in  business,  and  every 
time  we  buy  from  a  place  that 
sells  alcoholic  beverages  we  are 
voting  to  keep  it  in  business. 
Every  time  we  buy  from  a  place 
that  does  not  sell  alcoholic  bev- 
erages we  are  voting  to  keep 
it  in  business. 

The  Ohio  Pastors  Convention 
has  realized  this  as  it  said  in 
a  recent  resolution  urging  all 
Christians    "to    discourage,    by 


Sharing  the  gospel  with  those  who 
have  not  heard  it  is  a  cause 
in    which    we    can    lose    ourselves 


word  and  example,  the  patron- 
izing of  hotels,  restaurants,  gro- 
cery stores  and  drugstores  that 
sell  alcoholic  beverages,  or  that 
are  part  of  a  chain  whose  other 
establishments  do  so." 

But  we  may  say,  "Well, 
where  can  we  find  any?"  In 
Cleveland,  surveys  discovered 
200  drugstores,  more  than  500 
restaurants,  and  more  than  500 
groceries  that  do  not  sell  any 
alcoholic  beverages,  and  those 
lists  have  been  printed  and 
are  distributed  through  various 
channels  including  the  churches 
of  Cleveland.  Further  lists  have 
just  come  off  the  press  of  dry 
bowling  alleys  and  billiard  par- 
lors, so  that  people  who  wish  to 
patronize  them  and  churches 
that  wish  to  have  their  leagues 
there  can.    You  can  find  them 


JANUARY  30.  1960 


but  it  takes  time.  The  survey 
was  made  to  help  them. 

The  church  needs  to  be  on 
fire,  figuratively,  for  Christ.  If 
we  really  get  on  fire  with  Christ, 
for  Christ,  we  can  say  with 
William  James,  "The  great  use 
of  a  life  is  to  spend  it  for  some- 
thing that  will  outlast  it." 

We  have  the  strength  of  God 
behind  us  if  we  only  accept  it 
and  seek  to  use  it.  It  is  not  just 
turning  everything  over  to  God 
and  doing  nothing  ourselves. 
Two  little  girls  were  running  to 
school  late,  and  one  of  them 
panted,  "Let's  stop  and  pray," 
and  the  other  one  said,  "No, 
let's  keep  on  running  and  pray 
while  we  run."  She  put  feet  to 
her  prayers.  So  we  have  to  put 
feet  to  our  prayers,  helping  to 
make  them  live  in  our  own 
world,  in  our  lives. 

A  stranger  once  visited  a 
Friends  meeting,  an  unpro- 
grammed  meeting  for  worship. 
After  sitting  in  silence  a  few 
moments  he  turned  to  his 
neighbor  and  said,  "When  does 
the  service  begin?"  The  Friend 
turned  back  and  said,  "The 
service  begins  when  the  meet- 
ing ends."  So  it  should  be  in 
all  churches,  that  the  real  serv- 
ice should  begin  when  the  hour 
of  worship  ends,  service  to  our 
fellow  men  in  the  name  and  in 
the  spirit  of  Christ,  seven  days 
a  week,  twenty-four  hours  a 
day. 

This  is  what  Jesus  meant  in 
part,  I  think,  when  he  said, 
"The  kingdom  of  God  is  at 
hand."  Some  of  the  translators 
of  the  Revised  Standard  Ver- 
sion of  the  Bible  say  that  what 
he  really  meant  when  he  said, 
"The  kingdom  of  God  is  at 
hand"  should  have  been  trans- 
lated, "The  kingdom  of  God  is 
at  our  fingertips."  It  is  within 
our  grasp,  if  we  only  step  out 
and  live  in  it  and  accept  it  as 
ours. 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Far  More  Life 

Continued  from  page  4 

taught  the  same  thing.  On  the 
authority  of  God,  he  declared 
that  men  had  violated  the 
standards  of  right  and  wrong 
which  God  had  written  into  the 
very  nature  of  the  universe  and 
that  a  man  could  not  experience 
life  until  he  had  his  sins  forgiv- 
en. And  so  the  gospel  begins 
by  announcing  God's  willing- 
ness to  forgive  sins. 

No  man,  staggering  under  the 
burden  of  unforgiven  sin  will 
ever  know  the  joys  of  the  abun- 
dant life.  But  once  he  accepts 
Christ  and  his  gift  of  forgive- 
ness, he  will  begin  the  journey 
which  leads  to  the  full  life. 

In  the  second  place,  Christ 
gives  us  Me  by  giving  us  a  pur- 
pose for  living.  Many  people 
miss  the  abundant  life  simply 
because  their  lives  are  purpose- 
less. They  live  for  today  and 
for  the  things  of  the  flesh. 
They  have  no  goal,  no  pur- 
pose, no  high  ideal  toward 
which  they  are  pressing.  But 
God  has  placed  us  here  to 
be  more  than  tumbleweeds  — 
blown  hither  and  yon  by  the 
wind  and  putting  down  roots 
where  we  stop  drifting. 

God  has  placed  us  in  this 
world  for  a  purpose.  He  has  a 
plan,  a  goal  for  each  one  of  us, 
and  if  we  would  live,  we  must 
discover  that  goal  and  strive 
with  all  our  powers  to  attain  it. 
Years  ago,  I  came  across  four 
lines  of  poetry  which  have 
haunted  me  ever  since: 

Couldst  thou  in  a  vision  see 
Thyself  the  man  God  meant, 
Thou  never  more  couldst  be 
The  man  thou  art  —  content. 

Before  you  go  to  sleep  to- 
night, sit  down  for  a  few 
minutes  and  think  about  the 
potential  you  —  the  kind  of  life 
you  would  live  if  you  accepted 
Christ's  offer  to  give  you  "far 
more  life"  than  you  ever  had 
before.  If  you  want  to,  write 
it  out  like  an  obituary.  But  let 
me  caution  you :  Do  not  leave  it 


lying  around  for  prying  eyes  - 
you  might  have  some  explain- 
ing to  do  ! 

Now  it  is  obvious  that  I  can- 
not be  specific  as  to  what  the 
full  life  in  Christ  will  mean  to 
you,  but  I  can  trace  in  broad 
outline  several  of  its  character- 
istics. 

You  will  live  for  others  in- 
stead of  for  yourself.  Unselfish 
service  is  certainly  one  of  the 
hallmarks  of  the  full  life.  Luke 
tells  us  that  on  one  occasion 
when  Jesus  was  teaching  he 
said,  "If  any  man  would  come 
after  me,  let  him  deny  himself 
[he  must  give  up  all  right  to 
himself,  Phillips]  and  take  up 
his  cross  daily  and  follow  me. 
For  whoever  would  save  his  life 
will  lose  it  .  .  ."    (9:23-24). 

Later  on  Luke  records  the 
acrimonious  debate  between 
the  disciples  as  to  which  of 
them  was  to  be  regarded  as 
the  greatest.  In  rebuking  them, 
Jesus  said,  "Let  the  greatest 
among  you  become  as  the 
youngest,  and  the  leader  as  one 
who  serves"  (22:26). 

When  the  Communists  drove 
the  missionaries  out  of  China, 
one  of  them,  a  woman,  landed 
in  New  York  City  after  forty 
years  of  service.  Her  clothes 
were  out  of  style  and  her  bag- 
gage battered  and  worn.  To  a 
friend  who  was  oversolicitous 
for  her  welfare  she  said,  "Do 
not  pity  me.  I  have  had  forty 
years  of  service  in  China  and 
not  a  dull  day  among  them. 
Give  me  the  years  once  more 
and  I  will  gladly  live  them  over 
again  with  China's  people." 

The  full  life  which  Jesus 
offers  is  not  necessarily  a  life 
of  material  prosperity,  a  life 
judged  great  and  successful  by 
the  world,  but  it  is  a  life  com- 
mitted to  the  things  of  God,  the 
values  that  abide;  to  moral  and 
ethical  standards  which  make 
for  Christlikeness.  Those  who 
find  life,  are  those  who  commit 
themselves  to  truth,  to  right- 
eousness, to  justice,  to  goodness. 


;■ 


Think  of  the  man  or  woman 
|!who,  in  your  estimation,  was 
|the  person  who  lived  the  most 
abundant  life  you  ever  wit- 
nessed —  and  I  am  confident 
that  you  would  say  that  that 
person  was  good. 

Christ  challenges  us  to  use 
our  God-given  powers,  to  de- 
velop our  skills,  to  render  the 
service  we  are  capable  of  ren- 
dering, to  live  life  at  its  highest 
possible  levels. 


MOONRISE 

IN 
ECUADOR 

Arlen  Streitzel 

I  WAS  sitting  on  the  ground, 
my  back  against  an  adobe 
wall,  facing  the  east.  It 
was  very  dark  and  rather  chilly, 
but  I  was  comfortable.  All 
around  was  nothing  but  dark, 
indistinguishable  shadows,  and 
the  scattered,  stark,  almost  gro- 
tesque silhouettes  of  ecualyptus 
against  a  faintly  luminous  sky. 
Stars  were  brilliant  and  scatter- 
ed by  plentiful  millions. 

Off  to  the  left,  in  distant 
homes  dogs  barked,  and  right 
with  me  was  the  wind  in  the 
trees  making  the  leaves  rustle 
softly,  lazily.  Across  the  valley, 
at  the  foot  of  the  long  range  of 
hills  miles  away,  lay  a  couple 
of  small  towns  which  were  lone- 
some, scattered  collections  of 
twinkling  lights  against  a  black, 
slightly  hazy  background. 
Above,  the  sky  was  ever  so 
little  brighter,  sharply  outlining 
the  hills.  There  were  just  a 
few  clouds  near  the  horizon  — 
almost  black,  floating  effortless- 

ly- 

Gradually,  almost  indiscern- 
ibly,  some  of  the  clouds  be- 
came outlined  with  white,  then 
turned  completely  white  as  the 
sky  grew  brighter.  There  is 
something  about  a  dark,  star- 
studded  sky  that  gives  the 
vague  impression  of  being  enor- 
mous and  far  away,  but  it  leaves 


GOD  IS  POWER 

Glen  Weimer 

God  is  Power  — 

Power  that  creates  good, 

redeems  from  evil, 

renews  the  fainting  heart, 

restores  the  lost  and  fallen, 

heals  wounds, 

overcomes  disease, 

turns  back  the  tides  of  destructive  evil, 

brings  to  confusion  the  counsels  of  evil  men. 
God  calls  you  to  be  a  channel  of  his  power  — 

the  power  that  builds  the  city  of  God  in  the  earth  — 

the  power  that  loves  men  and  women  into  life  — 

and  the  power  of  love  that  makes  man  the  temple 
of  God. 

God   wants  us  for  big  things  —  important  things  — 
God  wants  us  to  be  his  hands,  feet,  voice,  and  life 

in  the  world,  and  to  every  person. 
O  God,  let  the  power  that  was  so  immeasurable  in 

Jesus  pour  in  and  through  my  life  into  other  lives. 

Amen. 


man  closed  in,  tied  down  to  an 
earth  he  cannot  see. 

The  brightened  sky  just  be- 
fore the  moon  rises  is  different. 
The  stars  go  pale  and  the  color 
changes  from  almost  black  to 
a  brighter,  hopeful  blue;  every- 
thing is  subdued,  but  the  grad- 
ual brightening  that  extends  as 
far  as  one  can  see  makes  the 
sky  seem  as  though  it  is  getting 
bigger  and  yet  coming  closer 
and  opening  up  new  vistas;  it 
makes  one  feel  that  something 
big  and  wonderful  is  about  to 
happen. 

It  is  creation.  It  is  peaceful 
and  majestic,  and  yet  enor- 
mously powerful  —  unlimited  in 
its  possibilities!  It  is  as  if  God 
lighted  a  huge  stage,  giving 
man  the  opportunity  to  be  no 
longer  nothing  cowering  in  the 
darkness,  but  a  man,  a  living, 
breathing  chunk  of  fantastic 
capabilities  now  able  to  see 
there  just  beyond  the  horizon  a 
paradise  of  opportunity.  It  does 
not  matter  what;  all  it  needs  is 
to  be  unknown  but  hopeful  — 
something  like  a  dream  that  is 
good  because  it  is  new  and  dif- 


ferent and  off  there  where  it 
cannot  help  but  be  beautiful! 

And  I  dreamed  a  little  — 
about  life,  about  God!  Then  in 
a  matter  of  minutes,  there  was 
the  moon,  floating  free  and 
huge  and  round  and  cream- 
colored  just  above  the  hills.  It 
hung  in  a  gap  in  the  clouds, 
just  over  there  where  I  longed 
to  be,  sure  to  rise  and  light  the 
world,  and  full  of  promise.  And 
there  I  sat,  a  speck  on  a  huge 
ball  of  dirt  that  men  call  the 
world,  chilly,  sleepy,  almost 
overwhelmed,  but  a  man  alive 
with  a  mind  and  hands  and  feet 
to  work  with  and  the  ability  to 
sense  God. 


The  American  Bible  Society  pro- 
vides the  Scriptures  for  Africa  in 
nearly  twoscore  languages.  Last 
year  the  Bible  Society's  share  ac- 
counted for  a  total  distribution  there 
of  nearly  100,000  copies,  the  great- 
est number  in  its  history.  Most  of 
this  was  in  the  Congo  Basin,  where 
the  Bible  Society  serves  the  Scrip- 
ture needs  of  over  2,000  mission- 
aries, the  majority  from  the  United 
States. 


JANUARY  30,  1960 


13 


The  Italian  Piedmont  section,  home 

of  the  Waldensians,  a  Protestant 

denomination  of  medieval  origin. 

They  were  organized  by  Peter  Waldo 

(d.  1217),  a  wealthy  merchant  of 

Lyons  who  gave  away  his  property 

and  went  about  preaching 

evangelical  poverty  as  a  way  of 

perfection.    The  sect  was  much 

persecuted  over  the  centuries 


Below: 

This  building  is  known  as  the  Maison 
Vaudois.  It  was  erected  in  1889  and 
is  the  center  or  heart  of  Waldensian 
existence.  It  is  located  at  Torre 
Pellice,  the  town  which  has  become 
the  center  of  Waldensian  culture 


Evangelical  Spirit  Still 

Alive  in  the  Waldensians 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


hidden  away  in  the  Piedmont  section  of 
Italy,  in  the  Po  valley  region,  live  the  present- 
day  descendants  of  one  of  the  earliest  bands 
of  Protestants,  the  Waldensians.  This  denom- 
ination, of  medieval  origin,  called  in  French 
Vaudois,  was  organized  by  one  Peter  Waldo 
(d.  1217),  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Lyons,  who 
gave  away  his  property  and  went  about  preach- 
ing evangelical  poverty  as  a  means  to  perfec- 
tion. Waldensian  teachings  were  regarded  as 
unorthodox  since  they  opposed  the  teachings  on 
the  sacraments,  and  for  many  centuries  there- 
after, they  and  their  descendants  were  perse- 
cuted and  driven  from  place  to  place.  They 
settled  in  the  Piedmont  in  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, determined  to  retain  their  stress  on  a  return 
to  gospel  simplicity. 

In  1686,  their  leader  at  the  time,  Henri 
Arnaud,  led  them  into  Switzerland  to  escape 
further  persecution,  but  eventually  they  re- 
turned and  pledged  never  to  leave  the  Po  Valley 


[again.  It  was  not  until  1848  that  they  were 
(granted  religious  and  civil  rights  and  were 
Jable  to  live  in  peace  and  without  fear  of 
ffurther  struggles.  Today,  in  the  village  of 
Torre  Pellice,  which  has  become  the  center 
of  their  cultural  heritage,  the  Waldensian 
people  continue  to  live  according  to  their 
creed,  to  restore  as  far  as  possible  gospel 
simplicity. 

At  Torre  Pellice  they  have  built  the 
Maison  Vaudois,  an  impressive  edifice  which 
Ihas  become  the  "Vatican"  of  the  Waldensian 
faith.  Also  in  this  place  they  have  estab- 
lished a  school,  an  orphanage,  and  an  old- 
age  home  for  the  benefit  of  the  congregation. 
Despite  the  passage  of  time  this  much 
chastened  group  has  clung  to  its  faith 
without  any  compromise  in  principles. 


At  Torre  Pellice  there  is  an  old  folks  home  for 

the  Waldensian  people.    Here  they  may  live  in  peace 

and  dream  of  the  past  when  life  was  not  so  quiet 


Photos  by  Three  Lions 


A  Waldensian  school,  attached  to  the  church,  is  part 
of  the  community  at  Torre  Pellice.  Here  pupils  and 
teachers  talk  over  their  faith 


A  street  in  Torre  Pellice.    The  woman  is  wearing 
a  typical  costume  of  the  Piedmont  area 


JANUARY  30,  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Clair  Henry  of  R.  2,  North  East,  Pa.,  requests  the 
prayers  of  the  Brotherhood. 

Elizabethtown  church,  Pa.,  needs  copies  of  the 
booklet,  Selections  From  the  Brethren  Hymnal,  and 
will  be  glad  to  purchase  them  from  any  congregation 
or  individual.  Write:  Nevin  W.  Fisher,  236  E.  Plum 
St.,  Elizabethtown,  Pa. 

The  Vatican  radio,  commenting  on  the  anti-Semitic 
outbreaks  around  the  world,  warned  that  the  use  of  the 
swastika  symbol  by  the  perpetrators  is  "a  dangerous 
sign"  and  "suffices  to  make  us  very  suspicious  of  events 
which  on  the  surface  do  not  appear  very  serious." 

Membership  in  the  United  Lutheran  Church  in 
America  has  almost  doubled  since  1918  according  to 
the  church's  most  recent  yearbook.  The  denomination 
is  the  largest  Lutheran  church  body  in  North  America. 
Statistics  show  the  total  membership  today  at  2,439,792. 

A  five-page  story-picture  feature  on  the  new  Gen- 
eral Offices  building  appeared  in  the  December  issue 
of  Office  Appliances.  The  magazine,  Church  Manage- 
ment, plans  to  feature  a  picture  spread  on  the  design 
of  the  chapel  at  the  General  Offices  in  the  April  or  May 
issue. 

Five  theological  colleges  in  Asia  have  offered  a  free 
place  to  a  student  from  another  Asian  country  and 
others  are  reporting  considering  doing  so.  The  plan 
has  been  arranged  following  a  recommendation  of  the 
constituting  Assembly  of  the  East  Asia  Christian  Con- 
ference. 

The  government  of  Ghana  has  restored  to  church 
missions  the  control  of  schools  established  by  missions 
in  the  Volta  region,  formerly  British  Togoland.  The  gov- 
ernment took  over  the  schools  last  year,  charging  that 
they  were  being  used  for  political  activity  against  the 
territory's  integration  with  Ghana. 

The  Brethren  Ministerial  Council  of  the  Baltimore 
City  area  would  like  to  welcome  the  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  moving  into  that  section.  Pas- 
tors of  churches  can  help  by  contacting  the  churches 
of  the  area  when  any  of  their  members  plan  to  move  to 
Baltimore.  The  Yearbook  will  give  the  names  and  ad- 
dresses of  the  Baltimore  area  pastors  and  the  churches 
they  serve. 

Juniata  and  Manchester  colleges  were  among  the 
99  universities  and  colleges  receiving  grants  of  $4,000 
in  the  DuPont  Company's  annual  program  of  aid  to 
education  in  scientific  and  related  fields.  The  colleges 
were  chosen  on  their  records  of  strength  in  chemical 
education.  Each  grant  consists  of  $2,500  for  chemistry 
teaching  and  $1,500  for  other  courses.  Juniata  College 
also  received  a  contribution  of  $5,000  from  Smith 
Kline  and  French  Foundation  to  aid  in  "the  purchase 
of  equipment  for  the  department  of  biology." 


The  Juniata  College  choir  gave  twenty-one  concerts 
in  eleven  days  on  its  1960  tour  the  latter  part  of  January 
and  first  of  February.  Three  performances  in  New  Jer-  , 
sey  and  eight  in  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  were 
scheduled  this  year  besides  those  in  Pennsylvania;  it  is 
the  first  time  the  choir  has  appeared  in  the  New  Eng- 
land states.  Twenty  additional  concerts  will  be  given 
on  week  ends  throughout  the  spring. 

Ruth  Utz,  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
mission  staff  in  Nigeria,  was  made  a  Member  of  the 
Order  of  the  British  Empire  (Honorary)  in  Queen 
Elizabeth's  New  Year's  Honor  List  for  1960.  The  desig- 
nation honorary  is  because  Nurse  Utz  is  not  a  legal 
citizen  of  the  British  Commonwealth.  The  New  Year's 
Honor  List,  a  tradition  in  the  British  Commonwealth 
of  Nations,  honors  people  for  their  services  within  the 
Commonwealth. 

Elizabethtown  College  will  hold  three  formal  com- 
mencements each  year  instead  of  the  two  scheduled 
prior  to  this  time.  The  additional  graduation  program 
will  be  held  in  February  at  the  close  of  the  first  semes- 
ter. Previous  exercises  were  held  at  the  conclusion  of  I 
the  regular  academic  year  and  in  August  at  the  end 
of  the  summer  sessions.  President  Baugher  said  that 
the  third  graduation  program  was  arranged  in  order 
that  students  who  complete  their  studies  at  the  end  of 
the  first  semester  may  receive  their  diplomas  immediate- 
ly instead  of  waiting  until  spring  commencement. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Coming  Next  Week 

Another  in  the  series  of  Men  Who  Heard 
the  Call  to  Discipleship,  Philip  and  Thomas, 
by  Robert  A.  Byerly,  appears  next  week. 
Philip,  a  man  of  inquiring  mind,  had  little 
rashness  or  daring  about  him,  but  came  through 
in  the  final  test  of  Christian  witness.  Thomas 
needed  to  have  the  goal  always  before  him; 
when  the  time  came  for  action,  however, 
Thomas  had  courage  to  go  ahead. 

Think  of  the  Children,  by  Juanita  Purvis 
Schacklett,  describes  two  refugee  children,  one 
in  Jordan,  the  other  in  Hong  Kong.  The  author 
urges  us  to  think  of  these  refugee  children 
as  individuals,  not  as  impersonal  statistics. 

The  Boy  Scout  organization  celebrates  its 
fiftieth  birthday  this  year.  William  K.  Craft, 
a  district  Scout  executive  and  a  member  of 
the  Newport  News  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
Va.,  assesses  the  values  of  church  sponsorship 
in  the  article,  A  Service  to  Boys.  It  is  illus- 
trated with  pictures  of  the  activities  of  the 
Newport  News  church  troop. 

Knowing  what  is  right  does  not  guarantee 
that  we  will  do  the  right,  says  W.  Russell 
Shull  in  his  chapter  Guidance  Through  Medi- 
tation. Meditation,  contemplation  and  listen- 
ing to  hear  what  God  says  to  us  will  implant 
the  knowledge  in  our  hearts. 


Brotherhood  Theme:  Brethren   Under  the  Lordship  of  Christ 


A  pamphlet  entitled  Study  Units  for  Adult  Electives 
is  available  free  of  charge  from  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.  The  pamphlet  con- 
tains a  listing  of  study  units  under  various  subject  head- 
ings. It  would  be  helpful  to  commissions  of  Christian 
education  and  to  planning  committees  in  making  selec- 
tions of  elective  studies. 

Maurice  Strycker,  Brethren  Volunteer  Service  work- 
er from  South  Bend,  Ind.,  arrived  at  Jerusalem,  Jordan, 
from  Kassel,  Germany,  on  Jan.  8,  to  begin  work  with 
the  Committee  for  Refugee  Work  of  the  Near  East 
Christian  Council.  During  the  first  part  of  his  I-W 
term  he  served  as  alternative  service  assistant  in  the 
Volunteer  Services  office  in  Elgin,  111. 

Committee  on  Higher  Education  Meets 

Harold  D.  Fasnacht  was  elected  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Higher  Education  at  its  annual  meeting 
in  Boston,  Mass.,  Jan.  10-11.  Present  were  college 
presidents  A.  C.  Baugher,  D.  W.  Bittinger,  Warren  D. 
Bowman,  Calvert  N.  Ellis,  Harold  D.  Fasnacht,  A.  Blair 
Helman,  and  Paul  M.  Bobinson. 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  draw  up  proposals 
for  a  Brethren  program  of  study  abroad  which  could 
be  open  to  all  of  our  colleges.  Earl  Garver,  dean  of 
Manchester  College,  is  chairman  of  the  committee; 
associated  with  him  are  John  W.  Boitnott,  dean  of 
Bridgewater  College;  Morley  J.  Mays,  dean  of  Juniata 
College;  and  S.  Loren  Bowman,  secretary  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Higher  Education. 

One  evening  the  members  of  the  committee  were 
joined  by  Mrs.  Calvert  Ellis,  Mrs.  Blair  Helman,  and 
Joseph  M.  Long  for  a  fellowship  occasion  with  twenty- 
seven  Brethren  students  of  the  Boston  area  at  Old  South 
church.  Harry  Gardner,  chairman  of  the  student  group, 
welcomed  the  visiting  Brethren.  Discussion  on  the 
church  and  the  colleges  was  quite  lively. 

Sunday  Shopping  Issue  Reaching  Showdown 

The  issue  of  Sunday  shopping  —  a  subject  of  lively 
and  mounting  concern  to  religious  bodies  in  many  parts 
of  the  country  —  is  now  before  the  U.S.  Supreme  Court, 
with  some  action  expected  before  long. 

Cases  from  Massachusetts  and  Maryland  —  two  of 
a  dozen  or  more  states  where  protests  against  encroach- 
ments on  the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath  have  brought  sharp 
protests  in  recent  months  —  have  raised  the  question 
whether  the  so-called  Blue  Laws,  many  of  which  date 
back  to  colonial  times,  involve  a  form  of  state  support 
for  organized  religion  that  is  oudawed  by  the  federal 
Constitution. 

In  Philadelphia,  a  special  federal  court  recently  up- 
held the  legality  of  a  1959  amendment  to  Pennsylvania's 
twenty-year-old  law  banning  the  sale  of  certain  items 
on  Sunday.  Strongly  supported  by  Boman  Catholics 
and  most  Protestant  groups  in  the  state,  the  Sunday 
legislation  bans  sales  of  all  home  and  office  furnishings 
and  appliances,  clothing,  and  lumber  and  building  ma- 
terials.  Excluded  are  food,  drugs,  and  other  necessities. 

In  some  communities,  notably  in  Pennsylvania; 
North  Carolina,  and  South  Carolina,  the  matter  of 
movies,  sports,  national  guard  drills,  and  even  the  use 
of  self-service  laundries  on  Sundays  is  being  brought 
up,  with  court  action  involved  in  some  cases.  In  Wis- 
consin, Sunday  sale  of  automobiles  is  oudawed. 


The  admissions  office  at  Juniata  College  reports  that 
12,123  high  school  students  completed  the  college  abil- 
ity test  administered  by  Juniata  from  September  through 
December. 

Change  of  Address 

Earl  and  Rachel  Zigler,  from  Bulsar,  India,  to  105 
W.  College  St.,  Bridgewater,  Va.  The  Ziglers  recentiy 
returned  to  the  States  on  regular  furlough. 

Licensed  and  Ordained 

Warren  Angle,  Mike  Bullock,  and  Philip  Geberin, 
licensed  in  the  Peru  church,  Ind. 

Lyall  Sherred,  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  the  Prince 
of  Peace  church,  Denver,  Colo. 

The  Church  Calendar 
January  31 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Responses  to  the  Gospel.  Acts 
17;  1  Thess.  1—2.  Memory  Selection:  Lead  a  life 
worthy  of  God,  who  calls  you  into  his  kingdom  and 
glory.    1  Thess.  2:12  (R.S.V.) 

Jan.  31  —  Feb.  5  Brethren  Youth  Seminar,  Washington, 

D.C.,  and  New  York  City 
Feb.   1-3  General  Assembly,   Pennsylvania  Council  of 

Churches,  Harrisburg 
Feb.  2  Southeastern  Begion  district  executive  secretaries 

meeting,  Bridgewater,  Va. 
Feb.  9-11  Spiritual  Life  Institute,  Bridgewater  College, 

Va. 
Feb.  14  Race  Relations  Sunday 

Feb.  19-21  Brethen  Homes  conference,  Columbus,  Ohio 
Feb.  21-23  Pennsylvania  State  Youth  Conference,  Bed- 
ford 
Feb.  21-28  Brotherhood  Week 
Feb.  28  —  March  4  Adult  Seminar,  Washington,  D.  C, 

and  New  York  City 
March  2  Ash  Wednesday  (beginning  of  Lent) 
March  4  World  Day  of  Prayer 
March  6  Commitment  Day  (for  total  abstinence) 
March   6   Eastern   Maryland   CBYF   round   table   and 

speech  contest,  Washington  City  church 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  N'aperville 
church,  111.,  March  2-13. 

Bro.  Luke  H.  Brandt  of  Quakertown,  Pa.,  in  die  Meyei 
house,  Fredericksburg  congregation,  Pa.,  March  6-13. 

Bro.  Nevin  H.  Zuck  of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  in  the  Wal- 
nut Grove  church,  Johnstown,  Pa.,  March  6-13. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 
Six  baptized  in  die  Ottumwa  church,  Iowa. 
Three  baptized  in  the  Salunga  church,  Pa. 
Five  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter  in   die   Ft. 
Myers    church,    Fla.     One    baptized    in    the    Maple    Grove 
church,  N.  C.    Three  received  by  letter  in  die  Oak  Grove 
church,  Va. 


JANUARY  30,  1960 


17 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


EKID  Launches  "Bread 
for  World"  Drive 

A  "Bread  for  the  World"  campaign 
has  been  launched  by  the  Evangel- 
ical Church  in  Germany. 

Protestants  in  both  East  and  West 
zones  of  the  country  were  urged  to 
make  a  special  sacrifice  of  gratitude 
during  the  Advent-Christmas  season 
to  relieve  hunger  and  distress 
throughout  the  world. 

Four  large  barrels,  once  used  to 
ship  American  powdered  milk  to 
Berlin  and  kept  as  symbols  of  over- 
seas relief  received  by  Germans  dur- 
ing their  postwar  hunger  period, 
were  placed  in  a  public  hall  in  Ber- 
lin for  depositing  funds  collected 
during  a  mass  meeting. 

Funds  raised  are  to  be  used  not 
only  for  food  shipments  but  also  for 
long-range  agricultural,  medical,  and 
housing  programs. 

Pennsylvania  Students  Excused 
From  Bible  Reading 

Gov.  David  L.  Lawrence  of  Penn- 
sylvania has  signed  a  bill  passed  by 
the  state  legislature  to  excuse  public 
school  students  from  taking  part  in 
Bible  reading  if  their  parents  object. 

The  governor  noted  that  the  man- 
datory Bible  reading  requirement  of 
the  public  school  code  had  been  held 
unconstitutional  by  a  federal  District 
Court  and  that  an  appeal  to  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  is  in 
process.  He  said  the  new  law  is 
permissive  rather  than  mandatory 
and  differs  in  other  respects  from 
the  act  before  the  court. 

Presbyterian  Alliance 
Appeals  to  Colombia  to 
Respect  Religious  Liberty 

The  World  Presbyterian  Alliance 
recently  took  note  of  the  changed 
attitude  of  the  government  of 
Colombia  toward  the  Protestant  reli- 
gious minority  and  congratulated 
President  Alberto  Lleras  Camargo 
for  the  democratic  leadership  he  is 
providing. 

The  General  Council  of  the  Alli- 
ance expressed  its  hope  that  a  me- 
morial being  presented  to  Congress 
by  Colombian  Protestants  would  re- 
sult in  the  re-establishment  of  the 
constitutional  guarantees  of  religious 
liberty  throughout  the  nation.  The 
memorial  described  the  tragic  plight 
of  Protestants  in  Colombia  and  was 
signed   by   over    14,000    Protestants 


On  Nov.  22,  1959,  the  LaPorte  church  of  Northern  Indiana  burned  the 
mortgage  on  the  church.  The  debt  had  been  incurred  in  remodeling  after  a 
fire  in  1957.  Taking  part  in  the  service  were,  left  to  right,  I.  D.  Leather- 
man,  pastor,  Richard  Bauer,  chairman  of  the  ministerial  board;  Ray- 
mond  Mourer,   chairman   of   the   finance   board;   Edwin   Blake,   treasurer 


18 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


and  other  Colombians  who  seek  reli- 
gious freedom  in  their  country.  The 
total  Protestant  constituency  in 
Colombia  is  calculated  at  120,000 
persons. 

The  memorial  announced  that  116 
Protestant  Christians  were  killed 
since  1948  because  of  their  religious 
faith.  During  the  same  period  66 
Protestant  churches  and  chapels 
were  destroyed  by  fire  or  dynamite 
and  over  200  Protestant  schools 
closed. 

Italian  Protestants  Dislike 
Eisenhower's  Vatican  Visit 

The  Federal  Council  of  Protestant 
Churches  in  Italy  has  noted  some 
embarrassment  over  President  Eisen- 
hower's scheduled  call  on  Pope  John 
XXIII.  The  Protestant  council  ex- 
pressed concern  because  the  visit 
might  be  interpreted  as  a  personal 
act  of  homage  to  the  pope  as  a  reli- 
gious leader  and  be  exploited  for 
propaganda  purposes  in  some  Roman 
Catholic  circles. 

The  Italian  press  speculated  about 
the  meaning  of  the  visit.  A  Florence 
daily  said  the  interview  "brings  up 
the  issue  of  arranging  diplomatic  re- 
lations between  the  Holy  See  and 
the  U.S.A." 


Campaign  to  Eliminate 
Discrimination  in  Housing 

A  campaign  to  eliminate  racial 
discrimination  in  housing  has  been 
launched  by  the  Peninsula  Council 
of  Churches  representing  forty-six 
Protestant  congregations  in  the  San 
Francisco  area. 

The  first  stage  of  the  county-wide 
drive  will  be  the  circulation  of  a 
"covenant  for  open  housing"  pledg- 
ing its  signers  openly  to  oppose  dis- 
crimination. The  covenant  will  be 
published  when  it  has  the  names  of 
1,000  or  more  persons  who  state 
they  are  "ready  to  welcome  into 
my  neighborhood  residents  of  what- 
ever race,  creed,  or  national  origin." 

More  Refugee  Aid 
in  1960  Urged 

Dean  Francis  B.  Sayre,  Jr.,  of 
Washington  Cathedral,  who  is  chair- 
man of  the  U.S.  Committee  on 
Refugees,  said  that  funds  pledged  so 
far  by  this  country  to  the  World 
Refugee  Year  have  been  insufficient. 
He  asked  the  administration  to  re- 
lease at  once  the  full  $10,000,000 
Congress  authorized  last  year  as  a 
special  U.  S.  contribution  for  refugee 
needs.  Only  $4,000,000  has  been 
pledged  to  date,  and  there  are  "no 


signs  that  the  administration  is  pre- 
paring to  release  the  rest." 

Dean  Sayre  noted  that  under 
terms  governing  the  fund,  the  rest 
of  the  money  can  be  spent  only  at 
the  President's  direction.  The  U.S. 
Committee  on  Refugees  was  set  up 
to  co-ordinate  work  of  American  vol- 
untary agencies  in  the  World 
Refugee  Year,  which  began  last 
July  1. 

Survey  Shows  Only  3.1%  of 
Air  Time  for  Religion 

A  survey  just  completed  by  the 
National  Council  of  Churches  indi- 
cates that  of  16,353  hours  and  39 
minutes  of  broadcast  time  in  one 
week,  only  508  hours  and  48  min- 
utes, or  3.1  per  cent,  of  the  time 
was  given  to  sustaining  free  religious 
broadcasts.  Included  under  the  reli- 
gious program  heading  of  stations 
were  all  sustaining  programs  of  Prot- 
estant, Roman  Catholic,  Jewish, 
Christian  Science,  and  other  church 
groups. 

4,000  Distressed  Persons  Phone 
for  Spiritual  Counsel 

More  than  4,000  sick  and  dis- 
tressed persons  have  dialed  the  tele- 
phone number  320155  in  West  Ber- 
lin during  the  past  year  —  an  act 
which  has  already  saved  the  lives 
of  hundreds  of  would-be  suicides. 
The  work  of  spiritual  counsel  and 
comfort  is  sponsored  by  the  Order 
of  St.  Luke,  an  international  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  group  with  head- 
quarters in  the  United  States. 

Started  in  Berlin  three  years  ago, 
the  movement  now  embraces  a  num- 
ber of  other  large  centers,  including 
Kassel  and  Cologne  in  West  Ger- 
many. One  of  its  principal  objec- 
tives is  to  check  the  mounting  suicide 
rate  in  Germany,  which  since  the 
end  of  World  War  II  has  risen  by 
140  per  cent. 

Evangelical  Academy  Movement 
Reports  Gains 

More  than  55,000  people  have 
attended  meetings  or  workshops  at 
the  Evangelical  Academy  of  the 
Evangelical  Church  of  Hannover, 
West  Germany,  since  its  foundation 
in  1946.  The  Loccum  Academy  was 
one  of  the  first  such  centers  which 
were  inaugurated  after  World  War 
II  as  institutes  for  discussing  not  only 
theological  questions  but  social,  po- 
litical, vocational,  and  other  current 
problems  in  the  light  of  the  Christian 
faith. 

There  are  a  total  of  seventeen 
such  centers  in  both  West  and  East 


Germany,  from  where  the  movement 
has  spread  to  several  other  European 
countries  including  Norway,  Sweden, 
England,   France,   and   Switzerland. 

German  Religious  Leaders  Hit 
Government  Commercial 
TV  Plans 

Plans  of  the  West  German  govern- 
ment for  a  commercial  television  net- 
work are  under  fire  by  both  Roman 
Catholic  and  Protestant  leaders.  The 
target  of  the  attacks  was  a  govern- 
ment bill  providing  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  commercial  TV 
corporation  which  would  produce  no 
programs  of  its  own,  but  will  sell 
time  to  private  companies  for  com- 
mercial shows. 

The  new  network  would  be  in 
addition  to  an  already  existing  set 
of  programs  produced  and  operated 
jointly  by  the  individual  West  Ger- 
man states.  These  programs  already 
include  some  commercials,  but  on 
a  limited  scale.  Both  Protestant  and 
Catholic  groups  have  stressed  "the 
ethical  necessity  to  make  public  wel- 
fare and  morals  and  freedom  of  con- 
science the  only  measuring  stick  of 
programming." 

Most  1959  Christmas  Cards 
Carried  Religious  Message 

One  of  every  four  Christmas  cards 
sent  in  1959  had  a  religious  theme, 
compared  to  one  in  twenty  a  dozen 
years  ago.  A  total  of  more  than 
two  and  one-half  billion  cards  mailed 
last  Christmas  included  an  estimated 
650,000,000   religious   greetings. 

The  most  popular  symbol  reflect- 
ing the  spiritual  message  of  Christ- 
mas was  the  madonna.  Other 
favorites  were  the  shepherds,  wise 
men  and  angels,  all  of  whom  figure 
in  the  gospel  story  of  Christ's  birth. 

The  increased  variety  of  Christ- 
mas cards  with  religious  themes  re- 
sulted from  efforts  by  church  and 
other  organizations  to  reduce  the 
commercialism  and  secularism  which 
threaten  to  destroy  the  religious  sig- 
nificance of  die  day. 

Number  of  Protestant  Churches 
Declining  in  New  York 

Churches  of  leading  Protestant 
denominations  are  declining  in  num- 
bers in  the  New  York  metropolitan 
area,  although  the  total  number  of 
congregations  increased  slightly  in 
1959.  This  was  reported  by  die 
Protestant  Council  of  die  City  of 
New  York. 

The  council's  1960  Directory  lists 
a  total  of  2,207  congregations,  com- 
pared with   2,197  the  year  before. 


However,  it  shows  a  drop  in  the 
number  of  churches  of  the  major 
denominations  and  an  upswing  in 
undenominational  congregations  and 
those  of  new  church  bodies.  Slum- 
clearance  projects  and  the  exodus 
of  white  congregations  to  the  sub- 
urbs appear  to  be  the  biggest  factors 
in  the  decline. 

Although  in  some  areas  deserted 
by  masses  of  white  residents  incom- 
ing minority  groups  have  become 
members  of  the  old  established 
churches,  in  many  other  sections 
they  have  not.  Puerto  Rican  and 
Negro  newcomers  often  have  been 
drawn  instead  to  "store-front" 
churches  and  other  less  forbidding 
structures. 

Christmas  Tradition 
Proves  Stronger  Than 
Communist  Influence 

Radio  and  press  reports  from  the 
U.S.S.R.  and  Iron  Curtain  countries 
indicated  that  while  officially  Christ- 
mas was  not  recognized,  unofficially 
it  was  observed  throughout  the  Com- 
munist countries,  although  with  some 
restrictions. 

In  all  the  Red-ruled  countries, 
authorities  have  been  trying  to  per- 
suade workers  to  treat  Dec.  25  as 
a  normal  working  day.  But  in  Po- 
land, Czechoslovakia,  and  Hungary 
they  have  had  to  give  in  to  tradition 
and  permit  absences  from  die  job. 

Polish  authorities  appeared  to  be 
more  liberal  in  their  attitude  toward 
Christmas  than  those  in  any  other 
country.  Reports  from  Poland  told 
of  preparations  being  made  every- 
where for  Christmas  religious  fes- 
tivities. The  Polish  radio  network 
also  promised  several  programs  of 
Christmas  carols  over  the  sacred 
holiday. 

Churches  Urge  Racial  Summit 
Talks  in  South  Africa 

Some  200  churchmen  in  Soudi 
Africa  have  proposed  that  summit 
conversations  be  held  there  between 
white  and  nonwhite  leaders  as  an 
essential  step  for  the  maintenance 
of  peace  and  harmony  in  the  face 
of  rapid  social  changes  taking  place 
there.  The  suggestion  was  made  in 
a  resolution  adopted  at  the  inter- 
denominational Conference  on  Rap- 
id Social  Change  sponsored  by  the 
Continuation  Committee  of  South 
African   Churches. 

A.  H.  Broeksma,  a  former  attorney 
general  and  defense  secretary  of 
South  Africa,  asked  that  the  govem- 


JANUARY  30.  I960 


19 


ment  appoint  a  multiracial  advisory 
council  whose  task  would  be  to 
inform  it  of  results  of  such 
conversations. 

EKED  Leaders  Demand 
Germany's  Reunification 

Demands  for  Germany's  reunifica- 
tion and  the  right  of  its  people  to 
self-determination  were  voiced  in  a 
resolution  adopted  by  the  two  top 
official  bodies  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  in  Germany  at  a  joint  meet- 
ing in  Berlin. 

The  Council  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  and  the  church's  Bishops 
Conference  also  declared  opposition 
to  any  change  in  West  Berlin  status 
by  the  projected  summit  conference 
that  might  reduce  free  access  to  all 
parts  of  the  city  or  further  restrict 
communications  between  East  and 
West  parts  of  Germany. 

Urging  parishes  to  pray  for  the 
success  of  the  negotiations  between 
leaders  of  the  United  States,  Great 
Britain,  France,  Germany,  and  Rus- 
sia, the  German  church  officials 
called  on  statesmen  to  "make  all 
efforts  to  restore  the  German  peo- 
ple's unity  and  grant  them  the  right 
of  self-determination  as  guaranteed 
in  the  United  Nation's  Charter.  The 
resolution  stressed  that  means  of 
communication  between  the  two 
zones  of  Germany  are  entirely  insuf- 
ficient. Germany's  partition  brings 
upon  coundess  families  terrible  af- 
flictions every  day,  it  pointed  out. 

The  churchmen  cautioned  against 
becoming  discouraged  or  tired  in  at- 
tempts to  solve  the  German  question 
which  they  described  as  the  gravest 
responsibility  of  our  generation. 

WCC  Leader  Sees  Closer  Ties 
With  U.S.S.R.  Churches 

Closer  relations  between  the 
World  Council  of  Churches  and  the 
Russian  Orthodox  Church  and  other 
religious  bodies  in  the  U.S.S.R.  was 
predicted  by  Dr.  W.  A.  Visser  't 
Hooft,  the  World  Council  general 
secretary,  on  his  return  from  a  visit 
to  the  Soviet  Union.  He  was  the 
head  of  an  official  five-man  delega- 
tion which  spent  two  weeks  in  the 
country  as  guests  of  the  Russian 
Church.  He  stressed  the  great  cor- 
diality with  which  he  and  his  fellow 
visitors  were  greeted  everywhere  by 
religious  leaders  and  members  of 
their  congregations. 

One  of  the  members  of  the  delega- 
tion was  Dr.  O.  Frederick  Nolde  of 
Philadelphia,   who  stressed  that  al- 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


though  the  visit  had  "no  political 
purposes"  it  was  nevertheless  "a  fact 
that  we  established  personal  rela- 
tions in  an  atmosphere  of  warm 
friendship  on  the  basis  of  a  common 
Christian  faith."  Dr.  Visser  't  Hooft 
said  "every  moment,  in  a  Communist 
country,  the  church  exists  in  a  situa- 
tion that  is  not  at  all  Christian, 
but  based  entirely  on  another  ide- 
ology. Moreover,  there  is  an  active 
antireligious  propaganda.  Given 
these  known  facts,  we  were  im- 
pressed by  all  this  church  is  and 
does." 

Church  Attendance 
Declines  in  U.S. 

Worship  attendance  in  the  Unit- 
ed States  leveled  off  last  year  after 
achieving  a  record  high  year  in 
1958,  the  Gallup  Poll  has  reported. 
An  estimated  49,000,000  adults  at- 
tended church  and  synagogue  serv- 
ices during  a  typical  week  of  1959 
—  or  47  per  cent  of  the  adult  civilian 
population  (excluding  those  living 
in  institutions). 

"By  way  of  comparison,  during 
an  average  week  in  1958,  49  per 
cent  of  the  population  —  or  an  esti- 
mated 50,500,000  adults  attended 
church,"  the  report,  issued  by  the 
American  Institute  of  Public  Opin- 
ion, said. 

Surveys  of  representative  samples 
of  the  adult  civilian  population 
were  made  during  selected  weeks 
in  the  months  of  March,  July,  and 
December,  1959.  The  survey  at- 
tempted to  measure  only  the  aver- 
age number  of  adults  attending 
worship   during   the   sample   weeks. 

A  special  survey  of  attendance 
during  Easter  Week  of  1959  found 
that  61,200,000  adults  went  to 
church  or  synagogue.  This  was  59 
per   cent   of   the    adult   population. 

In  1940,  slightly  more  than  one 
third  of  the  adult  population  went 
to  worship  regularly.  By  1955,  the 
number  had  risen  to  49  per  cent.  It 
hit  49  per  cent  again  in  1958  when 
50,500,000  -  the  highest  number 
on  record  —  went  at  least  once  a 
week. 

Quotes  in  the  News 

Mrs.  Theodore  O.  Wedel:  "Al- 
though ninety-nine  per  cent  of  our 
churches  are  made  up  of  lay  people, 
many  still  see  themselves  as  a  kind 
of  cheering  section  on  the  clerical 
sidelines.  Service  to  the  church 
should  have  evolved  by  now  beyond 
volunteering  as  a  Sunday  school 
teacher,  usher,  or  cook  for  a  church 
supper.    What  we  must  have  is  a 


new  appraisal  of  the  total  involve- 
ment of  the  laity  in  the  life  of  the 
church." 

Virgil  A.  Sly,  chairman,  Division 
of  Foreign  Missions,  National  Coun- 
cil of  Churches:  "The  taint  of  colo- 
nialism still  clings  to  our  foreign 
missionary  work.  .  .  .  The  colonial 
era  was  one  which  gave  U.  S.  church 
people  an  assurance  that  there  was 
something  of  divine  lightness  in  the 
West  which  we  could  graciously 
share  with  the  less  enlightened  world 
of  the  East,  but  that  era  has  gone 
forever." 

Liston  Pope,  dean  of  Yale  Divinity 
School:  "I  wonder,  amid  the  tinsel 
of  all  our  contemporary  Christmas 
celebration,  if  Jesus  could  gain  ac- 
commodations in  any  inn  in  America 
these  days,  even  at  Christmas  time. 
After  all,  he  was  Jewish  and  he  had 
a  dark  skin." 

Liston  Pope,  dean  of  Yale  Divinity 
School:  "Christianity  must  be  made 
relevant,  not  only  to  our  town  and 
to  our  country,  but  across  a  shrink- 
ing earth.  A  shrinking  planet  de- 
mands an  expanding  love.  A  smaller 
earth  demands  a  bigger  people.  A 
split  atom  and  a  split  mankind  can- 
not co-exist  indefinitely  on  the  same 
planet." 

Dr.  Truman  B.  Douglass,  execu- 
tive vice-president  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Christian  Churches'  Board  of 
Home  Missions:  "The  big  fix  is 
television  itself,  with  its  contempt 
for  a  perversion  of  the  minds  of 
men.  Far  more  serious  than  these 
instances  of  individual  dishonesty  is 
the  misuse  of  television  frequencies 
belonging  to  the  people  for  the  pur- 
pose of  corrupting  and  desensitizing 
and  perverting  people." 

Dr.  Jac  J.  Mutter,  South  African 
Dutch  Reformed  professor:  "At  a 
time  when  racial  questions  and  seg- 
regation are  the  prevailing  topics  of 
the  day,  it  is  incumbent  upon  Chris- 
tians to  act  as  bridges  between  the 
races.  In  fact,  they  should  be  the 
bridge  which  brings  people  together, 
binds  them  together,  and  holds  them 
together  in  spirit  even  though  they 
are  separated  in  political  and  social 
life.  Christians  must  never  adopt 
the  attitude  of  apartheid  (racial  seg- 
regation). In  spiritual  life  we  have 
to  do  with  the  new  man  in  Christ 
and  in  this  new  life  there  is  no 
segregation  —  nothing  but  unity  and 
fellowship  of  all  Christians  in  their 
Lord.  Christ  is  one,  and  the  king- 
dom of  God  is  one  and  indivisible. 
There  is  not  one  Christ  for  white 
people  and  another  Christ  for  non- 
white  people.   Heaven  is  not  divided 


into  separate  parts  for  the  different 
races." 

Donald  P.  Hustad,  director  of  the 

department     of     sacred     music     at 

Moody  Bible  Institute:    "The  basic 

j  theology    of   Protestantism    revolves 

I  around  the  worship   and  praise  of 

B  God  by  the  individual  and  yet  we're 

I  letting    our   choirs    praise    God    for 

I  us.    The  praise  of  God  in  song  is 

I  meant  to  be  primarily  an   amateur 

I  art.    The  average  churchgoer  today 

is  spending  more  and  more  of  his 

I  time  during  the  worship  service  sit- 

6  ting    back    and    listening    while    as 

«  many  as  six  or  seven  choirs  sing." 

Dr.  Thomas  Sartory,  Roman  Cath- 

■  olic    leader    speaking    in    Salzburg, 

*  Austria:    "It  is  a  mistake  to  blame 

the  Protestants  and  Orthodox  alone 

i  for  the  division  of  the  church.    Nor 

'  should   the   reunion   of  the   church 

I  be  envisaged  merely  as  a  return  of 

I  those    churches    to    the    bosom    of 

I  Rome.    The  aim   should   rather  be 

unity  when,  where,  and  how  God 

wills." 

Dr.  William  H.  Lazareth,  profes- 
sor of  systematic  theology,  Lutheran 
!  Theological  Seminary:  "Outwardly 
the  secularist  is  hard,  worldly,  and 
confident  to  the  point  of  being  cocky 
as  he  defies  the  secrets  of  the  uni- 
verse itself.  But  inwardly,  he  is 
hollow,  frightened,  and  insecure  as 
he  despairs  of  the  meaninglessness 
of  his  own  precarious  existence. 
Nothing  alienates  secular  man  more, 
and  rightly  so,  than  the  sentimental, 
half-baked  moralism  of  our  allegedly 
Christian  sermons." 

Dr.  D.  T.  Niles,  general  secretary 
of  the  East  Asia  Christian  Confer- 
ence: "The  younger  churches  have 
the  advantage  over  you  of  the  older 
churches  because  we  have  always 
had  missionaries  in  our  midst,  men 
of  other  lands  and  cultures,  as  wit- 
ness and  symbol  that  the  Christian 
faith  is  alien  to  any  land.  And  so 
Christianity  has  been  prevented  from 
being  too  much  at  home  in  the 
culture." 

Dr.  Caradine  R.  Hooten,  general 
secretary  of  the  Methodist  Board  of 
Temperance:  "We  are  told  that 
Americans  are  getting  soft  and  that 
morality  is  losing  ground,  but  do 
we  see  any  relationship  between  al- 
cohol and  threats  of  human  degen- 
eracy? We  think  the  time  has  come 
when  Congress,  aided  by  state  legis- 
latures, should  take  a  new  look  at 
the  total  cost  of  alcohol  to  American 
life  and  property." 

Dr.  Milton  C.  Froyd,  research  di- 
rector at  Colgate  Rochester  Divinity 


School:  "In  our  very  attempt  to  help 
a  minister  become  effective  in  the 
practical  requirements  of  his  task, 
we  are  in  danger  of  failing  him  at  the 
heart  of  his  ministry  —  in  providing 
him  with  a  disciplined  understanding 
of  his  own  faith  and  in  equipping  him 
with  competence  as  an  interpreter  of 
the  Word  of  God  to  the  real  needs  of 
men  and  women." 

Nelson  Rockefeller,  governor  of 
New  York:  "It  is  important  that  those 
who  teach  our  young  people  be  per- 
sons who  understand  that  knowledge 
is  of  value  only  insofar  as  it  is  in 
accord  with  the  spiritual  truth  inher- 
ent in  our  Judeo-  Christian  tradition." 

Dr.  David  H.  Rremer,  chaplain 
of  Muhlenberg  College:  "At  a  time 
when  many  colleges  are  undertaking 
vast  expansion  programs  the  church 
may  have  a  special  responsibility  to 
maintain  schools  that  continue  to 
emphasize  the  more  personal  ele- 
ment in  student-faculty  relationships. 
We  should  pay  close  attention  to 
the  needs  of  individual  students,  to 
create  an  atmosphere  where  young- 
sters have  opportunity  for  social, 
spiritual  and  intellectual  develop- 
ment. I  believe  that  if  we  must 
choose  between  fewer  and  larger  or 
smaller  and  more  colleges,  we  must 
pick   the   latter   alternative." 

Brooks  Hays,  former  congressman 
from  Little  Rock,  Ark.:  "When  the 
good  people  of  the  South  —  God- 
fearing, Bible-reading  and  reared  in 
the  cultural  atmosphere  —  become 
aware  of  things  being  out  of  harmony 
with  their  ideals,  progress  can  be 
made.  But  they  have  to  permit  their 
spokesmen  —  both  political  and  re- 
ligious —  to  speak  bravely  and  to 
point  out  that  segregation  is  not  a 
way  of  life,  but  a  product  of  an  un- 
happy political  situation  after  the 
Civil  War." 

John  Wood,  associate  executive 
secretary  of  the  United  Christian 
Youth  Movement:  "The  church  must 
recognize  that  Christianity  has  a 
message  for  young  people  today  but 
it  will  never  be  widely  heeded  or 
heard  by  youth  if  we  fail  to  speak 
in  their  terms.  A  'preachy'  approach 
to  right  and  wrong,  sex  and  human 
relations,  will  have  only  a  small  au- 
dience and  a  smaller  circle  of  prac- 
titioners." 

In  Kyu  Choi,  minister  of  home 
affairs,  Republic  of  Korea:  "The  in- 
fluence of  the  Christian  faith  has 
penetrated  every  phase  of  Korean 
life  and  culture.  In  the  field  of  so- 
cial health  and  welfare,  from  the 
very  beginning  Christian  missionaries 


have  stood  in  the  forefront  of  our 
country's  continuing  batde  against 
disease  and  death." 

Dr.  Lewis  Webster  Jones,  presi- 
dent of  the  National  Conference  of 
Christians  and  Jews:  "We  ought  not 
to  let  differences  of  doctrine,  ritual, 
or  interpretation  weaken  all  forms 
of  religion  by  keeping  it  out  of 
higher  education  altogether.  Uni- 
versities should  not,  of  course,  strive 
for  unity  in  religion.  But  they  should 
strive  to  give  it  a  foremost  place 
as  a  fundamental  concern  of  all  men 
and  women." 

Rev.  J.  W.  Hanekom,  Capetown, 
South  Africa:  "The  solution  to  our 
racial  problems  and  prevention  of 
bloody  disaster  lies  in  our  daily  con- 
tact with  nonwhites.  The  only  hope 
for  South  Africa  in  its  present  posi- 
tion is  a  miracle  of  God.  In  the  eyes 
of  millions  of  blacks,  the  white  man 
is  an  intruder  in  Africa  and  should 
leave." 

Evangelist  Billy  Graham:  "We  are 
in  danger  of  entering  an  era  of 
cynicism  as  we  had  in  the  1920's 
and  1930's  when  even  religion  was 
considered  a  racket.  This  is  a  real 
danger.  People  are  wondering  if 
anything  or  anybody  is  sincere.  They 
are  beginning  to  suspect  everything." 

Joseph  L.  Hromadka,  Czech 
Protestant  theologian:  "Christians 
through  their  practical  life  and  ex- 
ample should  demonstrate  to  the 
Communists  that  they  are  not  what 
the  Communists  think  they  are:  re- 
actionaries and  obscure  people.  One 
must  now  take  a  benevolent  attitude 
toward  communism,  and  help  build 
up  the  new  society  because  it  is  only 
then  that  one  can  cure  the  Commu- 
nists of  their  mistakes  and  of  the 
malady  which  has  befallen  mankind, 
including  Christians:  atheism  and  a 
titanic  overesteem." 

Dr.  J.  Robert  Nelson,  Vanderbilt 
University  Divinity  School:  "It  is 
strange  that  in  American  usage  the 
words  pastor  and  theologian  are  so 
divorced.  In  Europe,  a  theologian 
is  quite  simply  a  person  who  studies 
theology,  and  hence  one  headed  for 
the  ministry.  Most  ministers  here, 
when  drawn  into  theological  debate, 
will  excuse  themselves  lamely  by 
saying,  'Of  course,  I'm  not  a  theolo- 
gian.'   Is  there  any  other  profession 

—  science,  medicine,  engineering,  law 

—  in  which  the  study  of  basic  theory 
is  so  quickly  and  completely  aban- 
doned by  its  practicing  members  as 
the  Protestant  ministrv?" 


JANUARY  30.  I960 


21 


OUR 


CHURCH 


AT     WORK     IN     THE     WORLD     TODAY 


Pictured  left  to  right  with  the  new  garden  plow  donated  to  Freundschaftsheim  by 
Brethren  are:  Daryl  Brandt,  associate  director  of  Brethren  Service  in  Europe; 
Lauree  Hersch,  BVS'er  working  at  Freundschaftsheim;  Leslie  Hayman,  an  associ- 
ate director  at  Freundschaftsheim;  and  the  gardener  at  the  center.  The  tractor 
replaces  the  one  which  was  donated  to  the  center  several  years  ago  by  Brethren 


Freundschaftsheim 


THE  ancient  hope  and  cry 
"peace"  rings  out  anew  this 
season  of  the  year.  Although 
this  word  has  different  meanings  to 
every  man,  there  are  common  con- 
cerns strong  enough  to  have  given 
birth  to  living  memorials  to  this  long- 
ing —  memorials  of  which  we  are 
often  unaware,  though  we  seek  them 
in  our  dreams.  My  Brethren  Volun- 
teer Service  assignment  allows  me 
to  serve  in  one  of  these  places;  I 
would  like  for  you  to  know  about  its 
birth. 

During  World  War  II  the  German 
people  suffered  and  caused  suffering. 
Some  suffered  because  they  refused 
to  be  a  part  of  the  Hitler  scheme, 
some  despite  their  participation  in 
it.  At  the  close  of  the  war  many 
folks  were  determined  to  do  all  they 
could  to  train  themselves  and  others 
for  peace  as  carefully  as  they  had 
been  trained  and  had  seen  others 
trained  for  war.    In  a  small  village 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


A  Living  Dream 

near  Bueckeburg,  Germany,  parish- 
ioners and  friends  constantly  urged 
the  pastor,  Wilhelm  Mensching,  to 
begin  some  sort  of  peace  center. 
At  first  he  held  off,  asking  what  sort 
of  place  it  should  be,  where  money, 
land,  and  help  could  be  found,  etc. 

Sacrifice  for  Peace 

About  Christmas  time  1947  a  di- 
rect gift  of  money  was  presented 
by  a  member  of  the  parish  for  "peace 
work."  This  person  had  scarcely 
enough  to  live  on,  but  when  ques- 
tioned he  said  that  he  had  had  to 
sacrifice  over  and  over  for  war  and 
that  now  he  wanted  to  do  it  volun- 
tarily for  peace.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  continuous  stream  of  gifts 
of  money  from  folks  who  could  not 
afford  to  buy  shoes  for  themselves. 

A  few  weeks  later  a  group  of  forty 
village  people  came  to  Pastor 
Mensching,  asking  what  they  could 
do  for  peace.  The  group  began  to 
meet  in  the  homes  of  members  and 
began  to  solicit  money,  which,  sur- 


prisingly enough,  came  in.  However, 
the  currency  change  came  very  soon 
and  reduced  the  sum  to  almost  noth- 
ing —  to  about  $125.  Still,  it  was  a 
beginning. 

"Gallows  Hill"  Transformed 

Land  in  Germany  after  the  war 
was  about  the  only  guarantee  for  life, 
so  it  was  a  near  miracle  to  be  able 
to  acquire  any.  Yet  there  were  areas 
judged  totally  unproductable.  "Gal- 
lows Hill"  was  such  an  area.  On 
this  hill  men  had  been  charged  on, 
then  buried  there.  A  gun  foundry 
and  many  battles  had  decorated  the 
hill.  At  that  time  it  was  occupied 
by  little  more  than  a  tangle  of  weeds 
and  some  poorly-buried  soldiers 
killed  in  the  last  battle  fought  on 
the  site  at  Easter  1945.  It  was  the 
only  land  in  the  area  not  wanted 
by  anyone  for  anything.  It  was 
leased  from  the  army  (it  still  is) ,  and 
in  May  1948  an  appeal  for  volun- 
teers was  made. 

That  first  year  the  volunteers  came 
from  Germany,  Scandinavia,  Eng- 
land, and  the  United  States.  They 
cleared  and  leveled  as  much  land 
as  they  could,  working  some  ground 
up  to  the  cultivation  stage.  Two 
Nissen  huts  were  set  up  to  house 
workers  and  tools  and  other  things 
donated  to  the  Friendship  House. 
By  spring  1949  everything  had  been 
stolen  that  was  removable,  including 
a  few  newly-planted  fruit  trees.  But 
that  was  not  unusual  in  postwar 
Germany,  and  the  friends  of 
Freundschaftsheim  began  again. 

In  the  fall  of  1949  a  foundation 
for  a  house  was  laid  so  that 
Freundschaftsheim  could  carry  on 
through  the  winter.  Interest  and 
concern  mounted,  and  the  number 
of  volunteers  grew.  Also  the  contrib- 
utors with  financial  backing  ex- 
panded, as  the  United  States, 
England,  and  other  countries  es- 
tablished "Freundschaftsheim"  or 
"Friendship  House"  committees. 

A  Center  for  Peace 

Things  have  changed  much  in 
Freundschaftsheim  since  the  war, 
and  they  will  continue  to  change. 
We  now  have  three  houses  and  four 
acres  of  land,  which  has  been 
brought  to  reasonable  production 
with  good  care.  Several  sheep  and 
hogs  mingle  among  a  dozen  or  so 


The   Church   at   Work 


chickens  outside.  A  new  tractor, 
which  is  a  gift  of  the  Brethren, 
chairs,  tables,  a  hi-fi  set  —  almost 
every  item  at  the  center  can  be 
traced  to  a  donor  who  wants  to  help, 
often  living  outside  of  Germany. 

Our  present  staff  represents  four 
countries.  We  now  operate  a  year- 
round  program  of  conferences  and 
seminars  on  various  subjects  related 
to  peace.  Students  from  many 
countries  come  to  the  center  for  a 
few  weeks  or  months  of  study  and 
volunteer  service,  especially  from 
March  15  through  the  end  of 
October. 

Freundschaftsheim  continues,  the 
expression  of  a  dream.  There  are 
many  dreamers  seeking  to  bring  this 
dream  to  reality,  knowing  that  this 
is  only  one  of  many  such  dreams 
struggling  for  life  around  the  world. 
"Is  it  really  worth  the  effort?"  some 
will  ask.  We  do  not  ask  that  ques- 
tion, for  we  cannot  answer  it.  We 
hope  so,  and  we  are  giving  our  time, 
our  love,  and  ourselves  toward  that 
hope.  We  reach  toward  the  dream 
and  find  that  our  grasp  is  always 
greater  if  we  measure  by  hope  and 
need  rather  than  by  proof  and 
achievement. 


A  LEGISLATOR 
TALKS  BACK 

To  the  People  of  the  Churches: 

It  has  been  most  disturbing  and 
of  great  personal  concern  to  me,  to 
see  the  apathy  of  my  own  church 
in  participating  in  our  inherent  duty 
and  privilege  to  register  and  vote  in 
every  election. 

By  taking  a  fast  check,  I  found 
a  great  many  of  our  members  who 
are  not  registered  to  vote,  and,  worse 
than  that,  generally  they  looked  with 
disdain  upon  individuals  who  have 
the  courage  to  run  for  public  office. 

When  they  were  registered,  they 
had  no  particular  interest  except  per- 
haps in  cases  where  there  was  an 
individual  who  was  a  friend  or  a 
relative  who  was  seeking  office.  In 
such  cases,  the  interest  was  only  tem- 
porary; there  was  no  real  conviction 
that  the  outcome  of  the  election 
might  have  a  bearing  on  their  future 
lives.  It  was  just  a  momentary  inter- 
est like  spectators  at  a  football  game. 

I  do  not  like  to  admit  it,  but  I 
feel  in  this  respect  the  church  has 
failed.  .   .  . 

However,  as  soon  as  the  elections 
are  over,  various  church  groups  come 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Delegates  to  the  Ocean  Grove  Conference  had  an  opportunity  to  direct 
questions  concerning  the  Brotherhood  program  and  related  interests  to  representa- 
tives of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board.  Not  all  of  their  questions  could  be 
handled  at  Conference,  but  Board  and  staff  members  have  agreed  to  reply  to 
others  through  the  pages  of  the  Gospel  Messenger.  One  or  more  such  questions 
will  be  answered  each  week.  —  Editor. 


What  are  the  hopes  and  plans  for 
the  immediate  future  in  extending 
the    mission    program    into    new 
'    areas? 

When  the  Board  began  to  lay 
plans  for  expanded  witness  to  be 
made  possible  by  the  Call  program, 
it  said  that  one  of  its  major  hopes 
would  be  "to  expand  our  world  wit- 
ness for  Christ  by  accepting  evange- 
listic responsibility  in  some  place  in 
the  world  where  there  is  at  present 
no  adequate  Protestant  Christian  wit- 
ness." The  Board  realized  that  such 
a  program  would  likely  cost  $40,000 
annually. 

Clustered  with  this  major  program 
projection  were  other  plans  for  ex- 
pansion in  world  witness:  increased 
literature  in  Nigeria  and  India,  lead- 
ership training  and  an  aggressive 
youth  program  for  Nigeria,  a  men's 
program  and  expanded  school  facili- 
ties for  Ecuador,  and  increased  wit- 
ness in  Japan  and  Indonesia.  These 
carefully  considered  plans  repre- 
sented dollar  needs  totaling  more 
than  $200,000  annually.  Each  of 
these  ideas  represents  expansion  into 
new  areas  of  need  and  opportunity. 
But  the  question  refers,  I  am  sure, 
to  new  geographical  areas.  In  the 
very   near   future    our    church   will 


to  Harrisburg  and  ask  the  elected 
officials,  in  whom  they  had  no  inter- 
est at  election  time,  to  vote  against 
legislation  sponsored  by  various  busi- 
nesses who  openly  campaigned  and 
voted  to  have  us  elected. 

I  do  not  understand  how  these 
church  groups  can  expect  their  rep- 
resentative, or  lobbyists,  to  accom- 
plish anything  in  Harrisburg  or  in 
Washington,  when  they  express  no 
concern  in  having  work  done  at  the 
grass  roots -by  registering  their 
members  and  having  them  vote. 
This  is  unfair  to  their  own  lobbyists 
and  also  to  the  elected  officials. 

(Actual  letter  but  signature  with- 
held by  request.  Reprinted  from  the 
newsletter  of  the  Palmyra  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Pa.) 


send  its  first  missionaries  to  Indo- 
nesia. This  venture  into  a  new 
geographical  area  comes  after  more 
than  four  years  of  planning. 

Similar  groundwork  is  now  being 
laid  in  preparation  for  Brethren 
witness  into  other  areas.  However, 
the  Foreign  Mission  Commission  of 
the  Board  has  not  as  yet  pointed 
its  finger  to  the  map  of  the  world  and 
indicated  exactly  where  that  place 
will  be.  As  to  when,  my  best  estimate 
would  be  not  before  1962  or  1963, 
depending,  of  course,  on  Brotherhood 
giving.  —  /.    Henry    Long. 

When  we  find  ourselves  in  a  commu- 
nity of  small,  struggling  churches, 
why  doesn't  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  think  of  merging  these 
congregations  even  across  denom- 
inational lines? 

This  is  a  good  idea  but  it  calls 
for  a  higher  type  of  churchmanship 
than  most  of  us  are  able  to  muster. 
I  suppose  our  denominational  pride 
plus  our  fear  of  having  to  give  up 
positions  of  official  leadership  keep 
us  from  thinking  very  seriously 
about  any  mergers  across  denomina- 
tional lines. 

Still,  in  our  better  moments  all 
of  us  know  that  when  a  community 
of  five  hundred  persons  maintains 
four  or  five  small,  struggling 
churches  in  semicompetition  with 
one  another  it  can  hardly  be  pleas- 
ing to  the  Lord. 

Undoubtedly  we  ought  to  consid- 
er more  seriously  the  possibilities 
represented  by  "the  larger  parish 
plan."  Such  a  plan  allows  several 
congregations  of  different  denomina- 
tions to  work  together  in  one  pro- 
gram under  a  unified  leadership 
without  giving  up  their  denomina- 
tional affiliations.  There  is  no  ques- 
tion but  that  many  small,  struggling 
congregations  ought  to  effect  some 
type  of  merger,  either  with  other 
congregations  of  their  own  denomi- 
nation or  across  denominational 
lines.  —  Galen  B.  Ogden. 


JANUARY  30.  1960 


23 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


Domestic  Help: 

A  Necessity  and  a  Responsibility 


Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp 


AT  SIX  o'clock  every  morning 
except  Sunday,  I  hear  the 
sound  of  a  key  opening  the 
back  door,  and  I  know  that  my  cook 
has  come  and  another  day  has  begun. 

It  has  been  the  custom  for  mis- 
sionary families  in  which  both  par- 
ents are  working  to  employ  local 
Nigerians  to  do  the  cooking,  heavy 
housework,  and  the  laundry  and 
gardening.  Without  this  arrange- 
ment, it  would  be  impossible  for 
the  mother  to  work  outside  the 
home. 

In  Africa,  cooking  and  entertain- 
ing, housework  and  laundry  require 
twice  as  much  time  as  they  do  at 
home. 

In  America  I  would  have  shud- 
dered at  the  thought  of  setting  a 
table  for  twelve  or  more  several 
times  a  month;  but  here,  where 
travel  between  stations  is  constant, 
this  is  not  an  unusual  event.  Just 
as  it  was  in  the  pioneer  days  of  the 
U.S.,  work  here  is  done  largely  by 
hand  and  sweat  of  the  brow. 

Laundry  by  Hand 

Fires  must  be  built,  water  must 
be  heated  for  everything.  Laundry 
is  done  completely  by  hand  and  the 
ironing  with  flat  irons  or  a  kerosene 
iron.  Floors  must  be  scrubbed  and 
the  house  cleaned  almost  daily  to 
combat  the  dust  in  dry  season  and 
mud  during  the  rains;  lamps  must 
be  cleaned  and  filled  daily.  There 
is  bread  to  be  baked,  and  food  must 
be  prepared  "from  scratch"  (no  pre- 
pared, packaged,  frozen,  ready-to- 
serve  TV  dinners). 

If  a  housewife  were  to  do  all  of 
these  tasks  by  herself,  she  would 
have  no  time  at  all  for  her  children 
or  for  mission  work. 

The  House  Staff 

Most  families  employ  a  cook,  a 
household  worker,  and  a  combina- 
tion laundryman  and  gardener,  all 
of  whom  are  paid  in  proportion  to 
the  amount  of  experience  they  have 
had.   If  there  are  children,  a  depend- 


Part  five  of  a  series  of  articles 
describing  missionary  life  in 
Nigeria,  published  originally  in 
the  Waynesboro  Record  Herald, 
Pennsylvania 


African  nursemaid  carries 

missionary  child  as  she 

would  her  own 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


able  nursemaid  is  necessary  to  keep 
an  eye  on  the  offspring  while  mother 
is  teaching,  preaching,  nursing,  or 
what  have  you. 

The  majority  of  these  household 
workers  have  had  some  amount  of 
schooling,  and  most  are  able  to  con- 
verse in  English.  All  are  eager  to 
learn  more  English,  which  makes 
it  difficult  for  us  who  are  just  as 
eager  to  learn  their  dialect. 

The  result  is  usually  a  "pidginiza- 
tion"  of  both  languages,  which  is 
grammatically  terrible  but  better 
than  being  unable  to  communicate 
with  them  at  all. 

Real  Challenge 

Becoming  adjusted  to  this  staff 
can  prove  a  real  challenge  to  new 


missionaries,  particularly  if  they  have 
never  had  experience  at  home  in 
employing  domestic  help.  At  first 
I  found  it  embarrassing  and  irritating 
to  go  into  the  kitchen  early  in  the 
morning  and  find  Haruna  scrambling 
eggs  or  to  step  into  the  study  and 
see  Wajiri  dusting  encyclopedias. 

I  rebelled  at  the  idea  of  giving 
up  the  freedom  and  privilege  of  pre- 
paring our  meals  and  making  our 
beds.  Especially  I  rebelled  at  the 
thought  of  leaving  the  children  with 
an  African  while  I  went  off  to  the 
dispensary  to  treat  dysentery  and 
dress  ulcers.  I  hated  the  whole  "sys- 
tem" and  I  searched  for  a  remedy. 

Alas,  I  found  none.  The  mission- 
ary mother  has  two  alternatives:  to 
serve  the  mission  or  not  to  serve  the 


-The   Church   at  Work 


Amission.  In  the  first  instance,  she 
^must  have  assistance  in  the  home; 
iin  the  latter,  she  must  spend  all  her 

time  doing  housework.  So,  I  chose 
jthe  former,  since,  after  all,  that  is 
ithe  purpose  for  which  we  came  to 
i  Nigeria.    And  in  time  I  have  come 

to  see  the  advantages  of  the  setup, 
'and  to  feel  enormous  appreciation 
ifor  the  work  our  household  helpers 

accomplish. 

I  look  upon  them  now  as  being 
J  responsible  for  making  it  possible  for 

me  to  work  among  their  brothers, 
land  to  spend  more  time  with  my 
I  own    little    girls.     We    have    been 

particularly  fortunate  in  finding  a 
,  trustworthy,  willing,  and  loving 
i  companion  for  the  children  —  a 
•  young  boy  who  is  old  enough  to 
i  be  dependable  and  young  enough 
i  to  fit  into  their  games. 

An  Ideal  Nurse 

It  warms  my  heart  to  come  home 
from  the  dispensary  and  find  Girama 
playing  in  the  sandbox  with  the  girls, 
or  hiding  in  the  closet  while  they 
pretend  he  is  a  hyena  hiding  in  the 
hills.  They  have  come  to  love  him, 
and  there  are  no  tears  when  I  must 
leave  the  house. 

These  Africans  become  an  indis- 
pensable part  of  our  life.  And  their 
problems  become  ours.  While  it  is 
true  that  they  take  the  place  of  time- 
saving  gadgets  used  at  home,  such 
as  dishwashers,  electric  stoves,  mix- 
ers, water  heaters,  etc.,  the  com- 
parison ends  there. 

These  gadgets  are  inanimate,  and 
the  greatest  inconvenience  they  can 
cause  is  to  necessitate  a  visit  from 
the  repairman.  However,  where  our 
helpers  are  concerned,  the  problems 
and  inconveniences  are  multiplied  a 
hundredfold. 

For  example,  our  cook  has  a  stom- 
ach ulcer  which  flares  up  every  now 
and  then,  making  a  small  vacation 
necessary  for  him.  (This  includes 
a  special  diet  and  medications  every 
two  hours. )  Our  house  cleaner  looks 
upon  this  situation  with  considerable 
pleasure  as  he  attempts  to  take  over 
the  cooking,  leaving  the  beds  un- 
made and  the  floors  unscrubbed. 

Tragedy  Strikes 

Not  only  do  we  take  upon  our- 
selves their  personal  problems,  but 
also  the  concerns  of  their  families. 
Not  long  ago,  a  fire  destroyed 
Wajiri's  house  and  all  of  his  belong- 
ings. We  felt  about  this  tragedy  al- 
most as  we  would  have  felt  had  it 
happened  to  one  of  our  family. 


Where  we  could,  we  attempted 
to  replace  what  they  had  lost,  and 
to  get  them  on  their  feet  financially, 
but  the  point  is,  we  regard  their  wel- 
fare as  our  loving  responsibility.  Not 
all  missionaries  become  involved  to 
this  extent  in  the  fives  of  their  work- 
ers.   However,  we  feel  there  can  be 


no  other  way,  and  when  they  seek 
advice  or  help  from  us,  we  try  to 
give  it  freely. 

We  consider  it  a  privilege,  for  it 
is  one  means  of  bridging  that  very 
real  and  nearly  overwhelming  gap 
between  the  American  and  the 
African. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not 
necessarily  constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made 
through  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles 
recommended    for    church    libraries    are    marked    with    an    asterisk    (•).  — Editor 


Choral  Reading  for  Teen-age  Wor- 
ship and  Inspiration.  Edited  by  Hel- 
en A.  Brown  and  Harry  J.  Heltman. 
Westminster,  1959.  62  pages.  $1.00. 

Here  is  a  much-needed  worship 
resource  for  youth  and  their  adult 
leaders.  The  sixty-two-page  book  is 
one  of  a  choral  reading  series  that 
has  received  wide  use  by  church 
groups  and  is  by  the  same  editors  of 
Choral  Reading  for  Worship  and  In- 
spiration, Choral  Readings  From  the 
Bible,  Choral  Readings  for  Junior 
Worship,  and  others.  This  particular 
worship  aid  has  sections  on  Brother- 
hood, Faith,  God's  World,  The  Great 
Teacher,  Inspiration,  Prayer,  and 
Special  Days.  The  introduction  sec- 
tion gives  enough  help  for  even  the 
amateur  to  use  choral  reading  with 
youth  groups,  even  without  prior 
training.  This  book  would  have 
many  uses  in  church  school,  camp, 
and  youth  fellowship  gatherings.  — 
Paul  M.  Weaver. 

A  Handbook  of  Church  Public  Re- 
lations. Ralph  Stoddy.  Abingdon, 
1959.   255  pages.    $4.00. 

Dr.  Stoddy,  the  general  secretary 
of  the  Commission  on  Public  Rela- 
tions and  Methodist  Information  and 
a  member  of  the  Television,  Radio, 
and  Film  Commission  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  has  had  a  long  career 
in  press  service.  As  a  war  corres- 
pondent, he  traveled  to  thirty-seven 
countries  on  four  continents.  Out  of 
this  background,  he  shares  with  us 
the  ways  in  which  to  use  imagina- 
tively and  effectively  the  public 
relations  opportunities  presented  to 
the  church  today. 

He  points  out  that  in  the  Middle 
Ages  the  church  used  spires  and  bell 
towers  to  broadcast  its  summons  to 
prayer,  but  today  we  have  far  vaster 
resources.   Using  a  wealth  of  illustra- 


tions from  large  and  small  churches, 
from  all  parts  of  the  country,  he  ex- 
amines press  relations,  radio  and  tel- 
evision, and  the  impact  the  church 
makes  on  its  community. 

Among  questions  discussed  are: 
What  can  I  do  when  there  is  no 
news?  How  can  we  get  air  time? 
Who  should  serve  on  the  P.R.  com- 
mittee? etc.  He  covers  the  simple 
news  release  and  nearly  everything 
to  complete  coverage  of  a  denom- 
inational conference.  In  simplest 
terms,  Dr.  Stoddy  says,  "Good  pub- 
lic relations  is  making  friends  for 
Christ  and  his  church." 

Part  three  discusses  concerns 
Brethren  often  overlook:  Immaccu- 
late  housekeeping,  landscaping  and 
lighting,  adequate  and  comfortable 
equipment  for  worship,  training  and 
service.  —  Charles  E.  Zunkel,  Port 
Republic,  Va. 

An  Introduction  to  Pastoral  Coun- 
seling. Edited  by  Wayne  E.  Oates. 
Broadman,  1959.    331  pages.  $6.00. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
books  a  minister  can  purchase  to 
enable  him  to  fulfill  better  his 
Christian  vocation  as  an  effective 
counselor  to  his  parish.  Under  the 
brilliant  editorship  of  Wayne  E. 
Oates,  the  professors  of  pastoral  care 
of  five  Southern  Baptist  seminaries 
have  contributed  unusually  spiritual, 
practical,  and  sound  chapters  on  all 
phases  of  counseling  a  pastor  en- 
counters in  a  vital  ministry.  Al- 
though prepared  principally  for  use 
as  a  seminary  text,  it  is  highly  read- 
able and  intended  to  be  a  basic 
manual  for  pastors  regardless  of  edu- 
cational background  or  training  al- 
ready facing  the  opportunities  and 
problems  of  counseling. 


JANUARY  30,  I960 


25 


Practical  in  its  approach,  the  book 
begins  with  three  chapters  on  Coun- 
seling in  the  Context  of  the  Church 
and  concludes  with  six  chapters  on 
Pastoral  Counseling  and  the  Educa- 
tional Intentions  of  the  Church.  The 
other  three  major  sections,  consisting 
of  sixteen  chapters,  are  devoted  to 
other  significant  matters:  the  person- 
ality of  the  counselor,  interviews, 
techniques  and  the  problems,  the  re- 
lation of  counseling  to  preaching  and 
the  interpretation  of  the  Christian 
faith,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  coun- 
selor of  counselors. 

Unless  a  minister  has  had  recent 
specialized  training  or  has  a  number 
of  first-class  books  in  this  field,  the 
$6.00  cost  of  this  book  should  not 
deter  its  purchase.  —  Harold  Z.  Bam- 
berger. Harrisburg,  Fa. 

Power  Through  Prayer.  Ronald 
W.  Goetsch.  Concordia,  1959.  145 
pages. 

This  Lutheran-oriented  volume 
provides  a  convenient  manual  on 
prayer.  God's  commandment  of 
prayer  is  predicated  on  his  desire 
for  communion  with  man  and 
man's  need.  Here,  then,  says  Pastor 
Goetsch,  is  the  guarantee  that  true 
prayer  will  be  heard. 

The  second  section  on  Difficulties 
in  the  Way  of  Prayer  offers  helpful 
suggestions  for  those  who  have  prob- 
lems in  praying. 

The  practical  questions  of  how  to 
pray,  kinds  of  prayer,  when  to  pray, 
and  what  to  pray  for  are  considered 
in  section  three.  —  David  J.  Wieand, 
Chicago,  III. 

Woman  to  Woman.  Eugenia  Price. 
Zondervan,  1959.   241  pages.    $2.95. 

"Because  God  has  placed  such 
breath-taking  responsibility  in  our 
hands"  is  one  of  the  reasons  the 
author  stands  in  awe  of  women. 
These  responsibilities  often  become 
so  frightening  to  women  that  prob- 
lems arise.  How  to  solve  these 
problems  is  the  purpose  of  the  author 
as  she  writes  on  the  Difference  Christ 
Makes  in  the  Disposition,  the  Repu- 
tation, the  Work,  the  Appearance, 
Married  Life,  Unmarried  Life,  the 
Rebellions,  the  Understanding  of 
Human  Nature  and  God's  Nature, 
and  the  Way  to  Face  Life  and  Death. 

The  book  reads  easily  and  speaks 
directly  and  clearly  to  the  individual 
problem.  It  grows  out  of  the  ques- 
tions from  women  and  girls  directly 
to  the  author.  Eugenia  Price  is  well 
known  through  her  radio  programs 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


and  her  column  in  the  Evangel  and 
Youth  for  Christ  magazines.  —  Irene 
F.   Bittinger,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

•  Introduction  to  the  Bible.  Vari- 
ous Authors.  John  Knox,  1959.  171 
pages.    $2.00. 

With  the  publication  of  this  book 
the  John  Knox  Press  inaugurates  the 
Layman's  Bible  Commentary,  which 
gives  promise  of  being  an  excellent 
help  in  interpreting  Scriptures  for 
laymen.  Every  effort  has  been  ex- 
pended to  avoid  technical  terms  and 
to  write  in  language  that  the  man  in 
the  pew  will  understand. 

This  first  volume  of  the  series  pre- 
sents important  background  material 
about  which  every  layman  should 
know  something.  Apart  from  much 
of  this  knowledge  the  understanding 
of  passages  and  books  of  the  Bible 
can  hardly  be  adequate.  The  five 
chapters  discuss  the  nature  of  the 
Bible,  its  message,  the  history  of  the 
people  of  God,  how  we  got  our 
Bible,  and  how  the  Bible  should  be 
studied. 

Here  is  a  book  which  laymen  can- 
not afford  to  miss.  The  chapters 
entitled  What  Is  the  Bible?  and  How 
to  Study  the  Bible  should  be  musts 
on  their  reading  list.  —  David  J. 
Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 

*  Teaching  Senior  Highs.  Paul  T. 
Losh.   Judson,  1959.   72  pages.  75c. 

This  book  is  another  in  a  series  on 
teaching  methods  for  various  age 
groups  in  the  church.  The  book 
should  prove  to  be  very  helpful  to 
teachers  of  youth  in  that  it  gives 
specific  suggestions  and  concrete 
ideas  of  how  best  to  teach  this  age 
group.  It  begins  by  bringing  into 
focus  the  characteristics  of  youth 
today  and  raises  objectives  to  be 
reached  in  the  teaching  ministry  of 
the  church. 

Different  methods  of  presenting 
the  church  school  lesson  are  dis- 
cussed, including  weaknesses  and 
strengths  of  each  method.  A  sam- 
ple lesson  plan  is  suggested,  which, 
if  used  by  a  youth  teacher,  could 
provide  the  means  to  effecting  a 
meaningful  lesson  for  the  youth. 

Any  teacher  reading  this  short 
book,  taking  seriously  the  ideas  and 
putting  them  into  use,  will  undoubt- 
edly become  a  better  teacher.  Paul 
Losh  in  his  closing  chapter  suggests 
that  teaching  youth  is  an  adventure 
which  is  extremely  rewarding.  ".  .  . 
the  adventure  of  passing  the  torch 
on  to  those  who  will  continue  the 
work  and  witness  after  we  are  gone" 
is  reason  enough  to  become  a  good 
teacher  of  senior  highs.  Every  youth 
teacher    should    have    this    book    in 


hand    to    use   and    reuse  —  it   could 
make     the     difference    between    a 
"wasted  hour"  and  a  time  of  chal-  | 
lenge  for  our  youth.  —  Joseph  Long. 

a  A  Man  Called  Jesus.  J.  B.  Phil- 
lips.   MacMillan,   1959,   142  pages. 

$2.50. 

This  book  presents  a  series  of 
eight-minute  plays  on  the  life  of 
Jesus  written  at  the  invitation  of  the 
British  Broadcasting  Company  in 
England  for  the  School  Programme. 
A  Man  Called  Jesus  provides  enjoy- 
able individual  reading  as  well  as 
furnishing  excellent  resource  materi- 
al for  church  or  school  groups  in- 
terested in  Biblical  drama. 

Four  pages  are  devoted  to  notes 
on  characterizations  of  the  persons 
involved  in  these  dramatic  episodes. 
These  are  interesting  and  must  be 
studied  carefully  before  any  of  the 
plays  are  attempted. 

The  author  was  urged  to  put  his 
plays  in  permanent  form.  He  said 
concerning  the  plays  that  he  "hoped 
that  this  simple  imaginative  approach 
to  familiar  stories  may  help  others, 
not  forgetting  the  large  number  of 
shut-ins  and  bedridden  to  picture  for 
themselves  more  readily  the  kind  of 
circumstances  which  may  clothe  the 
bare  bones  of  the  gospel  narrative." 
—  Mildred  M.  Etter. 

Our  Educational  Dilemma.  Joseph 
H.  Garber.  Exposition  Banner  Book, 
1959.    88  pages.    $2.75. 

The  book  consists  of  two  essays, 
each  brief  and  well-documented;  the 
first  deals  with  peace  education  as  a 
concern  in  an  international  setting, 
and  the  second  with  teachers'  salaries 
as  an  educational  concern  of  our  own. 

In  a  brief  but  comprehensive  way, 
the  first  analyzes  the  causes  of  war 
and  presents  practical  avenues  to- 
ward peace.  It  is  based  upon  the 
premise  that  if  governments  would 
pursue  peace  with  the  zeal  with 
which  they  have  waged  war,  uni- 
versal peace  could  be  realized.  Peace 
aspirations  are  universal  and  can  be 
mobilized  in  a  universal  effort. 

The  second  essay  focuses  upon  in- 
adequate salaries  of  teachers  as  the 
cause  for  an  acute  lack  of  qualified 
teachers.  However,  he  lays  his  finger 
upon  a  still  deeper  factor  early  in  the 
essay  when  he  points  to  our  false 
sense  of  values.  It  is  another  chal- 
lenge to  Americans  to  ask  themselves 
if  they  might  be  squandering  their 
freedom  as  they  live  by  present  mo- 
tivations. 

The  first  essay  would  be  helpful 
for  peace  discussions.  —  Lyle  M. 
Klotz,  Bryan,  Ohio. 


Church  News 


Southern  Illinois 

Springfield  —  Delegates  to  the  district 
meeting  were  Beulah  Filbrun,  Reuben 
i'Wickert  and  John  Blough.  On  steward- 
i  ship  Sunday,  the  speaker  was  Bro. 
I ;  Galen  Lehman.  Our  pastor  and  his 
1 1  family  attended  the  district  ministerial 
i  retreat  at  Camp  Emmanuel.  On  com- 
mitment Sunday,  the  congregation 
i  ■  came  forward  at  end  of  service  and 
I ;  placed  their  commitments  in  offering 
I  plates.  Thirty-five  of  the  congregation 
I  participated  in  the  citywide  religious 
t  census.  Our  pastor  and  his  wife  at- 
I  tended  the  regional  conference.  Spizz 
I  Singer,  local  radio  announcer,  related 
I  events  of  trip  to  Russia  at  a  morning 
f '  service.  At  the  morning  service  of 
I  Nov.  29,  Bro.  Paul  Bowman,  Jr.,  a 
[psychologist,  spoke  on  Developing 
Peace  Within.  At  the  evening  service, 
I  Warren  Ebinger,  Illinois  Council  of 
[  I  Churches,  showed  films  of  his  trip  to 
I J  Europe  and  spoke  on  Developing  Peace 
| '  Without.  —  Mrs.  John  W.  Shull,  Spring- 
I  field,  Illinois. 

Woodland  —  Bro.  E.  Gifford  Ammer- 

I  man  came  as  our  pastor  on  Sept.   13, 

I I  1959.  The  women  s  work  made  two 
|  rugs  and  a  quilt  for  the  home  at  Girard, 
; !  111.  The  relief  truck  took  two  hundred 
if  ninety-four  pounds  of  clothes.  The 
I  women's  fellowship  presented  the 
|;  pageant,  The  Call,  by  Esther  Ruthrauff. 
i|  Our  pastor  and  his  wife  attended  a 
i  retreat     at     Camp     Emmanuel.      Our 

church's  float  in  the  Astoria  home-com- 
I  ing  parade,  entitled  Prayer  Changes 
i  Things,  won  a  prize.  —  Emilee  Kessler, 
5  Astoria,  111. 

Middle  Indiana 

Spring  Creek  —  Bro.  Arden  Ball  as- 
i  sumed  the  pastorate  here  on  Sept.   1. 
■  Bro.  Byron  Miller  was  the  guest  speak- 
er for  our  home-coming  service.    Bro. 
.  Herbert  Richards  is  our  Sunday  school 
superintendent.    Bro.  E.  R.  Fisher  con- 
ducted our  evangelistic  meetings.    We 
have  received  twenty  members  by  bap- 
I  tism  and  four  by  letter.    Our  women's 
i  fellowship    meets    each   month    to    sew 
for   relief.  —  Mrs.    Walter    V.    Warner, 
Pierceton,  Ind. 

West  Manchester  —  Several  attended 
;  the  annual  visitors'  day  at  the  Brethren 
.  Home  in  Mexico.    During  our  pastor's 
3  absence,  Rev.  Derwood  Troxell,  a  rep- 
„  resentative      from      the      Temperance 
•  League,  filled  the  pulpit.    Bro.  Charles 
Boyer  went  to  New  Windsor  to  begin 
j  his   training   period   in   BVS    and   then 
'   on    to    Germany.     District    conference 
held   at  the   college  was   attended   by 
several  of  our  members.    Sept.  20  was 
harvest     Sunday    and     Sunday    school 
rally.    Bro.    Lewis    Deardorff  was   the 
speaker.    Bro.  Roy  Richey  held  a  week 
1   of    evangelistic    meetings.     Nine    were 
baptized.    Our  pastor  conducted  studies 
.   to  prepare  them  for  membership.    Sev- 
eral  of   our   men   helped   with    CROP 
solicitation.    Union  Thanksgiving  serv- 
ices was  held  in  the  EUB  church  with 
Brother    Deardorff    as    speaker.  —  Mrs. 
Frank  Wolfe,   North  Manchester,   Ind. 

Northern  Indiana 

North  Winona  —  At  our  council 
meeting  our  Sunday  school  and  church 
officers   were   elected   for   the   coming 


A  book  of  FICTION 

FOR 

TEEN-AGERS 

FIRST  LOVE  FAREWELL 


ANNE  EMERY 


This  is  an  interesting  story  of  first  love  and  its  effect  on  the  par- 
ticipants. Love  has  become  a  comfortable  habit  for  Pat  Marlowe  and 
her  steady,  Tim  Davis.  When  they  go  to  college,  their  different  interests 
and  outlooks  become  more  and  more  apparent.  But  the  habit  of  being 
"steadies"  has  dimmed  their  critical  faculties,  and  it  takes  them  a  long 
time  to  see  what  should  have  been  obvious  much  earlier  —  that  in  their 
growing  up  they  are  growing  apart  in  serious  ways. 

An  honest  attempt  to  look  at  a  serious  problem,  and  a  hard  but 
necessary  facing  up  to  a  solution.  $2.95 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  IU. 


WABASH  CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 


CHURCH  BUILDING  BONDS 

SERIES  TWO 

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For  information  write: 

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729  LaFontaine  Ave.,  Wabash,  Indiana 


year.  Bro.  Leonard  Custer  continues 
as  elder.  Bro.  Emeral  Jones  filled  the 
pulpit  in  the  absence  of  our  pastor. 
Mrs.  Winona  Johnson  and  Mrs.  Galen 
Hanawalt  represented  us  as  delegates 
to  district  meeting.  At  an  evening  serv- 
ice in  September  Perry  and  Billie  Smith, 
missionaries  from  Lima,  Peru,  South 
America,  brought  a  message  on  the 
needs  and  work  to  be  done.  Our  church 
observed  communion  on  World  Com- 
munion Sunday.  Mrs.  Robert  Kyle  was 
our  speaker  at  our  fellowship  family 
night;  she  brought  a  message  on  re- 
tarded children.  Our  young  laymen 
had  full  charge  of  our  morning  worship 
service,  Oct.  18.  Brother  and  Sister 
R.  C.  Wenger  were  with  us  for  our 
home-coming  service.  We  had  our 
Thanksgiving  service  on  Nov.  22,  pic- 


tures and  a  lecture  by  William  Orr, 
who  spent  some  time  in  England,  East 
and  West  Berlin,  Prague,  and  Russia. 
Our  women  remembered  our  aged 
and  shut-in  with  Christmas  delicacies 
again  this  Christmas.  We  also  con- 
tributed toys  and  clothing  to  the  Nav- 
ajo Indians  in  New  Mexico.  —  Mrs. 
Alma  E.  Hanawalt,  Pierceton,  Ind. 

Yellow  Creek  —  One  Sunday  evening 
we  had  church  visitation  night.  Six 
women  attended  women's  camp  at 
Camp  Mack.  The  young  people  spon- 
sored a  trip  to  Indianapolis  to  hear 
Billy  Graham.  At  our  harvest  meeting 
Bro.  Eldon  Evans  was  the  speaker. 
Pictures    and    a    talk    were    given    one 


JANUARY  30,  1960 


27 


Meditations  on  Garden  Themes 

Josephine  Robertson 


In  these  devotions  the  author  has  used  her 
garden  experiences  and  those  of  others  to  express 
universal  truths  about  everyday  living.  Each  devo- 
tion opens  with  a  scripture  reading,  which  is 
followed  by  a  brief  meditation  and  a  prayer.  The 
illustrative  material  ranges  from  the  familiar  expe- 
riences of  today's  do-it-yourself  gardener  to  less 
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A  Poet  Prays 

Violet  Alleyn  Storey 

This  collection  of  original  poetry  is  divided 
into  four  sections:  prayers  for  comfort  in  time  of 
grief,  prayers  of  strength  and  peace,  prayers  of 
brotherhood  and  service,  and  prayers  of  the  vision 
of  God  in  nature.  In  them  the  author  has  ex- 
pressed the  emotions  prompted  by  experiences 
familiar  to  all.  $2.00 


The  Bible  Speaks 
to  Daily  Needs 

Georgia  Harkness 
Here  are  86  meditations 
that  apply  Biblical  teachings 
directly  to  human  problems  and  anxieties.  Each 
meditation  begins  with  a  brief  citation  of  a  common 
need,  and  is  followed  by  a  scripture  passage  which 
answers  that  need.  Questions  for  self-examination 
make  the  messages  even  more  meaningful.  A  prayer 
closes  each  devotion.  $1.50 


to     :  .' 


ilA  HA^tfS 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


Sunday  evening  on  work  in  Germany 
and  Austria  under  Mennonite  PAX.  A 
Goshen  College  man  gave  a  Christian 
home  message.  We  are  again  sponsor- 
ing Mrs.  Margaret  Huston  in  Japan. 
The  children  are  sponsoring  Christine 
Petcher  in  Africa.  Our  revival  was  held 
by  Bro.  Jesse  Whitacre;  Sister  Whitacre 
was  song  director.  Four  were  baptized. 
The  CBYF  divided  into  four  groups 
and  took  Thanksgiving  programs  to  four 
convalescent  homes.  They  will  be  en- 
tertaining a  New  Windsor  BVS  unit 
and  give  them  lodging  for  one  night. 
A  peace  program  of  slides,  poems, 
songs  was  given.  —  Mrs.  Elmer  L. 
Weaver,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 
Muncie  —  Bro.  Rex  Dolby  filled  the 
pulpit  during  our  pastor's  absence.   Bro. 
Glen  Campbell,  missionary  on  furlough, 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


spoke  about  the  work  in  India.  Our 
church  choir  helped  with  the  music 
at  district  meeting.  Some  of  the  women 
from  our  church  attended  the  workshop 
at  Arcadia.  Sister  Harriett  Bright  led 
our  October  communion  service.  Ar- 
thur Dean  and  Galen  Ogden  were  at 
our  church  to  speak  to  us  about  our 
building  project.  Several  attended  the 
fall  retreat  at  the  Antioch  church.  The 
choir  presented  a  Christmas  program. 
Men's  work  had  a  carry-in  supper.  — 
Elizabeth  Sprinkle,  Muncie,  Ind. 

Northeastern  Ohio 
Canton,  Maple  Avenue  —  We  have 
secured  Bro.  Walter  Coldren  as  our 
full-time  pastor.  We  had  dedication 
and  open  house  at  the  parsonage.  Bro. 
Gordon  Bucher  installed  Brother  Col- 
dren. Prof.  Amos  Henry  and  Bro.  Arno 
Holderead  preached  for  us  during  the 
interim.  The  Dorcas  society  and  adult 
class  each  had  charge  of  one  evening 
service.    The  women  are  busy  in  relief 


work.    Sister  Anna  Blanchard  has  ably  ■'' 
served  as  our  Anniversary  Call  chair- 
man. —  Florence    Dickerhoof,    Canton, 
Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

East  Dayton  —  We  joined  the  union 
Thanksgiving  services  at  the  Evangel- 
ical and  Reformed  church,  along  with 
other  churches  in  the  east  end  of  the 
city.  During  our  pastor's  absence  the 
pulpit  was  filled  by  Bro.  Jesse  Ziegler. 
Sister  Arlene  Coy,  who  spent  two  years 
in  volunteer  service  in  Puerto  Rico, 
showed  us  pictures  of  the  work  at 
Castaner  and  spoke  of  her  duties  and 
activities.  At  our  last  council,  two 
deacons  were  elected  to  office:  Russell 
Moubray  and  Rufus  Beaver.  We  are 
in  our  second  year  of  the  Call  program 
and  unified  budget  plan.  —  Ella  Seifer, 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

Troy  —  Our  fiftieth  anniversary  was 
observed  with  a  panel  discussion  of 
which  E.  W.  Brumbaugh  was  moder- 
ator. Sister  Cora  Brill,  sole  charter 
member,  gave  the  church  history.  Bro. 
Chester  Harley  conducted  the  installa- 
tion service  for  our  new  pastor,  Bro. 
Leonard  Carlisle.  Bro.  E.  W.  Brum- 
baugh presented  the  church  key.  Bro. 
Jesse  Ziegler  was  speaker  at  the  district 
family  life  institute  held  here.  Fifteen 
from  the  junior  high  department  en- 
joyed the  district  rally  at  Camp  Sugar 
Grove.  Several  attended  the  Call  loy- 
alty dinner  after  which  teams  visited 
the  homes  in  the  interest  of  the  Call 
to  Witness  program.  The  district 
women's  fellowship  cabinet  met  here.  — 
Mrs.  Raymond  Becker,  Troy,  Ohio. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Heidelberg  —  We  have  had  the  fol- 
lowing guest  ministers:  Bro.  Curtis 
Zeigler,  for  Temperance  Sunday;  Bro. 
Norman  Patrick,  for  harvest  home  day; 
Bro.  Harold  Bomberger,  for  missionary 
Sunday,  and  Bro.  Hiram  Frysinger  for 
Christian  education  Sunday.  Our 
church  participated  in  community  ves- 
per services  with  Bro.  Peter  Heisey 
bringing  the  message.  The  project  for 
our  daily  vacation  Bible  school  was 
rabbits  for  Ecuador.  One  of  our  young 
people,  Brenda  Dubble,  spent  six  weeks 
in  BVS  work  in  Ecuador  during  the 
summer.  Bro.  Bard  Kreider  officiated 
at  our  love  feast  and  was  assisted  by 
Bro.  J.  Norman  Weaver.  Bro.  Abram 
Eshelman  and  Bro.  Ralph  Schlosser 
were  present  at  our  special  council 
meeting,  when  Bro.  Luke  Bucher  was 
licensed  to  the  ministry.  Our  women's 
work  group  furnished  a  room  in  the 
new  infirmary  building  at  the  Neffsville 
Brethren  Home.  The  men's  work  group 
bought  two  heifers  which  were  sent 
abroad.  Bro.  Cyrus  Krall  brought  our 
Thanksgiving  message,  and  the  offering 
was  given  to  the  Children's  Home  at 
Neffsville.  Our  young  people's  group 
entertained  the  children  at  the  Neffs- 
ville Home  during  the  Christmas 
season.  The  student  deputation  group 
from  Elizabethtown  college  had  charge 
of  one  of  our  morning  worship  serv- 
ices. —  Mrs.  Alton  Bucher,  Myerstown, 
Pa. 

Mingo  —  Bro.  Mark  Myer  showed 
pictures  of  the  Brethren  churches  of 
Eastern  Pennsylvania.  Brother  Myer 
carried  out  his  project  over  a  period 
of  six  months.    He  also  showed   some 


pictures  of  the  mother  church  in  Ger- 

mantown,  the  adjoining  graveyard  and 

the  marker   erected   several   years   ago 

at  the  scene  of  the  first  baptism  nearby 

in    Wissahickon    Creek.     Bro.    Charles 

I  Bieber,  home  from  the  Africa  mission- 

I  ary  field,  was  with  us  for  two  services, 

I  giving  a  missionary  sermon  and  show- 

I  ing  slides  of  the  African  work.    A  pro- 

J  gram   of   special  music   was   presented 

I  by   the   choir   of   the   Hatfield   church. 

■  Home  and  family  life  was  the  subject 

I  of   a   panel    discussion    at    an    evening 

I  service.  —  Ira  E.  Foutz,  Schwenksville, 

Pa. 

White    Oak  —  Our    harvest    meeting 
|  and  Bible  conference  were  held  in  the 
Longenecker    church;    Brethren    David 
I  Lehigh     and     Michael     Olivieri     were 
speakers.    Our  love  feast  was  held  in 
j  the  Manheim  house  with  Bro.  Norman 
I  Patrick    and    Bro.    Jacob    Fahnestock 
!  officiating.     We    held    an    anniversary 
'  service    in    the    Kreider    church,    com- 
memorating the  one-hundredth  year  of 
i  the  building  of  the  house.    Elder  David 
j  Gibble  was  the  speaker  at  this  service. 
!  Our  missionary  committee  arranged  for 
I  a  missionary  service  at  which  Bro.  Al- 
I  ton  Bucher  spoke.   Bro.  Herbert  Wolge- 
!  muth  was  guest  speaker  at  an  evening 
I  service    in    the    Manheim    house.     Our 
fall  revival  was  held  in  the  Longeneck- 
;  er    house    by    Bro.    Kenneth    Hershey. 
i  Thirteen  were  baptized.    Our  congrega- 
I  tion  conducted  a  midweek  prayer  serv- 
I  ice    in   the    Neffsville    Brethren    Home 
and  the  Elmdale  Best  Home.    An  out- 
door hymn  sing  was  sponsored  by  our 
young    people.     A    Thanksgiving    Day 
service  was  held  in  the  Manheim  house 
by  our  deacon  brethren.    Furniture  and 
clothing  were  taken  to  the  Flat  Creek 
mission  in  Kentucky.    A  group  traveled 
to  New  Windsor  to  help  with  the  proc- 
essing of  clothing.    The  women  of  our 
congregation    spent    a    day    sewing    at 
a  local  hospital  and  also  helped  with 
the  processing  of  food  at  the  Brethren 
Home.  —  Mrs.  Alvin  Diffenderfer,  Man- 
heim, Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 
Everett  —  Our  pastor  attended  the 
Bethany  extension  school  at  Juniata 
College.  Three  of  our  ladies  attended 
women's  work  camp  at  Camp  Harmony. 
Sister  Faye  Koontz  Benalcazar,  mis- 
sionary to  Ecuador,  was  with  us  for 
an  evening  message.  Two  of  our  youth 
have  been  assigned  to  BVS  projects. 
Seven  youth  attended  the  regional 
youth  conference  at  Juniata  College. 
A  group  of  men  and  women  went  to 
New  Windsor  to  help  process  relief 
clothing.  Bro.  Nevin  Fisher  held  a 
two-day  music  institute  in  our  church. 
The  Charles  Biebers  were  guest  speak- 
ers for  the  annual  missionary  tea.  Our 
pastor  attended  state  pastor's  confer- 
ence at  Harrisburg.  Twenty  of  our 
members  shared  in  the  leadership  train- 
ing school  at  New  Enterprise.  The 
youth  presented  a  Thanksgiving  pro- 
gram for  the  Morrison  Cove  Home. 
We  joined  with  other  churches  in  com- 
munity for  a  Thanksgiving  service. 
Young  adult  classes  were  in  charge 
of  the  Christmas  carol  hymn  sing.  The 
youth  presented  the  play,  No  Room 
in  the  Hotel.  —  Mrs.  Freda  Harclerode, 
Everett,  Pa. 

Southern  Pennsylvania 
Mt.      Olivet  —  Brother      and      Sister 


£o&uf,  UnetUien  Should  Knacu 


How  to  be 


"rich  toward 
God" 


Luke    12:15-21  Edward    K.    Ziegler 

Moderator,  Church  of  the  Brethren 

"While  serving  our  church  in  various  posts,  I  have  talked 
with  many  hundreds  of  Brethren  who  are  deeply  dedicated  to 
Christ's  program  through  the  church,  and  who  would  like  to 
help  carry  it  forward.  Also,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  great  open  doors  before  the  church  in  America  and 
overseas.  I  have  seen  new  churches  rise  and  grow  into 
responsible  and  mature  congregations.  I  have  seen  churches 
bloom  with  new  life  and  enthusiasm  as  a  new  pastor  stirs  them 
to  serve  and  to  witness. 

"At  the  same  time,  all  of  us  are  aware  of  two  terrific 
pressures :  the  pressure  of  the  world  around  us,  seeking  to  force 
us  into  the  mold  of  materialism  and  pagan  practices,  spending 
our  money  on  that  which  is  not  bread;  and  the  pressure  of 
world  events,  with  their  sinister  forces  of  cold  war  and  prepara- 
tion for  hot  war,  hatred  and  racial  strife  in  America  and  abroad. 

"When  we  Brethren  discern  the  claims  of  Christ  on  one 
hand  and  feel  the  pressures  of  paganism  and  doom  on  the 
other,  we  seek  for  those  things  which  really  endure. 

"If  day  by  day  we  use  our  lives  and  possessions  for  Christ 
and  the  church,  and  thoughtfully  plan  for  the  enlargement  of 
our  Christian  influence  through  the  right  use  of  accumulated 
possessions,  we  can  be  sure  we  are  on  the  right  side  of  God's 
balance. 

"The  1957  Annual  Conference  spoke  forthrightly  on  the 
stewardship  of  accumulated  possessions.  Why  not  acquaint 
yourself  with  the  various  means  of  expressing  your  Christian 
faith  through  providing  substance  for  the  far-reaching  work 
of  the  Kingdom?" 

(Clip  and  Mail) 


GENERAL  BROTHERHOOD  BOARD 
CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 

1451   Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois 
Horl  L.  Russell,  Director  of  Special  Gift 

Dear  Brother  Russell: 

Please  provide  information,  without  obligating  me  in 
any  way.  on  the  following  means  of  expressing  my,  faith 
and   my  interest  in  advancing  Brotherhood  work. 


fj  A  Transfer  of  Stock  or 
Bonds  (reserving 
income  for  life) 

fj  An  Assignment  of  Life 
Insurance 


□  A  Cift  Annuity 
(providing  suhst 

ebenc6ts) 

□  A  Living  Memorial 


1 


Vacation 
Church  School 

BOOKLET 

24  pages  of  information, 
giving  text  titles  and  com- 
plete description  of  materi- 
als. Write  for  your  copy 
now. 

Church  of   the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Meditations 

ON  THE 

DEEPEST 


experience 
of  life 

THE  CHOICE 
TO  LOVE 

ROBERT  RAYNOLDS 

Convinced  of  the  central  im- 
portance for  man  today  of  the 
Christian  concept  of  love,  a  well- 
established  American  novelist  has 
written  an  eloquent  commentary 
on  this  theme.  Here  is  a  wise, 
rich  book  full  of  sound  helpful 
insights  which  are  simply  and 
beautifully  stated.  $3.75 

Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Mervin  Gibble  represented  the  church 
at  the  recent  district  meeting.  We 
held  our  fall  love  feast  with  Bro.  J.  A. 
Miller  officiating.  Dr.  Charles  Weaver 
brought  us  a  temperance  message.  A 
group  of  young  people  from  Elizabeth- 
town  College  presented  a  drama  of 
the  life  of  Paul.  Our  young  people 
gave  a  cantata  during  the  Christmas 
season.  Work  is  progressing  on  our 
fellowship  hall.  —  Mrs.  Ada  E.  Brandt, 
Millerstown,  Pa. 

Western  Pennsylvania 

Geiger  —  Our  new  parsonage  is  com- 
pleted. On  July  1,  Bro.  Clayton  Gehman 
began  pastoral  work  with  us.  He  and  his 
wife  were  installed  by  Brethren  Earl 
Brubaker  and  Glenn  Bowlby.  A  lead- 
ership training  school  was  held  in  Sep- 
tember. Our  youth  were  represented 
at  the  Camp  Harmony  retreat,  at  the 
regional  conference,  and  at  the  district 
youth  banquet.  The  subdistrict  youth 
meeting  was  held  in  our  church.  The 
men's  fellowship  reorganized  and  made 
plans  for  the  year  including  a  game 
supper  and  the  Call  to  Discipleship 
visitation.  Bro.  W.  K.  Kulp  conducted 
a  week  of  evangelistic  services  conclud- 
ing with  the  love  feast.  Three  were 
baptized  and  two  received  by  letter. 
In  the  ladies'  aid  the  women  are  mak- 
ing quilts  and  comforters  for  relief. 
The  Sunday  school  sponsored  the 
harvest  home  offering  for  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  Home  at  Windber.  — 
Mrs.  Howard  Sarver,  Friedens,  Pa. 

Ligonier  —  We  accepted  the  resigna- 
tion of  our  pastor,  Bro.  Harold  Kenepp, 
on  Sept.  1.  On  Oct.  15  Bro.  Wilbur 
Fether  assumed  the  pastorate.  Bro. 
M.  J.  Weaver  conducted  our  evange- 
listic services  culminating  with  love 
feast  and  communion.  Three  have  been 
received  by  baptism  and  three  by  letter. 
We  had  a  reception  for  our  new  min- 
ister, his  wife,  and  two  children.  The 
friendly  circle  sent  layettes  and  health 
kits  to  Church  World  Service  in  con- 
junction with  the  observance  of  World 
Community  Day.  A  bountiful  collec- 
tion of  foodstuffs  was  presented  to  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  Home  at  Scalp 
Level.  Mittens  were  collected  and  sent 
for  oversea's  relief.  —  Genetta  Wolford, 
Ligonier,  Pa. 

Johnstown,  Morrellville  —  The  board 
of  administration  conducted  an  all-day 
retreat  using  the  materials,  A  Look  at 
Ourselves.  Bro.  Glenn  Bowlby  served 
as  the  resource  leader.  As  a  result  of 
this  retreat,  plans  are  being  made  for 
a  spring  evangelistic  service,  an  every- 
member  visit  to  the  congregation,  in- 
teresting programs  planned  by  the 
commission  of  missions  and  service,  and 
teacher-training  classes  are  being  held 
by  our  pastor,  Bro.  C.  Albert  Guyer. 
A  men's  fellowship  organization  has 
been  formed  in  our  church.  The  young 
people's  cabinet  engaged  in  a  retreat 
to  plan  for  the  coming  year's  program. 
The  women's  fellowship  had  a  service 
for  the  installation  of  officers,  and  Sister 
William  King  related  her  experiences 
at  Lybrook  mission.  Both  the  temple 
and  youth  choirs  sang  for  the  Christmas 
Eve  candlelighting  service.  During  the 
past  year  six  people  were  received  into 
the  church  by  baptism  and  eleven  by 
transfer  of  letters.  Eleven  of  our  young 
people  attended  the  regional  confer- 
ence at  Juniata  College.    The  Sunday 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program,  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can  be 
assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  436.  URGENT:  Doctor  is 
needed  to  locate  in  a  community  which 
lost  an  excellent  physician  in  a  car 
accident.  The  town  of  2,500  has  good 
schools,  churches,  and  business.  Civic- 
minded  men  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  will  help  arrange  details  for 
the  location  of  a  doctor  in  the  commu- 
nity. Office  space  and  other  requisites 
are  available.  Contact:  Rev.  Carl  Zig- 
ler,  403  S.  Congress  St.,  Polo,  111. 


school  had  a  covered  dish  supper  at 
which  Rev.  John  Rauch  was  the  speak- 
er. —  JoAnn  Henry,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Johnstown  ,  Walnut  Grove  —  The 
every-member  canvass  was  conducted 
by  the  undershepherds  of  our  church. 
Grace  Clapper,  former  missionary  to 
China,  was  the  speaker  at  our  women's 
fellowship  meeting.  The  annual  harvest 
home  food  offering  for  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  Home  in  Windber  was 
delivered  by  the  deacons.  Our  church 
participated  in  the  union  Thanksgiving 
service.  A  service  of  baby  dedication 
was  held  for  five  babies.  A  number  of 
our  women  attended  the  district  wom- 
en's fellowship  meeting  in  the  Somerset 
church.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Clyde  Carter, 
and  our  intern  pastor,  Bro.  Wm.  Stone- 
back,  attended  the  state  pastor's  con- 
ference in  Harrisburg.  Brother  Carter 
conducted  a  week  of  meetings  in  the 
Woodworth  church.  Since  our  last 
report,  seven  have  been  received  by 
letter.  Our  church  participated  in  the 
city-wide  Reformation  service.  Four 
choirs  presented  their  Christmas  pro- 
gram of  music.  Our  church  participated 
in  the  community  Week  of  Prayer  serv- 
ices the  first  week  of  January.  —  Mrs. 
Margaret  R.  Shaffer,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Rockwood  —  Our  church  sponsors  a 
daily  private  prayer  fellowship.  Our 
daily  vacation  Bible  school  was  well 
attended  with  Sister  Charlotte  Bowlby 
serving  as  dean  of  the  school.  The 
sessions  were  held  in  the  evening.  We 
held  a  church  family  night  service  at 
which  Bro.  James  C.  Boitnott  spoke. 
A  group  of  our  people  attended  the 
Western  Pennsylvania  Church  of  the 
Brethren     rally     in     Johnstown.      Bro. 


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Glenn  Bowlby  paid  an  official  visit 
to  the  church  in  September  and  served 
as  the  speaker  for  the  day.  We  con- 
ducted a  service  at  the  Windber  Breth- 
ren Home.  The  leadership  sessions  for 
this  area  were  held  in  our  church. 
Since  our  last  report,  ten  have  been 
received  by  baptism.  Our  church 
groups  did  some  community  carol  sing- 
ing. Mrs.  James  C.  Boitnott  has  been 
training  our  church  choir  during  the 
past  year.  —  Mrs.  Walter  F.  Berkebile, 
Rockwood,  Pa. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Monocacy  —  We  had  our  evangelistic 
meetings  before  our  love  feast;  Bro. 
Ralph  Schildt  was  the  evangelist.  Six- 
teen were  baptized  by  Bro.  Arthur  Rice 
and  two  received  by  letter.  Every 
fourth  Sunday  we  have  a  guest  speaker. 
Our  church  co-operated  with  the  com- 
munity Bible  school.  The  Christmas 
program  is  being  planned  by  the  boys 
and  girls  of  the  Sunday  school.  The 
CBYF  presented  a  special  Thanksgiving 
program  with  president  Joyce  Fogle 
as  their  leader.  Brother  Moyer  was 
the  guest  speaker.  The  new  adult  ad- 
viser for  the  coming  year  is  Bro.  Orville 
Smith  and  Sister  Mae  Moser  is  the 
assistant.  The  installation  service  was 
conducted  by  Brother  S.  R.  Weybright. 
The  young  married  class  has  sent  three 
packages  to  Africa  during  the  year 
to  Brother  and  Sister  Robert  McKay, 
who  are  missionaries  there.  Our  wom- 
en's work  is  collecting  clothing  for  re- 
lief. Our  fall  love  feast  was  held  Nov. 
1,  with  Bro.  George  Hull  presiding. 
Bro.  Oren  Garner  is  our  elder.  —  Mrs. 
Denda  Renner,  New  Midway,  Md. 

Middle  Maryland 
Welsh  Run  —  Bro.  Irwin  Heisey  was 
with  us  for  our  harvest  meeting.  We 
held  our  council  meeting  with  Bro. 
Clarence  Hunsberger  in  charge.  Bro. 
Paul  Newcomer  delivered  a  Sunday 
morning  message  and  Bro.  Paul  New- 
comer and  Bro.  Leroy  Plum  gave  us 
talks  on  Sunday  school  work  in  the 
afternoon.  Bro.  Omar  Nicarry  was  our 
guest  speaker  on  one  Sunday.  We  held 
our  love  feast,  with  Brethren  Clarence 
Horst,  Samuel  Hawbaker,  Caleb  Kreid- 


er  present.  On  Thanksgiving  Day  Bro. 
Kermit  Strite  was  our  guest  speaker.  — 
John  D.  Martin,  Mercersburg,  Pa. 

Northern  Virginia 
Harrisonburg  —  We  have  received 
thirty-one  members  by  letter  and  sev- 
enteen by  baptism.  We  were  host 
church  to  the  Northern  Virginia  district 
meeting.  Guest  ministers  occupying 
our  pulpit  since  Easter  Sunday  include 
Brethren  Paul  H.  Bowman,  Forrest 
Collier,  John  W.  Boitnott,  and  Galen 
B.  Ogden.  Bro.  Donald  Clague  was 
our  acting  pastor  during  the  month 
of  August.  A  BVS  group  visited  us. 
We  had  a  communion  service  at  the 
morning  worship  service  in  the  sum- 
mer, and  a  love  feast  service  on  World 
Communion  Sunday.  Recently  we  held 
a   service   of   dedication  for   our   four 


choirs.  We  have  purchased  property 
across  the  street  from  the  church.  — 
Mrs.  John  E.  Moore,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

Second  Virginia 

Valley  Bethel  —  On  pulpit  exchange 

Sunday,  Bro.  George  Robertson  was  our 

<,  guest  speaker.  Bro.  Russell  Beahm  held 

a  revival  meeting  for  us.  We  closed 
with  our  love  feast.  Two  were  received 
into  the  church  by  baptism.  Bro.  Boyd 
Cupp  was  with  us  for  our  council  meet- 
ing. Mrs.  Hermon  Carpenter  is  our 
Sunday  school  superintendent  for  this 
year.  Several  from  our  church  attended 
the  leader  training  meeting  at  Mon- 
terey. Bro.  George  Robertson  is 
preaching  for  us  during  the  winter 
months.  —    Mrs.  Eutds  Bussard,  Va. 


Southern  Virginia 
Coulson  —  Our  revival  was  held  by 
Bro.  Arnold  Naff.  Twelve  were  bap- 
tized. The  Southern  District  confer- 
ence was  held  at  our  church.  Bro. 
William  M.  Beahm,  dean  of  Bethany 
Biblical  Seminary,  was  the  guest  speak- 
er. Bro.  W.  C.  Sweitzer  was  moderator. 
For  the  annual  home-coming  Bro.  Bris- 
toe  Osborne  was  guest  speaker.  The  fall 
revival  was  held  by  Sister  Elizabeth 
Jennings  Broughman.  Eight  were  bap- 
tized. Our  semi-annual  love  feast  was 
held  at  the  close  of  the  revival.  —  Miss 
Ann  Nabe,  Hillsville,  Va. 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


To  Plow  With 

DONALD  K.  FARIS 

THE  INTERNATIONAL 

WAR  AGAINST 

POVERTY 

This  is  a  useful  and  warmly  human  survey  of 
problems  and  possibilities  in  the  less-developed 
regions  of  the  world  —  almost  unnoticed  by  the 
public  at  large  —  together  with  an  exciting  story 
of  what  is  being  done  to  change  them. 
To  Plow  With  Hope  deals  concretely  and  real- 
istically with  the  world-wide  problems  of  food, 
health  and  education.  The  entire  range  of  work  is  here:  the  heritage 
and  present  tasks  of  "Point  Four,"  the  FAO  group,  the  varied  work 
of  UNICEF,  the  "Colombo  Plan,"  the  accomplishments  of  the  World 
Health  Organization,  the  efforts  of  the  voluntary  groups  such  as  the 
churches,  and  the  total  impact  of  the  work  of  private  agencies  and 
foundations. 

Here  is  invaluable  "ammunition,"  found  nowhere  else,  which  con- 
cerned persons  may  take  up  to  fight  the  war  on  poverty  —  and  in 
another  sense,  to  fight  ignorance  and  indifference  at  home.    $3.75 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


Gospel 


MESSENGER 


FEBRUARY  6.  1960 


Religious  News  Service 


A  service  worker  is  happy  to  offer  a  cup  of  milk  to  an  Algerian  refugee 
boy.    Other  faces  reflect  what  happens  when  Christians  remember  to 

THINK  OF  THE  CHILDREN 


(page  6) 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS   WRITE 


to   the   editor 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
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authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:     The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

FEBRUARY  6,  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  6 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

The  Order  of  Eutychus    5 

Named  for  All  Twelve    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  of  Disciple- 
ship:    Philip  and  Thomas. 
Robert  A.  Byerly   3 

The  Mystic  Speaks  (verse). 

Jean  Hogan  Dudley    4 

Think  of  the  Children. 

Juanita  Purvis  Shacklett   6 

God  Loves  Children.    Glen  Weimer  . .      7 

Layette  for  a  Refugee  Baby  (verse). 
Berthae  Converse  8 

A  Service  to  Boys.    William  K.  Craft  .    10 

Simplicity.    Vera   Strietzel    13 

Guidance   Through   Meditation. 

W.   Russell   Shull    14 

That's  the  Size  of  It.    Percy  Hope   ....    16 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books    25 

News  — 

Kingdom    Gleanings    17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    18 

Church  News    27 

Toward  His  Kingdom  — 

Waka    Becomes    Symbol    of   Nigeria's 
Future.   Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp  ....   20 

World  Day  of  Prayer   22 

Nurturing  Youth  for  Adult  Responsibil- 
ities. 

George  U.  Heeter 22 

BVS  —  A  Challenge.    Ron  Bower 23 

What  Each  One  of  Us  Does   24 

Brethren  Want  to  Know   24 

•  •  • 

"The  tongue  of  the  nursling  cleaves 
to  the  roof  of  its  mouth  for  thirst; 
the  children  beg  for  food, 

but  no  one  gives  to  them"  (Lam.  4:4). 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Hideous  Occupations 

General  Hershey  has  made  some 
very  broad  statements  concerning 
the  effect  it  would  have  upon  world 
problems  if  all  young  men  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  would  go 
into  BVS.  If  this  portion  of  our 
membership  can  be  so  effective,  then 
we  can't  help  but  dream  of  how 
powerful  our  whole  membership 
could  be  if  united  in  any  effort. 

Possibly  we  are  missing  some  of 
the  greatest  missionary  and  evange- 
listic opportunities  of  our  time  by 
refusing  to  unite  and  act  on  the 
teachings  of  Christ  as  we  know  them 
in  the  New  Testament.  One  need 
not  discuss  the  problems  of  human- 
ity long  until  someone  desperately 
says,  "We  don't  know  the  answer," 
or  "We  can't  see  where  this  will 
lead  us."  Isn't  it  then  that  we  should 
suggest  the  teachings  of  Christ  ap- 
plied to  the  problem? 

More  than  this,  we  should  be  en- 
thusiastically proclaiming  that  there 
is  a  solution  and  a  way.  We  must 
unitedly  recognize  evil,  then  oppose 
it  as  Christ  did.  How  can  we  be  a 
strong  church  while  we  condone 
occupation  in  industries  whose  pur- 
pose is  to  create  new  methods  of 
causing  human  suffering?  Our  local 
leaders  consciously  remain  quiet 
about  this  evil  and  yet  shout  the 
love  of  God.  The  early  church  sure- 
ly would  have  passed  into  oblivion 
if  it  had  used  this  method.  Let  us 
fearlessly  preach  a  life  given  to 
Christian  service  to  replace  service 
in  such  hideous  occupations  as  bio- 
logical warfare,  missile  programs, 
and  bomber  manufacturing. 

In  an  address  to  teachers  at 
Stockton  Dr.  Burdick,  a  successful 
writer  and  traveler,  pointed  out  the 
diplomacy  for  national  success.  He 
advises  us  to  replace  "big"  power 
with  sincere  interest  in  the  people 
and  their  problems  of  food,  health, 
and  literacy.  He  also  illustrated  the 
principle  that  the  safest  people  are 
those  who  try  to  understand  and 
help.  This  was  given  no  religious 
application;  yet  we  can  easily  see 
it.  Those  working  in  the  program 
to  keep  others  afraid  of  us  are  de- 
feating the  very  purposes  they  wish 
to  accomplish  in  regard  to  patriotism 
and  Christianity. 

Let  us  pray,  "Thy  kingdom  come 
on  earth,"  and  then  communicate 
with  God  in  every  way  we  know 
until  we  understand  his  will  for  us 


in  this  prayer.  Surely  he  will  soon; 
notify  us  that  efforts  to  bring  a  hell 
on  earth  are  not  his  will.  —  J.  D. 
Cosner,  B.  1,  Box  468,  Waterford, 
Calif. 

The  Gift  and  the  Package 

Brother    Hoffman    in    his    letter  ! 
(Dec.  26)  states  that  "the  B.  S.  V.  is  -j 
only  a  commentary."    I  would  say 
that  so  is  Weymouth,  Moffatt,  King  j 
James,  Tyndale,  Wycliffe,   any  and  j 
all   versions.     They   are   translations  \ 
or  commentaries   on   the   texts   that 
were  used  in  compiling  them,  which 
texts    in    turn    were    copies    of    the 
original  Greek  epistles  and  commen- 
taries, which  were  themselves  com- 
mentaries   on    "the    Word"    which 
"became  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us." 
There  are  eight  versions  of  Scripture 
on   my    bookshelf    and    I    can    find 
Christ  in   all   of   them.     For   me  it 
is  a  little  easier  in  Phillips   or  the 
R.  S.  V.    For  Brother  Hoffman  and 
his  "many  more"  it  may  be  easier 
in   the   King   James,    but   how   can 
one  know  without  trying  others  with 
an  open  mind? 

One  children's  story  I  use  finds : 
me  chewing  a  gum  wrapper  and 
discarding  the  contents.  Sometimes 
we  wrap  small  gifts  in  a  very  large 
package  in  an  attempt  at  humor. 
May  we  take  care  to  keep  "the 
Word,"  which  is  the  love  of  God 
personified,  in  our  hearts  and  not 
be  so  greatly  concerned  about  the 
package. 

An  illustration  heard  at  Bethany 
Training  School  tells  of  overhearing 
a  tired  mother  say  to  her  child  on 
an  extended  shopping  trip,  "I'll  teach 
you  to  be  loving  if  I  have  to  beat 
it  into  you."  Let's  not  try  to  "beat" 
each  other  into  "loving"  a  particular 
version.  Rather  let  each  choose  and 
use  his  own,  comparing  insights  and 
sharing  the  light.  If  you  find  God 
only  in  one  version  you  are  wrapping 
him  in  a  rather  small  package.  God 
is  great  enough  to  be  in  them  all 
in  a  part  but  more  outside  of  them 
all,  for  John  says  of  Jesus  that  if 
all  were  written  that  is  known  of 
him  the  world  could  not  contain 
the  books.  Paul  says  now  we  know 
in  part  but  then  we  shall  fully  know. 
Let  us  then  be  more  concerned 
about  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  the  interpreter  of  truth,  than 
about  print  and  paper  even  though 
it  be  the  Holy  Bible.  -  B.  Earl  Zim- 
merman, 441  N.  Sandusky  St.,  Tiffin, 
Ohio. 


Men  who   heard 

the  call  to   discipleship  j 


Anthony  Gruerio 


Three  Lions 


Philip 


Ml 


and  Thomas 


OUR  Lord  had  some  pe- 
culiar people  in  his 
corps  of  disciples.  The 
fact  that  the  original  twelve  had 
such  a  variety  of  personality 
types  should  give  us  courage  to 
be  much  more  inclusive  in  our 
church  fellowship. 

Philip,  for  example,  stands 
out  rather  distinctly  in  the  list 
of  the  twelve.  He  was  not  an 
adventuresome  fellow,  at  least 
when  compared  to  Andrew  and 
Peter  and  a  few  of  the  others. 
There  was  little  rashness  or 
daring  about  Philip,  and  it  is 
very  possible  that  he  was  best 


Robert  A.  Byerly 


described    as    a    matter-of-fact 
man. 

Of  the  call  of  Philip  we  have 
John's  account  in  John  l:43f.  It 
was  in  Galilee  that  Philip  was 
called  by  Jesus.  Much  like  An- 
drew, Philip  took  Nathanael,  a 
friend,  to  meet  Jesus.  Philip 
was  willing  to  prove  his  claim 
that  he  had  found  the  promised 
one  of  Israel,  called  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  Nathanael  had  hesi- 
tated at  this.  Nothing  good, 
especially   the   Messiah,   could 


come   out   of   Nazareth    (John 
1:46). 

"Come  and  see!"  That  was 
the  invitation  of  Philip.  Come 
and  see  for  yourself!  There  is 
something  solid  and  down-to- 
earth  about  this  approach  of 
Philip.  He  was  not  interested  in 
arguing  about  Jesus,  but  he  was 
interested  in  sharing  his  new- 
found Lord.  "Come  and  see"  is 
still  the  best  answer  to  skeptics 
and  the  fainthearted.  Disciples 
can  be  won  by  this  sincerely  ex- 
pressed invitation. 

FEBRUARY   6,    I960  3 


Philip  had  a  few  characteris- 
tics which  showed  up  in  the 
fellowship  of  the  disciples.  He 
had  been  among  the  six  who 
had  been  called  at  the  very  start 
of  Jesus'  ministry.  We  find  his 
name  included  in  the  early  list 
of  Andrew,  Peter,  Nathanael, 
and  an  unnamed  disciple  who 
may  have  been  John  of  Zebe- 
dee  (John  1:35-51).  Philip  add- 
ed something  to  the  growing 
group  of  disciples.  He  was  care- 
ful about  details  and  extremely 
realistic. 

On  that  occasion  when  An- 
drew had  produced  the  lad  with 
his  lunch,  Philip  had  already 
estimated  the  amount  of  food 
needed  for  the  hungry  crowd. 
With  little  urging  from  the 
Master,  Philip  spoke  out :  "Two 
hundred  pennyworth  of  bread 
is  not  sufficient  for  them,  that 
every  one  of  them  may  take  a 
little"  (John  6:7).  This  man 
was  not  ready  to  venture  too 
far  on  faith,  although  we  can 
imagine  he  learned  a  few  things 
that  day  in  the  meadow  by  the 
lake. 

It  is  often  conjectured  that 
Philip  was  a  Hellenistic  Jew, 
one  who  had  Greek  back- 
ground. We  can  be  sure  of  this; 
his  name  was  Greek.  A  group 
of  inquiring  Greeks  regarded 
Philip  as  the  most  likely  to  help 
them  (John  12:20-26).  These 
were  the  folks  who  approached 
Philip,  saying,  "We  would  see 
Jesus." 

Whether  these  inquirers  were 
from  Philip's  home  down  in 
Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  we  cannot 
be  sure.  Nevertheless,  Philip 
sensed  a  little  problem  here. 
This  was  different  from  taking 
Nathanael,  a  Jew,  to  Jesus.  So 
Philip  was  cautious  enough  to 
confer  with  Andrew  and  to- 
gether they  presented  the 
Greeks  to  Jesus.  Jesus  rejoiced 
on  that  occasion. 

Philip  was  a  seeker  for  truth. 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


This  is  what  makes  him  appear 
as  rather  cautious  at  times.  The 
supreme  example  is  during  the 
discourses  of  Jesus  in  the  upper 
room.  Jesus,  in  the  record  of 
the  fourth  evangelist,  had  iden- 
tified himself  with  God  (John 
14),  but  Philip  still  has  this  to 
say,  "Lord,  show  us  the  Father, 
and  we  shall  be  satisfied"  ( John 
14:8). 

Once  again  Jesus  speaks 
words  which  Philip  needed, 
"Have  I  been  with  you  so  long, 
and  yet  you  do  not  know  me, 
Philip?  He  who  has  seen  me 
has  seen  the  Father;  how  can 
you  say,  'Show  us  the  Father'?" 

Regardless  of  how  we  de- 
scribe Philip  of  Bethsaida,  he 
was  a  disciple  of  Jesus.  His 
careful  insights  were  worth  con- 
sideration by  the  group,  and  his 
inquiring  spirit  found  its  answer 
in  Christ.  The  Philips  of  the 
church  are  needed  —  men  who, 
in  deep  faith,  are  willing  to 
handle  some  of  the  mundane 
details  of  the  Lord's  work;  men 
who  may  need  special  spiritual 
instruction  and  guidance  but 
who  will  come  through  in  the 
final  test  of  the  Christian  wit- 
ness. 

A  disciple  with  some  charac- 
teristics in  common  with  Philip 
was  Thomas.  This  man  was  a 
twin,  thus  his  name  Didymus 
(John  11:16).  The  synoptic 
gospels  tell  us  little  of  the  dis- 
ciple. They  tell  us  that  Thomas 
was  one  of  the  twelve,  and  his 
name  is  listed  with  the  others 
and  that  is  all. 

This  was  the  disciple  who  in- 
jected the  searching  question: 
"Lord,  we  do  not  know  where 
you  are  going;  how  can  we 
know  the  way?"  (John  14:5). 
This  was  in  the  midst  of  Jesus' 
discourse  of  assurance  to  the 
disciples.  The  Master  had  en- 
deavored to  point  the  way  to 
the  future  for  his  little  band  of 
followers,  but  Thomas  could 
see  only  darkness  and  uncer- 
tainty ahead.    "Lord,  how  can 


The  Mystic  Speaks 

JEAN  HOGAN  DUDLEY 

Who  cleaves  to  God 
Shall  always  be 
Within  the  bright 
Captivity; 
Nor  ever  dwell 
Alone,  apart. 
But  close  within 
God's  very  heart 


we  know  the  way?" 

This  was  Thomas.  Not  so 
much  a  doubter  as  one  who  had 
moods  which  kept  him  from 
stepping  out  on  faith.  Thomas, 
like  so  many  of  us,  needed  the 
goal  always  before  him.  He 
needed  the  plans  restated  to 
keep  his  motivation  alive. 
"Lord,  we  do  not  know  where 
you  are  going;  how  can  we 
know  the  way?"  This  was  a 
mood  of  hesitancy. 

At  times  the  man  wanted  to 
go  off  by  himself.  This  may 
have  been  why  he  missed  one 
gathering  of  the  disciples  in  the 
upper  room  at  Jerusalem.  The 
report  was  enthusiastic  from  the 
others:  "We  have  seen  the 
Lord!"  Jesus'  appearance  had 
made  new  men  of  the  disciples. 
But  Thomas  was  absent  from 
that  first  visit.  The  moods  con- 
tinued. "Unless  I  see  in  his 
hands  the  print  of  the  nails," 
Thomas  said,  "and  place  my 
fingers  in  the  mark  of  the  nails, 
...  I  will  not  believe"  (John 
20:24-29). 

Thomas  did  believe.  The  en- 
counter, eight  days  later,  with 
the  risen  Lord  swept  away  the 
doubt  and  brought  the  great 
confession  of  faith:  "My  Lord, 
my  God." 

There  were  some  positive 
views  of  Thomas  also.  On  that 
occasion  when  Jesus  was  called 
to  Judea  to  visit  Mary  and 
Martha  at  Lazarus'  death  the 
other  disciples  held  back.  They 
were  fearful  of  the  opposition 
rising  against  Jesus   (John  11: 

Continued  on  page  9 


EDITORIAL 


The  Order  of  Eutychus 

IT  IS  fashionable  for  present-day  Christians 
to  pick  a  New  Testament  character  as  their 
patron  saint.  If  they  are  committed  to  per- 
sonal evangelism,  they  follow  in  the  footsteps 
of  Andrew.  If  they  seek  a  liturgical  revival,  they 
join  the  Order  of  St.  Luke.  Yet  if  the  behavior 
of  many  is  any  indication,  a  young  man  whose 
name  is  mentioned  only  once  in  the  sacred  pages 
has  more  imitators  than  any  of  the  early  Chris- 
tian leaders. 

His  name  was  Eutychus.  When  Paul  spoke 
to  a  gathering  at  Troas,  the  hour  grew  late  and 
the  lights  were  bright  in  the  third-floor  room 
where  his  congregation  had  assembled.  Who 
can  blame  Eutychus,  crowded  into  a  window 
seat,  for  getting  drowsy  and  falling  asleep?  Un- 
fortunately, he  also  fell  out  of  the  window. 

Every  Sunday  morning  in  almost  every  con- 
gregation you  can  observe  the  followers  of 
Eutychus.  Some  of  them  are  charter  members 
in  the  order  of  sleepers,  beginning  at  an  early 
age  when  they  nested  in  their  mother's  arms 
and  continuing  to  be  faithful  in  their  dozing 
until  at  last  they  find  eternal  rest. 

There  are  others  of  us  (the  pronoun  is  in- 
tended to  be  inclusive,  for  who  is  so  perfect  he 
has  never  once  nodded?)  who  are  not  regular 
sleepers  in  church;  but,  on  more  occasions  than 
we  would  care  to  admit,  we  have  given  way 
to  slumber  when  fatigue  was  stronger  than  faith. 
We  exercised  our  fingers,  we  rubbed  our  eyes, 
we  massaged  our  muscles,  we  nudged  each 
other,  we  used  every  device  we  could  think  of 
to  appear  alert  and  interested,  but  all  to  no  avail. 
It  would  take  the  sound  of  a  heavenly  trumpet, 
certainly  more  than  a  shout  from  the  pulpit,  to 
rouse  us  out  of  our  lethargy. 

The  followers  of  Eutychus,  unaware  for  the 
most  part  that  they  have  a  New  Testament 
prototype,  seek  excuses  for  their  failing.  The 
sanctuary  may  be  too  warm  or  the  lights  too 
dim,  the  songs  too  slow  or  the  service  too  long 
(yet  how  many  last,  as  in  Paul's  case,  beyond 
midnight?).  The  favorite  dodge  is  to  blame  the 
preacher.  For  some  strange  reason  he  is  con- 
sidered responsible  if  a  worshiper  sleeps.  He  is 
too  verbose,  he  mumbles  his  words,  he  reads  his 
sermon,  he  is  too  theological,  he  is  not  sufficient- 
ly theological,  his  sermons  are  dull,  or  his  voice 
is  too  soothing.  If  Eutychus  sleeps,  it  is  Paul 
who  is  accused  more  often  than  his  drowsy 
listener. 


We  have  no  brief  for  sleep-inducing  sermons. 
Certainly  we  have  a  right  to  expect  a  speaker 
to  stimulate  and  provoke  us,  to  bestir  us  and 
confront  us  with  a  challenging  gospel.  But  it 
should  not  take  the  blast  of  an  awakening  chorus 
every  Sunday  to  open  our  eyes  and  alert  our 
ears.  We  also  have  a  duty  to  come  before  God 
already  rested,  eager  and  waiting  to  hear  him 
speak  to  us. 

After  Paul  had  taken  care  of  the  injured 
Eutychus,  he  said,  "Do  not  be  alarmed,  for  his 
life  is  in  him."  Any  life  in  you,  fellow  sleeper? 

—  K.M. 

Named  for  All  Twelve 

AN  AMSTERDAM  radio  station  reports 
that  a  Dutch  father  insisted  on  giving 
to  his  newborn  son  the  names  of  all  the 
twelve  disciples.  A  clerk  in  the  registry  office 
protested  at  having  so  many  names  to  write.  He 
pointed  out  that  the  boy  would  encounter  much 
difficulty  with  red  tape  as  he  grew  older.  But 
the  father  stayed  by  his  purpose:  all  twelve 
it  must  be. 

We  can  anticipate  that  Johnny  (or  will  he 
be  Andy,  Jimmy,  Phil,  Tom,  or  Pete? )  will  have 
other  hardships  as  well.  Just  think  how  his 
mother,  when  she  really  becomes  impatient 
with  him,  can  rattle  off  all  twelve  names  for 
emphasis. 

Or  will  it  happen  that  the  Dutch  boy  will 
be  called  by  different  names  according  to  the 
traits  of  character  he  displays?  Doubting  Tom, 
impulsive  Peter,  affectionate  John,  businesslike 
Matthew,  revolutionary  Simon,  guileless  Na- 
thanael,  or  plotting  Judas  —  will  these  names 
describe  his  moods  and  mark  the  stages  of  his 
growth? 

Whatever  his  handicaps,  the  boy  whose  life 
is  to  be  measured  by  the  original  twelve  will 
need  to  think  often  of  the  meaning  of  disciple- 
ship.  Recent  issues  of  the  Gospel  Messenger 
have  carried  studies  of  some  of  the  first  dis- 
ciples and  will  soon  describe  others  in  Christian 
history.  We  are  all  expected  to  be  disciples,  by 
whatever  name  we  are  called.  Each  one  can  be 
"the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved."  But  some  of 
us  must  in  all  humility  begin  by  identifying  our- 
selves with  one  such  as  James,  "the  less."  The 
lesser,  even  the  least,  can  still  answer  Christ's 
call  to  discipleship.  —  k.m. 

FEBRUARY  6,   I960  5 


WHAT  pictures  come  in- 
to your  mind  when 
someone  says,  "Think  of 
the  children  in  the  United 
States"?  Do  you  see  play- 
grounds filled  with  children 
swinging,  sliding,  seesawing, 
riding  on  merry-go-rounds,  and 
playing  in  small  groups?  Do 
you  see  boys  and  girls  pouring 
out  of  classrooms?  Do  you  see 
boys  dressed  in  cowboy  outfits 
sitting  in  front  of  television  sets 
watching  Westerns?  Do  you 
see  boys  or  girls  in  Scout  uni- 
forms camping  out?  Do  you 
see  figures  on  bicycles  riding 
along  the  streets?  These  activi- 
ties are  typical  of  most  boys  and 
girls  in  our  country.  We  can  be 
rather   impersonal   about    chil- 

6  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Juanita  Purvis  Shacklett 

dren  when  we  think  of  them 
in  great  numbers  and  in  general 
terms. 

What  pictures  come  into 
your  mind  when  someone  says, 
"Think  of  your  own  children"? 
You  see  immediately  Paul,  your 
oldest  son,  and  you  think  of  his 
great  interest  in  everything 
electrical.  You  may  recall  some 
problem  situations,  but  you 
smile  to  yourself,  and  there  is 
a  feeling  of  joy  and  pride  with- 
in you.  You  feel  a  tug  of  emo- 
tion and  an  overflowing  wave 

This  article  is  one  of  a  series  planned 
by  the  Committee  on  Children's  Work  of 
the  Division  of  Christian  Education  of 
the  National  Council  of  Churches.  It  is 
being  used  by  several  co-operating  de- 
nominations 


Religious  News  Service 


of  love  and  care.  This  picture 
is  more  realistic  than  the  one  of 
the  children.  This  one  has  per- 
sonality because  you  know  the 
individual. 

What  picture  comes  into 
your  mind  when  someone  says, 
"Think  of  all  the  refugee  chil- 
dren in  the  world"?  Do  you  see 
thin,  forlorn-looking  boys  and 
girls  dressed  in  ragged  cloth- 
ing? Do  you  picture  them  in 
some  faraway  and  strange  land? 
Do  you  think,  "How  terrible!" 
"Pitiful!"    "Poor  children!" 

What  picture  comes  into 
your  mind  when  someone  says, 
"Think  of  a  refugee  child?"  Can 
you  do  it?  Can  you  single  out 
an  individual  child  and  think 
of  his  interests,  fears,  hopes, 
and  cares?  If  you  can,  you  have 
taken  a  step  toward  the  kind  of 


personal  concern  that  makes  it 
I  impossible    ever    again    to    be 
;  j  indifferent    to    the    needs    of 
'refugees.   Even  when  you  read 
impersonal  statistics,  the  figures 
:  will  be  more  meaningful  be- 
cause   you    realize    that    each 
number  represents  an  individ- 
,  ual  personality,  a  boy  or  girl, 
;  i  a  man  or  woman,  with  hopes 
and  fears,  joys  and  sorrows. 
Let  us  travel  in  our  minds  to 
I  some   of  the   countries   where 
I  refugees  are  and  meet  some  of 
the  children. 

Let   us    go   first   to   Jericho, 
I  Jordan.    Near  Jericho  we  find 

I  a  camp  of  Arab  refugees.  There 

I I  are  fifteen  thousand  of  the 
I  refugees  crowded  together  in 
I  the  camp,  including  seven 
I  thousand  children.  Let  us  meet 
I  Hasan,  a  dark-haired  boy,  nine 
I  years  old.  Hasan  was  born  in 
i.  the  camp.  He  has  lived  all  of 
I  his  life  there. 

His  brother,  now  sixteen,  was 
I  born  in  Jaffa,  and  he  remembers 
I  happy  days  with  his  parents 
K  in  a  comfortable  home. 
b  members  the  fun  of 
!  along  the  shore  and 
water.  He  remembers  also  the 
I  terrible  day  when  he  and  his 
I  parents,  along  with  their  neigh- 
I  bors  and  friends,  had  to  flee  for 
']  their  lives,  leaving  everything 
I  behind  except  the  clothes  they 
were  wearing. 

Sometimes    he    tells    Hasan 
I  about  the  happy  times  he  re- 
I  members,    but    it    is    hard    for 
■  Hasan  to  understand,  for  the 
j  only  life  he  knows  is  the  refu- 
gee camp  life.    Hasan  goes  to 
the  crowded  camp  school.    He 
is  eager  to  learn.   He  dreams  of 
i  finding  a  way  to  help  his  family 
!  go  back  to  their  old  home,  but 
:  his  dream  is  a  childish  one,  and 
Hasan    cannot    make    it    come 
true.  Day  after  day,  life  goes  on 
in  the  camp  with  too  little  food, 
too  little  clothing,  too  little  op- 
portunity for  constructive  and 
creative  activities. 

Let  us  go  next  to  Hong  Kong. 


He  re- 
playing 
the 


m 


God  Loves  Children 

Glen  Weimer 

God  loves  children  — 

Every  child  is  engraved  on  the  heart  of  God 
and  precious  to  him. 

God  sends  children  into  the  world  to  bring  him 
near,  to  inspire  reverence  in  the  human  heart, 
and  to  bind  families  together  by  an  unbreakable  bond. 

God  gives  each  child  as  a  promise  of  good  to  this 
troubled  world.    So  often  the  world  denies, 
belittles,   and  blights   the  promise  of   God   in  young 
lives.    So  often  the  world  cares  not  for  the  child 
and  makes  little  room  for  the  child.    But  woe  be 
to  that  generation  that  neglects  the  child.    The 
age  that  forgets  the  child  and  refuses  to  receive 
God  in  the  child  is  in  grave  peril. 

O  God,  we  thank  thee  for  children  in  the  midst. 
Grant  us  the  child-spirit  and  the  love  of  Christ 
in  relation  to  all  children.    Amen 


We  go  to  one  of  the  schools  for 
refugee  children.  We  arrive 
just  as  cups  of  milk  are  being 
distributed  to  the  boys  and 
girls.  We  choose  one  boy  to  get 
acquainted  with.  His  name  is 
Chang.  He  seems  eager  to  get 
the  milk;  yet  he  does  not  drink 
it  all.  A  part  he  slips  to  his 
younger  brother,  who  is  thinner 
than  Chang. 


We  ask  Chang  about  his  fam- 
ily. Yes,  he  has  a  father  and  a 
mother  and  two  sisters  at  home. 
"Where  is  home?"  we  ask.  We 
learn  that  Chang  and  his  family 
live  in  a  one-room  shack  on  a 
crowded  hillside.  Chang  thinks 
they  are  fortunate.  He  can  re- 
member when  they  had  to 
sleep,  eat,  and  live  in  whatever 
space  they  could  find  vacant  on 


Religious  News  Service 

Once  helpless  to  get  established  in  his  occupation  because  of  lack  of 
capital,  this  young  Arab  refugee,  through  a  $500  loan  from  the  Near  East 
Council,   now   supports  not  only  himself  but  four  close   relatives   as   well 

FEBRUARY  6,  1960  ' 


a    sidewalk,    as    many    other 
refugees  still  do. 

Some  of  Chang's  friends  live 
in  caves.  Chang's  father  makes 
less  than  $25  a  year.  Even  with 
the  milk  the  children  get  at 
school,  no  one  in  the  family  is 
ever  without  hunger. 

Hasan  and  Chang  are  only 
two  refugee  children  in  two 
countries,  but  they  are  symbolic 
of  the  tragic  kind  of  life  many 
thousands  of  children  are  ex- 
periencing in  Austria,  Burma, 
India,  Indonesia,  Korea,  Paki- 
stan, Taiwan,  Vietnam,  Ger- 
many, Greece,  Italy,  Turkey, 
Tunisia,  Morocco,  Lebanon, 
Jordan,  Iraq,  Egypt,  Israel, 
Syria,  Brazil,  Belgium,  and 
other  areas  of  the  world. 

Certain  needs  of  children  are 
universal  —  the  need  to  love  and 
be  loved,  the  need  to  feel  se- 
cure, the  need  for  wholesome 
play  and  training,  the  need  for 
adequate  food,  clothing,  shelter, 
and  medical  care.  Hasan, 
Chang,  and  all  other  refugee 
children  have  these  needs,  just 
as  do  our  Pauls,  Rogers,  Marys, 
and  Jeans. 

Something  —  in  fact,  much  — 
is  being  done  to  help  meet  the 
needs  of  both  children  and 
adult  refugees. 

Church  World  Service  is 
the  interdenominational  agency 
through  which  thirty-five  Prot- 
estant and  Eastern  Orthodox 
churches  in  the  United  States 
co-operate  in  support  of  world- 
wide relief  and  reconstruction 
programs.  The  major  funds  to 
support  these  programs  are 
obtained  by  the  various  com- 
munions through  an  annual  ob- 
servance of  One  Great  Hour  of 
Sharing  or  some  similar  observ- 
ance, such  as  the  Week  of 
Compassion  or  the  Week  of 
Dedication.  Some  of  the  com- 
munions choose  to  make  ap- 
peals for  such  funds  at  other 
times  throughout  the  year. 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Layette  for  a  Refugee  Baby 

BERTHAE  CONVERSE 

Dear  Child. 

Whose  first  small  clothes  I  shape  with  care. 

Each  tiny  stitch  I  make  is  sewn  with  prayer. 

I  do  not  know  upon  what  sullen  skies 

You  first  will  open  wondering  baby  eyes; 

It  well  may  be  in  lands  across  the  sea. 

Or  in  some  migrant  camp  not  far  from  me. 

You  may  be  white,  black,  yellow.  Gentile,  Jew  — 

I  only  know  the  earth  has  need  of  you. 

You've  come  into  a  world  debauched  with  hate. 

Where  love  has  shared  too  little  and  too  late. 

And  on  your  brave,  young  head  will  fall  the  fears. 

The  hopes,  the  burdens  of  the  years. 

If  you  are  strong  and  sure  and  truly  free. 

So  may  the  peoples  of  the  future  be; 

Unless  you  lift  unshackled  hands  on  high. 

The  dreams  of  God,  the  faith  of  men  will  die. 

So,  as  I  make  your  little  clothes  with  care. 

Into  each  stitch  I  sew  a  mother's  prayer. 

Reprinted  from  American  Friends  Service  Committee  Report 


Gary  Williams 

Ethel  Myer,  Brethren  volunteer  in  Kinderhaus,  Friedland,  Germany,  dresses 
a  baby  which  has  been  given  to  the  Kinderhaus  for  care.  Other  babies  in 
cribs   look   on   with   mixed   feelings    and   there   might   be    an   outburst   of   tears 

The  funds  are  used  to  help 
furnish  food,  clothing,  and  med- 
ical care  to  refugees  who  are  in 
desperate  need  until  they  are 
able  to  supply  these  necessities 
themselves.  Continuous  efforts 
are  made  to  help  the  refugees 
find  work  or  learn  new  trades 
and  skills  so  that  they  may 
again  become  self-supporting 
and  self-respecting  citizens. 


While  their  parents  are 
struggling  to  find  solutions  to 
their  problems,  the  children  are 
benefiting  by  services  provided 
by  the  Church  World  Service 
program.  Some  examples  of  the 
kind  of  services  are  the  follow- 
ing: maintaining  child  welfare 
programs  such  as  Faith  Hope 
Nursery  in  Hong  Kong  and  the 
Kemmendine  Nursery  in  Burma 


Religious  News  Service 


In  shacks  like  those  pictured  here  and  in  caves  and  on  the  sidewalks  live 
more  than  a  million  Chinese  who  have  fled  from  Red  China  into  Hong  Kong 


i  for  children  of  refugee  working 
;  mothers;  supporting  treatment 
clinics  for  tuberculosis  victims 
in  such  countries  as  Korea  and 
India;  maintaining  centers  for 
educating  refugee  children,  as 
in  India;  and  many,  many 
others.  Not  long  ago,  a  large 
oven  was  constructed  in  Viet- 
nam to  bake  bread  for  four 
thousand  refugee  children  liv- 
ing in  institutions. 

These  services  would  not  be 
possible  without  the  contribu- 
tions that  you  and  I  and  others 
in  our  local  churches  make. 
Each  contribution  is  a  twofold 
gift.  It  represents  not  only  re- 
lief from  physical  pain  and 
discomfort;  it  also  represents 
Christian  love  and  concern. 

Can  you  picture  a  lovely  little 
girl  in  Jerusalem,  seven  years 
old,  in  a  worn  and  shabby  dress, 
standing  and  shyly  watching 
while  bales  of  clothing  from  the 
United  States  are  unpacked? 
See  her  eyes  suddenly  brighten 
and  a  warm  smile  come  across 
her  face  when  she  is  given  a 
pretty  new  dress!  See  her  hold 
it  up  to  herself?  See  her  fingers 
move  gently  over  the  material? 
Can  you  imagine  her  happiness 


not  only  that  she  has  a  new 
dress  but  also  that  someone  far 
away  cares  about  her? 

Think  of  the  great  numbers 
of  refugee  children  and  their 
needs,  but  think  of  them  as 
much  as  possible  as  individuals 
—  young  Hasans  and  Changs. 

Help  others  to  think  of  the 
children,  too.  If  you  are  a 
teacher  and  the  boys  and  girls 
in  your  class  are  to  participate 
in  the  observance,  prepare  them 
for  making  their  contribution 
by  helping  them  to  know  the 
facts  about  refugee  children 
and  to  understand  how  their 
contribution  will  help. 

Our  own  gift  to  refugee  chil- 
dren can  be  a  multifold  gift  if, 
in  addition  to  making  our  con- 
tribution of  money  and  love,  we 
help  others  to  "think  of  the 
children." 


Philip  and  Thomas 

Continued  from  page  4 

8).  They  did  not  want  to  go 
but  Thomas,  in  spite  of  the 
danger,  said:  "Let  us  also  go, 
that  we  may  die  with  him" 
(John  11:16).  This  makes 
Thomas  a  man  of  courage  when 


the  time  comes  for  action.  He 
may  have  had  his  doubts,  but 
he  faced  them  and  conquered 
them.  As  in  so  many  instances, 
we  wish  the  New  Testament 
authors  had  given  us  more  of 
this  man's  life. 

There  is  some  historical  evi- 
dence that  Thomas  held  his  own 
in  his  discipleship  following  the 
resurrection.  Today  there  are 
active  Christian  churches  in 
India  that  are  called  the 
Mar-Thoma  churches.  These 
congregations  claim  apostolic 
foundations  because  of  the  early 
first-century  ministry  of  Thomas 
in  India. 

The  New  Testament  records 
tell  us  nothing  of  the  closing 
years  of  the  apostle's  life.  We 
can  be  assured,  however,  that 
Thomas,  called  to  be  a  disciple, 
never  forgot  his  spiritual  en- 
lightenment which  came  from 
knowing  the  risen  Lord.  Dis- 
cipleship, past  and  present,  noC 
only  for  Philip  and  Thomas  but 
also  for  us,  centers  in  knowing 
Jesus  the  Lord.  Christ,  beyond 
all  our  doubts  and  reservations, 
has  shown  us  the  way  of  love 
and  redemptive  service  in  his 
name. 


GOD  impotent?  Listen  to  Mr. 
Einstein  talk  about  matter.  E  equals 
MC2.  In  a  cup  of  water  there  is 
enough  restrained  power  to  propel  a 
ship  across  the  Atlantic.  In  a  day 
when  God  has  opened  up  a  little 
crack  in  the  universe  to  give  us  a 
peek  into  unimaginable  power,  who 
would  say  that  God  is  impotent? 
He  is  patient,  that's  all,  beyond  all 
our  ideas  of  patience.  And  part  of 
omnipotence  is  power  to  withhold 
power.  "The  Lord  is  not  slack  con- 
cerning his  promise  .  .  ."  said  Peter. 
He  has  not  let  the  world  get  out 
of  hand.  He  has  not  abdicated  to 
the  Kremlin,  or  even  to  Washington. 
He  is  patient,  long-suffering,  slow  to 
anger,  plenteous  in  mercy;  and  the 
majesty  of  his  power  is  its  mercy. 

—  J.  Wallace  Hamilton, 
WHO  GOES  THERE? 
(The  Fleming  H.  Retell  Company). 

FEBRUARY    6,    1960  9 


Scouts  Tommy  Cey  and  Michael  Gailey  (from  left)   assist  in  distributing 
bulletins  in  the  Newport  News  church,  Virginia,  on  special  Scout  Sunday 


Now  fifty  years  old,  the  Boy  Scouts  of  America 
work  closely  with  churches  in  providing 

A  SERVICE 
TO  BOYS 

William  K.  Craft 


DURING  1960  the  Boy 
Scouts  of  America  will  ■ 
celebrate  their  fiftieth! 
anniversary.  It  is  anticipated 
that  by  the  close  of  1960,  a 
total  membership  of  27,000,000 
different  boys,  and  8,750,000 
different  unit  leaders,  or  a  total 
of  33,500,000  different  persons, 
will  have  participated  in  the 
program  since  1910. 

In  fifty  years  of  providing  a 
program  for  boys  through  estab- 
lished institutions  throughout 
America,  scouting  has  extended 
its  influence  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  our  land. 
It  can  be  found  in  our  nation's 
most  sparsely  settled  areas  as 
well  as  in  the  midst  of  our 
great  cities. 

The  statistical  service  of  the 
Boy  Scouts  of  America  reveals 
that  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
had  a  growth  from  127  chart- 
ered Scout  units  in  1957  to 
150  units  in  1958.  This  is  a  net ! 
gain  of  23  units.  (Figures  for 
1959  were  not  available  at  the 
time  of  this  writing. ) 

The  statistics  further  reveal 
that  Protestant  churches  are  by 
far  the  largest  users  of  the 
scouting  program,  chartering 
36.4  per  cent  of  all  Scout  units. 
Over  half  (50.1  per  cent)  of 
all  Scout  units  are  chartered  by 
religious  institutions.  Civic  or- 
ganizations sponsor  28.6  per 
cent;  schools  and  P.T.A.'s  spon- 
sor 20.6  per  cent.  There  were 
124,549  Cub  Scout  packs,  Scout 
troops,  and  Explorer  posts 
chartered  to  all  types  of  insti- 
tutions and  organizations  at  the 
close  of  1958.  So  much  for  sta- 
tistics. 

It  seems  appropriate  for  all 
of  us  to  take  a  second  look  at 
the  scouting  program  in  order 
to  review  the  values  of  church 
sponsorship. 

Scouting  can  help  the  church. 
The  process  of  character  build- 


t 


iD 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


District  Scout  executive,  Peninsula  Coun- 
cil, Boy  Scouts  of  America,  Newport 
News,  Virginia 


ing  does  not  come  to  a  halt 
whenever  a  boy  finishes  his 
ichurch  school  lesson,  attends 
the  preaching  service,  departs 
from  school  at  the  sound  of  the 
dismissal  bell,  or  goes  down  the 
!  street  from  home  to  play  with 
the  gang.  What  happens  to 
him  in  his  leisure  time  either 
strengthens  or  weakens  the 
principles  which  the  church,  the 
|  school,  and  the  home  have 
I  sought  to  implant  within  him. 

It  is  highly   important   that 

our  church  continues  to  look  to 

scouting  as  an  effective  tool  in 

I  providing  a  planned  program 

I  of  weekday  activities   for   the 

J  boys   in   our   communities.     It 

j  offers  our  church  an  aggressive 

;  program  that  "can  lengthen  its 

arm   of  loving   care   for   boys, 

]  reaching  out  into  the  street,  the 

1  corner  lot,  down  by  the  railroad 

tracks,  the  crossroads,  and  into 

]  the  farmyard." 

Scouting    literally    loses    its 

i  own  life  to  serve  boys  in  the 

church.    The   Boy   Scout   pro- 

,  gram  has  made  "Obligation  to 

'  God"  its  focal  point  since  its 

!  very  beginning,  as  indicated  in 

its  constitution.  The  Boy  Scout 

Promise  recognizes  God  as  the 

.  leading  power  in  the  universe 

»  when  it  says,  "On  my  honor  I 

I  will  do  my  best  to  do  my  duty 

to  God  and  my  country.  .  .  ." 

.  Religion  is  the  very  heart  and 

i  spirit  of  scouting. 

The  Boy  Scouts  of  America 
■  does  not  own  a  single  Cub  Pack, 
Scout  Troop,  or  Explorer  Unit. 
'   All  of  its  units  are  sponsored, 
I   owned,  and  operated  by  parent 
institutions,   such   as   our   own 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  When 
a  church  adopts  scouting,  the 
unit    belongs    to    that    church 
which  has  the  right  and  respon- 
sibility  of    selecting    the    unit 
leaders. 

Through  its  own  duly  elected 
institutional  representative,  the 
church  shares  in  shaping  and 
promoting  the  local  scouting 
policies    and    activities.     This 


representative  should  be  a 
strong,  executive  type  of  per- 
son. He  will  be  the  superin- 
tendent of  scouting  for  the 
church  and  will  represent  it  in 
the  district  and  council  organi- 
zation. 

Yes,  when  scouting  belongs  to 
our  church  —and  is  not  an  or- 
phan,   but   a   member   of   our 


Dana  Watts,  a 

member  of  the 

Newport  News 

Church  of  the 

Brethren  troop, 

helps  receive 

offering  on 

Scout  Sunday 


church   family  —  scouting   can 
help  the  church. 

The  leader  is  one  of  the  keys 
to  a  successful  unit.  He  is  the 
key  to  winning  the  boys  for 
Christ  and  holding  them  for  the 
church.  Let  me  tell  you  about 
Ralph  Comer,  scoutmaster  for 
Troop  97  of  the  Newport  News 
Church    of    the    Brethren,    of 


Pastor  Forest  O. 

Wells,  Committee 

Chairman  Robert 

C.  Sheldon, 

and  Scoutmaster 

Ralph  Comer 

(from  left) 

receive  the 

charter  for 

Troop  97, 

Newport  News 

church,  Virginia, 

from  the 

Peninsula 

Council  of  the 

Boy  Scouts 


which  I  am  a  member.  An 
earnest  Christian  and  faithful 
church  member,  he  started  in 
scouting  because  he  had  the  de- 
sire to  work  with  young  people. 
Ralph  did  not  have  a  boy  in 
scouting  but  he  had  a  desire  to 
help  boys.  He  now  also  serves 
as  teacher  for  the  young  peo- 
ple's church  school  class. 

Ralph  assisted  in  the  organi- 
zation of  scouting  in  Newport 
News.  The  troop  started  with 
five  boys,  two  leaders,  and  four 
committeemen.  Today  it  has 
grown  to  a  thirty-four  boy  unit 
and  nine  adults.  It  is  not  the 
numbers  especially  that  are  im- 
portant but  the  fact  of  growth 
in  various  ways,  particularly  in 
the  direction  of  bringing  new 
boys  and  their  families  closer  to 
the  church  through  scouting. 

Ralph  helps  the  new  Scout 
to  see  that  religion  is  in  a  very 
real  way  the  heart  and  spirit  of 
scouting,  that  scouting  is  more 
than  merit  badges,  more  than 
camping.  Many  times  I  have 
heard  him  explain  to  the  boys: 
"You  are  expected,  if  you  come 
into  this  troop,  to  be  a  topnotch 
Scout,  to  make  steady  advance- 
ment, and  to  attend  church 
school  and  church  regularly.  I 
can't  tell  you  what  church  to  at- 
tend, because  this  is  America 
and  you  can  attend  the  church 
of  your  choice  or  of  your  par- 
ents' choice." 

Like,  as  not,  the  reply  Ralph 
would  get  would  be,  "I  don't 
go  to  church.  May  I  come  to 
yours?"  And  Ralph  would  re- 
ply, "Talk  it  over  with  your 
parents.  You  are  welcome  in 
our  church  and  church  school, 
but  you  do  not  have  to  attend 
here  to  belong  to  our  troop,  as 
long  as  you  attend  some  other 
church  regularly." 

The  result  is  that  several  boys 
are  now  attending  our  church 
and  no  doubt  they  will  find 
Christ  and  may  even  unite  with 


:>  ii-  catty 

Wit       J 


James  Brinkley,  Gerald  Leonard,  and  Dana  Hinnant  (from  left)  repair  toys 
which  the  Scouts  have  gathered  in  the  drive  for  "toys  for  tots" 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the   Church   of  the   Brethren. 

Someone  once  said  that 
"scouting  is  evangelism."  In  the 
above  situation,  not  only  do  the 
boys  attend,  but  several  of  the 
boys'  families  come  to  our 
church  through  their  interest  in 
the  Scouts  and  undoubtedly 
they  will  unite  and  become 
strong  members  and  supporters 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Yes,  there  would  be  great 
value  in  each  of  our  churches 
voting  officially  to  sponsor 
scouting.  It  should  be  as  much 
a  part  of  the  church  life  and  re- 
sponsibility as  the  church  school 
or  the  CBYF.  On  numerous 
occasions  in  our  own  church 
life,  we  have  held  co-operative 
activities  with  the  CBYF  to  ac- 
complish an  even  higher  fellow- 
ship than  would  have  been 
possible  had  we  held  the  activ- 
ity alone.  Scouting  should  be  a 
part  of  the  church's  program  of 
Christian  education  and  evan- 
gelism. 

Another  highlight  of  scouting 
is  the  religious  awards  program. 


To  aid  a  boy  in  developing 
traits  of  character  and  habits  of 
conduct  that  are  a  part  of  the 
Christian  way  of  life  and  to 
give  him  a  strong  and  specific 
emphasis  on  religious  experi- 
ence in  the  life  of  a  boy,  through 
scouting,  the  church  offers  the 
"God  and  Country"  program. 

Through  participation  in  this 
program  —  under  the  direct 
guidance  of  the  minister  — the 
boy  grows  in  Christian  faith, 
Christian  witness,  Christian  out- 
reach, Christian  citizenship  and 
Christian  fellowship.  As  one 
Scout  said,  "The  God  and  Coun- 
try Award  and  participation  on 
Scout  Sunday  made  real  to  me 
the  significance  of  service  to 
God  and  its  place  in  Scouting." 

The  God  and  Country  Award 
was  presented  to  sixty-three 
boys  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  1957-58  in  recog- 
nition of  their  growth  and 
service.  Thus  again,  scouting 
has  been  used  to  supplement 
our  church  program  for  chil- 
dren and  young  people,  helping 


i$te  $§Sfe 


Scoutmaster  Ralph   Comer  of   Troop   97,   Newport   News   Church   of   the 
jBrethren,  Virginia,  leads  the  Scouts  in  their  closing  "Scoutmaster  minute" 


|  them  to  be  faithful  and  active 
( i  in  the  church  and  aiding  in  the 
I  development  of  a  citizen  par- 
it  ticipating  in  the  community. 

Along     with     offering     the 
'church  a  program  of  character 
I  building,  a  program  of  week- 
i.  day  activities,   an   evangelistic 
I  tool,  an  opportunity  for  more 
I  adult  participation  within  the 
church  scouting  can  serve  as  a 
I  training  school  for  church  lead- 
I  ers.   Scouting  naturally  attracts 
j  alert    young    men    who    have 
I  leadership    capacity.     The    ad- 
ministration of  scouting  gives 
I  them   practical   leadership    ex- 
:  perience. 

It  has  been  found  that  the 
places    of    leadership    in    high 
1  school  and  college  are  held  by 
Boy  Scouts  in  more  than  their 
<  normal  proportion.  These  young 
;  men  combined  with  their  scout- 
ing experience  all  the  benefits 
of   school,   church,    and   home 
training;  scouting  was  only  one 
influence   in   their    lives.    The 
fact    remains    that    the    Scout 
movement   recruits   and   trains 


that  portion  of  our  young  men 
from  which  will  come  a  major- 
ity of  the  leaders  in  the  next 
generation. 

On  February  7-13  we  will  be 
celebrating  Boy  Scout  Week 
throughout  our  nation.  Actual- 
ly, February  7  is  Scout  Sunday. 
This  would  be  a  most  appropri- 
ate time  to  pause  to  consider 
Scout  sponsorship.  This  day 
will  also  provide  an  opportu- 
nity for  those  who  have  already 
adopted  a  phase  or  several 
phases  of  the  scouting  program, 
to  recognize  their  Cubs,  Scouts 
or  Explorers,  their  leaders,  and 
their  committee  personnel.  By 
so  doing,  all  of  us  will  be 
joining  in  with  this  national 
program,  which  has  through  in- 
stitutions such  as  ours,  aided 
in  developing  boys,  physically, 
mentally  and  morally. 


A  speed-up  plan  to  start  forty-two 
new  congregations  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  church  in  the  first  half 
of  1960  has  been  announced  by  the 
church's  home  missions  executive. 


Simplicity 

Vera  Strietzel 

Remember  the  old  lady  who  said 
"Give  me  a  kiss  for  my  birthday,  so 
I  won't  have  to  dust  it"?  When  I 
look  at  the  many  things  we  have  in 
our  homes,  all  of  which  need  dust- 
ing, I  think  she  had  a  wonderful 
idea. 

The  Brethren  idea  of  simplicity 
had  its  good  features  —  less  things, 
less  places  to  store  them,  and  less 
changes  of  clothes  to  select  from. 
Recently  I  helped  break  into  small 
pieces  angel  food  cakes,  to  combine 
with  berries  and  other  ingredients 
for  a  church  dinner.  Why  not  skip 
the  whipped  cream  and  serve  the 
cake  as  is?  I  dare  say  few  of  those 
who  helped  had  time  that  week  to 
visit  some  sick  friend  or  lonely  per- 
son. Why  isn't  a  pretty  bowl  with 
fresh  apples  and  grapes  as  good  a 
dessert  as  any? 

When  I  visit  other  homes,  I  think, 
"How  nice!  Now  what  shall  7  col- 
lect? Our  rooms  seem  rather  bare." 
But  when  I  go  home,  I  am  refreshed 
by  looking  at  some  walls  that  are 
bare,  some  chairs  that  are  not 
cushioned,  and  some  shelves  that 
are  not  crowded  with  books.  This 
leaves  my  mind  uncrowded  too,  in 
contrast  to  the  confused  feeling  when 
trying  to  think  in  a  room  cluttered 
with  magazines  and  Book  of  the 
Month  reading  material.  Too  many 
things    to    dust! 

Two  ways  to  achieve  simple  living 
is  cut  down,  cull  out,  and  eliminate 
until  there  is  little  left.  That  is 
not  simplicity,  but  meagerness,  and 
we  would  soon  add  things  and  be 
worse  off  than  before.  The  other 
is  to  have  a  central  idea  and  purpose 
and  work  toward  it,  eliminating  all 
that  does  not  contribute,  making  one 
thing  do  the  job  of  several,  using 
it  to  the  full. 

I  believe  Jesus  would  recommend 
simple  living,  with  comforts  and 
pleasant  surroundings  of  course,  but 
not  so  many  that  they  barred  his 
attention  from  people  as  people,  who 
perhaps  needed  him.  Let  him  be 
the  center,  and  then  things  will  be 
methods  to  him. 

I  have  read  Phillips  Brooks'  ser- 
mon on  simplicity  at  least  twenty 
times,  and  recommend  it  to  anyone 
who  is  a  bit  weary  with  too  much 
accumulation  and  too  many  things 
to  dust. 


FEBRUARY  G,   19S0 


13 


Guidance 

Through 
Meditation 


W.  Russell  Shull 


WHEN  Joshua  assumed  full  responsibility 
for  leading  the  children  of  Israel  into 
the  promised  land,  the  Lord  came  near 
to  him  toid  gave  him  the  following  charge:  "Be 
strong  and  very  courageous,  being  careful  to  do 
according  to  all  the  law  .  .  .;  turn  not  from  it  to 
the  right  hand  or  to  the  left,  that  you  may  have 
good  success  wherever  you  go.  This  book  of 
the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of  your  mouth,  but 
you  shall  meditate  on  it  day  and  night,  that  you 
may  be  careful  to  do  according  to  all  that  is 
written  in  it"  (Joshua  1:7-8). 

To  know  the  right  intellectually  is  no  guar- 
antee that  one  will  do  that  right.  Socrates  was 
a  very  great  man,  but  at  this  point  he  was  wrong. 
To  know  is  not  to  do.  Our  own  persistent  ex- 
perience of  knowing  but  not  doing  points  up 
our  tremendous  need  to  get  the  law  solidly 
planted  deep  in  our  hearts,  not  simply  in  our 
heads. 

How  is  this  accomplished?  How  do  we  write 
his  law  upon  our  hearts?  More  accurately,  how 
does  God  do  this?  The  message  of  Jeremiah  is 
that  God  will  do  this.  "I  will  put  my  law  with- 
in them,  and  I  will  write  it  upon  their  hearts" 
(Jer.  31:33). 

But  is  there  not  some  co-operating  we  can 
do  to  help  God  accomplish  this  great  miracle? 
Are  there  some  steps  we  can  take?  The  answer 
lies,  I  believe,  with  three  words  —  meditation, 
contemplation,  listening. 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


There  is  a  proper  limit  to  the  reading  of 
books.  That  limit  is  reached  when  we  go  beyond 
the  absorption  point.  A  housewife  knows  that 
in  watering  a  plant  she  dare  not  pour  on  the 
water  too  fast  or  it  will  simply  overflow  the 
pot  and  spill.  Farmers  pray  that  the  needed: 
rain  will  not  come  too  fast  so  that  the  soil  may 
absorb  the  water  as  it  falls. 

We  may  try  to  devour  mental  food  in  such 
quantities  or  at  such  speed  that  we  cannot  digest 
the  intake.  I  am  deeply  grateful  that,  even  in  a 
my  college  days,  I  began  to  recognize  this  law 
of  mental  mastication  and  gradual  assimilation. 
It  led  me  to  take  one  less  course  than  most 
students  took  in  order  that  I  might  have  one 
hour  in  the  morning  entirely  free  for  meditating 
on  God's  deeper  truths  and  for  contemplating 
the  implications  of  all  I  was  learning. 

The  psalmist  was  sensing  this  great  law  of 
absorption,  this  law  of  soul  learning,  when  he 
said: 

"I  will  meditate  on  thy  precepts, 

and  fix  my  eyes  on  thy  ways. 
Oh,  how  I  love  thy  law! 

It  is  my  meditation  all  the  day"  (Ps.  119: 

15,  97). 

Here  is  one  way  to  come  into  a  true  love  for 
God's  law:  Think  about  that  law,  meditate  upon 
it,  ponder  its  meaning.  The  things  on  which 
our  minds  dwell  during  their  free  moments 
serve  as  an  index  of  the  present  bent  of  our 
minds.    It  is  also  an  indication  of  what  our 


ARE  YOU  WEARY? 

Look  to  One  who  sought  the 

hills 

to  pray  for  heavenly  rest; 

And  lowly  bids  his   burden's 

yoke 

to  all  who  are  oppressed. 

ARE  YOU  FEARFUL? 

Look  to  One  who  knew  no  fear 
when  death  tried  to  molest; 
And  perfect  peace  from  anx- 
ious fright 
is  ours  at  his  behest. 

ARE  YOU  LONELY? 

Look  to  One  who  walked  alone 

while     crowds     about     him 

pressed; 

And  if  we  walk  alone  with  him 

we     shall     in     heaven     be 

blessed. 
—  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh 


minds  will  be  in  the  future.  For  this  reason 
Paul  said  to  the  Philippians :  "Whatever  is  true, 
whatever  is  honorable,  whatever  is  just,  what- 

lever  is  pure,  whatever  is  lovely,  whatever  is 

]  gracious,  if  there  is  any  excellence,  if  there  is 
anything  worthy  of  praise,  think  about  these 

■things"  (Phil.  4:8). 

Brother  Lawrence  is  one  whom  millions  have 
come  to  love  for  his  devotion  in  the  kitchen,  for 

„  his  ability  to  practice  the  Presence  during  the 
most  menial  of  tasks.  In  the  great  devotional 
classic,  The  Practice  of  the  Presence  of  God, 
Brother  Lawrence  says  that  as  often  as  he  could 
he  placed  himself  as  a  worshiper  before  God, 
keeping  his  mind  fixed  on  God's  holy  presence. 
In  the  noise  and  clatter  of  his  kitchen,  with 
many  people  calling  for  things,  he  kept  his 
mind  on  God. 

Do  we  know  the  power  of  contemplation? 
The  genius  of  worship?  They  transmute  known 
truth  into  loved  truth.  They  plant  the  great 
principles  of  God  into  the  subsoil  of  our  minds 
where  they  may  take  root  and  spread  their  con- 
necting rootlets  through  all  the  subconscious. 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  saturating  the  total 


A.   Devaney 

mind  with  God,  with  his  vast  truth,  with  his 
infinite  love,  with  his  permeating  Spirit.  This 
kind  of  transformation  is  effected  through  our 
contemplations,  through  our  worship. 

One  of  the  greatest  needs  of  all  Christendom 
is  to  appreciate  the  fact  that  such  worship,  such 
pondering,  is  not  intended  for  church  only,  for 
formal  times  of  prayer  and  worship  only.  "Com- 
mune with  your  own  heart  on  your  beds,  and 
be  silent"  (Ps.  4:4). 

This  scripture  suggests  one  of  the  tremen- 
dous blessings  of  the  mature  years.  From  time 
to  time  things  happen  that  lead  to  wakeful 
nights  —  some  physical  disturbance  or  ailment, 
a  vexing  problem  hanging  fire,  the  critical  needs 
of  a  friend.  But  the  wise  heart  learns  that  these 
wakeful  hours  need  not  be  wasted. 

We  can  use  them  to  meditate,  contemplate, 
pray.  If  we  but  relax  and  remain  calm  and  still, 
we  may  accomplish  more  for  the  kingdom  dur- 
ing these  hours  than  in  equal  daytime.  We  can 
feel  rested  the  next  morning,  too!    During  such 


FEBRUARY  6,  1960 


15 


night  hours  we  learn  to  practice  Ps.  46:10:   "Be 
still,  and  know  that  I  am  God!" 

Be  still  —  and  begin  to  know  the  deeper 
meaning  of  God's  word.  Be  still  —  and  increase 
our  capacity  to  hear  the  still  small  voice.  Be 
still  —  and  receive  far  more  clearly  the  guidance 
of  the  Lord.   Be  still  —  and  know! 

Religion  is  a  two-way  street.  We  hold  com- 
munion with  the  Great  One.  We  speak  with 
him  and  he  with  us. 

But  if  it  is  truly  two-way,  why  have  so 
many  of  us  formed  a  habit  of  doing  nearly  all 
the  talking?  Why  the  many  words  on  our  part, 
and  no  silent  spaces  left  for  hearing  his  words, 
his  thoughts? 

He  wants  to  hear  us,  all  right;  and  it  does  us 
great  good  to  be  vocal  about  our  needs  when 
talking  with  him.  But  in  seeking  guidance,  we 
really  are  wanting  to  know  what  he  has  to  say. 
Principally,  we  want  to  hear  his  words. 

We  are  speaking  here  about  one  of  the  great 
techniques  of  receiving  divine  guidance.  It  may 
be  the  greatest.  If  we  want  to  hear  that  still 
small  voice,  we  must  be  still,  and  listen. 

If  we  want  God  to  be  able  to  whisper  to  us 
some  of  his  great  truths  at  times  when  we  need 
them  most,  then  we  should  help  him  plant  a 
large  number  of  these  truths  deep  into  our  minds 
and  souls  where  they  will  be  ready  for  later  use 
by  his  Spirit.  His  truths  can  be  driven  into  the 
subterranean  areas  of  our  personalities,  deep  in 
the  subconscious,  where  they  will  be  awaiting 
his  recall.  God's  Spirit  will  call  them  up  for  us: 
the  right  idea  at  the  right  time  in  the  right  way. 
You  may  label  this  process  "memory"  if  you 
prefer;  but  keep  in  mind  that  the  Great  Mind 
saturates  our  minds  and  works  through  them. 
When  he  supplies  us  with  his  guidance,  he 
draws  upon  the  materials  that  have  been  placed 
in  the  memory  of  our  minds.  The  Holy  Spirit 
does  not  call  up  for  us  a  verse  of  scripture  at  a 
time  of  need,  if  we  have  never  known  or 
memorized  that  scripture.  We  must  do  the 
planting  if  we  expect  God  to  do  the  using.  We 
place  things  in  the  subconscious  so  that  his 
Spirit  may,  at  a  time  of  great  need,  call  them 
up  into  the  conscious. 

Here  again  we  appreciate  the  oneness  and 
unity  of  life.  There  is  no  separation  between 
mental  processes  and  divine  processes.  God 
uses  all  of  our  mentality.  The  subconscious  is 
his  and  our  great  storehouse  of  ideas,  thoughts, 
feelings,  purposes  upon  which  he  and  we  may 
call  at  any  time.  This  becomes  the  great  divine 
and  human  reservoir  of  heartfelt  truths  avail- 


able   for   his    and    our   use    throughout    life. 

Surely,  then,  we  see  the  profound  wisdom 
of  cultivating  the  contemplative  life.  By  it  we 
come  to  know,  truly  know  the  truths  which  the 
mind  receives.  By  it  we  absorb  knowledge  and 
turn  it  into  wisdom.  By  it  we  assimiliate  into 
the  total  mind  that  which  passes  through  the 
gate  of  the  mind.  As  Evelyn  Underhill  says, 
"The  contemplative  state  seems  to  enhance  life 
by  throwing  open  the  deeper  levels  of  personal- 
ity. The  self  then  drinks  at  a  fountain  which  is 
fed  by  the  universal  life."* 

As  the  writer  of  the  first  psalm  says,  Blessed 
is  the  man  whose  delight  is  in  the  law  of  the 
Lord  and  who  meditates  on  that  law  day  and 
night.  Such  a  man  becomes  like  a  tree  planted 
by  rivers  of  water.  His  leaf  does  not  wither.  He 
bears  fruit  and  all  that  he  undertakes  prospers. 

Here  is  the  way  truly  to  know  God.  And  to 
know  that  you  know  him!  Here  is  the  route  to 
that  abiding  consciousness  of  the  indwelling 
presence  so  many  crave. 

A  chapter  from  a  new  booklet,  How  God  Guides  Us,  published 
by  Macalester  Park  Publishing  Company.  Used  by  permission 

That's  the  Size  of  It 

"PEOPLE  have  been  getting  taller  at  a  rati 
of  .  .  .  about  two  fifths  of  an  inch  every  decade, 
says  Dr.  Stanley  M.  Garn  of  the  Fels  Researc! 
Institute.  Reasons  for  growth  include  increased 
calorie  intake,  improved  nutrition,  and  reduced 
incidence  of  childhood  disease. 

The  changes  in  size  have  even  affected  home 
furnishings.    A  standard  75-inch  bed  is  giving 
way  to  80-inch  lengths.    Stoves  and  automatic 
washers  and  other  appliances  are  beginning  to  ! 
have  extension  legs. 

And  the  growth  is  not  all  lengthwise.  It 
seems  we  sit  broader  than  we  used  to.  In 
Milan's  La  Scala  opera  house  the  seats  were 
eighteen  or  nineteen  inches  wide.  The  average 
American  man  now  needs  twenty-two  to  twenty- 
four  inches.  Architects  for  New  York's  Lincoln 
Center  have  discovered  that  to  accommodate 
the  same  number  of  music  lovers,  the  new  opera 
house  will  have  to  be  one-third  larger! 

All  of  this  came  across  my  desk  and  I  read  it. 
Then  I  thought  about  the  swastikas  smeared  on 
synagogues;  I  thought  about  the  lawsuits  over 
"park  land"  or  open  housing  in  Deerfield,  111.; . 
I  thought  of  the  insignificant  things  that  occupy 
our  times  and  lives. 

It  is  a  pity  that  our  expansion  has  not  been 
an  enlargement  of  the  whole  man.  We  may  be 
wider  and  taller,  but  we  are  not  much  bigger 
where  it  counts.  —  Percy  Hope. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


•  From  Mysticism,  p.  61,  copyrighted  by  Methuen  &  Co.,  LTD., 
London.    Permission  granted 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Chalmer  G.  Shull  calls  attention  to  the  omission  of 
a  street  address  in  the  recent  Gospel  Messenger  item 
about  his  location  in  Manchester.  The  address  is  608 
N.  Walnut  St.,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 

The  Brethren  Student  Christian  Movement  of  Man- 
chester College  sponsored  a  four-Sunday  series  of 
church-  and  student-centered  programs  focusing  upon 
present  concerns  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  today 
and  how  these  affect  today's  student. 

Mrs.  J.  W.  Kettering  of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  appreci- 
ated the  many  beautiful  flowers,  the  cards,  and  espe- 
cially the  prayers  on  her  behalf  while  she  was  in  the 
hospital  and  at  home,  and  the  many  other  kindnesses 
and  ways  in  which  she  was  remembered  and  encouraged. 

The  first  annual  meeting  of  the  members  and  friends 
of  the  Lorida  Retirement  Homes,  Inc.,  was  held  at  the 
site  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Istopoga  in  January.  Plans 
for  the  development  were  discussed.  Several  applica- 
tions are  now  on  file.  Inquiries  may  be  addressed  to 
Box  718,  Sebring,  Fla. 

Merlin  Frantz,  associate  professor  of  education  and 
psychology  at  McPherson  College,  Kansas,  has  been 
appointed  to  the  Committee  on  Co-ordination  of  High 
Schools,  Junior  Colleges,  and  Colleges  of  the  Kansas 
State  Teachers  Association  for  1960.  Dr.  Frantz  is  also 
the  director  of  the  teacher  placement  program  at 
McPherson. 

Levi  S.  Shively,  professor  of  mathematics  at  Bridge- 
water  College,  is  having  his  geometry  text,  An  Introduc- 
tion to  Modern  Geometry,  come  out  in  a  Spanish 
edition  for  use  in  Spanish  American  colleges  and  uni- 
versities. It  is  being  published  in  Mexico  City.  The 
first  edition  of  this  widely  used  text  was  published  in 
1939.  A  Swedish  edition,  published  in  Stockholm,  was 
brought  out  in  1940. 

Europe  Faces  the  60's  was  the  title  of  the  La  Verne 
College  television  presentation  on  Jan.  24  over  KRCA 
TV.  The  program  was  sponsored  by  the  independent 
colleges  of  Southern  California.  Participating  in  the 
discussion  were  Herbert  Hogan,  chairman  of  the  di- 
vision of  social  science;  Dr.  Herbert  Kreter,  visiting 
professor  of  history  and  anthropology  from  Goettingen 
University,  Germany;  Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr.,  pastor  of 
the  La  Verne  church;  J.  Russell  Davis,  assistant  pro- 
fessor of  history;  and  Harold  D.  Fasnacht,  president. 

Orville  Sherman  of  New  Paris,  Ind.,  began  work 
on  Jan.  1  as  the  new  administrator  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  Home  at  Mexico,  Ind.,  following  the 
retirement  of  H.  A.  Schrock.  The  Shermans  served  in 
BVS  in  Venezuela  in  1949  and  continued  there  in 
immigration  work  for  another  year.  From  1955-57 
they  were  directors  of  the  Greek  Team  doing  agricultur- 
al work  in  Northern  Greece.  Before  going  to  Greece 
Mrs.  Sherman  worked  as  an  accountant  in  the  National 
CROP  office  for  two  and  one-half  years.  Since  their 
return  from  Europe  they  have  been  active  in  the  local 
program  of  the  New  Paris  Church  of  the  Brethren  and 
are  at  present  adult  counselors  of  the  District  CBYF. 


Our  Work  and  Witness  in  1958-59,  a  yearly  report 
of  the  Brethren  Service  Commission,  has  been  sent  to 
pastors,  Brethren  Service  representatives,  and  others 
as  a  supplement  to  the  January  issue  of  the  Brethren 
Service  News.  Additional  copies  may  be  secured  free 
of  charge  by  writing  to  the  Brethren  Service  Commis- 
sion, Elgin,  Illinois. 

The  District  of  Northern  Indiana  is  conducting  three 
Peace  Education  and  Draft  Counseling  Conferences  this 
winter.  The  conferences  will  be  held  at  the  Goshen 
City  and  Blue  River  churches  on  Feb.  7  and  at  the 
Plymouth  church  on  Feb.  8.  The  programs  will  include 
the  film,  "Which  Way  to  Peace"  and  discussions  on  the 
Biblical  basis  of  pacifism,  the  Selective  Service  law, 
peace  training  in  the  local  church,  and  what  can  be 
done  for  peace. 

Fourteen  registrations  to  attend  the  Second  Brethren 
Homes  Conference  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  Feb.  19-21,  have 
been  received  at  this  writing.  The  Greenville  Home 
of  Southern  Ohio  has  sent  seven  registrations  and  the 
Windber,  Pa.,  Home  has  sent  six.  Other  homes  are 
expected  to  register  in  the  near  future.  Registrations 
from  boards  of  trustees  and  administrators  of  homes, 
as  well  as  other  interested  persons,  may  be  sent  to  the 
Director  of  Social  Welfare,  Brethren  Service  Commis- 
sion, before  Feb.  12. 

The  Church  Calendar 
February  7 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Perseverance  in  Christian  Work. 
Acts  18:1-22;  1  Cor.  1:26-2:5.  Memory  Selection:  Be 
steadfast,  immovable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  knowing  that  in  the  Lord  your  labor  is  not 
in  vain.    1  Cor.  15:58  (R.S.V.) 

Feb.  9-11  Spiritual  Life  Institute,  Bridgewater  College, 

Va. 
Feb.  14  Race  Relations  Sunday 

Feb.  19-21  Brethren  Homes  conference,  Columbus.  Ohio 
Feb.    21-23    Pennsylvania    State    Youth    Conference, 

Bedford 
Feb.  21-28  Brotherhood  Week 
Feb.  28  —  March  4  Adult  Seminar,  Washington,  D.  C, 

and  New  York  City 
March  2  Ash  Wednesday  (beginning  of  Lent) 
March  4  World  Day  of  Prayer 
March  6  Commitment  Day  (for  total  abstinence'! 
March   6   Eastern   Maryland   CBYF   round    table    and 

speech  contest,  Washington  City  church 
March    11-12    Central    Region    daily    vacation    church 

school  conference,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Fifteen  baptized  and  eight  received  by  letter  in  the 
Lower  Miami  church,  Ohio.  Three  received  by  letter  in 
the  Piqua  church,   Ohio. 

Ten  baptized  in  the  Bareville  church,  Conestoga  congre- 
gation, Pa. 


FEBRUARY  6,   I960 


17 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Religious  Historians 
Hold  Meeting 

American  Protestant  and  Roman 
Catholic  historians  met  recently  in 
Chicago  for  the  first  time  and  dis- 
cussed the  Council  of  Florence 
(1438-1445),  in  the  light  of  current 
talks  on  Christian  unity. 

The  Council  of  Florence,  which 
also  met  in  Ferrara  and  Rome,  ef- 
fected a  short-lived  reunion  of 
Western  Catholicism  and  Eastern 
Orthodoxy,  which  broke  away  from 
Rome  in  the  schism  of  1054.  Protes- 
tantism was  not  yet  in  existence,  as 
the  Reformation  did  not  come  until 
the  16th  century. 

The  joint  meeting  was  sponsored 
by  the  American  Society  of  Church 
History,  which,  although  it  is  largely 
Protestant,  also  includes  some  Cath- 
olic members. 

Both  the  Protestant  and  Catholic 
historians  as  well  as  the  American 
Jewish  Historical  Society  held  their 
own  individual  sessions  in  Chicago 
in  connection  with  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  American  Historical 
Association. 

Virginia  Negroes  Hold 
Prayer  Pilgrimage 

More  than  2,500  Negroes  con- 
ducted a  "pilgrimage  of  prayer"  to 
the  state  capitol  building  in  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  in  protest  against  the 
closing  of  public  schools  in  Prince 
Edward  County  of  that  state.  Read 
at  the  capitol  steps  was  a  resolution 
hitting  the  schools'  shutdown  to  cir- 
cumvent a  federal  desegregation 
order. 

Martin  Luther  King,  Jr.,  of  Mont- 
gomery, Ala.,  told  the  marchers  that 
the  Negroes  have  "a  new  sense  of 
destiny  to  struggle,  sacrifice,  and 
even  die."  He  added  that  the  Negro 
stands  on  the  border  of  the  promised 
land  of  integration. 

Nazarenes  Report 
Decade  Gains 

Membership  in  the  Church  of  the 
Nazarene  increased  by  thirty-nine 
per  cent  during  the  last  decade  ac- 
cording to  a  report  from  denomina- 
tional headquarters  in  Kansas  City, 
Mo.  The  present  U.S.  membership 
is  311,299.  During  the  decade  the 
number  of  Nazarene  congregations 
showed  a  net  gain  of  1,200  to  4,696, 
representing  an  increase  of  34  per 
cent.    Abroad,   the  church   entered 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


six  new  world  areas  and  more  than 
doubled  its  number  of  full-time 
missionaries. 

FOR  to  Continue  Germ 
Warfare  Protest  Vigil 

The  daily  protest  vigil  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  Fort  Detrick  germ  war- 
fare research  center  at  Frederick, 
Md.,  will  be  continued  indefinitely, 
according  to  plans  of  the  Fellowship 
of  Reconciliation.  The  "Appeal  and 
Vigil"  observance  was  begun  last 
July  1. 

In  a  letter  to  President  Eisenhower 
the  Fellowship  of  Reconciliation 
commended  the  President  for  his 
initiative  in  seeking  to  end  the  cold 
war  and  especially  for  renewing  at- 
tempts to  secure  disarmament.  How- 
ever, the  letter  said,  "We  have  found 
that  many  of  the  American  people 
share  our  deep  revulsion  at  prepara- 
tions to  inflict  disease  and  suffering 
on  others.  We  are  convinced  it  only 
adds  to  the  fear  and  distrust  between 
nations  and  accentuates  the  insecur- 
ity of  all.  In  our  continuing  vigil 
we  seek  to  be  loyal  to  and  speak 
for  those  human  values  on  which 
enduring  peace  among  men  must  be 
built." 

Lawrence  Scott,  director  of  the 
vigil  project,  said  that  more  than 
650  persons  from  20  states  have  par- 
ticipated in  the  daily  watch,  standing 
silently  in  weather  varying  from  the 
heat  of  July  to  the  cold  of  December. 
Watchers  stand  in  two-hour  shifts 
from  7  a.m.  to  5  p.m.  near  the  main 
gate  of  Fort  Detrick. 

Methodists  Launch 
"Decade  of  Prayer" 

A  midnight  vigil  followed  by  a 
day-long  school  of  prayer  in  Knox- 
ville,  Tenn.,  launched  the  interna- 
tional "Decade  of  Prayer"  for  the 
Methodist  Church.  The  ten-year 
prayer  emphasis  is  part  of  the  Dec- 
ade of  Dynamic  Discipleship  which 
the  Methodist  Board  of  Evangelism 
is  promoting  during  the  1960's. 

Dr.  E.  Stanley  Jones  was  the 
principal  speaker  at  the  midnight 
prayer  service  held  in  Knoxville, 
Tenn.  He  said,  "No  greater  contri- 
bution could  be  made  during  the 
next  ten  years  than  to  undergird 
the  world  situation  with  prayer." 

Protest  Attempt  to  Silence 
Bishop  Dibelius 

Members  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  in  Berlin-Brandenburg  have 


said  that  they  will  oppose  any  at- 
tempts to  "silence  or  disempower" 
Bishop  Otto  Dibelius  of  Berlin,  the 
chairman  of  the  Council  of  the 
Evangelical  Church  in  Germany. 
His  strongly  anti-Communist  state- 
ments have  frequendy  aroused  the 
ire  of  East  Berlin  officials. 

The  German  churchman  said, 
"Freedom  of  announcing  the  gospel 
is  an  inalienable  principle  which  we 
are  determined  to  uphold  now  and 
in  the  future." 

Humanist  Association  Cites 
Sharp  U.S.  Birth  Rise 

The  American  Humanist  Associa- 
tion asserts  that  birth  control  discus- 
sions which  are  based  primarily  on 
religious  beliefs  overlook  the  fact 
that  68,000,000  Americans  are  non- 
church  members  but  still  have  a 
vital  concern  in  the  issue. 

The  association  said  that  by  the 
year  2,000  this  country's  current 
population  would  be  almost  equal 
to  that  of  India's  present  estimated 
415,000,000  persons. 

Neffsville  Home  Host  to 
Conference  on  Homes 
for  the  Aging 

The  third  biregional  Conference 
on  Homes  for  the  Aging  in  Maryland 
and  Pennsylvania  was  held  Nov.  14, 
1959,  with  the  Neffsville  Brethren 
Home,  Neffsville,  Pa.,  serving  as 
host.  Attendance  included  repre- 
sentatives from  the  trustee  boards 
and  ladies'  auxiliaries  of  the  Fahrney- 
Keedy,  Cross  Key,  Neffsville,  Mor- 
rison Cove,  and  Windber  homes. 
James  Renz,  director  of  social  wel- 
fare of  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board,  represented  the  church  at 
large.  Harold  Z.  Bomberger  brought 
greetings  from  the  Eastern  Regional 
office  and  Jesse  D.  Reber  repre- 
sented the  Pennsylvania  Council  of 
Churches. 

The  address  of  the  morning  was 
given  by  Mr.  Elias  S.  Cohen,  com- 
missioner, office  for  the  aging  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Department  of  Public 
Welfare.  He  spoke  on  the  Role  of 
the  State  in  Relation  to  Require- 
ments for  Our  Homes.  In  his  talk 
he  pointed  out  the  increased  life 
expectancy  of  our  generation  and 
the  failure  of  the  church  to  care 
for  these  increased  numbers  of  aging 
folks.  With  the  failure  of  the  church 
the  state  has  begun  to  deal  with 
this  aspect.  He  also  emphasized  that 
with  this  increased  number  of  older 


people  the  type  of  facilities  offered 
must  fulfill  all  possible  needs  as  they 
arise. 

The  program  also  included  a  panel 
discussion  in  which  spiritual  needs 
of  guests,  future  programs  of  homes 
for  aging,  building  needs,  and  financ- 
ing care  for  aging  were  discussed. 

Since  much  good  was  gotten  out 
of  the  conference,  it  was  decided 
to  hold  another  one  in  1960  at  the 
Morrison  Cove  Home,  Martinsburg, 
Pa. 

Presbyterian  Officials  Hail 
Cameroun  Independence 

Independence  of  Cameroun,  West 
Africa,  on  Jan.  1,  was  hailed  by  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
U.S.A.  in  a  cable  sent  to  the  prime 
minister  of  the  new  country. 

The  Cameroun  area  was  placed 
under  French  trusteeship  by  the 
United  Nations  in  1946.  It  com- 
prises four  fifths  of  the  region  which 
was  originally  a  German  colony. 
The  other  fifth,  which  is  a  UN  trust 
territory  today,  is  attached  for  ad- 
ministrative purposes  to  Nigeria, 
which  it  borders. 

While  British  Baptist  missionaries 
established  coastal  stations  as  early 
as  1845,  a  Pennsylvania  Presbyterian 
was  the  first  to  penetrate  interior 
Cameroun,   in   1892-93. 

Presbyterian  missionaries  have 
been  active  in  the  area  for  more 
than  100  years  and  have  established 
numerous  churches,  hospitals,  dis- 
pensaries, and  schools. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Cam- 
eroun has  more  than  83,000 
members. 

Church  Leaders  Denounce  Co- 
logne Anti-Semitic  Outbreaks 

Church  and  political  leaders  in 
Cologne,  Germany,  joined  with 
Chancellor  Adenauer  in  denouncing 
the  Christmas  desecration  of  a  newly 
built  synagogue  in  the  German  city. 
But  even  as  they  expressed  their 
distress  new  accounts  of  scattered 
anti-Semitic  acts  were  reported. 

Evangelical  church  officials  called 
upon  Cologne  worshipers  to  pray 
that  God  "will  comfort  the  Jewish 
community  in  this  moment  of  new 
sorrow  and  doubt." 

There  have  been  scattered  anti- 
Semitic  incidents  in  West  Germany 
in  recent  years,  but  the  desecration 
of  the  Cologne  synagogue  seems  to 
have  been  felt  the  hardest,  probably 
because  it  happened  on  Christmas 
Day. 


Warm  Blankets  from  Warm  Hearts  —  Planning  current  clothing  appeal  are, 
from  left,  R.  Norris  Wilson  of  Church  World  Service,  and  Donald  E.  Rowe, 
John  Heisel,  W.  Harold  Row,  and  Ray  Kyle  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 


Appeal  Seeks  Clothing 
for  Shivering  Millions 

American  churchgoers  have  been 
asked  to  contribute  ten  million 
pounds  of  used  clothing  and  blankets 
for  overseas  relief  during  1960.  To 
begin  with,  an  emergency  gift  of 
one  million  blankets  was  sought  for 
refugees  and  disaster  victims  literally 
freezing  to  death  in  winter  weather. 

The  shortage  is  so  critical  among 
some  groups  of  refugees,  said  Dr. 
R.  Norris  Wilson,  director  of 
Church  World  Service,  that  an  air- 
lift will  be  used  to  distribute  blankets 
to  needy  peoples.  Requests  for  more 
than  one  million  blankets  have  come 
from  Algeria,  Tunisia,  Gaza,  Egypt, 
Burma,  the  Tibetan  border  of  India, 
Calcutta,  Japan,  and  Korea. 

Representatives  of  eleven  Protes- 
tant denominations,  including  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  of 
United  Church  Women,  United 
Church  Men,  the  United  Christian 
Youth  Movement,  and  state  and  local 
councils  of  churches  voted  unani- 
mously to  "challenge  the  churches 
to  new  and  vigorous  efforts  to  obtain 
blankets  and  desperately  needed 
items  of  clothing."  The  1960  goal 
represents  a  doubling  of  the  clothing 
collected  nationally  last  year. 

After  an  inspection  tour  of  fifteen 
countries  in  the  Middle  East  and 
Asia,  Dr.  A.  Russell  Stevenson,  di- 
rector of  the  overseas  program 
of  Church  World  Service,  stressed 
that     the    particular     need    is     for 


blankets,  heavy  underwear,  and 
men's  clothing. 

In  the  course  of  his  trip  Dr.  Stev- 
enson visited  the  Misamari  camp  in 
the  mountains  of  northern  India 
where  3,400  Tibetan  refugees  are 
concentrated,  the  flood-stricken  area 
near  Sialkot  and  Barrackpore  in 
Pakistan,  and  the  typhoon-devastated 
region  around  Nagoya  in  Japan.  He 
reported  desperate  privation  among 
these  people  and  others  whose  cloth- 
ing and  bedding  were  destroyed  or 
left  behind  when  they  were  forced 
to  take  flight. 

As  part  of  the  appeal,  the  nation's 
first  Blanket  Sunday  was  observed 
Jan.  17  in  churches  in  Illinois,  under 
auspices  of  the  state  council  of 
churches.  Each  family  was  encour- 
aged to  bring  at  least  one  new  or 
good  used  blanket  for  shipment 
abroad.  Fourteen  Brediren  churches 
—  Springfield,  Champaign,  Decatur, 
Astoria,  Canton,  Batavia,  Dixon,  El- 
gin, Freeport,  Lanark,  Milledgeville, 
Polo,  Rockford,  and  Sterling  —  were 
among  the  seventy  community  col- 
lection centers  in  the  state.  From 
these  centers  the  blankets  were  sent 
to  Nappanee,  Ind.,  for  shipment 
abroad.  Churches  in  Indiana  ob- 
served a  similar  appeal  on  Jan.  24. 

Donors  are  asked  by  Church 
World  Service  to  contribute  with 
each  blanket  a  quarter  to  cover  die 
cost  of  shipment  overseas. 


FEBRUARY  6,   1960 


19 


OUR 


CHURCH 


AT    WORK     IN     THE     WORLD    TODAY 


Robert  Hess 


Wives  of  the  students  at  Waka  Teacher  Training  Center 

go  to  school  also  and  learn  practical  skills  like  weaving, 

bathing  babies  properly,  and  baking  in  ovens  of  a  type  that 

can  be  easily  made  in  Nigerian  homes 


Robert  McKay 


Waka  Becomes 

Symbol 

of  Nigeria's  Future 


SEVEN  years  ago,  the  valley  and  the  hills  that  are 
Waka  today  were  peopled  only  by  wild  animals 
and  occasional  wanderers  from  neighboring  vil- 
lages. Today,  nearly  100  buildings  form  the  settle- 
ment which  is  known  as  the  Waka  Teacher  Training 
Center.  The  school  is  government  subsidized  but  op- 
erated by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  mission. 

Waka  began  specifically  as  a  center  for  the  training 


Part  six  of  a  series  of  articles  describing  missionary  life  in 
Nigeria  published  originally  in  the  Waynesboro  Record 
Herald,  Pennsylvania 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


of  teachers.  It  offers  a  three-year  course  after  which 
graduates  are  qualified  to  teach  lower  elementary 
grades.  Next,  a  girls'  higher  elementary  (grades  five 
through  seven)  was  added.  Here  girls  were  prepared 
for  further  education  in  either  the  training  center  or 
the  secondary  school. 

Later,  the  wives  of  married  students  created  a  need 
for  the  Women's  School,  which  serves  to  teach  the  wom- 
en the  arts  of  cooking,  sewing,  child  care,  and  hygiene. 

This    past    February,    the    fourth    separate    school 


The   Church   at   Work 


opened  at  Waka.  This  is  the  sec- 
ondary program,  an  academic  course 
of  five  years  designed  to  prepare 
students  for  specialized  study  in  the 
professions.  It  is  a  university  pre- 
paratory course. 

Taught  Practical  Work 

All  of  the  students  in  each  school 
are  instructed  in  practical  work  as 
well  as  in  theory.  Each  male  student 
is  given  a  garden  plot  which  he  is 
expected  to  cultivate.  Much  of  the 
food  raised  on  these  small  farms  is 
served  in  the  dining  hall. 

The  students  gather  their  own 
firewood,  do  their  own  laundry,  and 
are  responsible  for  helping  one  day 
a  week  to  improve  the  appearance 
of  the  school. 

The  daily  schedule  is  much  like 
that  of  any  educational  institution. 
Classes  form  the  greater  part  of  the 
day's  activity,  with  physical  training, 
craft  work,  and  clubs  in  the  late 
afternoon. 

At  night,  there  is  a  supervised 
study  period,  which  all  students  are 
required  to  attend,  and  by  10  o'clock 
all  lights  are  out  (supposedly! ) .  How- 
ever, the  lives  of  the  students  are  by 
no  means  dull  or  overorganized. 

Sports  events  are  planned,  and 
each  Saturday  night  films  are  shown 
in  the  recreation  hall.  A  student 
recently  remarked:  "If  we  don't 
have  a  cinema  on  Saturday  night, 
the  week  end  might  as  well  not  have 
been." 


Lunch  time  at  Waka  Teacher  Training  Center 


Like  Americans 

While  there  is  a  vast  difference 
in  the  backgrounds  of  African  and 
American  students,  the  students 
themselves  are  remarkably  similar. 
They  are  a  group  of  funloving,  mis- 
chievous, sports-minded,  curious, 
enthusiastic  young  men  and  women. 

In  one  respect  Nigerians  have  an 
advantage  over  American  students  in 
that  here  education  is  so  precious 
that  it  is  available  to  only  a  few. 
These  gifted  ones,  chosen  through 
examinations  and  interviews,  are  the 
"cream  of  the  crop,"  so  to  speak, 
and  a  high  percentage  produce  out- 
standing work. 

On  the  other  hand,  American  stu- 
dents have  the  distinct  advantage 
of  superior  physical  equipment  and 


much     modern     resource     material. 

There  are  fifteen  missionaries,  all 
American,  living  at  Waka.  This  in- 
cludes one  administrator  who  is  prin- 
cipal of  the  entire  institution;  eleven 
teachers,  either  part  or  full  time; 
one  building  engineer;  one  nurse; 
and  a  school  treasurer.  Of  this  num- 
ber, five  are  single  women,  and  five 
are  married  couples  who  have  a  total 
of  twelve  children  ranging  in  ages 
from  six  months  to  sixteen  years. 
Also  on  the  staff  are  six  Africans, 
all  of  whom  received  their  education 
at  Waka. 

The  mission  staff  is  a  closely  knit 
group  which  lives,  to  a  great  extent, 
by  the  same  schedule  as  does  the 
school.  Our  holidays  are  determined 
by  school  holidays  and  our  vacations 


A  class  of  Waka  men  during  supervised  study  hall 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


by  vacations  of  the  Nigerian  schools. 
Our  meals  are  constantly  inter- 
rupted by  students  who  come  to 
talk  or  to  question.  Our  evenings 
are  given  over  to  supervising  study 
hall  once  a  week,  language  study 
two  nights,  chapel  service  every 
Thursday,  the  cinema  Saturday 
night,  and  church  service  on  Sunday 
evening. 

Sunday  afternoons  we  set  aside 
for  our  own  worship,  meeting  at 
one  another's  homes,  and  taking 
turns  in  planning  the  service. 

Occasionally,  we  plan  as  a  group 
a  picnic  or  supper,  and  on  free 
evenings  we  gather  at  one  another's 
homes  to  talk  or  play  games  and 
drink  Krola,  which  is  the  Nigerian 
equivalent  of  Coco  Cola.  These  eve- 
nings of  relaxation  pass  quickly  and 
we  appreciate  them  all  the  more 
because  they  are  so  few  and  far 
between.  While  it  is  true  that  the 
pace  at  Waka  is  leisurely,  one  which 
is  usually  associated  with  African 
life,  it  is  a  life  filled  with  variety, 
satisfaction,  and  challenge. 

In  six  short  years,  Waka  has 
grown  from  a  dream  to  a  living, 
expanding  reality.  Five  classes  have 
completed  their  course  here,  and  it 
is  upon  these  men  and  women,  and 
ones  like  them  all  over  Nigeria,  that 
the  future  of  their  land  will  rest. 

The  education  that  they  receive 
at  Waka  today  will  better  prepare 
them  for  leadership  tomorrow  when, 
having  obtained  its  freedom,  Nigeria 
will  sorely  need  a  guiding  hand. 


World  Day  of  Prayer 

The  following  World  Day  of 
Prayer  materials  are  available  from 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices,  Elgin,  111.: 

Worship  Service,  5c 

Call  to  Prayer,  10  for  5c 

Children's  Service,  5c 

Guide  for  Leaders,  15c 

Poster,  15c 

Dramatic  Presentation,  15c 

Map,  25c 

Suggested     Newspaper     Story, 
15c 

Glossy  Print,  25c 
Radio   or   TV   Program   Script, 
25c 

Radio  Spot  Announcement,  20c 
Emblem  Seal,  10c 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Nurturing  Youth 

for 

Adult 

Responsibilities 

George  U.  Heeter 


PARENTS,  teachers,  pastors, 
counselors,  and  many  others 
share  in  nurturing  our  youth. 
Although  the  church  has  provided 
graded  lessons,  conducted  camps, 
held  conferences,  and  sponsored  a 
variety  of  other  activities  for  various 
age  groups,  very  little  has  been  done 
for  young  adults.  This  group  has 
completed  high  school  (as  a  rule) 
and  are  stepping  out  on  their  own, 
so  to  speak.  They  feel  isolated  from 
friends  who  have  married  and  are 
engrossed  in  their  own  homes,  or 
who  have  gone  away  to  college  or 
to    work    in    different    communities. 

This  is  a  period  of  great  adjust- 
ment in  their  lives.  Some  remain 
with  the  younger  group  or  attend 
the  young  married  people's  class, 
while  others  drop  out  because  they 
do  not  feel  at  home  with  either 
group.  They  need  to  be  understood, 
to  be  counseled  with,  and  be  given 
some  responsibility  in  the  church 
program. 

Three  years  ago  our  district 
(Northern  Indiana)  found  that  more 
than  20%  of  its  1,100  youth  belonged 
in  the  young  adult  group.  A  com- 
mittee of  interested  persons  decided 
to  plan  and  sponsor  a  week-end  re- 
treat for  fellowship  and  study,  and 
to  discuss  the  desirability  of  a  dis- 
trict organization.  There  was  a  grat- 
ifying response.  About  thirty  were 
present  and  a  flexible  organization 
was  formed  with  the  decision  to 
proceed  slowly,  meeting  at  least  sev- 
eral more  times. 

Since  that  time  there  have  been 
several  retreats,  a  short  camp,  pic- 
nics, skating  parties,  and  a  confer- 
ence. Much  of  the  responsibility  for 
planning  and  conducting  these  has 
been  assumed  by  these  older  youth 
(young  adults).  Sometimes  outside 
speakers  or  discussion  leaders  were 
secured.  Some  of  the  topics  have 
been  prayer,  mental  and  physical 
health,  personality  problems,  dating, 
finding  a  mate,  recreation,  and  plan- 


WORSHIP  was  the  theme  of 
the  fall  retreat  of  the  young 
adults  of  Northern  Indiana, 
which  was  held  the  first  week 
end  in  October.  Russell  V. 
Bollinger  of  Manchester  Col- 
lege led  two  sessions  in  which 
the  approaches  to  worship 
and  the  attributes  of  God 
were  discussed.  Theory  and 
practice  marked  the  session 
on  flower  arrangements  for 
worship  with  June  Mishler  as 
resource  leader.  The  high- 
light of  the  retreat  was  the 
communion  service  on  Sun- 
day morning. 

The  Orlo  Gumps  were  re- 
elected  counselors;  the 
George  Heeters  are  also 
counselors. 


ning  devotions.  Many  new  friend- 
ships have  been  formed,  and  several 
of  these  have  led  to  marriage. 

Other  denominations  and  religions 
have  participated  in  some  of  our 
meetings.  Interested  young  adults 
from  neighboring  districts  have  also 
attended,  several  of  whom  have 
helped  organize  a  similar  group  in 
their  own  district.  It  is  encouraging 
to  know  that  the  Christian  Educa- 
tion Commission  of  our  Brotherhood 
has  assigned  the  responsibility  for 
the  young  adult  program  to  the 
adult  department. 

Young  adults  have  the  same  basic 
needs  as  youth.  Nevin  C.  Harner 
in  his  book,  Youth  Work  in  the 
Church,  lists  these:  the  need  for 
vital  Christian  faith,  self-understand- 
ing, Christian  vocational  guidance, 
Christian  sex  education,  Christian 
social  education,  and  rootage  in  the 
Christian  fellowship.  Awareness  of 
these  needs  helps  us  to  understand 
and  appreciate  the  problems  of  this 
group  in  our  work  as  counselors. 

May  our  church  develop  a  pro- 
gram that  will  guide  our  young 
adults  in  finding  God's  will  for  their 
lives  and  challenge  them  to  commit- 
themselves  to  wholehearted  Chris- 
tian service. 


A  non-Christian  government  of- 
ficer, having  on  his  tours  seen  the 
selfless  service  of  Christian  school- 
teachers, evangelists,  and  pastors, 
said,  "They  are  the  true  Brahmins 
(trusted  religious  leaders)  of  today." 
—  Harlan  Brooks. 


The   Church   at   Work 


BVS  —  A  Challenge 


RECENTLY  I  had  a  letter  from 
a  girl  who  is  a  member  of 
my  home  church  in  Virginia. 
In  this  letter  she  asked  me  about 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service  —  what 
it  is,  what  it  means,  and  whether 
there  is  any  challenge  in  it.  I  would 
like  to  take  this  opportunity  to  share 
the  challenge  that  BVS  has  come 
to  mean  to  me. 

During  my  unit  training  at  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  half  of  our  unit  went 
to  the  Pilot  House,  a  BVS  project 
in  Baltimore,  to  work  for  a  week 
end.  Friday  night  we  slept  in  an 
old  Episcopal  church  and  on  Satur- 
day morning,  bright  and  early,  we 
divided  up  into  groups  to  work  at 
various  places  throughout  the  slums 
of  Baltimore. 

Our  particular  work  group  spent 
the  day  working  for  an  old  Negro 
widow.  Some  of  us  painted  her  back 
porch,  some  rebuilt  her  front  steps, 
and  some  of  us  cleaned  her  bedroom 
and  replaced  the  ceiling  in  that 
room.  I  think  most  of  us  were 
amazed  at  the  filth  and  terrible  liv- 
ing conditions  we  found  there,  but 
that  night  we  all  realized  that  we  had 
had  our  first  real  taste  of  what  Breth- 
ren Volunteer  Service  means  —  to 
help  someone  who  really  needs  help. 

The  training  at  New  Windsor  isn't 
easy  —  long  hours  of  classes  and 
work,  but,  after  this  experience,  it 
all  was  made  easy,  and  I  truly  en- 
joyed working  hard  to  prepare  my- 
self to  make  the  best  witness  for 
Christ  that  I  could  be. 

Along  with  the  hard  work  at  New 
Windsor  are  many  fun-filled  hours. 
On  one  of  our  outings  to  Cunning- 
ham Falls,  we  were  to  have  a  cook- 
out.  About  the  time  we  got  the 
fires  going  good  and  the  food  on, 
along  came  one  of  those  summer 
thunder  storms  and  about  all  we  had 
that  night  was  wet  clothes.  But  it 
was  fun!  Then  there  were  pizza 
parties,  deputation  trips,  singing, 
and  fellowship  with  other  Christian 
young  people  —  young  people  with 
the  same  interests,  anticipations, 
hopes,  and  problems. 

One  of  the  most  anticipated  days 
of  BVS  training  is  when  we  are 
assigned  to  projects  where,  at  long 
last,  our  goal  of  serving  others  can 
be  fulfilled.  It  is  usually  on  project 
that  the  challenge  of  Brethren  Vol- 
unteer Service  is  really  made  clear 


Ron  Bower 

to  us.  On  project  we  begin  to  see 
how  much  need  there  is  for  love 
and  kindness  in  this  world  and  how 
much  we  need  to  make  a  stand  for 
Christ  and  his  church  and  for  the 
cause  of  peace. 

To  the  fellows  and  girls  on  project 
in  Chicago,  this  challenge  is  made 
clear  in  trying  to  befriend  lonely, 
disinterested  young  people,  victims 
of  the  slums;  in  trying  to  show  them 
the  love  of  God  by  understanding 
them,  talking  to  them  as  brothers, 
by  helping  them  to  respect  them- 
selves. 

To  the  young  people  on  project 
in  Texas,  the  challenge  is  made  clear 
by  trying  to  give  to  the  Mexicans 
a  new  way  of  life  by  teaching  them 
new  farming  methods.    This  is  done 


in  the  name  of  Christ.  To  the  young 
people  on  project  in  other  countries, 
the  challenge  may  come  in  trying 
to  give  hope  and  good  cheer  to  the 
homeless  refugees,  victims  of  recent 
wars,  or  those  in  poor  economic 
situations. 

The  challenge  of  Brethren  Vol- 
unteer Service  was  made  clear  to 
me,  when  as  a  BVS'er  at  the  Breth- 
ren Service  Center  in  Nappanee, 
Ind.,  I  saw  and  realized  how  much 
material  aid  is  necessary  to  comfort 
some  of  the  needs  of  the  world.  It 
was  only  through  seeing  this  part 
of  the  material-aid  program  that  I 
came  to  realize  just  how  much  suf- 
fering and  want  there  is  in  our  world 
today.  Though  my  job  was  small, 
I  thank  God  that  I  have  had  the 
privilege  to  serve  my  fellow  man 
through  Brethren  Volunteer  Service. 

Christ  needs  you!  The  challenge 
of  Brethren  Volunteer  Service  is 
there!  Will  you  accept  it? 


dr.  s.  a.  pieniazek,  director  of 
the  Research  Institute  of  Pomology 
at  Skierniewice,  Poland,  and  his  sec- 
retary examine  the  new  dictaphone 
secured  for  him  by  the  Brethren 
Service  Commission  with  funds  do- 
nated by  an  interested  non-Brethren 
person.  Dr.  Pieniazek  and  the  Breth- 
ren Service  Commission  have  worked 
together  closely  in  arranging  the 
Polish  agricultural  exchanges.  These 
exchanges  began  in  1947  with  ten 
Polish  agricultural  students  coming 
to  the  States,  and  they  resumed  in 
1957,  after  a  lapse  of  ten  years,  with 


eighteen  Polish  agricultural  special- 
ists coming  to  the  States.  The  pro- 
gram of  this  past  year  has  included 
four  American  young  people  in  Po- 
land and  eighteen  Polish  exchangees 
in  the  States.  Plans  for  the  coming 
year  include  another  group  of  Polish 
specialists  coming  to  the  States  for 
a  one-year  period  and  a  two-month 
exchange  of  American  farmers  and 
Polish  fanners.  Also  a  work  camp 
in  Poland  is  being  planned  for  the 
summer  of  1960. 


FEBRUARY  6.  1960 


23 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


What  Each  One  of  Us  Does 


MOST  of  the  cities  in  the 
United  States  have  experi- 
enced a  sharp  rise  in  group 
tensions  during  the  past  few  years. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  many  urban 
centers  we  are  only  a  misdirected 
stone's  shrow  away  from  ugly  racial 
strife  and  mob  violence.  This  situa- 
tion is  due  in  no  small  part  to  the 
misfortunate  proclivity  of  too  many 
•of  us  to  hold  a  whole  group  re- 
sponsible for  the  actions  of  an  indi- 
vidual. The  antisocial  traits  ascribed 
to  an  entire  minority  group  because 
of  the  actions  of  some  individual 
members  of  the  group  are  too  well 
known  to  be  rehearsed  here. 

How  different  has  been  the  reac- 
tion of  Mrs.  Doris  Bodenheimer  of 
Houston,  Texas.  She  is  the  anguished 
mother  of  a  twelve-year-old  boy  who 
was  brutally  slain  recently  by  a  gang 
of  young  delinquents.  It  so  happens 
in  this  instance  that  the  victim  was 
white  —  those  arrested,  Negro.  Writ- 
ing with  a  deep  compassion  which 
blotted  out  all  bitterness,  Mrs. 
Bodenheimer  penned  the  following 
letter  which  was  printed  in  the 
Houston  Post  on  Aug.  1,  1959: 

"Since  my  son's  death  I  have  been 
largely  sustained  by  the  sincere  sym- 
pathy of  the  whole  community,  but 
the  attitude  on  the  part  of  some 
has  alarmed  me.  I  have  felt  from 
the  beginning  that  some  abstract  evil 
force  had  killed  my  son.  The  person 


or  persons  responsible  is  ill  and  to 
find  a  scapegoat  will  not  absolve 
society  from  its  share  of  guilt. 

"People  who  are  oppressed  and 
deprived  by  society  hit  back.  Find- 
ing my  son's  murderer  will  not  keep 
alive  some  child  who  now  lives  — 
more  murderers  will  be  bred  by  the 
conditions  which  bred  his  murderer. 

"As  long  as  we  foster  the  sickness 
of  slums  and  segregation  we  shall 
all  be  infected  by  it. 

"This  is  not  to  say  that  I  am  con- 
vinced of  the  guilt  of  current  sus- 
pects, but  merely  that  the  anger 
directed  against  them  would  be  put 
to  better  use  if  turned  toward  those 
conditions  which  breed  crime." 

If  more  of  us  could  achieve  the 
understanding,  wisdom,  and  charity 
displayed  by  Mrs.  Bodenheimer;  if 
her  words  can  provide  us  with  a 
guidepost  for  community  action, 
there  is  hope  that  much  of  the  racial 
strife  which  seems  to  be  threatening 
can  be  averted.  For  in  the  last 
instance,  the  responsibility  for  work- 
ing out  our  problems  of  living  to- 
gether peacefully  falls  not  upon 
government,  not  upon  organizations, 
but  upon  what  each  one  of  us  does 
as  an  individual.  —  Alexander  F.  Mil- 
ler, Director  Community  Services, 
Anti-Defamation  League,  New  York 
City. 

Reprinted    from    the    Christian    Science 
Monitor 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Delegates  to  the  Ocean  Grove  Conference  had  an  opportunity  to  direct 
questions  concerning  the  Brotherhood  program  and  related  interests  to  representa- 
tives of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board.  Not  all  of  their  questions  could  be 
handled  at  Conference,  but  Board  and  staff  members  have  agreed  to  reply  to 
others  through  the  pages  of  the  Gospel  Messenger.  One  or  more  such  questions 
will  be  answered  each  week.  —  Editor. 


What  is  the  attitude  or  attitudes 
which  control  our  missionary  effort 
in  Ecuador?  In  other  words,  how  are 
we  taking  Christ  to  the  people? 

The  missionary  effort  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Ecuador 
is  expressed  through  the  mediums 
of  elementary  education,  a  medical 
ministry,  agricultural  work,  and  di- 
rect person-to-person   evangelism. 

Underlying   the   total   program   is 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the  idea  that  Christians,  because  of 
the  refreshing  motivations  of  their 
faith  and  the  admonitions  of  the 
New  Testament,  wish  to  see  their 
fellow  men  partake  of  the  fruits  of 
the  Christian  life.  Primarily  this 
means  that  men  should  learn  to  know 
God  through  Christ  and  realize  that 
his  bountiful  love  offers  Christ  as 
Savior  and  Lord  to  all  who  accept 
him.  The  spiritual  life  of  a  man  is 
inseparable  from  the  rest  of  his  ac- 
tivities and  living  conditions;  so  an 


adequate  Christian  ministry  must 
affect  him  physically  and  mentally  as 
well. 

The  founding  fathers  of  the  Breth- 
ren mission  recognized  that  Ecuador, 
though  a  Roman  Catholic  land,  is  a 
legitimate  mission  field.  Though 
most  of  the  population  is  born  and 
nurtured  in  the  shadow  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  few  know  Christ. 
No  ministry  of  social  reform,  no  edu- 
cation for  improving  family  life,  and 
no  teaching  on  human  relations  are 
provided  by  the  dominant  church. 
Salvation  as  proclaimed  by  the  priests 
is  a  matter  to  be  bought  and  sold 
piece  by  piece  with  alms,  votes,  and 
devotions  to  special  saints  and  vir- 
gins. Christ  for  many  Ecuadorians  is 
a  bloody,  wooden  weakling  on  a 
plaster  cross  that  has  never  risen 
from  death. 

In  such  a  religious  context  the 
Brethren  are  seeking  to  bring  to 
Ecuadorians  the  saving,  wonderful 
news  of  Christ's  love  and  are  express- 
ing this  love  in  deed  as  well  as  by 
the  spoken  word. 

The  mission  has,  from  the  begin- 
ning, emphasized  a  ministry  to  the 
Indian,  the  neglected,  second-class 
citizen  of  Ecuador.  God,  by  means 
of  the  efforts  of  the  Brethren  who 
have  served  in  the  mission,  has  raised 
up  a  growing,  indigenous  church  in 
Calderon  and  is  opening  opportuni- 
ties of  witness  in  other  areas.  The 
Ecuadorian  Christian  lives  close  to 
his  Bible  and  feels  responsible  him- 
self to  take  Christ  to  his  people.  We 
feel  that  this  is  the  most  effective 
way.  —  Merle  Grouse. 

How  are  regional  staff  employed? 

According  to  Annual  Conference 
action  the  region  has  been  created 
to  serve  two  functions:  (1)  creative 
implementation  of  the  Brotherhood 
program,  and  (2)  co-ordination  and 
stimulation  of  the  district  program. 
This  twofold  purpose  establishes  the 
region  as  a  link  between  the  districts 
and  the  general  Brotherhood. 

Because  of  this  dual  relationship, 
regional  executives  are  employed 
jointly  by  their  respective  regional 
boards  and  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board.  Representatives  of  the  re- 
gional board  work  with  the  general 
secretary  of  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board  to  prepare  nominations  for 
consideration  by  the  two  boards.  In 
cases  where  additional  staff  is  em- 
ployed, the  region  carries  the  total 
responsibility  for  employment.  — 
Norman  J.  Baugher. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
i  ily  constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
|  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
:  church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 

*  Teaching  Older  Youth.    Vincie 
;Alessi  and  Forrest  B.  Fordham.  Jud- 


,  Ison,  1959.    86  pages.    $0.75. 

The   older   youth   of   the   church 
'  i  have  ofttimes  been  neglected  in  our 
i ;  church.    This  book  points  up  very 
1 1  clearly  the  unique  needs  of  this  group 
i  and    the    real   potential    which   lies 
i  within  their  ranks.    Instead  of  con- 
;  I  tinuing  to  lose  the  interest  of  older 
'  youth  in  our  church,  the  book  sug- 
:  |  gests  ways  of  meeting  their  specific 
I  needs  and  keeping  them  loyal  to  the 
church.   The  book  is  especially  help- 
ful in  enumerating  the  interests  and 
j  needs    of    this    group.     Discovering 
i  these  becomes  the  key  to  effective 
teaching. 

The  book  gives  many  practical 
I  suggestions  on  teaching  methods 
|  which  should  stimulate  the  older 
i  youth  group.  '  It  gives  a  complete 
a  lesson  plan  for  a  class  period  and 
I  ideas  for  its  use. 

There  are  few  books  to  aid  the 
i  older  youth  teacher  —  this  book 
!  meets  the  need  and  should  be  in 
;  constant  use  by  those  who  teach  this 
j  strategic  group  within  the  church.  — 
Joseph  M.  Long. 

*  Teaching  Junior  Highs.  Alice 
|  Cornell.  Judson,  1959.  90  pages. 
|  75c. 

In  this  book's  90  pages,  much  help 
is  given  to  the  new  and  to  the  ex- 
perienced teacher  of  junior  highs.  At 
i  the  end  of  each  of  the  six  chapters, 
\  suggestions    are    made    for    further 
'  study  and  reading.    Helps  are  given 
in  understanding   junior   highs   and 
i  their  needs;  in  the  group  method  of 
J  teaching  and   use  of  buzz   groups, 
j  look-or-listen  teams,  role  playing,  lec- 
i  ture,  etc.;  on  how  to  involve  junior 
'   highs   in   worthwhile   activities   and 
projects;   for  teacher  preparation  of 
a  class  session.    The  last  two  chap- 
t   ters  are  very  good  in  the  treatment 
of    planning    and    participation    in 
worship  with  junior  highs   and  the 
ever-present  discipline  problem.  The 
author  points  out  how  discipline  is 
a    set    of    conditions    under    which 
learning   is   possible   and   then   pro- 
ceeds to  give  help  to  the  teacher  on 
how   to    obtain    those   conditions.  — 
Paul  M.  Weaver. 

*  Assurances  of  Life  Eternal.  Mar- 
garet E.  Burton.  Crowell,  1959.  162 
pages.   $3.50. 

Margaret  E.  Burton,  daughter  of 


Edgar  DeWitt  Burton,  former  presi- 
dent of  Chicago  University,  holds  an 
M.A.  from  Columbia  in  international 
relations  and  a  Ph.  D.  in  internation- 
al law;  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Board  of  the  Y.W.C.A.  and  for  many 
years  has  served  as  a  staff  executive. 

This,  her  tenth  book,  is  an  anthol- 
ogy of  writings,  presenting  the  best 
in  testimonies  to  the  fife  eternal. 
Harry  Emerson  Fosdick  points  out  in 
his  Foreword  that  she  "does  not  pre- 
sent arguments  but  testimonies.  Men 
and  women  of  many  sorts,  from  saints 
to  scientists,  who  believe  in  fife 
eternal,  bear  witness  to  their  faith 
and  describe  in  prose  and  poetry,  in 
affirmation  and  prayer  what  their 
faith  means  to  them." 

In  this  anthology,  Miss  Burton  has 
given  attention  to  the  less  familiar 
sources,  ancient  and  modern,  and  has 
given  us  many  passages  that  are  vital, 
fresh,  and  relevant,  which  were  once 
obscure.  They  are  arranged  with  a 
skill  which  makes  them  most  reada- 
ble and  enjoyable. 

The  selections  include  such  au- 
thors as  Charles  Towne,  Grace  N. 
Crowell,  Robert  McCracken,  Sock- 
man,  Peale,  Weatherhead,  Gilkey, 
Fosdick,  Emerson,  Santayana,  and 
others.  A  great  anthology  for  those 
who  have  lost  loved  ones,  for  min- 
isters and  counselors.  —  Charles  E. 
Zunkel,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

Sermons  in  Stories  for  Children. 

Graham  R.  Hodges.  Abingdon,  1959. 
96  pages.    $1.75. 

Forty-two  simple  stories  illustrat- 
ing Christian  teachings  by  using  ex- 
amples from  daily  life  make  this  book 
very  interesting.  The  author  has 
taken  some  of  the  basic  Christian 
principles  and  in  a  vivid  way  helps 
children  understand  their  application 
in  daily  life  by  using  examples  com- 
mon to  all  children.  Although  writ- 
ten primarily  for  juniors,  many  of 
the  stories  will  be  enjoyed  by  pri- 
maries and  lower  junior  high  stu- 
dents. -  Glee  Yoder,  McPherson, 
Kansas. 

Philemon  Among  the  Letters  of 
Paul.  John  Knox.  Abingdon,  1959. 
110  pages.    $2.00. 

In  this  revised  edition  of  a  work 
which  has  already  become  a  classic 
of  Biblical  scholarship,  the  author 
shows  that  the  brief  letter  of  Phile- 
mon offers  far  more  than  a  side  light 
on  the  personality  of  the  great  apos- 


de;  it  supplies  the  key  to  understand- 
ing the  collection  of  Paul's  letters  and 
the  subsequent  development  of  the 
New  Testament.  A  close  examination 
of  the  epistle  has  convinced  Dr. 
Knox  that  Paul  was  not  asking  for  the 
forgiveness  and  acceptance  of  Onesi- 
mus.  Rather  Paul  was  requesting  that 
Onesimus  be  set  free  to  assist  him 
in  the  Christian  ministry. 

Author  Knox  examines  the  evi- 
dence that  the  slave  Onesimus  in 
Philemon  would  have  been  Bishop 
of  Ephesus  at  the  time  of  the  publi- 
cation of  Paul's  letters  and  thus 
would  have  had  something  to  do 
with  the  inclusion  of  this  brief  letter. 
Readers  will  gain  a  new  insight  into 
the  working  of  the  divine  power 
which  could  remake  a  life  of  an 
unprofitable  slave,  transforming  him 
into  the  close  friend  and  co-worker 
of  the  greatest  of  missionaries,  a 
leader  in  the  church  in  its  critical 
early  period,  and  a  primary  source 
for  our  knowledge  of  those  trium- 
phant days.  This  is  not  a  commen- 
tary or  an  easy  book  to  read,  but  its 
diligent  study  can  make  Philemon 
and  Colossians  vital  in  our  Christian 
life.  —  Harold  Z.  Bamberger,  Harris- 
burg,  Pa. 

The  Gospel  According  to  Thomas. 

By  various  translators.  Harpers, 
1959.    62  pages.    $2.00. 

This  remarkable  book  contains  the 
text  and  translation  of  a  Coptic  man- 
uscript dating  from  the  late  fourth 
or  early  fifth  century  A.D.  and  going 
back  to  a  primitive  text  within  pos- 
sibly as  early  as  140  A.D.  It  is  the 
work  of  a  Gnostic  sect  which,  as- 
cribing their  source  of  information 
to  the  Apostle  Thomas,  have  brought 
forth  these  one  hundred  fourteen 
sayings  of  Jesus.  Many  of  these  say- 
ings are  a  duplication  of  those  found 
in  our  canonical  gospels.  Others  car- 
ry allusions  to  such  known  sayings. 
Still  others  show  definite  Gnostic  in- 
fluence and  interpretation,  if  not 
fabrication.  Among  them  are  quite 
plausibly  some  hitherto  unknown 
genuine  sayings  of  Jesus. 

The  determination  of  such  genuine 
bits  is  a  work  for  competent  scholars 
and  this  book  is  but  the  advanced 
publication  of  a  larger  and  much 
more  complete  work  to  come  later. 
The  scholarly  minister  or  layman, 
who  will  heed  carefully  the  Pre- 
liminary Remarks  of  this  small  vol- 
ume and  will  take  its  contents  in 
the  context  of  early  Gnostic  Chris- 
tianity, will  find  the  book  rewarding. 
—  Chalmer  E.  Faw,  Chicago.  111. 


FEBRUARY  G,   1960 


25 


IS 


GOD 

INESCAPABLE 

David  Wesley   Soper 

Even  among  faithful  church- 
goers there  are  many  persons  in 
whom,  at  the  deepest  level  of 
apprehension,  the  idea  of  God 
remains  vague  and  shadowy. 
Now,  in  this  book,  one  of  Prot- 
estantism's most  provocative 
thinkers  helps  every  reader  to 
focus  his  own  thoughts  sharply 
and  see  the  import  of  his  own 
consciousness.  $2.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


The  Church  as  Employer,  Money 
Raiser,  and  Investor.  F.  Ernest 
Johnson  and  J.  Emory  Ackerman. 
Harpers,   1959.     184   pages.     $4.00. 

Protestant  churches  have  made 
many  pronouncements  concerning 
the  ethics  of  management,  labor,  and 
government  personnel  as  they  con- 
duct their  business  affairs.  In  this 
little  book  the  searchlight  is  turned 
on  the  church's  own  corporate  prac- 
tices as  employer,  money  raiser,  and 
investor.  This  is  the  tenth  volume 
in  the  Series  on  the  Ethics  and 
Economics  of  Society,  by  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches. 

Persons  who  serve  on  an  admin- 
istrative board  of  the  church  at  the 
local,  district,  or  Brotherhood  level 
will  find  this  book  to  be  both  infor- 
mative and  helpful.  It  stimulates 
one  to  make  serious  inquiry  into  his 
church's  own  practices  as  employer, 


money  raiser,  and  investor.  Each 
of  the  six  chapters  confront  the  read- 
er with  questions  that  demand  an- 
swers. Does  my  church  live  up  to 
the  approved  standards  of  business 
management  and  of  labor?  Does  the 
fact  that  my  church  is  not  a  business 
seeking  economic  profit  excuse  lax- 
ness  in  the  management  of  its  affairs? 
Should  the  church  be  expected  to  set 
higher  standards  in  the  performance 
of  its  business  affairs  than  those  that 
prevail  in  secular  affairs?  Should 
there  be  a  direct  relation  between 
the  mission  of  the  church  and  its 
business  practices?  The  writers  do 
not  pretend  to  give  direct  answers  to 
these  and  other  questions.  They  do 
succeed  in  holding  a  mirror  that  re- 
flects the  prevailing  conditions  in 
nine  Protestant  denominations  in- 
cluding the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Brethren  readers  may  be  shocked  to 
discover  that  the  average  annual 
salary  for  our  ministers  is  consider- 
ably below  the  average  for  the  other 
eight  denominations  included  in  the 
study.  This  book  should  be  helpful 
to  both  ministers  and  lay  boards  in 
their  attempt  to  make  an  intelligent 
appraisal  of  their  church's  business. 
—  Don  L.  Stern. 


Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cal  A.  Forney  ob- 
served their  sixtieth  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Dec.  23,  1959.  They  are  both 
charter  members  of  the  Goshen  City 
church,  Ind.  They  have  two  daughters, 
one  son,  four  granddaughters,  one 
grandson,  and  nine  great-grandchil- 
dren. —  Mrs.  Lewis  Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  H.  Petre  cele- 
brated their  fifty-eighth  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  19,  1959,  at  their  home. 
They  have  seven  children,  thirty  grand- 
children, and  thirty  great-grandchildren. 
One  son,  Bro.  Ira  Petre,  is  a  missionary 
in  Nigeria.  —  Mrs.  Edgar  W.  Varner, 
Hagerstown,    Md. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  F.  Strycker  ob- 
served their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary, Dec.  27,  1959,  with  open  house. 
They  have  four  sons,  three  daughters, 
and  twenty  grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Lewis 
Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 


Obituaries 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Bollinger,  Norman  B.,  son  of  Levi  and 
Agnes  Becker  Bollinger,  was  born  Nov. 
18,  1877,  and  died  Dec.  22,  1959.  His 
wife,  Minna  Buch  Bollinger,  preceded 
him  in  death.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  Richland  church,  Pa.  Surviving 
are  one  son,  two  daughters,  three  grand- 
children, two  great-grandchildren,  one 
brother,  and  two  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  Bro.  Ray  A. 
Kurtz.  Interment  was  in  the  Richland 
cemetery.  —  Michael  Kurtz,  Richland, 
Pa. 

Buckwalter,  Clara,  wife  of  Clifton  P. 
Buckwalter,  died  Dec.  22,  1959,  at  the 


age  of  seventy-eight  years.  She  was 
preceded  in  death  by  her  husband.  She 
was  the  oldest  deaconess  of  the  Coven- 
try church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by  three 
sons,  five  grandchildren,  and  several 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  from  White's  Memo- 
rial home  by  the  undersigned.  Inter- 
ment was  made  in  the  East  Coventry 
Mennonite  cemetery.  —  D.  Howard 
Keiper,  Pottstown,  Pa. 

Clayton,  James  A.,  son  of  William 
and  Susanna  Clayton,  was  born  in  Pal- 
estine, 111.,  Nov.  14,  1872,  and  died 
Nov.  25,  1959.  On  Sept.  4,  1898,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Lavina  J. 
Strycker.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Sunrise  Community  church,  Albany, 
Oregon.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  one 
daughter,  and  two  sons.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Sunrise  Com- 
munity church  by  Bro.  Carl  Simmons, 
Jr.  Interment  was  in  the  Biverside 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Harley  Hoover,  Leb- 
anon, Oregon. 

Combs,  Lillian  Heck,  was  born  Sept. 
8,  1906,  and  died  Nov.  1,  1959,  in  Day- 
ton, Ohio.  She  was  married  to  Clem 
Heck,  who  preceded  her  in  death.  Six 
weeks  before  her  death,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  William  Combs.  She  is  survived 
by  her  husband,  her  mother,  two  broth- 
ers, and  four  sisters.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  at  the  Bear  Creek 
church  by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  Glenwood  cemetery.  — 
George  W.  Phillips,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Dejean,  Edith  Dell,  daughter  of  Al- 
do  and  Alice  Shilling  Newman,  was 
born  near  Nevada,  Ohio,  June  22,  1882, 
and  died  Dec.  9,  1959.  On  Sept.  10, 
1902,  she  was  married  to  John  S.  De- 
Jean,  who  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Surviving  are  four  daughters, 
three  sisters,  two  brothers,  eleven  grand- 
children, and  twelve  great-grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held  in 
the  Bame  funeral  home  by  Brethren  R. 
Earl  Zimmerman  and  Walter  J.  Heisey. 
Interment  was  in  the  Nevada  cemetery. 

—  Mrs.    Elias    Eberly,    Fremont,    Ohio. 
Driver,  Irvin  David,   son  of  Samuel 

A.  and  Mary  Ann  Click  Driver,  was 
born  Sept.  9,  1883,  near  Weyers  Cave, 
Va.,  and  died  Dec.  10,  1959.  On  Nov. 
19,  1906,  he  was  married  to  Willie 
Long.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pleas- 
ant Valley  church,  Va.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  four  daughters,  two  grand- 
sons, and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  church, 
with  Bro.  Wilmer  Q.  Crummett  offi- 
ciating, assisted  bv  Rev.  Tames  A.  Alli- 
son, Jr.,  and  Bro.  Robert  L.  Sherfy.  In- 
terment was  in  the  adjacent  cemetery. 

—  Verma  E.  Garber,  Weyers  Cave,  Va. 
Fogel,  Clarence,   son  of  Alfred   and 

Idella  Culler  Fogel,  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana, July  8,  1889,  and  died  in  Ashland, 
Ohio,  Sept.  24,  1959.  On  Sept.  4,  1907, 
he  was  married  to  Rose  Baum,  who  pre- 
ceded him  in  death.  He  united  with 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  while  a 
young  man.  Surviving  are  two  daugh- 
ters, one  son,  two  sisters,  three  broth- 
ers, and  six  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Gilbert's  funeral 
home  with  the  undersigned  in  charge. 
Interment  was  in  the  Red  Haw  ceme- 
terv.  —  J.  Perry  Prather,  Ashland,  Ohio. 
Furry,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Samuel 
C,  and  Marv  Rock  Albright,  was  born 
Sept.  5,  1882,  and  died  T)fo.  7,  1959,  at 
Roaring  Spring,  Pa.    She  was  married 


to  William  E.  Furry  on  Oct.  29,  1903. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Memorial 
church,  Martinsburg,  Pa.  Surviving  are 
her  husband,  two  sons,  two  daughters, 
one  brother,  ten  grandchildren,  and 
two   great-grandchildren.    The  funeral 

S  service  was  conducted  by  Bro.  Roy  S. 

I  Forney  at  the  Thompson  funeral  home. 

9  Interment  was   in   the  Albright   ceme- 

j  tery.  —  Mrs.  C.  O.  Beery,  Martinsburg, 
Pa. 

Garst,  Murray  Brown,  son  of  David 
Henry  and  Callie  Thornburg  Garst,  was 

I  born  May  27,  1901,  at  Jonesboro,  Term., 
and  died  Dec.  25,  1959,  at  Freeport, 
111.  On  March  21,  1926,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Vera  Kessler.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  two  brothers, 
and  one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Finch  funeral  home,  with 
Bro.  Joseph  Piesen  officiating.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Oakwood  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Harold  Alter,  Mt.  Morris,  111. 

Houff,  W.  Abe,  son  of  William  C., 
and  Martha  Cline  Houff,  was  born  Mav 
16,  1891,  at  Ft.  Defiance,  Va.,  and  died 
Dec.  21,  1959,  near  Weyers  Cave,  Va. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Pleasant  Val- 
ley church,  Va.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  the  former  Bertie  Alice  Link,  two 
daughters,  two  sons,  three  sisters,  and 
three  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Pleasant  Valley  church  with 
Brethren  Wilmer  Q.  Crummett  and  Guy 
Wampler  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  Lebanon  church  cemetery.  —  Ver- 
ma  E.  Garber,  Weyers  Cave,  Va. 

Jacobs,  Alma  May,  daughter  of  Les- 
lie E.  and  Rhoda  B.  Marshall  Jacobs, 
died  at  Waynesboro,  Pa.,  Dec.  17,  1959, 
at  the  age  of  forty  years.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Waynesboro  church. 
She  is  survived  by  two  sisters  and  three 
brothers.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Grove  funeral  home  by  Brethren 
George  L.  Detweiler  and  Theodore  E. 
Whitacre.  Interment  was  in  Price's 
cemetery.  —  Thelma  M.  Widdowson, 
Waynesboro,  Pa. 

Lapp,  Christian  C,  son  of  O.  J.  and 
Maria  Lapp,  was  born  Sept.  24,  1884, 
in  Shelby  County,  Mo.,  and  died  Dec. 
16,  1959,  at  Miami,  N.  Mex.  In  1925, 
he  was  married  to  Iva  Wray.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wifer  one  son,  two 
grandchildren,  two  half  sisters,  and  one 
half  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Miami  church  by  Bro. 
H.  M.  Coppock.  —  Mrs.  H.  M.  Coppock, 
Springer,  N.  Mex. 

Leftwich,  Leona,  daughter  of  Jack- 
son and  Nancy  Burnett  Reynolds,  was 
born  April  15,  1879,  in  Patrick  County, 
Va.,  and  died  Sept.  19,  1959.  Her  hus- 
band, John  D.  Leftwich,  preceded  her 
in  death.  Surviving  are  four  sons,  five 
daughters,  two  sisters,  two  brothers, 
thirty-eight  grandchildren,  and  forty- 
two  great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  St.  Paul 
church,  N.  C,  by  Brethren  D.  B.  Os- 
borne, G.  L.  Baker,  and  Otte  Utt.  — 
Honor  S.  Baker,  Hillsville,  Va. 

Long,  Robert  Showalter,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin F.,  and  Annie  Showalter  Long, 
was  born  June  30,  1903,  and  died  Dec. 
15,  1959.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Mill  Creek  church,  Va.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  Flossie  Hensley  Long, 
four  daughters,  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Mill  Creek  church  by  Bro.  Charles 
Zunkel,    assisted    by    Bro.    Wilbur    F. 


Garber.  Interment  was  in  the  church 
cemetery.  —  Eulalia  L.  Miller,  Port  Re- 
public, Va. 

Ludwick,  William,  son  of  Robert  and 
Mary  Ludwick,  was  born  in  Ashland 
County,  Ohio,  June  10,  1873,  and  died 
at  Millersburg,  Ohio,  Dec.  12,  1959. 
In  1901,  he  was  married  to  Anna  Harn- 
ly,  who  preceded  him  in  death.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  Ashland  City 
church,  Ohio.  Surviving  are  three 
daughters,  two  grandchildren,  and  one 
sister.  The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Gilberts  funeral  home  by  the  under- 
signed, assisted  by  Rev.  Russell  Linton, 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  church.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Ashland  cemetery.  — 
J.  Perry  Prather,  Ashland,  Ohio. 

Miller,  Edna,  wife  of  Daniel  Miller, 
died  Nov.  10,  1959,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
three  years.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  four  sons,  and  one  daughter. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
the  undersigned.  —  D.  Howard  Keiper, 
Pottstown,  Pa. 


Church  News 

Northern  California 

Empire  —  We  observed  laymen's  Sun- 
day with  three  of  our  lay  members 
conducting  the  morning  worship  hour. 
Our  quarterly  council  meeting  followed 
a  potluck  dinner.  Bro.  John  Price  was 
re-elected  elder.  Bro.  Lee  Nelson  was 
the  speaker  for  our  spiritual  enrichment 
week.  On  the  last  afternoon,  officers 
from  four  areas  were  present  when 
Brethren  Jeff  Mathis  and  Forest  Eisen- 
bise  were  speakers.  The  circuit  youth 
rally  was  held  at  our  church.  Bro. 
Herbert  Ruthrauff  was  the  main  speak- 
er. The  Christmas  cantata,  The  Shep- 
herds and  the  Wise  Men,  was  given. 
Kenneth  Belcher  and  Kenneth  Loucks, 
both  in  BVS,  spoke  to  us  recently.  One 
letter  has  been  received.  —  Pearl  Kap- 
pler,  Modesto,  Calif. 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 

Glendale  (Ariz.)  —  A  new  pastor,  Bro. 
Glenn  Harmon,  and  a  new  form  of 
church  government,  the  commission 
plan,  are  proving  an  efficient  combina- 
tion for  our  church.  More  emphasis 
is  being  placed  on  the  youth  of  the 
church,  and  Sunday  evening  worship 
and  fellowship  meetings  have  been  or- 
ganized for  them.  Another  new  measure 
is  the  organization  of  a  Sunday  school 
class  for  the  college  age  and  young 
married  group.  Women's  fellowship 
members  are  continuing  their  work  with 
a  farm  labor  camp.  Brethren  Herbert 
Ruthrauff  and  I.  V.  Funderburgh  have 
been  guest  speakers.  Some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  church  participated  in  a 
community  survey  of  church  member- 
ship. During  the  Thanksgiving  season, 
members  contributed  a  large  quantity 
of  good  used  clothing  to  be  sent  over- 
seas to  the  needy.  We  celebrated 
Thanksgiving  on  Nov.  22  with  a  home- 
coming and  a  family  dinner  and  pro- 
gram. Bro.  Merle  Heatwole  spoke. 
Our  church  is  sponsoring  a  Dutch 
refugee  family,  the  Gerard  Franszes, 
who  arrived  here  early  in  December. 
We  had  a  dedication  service  for  babies 
and  small  children.  Bro.  Stanlev  Keller 
visited  the  church  and  counseled  church 


The  life  story  of 
the  American 
Gandhi 


Martin 

Luther 

King,  Jr. 


CRUSADER 

Without   Violence 

by  L.  D.  Reddick 

This  is  the  first  book  to 
chronicle  in  full  detail  and  so- 
cial perspective  the  rapid  rise 
in  the  American  scene  of  a 
significant  and  challenging  fig- 
ure. Dr.  Reddick  approaches 
his  subject  from  the  dual 
viewpoints  of  close  observer 
and  professional  historian.  His 
view  and  understanding  of 
this  extraordinary  30-year-old 
Negro  man  and  the  role  that 
events  prepared  for  him  could 
therefore  be  scarcely  improved. 
$3.95 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


commission  members.  The  junior  and 
senior  choirs  presented  special  Christ- 
mas music  during  morning  worship  on 
Dec.  20.  —  Mrs.  Don  Heatwole,  Glen- 
dale, Ariz. 

Glendora  —  Several  of  our  teachers 
attended  the  three  lectures  held  in  La 
Verne  by  Dr.  Gerald  Larue.  Delegates 
to  the  district  conference  at  Forest 
Home  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Albert  Gnagy 
and  Mrs.  Paul  Colebank.  At  our  mile- 
stone dinner,  our  church's  growth  both 
in  membership  and  budget  was  pre- 
sented.    Bro.    Robert    Mays    was    our 


FEBRUARY  6.   1960 


27 


Peace  and  power 

for  modern  living 


POINT 
OF 

bKtuk« 


WN 


by  CARLYLE  MARNEY 

Beggars  In  Velvet 

Thirty-six  observations  on  the  problems  of 
life  in  today's  world.  Dr.  Marney  offers  effec- 
tive counsel  on  weaknesses,  fears,  uncertain- 
ties, and  desires  experienced  by  everyone.  For 
all  who  are  looking  for  guidance  for  richer, 
fuller,  and  more  satisfying  living.  $2 


by  LANCE  WEBB 

Point  of  Glad  Return 

A  vital  discussion  of  the  changes  that  can  be 
brought  about  in  your  life  by  a  faith  in  Christ. 
Dr.  Webb  presents  the  meaning  and  the  hope 
of  the  Christian  faith  in  its  relationship  to 
your  deepest  needs.  $3.50 


by  JAMES  E.  SELLERS 

When  Trouble  Comes 

Dr.  Sellers  points  out  the  resources  a  Chris- 
tian possesses  for  combating  both  the  physi- 
cal and  the  moral  evils  in  this  life.  You  will 
find  fresh  understanding  and  strength  in  this 
Christian  view  of  evil,  sin,  and  suffering.     $2 


your  bookstore  today!      ABINGDON        PRESS 

PUBLISHER  OF  THE  INTERPRETER'S  BIBLE 


speaker.  We  are  planning  a  visitation 
to  all  members  and  friends.  On  Dec. 
6  the  Citrus  College  choir  presented 
an  evening  of  music.  The  church  choir 
gave  its  annual  Christmas  program  a 
week  later.  An  old-fashioned  Christmas 
program  was  presented  by  the  children 
and  the  junior  choir.  We  held  a  vesper 
service  on  Christmas  Eve.  —  Mrs. 
George  L.  Ford,  San  Dimas,  Calif. 

Los  Angeles,  Ladera  —  Our  church  is 
under  the  leadership  of  Bro.  R.  H. 
Miller,  who  has  been  bringing  us  in- 
spiring sermons.  Brother  Miller  came 
to  us  in  September  to  serve  as  interim 
pastor.     Two    new    deacons    and    their 


28 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


wives  have  been  installed.  Nine  new 
members  have  been  added  since  the 
beginning  of  the  new  church  year.  Six 
babies  were  dedicated  recently.  An  all- 
church  family  night  was  held  at  Christ- 
mas time  with  a  program  by  the  Sunday 
school  children  followed  by  refresh- 
ments and  a  fellowship  hour.  The 
choir,  under  the  direction  of  Bro. 
Charles  Bowman,  presented  the  can- 
tata, Carols  of  Christmas,  and  also  par- 
ticipated in  a  twelve-hour  all-Christmas 
music  program  in  the  new  Los  Angeles 
sports  arena  on  Christmas  Eve.  —  Mrs. 
Paul  Lentz,  Bellflower,  Calif. 

Tucson  —  During  the  Christmas  sea- 
son different  classes  and  organizations 
presented  Christmas  baskets  to  five  lo- 
cal families,  to  families  in  Mexico  and 


to  the  migrant  families.  The  CBYF 
went  caroling.  A  special  Christmas 
pageant  was  presented  just  before 
Christmas  and  was  followed  by  a  social 
hour.  A  Sunday  school  class  has  been 
organized  for  young  married  people. 
Our  women's  fellowship  made  dresses 
for  migrant  children  and  choir  robes 
for  our  youth  choir.  Bro.  Ralph  Rarick 
brought  the  messages  during  our  re- 
vival. Our  minister,  Bro.  C.  V.  Cop- 
pock,  had  his  fiftieth  anniversary  in 
the  ministry  on  Jan.  10;  he  was  pre- 
sented with  a  bound  notebook  filled 
with  testimonials.  —  Sally  Ferguson, 
Tucson,  Ariz. 

Idaho  and  Western  Montana 

Nampa  —  Our  love  feast  was  held 
on  World  Communion  Sunday.  D.  W. 
Bittinger  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  was 
our  speaker  on  Dec.  13.  Four  have 
been  received  into  the  church  by  letter 
and  one  by  baptism.  Our  school  of 
missions  started  with  a  study  on  Africa, 
directed  by  Mrs.  Dorris  Blough,  and 
will  close  with  an  African  market  visit. 
A  musical,  Echoes  of  Christmas,  was 
given.  The  white  gift  of  food  was 
turned  over  to  the  Salvation  Army  to 
share  with  the  needy  of  our  town.  We 
had  a  watch  party  and  worship  service 
on  Dec.  31.  —  Ottie  DeCoursey,  Nam-  . 
pa,  Idaho. 

Washington 
Sunnyslope  —  We  joined  with  other 
churches  in  union  services  on  Sunday 
evenings  during  the  summer  months. 
Our  pastor  and  his  wife,  Clifford  and 
Gloria  Ruff,  attended  a  national  camp  . 
training  session  for  church  camp  lead- 
ers. We  carried  out  a  mission  to 
members  this  fall.  At  our  annual 
Christmas  party,  the  tree  was  decorated 
with  gifts  of  money  for  the  faith  bud- 
get. At  a  recent  board  of  administration 
meeting  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  make  plans  for  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship  in  conjunction  with  all  other 
churches  of  our  denomination.  —  Mrs. 
F.  W.  Holland,  Wenatchee,  Wash. 

Colorado 

Bethel  —  We  had  an  installation  serv- 
ice for  the  Sunday  school  and  church 
officers  on  Oct.  11.  We  had  a  loyalty 
dinner  for  fellowship,  for  the  study 
of  the  booklet,  That  the  World  May 
Know,  and  for  acquainting  our  people 
with  the  aims  of  the  church.  The  men 
of  the  church  are  building  an  addition 
to  the  fellowship  hall  to  be  used  for 
a  kitchen  and  a  meeting  place  for  the 
women's  fellowship.  Our  church  enter- 
tained the  tri-state  Christian  Endeavor 
rally,  at  which  Bro.  Edward  Duncan 
brought  the  message.  Our  pastor,  A.  R. 
Fike,  and  his  wife  attended  the  pastors' 
retreat.  —  Mrs.  Avon  Saffer,  Flagler, 
Colo. 

Rocky  Ford  —  Our  church  officers  for 
the  coming  year  are  Earl  Brubaker, 
moderator,  Bro.  Kenneth  Fancher,  min- 
ister of  music,  and  Bro.  Jesse  Wey- 
bright,  clerk.  The  union  New  Year's 
services  were  held  in  our  church,  with 
Rev.  Martin  Klingberg,  the  Presbyteri- 
an pastor,  bringing  the  message.  Our 
pastor,  Bro.  Wilbur  Hoover,  exchanged 
pulpits  with  Rev.  Paul  Martin,  pastor 
of  the  La  Junta  Mennonite  church.  On 
Dec.  27  a  former  pastor,  Bro.  G.  L. 
Coppock,  preached  for  us,  and  his 
daughter,  Doris  Coppock,  sang  a  solo. 


Our  Sunday  school  gave  a  Christmas 
program,  the  young  people  and  choir 
members  went  out  caroling,  and  our 
choir  joined  the  Baptist  choir  in  a 
Christmas  cantata.  In  the  absence  of 
our  pastor,  guest  speakers  have  been 
Kenneth  Fancher  and  Robert  E.  Moh- 
ler.  Our  church  participated  in  share 
the  surplus  and  Japanese  typhoon  relief 
work.  Six  of  our  young  people  attended 
the  youth  seminar  at  the  Prince  of 
Peace  church  in  Denver.  Miss  Leah 
Standafer  has  been  chosen  to  represent 
our  district  youth  at  the  seminar  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  and  the  United 
Nations.  Our  pastor  and  his  wife  at- 
tended the  pastors'  training  retreat. 
We  held  a  Sunday  school  worker's  con- 
ference in  our  church.  Our  men  have 
helped  with  improvement  work  at 
Camp  Colorado.  Our  women's  fellow- 
ship group  took  part  in  the  World 
Day  of  Prayer  and  World  Community 
Day  programs  and  sponsored  a  school 
of  missions  for  the  Sunday  evenings 
in  January.  The  women  continue  to 
hold  their  circle  meetings  and  sew 
for  relief.  We  have  family  nights  once 
each  month  with  a  social  hour.  —  Mrs. 
O.  C.  Frantz,  Rocky  Ford,  Colo. 

Southern  Iowa 

English  River  —  The  women  had 
charge  of  the  Sunday  service  while 
our  pastor  was  absent.  We  co-operated 
with  the  churches  of  the  community 
in  a  Thanksgiving  service.  Bro.  Ken- 
neth Frantz  held  a  week  of  evangelistic 
meetings.  Our  Sunday  school  had  a 
Christmas  party  for  the  children  and 
the  homebuilders  had  a  program  and 
gift  exchange  for  all  the  women  and 
girls.  We  have  installed  an  organ  in 
the  church.  Our  pastor  is  conducting 
a  class  in  church  membership  for  adults. 
Two  have  been  received  by  letter  and 
one  by  baptism.  Movies  of  various 
church  activities  were  shown  at  our 
New  Year's  family  night  meeting.  Bro. 
Ray  Zook  conducted  a  workshop  on 
church  and  pastoral  relations.  We  en- 
tertained the  state  pastors'  conference 
on  Jan.  19  and  20.  —  Ollie  Coffman, 
South   English,   Iowa. 

Mt.  Etna  —  At  our  council  meeting, 
Bro.  Lenard  Lutz  was  elected  moder- 
ator for  the  year.  At  the  present  time 
we  do  not  have  a  pastor  but  do  have 
preaching  services  each  Sunday  morn- 
ing. Stanley  Evans,  Charles  Colyn  of 
Lenox,  and  Bro.  Albert  Sauls  of  Beth- 
any Seminary  have  been  bringing  the 
Sunday  messages.  A  ladies'  trio  from 
McPherson  College  presented  a  pro- 
gram on  Nov.  23.  The  young  people 
and  children  gave  a  Christmas  program. 
The  women's  fellowship  group  meets 
every  two  weeks  for  work  and  fellow- 
ship. The  CBYF  group  meets  once 
a  month.  —  Mrs.  Lula  Knee,  Mt.  Etna, 
Iowa. 

Northeastern  Kansas 

Kansas  City,  Cherokee  Hills  Commu- 
nity —  This  year  we  held  our  first  vaca- 
tion church  school.  During  the  summer 
months  we  scheduled  planned  field 
trips  for  two  age  groups,  kindergarten- 
primary  and  junior-junior  high.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  CBYF,  a  junior  youth 
group  has  been  formed.  June  Gillam 
came  to  Cherokee  Hills  this  fall  from 
McVeytown,  Pa.,  under  the  BVS  pro- 
gram,   and    has    been    an    enthusiastic 


How  to  be 


"rich  toward 
God" 


Luke    12:15-21  Edward    K.    Ziegler 

Moderator,  Church  of  the  Brethren 

"While  serving  our  church  in  various  posts,  I  have  talked 
with  many  hundreds  of  Brethren  who  are  deeply  dedicated  to 
Christ's  program  through  the  church,  and  who  would  like  to 
help  carry  it  forward.  Also,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  great  open  doors  before  the  church  in  America  and 
overseas.  I  have  seen  new  churches  rise  and  grow  into 
responsible  and  mature  congregations.  I  have  seen  churches 
bloom  with  new  life  and  enthusiasm  as  a  new  pastor  stirs  them 
to  serve  and  to  witness. 

"At  the  same  time,  all  of  us  are  aware  of  two  terrific 
pressures :  the  pressure  of  the  world  around  us,  seeking  to  force 
us  into  the  mold  of  materialism  and  pagan  practices,  spending 
our  money  on  that  which  is  not  bread;  and  the  pressure  of 
world  events,  with  their  sinister  forces  of  cold  war  and  prepara- 
tion for  hot  war,  hatred  and  racial  strife  in  America  and  abroad. 

"When  we  Brethren  discern  the  claims  of  Christ  on  one 
hand  and  feel  the  pressures  of  paganism  and  doom  on  the 
other,  we  seek  for  those  things  which  really  endure. 

"If  day  by  day  we  use  our  lives  and  possessions  for  Christ 
and  the  church,  and  thoughtfully  plan  for  the  enlargement  of 
our  Christian  influence  through  the  right  use  of  accumulated 
possessions,  we  can  be  sure  we  are  on  the  right  side  of  God's 
balance. 

"The  1957  Annual  Conference  spoke  forthrightly  on  the 
stewardship  of  accumulated  possessions.  Why  not  acquaint 
yourself  with  the  various  means  of  expressing  your  Christian 
faith  through  providing  substance  for  the  far-reaching  work 
of  the  Kingdom?" 

(Clip  and  Mail) 


GENERAL  BROTHERHOOD  BOARD 
CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 

1451   OundM  Av«nue,  Elgin,  Illinois 
Harl  I.  Ruiull,  Director  of  Special   Gift! 

Dear  Brother  Russell: 

Please  provide  information,  without  obligating  me  in 
any  way.  on  the  following  means  of  expressing  my.  faith 
and   my  interest  in  advancing  Brotherhood  work. 


Q  A  Life  Income  Plan 

□  A  Real  Estate  Deed 
(reserving  life  use  and 
income) 

□  A  Bequest  In  a  Will 


□  A  Transfer  of  Stocks  or 
Bonds  (reserving 
income  for  life) 


□  A  Cift  Annuity 

(providing  substantial 
income  benc6ts) 


Q  An  Assignment  of  Life         Q  A  Living  Memorial 


Name 

Street,  RFD. 
City   


Zone State 


8^%Jf :M 


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Those  who  do  not  receive  The 
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The  icorld*s  most  widely  used  devotional  guide 

37  Editions  —  31  Languages 
1908  GRAND  AVE.    NASHVILLE  5,  TENN. 


worker  in  our  various  activities.  The 
union  Thanksgiving  service  for  churches 
in  the  Overland  Park  area  was  held 
at  our  church.  Our  new  organette  was 
dedicated  in  November.  We  now  have 
fifty-nine  charter  members,  and  are  in 
the   process   of   drafting   and   adopting 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


a  constitution  and  bylaws.  —  Mrs.  Joyce 
C.  Baxter,  Overland  Park,  Kansas. 

Southern  Illinois 

La  Motte  Prairie  —  We  met  in  coun- 
cil with  our  elder  and  pastor,  Bro. 
Farrell  Culler,  in  charge.  We  held  our 
fall  love  feast.  The  men's  fellowship 
did  well  with  their  crops.  The  women  s 
fellowship  meets  once  a  month  to  make 
comforters.  Members  of  our  young 
people's  class  and  several  children  went 
caroling  on  Dec.  20.  —  Mrs.  Hattie 
Drake,  Palestine,  111. 

Panther  Creek  —  We  reorganized  our 
church  and  Sunday  school  in  Septem- 
ber. Bro.  Ralph  Thomas  began  work 
as  our  pastor  this  fall.  Church  officials 
have  planned  a  program  of  work  for 
the  year.  Our  love  feast  was  on  Oct. 
11  and  communion  was  given  to  shut- 
ins.  For  Thanksgiving  services  the 
M.E.  church  of  Roanoke  joined  with 
us  in  a  program  and  film  on  refugees. 
Our  women's  work  collected  clothing 
and  made  comforters  for  relief .  —  Jessie 
Yordy,  Roanoke,  111. 

Middle  Indiana 

Lower  Deer  Creek  —  Since  our  last 
report,  five  new  members  have  been 
added  to  our  church  by  baptism.  Our 
pastor,  Bro.  Dolar  Ritchey,  and  his 
wife  attended  Annual  Conference. 
Some  of  our  youth  attended  Camp 
Mack.  Our  communion  was  on  Oct.  3. 
The  women's  fellowship  has  been  mak- 
ing comforters  for  relief.  Miss  Jane 
Ann  Replogle  of  our  church  has  gone 
to  New  Windsor  to  begin  her  training 
for  BVS.  —  Mrs.  Fannie  Martin,  Flora, 
Ind. 

Marion  —  Upon  the  retirement  of  our 
pastor,  Bro.  T.  G.  Weaver,  Bro.  Willis 
Stehman  was  hired  for  the  coming  year. 
Brother  Stehman  held  our  fall  evange- 
listic meetings.  Seven  new  members 
have  been  added  to  our  group.  Jim 
Pobst  spent  an  evening  with  us,  talking 
about  and  showing  slides  of  his  BVS 
experiences  in  Europe.  Our  children 
gave  a  Christmas  program  at  the  morn- 
ing service  of  Dec.  13.  The  young 
people  had  a  Christmas  play  and  a 
white  gift  offering  a  week  later.  The 
young  people  went  caroling  to  the 
homes  of  shut-ins  and  friends  of  the 
church.  We  have  purchased  eighteen 
new  Bibles  for  the  children.  —  Margaret 
Brubaker,  Fairmount,  Ind. 

Northern  Indiana 

Elkhart  Valley  —  Several  of  our  mem- 
bers attended  district  meeting  at  Camp 
Mack.  The  women's  work  project  is 
making  health  kits,  doing  relief  sewing, 
and  quilting.  Bro.  Russell  Stout  brought 
a  Sunday  morning  message.  Bro.  Ed- 
ward Stump  delivered  both  messages 
at  the  annual  harvest  meeting.  At  our 
quarterly  council,  Bro.  Paul  Lantis  was 
elected  moderator.  He  was  our  evange- 
list this  fall.  Prof.  Paul  Halladay  of 
North  Manchester  directed  a  music  in- 
stitute. We  had  a  home  visitation  pro- 
gram. Phil  West,  who  had  attended 
Japanese  Christian  University  for  a 
year,  gave  the  evening  program  on 
Nov.  29.  On  family  night  we  had  a 
carry-in  supper  and  a  surprise  "This 
Is  Your  Life '  program  for  our  pastor, 
Bro.  John  McCormick,  in  observance 
of  his  twenty-five  years  in  the  minis- 
try. —  Mrs.  Floyd  Stauffer,  Goshen,  Ind. 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program,  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  437.  Wanted:  Full-time  occu- 
pational therapy  director  for  mental 
hospital.  Should  have  training  in  this 
area.  Will  work  under  psychiatric  super- 
vision. A  church  sponsored  38-bed  hos- 
pital. Contact:  Mr.  D.  C.  Kauffman, 
Brook  Lane  Farm  Hospital,  R.  5,  Ha- 
gerstown,  Md. 

No.  438.  The  Zion  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Prescott,  Mich.,  is  interested 
in  helping  Brethren  families  relocate  in 
their  area.  Some  farms  are  now  avail- 
able for  sale  and  others  may  be  rented. 
For  further  information  contact  Mr. 
Edwin  Miller,  R.  1,  Box  277,  Prescott, 
Mich. 


Southern  Indiana 
Locust  Grove  —  At  our  regular  busi- 
ness meeting,  Bro.  Fred  Hollenberg  was 
elected  elder.  We  had  a  hymn  sing 
with  the  Bethel  (Methodist)  Negro 
choir  as  special  guests.  Nine  members 
of  our  women's  fellowship  visited  the 
Brethren  Home  at  Mexico,  Ind.  We 
have  remodeled  and  redecorated  our 
church  inside  and  out  this  year.  A 
dedication  service  will  be  held  in  the 
near  future.  Our  communion  and  love 
feast  was  held.  —  Mrs.  Omer  Gillam, 
Cambridge  City,  Ind. 

Northwestern  Ohio 

Stony  Creek  —  Bro.  Mark  Schrock 
held  our  evangelistic  services.  Four 
have  been  received  by  baptism  and 
one  by  letter.  We  are  now  enjoying 
services  broadcast  through  our  public 
address  system,  making  services  avail- 
able to  all  throughout  the  building.  A 
dedication  service  is  being  planned  for 
spring.  Several  of  our  members  at- 
tended the  district  conference  at  the 
Lick  Creek  church  and  also  the  regional 
conference  at  Manchester  College.  Our 
church  is  continuing  its  support  of  the 
weekday  religious  education  program. 
The  children's  department  made  a  mit- 
ten   tree    this    Christmas    season,    from 


ij  which  the  mittens  will  be  sent  to  an 
I  orphanage  in  Korea.  The  women's 
|  fellowship  spent  a  day  at  the  Logan 
ij  county  home  mending  sheets  and  pil- 
ilowcases.  They  are  contributing  to  the 
ij  support  of  Brenda  Joy  Butterbaugh.  — 
ij  Mrs.  Mary  Early,  Belief ontaine,  Ohio. 

Sugar  Creek  —  Bro.  David  Wampler 
I  presided  at  the  council  meeting  when 
J  the  new  plan  of  organization  was  de- 
li cided  upon.  We  now  have  a  board 
I  of  administration.  Bro.  Delbert  Hanlin 
I  held  our  evangelistic  meetings.  Five 
I  were  baptized  and  two  received  by 
il  letter.  Our  women's  fellowship  has 
i  been  sewing  for  relief  and  Bethany 
I  Hospital.  Kits  were  sent  to  the  typhoon 
I  victims  of  Japan  and  used  clothing  to 
J  New  Windsor  for  relief.    The  midweek 

prayer  service  is  growing  in  interest 
i  and  attendance.    Plans  have  been  made 

for  an  evangelism  visitation  program 
j  for   the   coming   year.     Our   Christmas 

program  was  presented  by  the  children 

on  Sunday  morning  and  by  the  adults 
I  in  the  evening  service.  —  Mrs.  Priscilla 
j  Liskey,  Elida,   Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

Salem  —  Our  love  feast  was  followed 

i  by   one   week   of    evangelistic    services 

!  conducted   by   our   pastor.     Ten   were 

baptized    and   five    received   by   letter. 

1  Two  of  our  young  men  went  to  New 

I  Windsor  in  December,  three  others  are 

]  in   service   elsewhere,   and  four   are  in 

i  college.     Our    women's    fellowship    is 

sewing  for  relief  and  giving  aid  in  many 

ways.    Each  month  one  of  our  Sunday 

I  school  classes  visits  one  of  the  wards 

at  the  Dayton  state  hospital  and  gives 

a  program  of  interest.   We  are  studying 

i  the  Bible  each  Wednesday  evening  led 

I  by   our  pastor.    We   had   open   house 

at    the    newly    redecorated    parsonage. 

Some    of    our    young   people    attended 

the   youth   conference   at   the   Eversole 

i  church.    Our  annual  school  of  missions 

is   being  held  on   Sunday   evenings   in 

February.  —  Katie   Flory,   Union,   Ohio. 

West  Milton  —  Inez  Thompson,  Kath- 
leen Harley  and  Edna  Wheelock  were 
chosen  delegates  to  represent  us  at 
the  district  meeting.  The  important 
business  of  this  meeting  was  the  en- 
larging of  the  home  in  Greenville  and 
buying  a  new  camp  site  in  Southern 
Ohio.  The  building  committee  gave  a 
report  and  pictured  our  new  church. 
The  CBYF  were  hosts  to  the  young 
people  of  Southern  Ohio  in  a  rally 
held  at  Sugar  Grove  and  to  a  confer- 
ence conducted  by  Harriet  Miller  of 
the  United  Seminary  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 
Two  consecration  services  were  held, 
one  for  the  new  church  and  Sunday 
school  officers,  the  other  for  nine  babies. 
Bro.  David  Markey  was  the  minister 
for  our  evangelistic  services.  We  have 
had  messages  from  the  following:  C. 
Ernest  Davis,  Alfred  Replogle,  Joel 
Thompson,  F.  Wayne  Lawson  and  John 
L.  Weaver.  The  home  department 
made  fruit  cakes  for  the  Greenville 
Home,  shut-ins,  and  elder  members. 
The  women's  fellowship  has  quilted 
covers  for  relief  and  made  hospital 
gowns  and  bandages.  For  our  Christ- 
mas party  we  had  a  carry-in  supper 
and  a  film.  Joel  and  Phyllis  Thompson 
presented  a  filmstrip  of  one  summer's 
work  in  the  Lybrook  Indian  mission.  — 
Edna  Wheelock,  West  Milton,  Ohio. 


The  Cokesbury 


PARTY  BOOK 


(REVISED  EDITION) 


Arthur  M.  Depew 

Almost  every  conceivable  occasion,  includ- 
ing hikes  and  picnics,  is  given  consideration 
in  this  all-purpose  book  of  nearly  600  games 
and  stunts.  Planned  around  a  whole  year's 
entertainment,  these  52  party  plans  include 
suggestions  for  invitations,  decorations,  games, 
and  refreshments.  A  check  list  of  simple 
equipment  needed  for  games  and  suggestions 
for  costumes  is  also  given. 

All  of  the  parties  in  this  revised  edition 
have  been  brought  up-to-date  and  a  new  party 
has  been  added  to  make  this  book,  long  a 
favorite  of  recreation  leaders  and  all  party 
givers,  even  more  valuable.  The  parties,  arranged  by  months,  are 
indexed  alphabetically  and  according  to  classification.    384  pages. 

$2.95 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


ESCAPE 

FROM 

TERROR 

FRIEDRICH  NEUMANN 

The  Brethrens'  professed  interest  in  the  dispossessed  and  persecuted 
peoples  of  the  world  should  lead  many  to  read  Escape  From  Terror.  The 
author,  a  professor  of  languages  in  Elizabethtown  College  since  1945 
and  a  member  of  the  Elizabethtown  Church  of  the  Brethren,  has  expe- 
rienced what  few  odier  Brethren  could  have  experienced  —  the  murderous 
persecution  of  a  minority  group  by  a  cruel  and  fanatical  government,  and 
conversion  from  Judaism  to  Christianity.  By  birth  an  Austrian  Jew,  Dr. 
Neumann  studied  in  Austria  and  England.  After  a  quarter  of  a  century 
of  teaching  in  Europe  he  escaped  to  England,  where  he  became  a  bap- 
tized Christian,  and  then  came  to  the  States  to  take  up  a  new  life. 

Through  the  pages  of  this  book  one  follows  sympathetically  the 
tragic  experiences  of  the  author,  the  suffering  of  die  Jews  under  the 
Hitler  regime,  the  author's  acceptance  of  Christianity,  his  growth  into 
the  pacifist  position,  his  flight  from  Europe  and  his  subsequent  years 
of  adjustment  to  life  in  the  United  States. 

This  is  both  a  disturbing  and  a  heartening  book.  Only  reading  it 
can  show  you  why  this  is  true.  $6.00 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


FEBRUARY   6.    1960 


31 


PEWS,  PULP1T&  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

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DEPT.  211  SCR  ANTON  2.  PA. 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 


Name 


R.  D.  or  St. 


DISTRICT 

OF 

FLORIDA 

JACKSONVILLE 
CLAY  COUNTY 
WINTER  PARK 
ORLANDO  — 

TAMPA 

ST.  PETERSBURG 


p.  o Zone 


State  SEBRING 

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North  Atlantic 

Coventry  — Our  pastor,  Bro.  D. 
Howard  Keiper,  and  his  wife  attended 
the  Massanetta  Bible  Conference  near 
Harrisonburg,  Va.  Many  of  our  young 
people  were  present  at  the  regional 
youth  conference  at  Juniata  College. 
Getting  the  Most  Out  of  Your  Day, 
supported  by  a  filmstrip,  was  the  dis- 
cussion theme  of  one  of  the  youth 
meetings  conducted  by  the  pastor. 
The  mission  committee  of  the  women's 
fellowship  held  four  meetings:  two 
illustrated  lectures  by  Bro.  Charles 
Bieber  concerning  his  work  in  Nigeria; 
an  illustrated  lecture  on  mission  work 
in  Bolivia;  and  a  book  report,  The 
Way  in  Africa.  We  conducted  an  ev- 
ery-member  visitation  this  fall.  We 
contributed  to  the  relief  fund  for 
typhoon  victims  in  Japan.  A  hymn  fes- 
tival, To  the  Glory  of  God,  by  A.  F. 
Brightbill,  was  the  theme  of  one  of 
our  worship  services.  Bro.  Robert 
Lloyd  delivered  our  Thanksgiving  mes- 
sage. About  thirty-two  of  our  members 
attended  the  district  fellowship  dinner 
at  the  Schwenkfelder  church,  at  which 
Bro.  Guy  West  was  the  speaker.  Our 
young  people  went  to  the  Neffsville 
children's  home  to  help  bring  Christmas 
cheer  and  they  also  conducted  a  pre- 
Christmas  service  for  the  old  folks 
and  shut-ins.  Marking  the  Christmas 
season  were  the  children's  Christmas 
program  and  the  candlelighting  service 
written  by  Sister  D.  H.  Keiper.  Early 
in  December  C.  R.  Rosenberger  from 
Juniata  College  spoke  in  the  interest 
of  Christian  education.  Seven  of  our 
young  people  attended  the  district 
youth  love  feast  at  the  Germantown 
church  on  New  Year's  Day  and  hiked 
to  the  Wissahickon,  where  the  first 
Brethren  were  baptized  in  America.  — 
Mrs.   Mary  Jane  Kulp,  Pottstown,  Pa. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Baltimore,  First  —  Our  members  have 
been  participating  in  the  Brotherhood 
stewardship  emphasis.    Seven  from  our 


group  attended  the  education  workshop 
at  Flower  Hill.  Our  former  pastor, 
Bro.  Jacob  Replogle,  filled  the  pulpit 
on  Nov.  1.  The  church  membership 
joined  in  a  surprise  appreciation  eve- 
ning for  our  pastor,  Bro.  David  Markey, 
and  his  family.  The  men's  fellowship 
had  charge  of  the  Thanksgiving  day 
service,  and  three  of  our  men  filled  the 
pulpit  on  Layman's  Sunday.  A  Christ- 
mas musical  was  presented  by  the  choir 
under  the  direction  of  Bro.  Benjamin 
Sollenberger.      Some     Negro     children 


ARCADIA- 
OKEECHOBEE 
FORT  MYERS' 
POMPANO  BEACH- 
MIAMI-SOUTH   MIAMI- 

Brerhren,  If  You  Are  Planning  A  Trip  To 
Florida,  We  Invite  You  To  Visit  Any  Or 
All  Of  Our  Churches.  If  You  Are  Planning 
To  Move  To  Florida,  We  Invite  You  To 
Settle  In  The  City  Of  Your  Choice,  And 
Unite  With  One  Of  Our  Churches. 


from  the  Baltimore  Pilot  house  area 
were  invited  guests  at  the  children's 
Christmas  party.  —  Frances  Blough, 
Baltimore,  Md. 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Newly  revised, 
enlarged  .    .   . 
the  trusted  guidebook 

- 

before  you  marry 

SYLVANUS  M.  DUVALL 

Though  many  books  about  marriage  and  sex 
are  available,  those  contemplating  marriage  have 
few  books  to  help  them  consider  the  whole  range 
of  questions  to  ask  themselves  and  their  future 
partners  beforehand.  The  continued  demand  for 
and  use  of  Before  You  Marry  leads  to  this  revision 
which  up-dates  materials,  reflects  current  problems, 
uses  recent  research  findings,  and  adds  some  80 
pages  in  all. 

Dr.  Duvall  puts  into  the  young  person's  think- 
ing the  knowledge  and  insights  of  psychologists 
and  marriage  counselors  about  love,  readiness  for 
marriage,  suitability,  family  relationships,  money 
matters,  sex  attitudes,  character  tests,  mixed  mar- 
riages, behavior  in  crises,  etc.  $3.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  I1L 


\^Aa/tcA  cp  tAe<QteWie^ 


FEBRUARY  13.  1960 


PARTHEID  is  the  term  used  in  South  Africa  to  describe  the  policy 

of  enforced  segregation  that  is  in  effect  there.   Several  months 

go  this  placard  appeared  on  the  grounds  of  St.  George's  Anglican 

:athedral  in  Capetown.  An  appropriate  text  for  such  a  drawing  can 

De  found  in  Ephesians  2:14-16  .   .   . 

['For  he  is  our  peace,  who 
lad  mode  us  both  one,  and 
has  broken  down  the  divid- 
ing walls  of  hostility,  by 
abolishing  in  his  flesh  the 
jaw  of  commandments  and 
iordinances,  that  he  might 
'create  in  himself  one  new 
man  in  place  of  the  two, 
iSO  making  peace,  and  might 
\reconcile  us  to  God  in  one 
body  through  the  cross, 
jhereby  bringing  the  hos- 
tility to  an  end." 


Religious  News  Service 


THE  CHRISTIAN  MANDATE  ON  RACE  RELATIONS 
HAWAII  SENDS  CHURCHMEN  TO  CONGRESS    .    . 
LOVE  ...  IN  DEED  AND  IN  TRUTH"    .    . 


.     Liston  Pope 

Glenn  Everett 

J.  Oscar  Lee 


1 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS  WRITE 


to   the   editor] 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
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cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
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authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

FEBRUARY  13.  1960 
Volume     109  Number  7 


In  This  Number  .  .  . 

Editorial  — 

Apartheid     1 

Field  of  Vision 5 

Who  Is  the  Lawbreaker?    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

The  Christian  Mandate  on  Race  Re- 
lations.   Liston  Pope   3 

It  Is  Written 7 

Sisters  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Dis- 
cipleship:  Mary  and  Martha.  Dale 
Aukerman    8 

Hawaii  Sends  Churchmen  to  Congress. 
Glenn  D.  Everett   10 

Except  the  Lord  Build  the  House. 
Marianne  Michael   12 

For  Righteousness.    Glen  Weimer    . .    12 

1  Ride  With  the  Bible.  Mary  Garber  . .    12 
".  .  .  Love  ...  in  Deed  and  in  Truth. 

J.  Oscar  Lee   13 

The  Supper.    Glen  W.  Petcher  14 

Alternatives   to  the   Gone  Generation 
The     Spiritual     Family.      Clarence 

Jordan  15 

Real  Alternatives.    Edward  K.  Zieg- 

ler    16 

Conference  Business   25 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books    26 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 
World    18 

Toward  His  Kingdom  — 

Christmas  Comes  to  Seaton  Street   . .   20 

Christmas  in  India    21 

Christianity  Challenges  Hopelessness. 

Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp    22 

Madam  Sahib  and  the  Cement  Bucket. 

Rae  Mason 23 

May  Fellowship  Day   23 

Second  Virginia  Honors  Older  Min- 
isters     24 

Brethren  Want  to  Know 25 

2  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


A  Testimony 

In  the  field  of  stewardship  of  time 
and  earthly  possessions  we  have  kept 
the  Sabbath  and  the  tithe  for  forty 
years  now,  and  we  are  happy  in  it 
all. 

We  do  this  not  so  much  as  a  lad- 
der to  heaven,  but  having  made  a 
study  of  these  matters  we  see  that 
long  before  the  days  of  the  Law 
of  Moses  devout  souls  like  Abraham 
and  his  grandson  Jacob,  who  had 
no  Bible  or  written  code  of  laws, 
"gave  God  a  tenth  of  all."  "Of  all 
that  thou  shalt  give  me  I  will  surely 
give  the  tenth  to  thee"  (Gen.  14:20; 
28:22).  To  satisfy  a  written  com- 
mandment? No!  Rather  to  satisfy 
their  God-given  consciences  —  a  god- 
ly appreciation  of  divine  favors. 

So  in  my  years  of  study  I  have 
evolved  two  questions: 

1.  Since  there  is  as  much  scrip- 
ture —  Old  Testament  and  New  Tes- 
tament —  on  the  stewardship  of 
property  and  the  tithe  as  on  the 
Sabbath,  why  do  so  many  more 
church  people  accept  the  idea  of 
the  Sabbath  than  that  of  the  tithe? 

2.  If  one  seventh  of  our  time  and 
one  tenth  of  our  property  were 
sacred  "unto  God"  under  the  law 
(and  before  the  days  of  the  law) 
could  it  be  that  less  under  grace 
is  disgrace? 

See  Lev.  27:30-32;  Deut.  14:22- 
27;  Mai.  3:7-12;  Luke  18:12;  Matt. 
23:23;  1  Cor.  16;l-2;  2  Cor.  9:1,  5; 
1  Cor.  4:1-2.  -  E.  F.  Sherfy,  Ro- 
anoke, Va. 

Best  on  Conversion 

Conversion,  by  E.  Stanley  Jones 
(Abingdon  Press,  243  pages,  paper, 
$1.95;  cloth,  $3.25),  is  the  best  book 
on  conversion  that  I  have  ever  read 
and  I  am  convinced  that  everyone 
who  calls  himself  a  Christian  ought 
to  have  it  and  read  it.  It  would  be 
a  wonderful  gift  to  someone  who  is 
not  a  Christian  if  you  can  get  him 
to  read  it. 

Brother  Jones'  contention  is  that 
not  more  than  one  third  of  church 
members  are  converted,  and  that  it 
is  this  minority  in  the  church  that 
shows  what  vitality  there  is  in  con- 
version. To  do  all  that  the  church 
does  do  beneath  the  dead  weight 
of  so  many  is  proof  of  great  life 
indeed. 

The  book  abounds  with  apt  illus- 
trations and  penetrating  quotations. 
This  is  the  whole  story  of  conversion, 


its  necessity,  its  nature,  the  how  of 
it,  how  to  help  others  in  it,  and  its 
place  as  the  gateway  to  the  entire 
spiritual  life.  E.  Stanley  Jones  writes 
about  the  conversion  of  self,  of  our 
love,  the  fruits  of  conversion,  con- 
version and  health,  the  conversion 
of  our  words,  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
conversion,  and  conversion  and  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

I  think  the  book  is  desperately 
needed,  and  as  much  for  the  people 
in  the  church  as  outside  it.  The  ap- 
proach is  sane,  balanced,  clear,  to 
the  point,  eminently  instructive,  an 
introduction  to  new  vistas  and  a  pre- 
scription to  turn  apathy  into  enthusi- 
asm. —  Mrs.  Paul  S.  Longenecker, 
Tulare,  Calif. 

Cigarettes  and  Lung  Cancer 

Does  smoking  cigarettes  cause 
lung  cancer?  Here  is  the  answer. 
The  writer  took  dinner  with  his 
grandson,  James  R.  Brunk,  M.D., 
who  is  practicing  at  the  Blue  Ridge 
sanitarium  at  Charlottesville,  Va. 
When  discussing  the  effects  of  cig- 
arette smoking,  he  said  his  experi- 
ence with  twenty  cases,  men  who 
had  died  with  lung  cancer,  was  that 
every  one  of  them  had  smoked  from 
one  to  two  packs  every  day.  —  J.  D. 
Burkholder,  Weyers  Cave,  Va. 

Give  the  Positive  Marks  of  a 
Christian 

In  the  Jan.  2,  1960,  issue  is  an 
editorial,  "Churchgoer  or  Christian." 
Are  we  to  assume  that  a  person  may 
be  a  churchgoer,  stand  at  the  door 
and  be  a  greeter,  a  faithful  class 
attender,  an  offering  giver,  program 
supporter,  a  stoical  sermon-endurer 
(I  like  that  term),  fellowshiper,  that 
he  may  go  through  accepted  motions 
of  membership,  as  a  well-behaved 
pew  sitter,  hymnbook  holder,  stand- 
er  or  kneeler,  doughnut  eater,  coffee 
drinker,  handshaker,  back  slapper, 
etc.,  and  not  be  a  Christian? 

I  think  the  above  is  true. 

Now,  since  you  give  only  one  sen- 
tence telling  what  a  Christian  really 
is,  which  ends  thus,  "He  will  bear 
on  his  own  person  some  marks  of 
the  suffering  that  his  Lord  once  en- 
dured," will  you  please  in  another 
editorial  expand  on  this  sentence  and 
point  out  as  many  positive  identifica- 
tions of  the  Christian  as  you  pointed 
out  the  things  a  "goer"  may  do  and 
still  not  be  a  Christian?  —  Roy  E. 
Metzler,  South  Bend  14,  Ind. 


Wide  World 


A  crowd  of  about  two  hundred  persons  mill  in  a  street  in  Atlanta  just  outside  the  Georgia  governor's  mansion  in 
a  demonstration  against  integration.  Georgia  has  no  integrated  schools,  and  the  governor  has  promised  that  no 
Negro  will  attend  school  with  a  white  child  during  his  administration.    The  crowd  included  members  of  the  KKK 


The  Christian  Mandate  on  Race  Relations 


T 


HE  most  usual  ap- 
proaches to  racial  ques- 
tions in  America  have 
been  political  or  sociological  in 
nature.  This  has  been  true  even 
in  our  churches,  whose  pro- 
nouncements have  generally 
sounded  like  watered  down 
sociological  documents  inspired 
by  some  degree  of  moral  con- 
cern. And  the  announced  rea- 
sons for  concern  have  often 
been  prudential  in  character:  it 
has  been  argued  that  we  must 
give  greater  equality  to  minor- 
ity racial  groups  to  prevent 
them  from  becoming  disillu- 
sioned about  Christianity  or  to 
preserve  democracy  or  to  enlist 
the  energies  and  loyalties  of 
colored  peoples  in  the  struggle 
against  communism  or  to  pro- 


Liston  Pope 


tect    America's    reputation    in 
other  parts  of  the  world. 

Similarly,  the  proposed  solu- 
tions to  race  questions,  in- 
cluding those  advanced  by 
churchmen,  have  generally 
been  nontheological  in  charac- 
ter: educate  public  opinion; 
pass  a  law  and  then  enforce 
it;  desegregate  schools,  public 
facilities,  and  residential  neigh- 
borhoods; protect  the  constitu- 
tional rights  of  individuals 
regardless  of  race;  open  the 
churches  to  all  true  worshipers 
by  action  of  the  responsible 
church  body,  lest  we  be  accused 

Dean  of  the  Divinity   School,   Yale  Uni- 
versity, New  Haven,  Connecticut 


of  being  hypocritical  or  un- 
democratic. 

Now  all  of  these  are  excellent 
proposals,  and  we  feel  frus- 
trated that  we  make  so  little 
progress  toward  their  realiza- 
tion. We  meet  in  our  national 
and  world  gatherings  and  re- 
affirm and  reaffirm,  but  still  the 
local  churches  confirm  the  old 
ways  in  their  practice.  The 
world  urges  us  to  "practice 
what  we  preach,"  which  is  a 
very  worthy  but  worldly  admo- 
nition, since  it  assumes  that  our 
problem  is  simply  that  of  clos- 
ing the  gap  between  creed  and 
deed. 

But  is  not  our  problem  a  far 
more  profound  one?    Is  it  not 

FEBRUARY   13,   1960  3 


that  of  discerning  who  we  are, 
we  who  are  sometimes  called 
"the  people  of  God,"  and  of 
discovering  the  obedience  re- 
quired if  we  are  to  be  the 
followers  of  Christ?  All  thought- 
ful churchmen  must  be  grateful 
to  the  social  scientists  for  the 
pioneer  work  they  have  done  on 
racial  patterns.  They  have  ex- 
posed inequities  and  iniquities. 
As  American  Christians  we  de- 
sire to  preserve  our  democracy 
and  defend  our  nation  against 
external  threats  and  to  improve 
its  reputation  in  the  world.  But 
those  motives,  important  as 
they  are,  can  hardly  be  primary 
among  us.  Do  not  even  the 
publicans  the  same? 

Christians,  and  especially 
Protestants,  naturally  turn  to 
the  Bible  as  their  charter  and 
constitution.  But  here  we  find 
no  clear  teaching  about  "race" 
in  the  modern  sense  of  the  term, 
that  is,  about  race  as  a  biologi- 
cal phenomenon  that  divides 
human  beings  physically  into 
clearly  distinct  groups.  The 
peoples  of  the  Bible  were  ob- 
viously aware  of  differences 
among  groups;  there  are  innum- 
erable references  to  nations, 
tribes,  and  tongues.  Physical 
differences  were  often  noted, 
but  in  themselves  were  seldom, 
if  ever,  the  basis  for  discrimina- 
tion. 

Those  who  believe  that  the 
Bible  teaches  the  racial  inferi- 
ority of  the  Negro  often  lean 
heavily  on  the  "curse"  placed  on 
the  son  of  Ham,  by  his  grand- 
father Noah  (who  had  just 
risen  from  a  drunken  stupor)  — 
"a  slave  of  slaves  shall  he  be  to 
his  brothers"  (Gen.  9:25).  By 
strange  feats  of  genealogy  it  is 
assumed  that  Ham  was  the  fore- 
bear of  the  Africans;  by  stranger 
leaps  in  exposition,  it  comes  to 
be  assumed  that  it  was  God 
who  cursed  the  descendants  of 
Ham. 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  text  clearly  indicates  that 
Noah  pronounced  the  curse, 
and  also  permits  the  inference 
that  he  had  a  hangover  at  the 
time.  So  far  as  this  passage  is 
concerned,  one  would  suppose 
that  either  the  doctrine  of  racial 
superiority  or  that  of  prohibi- 
tionism  must  lose  Biblical  pres- 
tige —  and  that  is  a  very  hard 
choice  indeed. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  argu- 
ment is  the  perennial  appeal  to 
the  well-known  verse  from  the 
Book  of  Acts:  "[God]  hath  made 
of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men 
for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of 
the  earth  .  .  ."  This  verse  un- 
questionably proclaims  the  uni- 
ty of  mankind  through  God's 
creation,  but  honesty  would  re- 
quire that  one  should  go  on  to 
include  the  remainder  of  the 
verse,  which  is  often  used  by 
supporters  of  segregation:  ".  .  . 
and  hath  determined  the  times 
before  appointed,  and  the 
bounds  of  their  habitation." 
Many  other  examples  of  the 
effort  to  read  racial  ideas  back 
into  the  Bible  might  be  given. 

The  very  notion  of  "race"  as  it 


is  commonly  understood  at  the 
present  time,  is  a  modern  idea, 
no  more  than  three  or  four  cen- 
turies old  at  the  most.  The  Bible 
contains  incomparable  teaching 
about  human  relations,  of 
course,  and  race  relations  are 
only  a  particular  and  probably 
temporary  aspect  of  human  re- 
lations. Scriptural  teaching  is 
therefore  by  no  means  irrele- 
vant to  our  modern  race  prob- 
lems. There  we  learn  that  God 
created  and  creates  all  men  in 
his  own  image.  By  immediate 
inference,  racial  distinction  and 
discrimination  are  man's  fault, 
not  God's  design.  And  we  read 
too  of  the  judgments  visited 
upon  man  by  God  whenever  he 
raises  his  hand  against  his 
brother. 

Through  all  the  cosmic  drama 
of  Biblical  history  there  runs 
another  theme,  and  it  rises  at 
last  to  unbearable  climax  to 
show  us  what  manner  of  people 
we  are.  God  condescends  to 
choose  a  people  as  his  own,  and 
to  make  with  them  a  covenant 
to  be  their  God.   There  are  no 

Continued  on  page  6 


From  the  film.  All  the  Way  Home 

You  search  and  search  for  a  house  that  is  comfortable  and  inviting.  You 
find  one  that  you  like  with  a  "FOR  SALE"  sign,  but  you  are  told  that  it  is 
already  sold  or  the  terms  of  sale  are  so  restricting  or  the  cost  too  high 


EDITORIAL 


Field  of  Vision 

THE  last  time  I  had  my  eyes  examined  I 
was  asked  to  sit  in  a  darkened  room  and, 
with  one  eye  closed,  to  look  straight  ahead 
at  a  tiny  red  light.  Then  from  various  directions 
on  all  sides  the  examiner  slowly  moved  a  tiny 
white  light  into  my  field  of  vision.  As  I  indi- 
cated to  him  each  time  the  exact  moment  when  I 
saw  the  light,  he  was  able  to  outline  the  extent  of 
my  side  vision  and  to  compare  my  field  with 
what  is  considered  normal. 

The  charts  that  reveal  my  field  of  vision  are 
specific  and  fairly  accurate.  Subsequent  tests, 
if  I  need  them,  will  reveal  if  my  field  narrows 
and  if  I  develop  blind  spots  other  than  those 
which  can  normally  be  expected.  It  is  not 
nearly  as  easy  to  outline  the  "field"  of  one's 
sympathies,  to  sketch  in  the  range  of  one's 
interests,  or  to  mark  out  the  boundaries  of 
one's  inner  and  spiritual  vision. 

Look  at  prejudice,  for  example.  Jesus  once 
healed  a  boy  of  blindness,  but  the  boy's  parents 
showed  how  narrow  was  their  own  field  of 
vision  when  they  refused  to  believe  what  their 
good  eyes  told  them.  Some  Pharisees  were  just 
as  blind  in  their  prejudice  against  Jesus,  so  that 
they  also  revealed  an  extremely  narrow  field. 
Some  persons  today,  though  wide-eyed  in  most 
instances,  cannot  see  the  worth  of  persons  whose 
color  or  culture  is  different  from  their  own. 
Others,  like  Saul  on  the  road  to  Damascus,  must 
be  blinded  before  they  can  open  their  eyes  to 
see  what  God  has  in  store  for  them.  Yet  once 
they  have  received  a  vision  and  are,  like  Saul, 
not  disobedient  to  it  but  seek  to  share  it,  they 
may  discover  an  ever-widening  field  of  vision 
and  fewer  blind  spots. 

Christians  are  called  to  an  expanding,  not  a 
narrowing,  vision  of  the  universal  love  of  God 
for  all  men.  If  the  Creator  himself  is  no  re- 
specter of  persons,  if  God  himself  refuses  to 
discriminate  on  the  basis  of  race  or  color,  if 
the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  receives  all  who 
call  upon  his  name  whether  Jew  or  Greek,  black 
or  white  or  brown  or  yellow,  who  are  we  to 
draw  up  color  lines  or  set  up  barriers  on  the 
basis  of  national  origin?  —  k.m. 

Who  Is  the  Lawbreaker? 
A    METHODIST    MINISTER    has    spent 
several  weeks  now  in  a  jail  in  a  New  Hampshire 
town  because  he  refuses  to  surrender  the  names 


of  the  guests  who  attended  his  summer  camp 
five  years  ago. 

The  list  of  names  was  demanded  by  the  at- 
torney general  of  New  Hampshire  in  connection 
with  an  investigation  he  was  conducting  of  sub- 
versive activities.  Because  Dr.  Willard  Uphaus, 
the  director  of  a  World  Fellowship  camp  and 
an  ardent  pacifist,  refused  to  reveal  the  identity 
of  all  his  guests,  many  of  whom  came  from 
distant  parts  of  the  world,  he  has  been  cited 
for  contempt  of  court  and  sentenced  to  one  year 
in  jail. 

Not  only  Dr.  Uphaus,  but  many  other  promi- 
nent citizens  questioned  the  right  of  a  state 
official  to  demand  names  and  addresses  of  per- 
sons attending  a  camp  or  conference  in  the 
interests  of  peace.  The  request  was  made  at  a 
time  when  a  number  of  persons  were  innocently 
put  under  suspicion  because  of  misguided  at- 
tempts to  prove  guilt  by  association.  Dr.  Uphaus 
believes  it  is  his  duty  to  protect  innocent  per- 
sons from  such  harassment  and  persecution.  But 
apparently  even  the  U.S.  Supreme  Court  agrees 
that  he  is  guilty  of  contempt  of  court,  and  so  a 
sixty-nine-year-old  minister,  for  conscientious 
reasons,  goes  to  prison. 

It  is  difficult  to  see  what  the  state  of  New 
Hampshire  can  accomplish  by  jailing  a  man 
whose  convictions  will  not  let  him  support  the 
tactics  of  a  one-man  investigating  committee. 
Something  is  surely  wrong  with  our  application 
of  justice.  We  read  of  rigged  contests  and  the 
acceptance  of  payola  and  a  hundred  other  evi- 
dences of  dishonesty  in  matters  that  concern  the 
general  public,  and  yet  no  one  can  be  prose- 
cuted. But  let  a  man  refuse  to  accede  to  the 
whims  of  an  amateur  investigator  and  he  is  put 
in  prison.  It  is  embarrassing  to  reflect  that  we 
jail  the  man  who  acts  on  principle  and  let 
the  man  who  turns  his  back  on  principle  go 
free. 

It  is  also  disconcerting  to  observe  that  known 
gangsters  and  mobsters  somehow  manage  to 
elude  the  police  and  law-enforcing  agencies, 
but  the  scattered  individuals  who  must  disobey 
the  law  for  conscience'  sake  are  quickly  ap- 
prehended and  sentenced.  We  may  well  ask 
whether,  in  the  sight  of  God,  the  persons  we 
speedily  sentence  are  always  the  most  danger- 
ous lawbreakers.  —  k.m. 

FEBRUARY   13,   1960  5 


The  Christian  Mandate 

Continued  from  page  4 

racial  implications  in  this  doc- 
trine of  the  Chosen  People. 
Israel  learns  with  difficulty  in 
time  that  this  same  God  rules 
all  nations,  even  to  the  isles  of 
the  sea.  And  her  final  lesson  is 
that  she,  Israel,  God's  Chosen 
Remnant,  must  by  her  own  suf- 
fering bring  these  nations  also 
to  salvation. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  comes  as 
the  fulfillment  of  the  mission 
given  to  Israel.  Out  of  faith  in 
the  life,  death,  and  resurrection 
of  Jesus  Christ  came  a  new 
community  composed  of  many 
people;  men  "from  every  nation 
under  heaven"  were  present  at 
Pentecost,  generally  considered 
to  have  been  the  beginning  of 
the  larger  Christian  community 
or  church.  Through  many  vicis- 
situdes this  community  swept 
out  across  the  world,  gathering 
up  Greek  and  Jew,  slave  and 
free  man,  barbarian,  Scythian, 
Roman,  Egyptian,  Indian,  Afri- 
can, European,  American. 

For  nearly  eighteen  centuries 
the  church  knew  little  ethnic 
discrimination  within  its  life. 
Not  until  white  men  began  to 
overrun  the  world  did  their  new 
division  among  men  by  races 
come  to  pass;  not  until  the  nine- 
teenth century  did  elaborate 
justifications  of  it  begin  to  ap- 
pear, and  these  originated  for 
the  most  part  outside  the 
churches.    In   time   in   certain 

6  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


churches,  still  a  small  minority 
found  for  the  most  part  in 
the  United  States  and  the 
Union  of  South  Africa,  these 
pagan  theories  have  largely 
supplanted  the  ancient  Chris- 
tian doctrines  and  have  per- 
verted the  life  of  the  churches 
themselves,  so  that  they  use 
these  theories  to  interpret  even 
the  Bible. 

In  this  long  perspective,  em- 
bracing the  centuries  from 
creation  to  our  own  day  of 
judgment,  who  are  we?  We  say 
that  we  are  the  people  of  God, 
the  new  Israel,  God's  elect,  a 
new  chosen  race.  Are  we?  If 
we  were,  would  we  tolerate  "the 
dividing  wall  of  hostility"  whose 
destruction  was  proclaimed  by 
Paul  nineteen  hundred  years 
ago?  Can  a  church  still  call 
itself  a  church  when  it  shows  a 
partiality  not  shown  by  God? 

Perhaps  our  greatest  need,  if 
we  are  once  again  to  be  the 
people  of  God,  is  that  of  know- 
ing who  God's  people  are,  of 
recapturing  a  sense  of  God's 
church  as  it  has  been  revealed 
in  the  Scriptures  and  through 
many  centuries.  In  those  terms, 


,-&i™f * ' *  :""'  &«*»  Mis**"*' 


many  of  our  churches  may  not 
deserve  the  name.  They  are 
social  clubs  maintained  by  the 
pride  and  prejudice  of  man. 
They  are  voluntary  groups  set- 
ting their  own  standards  of 
membership,  not  descendants  of 
the  church  that  came  from 
Pentecost  —  ultimately  from  a 
cross.  It  has  been  said  that 
"eleven  o'clock  on  Sunday 
morning  is  the  most  segregated 
hour  in  the  week."  One  could 
qualify  that  conclusion;  eleven 
o'clock  on  Saturday  night  is 
even  more  segregated  for  the 
country  club  set,  and  other 
purely  social  clubs  are  in  gen- 
eral more  completely  uniracial 
than  are  the  churches.  If  the 
statement  is  properly  hedged 
about  and  seen  in  perspective, 
however,  it  must  be  granted 
that  the  church  is  probably  the 
most  racially  segregated  major 
institution  in  American  life,  at 
least  as  it  is  represented  in 
its  local  manifestations.  Great 
gatherings  like  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  are  the  ex- 
ception to  the  usual  practice, 
and  they  inspirit  us  for  the 
future. 


Luoma 


The  church  has  a  calling  to  break  down,  not  to  perpetuate,  the  dividing 
walls    of    hostility    that    often    separate    its    members    of    different    races 


But  it  is  at  the  level  of  the 
local  church  and  community, 
where  people  must  live  and 
work  and  worship  face  to  face, 
day  after  day,  that  the  crucial 
test  will  come.  At  this  level, 
the  churches  have  lagged  be- 
hind the  Supreme  Court  as  the 
conscience  of  the  people  on 
questions  of  race,  and  they  have 
fallen  far  behind  trade  unions, 
factories,  schools,  department 
stores,  athletic  gatherings,  and 
most  other  major  areas  of 
human  association  as  far  as 
achievement  of  integration  in 
their  own  life  is  concerned. 

If  one  grants  that  the  church 
is  the  most  segregated  major  in- 
stitution  in  American  society, 
in  membership  and  in  its  vari- 
ous programs,  it  becomes  only 
fair  to  point  to  the  context  in 
which  this   fact  has  come   to 
pass.    No  comfort   should   be 
legitimately  derived  from  the 
plight  of  the  church  by  those 
who  point  to  it  in  order  to  ex- 
cuse their  own  poor  conduct. 
I  When  still  governor  of  Georgia, 
\  Herman   Talmadge   tartly   ad- 
\  vised  the  churches  to  become 
i  nonsegregated   themselves    be- 
I  fore   giving   advice   to    others, 
j  There  was  a  sting  in  this  taunt, 
but  the  churches  must  not  be 
j  immobilized  by  such  tactics. 
Real  estate  brokers,  property 
owners,  and  others  who  think 
they  stand  to  profit  by  the  con- 
tinuation of  segregated  zones  of 
housing    or    other    segregated 
facilities  or  services  often  point 
to  the  churches  in  defense  of 
their  own  practices.  And  again, 
there  is  some  justification  for 
the    demand    "Physician,    heal 
thyself!" 

But  these  tactics  are  only  a 
latter-day  version  of  the  well- 
known  "dirty  hands"  argument, 
so  often  used  in  the  past  by  the 
Communists  and  others  to  con- 
fuse the  issue.  The  argument 
goes:  "Our  hands  are  not  per- 
fectly clean,  but  neither  are 
yours.  Therefore,  you  must  not 


interfere  with  us  in  what  we  are 
trying  to  do."  In  this  grimy 
world  hands  are  seldom  clean, 
and  so  the  comparative  purity 
of  heart  becomes  the  more  im- 
portant. Certainly  the  church 
chastises  the  world  in  matters 
of  race  as  a  sinner  chastising 
another  sinner,  and  is  repentant 
even  in  the  act  of  chastisement. 

But  in  the  light  of  the  Bible, 
in  the  doctrine  of  the  Christian 
church,  in  centuries  of  experi- 
ence since  Pentecost  —  before 
all  these  tribunals  the  practice 
of  racial  segregation  or  discrimi- 
nation before  God  or  in  the 
church  stands  condemned.  And 
deep  in  their  own  hearts  most 
thoughtful  Christians,  North  or 
South,  in  South  Africa  or  in 
Singapore,  know  that  this  is 
true. 

Whatever  the  culpability  of 
the    churches,    more    recently 


there  have  been  many  marks  of 
penitence.  The  National  and 
World  Council  of  Churches, 
and  many  of  their  constituent 
bodies,  have  denounced  seg- 
regation and  have  pledged 
themselves  to  work  for  a  non- 
segregated  church  in  a  non- 
segregated  society.  Slowly  but 
surely  they  are  moving  toward 
that  end.  Though  interracial 
congregations  in  American  Prot- 
estantism still  comprise  about 
ten  per  cent  of  the  total  number 
of  congregations,  this  percent- 
age is  five  times  as  great  as  that 
of  ten  years  ago.  In  some  de- 
nominations the  figure  is  much 
higher  than  this  national  aver- 
age. And  comparable  or  even 
greater  changes  have  taken 
place  during  the  last  decade  in 
most  church-related  institutions 
such  as  schools,  colleges,  and 
hospitals. 


IT  IS  WRITTEN 

GOD  created  man  in  his  own  image  .  .  .  And  God  saw  every- 
thing that  he  had  made,  and  hehold  it  was  very  good. 

When  a  stranger  sojourns  with  you  in  your  land,  you  shall  not 
do  him  wrong.  The  stranger  who  sojourns  with  you  shall  be  to  you 
as  the  native  among  you,  and  you  shall  love  him  as  yourself ;  for  you 
were  strangers  in  the  land  of  Egypt  .  .  .  You  shall  have  one  law 
for  the  sojourner  and  for  the  native;  for  I  am  the  Lord  your  God. 

And  men  will  come  from  east  and  west,  and  from  north  and 
south,  and  sit  at  table  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  behold,  some 
are  last  who  will  be  first,  and  some  are  first  who  will  be  last. 

The  God  who  made  the  world  and  everything  in  it  .  .  .  made 
from  one  every  nation  of  men  to  live  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth, 
having  determined  allotted  periods  and  the  boundaries  of  their 
habitation,  that  they  should  seek  God,  in  the  hope  that  they  might 
feel  after  him  and  find  him. 

If  you  have  been  raised  with  Christ,  seek  the  things  that  are 
above,  where  Christ  is,  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  Set  your 
minds  on  things  that  are  above  .  .  .  Put  away  all  these:  anger, 
wrath,  malice,  slander,  and  foul  talk  from  your  mouth.  Do  not 
lie  to  one  another,  seeing  that  you  have  put  off  the  old  nature  with 
its  practices  and  have  put  on  the  new  nature,  which  is  being 
renewed  in  knowledge  after  the  image  of  its  creator.  Here  there 
cannot  be  Greek  and  Jew,  circumcised  and  uncircumcised,  barbar- 
ian, Scythian,  slave,  free  man,  but  Christ  is  all,  and  in  all. 

After  this  I  looked,  and  behold,  a  great  multitude  which  no 
man  could  number,  from  every  nation,  from  all  tribes  and  peoples 
and  tongues,  standing  before  the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb, 
clothed  in  white  robes,  with  palm  branches  in  their  hands,  and 
crying  with  a  loud  voice,  "Salvation  belongs  to  our  God  who  sits 
upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb !"  _  Selections  from  Genesis,  Leviticus, 
Luke,  Acts,  Colossians,  Revelation  (R.S.V.) 

FEBRUARY    13,    1960  7 


Wood  carving  by  Bruno  Bramanti 


THE  meat  looked  a  little 
burnt.  The  bread  loaves 
needed  to  be  taken  out. 
That  servant  girl  was  slicing  the 
cheese  too  thick.  Martha  was 
in  a  dither.  If  he  had  just  given 
her  a  chance  to  plan  ahead,  she 
thought.  But  with  Jesus  a  per- 
son never  could.  He  and  how- 
ever many  disciples  happened 
to  be  with  him  might  drop  in 
any  time.    She  knew  well! 

True,  he  never  seemed  to 
expect  a  thing  more  than 
bread.  For  a  moment  Martha 
wished  she  were  the  kind  that 
did  not  care  how  things  went 
—  like  Mary.  Then  she  would 
smile  to  see  Mary  serve  him 
stale  bread  and  not  a  thing 
more.  But  how  disgraceful  that 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


would  be!  What  a  way  to  treat 
the  Master! 

She  peered  in  at  the  bread; 
it  was  not  done  yet.  Irritation 
at  the  oven  darkened  her 
thought.  And  still  from  the 
other  room  came  the  calm  flow 
of  his  sentences.  She  did  not 
catch  more  than  a  phrase  now 
and  then.  There  was  smoked 
fish  to  lay  out,  the  olive  oil  to 
pour,  that  new  kind  of  cheese 
to  get  from  the  cellar. 

A  swarm  of  accusations  stung 
her:  it  was  not  fair  for  Mary 
not  to  help;  it  was  not  fair  for 
him  to  let  her  go  right  on  sitting 
there;  and  maybe  he  liked 
Mary's  behavior  better  and  was 
too  lofty-minded  to  realize  what 
a  mess  the  world  would  get  in 
without  at  least  a  few  industri- 
ous women  around. 


Three  Lions 


Hurrying  did  not  ease  her 
mind.  When  she  could  con- 
tain her  resentment  no  longer, 
Martha  walked  into  the  other 
room  and  right  to  Jesus.  He 
gazed  up  at  her.  Though  a 
little  short  of  breath,  she  forced 
out  the  words,  "Lord,  don't  you 
care  that  my  sister  has  left  me 
to  serve  alone?  Tell  her  then 
to  lend  me  a  hand." 

His  loving  but  firmly  re- 
proachful answer  transfixed  her: 
"Martha,  Martha,  you  are  anx- 
ious and  troubled  about  many 
things;  few  things  are  needed 
—  only  one  really.  Mary  has 
chosen  the  good  portion,  which 
shall  not  be  taken  away  from 
her." 

Probably  more  sermons  have 
expansively  contrasted  Martha 
and  Mary  than  any  other  pair 


Mary  and  Martha 


Dale  Aukerman 


in  Scripture.  Their  family 
quarrel  has  been  patched  up 
innumerable  times.  Usually,  in 
jthe  retellings  an  attempt  is 
made  to  justify  Martha,  at  least 
in  part.  There  is  much  to  be 
said  for  Martha,  but  not,  I 
think,  on  the  basis  of  the  story 
about  the  quarrel.  Jesus  had  no 
word  of  commendation  for  her 
at  that  time.  He  implied  that 
if  she  had  been  content  to  serve 
a  properly  simple  meal,  she  too 
I  would  have  had  time  for  listen- 
ing. 

It  is  in  the  story  of  the  raising 
!of  Lazarus  that  the  true  worth 
[of  Martha  shines  through.  The 
sisters  had  frantically  sent  for 
I  Jesus.  He  did  not  come.  Laza- 
rus died.  Four  days  later  at 
word  of  the  approach  of  Jesus, 
Martha  hurried  down  the  As- 
cent of  Blood  road  and  met  him. 
Almost  involuntarily  she  found 
herself  expressing  the  agonized 
if  of  their  grief:  "Lord,  if  you 
had  been  here,  my  brother 
would  not  have  died." 

In  Jesus'  presence  she  felt  an 
acute  certainty  about  this  if  — 
but  more,  she  began  to  sense 
that  there  was  some  reason  be- 
hind the  delay  — he  might  still 
act.  Hesitantly  she  ventured  to 
add,  "And  even  now  I  know 
that  whatever  you  ask  from 
God,  God  will  give  you." 

When  Jesus  said,  "Your 
brother  will  rise  again,"  Martha 
retreated  from  the  import  of  her 
affirmation.  She  had  dared  hope 
that  Jesus  would  bring  her 
brother  back  to  life  right  away. 
But  in  ebbing  expectancy  she 
murmured  that,  sure,  there 
would  be  the  resurrection  at  the 
last  day. 

To  Jesus'  assertion,  "I  am  the 
resurrection  and  the  Me,"  she 


replied,  "I  believe."  The  tide 
of  her  faith  swept  higher  again. 
Martha  was  great,  not  through 
kitchen  busyness,  not  through 
being  such  an  industrious  work- 
er, but  because  she  hoped  be- 
yond human  hope,  because  her 
eyes  too  were  open  to  the  glory 
of  God  that  had  come  near. 

Martha  was  practical,  careful, 
abounding  in  common  sense. 
Mary  was  impassioned,  impul- 
sive. Martha's  emotions  were 
like  a  well  and  mostly  out  of 
sight;  Mary's  were  like  a  spring 
flowing  up  in  a  clear  pool. 
Martha  lived  with  both  feet 
squarely  on  the  ground.  We 
find  Mary  sitting,  kneeling,  or 
lying  prostrate.  When  Mary  in 
her  mourning  clothes  ran  to 
meet  Jesus,  she  flung  herself, 
weeping,  at  his  feet. 

Mary  appears  most  vividly 
in  the  last  of  the  three  stories 
we  have  about  the  sisters. 
Martha  is  back  in  the  kitchen, 
managing  the  meal.  Mary 
moves  close  behind  Jesus, 
breaks  an  alabaster  jar  of  pure 
nard,  anoints  his  head  and  feet, 
wipes  his  feet  with  her  hair.  It 
was  the  sort  of  thing  that  simply 
was  not  done.  But  Mary,  im- 
pelled by  an  overpowering,  mel- 
ancholy tenderness,  did  it. 

Jesus  silenced  the  petty  ob- 
jections with  the  most  stirring 
tribute  he  ever  gave  to  a  human 
act:  "She  has  done  a  beautiful 
thing  to  me.  She  has  done  what 
she  could;  she  has  anointed  my 
body  beforehand  for  burying. 
And,  truly,  I  say  to  you,  where- 
ever  the  gospel  is  preached  in 
the  whole  world,  what  she  has 
done  will  be  told  in  memory  of 
her." 

Mary  loved  Jesus  with  a  love 
that  issued  from  his  love  for 


her.  She  hung  on  his  words; 
they  were  her  life.  Mary  felt 
with  Jesus;  her  vibrant  mind 
was  attune  to  his. 

Martha  was  Martha,  Mary 
was  Mary.  God  made  them 
different,  much  different.  We 
meddle  unhelpfully  when  we 
try  to  have  Martha  be  partly 
Mary  and  Mary  partly  Martha. 
God  drew  them  both  to  faith  — 
to  obedient,  listening  disciple- 
ship.  In  faith  they  were  close; 
in  faith  they  were  side  by  side 
in  front  of  Jesus. 

Faith  in  them  did,  to  be  sure, 
take  on  the  tone  of  their  con- 
trasting personalities;  Martha's 
faith  was  more  placid  and 
solidly  pedestrian,  Mary's  more 
ardent  and  soaring.  But  it  was 
one  faith,  a  common  bond  to 
one  Lord.  And  in  their  faith, 
their  listening  responsiveness, 
they  were  both  well-pleasing  to 
God. 

Frequently  it  is  said  in  de- 
fense of  Martha  that,  after  all, 
work  needs  to  be  done,  her  part 
is  important  too.  Secretly  we 
are  seeking  to  defend  ourselves 
along  with  Martha.  American 
Christianity  (we  Brethren  in- 
cluded )  tends  to  be  a  sweating 
Martha  in  the  kitchen:  busy, 
bustling,  too  occupied  with  ac- 
tivities to  hear  the  Master's 
quiet  penetrating  voice. 

Jesus  shakes  his  head  sadly, 
reproachfully,  over  our  board 
meetings,  our  bright  plans,  our 
cluttered  schedules,  and  says, 
"One  thing  is  needful:  that  you 
draw  close  and  listen,  that  you 
let  me  be  Lord  over  all  your 
doing,  that  your  overwrought 
wills  come  into  attunement  with 
mine." 

FEBRUARY   13,   1960  9 


Hawaii 

Sends  Churchmen 

to  Congress 


THE  session  of  Congress 
which  convened  in  Wash- 
ington in  January  is  the 
first  to  have  members  repre- 
senting fifty  states.  From  the 
nation's  newest  state,  Hawaii, 
has  come  a  delegation  of  two 
senators  and  one  representative 
to  take  their  places  alongside 
spokesmen  for  the  other  forty- 
nine  states  in  making  the  na- 
tion's laws. 

One  of  the  most  interesting 
things  about  the  men  Hawaii 
has  elected  to  Congress  is  that 
they  are  all  active  Christian  lay- 
men, even  though  Hawaii  is  the 
first  state  to  be  admitted  to  the 
Union  that  has  a  majority  of 
population  not  of  the  Christian 
faith. 

Some  misgiving  was  voiced 
on  this  score  by  the  opponents 
of  Hawaiian  statehood  who 
kept  the  Islands  waiting  at 
the  threshold  of  Congress  for 
many  years,  despite  repeated 
Presidential  messages  and  in- 
vestigating committee  reports 
recommending  Hawaii's  admis- 
sion. 

Although  the  impact  of  the 
early  New  England  missionaries 
on  Hawaii  was  very  great,  only 
about  10  percent  of  the  present 
population  of  640,000  are  mem- 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Glenn  D.  Everett 


bers  of  Protestant  churches. 
A  much  larger  membership, 
190,000,  is  counted  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  church,  par- 
ticularly among  the  Portuguese, 
Filipinos,  and  Puerto  Ricans 
who  have  migrated  to  the  is- 
lands in  large  numbers  since  the 
turn  of  the  century.  The  re- 
maining 400,000  or  so  of 
Hawaii's  population  are  pre- 
dominantly of  the  Buddhist 
faith,  although  Shintoists,  Con- 
fucians, Taoists,  and  other 
Eastern  faiths  are  represented, 
and  many  have  no  formal  re- 
ligious affiliation. 

More  than  half  of  the  new 
state's  population  is  of  Japanese 
extraction,  descendants  of  the 
laborers  brought  in  to  work  the 
vast  sugar  and  pineapple  plan- 
tations in  the  late  nineteenth 
century.  Only  about  100,000 
are  native  Hawaiians  and  less 
than  75,000  are  Caucasians. 
There  are  smaller  numbers  of 
Filipinos,  Chinese,  Koreans,  and 
other  nationality  groups. 

From  this  "Crossroads  of  the 
Pacific"  come  three  earnest 
Protestant  laymen  as  Hawaii's 
first  representatives  to  Con- 
gress:   Senator  Hiram  L.  Fong, 


fifty-two,  wealthy  Chinese 
American  lawyer  and  business- 
man; Senator  Oren  E.  Long, 
seventy,  former  Honolulu 
school  superintendent  and  ter- 
ritorial governor;  and  Repre- 
sentative Daniel  K.  Inouye, 
thirty-four,  one-armed  Japanese 
American  war  veteran  and  ter- 
ritorial legislator. 

Senator  Fong,  a  prominent 
Congregational  layman,  and 
Congressman  Inouye,  an  active 
Methodist,  are  both  named  in 
honor  of  Christian  missionaries, 
while  Senator  Long,  a  graduate 
of  Johnson  Bible  College,  Knox- 
ville,  Tennessee,  is  one  of  only 
two  members  of  his  class  who 
did  not  become  ordained  min- 
isters of  the  Disciples  of  Christ. 

It  is  doubtful  if  any  state  in 
the  Union  has  ever  sent  to  Con- 
gress a  delegation  of  men  who 
have  been  more  active  in  their 
home  churches  than  these  three 
men  from  the  Islands.  Each  of 
them  attributes  a  large  part  of 
his  success  in  life  to  the  influ- 
ence of  religion. 

Senator  Fong  has  had  a  story- 
book life,  the  kind  that  warms 
American  hearts.  Born  the 
seventh  of  eleven  children  of  an 
indentured,  illiterate  laborer  on 
a  sugar  cane  plantation,  he  went 
to  work  at  an  early  age  to  help 
support  the  family.  He  was 
able  to  enroll,  however,  in  the 
Kalihi  Waena  grammar  school, 
one  of  the  mission  schools 
established  a  century  ago  by 
the  New  England  missionaries. 

At  17,  young  Fong  joined  a 
YMCA  basketball  team  which 
played  its  games  in  the  recrea- 
tion hall  of  the  First  Chinese 
Christian  church.  He  joined  the 
church  and  when  he  enrolled  in 
the  University  of  Hawaii  and 
decided  he  should  change  his 
Chinese  given  name,  Yau,  to 
one  his  professors  could  pro- 
nounce, he  chose  the  name 
Hiram  in  honor  of  the  Rev. 
Hiram  Bingham,  leader  of  the 
first    party    of    Congregational 


missionaries  who  came  from 
New  England  in  1819.  It  was  a 
prophetic  choice,  for  another 
namesake  of  the  missionary,  his 
son,  Hiram  L.  Bingham,  was  for 
many  years  United  States  sena- 
tor from  Connecticut  and  a 
leader  in  that  body. 

A  man  of  incredible  energy, 
Fong  worked  his  way  through 
the  university,  edited  its  news- 
paper, was  a  member  of  its  de- 
bating and  volleyball  teams, 
and  presided  over  the  campus 
YMCA.  He  was  able  to  go  to 
Harvard  Law  School  and  re- 
turned to  Hawaii  to  set  up  a 
successful  law  practice  and 
enter  the  real  estate  and  invest- 
ment fields.  He  also  entered 
politics  and  rose  rapidly  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Republican  Party 
to  become  Speaker  of  the  terri- 
torial House  of  Representatives. 

Throughout  his  busy  career, 
Fong,  his  wife,  and  four  chil- 
dren have  been  faithful  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Chinese 
Christian  church  ( Congrega- 
tional) where  he  is  a  trustee. 
He  has  been  a  leader  in  YMCA 
work  and  has  aided  many  char- 
itable and  civic  drives. 

Asked  if  religion  has  played 
a  part  in  his  extraordinary  suc- 
cess in  life,  Senator  Fong,  the 
first  man  of  Chinese  extraction 
to  be  elected  to  the  U.S.  Con- 
gress, said,  "It  has  been  the 
most  important  factor,  for  it 
taught  me  the  value  of  integri- 
ty." It  is  confidence  in  Mr. 
Fong's  integrity  that  brought 
clients  flocking  to  his  law  firm 
and  investors  to  the  enterprises 
he  developed. 

Another  "only  in  America" 
story  is  found  in  the  career  of 
Congressman  Daniel  K.  Inouye. 
The  "Daniel  K."  was  bestowed 
on  him  by  his  mother  in  honor 
of  the  Rev.  Daniel  Klinefelter, 
a  Methodist  missionary,  who 
now  lives  in  retirement  in  Los 
Angeles.  It  was  half  a  century 
ago  that  the  Susannah  Wesley 
Home  in  Honolulu,  named  by 


its  Methodist  founders  in  honor 
of  the  English  parson's  wife 
who  gave  the  world  seventeen 
children,  including  John  and 
Charles  Wesley,  offered  shelter 
to  a  homeless  Japanese  orphan 
girl,  Kame  Imanago. 

The  Reverend  and  Mrs. 
Klinefelter  met  thirteen-year- 
old  Kame  there  and,  taken  with 
her  affectionate  smile,  adopted 
her  and  brought  her  into  their 
home  to  be  raised  as  their  own 
daughter.  They  gave  her  a  high 
school  education  and  saw  her 
married  to  Hiyotso  Inouye,  an 
earnest  young  Japanese  clerk, 
who  was  also  an  active  member 
of  the  Methodist  church.  When 
the  union  was  blessed  with  a 
son,  Mrs.  Inouye  named  him 
Daniel  in  honor  of  her  foster 
father. 

Dan  was  raised  in  a  Christian 
home  and  married  a  fine  Chris- 
tian girl,  Margaret  Awanura. 
When  Japanese  bombs  hit  Pearl 
Harbor,  Dan  volunteered  for 
the  U.S.  army.  Dan  left  an  arm 
behind  in  Italy  and  came  home 
with  the  Purple  Heart,  Bronze 
Star,  and  Distinguished  Service 
Cross.  He  resumed  his  educa- 
tion at  the  University  of  Ha- 
waii, then  came  to  Washington, 
D.C.,  to  take  a  law  degree  at 
George  Washington  University. 
Back  home,  he  entered  a  busy 
career  in  law  and  politics,  win- 
ning election  as  a  Democrat  to 
the  territorial  Senate. 

Meanwhile,  Inouye  also  took 
an  active  part  in  the  work  of 
his  church,  Harris  Memorial 
Methodist  church  of  Honolulu, 
named  for  Bishop  Merriman  C. 
Harris,  who  pioneered  Metho- 
dist missions  in  Hawaii.  Not 
only  is  the  Congressman  a 
trustee  of  this  church  and  a 
leader  of  its  lay  work,  but  he  is 
also  a  director  of  the  Honolulu 
Council  of  Churches  and  chair- 
man of  the  Honolulu  Commit- 
tee on  Religion  and  World 
Brotherhood. 


When  Oren  Long  decided  to 
become  an  educator  instead  of 
a  minister,  the  Disciples  of 
Christ  lost  a  preacher  of  elo- 
quence, but  public  education 
gained  a  dedicated  teacher. 
Long,  who  is  beginning  a  new 
career  as  Hawaii's  "junior  sena- 
tor" (he  lost  the  coin  toss  to 
Senator  Fong  and  got  the  short- 
er four- year  term)  at  an  age 
most  men  retire,  is  a  native  of 
Altoona,  Kansas,  but  has  lived 
in  Hawaii  more  than  forty 
years. 

Raised  in  a  strongly  religious 
rural  environment,  Long  en- 
tered Johnson  Bible  College 
with  the  intention  of  preparing 
for  the  ministry.  Although  he 
did  as  much  "practice  preach- 
ing" in  the  pulpits  of  small 
churches  in  Tennessee  and  Ala- 
bama as  did  his  classmates,  he 
began  to  feel  that  his  place  was 
in  the  classroom  rather  than  in 
the  pulpit,  and  when  he  gradu- 
ated in  1912,  he  became  an  in- 
structor of  English  and  history 
at  Johnson  Academy,  the  col- 
lege's preparatory  school,  rather 
than  going  on  to  ordination. 

In  1917,  Long  went  to  the 
city  of  Hilo,  Hawaii,  as  a  social 
worker  in  a  settlement  house. 
Three  years  later,  he  returned 
to  education  as  a  teacher  of 
American  history  at  McKinley 
High  School  in  Honolulu.  He 
rose  to  become  principal  of  the 
school,  then  deputy  superin- 
tendent of  schools  of  the  city  of 
Honolulu,  and  finally  superin- 
tendent. Active  in  civic  affairs 
and  in  the  territory's  Demo- 
cratic party,  he  was  appointed 
secretary  of  the  territory  in 
1946  by  President  Truman  and 
in  1951  was  named  governor. 

Two  years  later  when  Presi- 
dent Eisenhower  appointed  a 
Republican  to  succeed  him, 
Long  won  election  to  the  state 
senate  and  headed  the  State- 
hood   Commission    whose    bi- 


FEBRUARY  13,  1960 


11 


partisan  efforts  were  finally  suc- 
cessful in  adding  a  fiftieth  star 
to  America's  flag. 

During  four  decades,  Senator 
Long  has  been,  in  the  truest 
sense  of  the  word,  a  "pillar"  of 
the  First  Christian  church  of 
Honolulu.  Like  his  colleagues, 
he  is  a  church  trustee  and  has 
also  been  active  in  the  YMCA. 
He  has  been  president  of  the 
YMCA's  of  Hawaii  and  for  nine 
years  was  chairman  of  the  Y's 
committee  for  work  with  juve- 
nile boys.  He  also  served  as 
scoutmaster  of  his  church's  Boy 
Scout  troop  and  has  been  active 
in  developing  the  Scout  move- 
ment in  the  Islands. 

It  might  be  noted,  too,  that 
the  thirty-six-year-old  governor 
of  the  new  state,  William 
Quinn,  is  an  active  layman  in 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  as 
was  his  opponent  in  the  recent 
election,  John  Burns,  Hawaii's 
last  territorial  delegate  to  Con- 
gress. 

Hawaii's  Christians,  although 
they  may  not  be  a  majority, 
are  taking  an  active  role  in 
civic  affairs  in  the  new  state. 
And  is  it  not  significant  that  in 
choosing  from  a  wide  field 
of  candidates  in  the  primary 
and  general  elections,  Hawaii's 
people  have  chosen  men,  re- 
gardless of  political  affiliation, 
who  are  active  leaders  in  the 
Islands'  churches? 

Except  the  Lord 
Build  the  House 

Marianne  Michael 

TO  WATCH  a  compound 
being  built  layer  on  layer, 
molded  as  it  were  from 
the  very  earth  which  supports 
it,  one  is  amazed  at  the  re- 
sourcefulness of  man.  Using 
the  things  at  hand,  our  people 
in  Nigeria  mix  straw  and  local 
earth  to  make  the  round  huts 
that  serve  as  home.  Capping  it 


FOR  RIGHTEOUSNESS 


Glen  Weimer 

GOD  HAS  MADE  the  world  and  man  for  righteousness. 

When  man  rejects  righteousness  he  lives  against  God  and  his 
own  life.    He  wounds  himself;  he  chooses  to  perish. 

God  has  so  made  the  universe  and  man  that  evil  in  any  form  creates 
disorder,  pain,  tragedy,  and  destruction.  Man  only  lives  when 
he  is  righteous  in  his  aims  and  deeds. 

God  is  sounding  his  trumpet  call  to  all  men  today: 

"Keep  yourselves  from  destructive  things."  Keep  life  harnessed 
to  the  moral,  the  spiritual,  the  true,  the  good,  the  beautiful, 
the  loving.  Put  the  capacities  of  mind,  imagination,  will  in  con- 
structive patterns,  deeds,  designs.  Be  on  the  side  of  forces  that 
make  for  good,  for  enrichment  of  life.  For  people  cannot  do  evil 
and  escape  its  penalties.  The  evildoer  reaps  a  harvest  of  evil. 
It  boomerangs  back  upon  his  head.  What  we  put  into  life 
will  forever  plague  or  bless  us. 

O  God,  put  thy  wisdom  in  us,  that  we  may  love  the  right  and 
do  it.   Amen. 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


all  at  head  height  is  an  ingen- 
ious roof  of  tall  local  grass,  sewn 
together  with  bark  rope  until  it 
unrolls  like  a  bolt  of  yard  goods. 

To  see  the  evolution  of  a 
house  where  no  house  had  been 
before  was  the  privilege  of  the 
Garkida  church  last  year  when 
they  called  a  new  pastor  and 
were  faced  with  the  problem  of 
where  he  was  to  live.  As  con- 
gregations have  always  done, 
they  wrestled  with  the  question 
and  eventually  came  up  with  a 
builder  who  carried  on. 

But  a  home  is  not  quite  a 
home  until  it  has  somehow  been 
baptized  with  the  sweat  of 
friends  who  come  to  add  their 
bit.  That  is  just  what  the 
women  did.  Carrying  pots  of 
water  to  mix  mud,  gathering 
dry  grass  from  the  bush,  filling 
in  stones  for  a  base,  searching 
out  a  certain  tree  whose  leaves 
will  moisture  proof  the  founda- 
tion, these  are  some  of  the 
things  that  go  into  an  adobe 
house. 

There  are  experts  whose 
hands  seem  born  to  special 
skills  in  shaping  the  soft  earth 
into  graceful  patterns  of  useful- 
ness. Each  meal  becomes  a 
sacrament  when  cooked  at  a 
stove  beautifully  molded  into 
the  floor  by  those  who  care. 
Flour     becomes     more     than 


physical  nourishment  when 
ground  on  a  grinding  stone  set 
there  by  women  who  gave  gen- 
erously of  themselves  to  make  it 
well. 


I  Ride  With  the  Bible 

Mary  Garber 

LAST  week,"  said  our  pastor  in 
his  Sunday  morning  sermon, 
"I  rode  with  a  man  who  car- 
ried a  Bible  on  the  front  seat  of 
his  car.  When  I  got  in,  I  saw  it 
lying  there." 

As  they  started  off  together,  the 
man  explained  to  his  passenger,  "It 
makes  a  difference  in  my  days  and 
weeks.  Instead  of  just  waiting  idly 
to  see  a  customer,  I  use  these  periods 
to  read  the  Scripture. 

"I  am  a  traveling  salesman.  And 
I  meet  all  kinds  of  people  in  my 
work.  Often,  they  ride  with  me 
or  have  occasion  to  come  to  the 
car.  Swearing  and  smutty  stories  are 
just  routine  conversation  with  many 
of  them.  Sometimes,  this  type  of 
thing  is  stopped  short  by  the  sight 
of  the  Bible  on  the  seat  of  my  car. 
It  makes  a  difference." 

"Is  the  difference  because  they 
love  the  Scriptures  or  because  they 
fear  it?"  asked  the  minister. 

"I  guess  it  is  because  they 
fear  it,"  answered  the  salesman 
thoughtfully. 

"Salvation  does  not  come  from 
fear,  but  it  comes  from  love  and 
devotion  to  Christ  himself,"  declared 
our  pastor. 

"Thank  you,"  answered  the  sales- 
man. "I  will  continue  to  ride  with 
the  Bible,  but  I  will  read  with  a 
difference." 


". .  .  love  . ♦ . 
in  deed  and 

in  truth 


"But  if  any  one  has 
the  world's  goods  and 
sees  his  brother  in 
need,  yet  closes  his 
heart  against  him, 
hoiv  does  God's  hue 
abide  in  him?  Little 
children,  let  us  not  love 
in  word  or  speech  but 
in  deed  and  in  truth" 

(I  John  3:17-/8,  R.S.V.) 


J.  Oscar  Lee 


THE  First  Letter  of  John 
stresses  that  Christian 
love  is  universal  and  un- 
restricted, but  the  writer  of  the 
letter  is  not  content  to  leave  it 
at  this  point.  Love  must  express 
itself  in  practical  situations.  It 
must  be  demonstrated  con- 
cretely where  we  live,  work, 
play,  and  worship.  This  is  made 
clear  in  the  question,  "But  if 
anyone  has  the  world's  goods 
and  sees  his  brother  in  need, 
yet  closes  his  heart  against  him, 
how  does  God's  love  abide  in 
him?"  The  writer's  reply  to  his 
own  question  is  equally  clear. 
Moffatt's  translation  puts  it 
well,  "My  dear  children,  let  us 
put  our  love  not  into  words  or 
into  talk  but  into  deeds  and 
make  it  real." 

In  far  too  many  instances 
love  is  not  practiced  in  the  cur- 
rent pattern  of  racial  relation- 
ships in  this  country.  The 
superior-inferior  status  which  is 
accorded  people  on  the  basis  of 
their  race  results  not  only  in 


broken  fellowship  but,  even 
worse,  in  estrangement  and,  at 
times,  in  open  conflict.  Remem- 
ber some  other  words  in  First 
John,  "He  who  does  not  love 
remains  in  death." 

There  is  little  evidence  that 
the  attitudes  of  Christians  about 
race  are  very  different  from 
those  of  people  who  do  not 
profess  to  be  Christians.  Too 
often,  within  the  churches,  we 
hear  Christians  referred  to  as 
"Negro  brethren,"  "white  breth- 
ren," or  "Indian  brethren,"  in- 
stead of  as  just  "the  brethren." 
The  involvement  of  the  Chris- 
tian movement  in  the  current 
pattern  of  racial  relationships 
is  highlighted  by  frequent 
and  casual  referrals  to  "white 
churches,"  "Negro  churches," 
"Chinese  churches,"  and  other 
racial  designations  before  the 
word  church. 

We  must  not  stop  with  a  mere 
indictment.     Much    has    been 


done  to  make  Christians  aware 
that  racial  segregation  is  sinful. 
Many  churches  are  working  to 
eliminate  it  from  their  prac- 
tices. Experience  has  shown 
that  the  racial  composition  of 
the  area  which  a  community 
organization  serves,  tends  to  re- 
flect itself  in  the  constituency 
or  membership  of  the  organiza- 
tion. For  instance,  if  the  com- 
munity is  composed  of  people 
of  one  race,  more  than  likely 
the  church  in  that  community 
will  be  composed  of  people  of 
the  same  race. 

The  elimination  of  racial 
segregation  in  housing  is  es- 
sential if  the  churches  are  to 
serve  people  on  a  racially  in- 
clusive basis  and  if  Christians 
are  to  overcome  estrangement 
as  well  as  to  bind  up  the  broken 
fellowship  in  our  society.  Non- 
white  people  are  denied  the 
right  to  rent  or  purchase  prop- 
erty of  their  choice  because  of 
their  race.  This  denial  forces 
the  majority  of  them  to  live  in 
segregated  and  overcrowded 
urban  areas. 

It  is  a  story  of  housing  which 
is  inferior  in  quality  and  quan- 
tity.    According    to    the    1950 


Executive  director,  Department  of  Racial 
and  Cultural  Relations.  National  Council 
of  Churches 


FEBRUARY  13.  1960 


13 


United  States  Census,  seventy 
per  cent  of  all  nonwhite  families 
lived  in  dwellings  which  were 
dilapidated  or  had  inadequate 
plumbing.  Available  evidence 
seems  to  indicate  that  substan- 
tially the  same  situation  pre- 
vails today. 

The  continued  migration  of 
nonwhite  people  to  urban  areas 
where  they  must  live  in  ra- 
cial ghettos,  whose  boundaries 
change  very  slowly,  causes 
overcrowding.  No  matter  what 
the  race  of  the  people  occupy- 
ing it,  overcrowded  housing 
deteriorates,  breeding  slum  con- 
ditions in  the  area.  The  mate- 
rial, health,  and  social  costs  of 
slums  to  the  whole  community 
are  readily  discernible.  What  is 
less  discernible  are  the  spiritual 
and  psychological  costs. 

Equally  tragic  are  the  costs 
to  individuals.  This  is  revealed 
in  the  efforts  of  nonwhite  fami- 
lies to  escape  from  slum  areas. 
They  may  have  the  money  to 
purchase  or  rent  housing  and 
the  character,  education,  and 
ability  to  make  a  creative  con- 
tribution to  any  community. 
Nevertheless,  fruitless  visits  to 
many  real  estate  brokers  make 
them  feel  they  are  regarded  as 
"lesser  breeds  without  the  law." 
Even  if  they  are  able  to  pur- 
chase or  rent  a  dwelling  of  their 
choice,  there  is  the  question  of 
the  conduct  of  their  "white" 
neighbors. 

The  spiritual  and  psychologi- 
cal costs  to  the  nonwhite  family 
are  considerable,  but  what  of 
the  others?  Are  there  spiritual 
and  psychological  costs  to  those 
who  perpetuate  this  or  who  ac- 
quiesce in  it?  These  people 
have  the  world's  goods,  prop- 
erty. They  see  their  brother's 
need,  yet  close  their  hearts 
against  him.  Can  they  love 
God? 

How  do  we  love  in  deed? 
How  do  we  make  love  real? 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Many  churches  and  individual 
Christians  work  for  the  right  of 
every  person  to  acquire  ade- 
quate housing  on  the  basis  of 
personal  preference  and  finan- 
cial ability  without  regard  to 
race,  national  origin,  or  religion. 
They  root  their  convictions  in 
the  Christian  gospel  which 
teaches  that  God  has  given  all 
men  intrinsic  worth.  Moreover, 
they  must  be  concerned  be- 
cause adequate  housing  is  an 
important  factor  in  contribut- 
ing to  the  spiritual,  moral,  and 
material  strength  of  family  life 
as  well  as  to  the  development  of 
character,  spiritual  insight,  and 
our  God-given  talents.  This 
type  of  effort  is  the  responsibil- 
ity of  every  Christian. 

Many  people  are  concerned 
about  the  problem.  But  often 
we  express  our  love  only  in 
words.  Surely  we  have  heard 
people  say,  "I  would  sell  my 
house  to  anyone  able  to  buy  it 
regardless  of  race,  but  what 
would  my  neighbors  say?" 
Should  the  wishes  of  a  neighbor 
transcend  the  Christian  respon- 
sibility to  respect  the  intrinsic 
worth  which  God  in  Christ  has 
given  to  all  men?  This  is  illus- 
trative of  the  fact  that  many 
people  of  potential  goodwill 
feel  that  they  are  forced  to  ac- 
quiesce in  the  perpetuation  of 
the  evil  of  housing  discrimina- 
tion and  segregation.  How  can 
we  do  this  and  really  love  God? 

We  express  our  love  in  deeds, 
as  Christians,  when  we  sell  or 
rent  property  to  persons  on  the 
basis  of  their  personal  prefer- 
ence and  financial  ability  with- 
out regard  to  race.  Churches  as 
well  as  individual  Christians 
can  make  their  love  real  when 
they  welcome  people  as  good 
neighbors  regardless  of  race  and 
when  they  use  their  influence  to 
see  that  the  community  guaran- 
tees to  people  the  right  to  ac- 
quire property  without  regard 
to  race.  They  have  a  high  moral 
responsibility  to  exercise  lead- 


ership in  creating  and  main- 
taining the  racially  inclusive 
character  of  their  communities. 
These  are  practical  demon- 
strations of  love  which  will 
contribute  to  overcoming  the 
estrangement  and  to  binding  up 
the  broken  fellowship  which 
racial  discrimination  and  segre- 
gation have  caused  in  the  Chris- 
tian community.  Such  practical 
demonstrations  will  serve  as  a 
witness  which  will  lead  individ- 
uals and  society  to  express  love 
in  deeds. 


THE     SUPPER 

Glen  W.  Petcher 

THE  word  supper  is  found  not 
at  all  in  the  Old  Testament 
and  only  fourteen  times  in  the 
New  Testament.  The  passover  is 
never  called  a  supper  nor  a  passover 
supper.  Matthew  did  not  use  the 
word. 

The  term  Lord's  supper  is  used 
only  once  in  the  Bible  and  that  is  a 
negative  statement.  "This  is  not  to 
eat  the  Lord's  supper,"  or  "It  is  not 
the  Lord's  supper  that  you  eat" 
(R.S.V.,  1  Cor.  11:20). 

Paul  wrote  about  the  communion 
of  the  bread  and  wine  (1  Cor. 
11:23-34),  but  in  verses  17  to  22 
he  is  talking  about  the  Lord's  supper 
and  not  the  communion. 

Paul  states  that  the  Corinthians 
are  not  eating  the  Lord's  supper  in 
a  proper  manner  and  gives  three 
reasons  for  his  statement. 

Some  were  drunken,  and  I  am 
sure  we  would  agree  that  a  drunken 
person  should  not  be  at  the  Lord's 
table. 

Some  were  hungry  and  were  there 
to  satisfy  their  hunger.  Now  if  they 
had  only  the  bit  of  communion  bread 
and  the  sip  of  wine,  certainly  their 
hunger  would  not  have  been 
satisfied. 

Some  had  just  eaten  their  own 
supper  and,  therefore,  could  not 
eat  again,  but  if  they  were  to  have 
only  the  bit  of  communion  bread 
and  sip  of  wine  they  could  have 
taken  that  regardless  of  how  recently 
they  had  eaten. 

And  so  we  conclude  that  without 
a  doubt  when  Paul  spoke  of  the 
Lord's  supper  he  was  talking  about 
more  than  the  communion  of  the 
bread  and  wine.  He  was  talking 
about  a  full  meaL 


Can  the  church  offer  any 


Alternatives  to  the  Gone  Generation? 


This  was  the  question  posed  for  participants  in  the  Brethren 
Student  Conference  in  late  November.   The  three  panelists  who  set 
forth  ideas  as  a  basis  for  discussion  in  an  early  session  were 
Kermit  Eby,  Clarence  Jordan,  and  Edward  K.  Ziegler.   Kermit 
Eby  urged  Brethren  students  to  question  their  own  heritage,  to 
ask  themselves  why  they  are  Brethren,  to  ask  if  their  heritage 
is  really  relevant  to  the  world  in  which  they  live,  and  then 
to  "give  witness  to  what  is  in  you."  From  the  suggestions  of  the 
other  panelists  the  following  selections  are  taken. 


The  Spiritual  Family 


Clarence  Jordan 


I 


GREW  up  in  the  state  of 
Georgia,  in  the  very  poor 
part  of  the  state.  What 
people  there  lacked  in  food 
they  made  up  for  in  scriptures. 
They  were  intensely  religious 
but  their  religion  seemed  to 
have  little  relationship  to  the 
life  of  the  people. 

The  little  church  I  attended 
was  sitting  up  on  a  hillside;  the 
rains  were  falling  on  the  roof, 
running  off  and  washing  the 
very  foundations  out  from  un- 
der the  church,  and  running 
down  the  hill,  making  gulleys 
here  and  there  over  the  eroded 
landscape.  Many  a  sermon 
have  I  heard  on  hell-fire  and 
brimstone.  And  I  wondered 
why  the  man  was  not  preaching 
on  phosphate  and  limestone. 

As  I  went  through  the  semi- 
nary studying  Scripture  I  came 
to  see  Jesus  not  as  a  religionist 
primarily  but  as  a  revolutionary. 
He  was  crucified  for  being  a 
rebel  —  not  a  Southern  rebel. 
He  was  crucified  for  setting 
himself  up  as  king  of  the  real 
Jews  in  new  Israel. 

And  so  he  was  hung  on  a  tree 
for  being  a  revolutionary  and 
he  was  crucified,  not  between 


two  robbers,  but  between  two 
rebels,  who  had  different  ideas 
of  the  alternatives.  They  be- 
lieved the  new  kingdom  could 
be  set  up  by  violence  and  force, 
and  Jesus  believed  the  kingdom 
had  to  be  set  up  by  love.  And 
so  he  was  hung  there  and  he 
became  the  leader  of  a  new 
movement. 

I  tried  to  find  out  what  was 
his  proposition.  What  was  he 
offering  to  mankind?  He  choose 
twelve  men  to  symbolize  the 
perfect  family.  Jesus  offered  to 
the  world  an  alternative  of  the 
spiritual  family,  that  men  might 
live  together  as  brothers. 

Now  there  were  certain  char- 
acteristics of  that  family.  One, 
there  would  be  no  favored  chil- 
dren. The  New  Testament  is 
clear  that  God  is  no  respecter 
of  persons.  He  does  not  love 
a  white  child  any  more  than  he 
does  a  black  child.  The  red  and 
yellow,  black  and  white,  they 
are  precious  in  his  sight.  You 
might  think  that  is  obvious. 
Why  argue  about  it?  Come 
down  into  south  Georgia  for  a 
while  and  see  if  it  is  obvious. 
I  venture  to  say  you  will  get 
attention    from    the    Ku    Klux 


Klan,  the  White  Citizens  Coun- 
cils, and  various  other  groups. 

The  family  of  Jesus  should  be 
a  family  of  people  committed  to 
the  way  of  love  and  nonvio- 
lence. When  we  went  to 
Georgia  that  was  one  of  the 
principles  that  we  put  as  funda- 
mental. We  were  theoretical 
pacifists.  We  had  committed 
ourselves  to  nonviolence,  but 
we  never  knew  we  would  have 
so  many  opportunities  to  prac- 
tice it  until  we  experimented 
with  this  first  principle  that 
God  is  no  respecter  of  persons. 
We  soon  had  plenty  of  oppor- 
tunities to  practice  this  princi- 
ple of  nonviolence. 

Now  the  third  principle  of 
this  family  of  Jesus  is  economic 
sharing.  It  might  seem  strange 
to  you  that  people  should  be 
concerned  about  bread.  "Chris- 
tianity is  a  spiritual  religion.  It 
is  all  spiritual."  Yes,  but  it  has 
bread  in  it,  too.  It  is  the  most 
materialistic  of  all  religions. 
Jesus  taught  us  to  pray  for  our 
daily  bread.  Now  it  is  true  that 
man  shall  not  live  by  bread 
alone,  but  he  did  not  say  man 
shall  not  live  by  any  bread.  A 
little  bit  really  helps.  Particu- 
larly when  it  is  nearly  all  gone. 

So    Christianitv    must    make 


FEBRUARY  13,  1960 


15 


provision  for  the  economic 
needs  of  life.  The  only  way  we 
saw  of  doing  that  was  that  all 
the  brethren  in  the  family 
would  share  equally.  We  put 
all  we  had  together.  We  pooled 
all  of  our  resources  and  to  this 
day  that  is  one  of  our  principles; 
none  of  us  owns  any  private 
property. 

Growing  out  of  that  is  the 
fourth  principle :  distribution 
according  to  need,  not  accord- 
ing to  greed.  It  does  not  matter 
at  our  place  whether  you  have 
an  A.B.,  a  Ph.D.,  a  D.D.,  or  a 
twiddle-dee-dee.  A  man  might 
be  absolutely  illiterate  and  get 
just  as  much  in  the  distribution 
as  you  would  get,  and  maybe 
more,  if  he  has  more  children. 


So  we  practice  the  principle  of 
distribution  according  to  need. 

The  fifth  principle  is  that  of 
absolute  openness  and  honesty 
with  one  another.  Living  in  a 
close  fellowship  you  cannot  al- 
ways follow  Emily  Post  and 
Dale  Carnegie.  You  just  have 
to  speak  the  truth.  If  a  man 
needs  a  bath,  you  tell  him  he 
needs  a  bath.  You  have  to  be 
truthful  and  speak  your  feel- 
ings. That  is  the  only  way  we 
have  found  that  we  can  exist  in 
this  kind  of  community. 

If  we  can  just  give  to  man- 
kind an  idea  that  we  can  live 
together  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  brothers  to  one  an- 
other, we  think  it  will  be  a  big 
contribution. 


Real  Alternatives 


Edward  K.  Ziegler 


THE  church  does  offer  a 
real  alternative  to  the 
beatnik  position  and  it 
does  offer  an  option  —  a  live  op- 
tion —  for  his  questions.  At  its 
best  it  proclaims  and  demon- 
strates the  whole  idea  of  re- 
demptive love. 

I  think  the  church  provides 
the  structure  in  which  meaning 
can  really  be  found.  It  pro- 
vides, for  one  thing,  a  redemp- 
tive fellowship.  I  believe  most 
of  us  will  discover  somewhere, 
sometime,  that  in  that  which 
we  have  known  as  the  church, 
with  all  of  its  weaknesses  and 
with  all  of  its  faults,  with  all 
of  its  failure  to  live  up  to 
the  shining  teachings  of  Christ 
and  the  redemptive  love  that 
he  demonstrated  with  absolute 
perfection,  it  does  present  a  re- 
demptive fellowship. 

The  church  is  an  alternative 
to  the  beatnik  position  because 
it  provides  for  worship.  Here  is 
open  house  for  God.    People 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


come  to  the  experience  of 
corporate  worship,  burdened, 
lonely,  and  in  trouble  of  all 
kinds.  Because  of  what  hap- 
pens as  we  pray  and  worship 
together  their  lives  are  trans- 
formed and  they  go  out  with 
their  heads  up  and  with  renew- 
ed courage  and  hope  and  faith, 
knowing  that  God  is  real  be- 
cause they  have  experienced 
his  presence  there. 

I  believe  in  the  church,  too, 
as  an  alternative  because  it  pre- 
sents the  strongest,  steadiest, 
deep-rooted  program  of  action 
for  people  who  really  want  to 
do  something  about  the  kind  of 
a  mess  our  world  is  in.  I  have 
seen  young  people  go  into 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service  and 
find  here  a  channel  through 
which  they  could  put  their 
shoulders  under  some  corner  of 
the  world's  load  of  sorrow  and 
pain,  and  lift  and  do  something 
about  it.  It  was  the  church  that 
provided  the  opportunity  for  it. 

It  has  provided  the  oppor- 
tunity for  people  who  want  to 


do  something  about  the  tragic 
plight  of  those  who  have  never 
known  God  at  all.  By  putting 
their  lives  into  what  we  have 
called  the  foreign  mission  pro- 
gram of  the  church,  they  have 
been  able  to  light  a  candle  in 
the  darkness  of  India  and  Ni- 
geria and  Ecuador  and  the  is- 
land world  and  Latin  America. 

Once  when  Martin  Niemoel- 
ler  preached  in  his  church  in 
Berlin  he  was  almost  surround- 
ed by  the  Gestapo  men  who  had 
come  to  listen  to  his  sermon  and 
were  ready  to  arrest  him.  He 
preached  that  morning  on  the 
text,  "We  must  obey  God  rather 
than  man."  The  church  was 
packed  and  after  the  service 
was  over  there  were  thousands 
of  people  in  the  public  square 
outside  of  the  church.  As  these 
Gestapo  men  came  out  of  the 
door  this  tremendous  crowd 
within  and  without  the  church 
began  to  sing,  "A  mighty  for- 
tress is  our  God." 

If  you  sing,  "A  mighty  for- 
tress is  our  God,"  there  is  a 
flavor  to  it  different  from  the 
music  which  becomes  a  symbol 
of  the  beatnik  despair  and  con- 
fusion. Often  the  church  and 
its  program  is  halting  and  im- 
perfect, but  here  is  God's  pat- 
tern for  a  redeemed  humanity. 
•         •         • 

Dr.  Henry  Kraemer,  a  leader  of 
the  Netherlands  Reformed  Church: 
"By  unity  is  not  meant  a  pragmatic 
program  on  the  basis  of  the  rule 
that  it  is  more  effective  to  be  united 
than  to  be  disunited  when  one  wants 
to  occupy  or  retain  a  position  of 
influence  in  the  world.  Unity  is  a 
matter  of  fundamental  and  authori- 
tative truth,  because  unity  is,  accord- 
ing to  what  is  implied  in  the 
revelation  through  Jesus  Christ  and 
in  the  Christian  faith,  a  fundamental 
law  of  existence  in  the  Christian 
church.  This  conception  of  the 
meaning  of  Christian  unity  is  the 
guiding  principle  of  the  World 
Council  of  Churches,  and  much  of 
its  study,  theological  discussion,  and 
co-operation  between  the  member 
churches  is  a  constantly  renewed  en- 
deavor to  grasp  the  full  implications 
and  consequences  of  the  conception." 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Ora  Huston,  peace  counselor  for  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  represented  the  Brethren  at  the  Feb. 
3-5  conference  of  the  Friends  Co-ordinating  Committee 
for  Peace  held  at  Wallingford,  Pa.  One  Brethren 
and  one  Mennonite  were  asked  to  this  conference, 
which  will  consider  the  spectrum,  the  application,  and 
the  expression  of  the  peace  testimony. 

Daryl  Brandt  and  his  family  were  transferred  on 
Feb.  1  from  Kassel,  Germany,  where  he  was  associate 
director  of  Brethren  Service  in  Europe  to  Morocco.  He 
will  serve  as  director  of  the  expanding  EIRENE  pro- 
gram through  which  the  Brethren  and  Mennonites  are 
working  with  European  churches  to  provide  an  alterna- 
tive service  opportunity  for  European  youth. 

Mrs.  Nevin  Fisher,  associate  secretary  for  the 
Eastern  Region,  has  resigned  her  position  effective 
Sept.  1.  She  will  teach  next  year  at  the  Evangelical 
and  Reformed  Seminary,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  while  its  pro- 
fessor of  Christian  education,  Dr.  Lee  Gable,  is  on 
sabbatical  leave.  Mrs.  Fisher  has  served  in  her  present 
position  since  1951  and  in  regional  work  in  three 
regions  for  the  past  twenty  years. 

Two  staff  appointments  in  the  Brotherhood  editorial 
offices  were  recently  announced  by  Norman  J.  Baugher, 
general  secretary  of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board. 
Ercell  V.  Lynn,  professor  of  religion  at  Manchester 
College,  will  become  general  editor  of  Christian  educa- 
tion publications,  about  July  15.  Glen  E.  Norris,  pastor 
of  the  Williamsburg  church  in  Middle  Pennsylvania, 
will  become  editor  of  adult  publications,  September  1. 

Delbert  Flora,  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Ash- 
land Theological  Seminary,  Ohio,  is  directing  a  tour  of 
the  Bible  Lands  in  the  summer  of  1960,  the  flying 
seminar  to  Bible  Lands.  The  tour  will  include  at- 
tendance at  the  Oberammergau  Passion  Play  for  the 
first  thirty-two  persons  who  register  for  the  tour.  For 
further  information  write:  Delbert  B.  Flora,  Tour 
Director,  Ashland  Theological  Seminary,  Ashland,  Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harold  E.  Eberly  of  Northwestern 
Ohio  have  become  the  new  superintendent  and  matron 
at  the  Brethren  Home  in  Fostoria,  Ohio,  replacing  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dean  Stutzman.  Mr.  Stutzman  was  injured 
in  the  accident  on  Oct.  26  which  took  the  life  of  his 
wife.  Mr.  Eberly  worked  as  an  accountant  and  office 
manager  before  being  called  to  this  work.  The  Eberlys 
were  junior  high  directors  in  Northwestern  Ohio  last 
year.  Their  daughter,  Bonnie  Irene,  is  presently  serving 
in  BVS. 

Sixty  persons  from  seventeen  congregations  met  at 
the  Sipesville  church,  Pa.,  on  Jan.  23  with  Ralph  E. 
Smeltzer,  James  Renz,  Joel  Thompson,  and  John  H. 
Eberly  of  the  Brethren  Service  Commission  staff.  On 
the  following  day  these  leaders  met  with  thirty  local 
leaders  from  seven  congregations  at  the  Monroeville 
church,  Pa.,  also  to  discuss  Brethren  Service  philosophy, 
activities,  program  planning,  and  organization  in  the 
local  church.  These  training  conferences  were  spon- 
sored by  the  Brethren  service  commission  of  Western 
Pennsylvania. 


One  semitrailer  truck  has  been  taken  by  Volunteers 
Dwain  Faucett  and  Duane  Krepps  from  New  Windsor 
to  the  Nappanee,  Ind.,  Brethren  Service  Center  to  help 
collect  the  blankets  gathered  as  a  result  of  the  inter- 
denominational emergency  appeal  for  blankets  for 
refugees.  The  material  aid  department  is  encouraging 
more  work  groups  to  come  to  New  Windsor  to  help 
process  these  blankets.  Recent  work  groups  at  the 
center  have  included  groups  from  these  congregations: 
Upper  Conewago,  Pa.,  White  Oak,  Pa.,  Pleasant  View, 
Md.,  Meadow  Branch,  Md.,  Rouzerville,  Pa.,  and  Fall- 
ing Spring,  Pa. 

The  office  of  International  Christian  Youth  Exchange 
(ICYE)  has  now  moved  from  the  New  Windsor  Center 
to  the  new  Interchurch  Center  at  475  Riverside  Drive, 
New  York  27,  N.  Y.  The  high  school  exchange  program 
that  has  become  ICYE  was  started  by  the  Brethren 
Service  Commission  in  1949.  The  first  interdenomina- 
tional organization  took  over  in  1957,  and  William 
Perkins  became  the  executive  director  in  1958.  John 
Eberly  continues  as  director  of  the  Brethren  part  of  the 
ICYE  program  and  of  other  phases  of  the  Brethren 
exchange  program,  with  offices  at  the  Brethren  Service 
Center,  New  Windsor,  Md. 


The  Church  Calendar 
February  14 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Meeting  Organized  Opposition 
(Temperance).  Acts  18:  22  —  20:  12.  Memory  Selection: 
We  are  not  contending  against  flesh  and  blood,  but 
against  the  principalities,  against  the  powers,  against 
the  world  rulers  of  this  present  darkness,  against  the 
spiritual  hosts  of  wickedness  in  the  heavenly  places. 
Eph.  6:   12  (R.S.V.) 

Race  Relations  Sunday 
Feb.  19-21  Brethren  Homes  conference,  Columbus,  Ohio 
Feb.    21-23    Pennsylvania    State    Youth    Conference, 

Bedford 
Feb.  21-28  Brotherhood  Week 
Feb.  28  —  March  4  Adult  Seminar,  Washington,  D.  C, 

and  New  York  City 
March  2  Ash  Wednesday  (beginning  of  Lent) 
March  4  World  Day  of  Prayer 
March  6  Commitment  Day  (for  total  abstinence) 
March   6   Eastern   Maryland   CBYF   round   table    and 

speech  contest,  Washington  City  church 
March    11-12   Central   Region    daily   vacation    church 

school  conference,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 


With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 
Bro.   Russell   G.    West    of   Wiley,    Colo.,    in   the    Flora 
church,  Ind.,  March   14-20. 

Bro.  Paul  M.  Forney  of  Myerstown,  Pa.,  in  die  Salunga 
church,  Pa.,  March  16-27. 

Bro.  Berkey  Knavel  of  Roaring  Spring,  Pa.,  in  the  New 
Philadelphia  church,  Ohio,   March  21-27. 


FEBRUARY  13,  1960 


17 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Whoopla  in  homes  for  aging.  Mrs.  Rosetta  Crowther,  eighty-four,  Mrs.  Molly 
Prather,  ninety,  Miss  Ruth  Bond,  nurse,  and  Mrs.  Emma  Parker,  eighty-four, 
turn  redskins  at  the  Fahrney-Keedy  Home,  Boonsboro,  Md.  Scene  was  at  the 
Halloween  party  given  by  the  New  Windsor  Brethren  Volunteer  Service  unit 


Never  Too  Old  to  Live 


♦  "Am  I  in  for  life?"  a  seventy-year- 
old  spinster  replied,  her  eyes  twin- 
kling. "I  sure  am.  See,  here's  my 
number  even,"  she  said  pointing  to 
the  tag  on  the  label  of  her  dress. 

For  the  record,  this  wasn't  the 
question  put  by  the  reporter  to  the 
resident  of  the  Brethren  home.  He 
had  asked  her  instead  if  she  were 
a  lifelong  resident  of  the  area.  Her 
hardness  of  hearing  was  feigned  to 
pose  the  question  she  most  wanted 
to  answer. 

"I'm  in  for  life  and  I  love  it," 
she  went  on.  "I've  never  had  more 
fun  anywhere." 

That  was  in  Maryland.  Four  hun- 
dred miles  away  in  Ohio,  a  widow 
spoke  with  similar  enthusiasm  about 
living  in  a  Brethren  home.  She  had 
only  one  regret  in  leaving  her  own 
house.  "I  should  have  sold  it  and 
moved  here  two  years  earlier,"  she 
lamented. 

And  on  the  Pacific  Coast  a  couple 
reflected  on  their  first  year  of  retire- 
ment, during  which  time  they  had 
traveled  extensively  while  claiming 
a  Brethren  home  as  home  base.  "We 
like  our  apartment  so  very  much," 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


they  wrote  friends.  "We  recommend 
this  home  as  a  delightful  community 
for  senior  Christians.  We  are  eager 
to  spend  more  time  here." 

Fun,  enthusiasm,  delight  in  homes 
for  the  elderly?  What  has  happened 
to  the  common  idea  that  such  places 
are  institutions  bound  by  stifling  re- 
straints, that  they  are  merely  rest 
homes  for  the  decrepit  and  shut-in, 
a  sort  of  last  resort  for  orphaned 
oldsters? 

Whoever  holds  such  views  of  resi- 
dences for  the  aging  simply  has  not 
visited  the  up-to-date  homes  of 
1960.  Especially  those  in  the  Broth- 
erhood where  facilities  may  offer 
everything  from  hi-fi  to  hair  dress- 
ing, where  services  may  range  from 
private  nursing  to  ultrasonic  treat- 
ments, where  living  quarters  may  in- 
clude both  private  rooms  and 
separate  cottages,  where  activities 
may  run  the  gamut  from  concerts 
and  lectures  in  nearby  communities 
to  the  production  and  sale  of  toy 
mice.  In  such  homes  residents  do 
not  just  bide  their  time  until,  in 
patronizing  words  now  so  trite,  "the 
sun  sets  on  their  golden  years."  In- 
stead, they  really  live. 

The  overhaul  from  old  folks'  insti- 


tutions to  homes  for  the  aging  is 
getting  under  way  in  the  Brother- 
hood. The  distinction  is  more  than 
verbal.  The  program,  the  facilities, 
the  personnel  are  different.  And  the 
problems  are  manyfold,  particularly 
for  the  administration  and  trustees. 
To  air  these  problems,  the  manag- 
ers and  representatives  of  the  boards 
of  the  Brotherhood's  thirteen  homes 
for  the  aging  will  meet  in  Columbus, 
Ohio,  Feb.  19-21.  Converging  as  the 
second  Brethren  Homes  Conference, 
the  group  will  probe  deeply  such  is- 
sues as: 

•  What  expansion  of  home's  facil- 
ities is  needed  and  how  can  it  be 
financed? 

•  How  wide  a  ministry  ought  a 
home  for  the  aging  provide? 

•  How  can  the  public  be  informed 
as  to  what  the  homes  are  actually 
trying  to  accomplish? 

James  Renz,  Brotherhood  director 
of  social  welfare  whose  work  in- 
cludes responsibility  for  the  homes' 
program,  announced  last  month  the 
key  speakers  for  the  conference. 
They  are:  E.  Everett  Ashley  III, 
statistician,  Federal  Housing  and 
Homes  Finance  Agency,  Washing- 
ton, D.C.;  Miss  Wilma  Donahue, 
gerontologist,  University  of  Michi- 
gan; Clark  Tibbetts,  expert  on  the 
aging,  Department  of  Health,  Edu- 
cation, and  Welfare,  Washington, 
D.C.;  John  Eller,  administrator, 
Bethany  Hospital,  Chicago;  Arthur 
Dean,  church  building  counselor; 
Howard  E.  Royer,  director  of  news 
service;  and  Harl  L.  Russell,  director 
of  special  gifts,  General  Brotherhood 
Board. 

Other  Brethren  on  the  program, 
all  administrators  or  board  members 
of  homes  or  district  field  executives, 
will  be:  Gordon  Bucher,  Hartville, 
Ohio;  Chester  Harley,  West  Milton, 
Ohio;  Perry  Keltner,  Lena,  111.; 
George  Kunz,  Boonsboro,  Md.;  Earl 
Lehman,  Neffsville,  Pa.;  Ira  Oren, 
New  Paris,  Ohio;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
I.  C.  Paul,  Windber,  Pa.;  W.  Harold 
Row,  Elgin,  111.;  Marion  Roynon,  La 
Verne,  Calif.;  V.  F.  Schwalm,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.;  Wilbur  Stuckey, 
Paris,  Ohio;  Emmert  Studebaker, 
Tipp  City,  Ohio;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Orval  Wagner,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

Prior  to  the  Brethren  gathering  at 
the  Central  YMCA,  the  conferees 
will  participate  in  the  Interdenomi- 
national Meeting  of  Personnel  of 
Homes  for  Children  and  Homes  for 
Aging  at  Columbus'  Deshler-Hilton 


Hotel,  under  sponsorship  of  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches. 

The  two  homes  for  children  op- 
erated by  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren also  will  participate  in  the 
Brethren  Homes  Conference. 

Together  Brethren  homes  care  for 
the  spiritual  and  physical  welfare  of 
800  persons.  An  estimated  250  more 
await  admission. 

Episcopal  Group  Forms 
Race  Unity  Panel 

An  unofficial  and  independent 
Episcopal  Society  for  Cultural  and 
Bacial  Unity  has  been  organized  by 
some  100  white  and  Negro  clergy 
and  laymen  from  the  North  and 
South. 

The  society  pledged  to  work  for 
elimination  in  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  of  "all  divisions  based 
on  race,  color,  national  origin,  or 
class."  The  Episcopal  Church  has 
gone  on  record  as  being  opposed 
to  racial  segregation  both  inside  and 
outside  the  denomination. 

Says  John,  Not  PauL 
First  Left  Judaism 

John  the  Baptist  was  the  first 
apostle  to  break  away  from  Judaism 
in  the  early  stages  of  Christianity, 
and  not  Paul,  according  to  a  Biblical 
scholar. 

Dr.  J.  Spencer  Kennard,  Jr.,  of 
Princeton,  N.  J.,  made  this  observa- 
tion in  a  paper  read  to  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Society  of  Biblical 
Literature  and  Exegesis. 

He  said  that  John  broke  with  the 
Judaic  law  when  he  substituted  for 
it  the  symbolic  cleansing  of  baptism, 
accompanied  by  repentance  and 
faith. 

Israel  Rules  on 
Definition  of  "Jew" 

Israeli  children  whose  mothers  are 
not  Jewish  will  be  required  to  go 
through  rabbinic  conversion  if  they 
are  to  be  officially  recognized  as 
Jews  in  Israel. 

New  government  directives  on 
the  question,  "What  Is  a  Jew?"  state 
that  under  rabbinic  law  children 
follow  the  religion  of  their  mothers. 

The  interior  minister  of  the  coun- 


Two  Church  of  the  Brethren  staff  members,  Mary 

Spessard  and  A.  Stauffer  Curry,  are  chairmen  of  sections 

of  the  Division  of  Christian  Education  of  the  National 

Council  of  Churches  meeting  in  St.  Louis,  Feb.  12-18. 

Miss  Spessard  heads  the  children's  work  section  and  Mr. 

Curry,  the  editors'  section.    An  estimated  2,000 

Christian  educators,  pastors,  teachers,  editors,  and 

publishers,  including  thirty-five  Brethren,  will  be  in 

attendance 


try  has  ruled  that  no  one  can  be 
officially  recognized  in  Israel  as  a 
Jew  unless  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Jewish  faith. 

Two  Million  Blankets 
Needed  for  Refugees 

"Each  One  Bring  One"  is  the  mes- 
sage which  went  out  on  Christmas 
Eve  to  all  church  families  in  Illinois 
in  an  appeal  for  two  million  blankets. 
These  are  to  be  rushed  to  refugees 
and  other  homeless  people  in  coun- 
tries where  below-zero  temperatures 
are  taking  a  daily  death  toll. 

The  appeal  developed  spontane- 
ously following  reports  at  a  regional 
meeting  in  Chicago  of  Church  World 
Service  on  the  United  Clothing 
Appeal. 

Protestant  Churches  Plan  Year's 
Study  of  Economic  Problems 

A  year-long  study  of  key  problems 
in  the  U.S.  economy  was  launched 
by  local  Protestant  and  Eastern  Or- 
thodox congregations  with  the  ob- 
servance of  Church  and  Economic 
Life  Week,  which  began  Jan.  17. 

The  observance  had  as  its  theme, 
New  Trials  for  a  New  Decade. 

The  purpose  of  the  week  is  "to 
develop  an  active  and  informed 
concern  by  church  people  for  the 
application  of  Christian  principles  to 
economic  life." 

India  Marks  St.  Thomas 
Anniversary 

Christians  in  India  recently  cele- 
brated the  1,907th  anniversary  of  the 
arrival  in  that  country  of  the  Apostle 
Thomas.  According  to  tradition  the 
apostle  arrived  in  India  in  52  A.D. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  anniversary 
President  Prasad  of  India  told  a  large 
crowd  that  the  intermingling  of  In- 


dia's many  faiths  and  cultures  is 
"our  most  valuable  treasure."  The 
anniversary  occasion  was  organized 
by  both  Catholics  and  Protestants 
and  began  with  the  singing  of  hymns 
in  Hindi  by  the  choir  of  a  Methodist 
church. 

LWF  Shares  Ethiopian 
Radio  Time  With 
Other  Christian  Groups 

An  agreement  has  been  signed 
between  the  Lutheran  World  Feder- 
ation and  the  Near  East  Christian 
Council  to  share  in  broadcasting 
time  of  the  Federation's  projected 
radio  station  in  Ethiopia. 

The  Federation  is  proceeding  with 
plans  to  establish  a  50,000  watt 
transmitter  in  Ethiopia  to  beam  reli- 
gious and  cultural  programs  to  broad 
areas  of  Africa  and  Asia.  The  Addis 
Abbaba  government  has  already  ap- 
proved the  federation's  application 
for  a  franchise.  The  capital  cost  of 
the  project  is  estimated  at  $400,000. 
The  target  date  for  the  station  to 
go  on  the  air  is  Christmas  Day,  1961. 

Soviet  Zone  Government  Spent 
$72,000  in  Church  Repair 

An  East  German  radio  broadcast 
recently  claimed  that  during  1959 
the  Soviet  Zone  government  contrib- 
uted the  equivalent  of  $72,000 
toward  rebuilding  and  repairing 
war-damaged  churches. 

The  broadcast  was  intended  to 
deny  reports  about  "the  alleged  per- 
secution of  the  churches  in  East 
Germany."  The  East  German  station 
said  that  since  the  end  of  the  war 
seventy-five  new  Roman  Catholic 
churches  have  been  built  and  fifty 
repaired  with  government  help. 
Similar  aid  was  extended  to  Protes- 
tant churches  in  East  Germany. 


Ed   Buzinski 


FEBRUARY   13.   1960 


19 


OUR 


CHURCH 


Hl§  KINGDOM 


AT    WORK     IN     THE     WORLD    TODAY 


Christmas 

Comes  to 

Seaton  Street 


CHRISTMAS  came  to  Seaton  Street,  but  it  actually 
started  in  October,  when  the  BVS  unit  from 
Hollyday  House  was  working  in  one  of  the  homes 
in  the  block.  Seaton  Street  is  a  comparatively  small 
city  block  in  the  nation's  capital,  but  in  this  block  live 
over  200  children  between  the  ages  of  one  and  sixteen 
years. 
First  Contacts 

One  hot  day  in  the  middle  of  June  a  woman  called 
on  the  BVS  unit  to  help  "her  people"  on  Seaton  Street. 
This  woman,  we  were  later  to  find  out,  is  known  as 
Bishop  Reed  and  has  had  a  small  church  on  the  block 
for  the  past  twelve  years.  Bishop  Reed  expressed  con- 
cern over  the  fact  that  toilets  were  stopped  up  and 


A  boy  from  Seaton  Street  has  a  talk  with  Santa 


Santa  and  his  helpers  make  Christmas  a  jolly  time  for  the  youngsters  from  Seaton  Street  in  Washington,  D.C.  BVS'ers 
Carol  Mills  (2nd  from  1.),  Bill  Wagner  (3rd  from  1.),  and  Jere  Hovis  (4th  from  1.)  and  members  of  the  Friends  school 
seem  to  enjoy  it  too.    The  role  of  Santa  is  handled  by  Dick   Canton,   director   of   the   BVS   unit   at   Hollyday   House 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


■The  Church   at  Work 


Santa,  his  helpers  from  the  BVS  unit  and  the  Friends  schools,  and  some  of 
the  young  residents  of  Seaton  Street  gather  in  the  street  to  be  photographed. 
The  houses  in  the  background  are  typical  of  this  area  in  our  nation's  capital 


sewage  and  waste  were  running  out 
into  the  back  alley.  Through  the 
co-operation  of  the  BVS  unit,  the 
Adams-Morgan  Demonstration  Proj- 
ect, and  the  Department  of  Sanita- 
tion, this  problem  was  soon  cleared 
up.  The  alleys  were  flushed  and 
washed  out  weekly  during  the  sum- 
mer. Through  this  first  contact  on 
Seaton  Street,  the  unit  began  finding 
some  of  the  many  problems  that 
exist  there. 

In  October,  while  working  along 
with  some  of  the  children  in  one  of 
the  homes,  the  BVS'ers  became 
aware  of  the  lack  of  toys  and  cloth- 
ing for  the  children.  One  of  the 
BVS'ers  suggested  that  he  would 
contact  his  home  church,  the 
Waynesboro  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Pa.,  to  see  if  they  could  meet 
some  of  these  needs. 

School  Chimes  In 

In  the  meantime  a  group  of  inter- 
ested high  school  students  at  Sidwell 
Friends  School  in  Washington  had 
also  expressed  a  desire  to  help  dif- 
ferent families  in  the  area.  After 
attending  a  work  day  on  Seaton 
Street,  this  school  decided  to  "adopt" 
Seaton  Street.  They  made  an  appeal 
to  the  families  of  the  students  in 
their  school  for  clothes,  toys,  and 
food  to  help  "their"  block. 

The  BVS  unit  contacted  some  of 
the  merchants  of  the  area  and  ex- 
pressed this  need  for  toys.  Some 
of  the  merchants  were  able  to  donate 
enough  toys  to  supplement  what  was 
being      contributed      through      the 


Waynesboro  church  and  Sidwell 
Friends  School. 

Early  in  December  two  carloads 
of  clothing,  toys,  and  food  were  sent 
to  Washington  from  the  Waynesboro 
church.  A  week  later  the  Sidwell 
Friends  School  sent  a  small  panel 
truck  full  of  clothing  and  food  which 
they  had  collected. 

The  week  of  Christmas  was  spent 
in  wrapping  and  packaging  gift 
boxes  of  clothing,  food,  and  toys 
for  the  very  needy  of  the  block. 
Bishop  Reed  had  compiled  a  list  of 
18  families,  which  included  115  chil- 
dren and  25  adults.  She  had  con- 
tacted the  different  families  on  the 
block  to  find  out  clothing  sizes,  food 
needs,  and  suggestions  for  toys. 

Toothbrushes  for  All 

One  merchant  in  the  area  donated 
a  small  sum  of  money  to  be  used 
for  children's  gifts  that  we  had  not 
been  able  to  collect.  Suggestions  for 
the  use  of  this  money  ranged  from 
candy  and  soft  drinks  to  soap,  wash- 
cloths, towels,  toothbrushes,  and 
toothpaste.  Since  many  of  these 
children  did  not  own  toothbrushes 
of  their  own,  it  was  decided  to  use 
this  money  to  purchase  150  tooth- 
brushes and  tubes  of  toothpaste, 
which  Santa  Claus  handed  out  to 
the  children  a  day  before  Christmas. 

Co-operating  with  the  Sidwell 
Friends  School,  the  BVS  unit  from 
Hollyday  House  assisted  Santa  Claus 
in  handing  out  these  packages  to 
the  children  on  Seaton  Street.  On 
Christmas    Eve   the   heads   of   each 


of  the  eighteen  families  picked  up 
their  Christmas  boxes  at  Bishop 
Reed's  church.  Later  reports  indi- 
cate that  these  families  had  a  very 
Merry  Christmas. 


Christmas  in  India 

THE  other  day  we  were  looking 
at  an  old  snapshot  of  Indian 
boys  who  had  just  put  on  a 
Christmas  play.  Some  of  them  also 
had  recentiy  looked  at  the  snapshot 
and  marvelled  that  their  boyish  faces 
looked  that  way  then.  Many  of 
those  pinched  little  faces  were  re- 
flecting physical  hunger  as  well  as 
a  dwarfed  spiritual  life  haunted  by 
"Black  Devil."  There  are,  thank 
God,  celestial  diameters  between  life 
as  they  saw  it  then  and  life  as  they 
experience  it  now. 

God  has  given  us  joyous  Christ- 
mas season  contact  with  many,  many 
of  the  rising  generation  —  Christians 
and  non-Christians  —  in  our  Brethren 
hostels  and,  formerly,  in  our  elemen- 
tary schools.  Christmas  Day  and 
every  day  opened  with  prayer.  They 
fingered  their  Bibles  and  hymnbooks 
in  the  early  morning  and  at  night 
before  retiring. 

Christ  became  real  to  them  in  the 
dining  room,  in  the  school  garden 
and  farm,  in  the  night  study  room, 
in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  in 
their  evangelistic  singing  band  trips. 
Hundreds  have  memorized  or  copied 
hymns  in  their  notebooks  for  use  in 
leading  some  village  inspirational 
meeting.  One  farmer  boy,  now  an 
evangelist,  composed  and  published 
many  hymns.  Is  there  any  wonder 
then  that  in  dozens  of  villages  the 
Christian  young  people  sing  Christ- 
mas carols  all  night  at  the  doorstep 
of  as  many  homes  as  they  can  reach 
by  foot.  —  Harlan  Brooks. 


Bible  vans,  though  expensive  to 
operate,  have  been  effectively  used 
in  several  countries  by  the  American 
Bible  Society.  The  van  can  cover 
wide  areas  where  there  are  few 
churches  and  where  distance  makes 
it  impossible  for  the  colporteur  to 
visit  regularly  and  frequently.  Dur- 
ing the  next  few  years,  the  Bible 
Society  looks  forward  to  providing 
Bible  vans  for  at  least  thirty  more 
countries  than  are  now  served  in 
this  way. 


FEBRUARY  13.  1960 


21 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


A  premature  Nigerian  baby  held  by  a  missionary  nurse.    Formerly 
these  tiny  babies  were  not  even  cared  for,  but  just  allowed  to  die 


CHRISTIANITY 

Challenges  Hopelessness 


MEDICAL  work  in  America  is 
marked  by  days  of  discour- 
agement and  times  of  satis- 
faction. Patients  recover  and  patients 
die.  Medical  aid  is  available  to  the 
majority  of  people,  and  the  majority 
take  advantage  of  it.  The  infant 
mortality  rate  is  decreasing  and  the 
expected  life  span  increasing. 

There  is  constant  experimentation 
with  new  drugs  and  methods  of 
treatment  and  continued  expansion 
of  hospitals,  medical  centers,  and 
public  health  programs.  These  state- 
ments are  also  true,  although  on  a 
much  smaller  scale,  of  the  medical 
work  in  this  section  of  Nigeria. 

Not  so  many  years  ago  it  was 
the  accepted  thing  for  a  woman  to 
give  birth  to  nine  or  ten  babies, 
of  whom  only  one  or  two  would 
grow   to   adulthood.     But   gradually 


22 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp 

these  mothers  are  seeking  medical 
help,  are  receiving  prenatal  care  and 
education,  are  being  delivered  in 
hospitals,  and  are  seeing  their  chil- 
dren live  and  grow. 

The  process  of  education  is  long 
and  complicated,  but  results  are 
promising,  and  it  is  on  these  results 
that  the  future  health  of  Nigeria 
depends. 

Days  of  Sadness 

In  spite  of  progress,  there  are 
cases  which  wring  the  heart,  and 
for  which  there  would  be  no  cure 
any  place  in  the  world.  One  of  these 
I  would  like  to  share  with  you,  not 
because  of  the  hopelessness  of  it,  but 
because  it  reflects  to  such  a  great 

Part  seven  of  a  series  of  articles  de- 
scribing missionary  life  in  Nigeria  pub- 
lished originally  in  the  Waynesboro 
Record    Herald,    Pennsylvania 


extent  the  attitude  of  the  Christian 
African  in  the  Africa  of  today. 

I  first  saw  Yarnamachahyel  in 
May.  She  had  been  living  with  her 
grandparents  in  a  village  nearby,  but 
at  this  time  she  had  come  home  to 
her  parents  who  live  in  our  Waka 
Village.  Her  medical  history  was 
long  and  complex,  and  now  she  was 
ill  again. 

She  had,  in  her  seven  years,  prac- 
tically lived  on  the  doorstep  of  hos- 
pital and  dispensary.  She  had  suf- 
fered fevers,  infections,  malnutrition, 
anemia,  fractures,  and  untold  pain. 
As  I  talked  with  her  parents,  her 
story  and  the  whole  tragic  story  of 
her  family  unfolded. 

Mystery  Illness 

Kubilli,  the  mother,  who  was  then 
carrying  her  ninth  pregnancy,  had 
given  birth  to  eight  children,  of 
whom  two  had  survived  —  Yarnama- 
chahyel and  an  older  brother.  The 
reason?  No  one  knew.  Their  ill- 
nesses followed  a  pattern  of  fever, 
pain,  weakness,  then  death.  And 
here  was  their  only  living  daughter, 
desperately  ill. 

The  father,  Musa,  who  is  the  care- 
taker of  Waka's  team  of  oxen  and 
receives  a  salary  of  about  $2.25  a 
week,  had  paid  enormous  sums  of 
money  for  the  health  of  his  children. 
He  said  to  me,  "Do  anything  you  can 
for  her.  I  will  pay  for  it  little  by 
litde." 

And  so  she  came  twice  a  day  to 
our  dispensary  to  receive  vitamins, 
iron,  and  other  medications.  But 
the  fever  did  not  subside,  the 
pain  increased,  and  one  gray  morn- 
ing Yarnamachahyel  was  not  able  to 
swallow  the  medicine  I  gave  her. 
"Ah,"  moaned  the  mother,  "God  does 
not  love  me  .  .  ." 

Nearby  stood  Musa,  mute  with  his 
own  grief  and  unable  to  console  his 
wife.  I  sat  with  them  in  the  cold 
dawn,  and  later  I  wept  with  them 
as  the  stony  soil  of  Waka  covered 
their  child  in  this,  the  seventh  small 
grave. 

One  More  Cross 

A  month  later,  Kubili  gave  birth 
to  a  four  pound,  ten  ounce,  six  weeks 
premature  baby  girl.  Very  few  pre- 
mature babies  survive  in  this  country 
simply  because  the  equipment  neces- 
sary to  keep  them  alive  is  not  avail- 
able. In  addition  to  this,  many  of 
the  older  women  look  upon  a  prema- 
ture as  an  ill  omen,  and  so  do  not 
make  any  attempt  to  save  it. 


The  Church  at  Work 


So  Kubili  regarded  her  new  baby 
as  one  more  cross  to  bear  and  one 
more  child  to  be  mourned.  She  could 
hardly  be  persuaded  to  care  for  it 
and  nurse  it  during  its  first  week  of 
life.  But  she  did,  and  the  tiny  bundle 
survived  seven  days,  then  fourteen; 
today  she  weighs  nine  pounds. 
Kubili  and  Musa  began  to  hope 
again. 

We  were  fairly  certain  that  the 
cause  of  the  trouble  is  a  type  of 
anemia,  inherited  and  incurable.  It 
may  yet  strike  their  older  son  and 
tiny  daughter.  But  the  miracle  is 
this:  instead  of  the  old  fatalistic 
view  of  the  pagan  African,  Kubili 
and  Musa  have  adopted  an  attitude 
of  acceptance  and  hope. 

This  is  not  all.  Following  the 
death  of  Yarnamachmahyel,  Musa 
told  his  wife  that  if  she  wished,  he 
would  release  her  and  dissolve  their 
marriage.  Fearing  that  he  was  to 
blame  for  the  weakness  in  their  off- 
spring, he  was  willing  to  free  her, 
that  she  might  have  an  opportunity 
to  bear  living,  healthy  children  to 
another  husband. 

Keep  Marriage  Vows 

Thirty  years  ago,  before  they  had 
heard  of  Christianity,  this  probably 
would  have  happened.  They  would 
have    severed    their    marriage    and 


parted  in  their  sorrow.  But  this  was 
not  the  case.  Instead  they  have 
chosen  to  remain  together,  living 
in  hope  that  these  two  children  will 
be  spared  to  them. 

A  man  and  woman  who  have 
known  such  grief  as  Kubili  and  Musa 
have  known,  especially  a  man  and 
woman  who  are  natives  of  Africa 
and  still  steeped  in  ancient  customs 
and  ideas,  are  surely,  in  discarding 
the  old  fatalism  and  accepting  the 
new  attitude  of  hope,  bridging  the 
gap  of  centuries. 

Their  knowledge  may  be  limited 
and  their  application  of  it  crude,  but 
still  they  are  20th  century  Africans 
taking  their  place  in  a  20th  century 
world.  Today  they  are  not  rebelling 
against  the  fate  that  has  claimed 
seven  of  their  children.  Upheld  by 
the  Christian  faith,  they  look  to  the 
future  in  hope,  with  the  assurance 
that  they  have  provided  all  the  avail- 
able medical  help  for  their  family. 

Although  from  a  medical  stand- 
point this  case  is  not  one  which  is 
likely  to  bring  any  of  us  who  have 
worked  with  them  a  sense  of  pro- 
fessional accomplishment,  there  is  a 
spiritual  quality  about  it  which  is 
exemplified  in  the  child's  name. 

Translated  from  the  Bura,  Yar- 
namachahyel  means:  "What  can  I 
give  God?"    How  much  richer  has 


been  my  life,  and  how  insignificant 
my  problems,  since  I  have  come  to 
know  these  people! 


Madam  Sahib  and  the 
Cement  Bucket 

Whether  a  citizen  of  India  has  come 
to  the  United  States  to  five  or  a  North 
American  as  missionary  has  gone  to 
India,  it  takes  "a  lot  of  living"  before 
the  new  arrival  is  able  to  break  down 
the  unfavorable  stereotypes  held  in  that 
country  concerning  one's  people.  Every 
experience  which  brings  one  closer  to 
acceptance  and  understanding  on  the 
part  of  the  host  country  is  prized  and 
appreciated.  Such  an  experience  came 
to  missionaries  George  and  Rae  Mason 
while  attempting  to  speed  up  construc- 
tion of  the  cement  floors  in  three  much 
needed  workers'  houses  at  Anklesvar. 
The  temperature  was  115  degrees,  so 
cement  had  to  be  poured  and  troweled 
quickly.  Rae  Mason  gives  the  follow- 
ing account  of  what  happened: 

I  helped  the  movement  by  stirring 
up  several  gallons  of  lemonade  every 
afternoon  and,  with  the  help  of  my 
good  cook,  dispensed  it  right  up  to 
the  front  lines.  Margaret  passed  out 
the  plastic  cups.  After  about  the 
fifth  day  when  the  end  was  in  sight 
(perhaps  it  would  be  that  night  with 
the  aid  of  petro  max  lanterns!)  and 
after  we  had  poured  the  last  drop 
of  lemonade,  Mistri,  the  cook,  and 
I  jumped  right  into  the  ranks  and 
swung  buckets  of  cement  down  the 
lines  and  tossed  back  the  empty 
containers,  standing  barefooted  in 
the  mud.  Unless  you  have  been 
here,  you  will  never  know  just  how 
high  the  pedestal  under  the  Sahib 
and    his    Madam    is!     I'm    sure    I 


May  Fellowship 
Day 

The  Date:  Friday,  May 
6,  1960 

The  Theme:  Citizenship 
—  Free  and  Responsible 

The  Purpose:  To  stir 
women  in  a  new  way  to  the 
opportunities  and  responsi- 
bilities of  Christian  citizen- 
ship. 

The  Packet:  50c  for  1  or 
2;  40c  for  3  or  more;  post- 
age free  on  prepaid  orders. 
Order  from  Publication  and 
Distribution,  475  Riverside 
Drive,  New  York  27,  N.  Y. 


FEBRUARY  13,  1960 


23 


A  Nigerian  dispenser  giving  a  patient  some  medicine 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


Left  to  right,  front  row:   J.  M.  Henry,  Minor  M.  Myers,  O.  S.  Miller,  John  T.  Glick,  Donald  Clague,  who  read  the  citations, 
Adam  Miller,  W.  H.  Zigler,  W.  H.  Sanger;   back  row:   Frank  L.  Garber,  M.  R.  Wolfe,  Ernest  M.  Wampler,  Byron  M.  Flory 


Second 

Virginia 

Honors 

Older 

Ministers 


THE  commission  of  ministry, 
missions,  and  evangelism  of 
the  Second  District  of  Virginia 
chose  the  district  conference  of  Oct. 
22-24  as  the  occasion  to  honor  min- 
isters seventy  years  and  older  who 
had  rendered  significant  service 
within  the  district. 

The  eighteen  ministers  and  their 
years  of  service  are  as  follows:  C. 
A.  Glick,  thirty-nine  years  (died 
Nov.  10,  1959);  Ernest  S.  Coffman, 
forty-five  years  (died  Nov.  5,  1959); 
N.  D.  Cool,  fifty-two  years;  Byron 
M.   Flory,  forty- two  years;   John  S. 


Flory,  fifty-three  years;  John  C. 
Garber,  fifty-one  years;  Frank  L. 
Garber,  forty  years;  John  T.  Glick, 
fifty-five  years;  J.  M.  Henry,  fifty- 
seven  years;  Adam  Miller,  fifty-one 
years;  Minor  C.  Miller,  forty-five 
years;  O.  S.  Miller,  fifty-two  years; 
Minor  M.  Myers,  fifty-one  years;  J. 
M.  Pugh,  forty-four  years;  W.  H. 
Sanger,  sixty  years;  Ernest  M.  Wam- 
pler, forty-two  years;  M.  R.  Wolfe, 
forty-nine  years;  W.  H.  Zigler,  fifty- 
eight  years.  The  total  years  of  serv- 
ice for  the  18  men  is  886  or  an 
average  of  49.2  years. 

Donald  Clague,  commission  chair- 
man, led  the  service  of  recognition 
and  read  the  citation  which  follows: 

In  recognition  of  your  many  years 
of  service  as  ministers  and  elders  in 
the  Second  District  of  Virginia,  in 
recognition  of  your  service  in  filling 
positions  as  pastors,  board  members, 
and  members  of  important  committees 
in  the  district  and  in  activities  beyond 
the  district,  in  recognition  of  your 
seventy  or  more  years  of  Christian  liv- 
ing and  example  of  love  and  devotion 
to  God,  your  church,  and  your  fellow 
men,  the  commission  on  ministry,  mis- 
sions,  and   evangelism   of  the   Church 


of  the  Brethren  in  the  Second  District 
of  Virginia  is  honored  by  the  privilege 
of  presenting  to  you  these  certificates 
and  citations  and  of  entering  these 
citations  in  the  minutes  of  this  district 
conference.  We  are  challenged  by  the 
service  you  have  given  and  pray  that 
the  inspiration  of  your  rich  service  may 
challenge  many  others  to  dedicate  their 
lives  to  Christ's  service. 

The  congregation  of  church  dele- 
gates and  friends  was  deeply  moved 
as  these  loyal  servants  of  the  church 
stood  to  be  recognized.  Each  minis- 
ter received  a  copy  of  the  citation 
and  a  certificate  of  recognition  stat- 
ing the  number  of  years  of  his 
ministry. 

Significantly,  following  the  honor- 
ing of  these  faithful  servants  of  the 
church,  the  district  turned  its  atten- 
tion to  the  immediate,  critical  prob- 
lem of  recruiting  for  the  ministry. 
A  panel  of  Donald  Clague,  Sam  Har- 
ley,  Southeastern  Region  executive 
secretary,  and  two  Bridgewater  Col- 
lege ministerial  students  led  the 
group  in  thinking  through  some 
problems  and  needs  relating  to  the 
calling  of  young  men  to  the  ministry. 


broke  that  pedestal  that  night  —  any- 
way, I  made  it  wobble. 

There  was  a  great  spirit  of  team- 
work —  even  the  young  boys  sensed 
it  —  and  regardless  of  the  fact  that 
supper  time  had  come  and  gone,  we 
all  kept  on  swinging  those  buckets 
rhythmically,  all  the  time  watching 
the    bare-to-the-waist    George    ma- 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


neuver  the  eight-foot  trowel.  Some 
of  the  schoolmasters  whose  sons 
were  working  came  out  of  their 
houses  to  see  why  no  one  was  coming 
home  to  eat. 

I'm  sure  what  they  saw  shocked 
them,  but  they  did  not  go  back  to 
their  food  —  they  stood  fascinated. 
Never,  I  believe,  had  they  seen  such 
enthusiasm  for  manual  labor.  Slop- 
ping water  was  everywhere,  perspira- 


tion was  running  in  rivulets,  the 
girls'  long  skirts  were  smeared  and 
dripping,  stomachs  were  empty,  and 
backs  were  aching,  but  no  one 
wanted  to  give  up! 

I  dispatched  Mistri  to  the  bunga- 
low to  bring  hard-boiled  eggs  to 
George  (eggs  are  medicine  to  most 
Indians)  and  Indian  breads  to  those 
youngsters  who  lived  too  far  to  hurry 
home.  Still  no  one  would  stop  —  they 


■The   Church   at   Work 


ate  as  they  worked,  never  breaking 
the  swinging  rhythm. 

Never  before,  in  this  country,  have 
I  seen  such  joy  in  hard  physical 
work.  One  must  remember  that 
manual  labor  is  the  most  lowly  of 
occupations  —  only  coolies  would 
dare  to  be  happy  in  such  degrading 
work  —  but  here  were  well-off  school- 
masters' sons,  the  Sahib  and  his 
Madam  Sahib,  and  poor  boys  sweat- 
ing together  for  a  common  job.  I 
know  it  was  shocking  to  our  never- 
soil-your-hands  schoolmasters,  but  it 
was  such  an  enlightening,  healthy 
kind  of  shock! 

I  told  George  after  the  lanterns 
had  been  blown  out,  and  every 
weary  body  had  disappeared  into 
the  blackness  of  the  night,  "We 
ought  to  have  such  a  project  every 
year!" 


Conference  Business 

Query 

Use  of  Seminary  Property 
for  Hospital 

In  connection  with  the  planned 
move  of  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary 
to  a  new  location,  the  Arlington 
Church  of  the  Brethren  has  taken 
note  of  the  facts  (1)  that  the  Broth- 
erhood will  be  financing  the  new 
construction  and  (2)  that  the  old 
property  of  the  seminary  which  will 
be  available  for  disposition  is  ad- 
jacent to  Bethany  Hospital,  another 
of  our  church-related  service  insti- 
tutions. 

The  Arlington  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  council  assembled  re- 
quests Annual  Conference,  through 
the  Eastern  District  of  Virginia,  to 
arrange  for  a  study  of  the  future 
ministry  of  the  church  through  Beth- 
any Hospital,  such  study  to  consider 
in  particular  possible  future  expan- 
sion and  need  for  additional  land 
which  may  be  met  through  the 
transfer  of  seminary  property  when 
the  new  seminary  facilities  are  in 
use,  with  recommendations  from  the 
study  being  brought  to  the  next  An- 
nual Conference. 

David  L.  Bogers,  moderator. 
J.  Warren  Showalter,  clerk. 

Answer  of  district  meeting:  Passed 
on  to  Annual  Conference. 
Wayne  F.  Buckle,  moderator. 
Ralph  O.  Compton,  writing  clerk. 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Nolo:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


Is  there  any  specific  planning  toward 
a  more  definite  program  of  mak- 
ing our  children  ready  at  a  partic- 
ular time  for  their  commitment  to 
Christ  and  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren? 

Three  additional  words  should  be 
emphasized  to  get  the  full  force  of 
the  concern  of  this  question:  plan- 
ning for  commitment. 

Surely  specific  planning  for  com- 
mitment goes  on  at  both  local  and 
denominational  levels  in  the  church. 
Indeed,  this  should  be  one  of  the 
continuous,  guiding  purposes  of  the 
church  program. 

At  the  Brotherhood  level,  specific 
planning  includes:  (1)  a  study  unit 
on  the  church  in  the  third-year  jun- 
ior curriculum;  (2)  a  study  unit  on 
the  church  in  first-year  junior  high 
curriculum;  (3)  the  recommendation 
that  a  pastor's  membership  class  be 
held  annually  for  third-year  juniors 
and  junior  highs;  (4)  the  provision 
of  some  basic  materials  for  mem- 
bership classes;  (5)  the  consideration 
of  additional  materials;  (6)  the  en- 
couragement of  more  adequate  train- 
ing for  all  persons  received  into 
church  membership. 

Many  local  churches  have  carried 
out  this  suggested  program  with 
care  for  a  period  of  years,  but  many 
others  have  no  systematic  plan  for 
training  in  church  membership. 

At  present  there  is  considerable 
discussion  about  the  proper  age  for 
seeking  commitment  of  our  children. 
Some  feel  the  past  emphasis  on  the 
junior  age,  with  the  tendency  to- 
ward even  earlier  decisions,  is  not 
altogether  wholesome  and  that  we 
should  make  our  major  effort  at  the 
junior  high  level.  There  are  argu- 
ments on  both  sides  of  this  question, 
and  we  need  to  re-examine  our  deep 
conviction  about  "believer's  baptism" 
as  we  seek  a  wise  decision  on  this 
issue. 

I  believe  that  local  churches 
should  give  careful  consideration 
to  the  doctrine  of  baptism  and  the 
age  of  commitment  as  these  relate 
to  the  initial  decision  our  children 
make  about  Christian  discipleship. 
We  cannot  wait  until  all  agree  on 


the  right  age.  Each  church  should 
develop  specific  plans  for  the  en- 
listment of  children  in  the  light  of 
the  best  judgment  it  can  make.  But 
I  should  hope  we  will  always  leave 
room  for  the  work  of  Christ  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  mysteries  of  con- 
version. —  S.  Loren  Bowman. 

Our  great  emphases  recently  have 
been  stewardship  and  evangelism. 
When  will  Christian  education  again 
be  emphasized? 

There  is  a  sense  in  which  the 
emphases  on  stewardship  and  evan- 
gelism have  included  aspects  of 
Christian  education.  This  is  true  also 
of  the  current  emphasis  on  disciple- 
ship since  education  for  discipleship 
is  certainly  a  major  purpose  of  Chris- 
tian education. 

The  emphasis  adopted  by  Annual 
Conference  for  1960-62  on  Leader- 
ship Development  and  Recruitment 
is  a  major  concern  of  Christian  edu- 
cation. The  securing  and  training  of 
workers  with  all  age  groups  and  in 
the  general  tasks  of  the  church  is,  of 
course,  a  basic  aspect  of  the  program 
of  Christian  education.  While  the 
leadership  emphasis  will  be  wider 
than  this  and  include  all  areas  of 
church  leadership  and  vocation,  it 
should  provide  a  real  boost  to  our 
Christian  education  interests. 

Members  of  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board  and  the  Brotherhood  staff 
would  welcome  suggestions  for  the 
emphases  in  1962-63  and  beyond.  — 
Norman  }.  Baugher. 


Obituaries 

Baker,  Susie  B.,  daughter  of  Adam 
and  Catharine  Brumbaugh  Baker,  was 
born  Nov.  12,  1875,  in  Snake  Spring 
Valley,  Pa.,  and  died  Dec.  23,  1959. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Martinsburg 
Memorial  church.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  in  the  Miller  funeral 
home.  Interment  was  in  the  Brum- 
baugh cemetery.  —  Mrs.  C.  O.  Beery, 
Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Miller,  Susan  Renee,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  M.  Miller,  Jr.,  was 
born  Nov.  6,  1959,  and  died  at  Madi- 


FEBRUARY  13,  1960 


25 


Devotions 
lor 
UUomen 

at  Home 


U 


DEVOTIONS 

FOR  WOMEN 
AT  HOME 

MARTHA  MEISTER  KIELY 

115  brief  devotions  to  help 
housewives  keep  a  Christian 
perspective  on  life  —  to  keep 
daily  aware  of  higher  spiritual 
horizons.  Centering  the  devo- 
tions around  familiar  objects 
found  in  the  home  —  a  house 
plant,  a  thermostat,  an  empty 
chair  —  Mrs.  Kiely  then  draws 
the  spiritual  truths  which  these 
objects  suggest.  Each  devotion 
is  complete  with  a  scripture 
text,  the  meditation,  and  a 
prayer.  $1.75 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (•).  —  Editor. 


son,  N.  J.,  Dec.  22,  1959.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  parents,  a  brother,  the  pa- 
ternal and  maternal  grandparents,  and 
three  great-grandmothers.  A  private 
funeral  service  was  held  from  the  Boyer 
funeral  home  by  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Mount  Tunnel  ceme- 
tery. —  Nevin  H.  Zuck,  Elizabethtown, 
Pa. 

Mumaw,  Floyd,  son  of  Frederick  and 
Elizabeth  Esbenshade  Mumaw,  was 
born  in  Ashland,  Ohio,  April  18,  1886, 
and  died  Nov.  28,  1959.  On  May  14, 
1908,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  Rebecca 
Sample,  who  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Ash- 
land City  church.  Surviving  are  one 
daughter,  one  son,  a  stepdaughter,  four 
brothers,  three  sisters,  and  seven  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
Continued  on  page  28 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Waging  Peace.  William  Brass 
Lloyd.  Public  Affairs  Press,  Wash- 
ington D.C.,  1958.  101  pages.  $2.50. 

The  fierce  independence  of  moun- 
tain people  is  well  known.  However, 
in  all  history  there  are  not  many  ex- 
amples of  a  people  such  as  the  Swiss 
who  have  been  willing  to  compro- 
mise their  individual  liberties  in 
order  to  establish  political  forms  and 
practices  which  would  preserve  their 
collective  interests.  The  book  by  Mr. 
Lloyd  presents  a  part  of  this  story 
and  attempts  to  draw  conclusions 
which  may  be  considered  lessons  for 
our  day.  In  his  own  words  he  de- 
fines his  objective  as  an  outline  of 
the  "history  of  internal  conciliation 
and  mediation  in  the  Swiss  confed- 
eration" with  the  hope  that  "the  his- 
tory of  this  experience  would  speak 
to  the  condition  of  the  present  con- 
tentious world  of  sovereign  states." 

The  author,  therefore,  omits  many 
of  the  details  of  the  rise  of  Swiss 
federalism,  much  of  the  story  of 
negotiation  and  arbitration  and  lim- 
its himself  to  the  record  of  concil- 
iation, mediation,  and  neutrality. 
Obviously,  even  with  this  limitation 
the  historical  record  is  incomplete. 
Therefore,  while  the  reader  may 
learn  many  facts  concerning  the 
Swiss  experience,  a  concise  and  clear 
understanding  of  the  development  is 
not  easy  to  obtain  from  his  presenta- 
tion. He  frequently  resorts  to  gen- 
eralizations such  as  "although  the 
major  pacts  were  first  and  foremost 
agreements  to  provide  mutual  mili- 
tary assistance  in  case  of  need, 
nevertheless  these  obligations  were 
limited  by  the  phrasing  of  each  par- 
ticular pact  in  the  case  of  each 
particular  canton."  Such  statements 
are  probably  correct,  but  the  reader 
would  be  interested  more  if  the 
author  would  show  explicitly  how 
the  principle  of  neutrality  arose 
from  the  development  of  such  agree- 
ments. In  fact,  the  whole  chapter 
entitled  Neutrality  on  Trial  seems  to 
lack  discrimination  in  the  selection 
and  use  of  material. 

Occasionally  the  author  resorts  to 
generalizations  which  even  with  a 
liberal  interpretation  can  hardly  be 
supported  by  the  conditions  at  the 
time.  Thus,  for  example,  on  page 
45  he  states,  "National  states  had 
not  yet  consolidated  and  cities  had 
important  and  direct  relations  with 


others.  When  a  city  anywhere  in 
Europe  changed  from  Catholic  to 
Protestant  it  was  a  matter  of  con- 
cern to  cities  in  all  other  parts  of 
the  continent."  Such  a  statement,  it 
seems,  indicates  an  inadequate  and 
inaccurate  knowledge  of  conditions 
at  the  time.  There  was,  it  must  be 
conceded,  some  truth  if  the  state- 
ment was  applied  to  Germany  and 
possibly  the  Low  Countries.  But 
France  during  the  first  half  of  the 
16th  century  had  certainly  achieved 
some  degree  of  national  unity  and 
had  developed  national  institutions, 
such  as  the  Estates  and  the  crown, 
even  though  the  civil  wars  of  the 
last  half  of  the  century  seriously 
threatened  their  continuation.  As  for 
Spain  and  England,  national  unity 
was  even  more  fully  developed.  Cer- 
tainly neither  Charles  VI  of  Spain 
or  Henry  VIII  of  England  would 
have  tolerated  religious  deviationism 
without  oppressive  action;  and  cities 
elsewhere  could  take  notice,  but  the 
end  result  would  have  been  the  same. 

These  illustrations  indicate  the 
difficulty  anyone  experiences  without 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  history 
of  a  period  or  country  in  attempting 
to  draw  out  those  materials  which 
would  support  or  show  the  develop- 
ment of  a  particular  policy  or  method 
which  he  may  find  of  particular  in- 
terest. It  seems  therefore  that  for  a 
study  such  as  is  here  presented  an 
intimate  knowledge  of  developments 
and  relationships  within  the  larger 
setting  of  European  history  would 
be  required  in  order  to  perform  this 
task  adequately. 

With  regard  to  the  application  of 
the  lessons  so  learned  the  problem 
is  difficult.  Granted  then  that  his 
conclusions  are  correct  how  can  the 
ideas  become  a  part  of  the  materials 
utilized  in  the  larger  arena  of  world 
relationships?  The  prestige  of  his- 
tory means  little.  The  question  is, 
Will  these  ideas  "speak  to  the  con- 
dition" of  the  practical  politician? 
Here  it  seems  is  the  real  value  of  the 
book.  If  a  knowledge  of  methods 
and  principles  is  available  to  the 
man  of  affairs,  it  would  seem  that 
when  problems  arise  similar  to  those 
experienced  by  the  Swiss,  some  of 
these  methods  and  principles  might 
once  more  be  utilized  in  the  effective 
solution  of  human  problems.  —  Eldon 
Burke,  Walkerton,  Ind. 


The  Fear  of  God.  Fred  Berthold, 
Jr.,  Harpers,  1959.  157  pages.  $3.00. 

This  book  reckons  with  the  dark 
side  of  human  nature  as  realistically 
as  do  St.  Paul,  Augustine,  Calvin, 
and  Niebuhr.  But  it  is  also  a  realis- 
tic treatment  of  the  ineradicable 
image  of  God  in  man.  The  author 
uses  well  the  Augustinian  theme, 
"Thou  hast  made  us  for  thyself  and 
our  hearts  are  restless  until  they  re- 
pose in  thee."  The  deepest  anxiety  is 
the  sign  of  sincere  longing  and  the 
bitterest  estrangement  is  a  token  of 
belonging.  This  is  a  real  contribution 
to  and  corrective  of  the  role  of 
anxiety  in  contemporary  thought.  — 
WiUiam  M.  Beahm,  Chicago,  III. 

Religious  Themes  in  Flower 
Arrangement.  Ruth  E.  Mullins. 
Hearthside  Press,  1959.  122  pages. 
$5.95. 

This  is  one  of  many  books  on  flo- 
ral arrangements.  It  assumes  knowl- 
edge of  the  basics  in  design  and  of 
the  mechanics  of  plant  and  floral 
arrangements.  A  brief  section  on  ar- 
rangements for  churches  is  helpful 
but  too  limited  in  scope. 

Some  of  the  symbolic  arrange- 
ments suggested  for  the  home  furnish 
ideas  for  arrangements  for  churches. 
Other  arrangements  shown  depend 
upon  figurines  or  pictures  to  make 
them  "religious,"  a  technique  which 
this  reviewer  questions. 

Perhaps  the  most  helpful  section 
of  the  book  is  that  on  the  Christian 
symbolism  of  plants,  flowers,  fruits, 
colors,  design,  and  many  articles. 
The  beginning  arranger  should  be 
careful,  however,  to  use  restraint  in 
employing  symbolism,  keeping  in 
mind  the  interests  and  tastes  of  the 
viewers.  —  Grace  Hollinger. 

Sermons  on  Simon  Peter.  Clovis 
G.  Chappell.  Abingdon,  1959.  128 
pages.    $2.00. 

With  his  usual  unique  ability  for 
Biblical  preaching,  Clovis  Chappell 
here  presents  twelve  sermons  on  Si- 
mon Peter,  which  reveal  the  marvel- 
ous transformation  and  development 
of  his  character  under  the  impact  of 
Jesus  upon  his  life.  We  see  him 
blossom  into  the  man  who  becomes 
the  rocklike  leader  of  the  growing 
young  church.  Here  is  superb  im- 
aginative preaching.  —  Charles  E. 
Zunkel,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

How  to  Think  Creatively.  Eliot  D. 
Hutchison.  Abingdon,  1956.  237 
pages.    $1.25. 

This  is  a  study  of  the  process  of 
creative  thought  as  seen  in  the  ex- 
periences of  contemporary  writers 
and  thinkers.    Interviews,   question- 


naires, letters,  and  comments  were 
obtained  from  250  of  the  most  con- 
temporary thinkers  in  America  and 
England  —  from  all  professions.  It 
gives  insights  as  to  their  character- 
istics, their  mental  habits,  and  their 
knowledge  and  experiences  in  their 
various  fields.  As  the  author  states, 
".  .  .  .  in  no  way  do  I  undertake  to 
explain  creative  ability.  No  one 
knows  at  present  how  integrations  of 
thought  take  place  in  the  mind,  or 
upon  just  what  principles  of  nervous 
action  they  ultimately  depend."  — 
Glee  Yoder,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

°  Introduction  to  Group  Dynam- 
ics. Malcolm  S.  Knowles.  Associa- 
tion Press,  1959.    95  pages.    $2.50. 

The  title  states  that  the  book  is  an 
introduction  to  group  dynamics  and 
it  is.  However,  the  authors  pack  a 
lot  into  their  discussion  and  it  would 
really  be  better  if  the  book  were 
lengthened  so  that  different  subjects 
could  be  dealt  with  more  completely. 
Some  of  the  chapter  headings  are 
What  Is  Group  Dynamics?  Under- 
standing Individual  Behavior,  Un- 
derstanding Group  Behavior,  and 
Practical  Applications. 

In  reading  the  descriptions  of 
what  group  dynamics  is  and  is  not, 
one  very  apt  description  is  that  group 
dynamics  is  "something  that  is  hap- 
pening in  all  groups  at  all  times, 
whether  anyone  is  aware  of  it  or 
not."  Since  Brethren  do  so  much  by 
meeting  in  groups,  an  understanding 
of  how  a  group  works  would  be  of 
profit  to  all.  —  Glennis  Parks,  Elgin, 
III. 

*  Ancient  Judaism  and  the  New 
Testament.  Frederick  C.  Grant. 
Macmillan,  1959.   155  pages.   $3.50. 

This  is  an  extremely  valuable 
study,  the  fruitage  of  long  years  of 
study  and  reflection  by  one  of  Amer- 
ica's foremost  New  Testament  schol- 
ars. Its  aim  is  to  show  the  relations 
between  the  New  Testament  and 
ancient  Judaism  and  to  bring  to  bear 
the  best  of  Biblical  scholarship  on 
the  task  of  correcting  the  distortions 
caused  by  centuries  of  anti-Semitic 
prejudice  and  misunderstanding. 
While  doing  this,  Dr.  Grant  is  not 
blind  to  the  unique  and  distinctive 
features  of  Christianity  and  is  quick 
to  point  out  the  true  genius  of  our 
faith. 

In  the  course  of  his  presenta- 
tion, the  author  deals  with  the  his- 
tory of  misunderstanding  of  Judaism 
and  then  surveys  carefully  the  an- 
cient Jewish  world  of  thought  and 
culture:  the  synagogue,  Jewish  "the- 
ology," the  messianic  hope,  and 
apocalyptic  writing.  Then  he  con- 
siders Jesus  in  his  Galilean  setting, 


DOROTHY  HEIDERSTADT 

These  twelve  biographies  of 
religious  leaders  (including 
Wycliffe,  Tyndale,  Coverdale, 
Luther,  Judson  and  the  Bing- 
hams),  who  translated  the  Bi- 
ble into  the  language  of  the 
people,  show  how  the  Scrip- 
tures came  to  the  English,  the 
Germans,  Algonquian  Indians, 
Burmese,  Chinese,  South  Af- 
ricans, the  Eskimos  of  Green- 
land, the  people  of  India,  and 
many  other  diverse  national- 
ities.  Ages  10  to  14.         $2.95 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


studies  his  gospel  of  the  kingdom, 
and  takes  a  careful  look  at  the 
church's  heritage  from  Judaism,  with 
a  closing  chapter  on  present  outiook. 
Certainly  every  minister  and  in- 
formed layman  will  profit  greatly 
from  this  book.  —  Chalmer  E.  Faw, 
Chicago,  III. 

Values  in  the  Church  Year.  Wil- 
liam F.  Dunkle,  Jr.  Abingdon,  1959. 
144  pages.    $2.50. 

Who  is  the  Brethren  minister  that 
has  not  on  some  Monday  wondered 
what  he  would  preach  about  next 
Sunday?  Or  who  is  the  minister  that 
has  not  desired  to  add  balance  to  his 
preaching  and  be  able  to  plan  for 


FEBRUARY  13,  1960 


27 


Looking 
Toward 
Christian 
Marriage 

DONALD  M.  MAYNARD 

Am  I  ready  for  marriage  Do 
religious  differences  matter  if  we 
really  love  each  other?  How  soon 
should  we  plan  to  have  children? 
How  will  we  ever  stretch  our  in- 
come to  cover  everything  we 
want?  What  if  I  don't  get  mar- 
ried? 

These  are  typical  questions  Dr. 
Maynard  discusses  in  this  com- 
prehensive survey  of  Christian 
marriage  —  a  survey  that  extends 
from  the  first  thoughts  of  mar- 
riage through  the  early  years  of 
married  life.  Those  who  are 
thinking  about  marriage,  those 
who  are  engaged,  and  those  who 
have  recently  been  married,  will 
find  this  a  helpful  and  practical 
handbook  on  Christian  marriage. 
Paper,  $1.50 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


even  a  year  of  preaching  ahead  of 
time?  The  author  writing  from 
preaching  planning  experience  con- 
vincingly points  out  how  the  church 
year  is  a  natural  for  sermon  planning, 
offering  freedom  and  flexibility  with- 
out slavery  to  the  church  year.  Music 
leaders  who  see  value  in  having 
hymns  and  responses  fit  in  with  ser- 
mon topics  and  scriptures  could  do 
well  to  have  a  copy  of  this  book 
handy.    Lastly,  while  most  Brethren 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


ministers  will  find  it  new  to  use  a 
lectionary,  a  strong  case  for  attempt- 
ing to  preach  the  whole  Bible  would 
seemingly  result  from  the  advocated 
use  of  a  lectionary.  It  would  be  pos- 
sible for  a  Bible-reading,  well-nur- 
tured membership  to  develop  if  every 
Brethren  minister  would  use  this  book 
to  stimulate  him  in  his  preaching  and 
planning.  This  is  a  "tool"  that  no 
minister  should  be  without.  —  Clyde 
L.  Carter,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Herod  the 
Great.  Stewart  Perowne.  Abingdon, 
1959.    188  pages.    $5.50. 

This  book  is  a  fascinating  one 
about  one  of  the  most  glittering 
figures  of  history.  Stewart  Perowne, 
a  long-time  student  of  the  Herods 
and  resident  of  Palestine,  has  packed 
an  amazing  amount  of  historical  de- 
tail into  this  great  biography.  Here 
the  shadowy  figure  of  Herod  the 
Great  comes  to  life  as  he  is  portrayed 
in  his  dramatic  relationships  to  An- 
tony and  Cleopatra,  to  the  Emperor 
Augustus  and  his  family,  and  to  the 
Jewish  people,  who  really  never  un- 
derstood him. 

Specialist,  minister,  and  layman 
alike,  who  desire  New  Testament 
times  to  come  alive,  will  find  their 
sympathy  stirred  and  their  knowl- 
edge broadened  by  this,  one  of  the 
few  books  that  give  Herod  the 
Great  his  due.  —  David  J.  Wieand, 
Chicago,  III. 

From  Plato  to  Nietzsche.    E.   L. 

Allen.  Association  Press,  1959.  254 
pages.    $3.75. 

Brethren  have  often  been  proud 
of  their  theological  and  philosophical 
illiteracy.  Increasingly  there  is  a 
change  in  attitude  with  recognition 
that  deeds  and  life  are  dependent 
upon  ideas  and  beliefs.  This  small 
volume  presents  a  real  opportunity 
to  become  acquainted  with  ten 
giants  of  the  philosophical-religious 
thought  of  the  West.  Choosing  Au- 
gustine, Aquinas,  and  Luther  as  well 
as  Plato,  Descartes,  and  Kant  the 
author  excludes  neither  the  Judeo- 
Christian  nor  the  Greek  strands  of 
our  heritage  as  is  so  often  the  case. 

Dr.  Allen  writes  simply,  clearly, 
and  fairly.  The  book  is  what  it 
claims:  a  beginner's  guide  to  the 
great  ideas  that  have  shaped  our 
lives.  However,  the  reader  who  is 
perusing  this  material  for  the  first 
time  will  have  difficulty  with  some 
passages.  The  reader  is  asked  to  pass 
over  these  and  return  to  them  later 
for  additional  study.  The  author's 
transitional  passages  are  well  done 
as  he  passes  from  one  man  to  an- 


other; for  he  treats  other  thinkers, 
religious  and  philosophical  move- 
ments, and  political  and  social  con- 
ditions. This  volume  is  a  worthy 
addition  to  a  series  which  purports 
to  be  life  enrichment.  —  Dale  W. 
Brown,  McPherson,  Kansas. 


Obituaries 

Continued  from  page  26 

at  the  Gilbert's  funeral  home  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  in  the  Ash- 
land cemetery.  —  J.  Perry  Prather,  Ash- 
land. Ohio. 

Neff,  William  R.,  son  of  Charles  and 
Annie  E.  Stratton  Neff,  was  born  in  Ray 
County,  Mo.,  July  12,  1892,  and  died  at 
Hardin,  Mo.,  Dec.  22,  1959.  He  joined 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  early  life 
and  served  as  a  deacon  for  many  years. 
On  Oct.  29,  1913,  he  was  married  to 
Lula  V.  Falls,  who  preceded  him  in 
death.  Surviving  are  one  daughter,  one 
son,  two  grandsons,  and  two  brothers. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  in 
the  Wakenda  church,  Mo.,  by  the  un- 
dersigned. Interment  was  in  the  Wa- 
kenda cemetery.  —  Harold  G.  Correll, 
Hardin,  Mo. 

Neher,  James  E.,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Michael  Neher,  was  born  at  Virden,  111., 
Oct.  15,  1874,  and  died  at  Pomona, 
Calif.,  Sept.  26,  1959.  He  was  married 
to  Cora  Wineland  in  1898.  Surviving 
are  his  wife  and  seven  children.  He 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  since  boyhood.  Interment 
was  in  the  Pomona  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Arthur  C.  Keim,  Pomona,  Calif. 

Newland,  Susie  L.,  was  born  at 
Greene,  Iowa,  Sept.  21,  1886,  and  died 
at  Pomona,  Calif.,  Nov.  3,  1959.  She 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Lee  R.  New- 
land.  She  was  a  very  active  member  of 
the  Pomona  church.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  one  son,  and  three  daughters. 
Interment  was  made  in  the  Pomona 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Arthur  C.  Keim,  Po- 
mona, Calif. 

Nihart,  Julia  Ann,  daughter  of  Fran- 
cis Marion  and  Melvina  Wise  Nihart, 
was  born  in  Middlebury,  Ind.,  and  died 
at  Clovis,  N.  Mex.,  Dec.  4,  1959.  Sur- 
viving are  her  father,  one  brother,  and 
one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  the  undersigned  in  the 
Methodist  church.  Interment  was  in 
the  Lake  Arthur  cemetery.  —  L.  M. 
Baldwin,  Clovis,  N.  Mex. 

Nusbaum,  Frank  Henry,  was  born 
May  13,  1879,  and  died  in  Middlebury, 
Ind.,  Nov.  26,  1959.  In  1900,  he  was 
married  to  Ciara  Karch,  who  died  in 
1944.  In  1947,  he  was  married  to  Or- 
pha  Ulery  Mishler.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Middlebury  church  and 
also  a  deacon.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
two  daughters,  two  sons,  sixteen  grand- 
children, and  a  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Middlebury 
church  by  Bro.  Richard  Burger.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Forest  Grove  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Adam  Kwilinski,  Middle- 
bury, Ind. 

Reese.  Clayton  W.,  son  of  Hiram  and 
Ella  Reed  Reese,  was  born  at  Mercers- 
burg,  Pa.,  March  25,  1889,  and  died  at 
Baltimore,  Md.,  May  8,  1959.  He  was 
married  to  Ida  Rock  on  Aug.  12,  1909. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  First  church, 


Baltimore.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
a  sister,  four  children,  five  grandchil- 
dren, and  one  great-grandchild.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  in  the 
Rest  Haven  cemetery.  —  David  J.  Mar- 
key,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Ryder,  Elmer  R.,  son  of  Emmert  and 
EfEe  Smith  Ryder,  was  born  near  Le- 
masters,  Pa.,  April  30,  1894,  and  died 
Dec.  9,  1959.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Brandts  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  his 
wife,  Stella  S.  Meyers  Ryder,  four 
daughters,  and  two  sons.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Upton  church 
by  Brethren  Samuel  Hawbaker  and 
Charles  Martin.  Interment  was  in  the 
cemetery  adjoining  the  church.  —  Mrs. 
Milton  H.  Baldner,  Thomas,  Pa. 

Senger,  Ray  W.,  son  of  David  B.  and 
Susan  A.  Buck  Senger,  was  born  June 
1,  1881,  at  Franklin  Grove,  III,  and  died 
Aug.  7,  1959.  He  was  a  long-time 
member  oi  the  church  and  came  to  El- 
gin when  a  young  man  to  join  the  Pub- 
lishing House  staff.  He  served  forty- 
three  years  as  foreman  of  the  typeset- 
ting room  and  pressroom.  On  Aug.  11, 
1912,  he  was  married  to  Ada  J.  Wey- 
bright,  who  preceded  him  in  death. 
Surviving  are  one  son,  three  grandchil- 
dren, one  brother,  and  two  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  at  Nor- 
ris-Reber  funeral  home  by  Bro.  Glenn 
W.  McFadden.  Interment  was  in  the 
Bluff  City  cemetery.  —  Don  Senger, 
Dundee,  111. 

Shaw,  Walter,  died  Dec.  21,  1959, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Vivian,  two 
sons,  one  daughter,  and  nine  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Dusthimer  funeral  home  by  Rev. 
Glenn  Cornell  and  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Danville  church 
cemetery.  —  W.  H.  Loucks,  Danville, 
Ohio. 

Shearer,  Samuel  S.,  was  born  Nov.  29, 
1874,  and  died  Dec.  2,  1959.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Wolgemuth 
in  May  1898.  He  was  elected  to  the 
ministry  in  September  1902,  and  ad- 
vanced to  the  second  degree  in  Sep- 
tember 1905.  He  served  the  West 
Greentree  church  as  clerk  from  1902- 
1934.  He  also  served  as  elder  in  charge 
for  nine  years.  In  1952,  the  local  church 
honored  Brother  and  Sister  Shearer  for 
fifty  years  of  service  in  the  ministry. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  Mary,  two  chil- 
dren, six  grandchildren,  and  nine  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Rheems  chinch  by  the 
home  ministers.  Interment  was  in  the 
West  Greentree  cemetery.  —  Ruth 
Brownsbeger,  Mt.  Joy,  Pa. 

Shelly,  M.  Havice,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Sarah  Snowberger  Shelly,  was  born  at 
Shellytown,  Pa.,  Sept.  5,  1890,  and  died 
Dec.  16,  1959.  He  was  married  to  Ethel 
Rhule  on  April  25,  1917.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Williamsburg  church, 
Pa.,  serving  as  treasurer  and  as  a  teacher 
in  the  church  school.  Surviving  are  his 
wife,  one  son,  one  grandchild,  one  sister, 
and  four  brothers.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  in  the  Williamsburg 
church  by  Bro.  Glen  Norris,  assisted 
by  Bro.  Paul  R.  Yoder.  Interment  was 
in  the  Presbyterian  cemetery.  —  Eliza- 
beth Sollenberger,  Williamsburg,  Pa. 

Shock,  Emerson,  son  of  Harvey  and 
Bertha  Shock,  was  born  in  Montgomery 


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SERIES  TWO 

$30,000.  TO  FINISH  CHURCH  BUILDING 


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Coupons  payable  semi-annually  at  any  bank. 

For  information  write: 

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729  LaFontaine  Ave.,  Wabash,  Indiana 


County,  Ohio,  Dec.  24,  1912,  and  died 
at  New  Lebanon,  Ohio,  Dec.  18,  1959. 
In  1940,  he  was  married  to  Edna  Coy. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Bear  Creek 
church,  Ohio.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife  and  one  brother.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  at  the  Bear  Creek  church,  con- 
ducted by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  Eversole  cemetery.  — 
George  W.  Phillips,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Showe,  Earl  P.,  son  of  George  and 
Florence  Wolfe  Showe,  was  born  in 
Tilghmanton,  Md.,  and  died  at  Fairplay, 
Md.,  Oct.  22,  1959,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-three years.  He  had  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Manor  church,  Md.,  since 
1946.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Bes- 
sie Kaylor  Showe,  one  sister,  and  one 
brother.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted at  the  Manor  church  by  Breth- 
ren J.  Rowland  Reichard  and  Charles 
W.  Green.  Interment  was  in  the  Manor 
cemetery.  —  Naomi  H.  Coffman,  Ha- 
gerstown,  Md. 

Stem,  Emma,  died  Sept.  6,  1959,  at 
the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  She  was 
the  oldest  member  of  the  Coventry 
church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by  one  sis- 
ter, one  son,  and  two  daughters.  Inter- 
ment was  made  in  the  Shenkel  ceme- 
tery. —  D.  Howard  Keiper,  Pottstown, 
Pa. 

Stultz,  Harry  C,  son  of  William  A. 
and  Ann  Williams  Stultz,  was  born  near 
Uniontown,  Md.,  Nov.  26,  1866,  and 
died  Dec.  21,  1959.  On  Jan.  16,  1896, 
he  was  married  to  Minnie  Campbell. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  First  church, 
Baltimore.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  seven 
children,  eight  grandchildren,  and  elev- 
en great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  Christ 
Reformed  cemetery,  Middletown,  Md. 
—  David  J.  Markey,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Swigart,  Ollie,  daughter  of  Lewis  and 
Roseanna  Swigart,  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ohio,  April  17,  1880, 
and  died  Sept.  24,  1959.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Bear  Creek  church, 
Ohio.  The  funeral  service  was  conduct- 
ed at  the  Dunkle  funeral  home  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  in  the 
Fairview  cemetery.  —  George  W.  Phil- 
lips, Dayton,  Ohio. 

Trostle,  Minerva,  died  Oct.  30,  1959, 
at  Neffsville,   Pa.    She  was  a  member 


of  the  Upper  Conewago  church,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  one  sister.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  the  Emig  fu- 
neral home,  with  Bro.  George  W.  Hull 
officiating.  Interment  was  in  the  Mum- 
merts  meetinghouse  cemetery.  —  Fran- 
ces E.  Shaffer,  East  Berlin,  Pa. 

Weaver,  Charles  E.,  was  born  June 
25,  1882,  and  died  Nov.  17,  1959.  He 
was  a  member  of  Upper  Conewago 
church,  Pa.,  and  served  as  a  deacon  for 
many  years.  His  first  wife,  the  former 
Mary  Shultz,  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  is  survived  by  his  second  wife,  Cora 
Lehigh,  four  children,  and  a  number  of 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Latimore  meetinghouse, 
with  Brethren  George  W.  Hull  and 
Bruce  Anderson  officiating.  Interment 
was  in  the  Friends  Grove  cemetery.  — 
Frances    E.    Shaffer,    East    Berlin,    Pa. 

Wedow,  Kittie,  daughter  of  Chaun- 
cey  and  Henrietta  Green,  was  born 
March  19,  1876,  in  Oakland  County, 
Mich.,  and  died  Dec.  7,  1959,  at  Pon- 
tiac,  Mich.  On  Jan.  19,  1898,  she  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Edward  J.  Ev- 
erett, who  preceded  her  in  death  in 
1942.  On  May  20,  1944,  she  was  united 
in  marriage  to  John  Wedow,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  united  with 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  1934. 
Surviving  are  one  son,  one  daughter, 
and  one  grandson.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  at  the  Pixley  funeral 
home  by  the  undersigned,  assisted  by 
Bro.  James  DeVault.  Interment  was  in 
the  Rochester  cemetery.  —  LeRoy  Shaf- 
er,  Pontiac,  Mich. 

Whitlow,  Luther  H.,  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Whitlow,  was  born  at  Bea- 
trice, Calif.,  Nov.  5,  1884,  and  died  at 
Pomona,  Calif.,  March  14,  1959.  He 
was  married  to  Sarah  Colyer  on  Oct. 
5,  1910.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  two 
sons,  a  daughter,  and  ten  grandchildren. 
Interment  was  in  the  Pomona  mauso- 
leum. —  Mrs.  Arthur  C.  Keim,  Pomona, 
Calif. 

Workman,  Ida  M.,  died  Dec.  18, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Damille 
church,    Ohio.     Her    husband,    Walter 


FEBRUARY  13,  1960 


29 


North  Manchester,  Indiana 

For  COMFORT  that  is 

posture   correct, 

for  QUALITY  that  is 

established, 

and  time  enduring  BEAUTY 

in  CHURCH  SEATING  and 

CHANCEL  FURNITURE.    - 

Write  or  phone  199 

North  Manchester,  Indiana, 

for  complete  suggestions 


Workman,  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
is  survived  by  two  sons,  two  daughters, 
and  five  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Danville  church 
by  the  undersigned.  Interment  was  in 
the  church  cemetery.  —  W.  H.  Loucks, 
Danville,  Ohio. 

Workman,  Mae  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Israel  and  Elizabeth  Rice,  died  Dec. 
30,  1959,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
She  was  married  to  C.  Jay  Workman 
on  Feb.  2,  1900.  She  was  baptized  into 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  1902. 
She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  one 
son,  one  daughter,  three  grandchildren, 
and  two  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  in  the  Danville 
church  by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  church  cemetery.  —  W.  H. 
Loucks,  Danville,  Ohio. 

Yarger,  Myrtle  Gotschall,  was  born 
Dec.  3,  1902,  and  died  Dec.  6,  1959. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Marion 
church,  Ind.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  James  A.  Yarger,  one  daugh- 
ter, and  four  grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  at  the 
Marion  church  by  Brethren  T.  G.  Weav- 
er and  Willis  Stehman.  Interment  was 
in  the  I.O.O.F.  cemetery.  —  Margaret 
Brubaker,  Fairmount,  Ind. 

Zimmerman,  Anna,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Daniel  Sell,  died  Dec.  31, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
Surviving  are  her  husband,  J.  L.  Zim- 
merman, and  five  children.   The  funeral 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


service  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Marvin 
Thill.  -  Mrs.  Rex  Cook,  Plattsburg,  Mo. 


Church  News 

Southern  Pennsylvania 

Upper  Conewago  —  Brethren  M.  C. 
Valentine  and  Harold  Jones  were  pres- 
ent for  our  love  feast.  At  our  Bible 
peace  conference  Brethren  Lester  E. 
Fike,  J.  L.  Miller  and  W.  Hartman 
Rice  were  the  speakers.  Bro.  Russell 
Martin  of  Welsh  Run,  Pa.,  was  with  us 
for  our  Thanksgiving  service  at  the 
East  Berlin  church.  Bro.  Ralph  E. 
Schildt  was  ordained  to  the  eldership 
in  the  Upper  Conewago  congregation. 
On  April  4-17,  we  expect  to  have  Bro. 
John  M.  Geary  with  us  for  our  evange- 
listic meetings  at  the  East  Berlin 
house.  —  Frances  Shaffer,  East  Berlin, 
Pa. 

York,  Second  -  Bro.  Wilbur  W.  Gib- 
ble  served  as  our  summer  pastor.  Re- 
cent guest  speakers  have  been  Roy 
Forney,  Robert  Young,  Dr.  Roy 
Pfaltzgraff,  and  Lester  Markey.  Our 
evangelistic  campaign  was  conducted 
by  Bro.  Earl  H.  Kurtz.  Our  church 
was  host  to  the  school  of  Christian 
education  in  this  area.  Bro.  Richard 
Grim  officiated  at  our  love  feast.  The 
young  people  conducted  the  Thanks- 
giving service.  The  children  of  the 
Carlisle  home  worshiped  with  us  on 
two  occasions  since  October  1.  A  depu- 
tation team  from  Elizabethtown  Col- 
lege had  charge  of  the  services  on 
Dec.  13.  Christmas  programs  were  giv- 
en by  various  groups  of  the  Sunday 
school.  The  cantata,  The  Carol  of 
the  Bells,  was  presented  by  the  senior 
choir.  Three  babies  were  consecrated 
by  the  pastor  on  Dec.  27.  Bro.  Elmer 
Q.  Gleim,  a  teacher  in  our  city  school 
system,  was  elected  pastor  of  our 
church,  serving  on  a  part-time  basis.  — 
Katherine  E.  Myers,  York,  Pa. 

Florida,  Georgia,  and  Puerto  Rico 

Miami,  Community  —  On  Nov.  29  we 
held  a  dedication  service  for  our  new 
organ.  It  was  presented  to  the  church 
by  our  pastor  and  his  wife,  Brother 
and  Sister  Longanecker,  as  a  memorial 
to  their  son.  The  southwest  church 
joined  in  fellowship  with  the  northwest 
church  for  Thanksgiving  services.  The 
children  of  our  church  presented  a 
Christmas  program.  We  had  a  fellow- 
ship supper  for  our  district.  We  shall 
have  our  charter  day  on  Feb.  21.  —  Mrs. 
Donald  Fries,  Miami,  Fla. 

Flower  Hill  -  Bro.  Robert  L.  Strick- 
ler  became  our  pastor,  Sept.  1.  Twen- 
ty-three have  been  baptized  and  nine 
received  by  letter  during  the  last  six 
months.  A  junior  choir  has  been  started 
under  the  direction  of  our  pastor.  The 
choir  went  caroling  and  visited  many 
old  folks  and  shut-ins.  Clifford  Nathia, 
a  Navajo  Indian,  spoke  at  one  of  our 
evening  meetings.  The  offering  was 
given  for  the  Navajo  mission  work. 
The  junior  highs  entertained  their  par- 
ents at  a  covered  dish  supper  after 
which  the  parents  saw  a  film  called 
Do  You  Know  Your  Adolescents?  The 
men  are  working  on  the  old  part  of 
the  church,  converting  it  into  Sunday 
school  rooms.  —  Ethel  F.  Embrey,  Der- 
wood,  Md. 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program,  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  437.  Wanted:  Full-time  occu- 
pational therapy  director  for  mental 
hospital.  Should  have  training  in  this 
area.  Will  work  under  psychiatric  super- 
vision. A  church  sponsored  38-bed  hos- 
pital. Contact:  Mr.  D.  C.  Kauffman, 
Brook  Lane  Farm  Hospital,  R.  5, 
Hagerstown,  Md. 

No.  438.  The  Zion  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Prescott,  Mich.,  is  interested 
in  helping  Brethren  families  relocate  in 
their  area.  Some  farms  are  now  avail- 
able for  sale  and  others  may  be  rented. 
For  further  information  contact  Mr. 
Edwin  Miller,  R.  1,  Box  277,  Prescott, 
Mich. 


Blue  Ridge  — At  the  fall  council  of- 
ficers were  elected  for  the  new  church 
year.  A  family  night  supper  and  pro- 
gram in  November  was  the  first  of  a 
series  planned  for  every  month  during 
the  coming  year  for  church  fellowship 
and  inspiring  family  worship.  We  had 
the  Christmas  Sunday  school  program 
at  the  morning  worship  hour  on  Dec. 
20.  —  Mrs.  James  Gaver,  Waynesboro, 
Pa. 

Middle  Maryland 

Manor  —  While  our  pastor  was  on 
vacation,  Brethren  Lester  Fike,  Ronald 
Morgan,  and  John  E.  Rowland  con- 
ducted services.  Bro.  Wayne  Nicarry 
was  guest  minister  two  Sundays  at  the 
Downsville  church.  The  Little  Tem- 
perance League  under  the  leadership 
of  Sister  Ruth  Reichard  held  a  public 
meeting.  A  filmstrip  entitled  Learning 
About  God  was  shown  and  explained 
by  the  pastor.  The  women's  fellowship 
showed  the  film,  The  Man  Called  Han, 
at  a  morning  service.  Bro.  John  E. 
Rowland  was  guest  minister  and  offici- 
ated at  our  fall  communion  service. 
Bro.  Robert  Byrd  was  speaker  during 
our  evangelistic  meetings.  We  have 
received  one  new  member  into  the 
church.    Rev.  Ezra  Dunavant  delivered 


the  message  at  the  union  Thanksgiving 
services.  At  our  business  meeting  last 
fall  Brethren  Albert  Gaylor,  Walter 
Metz,  Calvin  Mahaney  and  Bernard 
Wampler  were  elected  to  the  office  ©f 
deacon.  Brethren  Arthur  Scrogum  and 
Elmer  S.  Rowland  conducted  services 
for  us  during  December  while  our  pas- 
tor, Bro.  J.  Rowland  Reichard,  was 
recuperating  from  surgery.  The  wom- 
en's fellowship  took  a  donation  and 
a  program  to  the  Fahrney-Keedy  home. 
The  Christmas  program  was  followed 
by  the  play,  The  Christmas  Miracle. 
Bro.  Arthur  Scrogum  is  continuing  with 
Bible  study  classes  every  two  weeks. 
The  meetings  are  held  alternately 
between  Manor  and  Downsville.  —  Na- 
omi H.  Coffman,  Hagerstown,  Md. 

Northern  Virginia 

Mill  Creek  —  Our  love  feast  was  held 
on  Oct.  4.  Speakers  during  October 
were  Paul  Diehl  of  Sykesville,  Md.; 
Madame  Trocme  of  France,  world 
peace  worker;  Stanley  Wampler,  dis- 
trict executive  secretary;  Mr.  Smith 
of  Norfolk,  a  member  of  the  Gideons. 
Bro.  Wayne  Zunkel  conducted  our 
evangelistic  meetings.  The  women's 
circle  and  the  men's  fellowship  had 
a  covered  dish  supper  in  December.  — 
Eulalia  L.  Miller,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

Second  Virginia 

Pleasant  Hill  —  We  have  made  prog- 
ress in  many  areas  of  service  and  devel- 
opment. Bro.  Ross  Speicher  has  been 
called  to  be  our  first  full-time  pastor. 
He  and  his  wife,  Helen,  have  moved 
into  our  parsonage  and  are  becoming 
a  part  of  us.  Our  revival  was  conducted 
by  Bro.  Ervin  F.  Block,  resulting  in 
four  commitments  for  Christ.  The 
men's  fellowship  has  added  to  the  par- 
sonage. Our  CBYF  enjoyed  a  Hallow- 
een party  and  a  harvest  home  festival 
this  fall.  We  had  a  joint  Thanksgiving 
program  with  the  Forest  Chapel  church. 
Our  Sunday  school  continues  to  grow 
and  is  an  active  part  of  our  church 
program.  We  had  a  Christmas  program 
on  Dec.  20.  —  Carrie  Metzler,  Crimora, 
Va. 

Summit  —  Our  men  were  well  repre- 
sented at  the  district  men's  fellowship 
banquet  in  the  Pleasant  Valley  church. 
The  love  feast  was  held  on  World 
Communion  day.  A  number  of  our 
teachers  attended  the  leadership  train- 
ing school  held  at  Bridgewater.  Our 
church  was  host  to  district  conference. 
Our  women's  fellowship  contributed 
twelve  comforters,  seventy  friendship 
packets,  and  several  pounds  of  clothing 
to  overseas  relief.  The  Ira  Petre  family 
were  guests  at  the  school  of  missions. 
They  are  on  furlough  from  Africa. 
Bro.  Ira  Petre  was  guest  speaker  at  our 
Thanksgiving  service.  Our  pastor  di- 
rected a  Christmas  musical  program. 
On  Christmas  Eve  the  CBYF  presented 
the  play,  The  Last  Shepherd.  Our 
youth  attended  the  district  youth  watch 
night  service  at  Bridgewater  College.  — 
Mrs.  Roy  E.  Evers,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

Southern  Virginia 

Fraternity  —  Brother  and  Sister  Rob- 
ert Jones,  Jimmy,  and  Connie  from 
the  Middle  District  of  Pennsylvania 
have  joined  us.  The  garden  space  be- 
hind the  parsonage  had  been  planted 
and  tended  by  the  adult  Bible  class, 


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and  the  lawn  reseeded  and  parsonage 
redecorated  by  the  Christian  Fellow- 
ship class  prior  to  their  arrival.  A 
clothing  project  has  been  carried  out 
by  the  young  people's  class.  In  connec- 
tion with  the  Call  program,  the  film, 
Extra  Dimensions,  has  been  shown. 
Molly  Priddy  and  Mary  Williard  rep- 
resented our  church  at  district  confer- 
ence. Bro.  Eugene  Kahle  conducted 
our  evangelistic  meetings.  Two  were 
baptized  and  six  received  by  letter. 
Bro.  Harold  Daveler  visited  with  us 
in  connection  with  curriculum  inter- 
pretation. Mary  Church  showed  slides 
and  shared  some  BVS  experiences.  The 
Bridgewater  College  debate  team  were 
guests  of  the  CBYF.  Twelve  attended 
the  youth  fall  round  table.  Our  church 
was  host  for  the  community  Thanksgiv- 
ing service.  In  connection  with  uni- 
versal Bible  Sunday,  a  number  of 
versions  and  languages  of  the  Bible 
were  contributed  to  make  up  an  inter- 


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FEBRUARY   13,   1960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  . 

Name    


R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change   in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


esting  display.  The  youth  washed  cars 
to  help  send  someone  to  Brethren  Youth 
Seminar.  The  women  made  sixteen 
quilts  and  fifteen  were  sent  to  the  cloth- 
ing center  at  New  Windsor.  The  Chris- 
tian Fellowship  class  sponsored  our 
annual  week  end  church  camp.  The 
primary  department  prepared  nineteen 
children's  kits  which  were  sent  to  New 
Windsor.  We  plan  to  begin  construc- 
tion on  our  new  educational  building 
in  the  near  future.  —  Mary  Church, 
Winston-Salem,  N.  C. 

Shelton  —  The  first  meeting  of  our 
women's  fellowship  was  on  Sept.  7, 
with  our  new  president,  Mrs.  Nancy 
Hiatt.  The  women  have  quilted  two 
quilts,  one  to  go  overseas  and  one  to 
a  family  in  our  community  whose  home 
was  burned.  The  women  have  also 
had  Sunday  night  services,  presenting 
the  program,  I  Love  to  Tell  the  Story. 
Bro.  Maurice  Strausbaugh  held  our  fall 
revival.  Bro.  Ira  S.  Petre,  a  missionary 
to  Africa,  spoke  at  the  Shelton  church. 
Christmas  programs  were  held  on  Dec. 
20.  We  are  now  engaged  in  plans 
for  the  Call  to  Discipleship  program. 
Mrs.  Betty  Haynes  is  the  chairman. 
Mrs.  Molly  Priddy  will  meet  with  the 
women's  fellowship  the  first  Monday 
night  in  each  month  for  a  program 
of  spiritual  enrichment.  The  women's 
fellowship  has  purchased  a  bookcase 
for  our  library.  —  Mrs.  Bill  Neal,  Mount 
Airy,  N.  C. 

First  West  Virginia 

Canaan,  Sandy  Creek  —  The  district 
missionary  education  meeting  convened 
at  our  church.  The  young  people  have 
organized  a  CBYF  jointly  with  the 
young  folks  at  Bethel  church.  Two 
delegates  represented  the  Canaan 
church  at  the  First  West  Virginia  dis- 
trict meeting.  A  temperance  program 
was  given  recently  at  the  Sunday  school 
hour;  the  film,  He  Went  Straight  Home, 
was  shown.  We  sent  several  boxes  of 
clothing  and  bedding  to  New  Windsor 
for  relief.  A  number  attended  the 
union  Thanksgiving  services  at  Shady 
Grove.  The  beginners  and  primary 
classes  gave  recitations  and  songs  for 
Christmas.  The  intermediates  gave  two 


plays,  Follow  the  Star,  and  Back  to 
Bethlehem.  Miss  Agnes  Shaffer,  a  mis- 
sionary to  Nigeria,  Africa,  spoke  at 
the  watch  night  program.  —  Mrs.  Ina 
J.  Seeese,  Gibbon  Glade,  Pa. 

Capon  Chapel  —  When  our  church 
met  in  council,  officers  were  elected. 
Bro.  Irvin  Whitacre  was  retained  as 
moderator.  Several  attended  the  youth 
round  table  at  Silver  Lake,  W.  Va. 
We  had  consecration  services  for  two 
babies  and  our  newly  elected  teachers 
and  officers.  We  purchased  a  piano 
for  our  church.  The  CBYF  bought  an 
electric  clock.  A  kitchen  sink  and  an 
electric  stove  were  donated.  We  are 
making  plans  to  have  a  well  drilled 
at  the  church  in  the  very  near  future. 
Our  evangelistic  meetings  were  held 
by    Bro.    Eugene    Matthews.     Richard 


PEWS,  PULPIT*  CHANCEL 

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BRETHREN  TRAVEL  —  Leaving 
July  6,  1960,  for  a  44-day  bus  tour 
of  Europe.  Visiting  8  countries, 
highlighted  by  visiting  Schwarz- 
enau  and  various  Brethren  Service 
centers  and  projects,  and  attend- 
ance at  the  Oberammergau  Passion 
Play,  Salzburg  Music  Festival  and 
a  Shakespearean  play  at  Stratford- 
on-Avon.  For  information  write: 
European  Friendship  Tour,  %  J. 
Kenneth  Kreider,  Elizabethtown 
College,  Elizabethtown,  Pa. 


Kidwell,  who  is  a  ministerial  student 
at  Manchester  College,  and  his  mother, 
Mrs.  Forest  Kidwell,  assisted  us  in  the 
music.  Two  were  baptized.  Bro.  Irvin 
Whitacre  preached  the  examination  ser- 
mon and  officiated  at  the  love  feast 
at  the  Oak  Grove  church.  —  Iris  Lee 
Kidwell,  Points,  W.  Va. 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


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FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


Simon  of  Cyrene  and 
His  Two  Sons 


Painting  by  J.  J.  Tissot 

John    H.    Eggers    Publications    and    the 

Brooklyn  Museum 

Three  Lions 


ORTH  Africans  were  in  the  news  nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  just  as  they  are  to- 
day. From  Cyrene,  a  Greek  city  near  the  Mediterranean  coast  in  what  is  now 
Libya,  a  man  named  Simon  came  to  Jerusalem  at  the  time  of  the  Jewish  passover.  He 
may  have  been  a  Greek-speaking  Jew  or  he  may  have  been  only  what  one  gospel  ac- 
count calls  a  "passer-by,"  but  in  any  case  he  was  compelled  to  carry  the  cross  on  which 
Jesus  was  later  to  die.  Apparently  his  sons,  Alexander  and  Rufus,  were  later  to  become 
well-known  figures  in  the  Christian  church  and  one  Rufus  is  singled  out  for  mention  in 
Paul's  letter  to  Rome.  Simon  and  his  sons  were  soon  to  learn  that  underneath  the  cross 
the  barriers  between  continents  such  as  Africa,  Asia,  and  Europe,  and  the  barriers  be- 
tween races  must  eventually  break  down.  Today  such  barriers  are  still  with  us.  As  more 
men  come  willingly  and  not  merely  by  compulsion  to  take  the  way  of  the  cross,  brother- 
hood can  become  more  than  an  ideal.   Through  Jesus  Christ  it  can  become  a  reality. 


Gospel  Messenger        READERS  WRITE  ...   to   the  editor 

"Tliy  Kingdom  Come" 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
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authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 


MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  8 


In  This  Number  .  .  . 

Editorial  — 

Why  We  Look  at  Current  Issues  ....  5 
No   Separate   Compartments    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship:  Stephen  and  Barnabas.  Dale 
Aukerman     3 

Appointed  As  Apostle  and  Teacher. 
Leland   Wilson    6 

This  Is  a  New  Decade  —  Am  I  Ready 
for  It?   Desmond  W.  Bittinger 9 

Millions  Prefer  a  Non-Christian  Faith. 
Edmund  Perry   10 

A  Mother  Looks   at  Pacifism. 

Marian  L.  Kuns    13 

God  Gives  His  Best.    Glen  Weimer  . .    13 

Self-Help  —  Best  Answer  to  Commu- 
nism.   Roger  Burgess    14 

Take  My  Yoke  Upon  You. 

Cora  W.  Helman   15 

Suggestions  for  Happier  Family  Liv- 
ing.   Mildred  Allen  Jeffery 15 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books  26 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings  16 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    18 

Church  News    30 

Toward  His  Kingdom  — 

"Give    Us    This    Day." 

Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp    20 

Brethren  Want  to  Know  21 

Missionary  Service  Closes   22 

Living  With   a  Language    22 

Church  Extension  —  Nigerian  Style  .  23 
Return  to  India.  Lorita  Shull  Fisher  . .  23 
A  Ministry  to  California's  Migrants. 

Eugene  Hartman  and  Kenneth  Light  24 

2  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Only  One  Is  Good 

I  read  Guidance  Through  Com- 
mon Sense  in  the  Jan.  9  issue.  I 
think  you  should  not  forget  how 
Satan  tempted  Eve  and  she  ate  of 
the  forbidden  fruit.  Then  Adam  ate 
it  and  for  this  disobedience  Jesus 
had  to  die  to  save  us.  Jesus  said 
also,  "Why  call  me  good?  There 
is  only  one  who  is  good;  that  is 
God."  Don't  forget  Job  was  walking 
almost  perfectly,  too.  —  Royal  Knorr, 
Lanark,  111. 

There  Is  an  Answer 

Bro.  Kermit  Eby  ends  his  article 
in  the  Dec.  26  issue  of  the  Gospel 
Messenger  on  a  note  of  futility  that 
sounds  rather  discouraging.  It  is 
true,  as  he  states,  that  there  are 
many  explosive  issues  confronting 
this  nation.  It  is  true  that  the  great 
mass  of  people  are  manipulated  to 
serve  the  purposes  and  fancied  best 
interests  of  the  small  group  wielding 
power,  and  that  there  is  no  important 
difference  of  opinion  within  this  rul- 
ing group  as  to  what  these  interests 
are.  It  is  true  that  as  individuals 
most  of  us  at  times  experience  a 
sense  of  powerlessness  to  cope  with 
the  problems  we  see  crying  for  solu- 
tion. We  feel  alone  and  full  of  fear; 
so  we  try  to  escape  from  ourselves 
through  continuous  entertainment 
and  meaningless  activity.  We  yearn 
for  a  Moses  to  lead  us  to  the  prom- 
ised land.  But  we  face  the  danger 
that  we  shall  get  a  Hitler  instead. 

Despite  all  this,  the  future  does 
look  brighter  than  at  any  time  in 
the  past.  There  is  an  answer  to  all 
these  problems  and  that  answer  is 
becoming  acknowledged  by  a  very 
sizable  and  rapidly  increasing  num- 
ber of  people.  The  answer  is  the 
cultivation  of  the  art  of  loving. 

In  our  culture  the  word  love 
means  many  different  things  to  dif- 
ferent people.  Herein  I  do  not  refer 
to  the  sadistic-masochistic  or  narcis- 
sistic attractions  that  we  commonly 
call  love.  Nor  do  I  mean  the  mood 
of  tolerable  acceptance  generally  in- 
dicated by  the  word  like.  What  I 
mean  is  the  attitude  propounded  by 
Jesus  Christ  and  exemplified  by  such 
men  as  Lincoln,  Gandhi,  and  Dr. 
Schweitzer. 

The  acquisition  of  an  attitude  of 
love  is  as  difficult  a  discipline  as 
any  art,  and  no  human  being  ever 
attains  the  ultimate.  But  anyone 
who  has  practiced  daily  over  a  period 


of  years  has  knowledge,  based  on 
experience,  that  only  thereby  are  the 
answers  to  be  found. 

No  one  of  us,  or  no  group  of  us, 
can  correct  all  the  ills  of  the  outside 
world.  But  each  one  of  us  can, 
each  day,  strive  to  make  the  world 
within  us  a  reflection  of  the  love 
explained  to  us  by  Jesus  Christ. 
To  the  extent  that  we  are  individu- 
ally successful  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  art,  so  to  that  extent  do  we 
have  the  answers  to  the  problems 
of  the  world.  —  Andrew  J.  Langley, 
244  S.  Rohlwing  Road,  Palatine,  111. 

Other  Versions 

Frank  E.  Hoffman's  letter  in  the 
Dec.  26  issue  of  the  Messenger  com- 
menting on  Chalmer  E.  Faw's  article 
(Nov.  7)  on  the  Authorized  Version 
of  1611  and  the  Revised  Standard 
Version  prompts  this  letter. 

Undoubtedly  the  most  commonly 
used  translations  into  English  of  the 
Bible  are  the  Authorized  and  the 
RSV,  but  it  would  be  interesting  to 
know  what  other  translations  into 
English  of  the  Bible  or  parts  of  it, 
are  used  by  Brethren  in  their  study 
and  devotional  use  of  the  Scriptures. 
Perhaps  the  Messenger  could  print 
a  questionnaire  asking  what  other 
versions  are  used  and  the  reason  for 
using  them,  tabulate  the  replies,  and 
publish  some  interesting  material. 

My  own  choice  for  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  the  magnificent  translation 
of  Ronald  Knox,  1944.  With  clarity 
it  brings  the  gospel  message  to  twen- 
tieth century  readers,  and  its  literary 
qualities  make  it  one  of  the  classics 
of  the  English  language.  For  the 
Psalms  I  prefer  the  version  of  Miles 
Coverdale  of  the  Great  Bible  of 
1539-41,  most  conveniently  found 
today  in  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  for  no  other  translation  sings 
as  melodiously  as  that  of  Coverdale. 
For  serious  study  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment I  like  the  four  volume  text 
and  commentary,  The  New  Testa- 
ment for  English  Readers,  1862-66, 
of  Henry  Alford.  Other  useful  mod- 
ern versions  are  The  New  Testament 
in  Plain  English,  1952,  by  Charles 
Kingsley  Williams;  The  Westminster 
Version  of  the  New  Testament,  one 
volume  edition  by  J.  W.  C.  Wand 
(an  Oxford  publication).  These  and 
other  recent  translations  are  dis- 
cussed by  E.  H.  Robertson  in  his 
New  Translations  of  the  Bible.  — 
Charles  F.  Strong,  Smithshire,  111. 


Murillo 
Three  Lions 


Stephen  was  the  chief  of  the 
seven  deacons  appointed  to 
rectify  the  complaints  in  the 
early   church    at   Jerusalem.     He 
was  arrested  and  brought  before 
the  Sanhedrin.   His  speech  in   his 
own  defense  led  to  his  execution 


Dale  Aukerman 


Men  who  heard 

the  call  to  disci pleship 


STEPHEN  AND  BARNABAS 


TAKE  a  man's  most  ques- 
tionable act  and  his  most 
momentous  one,  weigh 
the  two,  and  much  about  the 
man  stands  revealed.  Material 
barely  sufficient  for  this  sort  of 
approach  has  come  down  to  us 
about  Stephen  and  Barnabas, 
the  leaders  who  perhaps  even 


more   than   Peter   molded   the 
early  church. 

In  Stephen  the  climactically 
questionable  preceded  the  cli- 
mactically momentous  by  only  a 
few  seconds.  Events  had  moved 
rapidly.  Because  of  a  ten- 
sion between  the  Greek-speak- 
ing and  the  Aramaic-speaking 


Christians  in  Jerusalem,  Ste- 
phen and  other  "Hellenists" 
had  been  chosen  to  manage  the 
food  distribution. 

Stephen,  though,  was  en- 
dowed with  gifts  that  soon 
made    him    far    more    than    a 

FEBRUARY  20,  1960  3 


deacon.  He  performed  mira- 
cles; the  power  of  God  acted 
amazingly  through  him.  His 
preaching  was  vigorous,  fiery, 
compelling.  And  in  debate 
there  was  not  another  person 
of  Jerusalem  who  could  match 
Stephen's  brilliant,  Spirit-led, 
relentless  mind  —  evidently  not 
even  Saul  of  Tarsus. 

Stephen  had  long  immersed 
himself  in  the  Jewish  Scriptures 
and  could  point  endlessly  to 
evidences  in  them  that  Jesus 
was  the  Christ.  His  infuri- 
ated opponents  began  laying 
plans.  Stephen  moved  fearlessly 
through  the  city,  preaching,  de- 
bating, healing. 

Then  the  day  came  which 
Stephen  foresaw  and  his  friends 
dreaded.  A  mob  closed  in  on 
him  as  he  preached.  Dozens  of 
hands  clutched  him  and  he  was 
carried  swiftly  to  the  Jewish 
high  court.  There  was  a  trace 
of  truth  in  the  lies  of  the  wit- 
nesses against  him;  he  had  been 
teaching  that  in  Jesus  the  Law 
and  the  Temple  were  super- 
seded by  something  greater  and 
broader. 

After  the  series  of  twisted 
accusations  Stephen  received  a 
testimony  on  his  side  beyond 
that  which  any  other  man  on 
trial  ever  received:  his  face 
shone  like  that  of  an  angel. 
Light,  undeniable  and  dazzling, 
played  over  his  features. 

Stephen  spoke.  The  rows  of 
astonished  judges  and  the  rest- 
less crowd  listened.  He  told  of 
God's  covenant  with  Abraham, 
of  Moses  rejected  by  his  people 
but  returning  to  be  their  de- 
liverer, of  the  long  hardheart- 
edness  of  the  Jews.  Stephen 
could  feel  the  swelling  hate  and 
see  the  ever  more  vengeful 
faces.  Abruptly  he  cried,  "You 
stiff-necked  people,  uncircum- 
cised  in  heart  and  ears,  you  al- 
ways resist  the  Holy  Spirit.  As 
your  fathers  did,  so  do  you.  .  .  . 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


They  killed  those  who  an- 
nounced beforehand  the  com- 
ing of  the  Righteous  One, 
whom  you  have  now  betrayed 
and  murdered." 

These  were  not  sentences 
well  calculated  to  win  friends. 
Therein  lies  their  questionable- 
ness.  In  Stephen  there  was  al- 
ways something  of  the  intensity 
of  fire.  His  personality  was  a 
darting  flame;  and  in  this  cry 
the  flame  blazed  out  at  his  an- 
tagonists. We  might  almost  de- 
cide that  he  did  wrong,  that  he 
should  have  been  conciliatory. 
But  he  is  described  immediate- 
ly afterward  as  "full  of  the  Holy 
Spirit." 

Denunciation  is  so  rarely 
Christian.  Yet  minds  horridly 
hardened  and  nearing  hell  Jesus 
did  in  anguish  denounce.  Ste- 
phen, full  of  the  Spirit,  voiced 
God's  piercing,  extreme  en- 
treaty. 

In  prelude  to  ultimate  ruin 
they  gnashed  their  teeth.  Ste- 
phen's gaze  lifted  upward. 
Heaven  opened  to  him:  God's 
glory  and  Jesus  standing  at  the 
right  hand  of  God.  The  mob 
halfway  knew  that  he  saw. 
Pandemonium  broke.  Yelling 
and  screeching,  they  rushed 
him. 

A  few  minutes  later  there  re- 
mained, outside  the  city  wall, 
only  the  crushed  wick  of  the 
flame. 

Barnabas  was  not  a  fiery  man. 
In  Acts  11:24  he  is,  with  artless 
emphasis,  characterized  as  "a 
good  man";  and  more  than  any 
other  figure  in  the  early  church 
he  does  seem  full  of  simple, 
solid,  mellow  goodness.  The 
apostles  gave  him  a  new  name 
to  replace  Joseph:  Barnabas, 
son  of  encouragement.  Proba- 
bly the  encouragement  came 
more  from  his  sturdy,  faith- 
filled  manner  than  ever  from  his 
words. 

He  was  a  pillar  in  the  best, 
nondominating  sense,  a  strong 
rough-hewn     column     in     the 


human  building  God  was  cre- 
ating. Likely  he  was  a  big 
impressive-looking  man;  the 
Lycaonians  thought  he  was 
Zeus. 

Many  sold  fields  and  brought 
the  proceeds  to  the  apostles,  but 
Barnabas'  doing  it  stood  out.  He 
was  never  one  to  push  himself 
ahead  of  others,  but  faith  again 
and  again  put  him  at  the  lead. 
And  he  was  ever  the  reconciler. 
As  a  Greek-speaking  native  of 
Cyprus,  Barnabas  naturally  in- 
clined toward  open-minded- 
ness;  he  wanted  the  good  news 
to  go  out  to  all.  But  with  those 
who  did  not  quite  want  this 
Barnabas  maintained  warm  fel- 
lowship. 

When  some  Christians  in  An- 
tioch  began  converting  a  great 
number  of  Greeks  the  church 
at  Jerusalem  in  embarrassment 
sent  Barnabas  up  to  see  about 
things.  He  became  the  main 
bridge  between  the  diverging 
groups.  At  the  council  of  Jeru- 
salem Barnabas  as  an  abler 
reconciler  than  Paul  took  the 
lead  in  telling  of  God's  acts 
among  the  Gentiles.  But  Barna- 
bas patiently  let  Paul  have  the 
chief  role  during  most  of  their 
missionary  journeying  together; 
he  was  a  humble  man. 

On  one  occasion  at  least 
Barnabas  was  betrayed  by  his 
desire  to  be  conciliatory.  Cer- 
tain strict  Jewish  Christians 
came  from  Jerusalem  to  Antioch 
and  insisted  that  Jewish  and 
Gentile  Christians  not  eat  at  the 
same  table.  Peter  yielded  to 
them.  Barnabas  did  also;  he 
felt  compromise  necessary  to 
keep  harmony. 

But  Paul,  though  often  con- 
ciliatory, saw  this  as  an  issue 
where  there  could  be  no 
Christian  compromise.  Barna- 
bas' mistaken  acquiescence  was 
probably  the  deeper  reason  why- 
he  and  Paul  broke  their  mis- 
sionary partnership. 

Barnabas,  however,  and  Ste- 

Continued  on  page  12 


EDITORIAL 


Why  We  Look  at  Current  Issues 

ONE  of  our  readers  objects  to  articles  and 
editorials  that  deal  with  political,  eco- 
nomic, or  social  questions.  She  describes 
such  articles  as  unchristian  and  unbecoming  a 
church  paper. 

In  replying  to  her  letter  we  tried  to  point 
out  that  the  recent  article  to  which  she  took 
exception  did  not  offer  specific  solutions  for 
contemporary  problems  but  merely  insisted  that 
each  of  them  was  a  moral  issue  and  therefore  of 
concern  for  Christians. 

We  reminded  her  that  many  of  the  finest 
passages  of  the  Old  Testament  contain  writings 
of  Hebrew  prophets  who  dealt  in  unmistakable 
terms  with  the  social,  economic,  and  political 
issues  of  their  day.  Furthermore,  they  did  not 
hesitate  to  name  names,  predict  dire  judgments 
upon  the  perpetrators  of  evil  or  to  offer  alterna- 
tives they  hoped  would  be  taken.  When  they 
prefaced  their  remarks  with  "Thus  says  the 
Lord,"  they  did  not  restrict  their  comments  to 
individual  sins  or  to  matters  called  religious. 
They  saw  all  of  life  as  under  the  judgment  of 
God  and  therefore  as  an  area  of  responsibility 
for  all  of  God's  people. 

Nothing  would  please  some  political  and 
economic  leaders  more  than  to  convince  Chris- 
tians that  politics  and  business  are  outside  the 
scope  of  Christian  concern  and  that  preachers 
and  layworkers  should  "stick  to  their  knitting," 
whatever  that  means.  But  even  if  Christians 
should  prefer  to  ignore  social  problems,  they 
cannot  be  true  to  their  own  calling  as  witnesses 
for  Christ  without  soon  discovering  that  his 
church  must  speak  to  the  world  in  which  it  lives 
and  his  kingdom,  if  it  is  to  come  on  earth  as  in 
heaven,  will  inevitably  transform  whatever  it 
touches. 

This  is  not  to  say  that  Christians,  therefore, 
have  a  pat  answer  for  every  social  problem  or 
that  they  know  any  more  than  others  or  are 
any  better  qualified  to  govern  the  affairs  of 
state  or  to  manage  a  business.  It  is  to  say  that 
Christians  are  expected  to  examine  the  goals 
of  our  society  and  the  methods  we  use  to 
achieve  them. 

The  Christian's  testimony,  whether  it  seems 
to  favor  or  to  oppose  a  specific  policy,  must 
always  be  offered  humbly  and  with  full  recog- 
nition of  the  responsibilities  that  leadership  car- 
ries. In  that  spirit  the  witness  of  Christians, 
though  often  critical,  is  essentially  constructive. 


As  good  citizens  we  must  study,  question,  testify, 
counsel,  and  support  or  oppose,  if  need  be,  the 
actions  of  government,  the  operations  of  busi- 
ness enterprise,  and  the  ways  in  which  justice 
is  administered. 

From  time  to  time  the  Gospel  Messenger 
will  comment  editorially  on  current  issues.  We 
will  invite  competent  Christians  who  are  stu- 
dents of  public  affairs  to  discuss  the  issues 
which  so  urgently  confront  us.  In  doing  so  we 
do  not  minimize  or  overlook  the  church's  calling 
to  proclaim  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  in- 
dividual persons  and  to  nourish  their  faith 
through  the  fellowship  of  his  church.  But  we 
cannot  separate  the  individual  from  the  context 
of  his  daily  life.  If  we  would  minister  to  him 
in  Christ's  name,  we  must  also  confront  the 
world  of  which  he  is  a  part.  —  k.m. 


No  Separate  Compartments 

AS  A  footnote  to  the  preceding  editorial 
readers  should  observe  how  social  issues 
have  affected  Billy  Graham's  crusade  in 
Africa.  By  insisting  that  his  public  meetings 
should  be  open  to  persons  of  all  races  without 
segregated  seating  arrangements,  the  popular 
evangelist  could  not  carry  his  campaign  into 
areas  where  segregation  is  enforced.  But  the 
African  people  whom  he  sought  most  of  all  to 
reach  surely  welcomed  the  stand  he  took  against 
segregation. 

But  soon  after  his  African  crusade  got  under- 
way Billy  Graham  ran  into  another  issue.  In 
Ghana  he  was  urged  to  declare  himself  with 
regard  to  the  nuclear  tests  being  planned  for 
the  Sahara  Desert  area  by  a  so-called  Christian 
nation.  The  evangelist  tried  to  remain  neutral. 
But  people  who  live  in  central  Africa  think  the 
question  of  bomb  testing  on  their  soil  is  a  moral 
issue.  They  cannot  understand  why  all  Christians 
do  not  take  a  forthright  stand  against  it.  So  it 
is  not  surprising  that,  owing  to  Billy  Graham's 
silence,  his  attendance  records  in  Ghana  showed 
a  drop  from  14,000  on  the  opening  night  to 
5,000  the  next  night. 

The  Christian  church  can  no  longer  keep  its 
evangelistic  outreach  and  its  prophetic  witness 
in  separate  compartments.  If  we  fail  in  one 
area  we  undercut  our  work  in  the  other.  —  k.m. 

FEBRUARY  20,   1960  5 


.....■.., 


Whether  in  the  public  classroom, 

with  her  family,  in  church  activities,   or 

in  community  responsibilities,  this 

Church  of  the  Brethren  mother  knows  she  is 


ft  §  1 

'  |  |:  f 


Appointed 
As  Apostle 


I 


HES* 

ton 
iUNO 


■B 


TI7/  HEN  Virginia  Roop,  now  a  teacher  in 
IM/  Topeka,  Kansas,  first  became  a  school- 
teacher, she  found  it  necessary  to  ride  a 
horse  to  the  rural  classroom  where  she  met  her 
pupils. 

The  school  that  Virginia  was  to  teach  was 
the  same  one  that  her  husband  Charles  had  at- 
tended. Looking  back  on  that  early  episode  in 
getting  to  work  she  says  now,  "Neither  my  hus- 
band nor  my  father-in-law  told  me  that  once  you 
untied  the  horse  and  put  your  feet  in  the  stirrups 
there  was  no  stopping  the  horse  until  he  got 
home!" 

Today  Virginia  teaches  the  first  grade  in 
Randolph  School  in  Topeka.  Yet  she  manages 
also  to  participate  in  dozens  of  other  activities 
relating  to  her  home,  her  church,  and  her  com- 
munity. She  graciously  consented  to  answer 
several  questions  I  wanted  to  put  to  a  Church 
of  the  Brethren  teacher  .  .  . 


|      i.  BOLLINGER 


by  LELAND  WILSON 

Photos  by  Harold  and  Richard  Wolfe 

What  is  your  basic  task  as  a 
teacher? 

We  teach  children  reading 
and  writing  and  numbers.  But 
in  our  particular  school  system, 
we  have  what  we  call  self- 
contained  classrooms,  so  that 
we  also  teach  music,  art,  physi- 
cal education,  social  studies, 
and  science.  Science  and  social 
studies,  I  feel,  are  among  the 
most  important  subjects  in  our 
public  school  teaching.  These 
can  be  correlated  with  the 
mechanics  of  reading  and  writ- 
ing and  numbers,  thus  making 
it  much  more  interesting  to 
teach  those  mechanics. 

Do  you  also  teach  relationships 
and  values? 

I  hope  that  I  do.  Sometimes 
we  teachers  do  not  realize  that 
our  own  personalities  and  meth- 
ods certainly  impress  children 
at  any  age.  I  know  that  first 
graders  are  very  enthusiastic. 
One  of  my  mothers  said  to  me 
one  day  when  I  had  been  asking 
for  some  materials  from  home, 
"I  certainly  hope  you  never  tell 
my  little  girls  to  bring  my  best 
dress,  because  I  know  she 
would  come  with  it  to  school." 

What   would   you   suggest   as 
qualifications  for  a  teacher? 

One  of  the  first  is  a  warm 
personality.  A  teacher  should 
be  a  friend  to  all  of  the  children. 
If  they  consider  their  teacher 
as  a  friend,  they  are  willing  to 
come  with  any  problem,  wheth- 
er it  be  from  the  classroom  or 
outside  the  classroom.  Another 
qualification  is  to  be  able  to 
counsel  with  parents  of  chil- 
dren. Often  our  patrons  do  not 
realize  the  measures  or  the 
methods  that  we  use  in  teaching 
children,  or  that  we  like  to  look 
to  individual  needs  and  apti- 
tudes in  handling  all  of  the 
people  in  our  room.  They  must 
know  we  work  with  each  child 


to  make  him  a  better  citizen  as 
well  as  to  give  him  the  mechan- 
ics of  reading  and  counting. 
Then  there  are  also  the  ed- 
ucational qualifications  which 
teachers  must  meet. 

Should  the  community  expect 
certain  standards  of  behavior 
from  teachers  outside  the  class- 
room? 

That  depends  upon  the  size 
of  the  community  and  the  kind 
of  community  it  happens  to  be. 
I  would  hasten  to  say  that  for  a 
person's  own  self-respect,  it  is 
important  to  observe  a  high 
code  of  conduct. 

If  you  were  a  school  administra- 
tor, would  you  hire  a  teacher 
whose  conduct  or  ideas  were 
questionable? 

Not  if  I  felt  that  their  job  in 
teaching  and  the  association 
would  be  a  detriment  to  the 
children.  However,  people  may 
be  influenced  to  change  their 
ways.  We  cannot  turn  our  backs 


upon  people  of  different  social 
views  or  religious  opinions. 
Sometimes  it  is  our  duty  to  live 
with  them  and  help  to  show 
them  the  way. 

Should  teacliers  be  required  to 
take  loyalty  oaths? 

They  should  be  able  to  do  so. 
But  I  think  that  it  is  not  a  mat- 
ter of  good  procedure  to  say 
that  in  order  to  sign  a  contract 
you  must  sign  a  loyalty  oath. 
When  I  was  asked  to  sign  the 
loyalty  oath,  I  was  a  little  bit 
unhappy.  I  think  any  of  us  are 
unhappy  when  we  are  question- 
ed about  something  that  we 
take  as  a  matter  of  fact. 

We  hear  much  about  teachers 
being  underpaid.  Is  this  true? 
Some  may  be  underpaid  and 
some  may  be  far  overpaid.  We 
have  many  hundreds  of  teach- 
ers who  go  far  beyond  their 
call  of  duty.  When  you  com- 
pare the  pay  of  other  profes- 
sions, or  even  other  laborers,  I 


Early  in  life,  teaching  became  a  vocational  goal  for  Virginia  Roop.    This 
goal,  which  at  times  seemed  impossible,  became  possible  when  a  county 
superintendent  in  Missouri  found  a  home  in  which  she  did  the  cooking  and 
the  housecleaning  in  return  for  her  living  expenses.  Combining  the  work 
in  that  home  with  the  educational  pursuit,  the  prospective  teacher  received 
a  degree  from  Central  Missouri  State  College  in  Warrensburg  in  1937 

FEBRUARY  20.  1960  7 


would  say  that  teachers  are 
likely  underpaid.  Taking  it 
from  another  viewpoint,  the 
cost  of  education  is  something 
that  has  not  been  taken 
into  consideration  in  the  sala- 
ries of  teachers.  Now  there  is 
even  pressure  to  have  master's 
degrees  for  teachers  in  any  of 
the  elementary  or  high  schools. 
The  salary  situation  is  being 
improved  year  by  year.  A 
teacher  can  feel  that  he  is  in 
a  profession  that  is  making 
progress  in  salary  as  well  as  in 
other  ways. 

Many  have  suggested  a  more 
economic  use  of  our  school 
buildings.  Do  you  feel  that 
school  terms  should  extend 
through  the  summer? 

Better  use  and  more  use  can 
be  made  of  buildings.  There 
are  many  things  to  consider, 
however,  in  areas  like  Kansas. 
We  may  have  to  think  of  air- 
conditioning.  I  do  not  feel  that 
a  teacher  can  teach  eleven  or 
twelve  months  without  a  time 
off  for  refueling.  You  can  soon 
burn  yourself  out  without  time 
for  either  travel  or  schooling, 


Serving  breakfast  to  Amy, 
Mac,  Charles,  and  Nancy 
is  one  of  Virginia  Roop's 
daily    tasks    as    a    home- 
maker.      She     feels     that 
her  experiences  as  a  wife, 
as    a   mother,   and   as   a 
teacher      are      mutually 
helpful.    She  went  back 
to  regular  teaching  aft- 
er the  youngest  child 
was  in  school.  She  says, 
"My  hours  coincide  with 
those  of  the  children;  so 
I  feel  that  it  is  a  job  that 
I  can  do  and  still  be  with 
my    family    as    much    as 
I  should  be" 


or  without  some  time  for  your 
own  study  and  preparation. 
This  may  mean  a  schedule  of 
staggered  hours  or  months. 

One  of  the  problems  of  the 
schoolteacher  is  that  of  disci- 
pline. How  do  you  handle  dis- 
cipline? 

If  I  can  describe  our  behavior 
in  the  classroom  so  that  children 
know  what  I  expect  them  to  do, 
their  discipline  will  be  ade- 
quate.    The    behavior    in    the 


* 


room  can  be  the  same  when  I 
have  to  do  an  errand  down  the 
hall  as  when  I  am  standing 
within  the  room.  This  is  not  an 
easy  thing  to  attain  and  I  think 
it  is  something  that  grows  on 
you  through  the  years  of  teach- 
ing. Just  exactly  how  much  you 
can  allow  children  to  do  on 
their  own  right  in  the  beginning 
and  then  later,  is  something  a 
teacher  must  learn. 

Discipline  is  not  a  matter  of 
force.     Nor  does   it  work   the 


At  least  one  week  as  a 
leader  in  a  church  camp 
is  part  of  the  annual 
schedule  for  Virginia 
Roop.    Her  interest  in 
camping  was  initiated 
through  seeing  "what  an 
aid  this  is  to  the 
Christian  education 
program  of  children  from 
junior  age  through  high 
school  age."    She 
continues,   "It   seems   to 
me    a    fine    opportunity 
for  them  to  be 
strengthened  by  getting 
acquainted  with  more 
people  who  have  things 
in    common    with   them. 
They  share  religious 
views  and  a  way  of  life. 
Also   it  is   a   good   way 
for  us  to  learn  more 
about  the  children  with 
whom   we   work   in   our 
own  churches" 


same  with  groups  of  children 
who  come  to  you  year  after 
year.  Sometimes  you  find  chil- 
dren who  know  how  to  behave 
in  a  classroom  or  under  any  sit- 
uation because  they  have  been 
helped  by  their  parents  or  by 
previous  kindergarten  experi- 
ence or  church  experience. 
Then,  again,  you  may  have  a 
number  of  children  who  have 
not  had  this  experience  at  all. 
One  of  the  greatest  responsi- 
bilities, I  believe,  is  to  use  our 
disciplinary  measures  forceful- 
ly. I  do  not  believe  in  corporal 
punishment  in  the  classroom. 
Discipline  is  a  matter  of  growth. 

Should  religion  be  taught  in 
school? 

We  begin  our  school  year 
with  a  suggestion  that  we  have 
a  prayer  as  part  of  our  opening 
for  the  day.  The  children  them- 
selves in  the  classroom  help  to 
write  this  prayer  that  we  use, 
and  then  we  pray  it  together 
each  day.  I  do  not  believe  I 
could  say  religion  should  be 
directly  taught,  but  I  certainly 
think  we  should  not  ignore  it 
altogether. 

Do  you  find  any  practical  op- 
portunities for  an  expression  of 
your  religion  in  the  classroom? 

I  think  our  relationship  with 
God  can  be  shown  in  an  indi- 
vidual's relationship  with  man- 
kind. In  whatever  situation 
they  find  themselves,  children 
must  be  taught  to  have  a  regard 
for  their  classmates.  The  use  of 
the  golden  rule  is  one  of  the 
best  rules  we  can  find  for  a 
classroom,  and  I  do  think  that 
children  have  a  very  good  in- 
sight into  this. 

This  is  a  two-way  relation- 
ship because  the  methods  and 
principles  in  teaching  can  very 
easily  apply  in  our  religion.  The 
materials  of  the  church  school 
and  the  vacation  church  school 
can  be  presented  with  the  same 
methods  used  in  our  public 
school  work. 


This  is  a  new  decade 


Am  I  Readq  for  It? 


Desmond  W.  Bittinger 


WE  HAVE  been  almost 
glutted  and  over- 
whelmed with  predic- 
tions of  what  will  happen  in  the 
decade  of  the  1960's.  While  no 
adequate  word  has  yet  come  to 
the  fore  to  describe  these  pre- 
dicted advances,  one  that  ap- 
plies is  explosive]  It  is  to  be 
sincerely  hoped  that  this  ex- 
plosiveness  will  involve  only 
such  things  as  educational  pop- 
ulations and  facilities,  mechani- 
cal inventions,  modern  living, 
conveniences  and  appliances, 
space  travel,  church  member- 
ship, world  populations,  rather 
than  the  kind  of  shock  explosion 
which  will  destroy  many  in  our 
world. 

But  in  the  midst  of  all  of  this 
projected  explosiveness  of  the 
future  not  much  is  being  said 
about  an  explosion  within  man's 
mind  and  heart  to  equip  him  to 
live  in  this  tremendous  new 
world.  This  is  really  the  most 
important  consideration.  If  man 
collapses  like  an  overstretched 
balloon,  then  all  of  the  things 
he  is  doing  and  projecting  sub- 
side with  him,  and  out  of  the 
rubble  the  long  climb  back  to 
progress  will  have  to  start  from 
ashes. 

Am  I  big  enough  to  live  in 
the  world  I  am  helping  to 
build? 

Can  I  overreach  a  language 
barrier  and  learn  to  communi- 
cate with  my  neighbor  six 
hours  away  on  the  other  side  of 
the  world? 

Can  I  overreach  national  wel- 
fare if  it  is  selfish  and  confisca- 
tory, and  think  in  terms  of 
world  welfare? 


Can  I  forget  race  and  see 
men  as  men  no  matter  where 
they  five  or  what  their  color? 

Can  I  seek  for  good  in  other 
philosophies,  manners  of  life, 
and  religions  rather  than  to 
prejudice  them  against  my  own 
background? 

Can  I  overlook  personal  or 
temporary  financial  advantage 
in  consideration  of  what  would 
be  best  for  the  total  group, 
and  can  I  bargain  rather  than 
involve  myself  in  crippling 
strikes? 

Can  I  place  the  affairs  of  the 
universe,  if  we  reach  that  point 
of  consideration,  above  even 
the  affairs  of  the  planet  I  live 
on? 

Can  I  throw  my  influence 
toward  increasing  understand- 
ing and  love  rather  than  mis- 
understanding and  hate? 

The  old  truths  and  moral 
laws  are  not  dead  or  dying. 
They  need  application  to  our 
present  age.  "And  now  abideth 
faith,  hope,  love,  these  three; 
but  the  greatest  of  these  is  [and 
will  continue  to  be]  love." 


Dr.  Franklin  Clark  Fry,  president 
of  the  United  Lutheran  Church:  "A 
religion  that  talks  only  of  heaven  and 
forgets  this  earth  does  not  frighten 
Communists.  It  is  because  Christi- 
anity threatens  to  upset  a  godless 
order  of  things  in  this  world  that 
the  churches  in  Eastern  Europe  and 
China  are  put  under  restraint.  True 
Christianity  is  never  meant  to  be 
an  escape  into  a  dream  world.  Even 
if  Americans  do  not  understand  that 
fact,  it  is  impressive  that  Communist 
nations  do." 

FEBRUARY  20,  1960  S 


SB 


One  of  the  many  non-Christian  places  of  worship  being 

established  in  the  United  States  is  the  Bahai  temple 

at  Wilmette,  Illinois.    Bahaism  "emphasizes  the 

spiritual  unity  of  mankind,  advocates  universal 

peace,  and  reveals  a  mild  Oriental  mysticism,  notably 

ethical  and  tolerant" 


MILLIONS 


PREFER  A  NON-CHRISTIAJ 


/ 


CHRISTIANITY  is  only 
one  among  several  re- 
ligions and  many  Chris- 
tians accept  this  to  be  entirely 
normal.  Some  regard  it  to  be 
normal  because  in  their  think- 
ing there  is  no  radical  difference 
between  faith  in  Jesus  Christ 
and  faith  as  expressed  in  other 
high  religions.  Others  regard  it 
to  be  normal  because,  as  they 
view  the  matter,  each  religion 
is  structured  to  meet  the  pref- 
erences of  the  culture  in  which 
it  prevails. 

Both  of  these  attitudes  have 
been  challenged  of  late  by  non- 
Christians.  Hindus,  Buddhists, 
and  Muslims  see  a  vast  differ- 
ence between  their  faith  and 
the  faith  that  has  a  distinctive 
Christian  element,  and  spokes- 
men for  these  other  faiths  are 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


no  longer  willing  for  their  re- 
ligions to  be  thought  of  as  be- 
longing to  a  particular  nation 
or  culture.  Each  of  these  three 
non-Christian  religions  is  being 
offered  to  the  farthest  reaches 
of  the  earth  as  a  world  religion 
for  the  emerging  world  culture. 
Christianity  no  longer  has  a 
monopoly  on  the  missionary 
enterprise.  The  whole  world  is 
the  parish  of  four,  not  one,  mis- 
sionary religions. 

It  is,  therefore,  exceedingly 
ambiguous,  especially  in  the 
United  States,  to  use  the 
word  religion  and  expect  one's 
auditors  to  think  solely  of 
Christianity.  Other  religions 
are  represented  among  us  not 
only  by  the  presence  of  gov- 
ernmental representatives  from 
Hindu,  Buddhist,  and  Muslim 
countries,  but  by  spokesmen  for 
these  religions.    The  effect  of 


the  work  of  these  spokesmen 
may  be  a  leavening  influence, 
eradicating  the  strangeness  and 
remoteness  associated  by  so 
many  Christians  with  these 
faiths.  A  significant  number 
of  conversions  from  Christianity 
to  one  or  another  of  these  new 
alternatives  also  results. 

Our  heritage  of  freedom  of 
and  deference  to  religion  in  the 
United  States  works  happily 
with  the  missionary  aims  and 
tactics  of  these  non-Christian 
religions.  It  seems  the  part  of 
good  citizenship  to  accord  them 
every  encouragement  possible. 
So,  already  in  the  large  cities 
of  our  country,  the  Hindu, 
Buddhist,  and  Islamic  houses 
of  worship  have  begun  to  take 
their  tax-exempt  place  along- 
side tax-exempt  Catholic  and 
Protestant  churches,  and  fre- 
quently there  is  greater  mutual 


acceptance  of  each  other  than 
has  been  the  case  of  Protestants 
and  Catholics  even  in  American 
history.  It  has  become  very 
popular  for  the  youth,  men's 
and  women's  organizations  in 
Christian  churches  to  feature  as 
speaker  of  the  month  a  Hindu 
swami,  a  Buddhist  priest,  or  a 
Muslim  spiritual  leader. 

Perhaps  because  we  "think 
big"  we  do  not  regard  these 
missionaries  to  be  real  com- 
petitors. But  it  is  worth  pon- 
dering that  in  the  past  quarter 
century,  there  have  been  7,000 
converts  from  one  or  another 
form  of  Christianity  to  Islam, 
the  religion  heralded  by  the 
Arabian  Prophet  Muhammad. 
These  converts  plus  the  first  and 
second  generation  Islamic  im- 
migrants give  us  a  community 
of  nearly  80,000  Muslims  in  the 
United  States. 

The  recent  granting  of  state- 


MTH 


Edmund  Perry 

hood  to  Hawaii  calls  attention 
to  a  significant  Buddhist  ele- 
ment in  our  population.  Ac- 
cording to  some  statistics, 
Hawaii's  population  was  at  one 
time  ninety-five  per  cent  Chris- 
tian. Today  the  largest  single 
religious  group  in  Hawaii  is 
the  Buddhists,  with  160,000  de- 
votees in  a  total  population  of 
640,000.  This  gain  for  the 
Buddhists  is  due  not  to  im- 
migration alone  but  also  to  a 
vigorous  missionary  activity  by 
Buddhist  priests  and  teachers 
in  the  islands.  On  the  mainland 
of  North  America  there  are  al- 
ready more  than  100  Buddhist 
priests  of  the  liberal  (Mahaya- 

Associate  professor  of  religion,  North- 
western University;  author  of  Confessing 
the  Gospel  and  the  Gospel  in  Dispute 


nist)  sects.  We  are  told  that 
the  stricter  denomination,  the 
Theravadists,  are  in  process  of 
training  missionaries  for  all 
English-speaking  countries. 

It  is  more  difficult  to  assess 
the  numerical  strength  of  the 
Hindus  in  our  country  because 
they  are  more  interested  in  cre- 
ating a  climate  of  opinion  than 
in  membership  rolls.  The  Hindu 
swami  does  not  want  to  deci- 
mate the  rolls  of  the  Christian 
churches  but  to  alter  the  tradi- 
tional Christian  attitude  that  in 
Christ  alone  men  find  present 
and  eternal  salvation.  If  he  can 
succeed  in  getting  the  Christian 
to  acknowledge  that  God  has 
numerous  ways  by  which  he 
leads  men  to  himself  and  to 
recognize  the  values  of  all  re- 
ligions, the  swami  has  indeed 
succeeded  and  cares  not  one 
whit  about  the  label  one  uses. 

Both  Hindus  and  Buddhists 
in  the  United  States  have 
adapted  their  mode  of  worship 
to  the  pattern  of  Western  Chris- 
tianity, holding  worship  serv- 
ices on  Sunday  morning.  One 
meets  at  the  services  of  either 
of  these  groups  people  holding 
membership  in  some  Christian 
or  Unitarian  Church  or  Jewish 
synagogue  and  others  who 
have  no  organizational  affilia- 
tion with  any  group. 

Intense  personal  interest  in 
these  religions  is  manifested  on 
the  college  and  university  cam- 
puses where  students  can  enroll 
in  courses  in  Oriental  philoso- 
phy and  religion.  It  is  not  in- 
frequent that  a  professor  in 
some  discipline  other  than  phi- 
losophy or  religion  has  found 
meaning  for  his  life  in  one  of 
these  Oriental  philosophies  and 
carries  on  disciplined  discus- 
sions with  inquiring  students 
and  other  professors. 

The  world  of  religions  to 
which  Christ  sent  his  disciples 
has  come  to  the  "world"  of 
Christianity,  so  that  we  can  no 
longer   accurately   speak   of   a 


Christian  nation  or  domain.  The 
whole  world  is  the  world  of 
several  religions. 

The  message  of  these  other 
religions  is  in  large  measure  a 
word  of  judgment  upon  the  dis- 
parity between  the  Christian 
proclamation  and  the  Chris- 
tians' performance.  This  word 
of  judgment  is  to  many  Chris- 
tians also  a  word  of  wooing 
away  from  traditional  Christi- 
anity to  another  faith. 

Loyal  American  patriots,  who 
themselves  fought  in  wars  for 
their  country,  find  it  difficult  to 
understand  how  readily  the 
churches  can  muster  support 
for  military  concerns  during  a 
war  but  rarely  act  significantly 
for  the  causes  of  peace  beyond 
a  casual,  sentimental  reference 
to  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

Others  ponder  such  ironies  as 
a  large  metropolitan  church 
boasting  of  its  corps  of  mission- 
aries in  Africa  but  refusing 
membership  and  even  fellow- 
ship inside  its  walls  to  Negroes 
living  in  the  same  block  of  the 
street  with  the  church. 

Both  at  home  and  abroad 
ears  are  deafened  to  the  Chris- 
tian proclamation  of  brother- 
hood in  Christ  by  the  churches' 
practice  of  race  segregation. 
One  Christian  missionary  tells 
of  being  challenged  in  Africa 
by  a  Muslim  who  interrupted 
the  Christian's  sermon  to  say  to 
the  audience,  "Why  do  we 
listen  to  this  man?  If  we  were 
to  join  his  church  and  go  to  his 
country,  we  could  not  worship 
with  him  in  the  very  church 
that  pays  him  to  come  out  here 
and  preach.  We  might  become 
Christians  but  we  would  be 
black  Christians!" 

Other  hitherto  Christians  re- 
coil from  the  widespread  con- 
tentment of  Christians  in  the 
West  with  knowledge  of  things 
occidental.  While  preaching 
Christ  to  be  the  Light  of  the 

FEBRUARY  20,  1960  11 


world  they  do  not  care  to  see 
what  he  illuminates  in  the  cul- 
tures of  Asia  and  Africa.  The 
farthest  thing  from  their  imagi- 
nation is  the  thought  that  Christ 
might  possibly  have  some  con- 
tribution to  make  to  his  church 
from  the  art,  music,  and  litera- 
ture of  non- Western  peoples. 
Ignorance  of  and  lack  of  ap- 
preciation for  all  this  world 
hardly  inspires  confidence  in 
our  knowledge  of  and  claims 
for  matters  eternal. 

The  lack  of  zeal  for  peace, 
the  unpracticed  ideals  of  Chris- 
tian brotherhood,  and  haughty 
contentment  with  limited 
knowledge  turn  many  a  nomi- 
nal Christian  to  another  faith 
and  to  another  gospel,  hoping 
for  some  good  news  in  deed  and 
not  in  word  only.  It  is  precise- 
ly to  these  defects  in  everyday 
Christianity  that  the  message 
of  the  militant  non-Christian 
religions  is  addressed. 

The  challenge  of  these  other 
faiths  has  put  Christians  in  a 
missionary  situation  whether 
they  like  it  or  not  and  is  com- 
pelling us  to  inquire  afresh  what 
is  that  distinctively  Christian 
factor  in  our  faith  and  whether 
that  factor  involves  us  in  a  mis- 
sionary witness  to  the  world 
both  near  and  far  away. 

To  this  extent,  the  earnest 
Christian  can  be  genuinely 
thankful  for  the  missionary  out- 
reach of  the  revitalized  religions 
of  the  world.  In  recent  years 
the  Christian  laity  has  been 
given  little  motivation  to  in- 
quire into  the  centralities  of 
the  Christian  faith,  and  this 
generalized  ignorance  of  Chris- 
tianity has  contributed  no  little 
to  the  generous  reception  which 
the  other  faiths  have  received 
from  us. 

Missionaries  of  these  other 
religions  report  that  they  have 
little  occasion  to  construct 
convincing   arguments    against 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Christianity  for  the  full  conver- 
sion of  their  inquirers.  This  is 
not  to  say  that  all  converts  from 
Christianity  are  uninformed. 
One  of  the  strongest  arguments 
against  embracing  the  Christian 
faith  is  the  very  nature  of  the 
Christian  gospel  itself. 

It  does  indeed  repel  the  natu- 
ral generosity  and  stagger  culti- 
vated imagination  to  be  told 
that  our  present  and  eternal 
salvation  consists  in  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ  alone.  But  unfortu- 
nately it  is  just  this  repulsive 
fact  with  all  of  its  implications 
which  has  been  conspicuously 
absent  from  so  much  Protestant 
preaching  and  instruction.  In 
the  language  of  the  campus, 
Christian  preaching  and  teach- 
ing have  confused  "pepping  up" 
and  "wising  up"  for  "shaking 
up. 

In  the  presence  of  the  ap- 
peals of  Hinduism,  Buddhism, 
and  Islam  and  in  the  acknowl- 
edged condition  of  impoverish- 
ment, we  Christians  are  made 
to  ask,  Is  there  salvation  in 
Jesus  Christ  and  is  there  salva- 
tion elsewhere?  If  there  is  sal- 
vation in  Jesus  Christ  and  in 
him  alone,  to  assess  another  re- 
ligion and  state  its  relation  to 
Christianity,  we  need  only  to 
ask,  Does  this  religion  have 
Jesus  Christ?  We  need  no 
longer  quibble  whether  there 
is  among  devotees  of  non- 
Christian  faiths  a  religious  ex- 
perience as  rich  and  satisfying 
as  Christian  experience  for  it  is 
not  religious  experience  that 
saves,  but  Jesus  Christ. 

If  we  take  the  Bible  as  our 
norm,  a  corollary  to  the  reaf- 
firmation that  Jesus  alone  saves 
is  acceptance  of  the  responsi- 
bility imposed  by  his  having 
committed  unto  us  the  ministry 
of  his  salvation.  The  world  for 
which  he  died  and  which  is 
therefore  now  already  his  is  the 
world  to  which  we  are  sent  with 
the  ministry  of  good  news  and 
good     services.      That     world 


presently  exists  where  his  name 
has  not  been  acknowledged  in 
faith,  where  his  name  is  re- 
jected, and  where  his  name  has 
not  been  heard  —  which  is  to 
say,  whether  we  go  or  stay,  we 
are  in  a  missionary  situation 
with  a  missionary  responsibility. 
Thanks  be  to  God  for  the 
coming  to  our  shores  of  people 
of  other  faiths,  for  now  the 
greatest  and  the  least,  the  eldest 
and  the  youngest,  the  foremost 
and  the  remotest  Christian  is 
confronted  with  an  opportunity 
to  call  from  the  peoples  of  the 
earth  some  representatives  into 
the  family  of  Christ. 

This  article  was  prepared  in  behalf  of 
the  eighteenth  Ecumenical  Student  Con- 
ference on  the  Christian  World  Mission, 
which  met  at  Ohio  University,  Athens, 
Ohio,   December  27   to   January   2 

Stephen  and  Barnabas 

Continued  from  page  4 

phen  were  chief  contributors  to 
the  early  church's  growing  re- 
alization that  the  good  news 
was  for  all.  And  their  most 
momentous  contribution  was  a 
person  who  became  an  even 
more  decisive  contributor  to 
this  realization  than  they.  Ste- 
phen and  Barnabas  were 
co-evangelists  to  the  most 
important  convert  in  history. 

Stephen  did  not  live  to  be- 
come aware  of  this  strange 
partnership;  Barnabas  may  nev- 
er quite  have  noticed  it.  But 
Stephen,  as  the  stones  thumped 
against  him,  prayed  two  pray- 
ers. Saul  heard,  and  could  not 
forget.  Later  Barnabas  took  the 
reckless  convert  to  the  apostles 
and  convinced  them  of  his 
change  of  heart.  After  some 
years  it  was  Barnabas  who  went 
to  Tarsus,  located  Saul,  and 
brought  him  back  to  Antioch. 

Stephen,  as  Luke  tells  us,  was 
full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  faith, 
grace,  and  power;  Barnabas  too 
is  singled  out  as  full  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  of  faith.  Paul 
owed  very  much  to  them  both. 
They  were  his  fathers  in  the 
faith. 


A  Mother  Looks  at  Pacifism 


Time:  Early  April  Characters:   Mrs.  Foster  and  her  son,  Bruce 

Scene:  A  back  yard  Mrs.  Brooks  and  her  son,  Kenny 


Marian  L.  Kuns 


ACT  I 

IT  IS  a  lovely  day  in  early  spring  —  the  kind  of 
day  diat  calls  one  out  of  doors.  Bruce  and  Kenny  are 
riding  their  bicycles.  Suddenly  the  peacefulness  and 
beauty  of  the  morning  are  disrupted  by  shouts  of  anger, 
punctuated  with  resounding  slaps.  Kenny  sends  Bruce 
howling  for  his  mother.  Mrs.  Foster  has  been  watching 
out  of  her  window,  and  when  Bruce  calls  to  her  she 
comes  tearing  out  of  the  house  and  down  the  steps, 
shouting  emphatically,  "Bruce,  don't  let  him  hit  you. 
Go  get  him!"  Bruce  starts  after  Kenny  who  by  this 
time  is  speeding  homeward. 


act  n 

TODAY  Bruce  and  Kenny  are  joyfully  making  mud 
pies.  Again  a  peaceful  scene  is  shattered  by  an  outburst 
from  the  two  boys.  Slaps  are  exchanged.  Kenny  is 
sent  howling.  Kenny's  mother  hears  the  ruckus  and 
comes  outside.  "Well,  boys,  it  looks  as  if  you're  having 
a  disagreement.  What's  wrong?"  There  comes  an  ava- 
lanche of  "He  hit  me's!"  Tears  are  dried.  Noses  are 
wiped.  There  is  conversation.  The  difficulty  is  discov- 
ered. The  initial  offender  confesses.  An  understanding 
is  reached.  Both  boys  happily  resume  making  mud 
pies.    Quietly,  Mrs.  Brooks  returns  to  the  house. 


AT  THIS  point  I  like  to 
let  my  imagination  run 
wild.  I  can  see  a  whole 
world  of  Kennys  brought  up  by 
parents  who  have  taught  their 
children  that  there  is  a  peace- 
ful way  to  settle  disagreements. 
Exciting,  isn't  it?  William  Ross 
Wallace  was  not  kidding  when 
he  wrote  "The  hand  that  rocks 
the  cradle  is  the  hand  that  rules 
the  world." 

It  is  quite  ironic  that  this 
great  force  is  the  same  force 
that  often  in  frustration  says, 
"I'm  so  tied  down  with  these 
three  children.  If  I  could  just 
get  away  to  attend  the  Friday 
night  bridge  club,  and  maybe 
the  discussion  group  that  meets 
the  second  Tuesday  of  each 
month,  or  perhaps  go  over  to 
Sally  Jenkins'  every  Monday 
night  to  learn  about  flower  ar- 
rangements. If  I  could  just  find 
something  really  challenging  to 
do!"  Pauline  Trueblood  in  The 
Recovery  of  Family  Life  states 
that  if  Hitler's  mother  had  been 
gifted  in  her  profession  that 
there  would  never  have  been  a 
Hitler  as  the  world  knows  him. 
It  is  a  sobering  thought. 

A  few  years  ago  a  very  wise 
college  president  when  dis- 
cussing with  a  would-be  minis- 
ter and  his  wife  the  many  diffi- 


culties that  lie  ahead  in  the  long 
years  of  preparation  said,  "Re- 
member, you  need  to  cross  only 
one  hurdle  at  a  time!"  This 
same  philosophy  holds  true  for 
all  goals  we  hope  to  reach.  And 
it  is  especially  true  when  we 
think  about  pacifism. 

Volumes  have  been  written 
about  pacifism.  Great  thinkers 
have  labeled  it  both  "practical" 
and  "impractical."  It  has  be- 
come so  complicated  and  mis- 
interpreted that  we  are  tempted 
to  think  of  it  as  too  perfect  a 
goal  ever  to  be  reached.  It  is 
something  to  talk  about.  It  is  a 


safe  topic  of  conversation  —  we 
think  —  because  action  will  not 
or  cannot  be  taken  for  some 
time. 

All  the  while  we  are  telling 
ourselves  these  things,  parents 
like  the  Fosters  and  the  Brooks 
are  acting.  For  Mrs.  Brooks 
pacifism  is  real  and  attainable, 
not  in  its  most  hoped-for  stage, 
but  in  its  beginning  as  she  dem- 
onstrates to  her  son  over  and 
over  again  the  value  of  settling 
disputes  by  peaceful  means.  A 
whole  world  of  such  children 
grown  into  adulthood  staggers 
the  imagination. 


God  Gives  His  Best 

Glen  Weimer 

God  gives  his  best,  and  expects  our  best, 

God  has  given  us  a  "best"  which  is  to  be  shared  — 

No  person  is  empty-handed; 

No  person  is  without  some  treasures  of  the  heart  that  would 

enrich  and  strengthen  another. 
God's  treasure  which  he  gives  ever  and  ever  again  is  his  love  in 

Jesus, 

His  love  in  the  friends  and  followers  of  Jesus. 

You  are  a  follower  of  Jesus  when  you  carry  the  love  of  God 

into  another  heart. 

There  are  many  hearts  agonizingly  empty  —  hearts  that  need 

the  gift  of  love,  the  gift  of  God  that  can  come  in  and  through 

you  to  them. 
O  Father,  release  in  and  through  us  the  treasure  of  life.   Make 
us  able  to  put  the  precious  gems  of  our  knowledge  of  thee  in  the 
troubled  life  setting  of  others.    Through  him  who  carries  the 
Light  of  God  into  our  souls.    Amen. 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


13 


%      A  rebuilt  tractor  and 
other  farm  machinery 
IMPir  "^$$1      loaded  on  a  flat  car  for 

*«-       shipment  to  other 

countries  through  the 
MSj       Self-Help  program 


SELF-HELP 


Roger  Burgess 


best  answer  to  communism 


A  TRACTOR  for  India,  a 
posthole  digger  for  Hai- 
ti, and  an  electric  welder 
for  Angola,  PWA,  are  all  on 
their  way  overseas  from  the 
heart  of  America,  thanks  to  the 
heart  of  an  American. 

His  name  is  Vern  Schield. 
His  home  is  Waverly,  Iowa. 
And  he  is  the  founder  of  a 
unique  new  international  self- 
help  program.  The  idea:  To 
make  farm  equipment  of  all 
kinds  available  overseas,  at  the 
lowest  possible  price. 

Fourteen  years  ago  Vern 
founded  the  Schield-Bantam 
Company  of  Waverly,  now  one 
of  the  largest  manufacturers  of 
small  power  cranes  and  excava- 
tors in  the  world.  Traveling 
around  the  globe  to  find  dealers 
for  his  company,  Vern  Schield 
was  appalled  at  the  poverty  and 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


primitive  farming  conditions  he 
found  in  many  countries.  Often 
people  had  good  land,  but 
little  or  no  equipment  to  help 
make  it  productive. 

The  result:  Self-Help,  a 
people-to-people  organization, 
providing  a  channel  for  eco- 
nomic aid  to  underdeveloped 
agricultural  areas  of  the  world. 

Using  skills  acquired  in  the 
development  of  his  company, 
Vern's  Self-Help  plan  rebuilds 
used  farm  equipment  and  ships 
it  overseas  at  a  fraction  of 
the  original  cost.  Occasionally 
farmers  donate  everything  from 
tractors  to  corn  shellers.  Some 
equipment  is  purchased  with 
funds  donated  to  Self-Help.  In- 
dividuals and  church  mission 
boards  pay  reconditioning  and 
freight  charges.  In  some  in- 
stances, small  co-operatives  are 
formed  overseas  to  purchase 
this  machinery.    In  off  seasons 


these  co-operatives  rent  out  this 
equipment  for  custom  work. 

"These  people  do  not  want 
charity,"  says  Schield.  "They 
want  a  helping  hand  so  they  can 
learn  to  help  themselves." 

Schield  believes  that  this 
kind  of  economic  aid,  with  no 
strings  attached,  is  America's 
best  answer  to  communism,  and 
to  the  world's  economic  prob- 
lems. "Where  people  produce 
little,  they  earn  little  and  can 
buy  little,"  he  says.  "Self-Help 
is  one  way  of  turning  the  tide." 

Schield  is  a  devoted  church- 
man. His  Christian  convictions 
led  to  the  establishment  of  Self- 
Help.  Vern  says,  "When  Christ 
walked  among  us,  he  taught  us 
God's  word,  healed  the  sick, 
and  fed  the  hungry.  He  taught 
us  the  earth  is  the  Lord's  and 
we  are  its  stewards.  He  left  us 


Associate  secretary,  The  General  Board 
of  Temperance,  The  Methodist  Church 


many  examples  of  why  we 
should  be  good  stewards  of  the 
soil. 

"Today,  as  in  Christ's  time, 
we  must  feed  the  hungry.  But 
now  there  are  many  millions  to 
feed.  Although  we  have  better 
methods  of  farming  today,  these 
methods  are  not  available  to 
all.  Self-Help  was  organized  to 
help  the  less  fortunate  people 
of  the  world  reap  the  greatest 
benefits  from  the  soil." 


Take  My  Yoke  Upon  You 
Cora  W.  Helman 


B1 


ROWSING  through  some  old 
books  at  a  rummage  sale  I 
came  upon  Addresses  by 
Henry  Drummond,  which  I  pur- 
chased. One  of  the  addresses  in- 
cluded was  Pax  Vobiscum,  which 
presented  new  insight  into  the  sig- 
nificance of  the  invitation  of  Jesus 
to  his  followers  to  take  his  yoke 
upon  them. 

Instead  of  the  customary  interpre- 
tation, that  the  burden  of  the  "weary 
and  heavy  laden"  is  lightened  when 
they  come  to  Christ  and  accept  his 
yoke  because  Christ  is  then  a  yoke 
mate  who  shares  the  burden  and 
helps  pull  the  load,  Mr.  Drummond 
treats  the  matter  from  the  functional 
aspect  of  yokes  as  worn  by  men, 
not  oxen. 

Most  of  us  have  seen  pictures  of 
Europeans  or  Orientals  bearing  yokes 
upon  their  shoulders,  with  which 
they  carry  rather  heavy  burdens  with 
comparative  ease.  In  fact,  some- 
times, they  carry  loads  so  heavy 
that  they  would  be  staggering  with- 
out the  yoke.  We  who  have  not 
had  experience  with  yokes  may  con- 
sider the  admonition  of  Jesus  to  the 
heavy  laden  to  take  his  yoke  upon 
them  as  rather  strange,  even  para- 
doxical (since  a  yoke  suggests  bear- 
ing burdens  rather  than  getting  rid 
of  them ) .  But  the  audience  to  which 
Jesus  was  speaking  understood  how 
a  well-fitted  and  smoothly  finished 
yoke  could  transform  heavy  loads 
into  comparatively  light  ones,  and 
that  without  any  galling  of  the 
shoulders. 

If  Jesus  constructed  yokes  in  the 
carpenter  shop  at  Nazareth,  we  may 
be  sure  that  they  were  whittled  with 
great  care  so  that  they  would  fit 
the  shoulders  with  ease;  and  that 
they    were    sanded    to    a    velvety 


smoothness  so  as  not  to  be  irritating 
to  the  wearer.  We  may  be  equally 
sure  that  his  spiritual  yoke  has  been 
fashioned  with  concern  for  the  one 
who  is  to  wear  it,  and  that  it  will 
convert  a  load  too  heavy  to  be  borne 
in  our  own  strength  into  one  that 
may  be  carried  without  strain. 

In  the  same  sentence  that  Jesus 
enjoins  his  "weary  and  heavy  laden" 
listeners  to  take  his  yoke  upon  them, 
he  adds  "and  learn  of  me  for  I  am 
gentle  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  you 
shall  find  rest  for  your  souls."  What 
has  this  to  do  with  wearing  his  yoke? 
What  are  we  to  learn  from  him? 
That  the  secret  of  easy  yoke  wearing 
lies  in  being  gentle  and  lowly  in 
heart! 

We  are  to  learn  that  worry  and 
anxiety,  fussing  and  fuming,  feeling 
sorry  for  ourselves  only  add  to  the 
weight  of  the  load,  that  stress  and 
strain  make  the  burden  so  heavy  that 
we  are  likely  to  break  under  its 
weight.  Whereas,  for  the  "gende 
and  lowly  in  heart,"  stress  and  strain 
disappear;  they  find  peace  and  there- 
fore rest.  It  is  not  surcease  from 
the  burden  that  Jesus  promises,  but 
that  the  yoke  will  lighten  the  load 
so  that  we  can  carry  it  without  strain. 

I  once  visited  two  patients  in  a 
hospital,  both  facing  serious  major 
surgery.  The  face  of  one  of  them 
was  swollen  from  crying,  and  she 
was  gnashing  her  teeth  so  that  one 
feared  some  of  them  might  snap  from 
her  jaw.  The  other  patient  was  re- 
laxed and  calm,  even  cheerful.  For 
the  first  the  load  was  so  heavy  that 
she  was  breaking  under  it;  the  latter 
was  bearing  an  equally  heavy  load 
with  an  easy  yoke. 

A  considerable  number  of  patients 
in  mental  institutions  are  there,  not 
because  they  had  heavier  loads  to 
carry  than  their  fellows,  but  because 
they  were  disposed  to  fret  and  worry 
about  situations  that  others  would 
have  taken  in  stride.  It  is  the  stress 
of  trying  to  carry  burdens  in  our 
own  strength  (that  is,  without  the 
benefit  of  the  yoke  that  Jesus  offers ) , 
rather  than  the  burdens  themselves, 
that  get  us  down. 

Some  people  react  to  a  burden  like 
a  young  horse  when  hitched  to  a 
wagon  for  the  first  time.  Older  read- 
ers may  recall  how  an  unbroken  colt 
was  likely  to  dash  forward  until  he 
felt  the  tug  of  the  harness,  then  recoil 
and  prance  around  in  a  dither  of 
excitement  until  he  was  lathered 
with  sweat,  while  the  older  horse 
with  whom  he  was  hitched  lay  into 
the  harness  and  got  the  wagon  roll- 
ing without  the  help  of  his  teammate. 


Jesus  deals  with  the  heart  of  the 
matter  of  easy  burden-bearing  when 
he  says  "learn  of  me  for  I  am  gende 
and  lowly  in  heart."  The  word  far 
points  the  way  to  "easy  does  it."  The 
difficulty  that  was  the  burden  may 
still  exist,  but  for  the  "gende  and 
lowly  in  heart,"  the  stress  and  strain 
are  dissipated;  the  burden  is  no 
longer  too  heavy  to  be  borne.  Like 
Paul  they  discover  that  God's  grace 
is  sufficient  for  any  trial. 

So  the  weary  and  heavy  laden  who 
accept  the  yoke  that  Jesus  offers,  and 
learn  from  him  how  to  bear  it,  find 
peace  and  rest.  For  his  yoke  is  easy 
and  it  converts  the  heavy  burden 
into  a  light  one.  Weariness  and 
frustration  vanish  and  the  soul  finds 
rest. 


SUGGESTIONS 

for 

Happier  Family  Living 

Mildred  Allen  Jeffery 

1.  Learn  the  loving  approach;  love 
has  "the  wit  to  win."  Censure  and 
strife  breed  hatreds. 

2.  Translate  wishful  thinking  into 
action.  Family  living  is  happier  be- 
cause of  doing  things  together. 

3.  View  family  troubles  objective- 
ly, constructively,  and  without 
bitterness.  It  is  not  so  much  the 
troubles  but  the  way  we  take  them 
that  counts  most. 

4.  Cultivate  your  sense  of  humor. 
Do  not  take  yourself  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family  too  seriously. 

5.  Analyze  success  stories;  keep 
inspired. 

6.  Read  good  books  on  happier 
family  living. 

7.  Include  Bible  reading  and 
prayer;  "the  family  that  prays  to- 
gether, stays  together." 

8.  Discover  that  back  of  every 
ideal  lies  the  sacrifice  of  dedication, 
and  make  that  sacrifice. 

9.  Study  families  that  you  know 
are  achieving  happiness. 

10.  Be  patient: 

God  has  so  much  of  everything, 
and  has  such  love  for  you  — 
That  when  you  operate  through  love 
He  gives  you  heaven  too. 

Used    by    permission    of    the    American 
Mothers  Committee 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Brotherhood  Fund  Receipts 

Oct.  1,  1958,  to  Jan.  31,  1959 $454,235 

Oct.  1,  1959,  to  Jan.  31,  1960 457,235 

Increase $     3,000 


News  has  come  to  the  mission  office  of  the  death  of 
Mrs.  E.  H.  Eby  of  La  Verne,  Calif.  The  Ebys  served 
in  the  India  mission  field,  1904-1925.  Brother  Eby  died 
in  1958. 

During  the  winter  months  Bridgewater  College 
faculty  members  are  participating  in  a  number  of  district 
and  local  church  schools  of  doctrine,  Christian  service, 
and  missions. 

Juniata  College's  admissions  office  has  received  592 
applicants  for  next  year's  freshman  class,  an  increase 
of  21  per  cent  over  the  number  received  last  year.  The 
class  will  number  225. 

Mrs.  D.  W.  Bittinger  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  has 
been  invited  as  one  of  forty-three  Kansas  persons  to 
attend  the  White  House  Conference  on  Children  and 
Youth,  to  be  held  in  Washington,  D.  C,  March  27- 
April   1. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Ernest  Davis  have  given  volunteer 
service  during  the  month  of  January  in  the  visitation  of 
California  churches  in  the  cause  of  mission  education. 
Brother  Davis  visited  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  mis- 
sion areas  in  1958. 

Sylvia  A.  Middlekauff,  a  Juniata  College  sophomore, 
has  received  an  official  invitation  from  President  Eisen- 
hower to  be  a  delegate  to  the  1960  White  House  Con- 
ference on  Children  and  Youth.  Sylvia  is  a  daughter 
of  John  C.  Middlekauff,  pastor  of  the  New  Carlisle 
church  in  Southern  Ohio,  and  Mrs.  Middlekauff. 

Prof.  R.  Gary  Deavel  of  the  Manchester  College's 
department  of  music  was  one  of  sixty-one  college  teach- 
ers throughout  the  nation  to  receive  a  Danforth  teacher 
study  grant  for  an  eleven-month  program  of  graduate 
study  next  year.  Professor  Deavel  plans  to  attend  the 
Eastman  School  of  Music  at  the  University  of  Rochester. 

Pittsburgh  church,  Western  Pennsylvania,  is  eager 
to  get  in  touch  with  all  Brethren  people  living  in  that 
area  who  do  not  presently  attend  church  there.  If  you 
know  any  such  in  the  city  or  those  who  are  planning  to 
move  there,  please  write  the  pastor,  Russell  Bixler,  3503 
Beechwood  Blvd.,  Pittsburgh  17,  Pa. 

Elizabethtown  College  has  been  given  a  grant  of 
$500  by  the  U.  S.  Steel  Foundation  to  purchase  chem- 
istry journals  for  the  college  library.  The  grant  was 
made  through  the  Association  of  College  and  Research 
Libraries.  Elizabethtown  was  one  of  seventy-seven 
colleges  to  receive  a  grant. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


A  record-breaking  crowd  of  366  persons  participated 
in  the  Jan.  31  —  Feb.  5  Brethren  youth  seminar  at  Wash- 
ington and  at  the  United  Nations.  This  is  almost  one 
hundred  more  than  the  previous  high  in  1957. 

Radio  station  WCHA  will  broadcast  Sunday  morn- 
ing services  of  the  Chambersburg  church,  Pa.,  five  times 
this  year.  The  first  service  to  be  broadcast  was  Jan.  31, 
and  subsequent  services  will  be  heard  Feb.  28,  April 
3,  May  8,  and  June  12.  The  broadcast  begins  at  10:45 
a.m.  (ET). 

A  Consultation  on  BVS  is  being  planned  for  April 
to  evaluate  the  past  program  of  Brethren  Volunteer 
Service  and  to  plan  for  the  future.  The  consultation  will 
include  representatives  of  present  and  former  BVS'ers, 
administrators,  training  leaders,  and  others  who  have 
been  related  to  the  program. 

A  Call  to  Discipleship  retreat  was  held  at  the  new 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Rockford  Feb.  13.  Repre- 
sentatives of  churches  in  the  Northern  Illinois  Wisconsin 
District  gathered  to  plan  for  congregational  programs 
in  the  coming  weeks.  Leaders  included  Paul  M.  Rob- 
inson and  Earle  W.  Fike,  Jr. 

Ushering  in  Lent  at  the  Hagerstown  church,  Md., 
will  be  a  prayer  vigil,  aimed  at  seeking  "God's  guidance 
and  power  for  all  who  hear  and  respond  to  Christ's  Call 
to  Discipleship."  The  watch  of  prayer,  will  begin  at 
8  p.m.  on  March  1  and  continue  through  Ash  Wednes- 
day, concluding  with  a  congregational  service  in  the 
evening. 

Change  of  Address 

Oliver  Royer,  from  Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  to  Box  133, 
Burnettsville,  Ind.,  where  he  began  pastoral  work  on 
Jan.  31. 

Standing  Committee  Delegates 

Northeastern  Kansas:  Francis  Shenefelt;  alternate, 
Rudy  Whitney. 

First  Virginia:  Fred  E.  Bowman,  Fenton  Platter, 
Deane  Rumberg. 

First  West  Virginia:  Robert  Bane,  W.  Owen  Horton. 

Licensed  to  the  Ministry 

James  Weaver,  licensed  in  the  East  Fairview  church, 
Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

Graham  B.  Sowers,  licensed  in  the  Maple  Grove 
church,  N.  C,  Southern  District  of  Virginia. 

Gary  Brendt  Ross,  licensed  in  the  First  Central 
church,  Kansas  City,  Northeastern  Kansas. 

Dedication 

East  Fairview  church,  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  will 
dedicate  its  new  educational  building  and  celebrate  the 
tenth  anniversary  of  their  occupation  of  the  present 
building  on  Sunday,  Feb.  28.  Frank  Carper,  pastor  of 
the  Palmyra  church,  Pa.,  will  bring  the  dedicatory 
message  at  the  10:00  a.m.  worship  service;  open  house 
in  the  afternoon  will  give  visiters  an  opportunity  to  see 
the  new  facilities;  in  the  evening  the  choirs  will  give 
a  program,  and  Olden  Mitchell,  pastor  of  die  Lititz 
church,  Pa.,  will  preach. 


Brotherhood  Theme:  Brethren  Under  the  Lordship  of  Christ 


Tuition  rates  at  La  Verne  College  will  increase  next 
year,  according  to  a  statement  by  Harold  D.  Fasnacht, 
president.  A  $50  per  semester  raise  will  put  tuition  costs 
at  $400  a  semester,  making  available  larger  scholarship 
funds  and  an  increase  in  faculty  salaries.  An  installment 
plan  is  available  to  students  with  an  initial  down  pay- 
ment and  twelve  monthly  payments. 

Manchester  College  has  qualified  for  a  grant  of 
$25,000  from  Lilly  Endowment,  Inc.,  designated  for 
furnishings  and  equipment  in  the  science  hall.  This 
grant  was  awarded  after  the  college  had  raised  $30,000 
for  this  purpose.  The  Hall  of  Science,  built  and 
equipped  at  a  cost  of  $720,000,  will  be  dedicated  on 
March  26. 

Raymond  R.  Peters,  pastor  of  the  Mack  Memorial 
church,  Dayton,  Ohio,  was  elected  to  the  newly  created 
position  of  chairman-elect  of  the  Ohio  Pastors  conven- 
tion. He  will  automatically  become  chairman  of  the 
1962  convention,  the  first  Church  of  die  Brethren  minis- 
ter to  hold  that  position  in  the  forty-one  years  of  the 
convention.  The  chairman  is  recognized  as  honorary 
leader  of  Ohio's  Protestant  clergymen. 

An  Action  Sheet  on  Disarmament  has  recently  been 
sent  to  pastors,  Brethren  Service  representatives,  and 
persons  who  have  requested  to  receive  Brethren  Service 
News.  Any  additional  persons  who  wish  to  receive 
these  occasional  action  sheets  may  write  to  the  Brediren 
Service  Commission,  General  Offices,  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Elgin,  111.,  asking  to  be  placed  on  the  Brethren 
Service  News  special  list. 

A  District  Leaders  Conference  has  been  announced 
for  Jan.  24-27,  1961,  at  the  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 
Participating  will  be  district  executive  secretaries  and 
board  chairmen  or  others  designated  by  the  districts, 
regional  executives,  and  Brotherhood  staff  members. 
The  conference  will  be  aimed  at  fostering  understanding 
and  growth  in  the  tasks  of  churchmanship. 

All  Brethren  participating  in  the  White  House 
Conference  for  Children  and  Youth,  March  27  —  April 
2,  are  asked  to  get  in  touch  with  James  Renz,  Brother- 
hood director  of  social  welfare.  Mr.  Renz  will  attempt 
to  arrange  a  gathering  for  Brethren  attending  the  con- 
ference. Brethren  presently  known  to  be  participating 
include  Mrs.  Desmond  Bittinger,  McPherson,  Kansas; 
Mrs.  Max  Murray,  Roanoke,  Va.;  Sylvia  Middlekauff, 
Juniata  College;  Warren  Miller,  Bridgewater  College; 
Mary  Spessard,  Joe  Long,  and  James  Renz,  Elgin. 

All  of  the  districts  of  die  Eastern  Region  now  have 
active  Brethren  service  commissions,  two  of  them  hav- 
ing organized  within  the  last  year.  Members  of  the 
Brotherhood  staff  of  Brethren  Service  have  met  with 
the  district  Brethren  service  commissions  in  all  except 
one  of  the  districts  of  that  region.  Other  districts  across 
the  Brotherhood  are  rapidly  forming  Brethren  service 
commissions  also,  and  it  is  hoped  that  eventually  all 
the  districts  will  have  such  a  commission.  A  series  of 
Brethren  Service  training  conferences  are  planned  for 
the  Western  Region  this  May. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garland  Werking  of  Richmond,  Ind., 
recently  arrived  at  the  New  Windsor  Brethren  Service 
Center  to  begin  a  year  of  adult  volunteer  service.  He 
will  work  in  the  maintenance  department  at  die  center 
and  she  will  assist  in  the  housekeeping  department. 

The  International  Gift  Shop  at  New  Windsor  has 
received  its  first  shipment  of  handicrafts  from  the 
Brethren  Mission  area  in  Africa.  This  shipment  is  of 
wood  carvings.  Metal  work  is  expected  later.  Also  the 
gift  shop  has  received  the  first  shipment  of  hand-woven 
skirts  from  Guatemala.  Gifts  are  currently  being  carried 
from  Austria,  Germany,  Greece,  Jordan,  Hong  Kong, 
India,  Ecuador,  Puerto  Rico,  Taiwan,  and  Bethlehem. 

The  Church  Calendar 
February  21 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  A  Program  of  Christian  Service. 
Acts  20:13  —  21:16.  Memory  Selection:  The  grace  of 
God  has  appeared  for  the  salvation  of  all  men,  training 
us  to  renounce  irreligion  and  worldly  passions,  and  to 
five  sober,  upright,  and  godly  lives  in  this  world.  Titus 
2:11-12  (R.S.V.) 

Feb.  21-23  Pennsylvania  State  Youth  Conference, 
Bedford 

Feb.  21-28  Brotherhood  Week 

Feb.  28  -  March  4  Adult  Seminar,  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  New  York  City 

March  2  Ash  Wednesday  (beginning  of  Lent) 

March  4  World  Day  of  Prayer 

March  6  Commitment  Day  (for  total  abstinence) 

March  6  Eastern  Maryland  CBYF  round  table  and 
speech  contest,  Washington  City  church 

March  11-12  Central  Region  daily  vacation  church 
school  conference,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

March  27  —  April  2  White  House  Conference  on  Chil- 
dren and  Youth 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Charles  R.  Oberlin  of  Peru,  Ind.,  in  die  Union 
Grove  church,  Ind.,  Feb.  28  —  March  6. 

Bro.  R.  E.  Mohler  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  in  die  Thomas 
church,  Okla.,  Feb.  21-28;  in  the  Bethanv  church,  Mo., 
March  20-27. 

Bro.  Earl  K.  Ziegler  of  Woodbury,  Pa.,  in  the  Cherry 
Lane  church,  Pa.,  Feb.  28  —  March  6. 

Bro.  Murray  L.  Wagner  of  Quarryville,  Pa.,  in  the  Little 
Swatara  congregation,  Pa.,  March  3-13. 

Bro.  Marvin  Clingenpeel  of  Grottoes,  Va.,  in  the  Orlando 
church,  Fla.,  March  6-13. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  die  Brookville 
church,  Ohio,  March  21-27. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Nine  baptized  in  the  Tacoma  church,  Wash. 

Twelve  baptized  and  four  received  by  letter  in  die  First 
church,  Akron,  Ohio. 

Four  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  die  East 
Fairview  church,  Pa. 

Two  baptized  and  five  received  by  letter  in  die  Old 
Furnace  church,  W.  Va.  Eight  baptized  and  one  received 
by  letter  in  the  Orlando  church,  Fla. 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


17 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Anglican  Yearbook  Claims 
10,440  Catholics  in  Two  Years 

The  official  yearbook  of  the 
Church  of  England  points  out  that 
in  two  recent  years  some  10,440  Ro- 
man Catholics  were  admitted  to  the 
church. 

The  total  number  for  all  baptized 
members  of  the  Church  of  England 
was  reported  to  be  26,771,000.  Of 
these,  it  was  estimated  that  9,691,000 
were  confirmed  members,  but  only 
about  one  in  four  were  listed  as 
Easter  communicants. 

World  Council  Voices  Sympathy 
for  Victims  of  Anti-Semitism 

The  World  Council  of  Churches 
in  a  statement  issued  in  Geneva, 
Switzerland,  expressed  deep  sym- 
pathy with  victims  of  recent  out- 
breaks of  anti-Semitic  acts  of 
vandalism  in  various  countries.  It 
called  once  again  on  its  member 
churches  to  work  for  the  abolition 
of  all  forms  of  segregation  and 
discrimination. 

Dr.  W.  A.  Visser  't  Hooft,  secre- 
tary of  the  Council,  pointed  out  that 
the  acts  of  vandalism  recently  may 
have  an  opposite  effect  to  those 
hoped  for  by  the  perpetrators  in  that 
they  would  awaken  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  Christians  to  the  fact 
that  anti-Semitism  is  still  a  danger 
and  they  must  take  a  positive  atti- 
tude toward  the  Jewish  people. 

Students  Grapple 

With  World  Issues 

From  Christian  Perspective 

Some  3,000  students  from  more 
than  100  countries  met  together  re- 
cendy  in  Athens,  Ohio,  in  a  week- 
long  quadrennial  conference  on 
Christian  World  Missions. 

Students  grappled  with  contempo- 
rary issues  from  a  Christian  perspec- 
tive in  forums  that  dealt  with  such 
problems  as  technological  upheaval, 
racial  tensions,  new  nationalisms, 
militant  non-Christian  faiths,  re- 
sponsibility for  statesmanship,  higher 
education,  communism,  refugees, 
and  modern  secularism. 

In  one  session  Kermit  Eby  empha- 
sized that  he  rejected  the  Commu- 
nist solution  to  economic  and  social 
problems  because  it  puts  goods  and 
property  ahead  of  human  beings. 
He  said,  "I  take  the  position  that  the 
ultimate  natural  resource  is  man,  not 
property." 


William  Smith 


The  cornerstone  of  the  church  of  the  Bedford  fellowship  was  laid  on  Dec. 
6  with  an  appropriate  service.  The  assistant  moderator,  Ralph  Ebersole, 
dedicated  the  stone.  The  picture  above  shows  the  church  as  it  appeared 
on  Oct.   12.    Daniel  Brumbaugh  is  the  pastor  of  this  new  congregation 


A  Nigerian  student,  speaking  on 
racial  tensions,  said  that  the  Com- 
munist radio  is  telling  Africa  that 
America  has  two  democracies,  one 
for  whites  and  another  for  Negroes. 
He  said  he  would  have  to  report  to 
the  Nigerian  government  that  the 
Communist  view  had  been  largely 
confirmed  by  his  study  and  observa- 
tions in  this  country. 

The  Biblical  bases  for  confronting 
modern  problems  were  presented  at 
the  start  of  each  daily  session  by 
Bishop  Lesslie  Newbigin  of  the 
Church  of  South  India,  who  is  also 
general  secretary  of  the  International 
Missionary  Council. 

The  conference  was  sponsored  by 
the  National  Student  Christian  Fed- 
eration, which  was  formed  last  year 
by  a  merger  of  the  United  Student 
Christian  Council,  the  Student  Vol- 
unteer   Movement,    and    the    Inter- 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


seminary  Movement.  It  represents 
more  than  forty  Protestant  student 
groups. 

Biblical  Instructors  Stress  New 
Approaches  to  Scripture  Study 

New  approaches  in  the  scholarly 
study  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments were  stressed  by  speakers  at 
the  golden  anniversary  meeting  of 
the  National  Association  of  Biblical 
Instructors.  The  association  of  reli- 
gion teachers  in  seminaries,  colleges, 
and  universities  marked  its  fiftieth 
anniversary  at  a  two-day  meeting 
in  Union  Theological  Seminary  at- 
tended by  some  three  hundred  in- 
structors. 

Prof.  George  Ernest  Wright  of 
Harvard  Divinity  School  said,  "The 
new  interest  in  Biblical  theology  has 
meant  that  we  need  no  longer  be 
defensive   about   attempts   to   teach 


Forty-five  persons 
attended  the  first 
love  feast  held  in 
the   seventy-year- 
old  Blough 
church,  Pa.  Until 
1959  the  church 
was  a  part  of  the 
Shade  Creek 
congregation. 
Known  now  by  its 
original  name, 
Sugar  Grove,  it 
has  a  membership 
of  fifty  and  plays 
a  vital  part  in  the 
community 


the  Old  Testament  as  a  religious 
document  of  primary  importance  in 
the  history  of  civilization." 

Soviet  Defector  Reports  Religion 
Growing  Among  Russian  Youth 

Religion  is  making  gains  in  the 
Soviet  Union  and  is  having  an  in- 
creasing influence  on  Russian  youth. 
This  is  the  report  of  a  twenty-seven- 
year-old  Soviet  intelligence  agent, 
Alexander  Yurievich  Kasnacheyev, 
whose  defection  from  the  Russian 
Embassy  in  Burma  last  summer 
made  headlines  throughout  the 
world. 


He  said  the  Russian  Baptists  are 
in  the  best  position  of  any  religious 
group  to  take  advantage  of  the  in- 
creased interest  in  religion  in  the 
Soviet  Union.  Kasnacheyev  used  to 
be  an  atheist,  but  no  longer  believes 
in  the  purely  scientific  explanation 
of  all  things.  He  said,  "I  went  oc- 
casionally to  a  Russian  Orthodox 
church  because  I  loved  to  hear  the 
music  which  was  beautiful,  but 
when  I  visited  the  Baptist  church 
which  happened  to  be  near  my  stu- 
dent lodging,  there  I  heard  some- 
thing else,  a  message  from  the 
minister  that  stirred  my  soul." 


Ellisforde  Church  Builds  for  Community  Service 


►  The  forty-three-year-old  Ellis- 
forde congregation  at  Tonasket, 
Wash.,  dedicated  its  new  building 
on  Nov.  8.  Harold  Fasnacht,  presi- 
dent of  La  Verne  College,  gave  the 
dedicatory  address,  The  Majesty  of 
the  Church. 

Erected  entirely  by  volunteer  la- 
bor, the  church  was  three  years  un- 
der construction.  It  has  a  seating 
capacity  of  350.  In  1949  the  second 
home  of  the  Ellisforde  congregation 
burned  to  the  ground.  A  classroom 
and  auditorium  unit  was  built  which 


is  now  a  wing  of  the  completed 
church. 

Bruce  Flora,  pastor  since  1957, 
writes  diat  the  congregation  serves 
an  area  from  the  Canadian  border 
to  Tonasket,  about  sixteen  miles  long 
and  several  miles  wide.  The  church 
was  located  between  two  small  rural 
towns  that  it  might  serve  both.  In 
1959  the  membership  increased  by 
more  than  ten  per  cent,  and  "is  being 
guided  into  a  more  active  Call  to 
Discipleship  emphasis.  The  poten- 
tial is  not  for  a  large  congregation, 
but  an  average-sized  one  which  can 
serve  the  needs  of  many  persons 
in  the  area." 

The  congregation  is  sponsoring  a 
Boy  Scout  troop  and  four  Cub  packs, 
is  increasingly  active  in  civic  affairs, 
and  is  offering  its  facilities  more  and 
more  as  a  community  center. 


Kasnacheyev  observed  that  Amer- 
icans are  wrong  when  they  say  that 
only  old  people  go  to  church  in 
Russia.  He  said  that  in  the  rear 
of  Russian  churches  there  are  many 
young  people  who  are  standing  be- 
cause seats  are  saved  for  elderly 
ones.  These  young  people  outnum- 
ber those  who  are  seated.  He  main- 
tained that  the  influence  of  the 
Baptists  in  Russia  is  reflected  in  the 
repeated  statements  in  Communist 
party  organs  urging  more  atheist  in- 
doctrination of  Soviet  youth.  He 
said,  "No  matter  how  progovernment 
the  church  is  forced  to  be,  its  very 
existence  is  a  symbol  of  protest 
against  Communist  ideology." 

Objectionable  Movies  Prove 
Financially  Risky  in  Germany 

West  German  motion  picture  pro- 
ducers, distributors,  and  theater 
owners  are  finding  it  financially  very 
risky  to  produce,  handle,  and  show 
movies  which  fail  to  meet  the  moral 
standards  of  the  Catholic  Film 
League. 

A  West  German  film  magazine 
disclosed  that  the  bankruptcy  of  a 
prominent  movie  distributing  agency 
was  largely  caused  by  financial 
losses  suffered  through  the  distribu- 
tion in  predominandy  Catholic  re- 
gions of  several  objectionable  films 
according  to  their  classification  by 
the  Catholic  League. 

Under  a  new  conscience  clause 
provision  agreed  upon  by  represent- 
atives of  Protestant  and  Roman 
Catholic  churches,  the  federal  gov- 
ernment, and  the  film  industry, 
movie  owners  in  West  Germany  may 
now  legally  refuse  "in  case  of  genu- 
ine conscientious  conflict"  to  show 
films  they  or  their  regular  audiences 
consider  objectionable,  even  though 
they  earlier  signed  "blind  contracts' 
with  distributors." 

Bible  Stories  in  Twenty 
Belgian  Congo  Dialects 

Belgian  Congo  editions  in  twenty 
different  dialects  of  an  illustrated 
booklet  of  stories  of  Jesus  have  been 
prepared  under  the  auspices  of  the 
World  Council  of  Christian  Educa- 
tion and  Sunday  School  Association. 
Each  booklet  consists  of  seven 
stories  and  eight  pictures. 

About  240,000  booklets  are  to  be 
distributed  throughout  the  Congo. 
Altogether  more  than  two  million  of 
the  books  have  been  printed  and 
distributed  in  some  110  areas  of 
the  world. 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


19 


OUR 


CHURCH 


WORK 


THE     WORLD     TODAY 


These  Waka  students  symbolize  the  personal  attractiveness 
and  promise  for  the  future  which  the  missionaries  see  as 
they  work  among  these  young  Nigerians,  teachers  in  training 


NIGERIA,   WEST   AFRICA 


"Give  Us  This  Day" 


Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp 


THE  quiet  of  the  African  night  is  profound.  With 
no  city  lights  to  break  the  inky  darkness,  and 
no  city  sounds  to  disturb  the  breathless  stillness, 
the  effect  produced  is  almost  eerie. 

This  effect  is  modified,  of  course,  on  moonlight 
nights  when  the  air  is  filled  with  the  throb  of  drums 
and  shadows  sit  behind  every  tree.  There  is  truly,  in 
Africa,  "the  hush  before  the  dawn"  when  not  a  leaf 
stirs  and  no  birds  sing. 

As  the  eastern  horizon  glows,  first  with  pink,  then 
yellow,  then  bursts  with  golden  light,  the  hushed  sounds 
come  once  again  to  life  —  the  twittering  of  birds,  the 
ceaseless  buzzing  of  flies,  the  low  of  oxen,  the  plaintive, 
weird  cry  of  the  hyena  as  he  goes  back  to  his  den  in 
the  hills  —  and  a  new  day  has  begun. 

Already  the  rising  bell  has  rung,  calling  the  students 
to  morning  prayers,  the  laborers  to  their  work,  and 
the  missionaries  to  their  varied  tasks. 

Our  helpers  arrive  about  six-thirty,  and  immedi- 
ately the  house  is  astir  with  activity,  with  Haruna 
cooking  in  the  kitchen,  Wajiri  sweeping  and  dusting 
in  the  living  room,  and  the  children  arguing  over 
which  clothes  to  wear,  and,  "Mommy,  there's  a  new 
hole  in  my  mosquito  net."   Thus  my  day  begins. 

There  are  the  children  to  be  dressed,  the  baby 
to  be  fed,  the  house  to  be  quickly  made  presentable 
for  the  inevitable  early  comers,  both  African  and  mis- 
sionary, breakfast  to  be  enjoyed  or  endured  (the  former 
in  my  husband's  case,  the  latter  in  mine),  lunch  menu 
to  be  discussed  with  Haruna,  instructions  given  to  the 
gardener,  and  then  off  to  work,  after  seeing  that  the 
children  are  playing  happily  with  Girama,  their  young 
African  companion. 

The  dispensary  claims  my  morning  from  8  until 
11:30,  and  Philip  has  classes  until  11.  During  those 
three  hours,  however,  I  come  back  to  the  house  at 
least  once  to  check  on  the  children  —  to  settle  squabbles, 
admire  pictures  drawn  or  houses  built,  to  change 
diapers,  mix  lemonade  for  all  the  Waka  children  who 
are  drawn  daily  to  our  house,  to  make  plans  for  enter- 
taining, preserving,  baking,  or  whatever  is  on  the  day's 
agenda. 

Almost  before  we  know  it,  lunch  time  has  come, 
but,  first,  six  litde  feet  must  be  cleaned  of  mud  and 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  last  of  a  series  of  articles  describing  missionary  life  in 
Nigeria  published  originally  in  the  Waynesboro  Record  Herald, 
Pennsylvania 


The   Church   at   Work 


six  little  hands  must  be  especially 
scrubbed. 

Around  the  table,  the  girls  tell 
us  of  the  walks  they  took,  or  the 
animals  they  saw,  or  the  cookies 
they  made  in  the  mud.  Following 
lunch,  the  children  go  to  bed,  Philip 
goes  back  to  teaching,  and  I  go  into 
the  kitchen. 

It  is  in  these  two  hours,  after  our 
helpers  have  gone  home  for  their 
midday  break,  that  I  keep  my  con- 
tact with  cooking  and  my  sense  of 
domesticity.  I  reserve  for  myself  the 
tasks  of  making  the  baby's  formula, 
frosting  all  cakes,  making  desserts 
and  salads,  trying  new  recipes,  doing 
the  more  difficult  preserving  and  can- 
ning, and  defrosting  the  refrigerator. 

I  wresde  with  the  stove,  get  dis- 
couraged when  the  frosting  runs  or 
the  ice  cream  doesn't  freeze,  and 
wish  a  hundred  times  for  my  electric 
mixer  and  electricity  to  use  it.  But 
in  spite  of  everything,  homemaking 
is  fun,  especially  when  you  do  not 
always  have  to  do  the  dishes. 

Of  course,  these  culinary  activities 
are  often  interrupted  by  students  or 
laborers  coming  to  the  kitchen  door 
with  a  gashed  finger  or  a  headache 
that  developed  after  the  dispensary 
closed  at  noon.  My  first-aid  kit  and 
I  are  never  far  apart. 

At  3  p.m.  the  baby  must  be  fed 
and  bathed,  and  her  sisters  gotten 
up  from  their  naps.  There  is  a 
pitcher  of  Kool-aide  to  be  made  and 
the  menu  for  supper  written  down 
for  Haruna.  When  Girama  comes 
back,  I  am  free  to  go  to  the 
dispensary. 

Philip  has  classes  until  3:30,  fol- 
lowed by  club  meetings,  and  other 
after-school  activities.  We  both  get 
home  around  5  p.m.  and  spend  the 
next  hour  with  the  children  out  of 
doors,  playing  with  our  three  tame 
deer  or  gathering  eggs  from  our 
chickens  or  watching  the  baby 
bunnies.  Occasionally,  the  children 
help  to  sow  seed  in  the  garden  or 
pull  weeds,  or  pick  beans. 

Supper  over,  we  begin  leisurely 
baths  and  bedtime  for  the  girls, 
made  special  by  storytelling  or  sing- 
ing lullabies.  They  are  tucked  safely 
inside  their  mosquito  nets,  only  to 
pop  out  in  a  moment  for  one  last 
drink  of  water. 

Our  helpers  have  finished  up  in 
the  kitchen  by  7  p.m.  and  darkness 
has  fallen.  For  a  moment  the  house 
is   quiet.     But  only   for   a   moment. 

Then  come  the  students  with  their 


problems  or  anxious  parents  with  sick 
children  who  have  suddenly  become 
worse  or  our  native  tutor  who  helps 
us  with  language  study.  And  then, 
after  Phil  has  left  for  chapel  or  study 
hall  supervision,  I  view,  a  litde 
wearily  the  dispensary  records  which 
must  be  gotten  up  to  date,  the  stack 
of  unanswered  mail,  the  articles  I 
have  promised  to  write,  the  mending 
to  be  done,  the  reading  I  would 
like  to  do,  the  planning  of  Sunday 
school  lessons  and  worship  services, 
of  menus  and  kitchen  work,  and  of 
activities  for  the  children. 

All  are  important,  all  must  be 
done,  but  no  day  is  long  enough. 
The  African  climate  is  fatiguing,  and 
a  day  of  sixteen  or  eighteen  hours 


is  much  more  exhausting  here  than 
at  home. 

Outside,  the  darkness  thickens,  the 
silence  broken  only  by  crickets  and 
the  friendly  peep  of  frogs  down  near 
the  stream.  In  the  house,  a  fragile 
white  moth  circles  around  the  kero- 
sene lamp,  and  the  silence  is  broken 
only  by  the  rhythmic,  gentle  breath- 
ing of  children.  The  cold  war  and 
installment  buying  and  the  world 
series  seem  far  away. 

My  work  is  unfinished,  but  my 
little  world  is  at  peace.  Waka  and 
its  people  press  close  to  me;  their 
dependence  on  me  makes  my  heart 
humble,  and  I  thank  God  for  giving 
us  the  chance  to  come  7,000  miles 
to  this  opportunity. 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


Are  we  not  too  highly  organized  and 
is  not  too  much  money  used  on  or- 
ganization rather  than  for  meeting 
great  needs? 

We  are  not  certain  whether  this 
question  is  directed  to  the  local 
church,  the  district,  the  region,  or 
the  Brotherhood  situation,  but  we 
shall  assume  that  it  does  question 
general  Brotherhood  organization 
and  budget. 

There  are  many  ways  to  calculate 
administrative,  overhead,  or  organ- 
izational costs.  If  we  were  to  follow 
all  the  dollars  given  to  the  work  of 
the  church,  we  would  find  that  most 
of  them  go  for  salaries,  travel  ex- 
penses, buildings,  and  upkeep.  This 
is  true  whether  we  are  considering 
congregational  or  Brotherhood  budg- 
ets or  projects  and  program  near  at 
hand  or  at  the  farthest  point  away. 

The  concern  of  this  question  ap- 
parently is  pinpointed  toward  those 
costs  which  are  usually  regarded  as 
overhead.  The  most  recent  calcula- 
tions indicate  that  approximately 
seven  per  cent  of  the  Brotherhood 
dollar  goes  for  administration.  Any- 
thing less  than  ten  per  cent  is  re- 
garded by  many  organizations  as  a 
very  favorable  ratio. 

This  seven  per  cent  includes  ex- 
penses  of  the   finance  office  in  re- 


ceiving and  disbursing  Brotherhood 
funds,  the  budget  of  the  department 
of  interpretation  which  supplies  lit- 
erature and  other  materials  on  the 
Brotherhood  program  to  the  local 
church,  the  expenses  of  the  General 
Secretary's  office,  and  the  costs  of 
board  meetings.  Even  within  some 
of  these  items  there  are  areas  which 
represent  services  to  the  Brotherhood 
rather  than  strict  "overhead." 

Whether  or  not  the  Brotherhood 
is  too  "highly  organized"  is  a  ques- 
tion which  is  answered  in  different 
ways  by  different  people.  Some  see- 
ing the  vast  opportunities  before  us 
suggest  more  organization  to  get  the 
work  done.  Some,  not  aware  of  the 
total  work  to  be  done  or  recognizing 
the  limitations  within  a  small  denom- 
ination, propose  less.  Annual  Con- 
ference faces  this  question  from  time 
to  time  and  comparatively  recentiy 
arrived  at  the  present  plan  of  Broth- 
erhood organization.  Even  now  there 
is  an  Annual  Conference  committee 
studying  regional  and  district  organ- 
izations. The  matter  of  greatest  con- 
cern, however,  is  not  so  much  how 
much  organization  but  how  well  the 
organization  serves  the  church's 
needs.  This  is  a  concern  for  all.  — 
Norman  ].  Baugher. 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


21 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


MISSIONARY  SERVICE  CLOSES 

+  Two  veteran  missionaries,  whose  service  in  India 
has  covered  nearly  four  decades,  are  retiring.  Chalmer 
and  Susan  Shull,  at  the  farewell  service  given  them  by 
the  Dahanu  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  India,  were 
presented  with  the  following  letter  of  appreciation: 

"Almost  forty  years  ago  you  left  your  motherland 
and  came  to  India.  .  .  .  You  first  landed  in  India  early 
in  the  year  of  1920.  Following  this  you  studied  the 
language  and  then  served  in  the  evangelistic  work  and 
as  a  principal  of  boarding  schools  in  the  Ahwa,  Dahanu, 
Palghar,  and  Vada  areas.  More  recently  through  your 
teaching  you  have  awakened  the  churches  to  the  im- 
portance and  duty  of  stewardship. 

"You  were  zealous  in  promoting  the  annual  activities 
of  the  churches.  Mrs.  Shull  gave  much  help  in  helping 
to  plan  an  annual  church  calendar  for  the  entire  district. 
Through  the  consecrated  efforts  of  both  of  you  the 
annual  vacation  Bible  school  was  born  and  it  has 
become  an  integral  part  of  the  Dahanu  church  life. 
You  have  been  faithful  in  conducting  youth  Bible  classes 
and  many  young  people  have  passed  the  Bombay 
Representative  Christian  Council's  scripture  examina- 
tions. In  each  of  the  four  churches  there  is  now  a  pastor 
and  this  is  the  fruit  of  your  labors.  Bible  teaching  and 
the  development  of  Christian  character  have  been  major 
concerns  throughout  your  service  among  us. 

"You  are  now  to  be  separated  from  us  and  we  will 
be  without  your  presence  as  a  missionary.  We  can 
only  say,  'Go,  but  do  not  forget  us.' " 

When  President  Nehru  was  asked  by  Hans  de  Boer 
what  missions  had  given  real  Christian  service  in  India, 
he  included  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  missions  in  a 
very  small  group.  Chalmer  and  Susan  Shull  were  among 
the  group  who  made  that  kind  of  reputation.  Knowl- 
edge that  their  service  is  recognized  with  appreciation 
is  the  best  reward  they  can  have. 


Chalmer  and  Susan  Shull 

The  past  forty  years  have  seen  a  great  change  take 
place  in  the  role  of  the  missionary  in  India.  With  the 
development  of  the  young  church  there,  with  the  coming 
of  national  independence  and  with  the  transfer  of  mis- 
sionary schools  to  the  government,  the  missionary's  ad- 
vice is  heard  only  to  the  extent  that  he  is  able  to  make 
himself  accepted  as  a  brother  and  fellow  worker  with 
the  Christian  leaders  of  India. 

New  missionaries  serving  a  new  day  in  India  can 
build  on  the  sure  foundation  of  loving  service  left  as 
legacy  by  the  Shulls. 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


+  When  Charles  Kraft  decided  to  test  the  theory  that  the  best  way  to  learn 
a  language  is  to  live  with  the  people  who  speak  it,  he  began  with  an 
experimental  two  and  a  half  days  in  the  village  of  Hudyikwi.  He  was  offered 
two  empty  huts  for  the  use  of  his  family;  so  they  all  moved  in  to  learn  Higi 
at  the  grass  roots. 

They  found  the  people  of  the  village  very  friendly.  Whenever  they  ate, 
they  called  Chuck  over  to  eat  with  them  and  then  sent  a  big  dish  of  food  for 
Marguerite  and  the  children.  The  Krafts,  in  turn,  invited  any  neighbors  who 
were  around  to  eat  with  them. 

"We  are  all  sleeping  on  cots  which  just  fit  across  half  of  our  hut," 
writes  Mrs.  Kraft.  "We  enter  the  hut  by  crawling  under  a  net.  The  other 
half  contains  our  metal  picnic  table  with  water  filter,  suitcases,  a  box  for 
dishes,  a  kerosene  tin  of  water  for  cooling.  Outside  we  have  a  stove  made 
from  a  kerosene  tin  turned  on  its  side,  and  another  stove  consisting  of  three 
stones  on  which  we  heat  dish  water." 

A  nearby  waterhole  and  a  mountain  spring  about  a  mile  away  furnish 
plenty  of  water.  Each  day  the  children  are  taken  to  the  spring  to  bathe. 
Since  there  is  usually  an  audience  there,  the  Kraft  parents  bathe  in  privacy 
just  before  going  to  bed. 

Marguerite  has  made  friends  with  one  old  woman  who  comes  to  talk 
with  her  while  the  children  are  napping.  Both  Charles  and  Marguerite  say, 
"This  is  the  way  to  learn  the  language  —  living  with  it." 


The   Church   at  Work 


Church  Extension  —  Nigerian  Style 

♦  More  than  the  number  of  people  attending  services,  what  the 
church  is  doing  gives  evidence  of  its  being  a  live  church.  Each 
organized  Nigerian  church  is  paying  the  salary  of  the  teachers  of 
the  classes  of  religious  instruction  in  its  area.  These  classes  are 
seeds  of  future,  self-supporting  churches. 

If  a  class  is  wanted,  the  group  must  build  a  compound  for 
the  teacher  and  also  find  a  plot  of  land  for  the  teacher  to  farm  to 
supplement  the  small  salary  paid  him  by  the  church.  The  group 
must  also  build  a  house  for  the  class  and  find  a  second  plot  of  land 
and  farm  it,  the  proceeds  of  which  goes  to  the  church. 

The  church  sends  out  lay  men  and  women  most  Sundays  to 
neighboring  villages  to  give  the  gospel  message.  As  a  result  of 
this  witness,  other  groups  are  started  who  request  classes  of  religious 
instruction.   In  this  way  the  church  continues  to  grow. 

From  a  recent  report  by  Kathryn  Kiracofe  of  her  visit  to  Nigeria  en  route 
to  her  fourth  term  of  missionary  service  in  India 


RETURN  TO  INDIA 


Born  in  India  and  educated  there 
until  she  was  seventeen,  Mrs.  Fisher, 
daughter  of  the  Chalmer  Shulls, 
writes  her  impressions  upon  revisit- 
ing that  country  en  route  to  the 
Philippines,  where  her  husband  oc- 
cupies the  vice  consul's  post. 

WHAT  can  I  write  of  the  im- 
pressions and  memories  that 
rushed  upon  me  as  I  returned 
to  a  land  so  different  from  the 
U.S.A.  and  yet  so  much  a  part  of 
my  childhood?  First,  there  were  the 
cherished  sights  and  sounds:  busy, 
crowded  train  stations,  vendors  cry- 
ing their  wares,  bazaars  bursting 
with  little  stalls,  open  markets,  road- 
side piles  of  glittering  bangles,  cheap 
trinkets,  colorful  yellow  eats  for  sale; 
ragged  children  squatting  in  front 
of  an  ornate  building  facade;  bullock 
carts  toiling  along  dusty  roadways; 
horse-drawn  "tongas"  clopping  rap- 
idly by;  wedding  processions  on  the 
roads  with  their  noisy  drums  and 
pipes;  and  the  occasional  dusty  noisy 
interference  of  a  car  or  truck. 

Then  there  were  things  which  to 
me  seemed  so  commonplace  that  I 
had  never  thought  of  them  as 
features  of  India.  Though  not  new 
to  me,  I  now  have  a  fresh  realization 
of  their  existence:  the  dust  in  swirls 
along  the  unpaved  roads,  bells  hang- 
ing from  neck  and  forehead  of 
bullocks,  the  village  well,  women 
loaded  with  earrings,  nose  rings,  toe 
rings,  and  anklets,  and  the  continu- 
ous stream  of  varied  humanity  along 
the  roadway.  In  fact,  people,  people, 


Lorita  Shull  Fisher 

people.    What  a  press  of  population 
everywhere! 

The  list  is  endless  and  includes 
everything  from  the  superficial  obser- 
vation of  the  graceful  beauty  of  In- 
dian women  in  colorful  saris  balanc- 
ing polished  brass  water  jugs  on  their 
heads,  to  the  more  complex  facets 
of  Indian  life:  the  appalling  poverty, 
the  primitive  living  standards,  the 
simple  economics  of  limited  village 
crafts,  and  the  ancient  agricultural 
methods. 


But  a  discussion  of  impressions 
on  return  to  India  must  include  more 
than  a  general  review  of  the  land- 
scape. India  since  I  left  her  has 
earned  her  independence,  and  the 
budding  results  of  ten  years  of  free- 
dom abound  for  all  to  see.  Not  only 
the  orange,  white,  and  green  flag 
with  the  spinning  wheel  on  the  white 
band,  flying  from  every  government 
building,  is  new.  The  attitudes  and 
spirit  of  the  people  who  have  caught 
democracy's  vision  are  refreshing. 
The  patriotic  pride  of  a  new  nation 
is  evidenced  on  the  new  faces  on 
coin  and  stamp,  with  the  use  of  the 
lion-faced  pillar  from  Asoka  as  their 
symbol  of  ancient  India's  glory 
kindled  anew. 

One  notes  a  desire  to  change 
features  of  government  administered 
over  the  last  hundred  years  by  the 
British  and  now  considered  ineffi- 
cient. A  new  coin  system  based  on 
the  decimal  has  replaced  the  cum- 
bersome old  one.  For  the  first  time 
one  sees  a  desire  for  self-help,  for 
programs  of  uplift  in  backward  areas 
hitherto  left  to  a  disinterested  colo- 
nial ruler  or  foreign  missionary.  Gov- 
ernment and  private  schemes  for 
rural  centers,  new  schools,  public  im- 
provement programs,  many  based  on 
methods  pioneered  by  missions,  are 
springing  up  over  the  countryside. 

The  concrete  effort  to  better  roads 
and  railways  and  to  bring  progress 
under  independence  to  areas  that  for 
years  merely  vegetated  is  notable. 
Encouraging  is  the  genuine  concern 
Continued  on  page  29 


Lorita  Shull  Fisher 

and  her  family 

being  welcomed 

with  flowers  by 

Indian    girls    when 

they  visited  the 

land  of  Mrs. 

Fisher's  girlhood 


Chalmer  Shull 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


23 


Toward   His   Kingdom- 


BVS'er  Kenneth  Light  visits  a  migrant  family  at  their  home 


The  California  Migrant  Ministry 
has  thirteen  permanent  staff  mem- 
bers who  work  in  areas  all  over  the 
state  carrying  on  an  educational  pro- 
gram throughout  the  year.  As 
BVS'ers  we  are  considered  part  of 
the  permanent  staff  of  the  California 
Migrant  Ministry.  Each  staff  mem- 
ber has  a  particular  area  in  which 
he  works.  Most  of  the  work  is  cen- 
tered in  rural  fringe  areas  and  farm 
labor  camps  where  the  seasonal  farm 
families  live  during  the  harvest  of 
a  crop. 

During  the  winter  months  the  pro- 
gram carried  on  by  the  staff  members 
(with  some  community  help )  consists 
of  clubs,  classes,  Sunday  school,  and 
visitation.  Junior  and  junior  high 
clubs  for  boys  and  girls  are  carried 
on  in  affiliation  with  such  community 
organizations  as  4-H,  YMCA,  and 
Scouts.    Classes  for  men  and  women 


A  Ministry  to  California's  Migrants 


CALIFORNIA  probably  leads 
the  nation  in  the  size  of  its 
migrant  farm  labor  popula- 
tion. Because  of  her  fertile  valleys 
and  year-round  harvests  of  many 
kinds,  she  attracts  farm  workers  from 
Mexico,  Texas,  Arizona,  Arkansas, 
Oklahoma,  and  many  other  southern 
as  well  as  midwestern  states. 

The  migrant  earns  his  livelihood 
by  following  the  crop  harvest.  Usu- 
ally his  family  travels  and  works 
along  with  him.  Thus  migrancy  be- 
comes a  way  of  life. 

Negatives  of  Migrant  Life 

The  distinguishing  characteristics 
of  migrant  life  as  compared  to  the 
life  of  the  rest  of  the  population 
add  up  to  an  appalling  list  of  nega- 
tives.   Consider  these  factors: 

(1)  The  migrant  seldom  has  resi- 
dent status  in  any  community. 
Usually  this  means  that  he  does  not 
qualify  for  health  and  welfare  serv- 
ices, nor  as  a  voter. 

(2)  He  learns  to  expect  discrimi- 
nation and  prejudice  from  the 
community  on  whose  fringes  he 
makes  his  home. 

(3)  His  housing,  though  it  may 
range  from  poor  to  good,  is  generally 
substandard  when  measured  against 
the  norm  of  housing  for  the  general 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


population.  The  pattern  of  one  room 
to  a  family  for  cooking,  eating,  sleep- 
ing, and  living  rarely  makes  possible 
such  ingredients  of  wholesome  fam- 
ily life  as  three  daily  balanced  meals 
eaten  at  a  table  with  a  knife,  fork, 
and  spoon;  beds  with  sheets  and 
pillows,  each  occupied  by  a  maxi- 
mum of  two;  or  a  bathroom  for  each 
family. 

(4)  The  migrant  child  has  little 
opportunity  for  continuous  school- 
ing; his  education  becomes  a  "catch- 
as-catch-can"  process,  and  sometimes 
an  already  overcrowded  school  sys- 
tem does  not  even  try  to  catch  him. 
The  child  may  work  in  the  field  if 
his  parents,  having  scant  education 
themselves,  do  not  feel  that  school 
is  important  or  if  they  think  he  is 
safer  under  their  eyes  rather  than 
unattended  in  a  camp  or  locked  car. 
Even  children  five  years  old  and 
younger  have  been  known  to  work 
in  the  fields. 

A  Migrant  Ministry 

Since  its  primitive  beginning  on 
the  eastern  seaboard  in  1920,  the 
Division  of  Home  Missions,  under 
the  National  Council  of  Churches, 
has  adopted  the  Migrant  Ministry  in 
its  attempt  to  minister  to  the  needs 
and  problems  of  seasonal  farm  work- 
ers. At  present  Migrant  Ministry 
programs  operate  in  thirty  states 
across  the  union. 


Eugene  Hartman  and  Kenneth  Light 

in  cooking,  sewing,  baby  care, 
health,  mechanics,  and  carpentry  are 
also  held.  A  complete  educational 
program  does  not  yet  exist  in  any 
area,  but  this  is  one  of  our  goals. 

A  Better  Way  of  Life 

Our  purpose  in  carrying  on  such 
programs  is  to  teach  these  families 
a  better  way  of  life  and  to  make 
them  feel  a  part  of  the  community 
in  which  they  reside.  During  a  short 
visit  with  one  family  the  mother  said 
to  me,  "I  want  my  children  to  grow 
up  and  have  a  better  way  of  life 
than  we  have.  I  want  them  to 
get  out  and  make  something  of 
themselves." 

The  volunteer  work  which  we  are 
doing  is  centered  in  Corcoran,  Calif., 
a  town  with  a  population  of  about 
5,000  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley.  A 
large  rural  fringe  area  called  Perry 
Heights  and  about  seven  farm  labor 
camps  are  found  within  a  radius  of 
five  miles  from  Corcoran. 

During  the  winter  months  we  cen- 
ter our  work  in  the  Perry  Heights 
fringe  and  in  about  two  large  camps. 
As  we  are  not  well  enough  staffed 
to  hold  good  programs  in  all  of  the 
camps,  we  try  to  do  good  program- 
ming in  a  few  areas. 

BVS'ers  on  project  with  California  Mi- 
grant Ministry 


The   Church   at  Work 


College  Volunteers 

During  the  summer  months  of 
June,  July,  and  August  we  get  col- 
lege volunteers  from  all  over  the 
United  States  to  help  out  in  our 
program.  The  volunteers  receive  one 
week  of  training  at  which  time  they 
are  introduced  to  the  migrant's  situa- 
tion and  some  of  his  problems.  They 
are  then  sent  to  areas  where  the 
permanent  staff  members  have  pro- 
grams to  assist  in  the  extensive 
program  for  the  overflow  of  farm- 
working  families  who  have  come  for 
the  peak  harvests.  Sometimes  semi- 
nary students  volunteer  to  lead  a 
team  of  college  workers  in  an  area 
where  permanent  staff  is  not 
working. 

With  the  help  of  from  five  to  nine 
college  volunteers  in  these  areas  the 
program  changes.  Daily  vacation  Bi- 
ble schools  are  held  for  the  children. 
Usually  the  schools  run  for  two 
weeks  in  each  camp.  The  curriculum 
for  each  session  involves  a  basic 
theme  of  Christian  education.  Teen- 
age clubs,  junior  clubs,  group  recrea- 
tion, films,  and  family  nights  are 
some  of  the  different  phases  of  our 
program. 

Of  course,  visitation  is  one  impor- 
tant part  of  our  program.  Perhaps 
the  family  never  had  a  friend  they 
could  trust  or  talk  to  about  their 
problems.  Sometimes  just  being  a 
good  listener  provides  this  friendship 
which  they  need  so  badly.  One  eve- 
ning during  a  visit  with  a  family 
they  talked  openly  because  I  listened 
and  was  concerned.  They  said,  "We 
don't  have  a  stove  or  a  car.  My 
husband  has  to  ride  with  the  neigh- 
bor to  the  store.  Then  what  litde 
food  we  can  buy  we  have  to  cook 


m 


mm 


on  the  neighbor's  stove.  This  isn't 
a  good  way  to  live."  Sometimes 
one's  heart  burns  when  he  hears 
these  stories  told  by  the  families 
themselves. 

Education  for  Health 

Because  of  the  tremendous  amount 
of  illness  and  malnutrition  we  de- 
cided that  health  education  should 
be  an  important  phase  of  our  pro- 
gram. Hundreds  of  health  kits,  con- 
taining basic  articles,  were  supplied 
by  church  youth  and  by  women's 
groups  from  all  over  the  state.  After 
several  lessons  on  basic  health  habits, 
the  children  were  given  the  kits. 
Many  of  them  had  never  owned  a 
toothbrush  or  towel  of  their  own. 
Movies  on  health  care  also  were  pro- 
vided. During  one  school  an  eight- 
year-old  boy  said,  "Golly,  I  never 
knew  I  was  so  important!  I'm  going 
to  take  care  of  myself  from  now  on!" 

Another  boy,  eagerly  pulling  the 
things  out  of  his  kit,  ran  across  a 
bar  of  soap  in  shiny  paper.  He  held 
it  in  his  hand,  looking  at  it  for  a 
moment,  and  then  asked,  "What  is 
this?"  With  one  easy  lesson  at  the 
washtub  the  boy  discovered  what  the 
soap  was  for,  and  he  said,  "I'm  going 
to  use  it  every  day." 

At  present  the  two  of  us  are  work- 
ing with  Suzanne  Carhart,  a  Union 
Seminary  graduate  from  New  York. 
Sue  has  had  previous  experience 
working  in  East  Harlem  and  also 
in  France.  The  three  of  us  work 
together  to  carry  on  our  Gra-y  clubs, 
4-H  clubs,  teen-age  club,  sewing  and 
cooking  classes,  and  Sunday  school. 

Sharing  Christ's  Love 

We  work  through  the  Latin-Amer- 


ican Methodist  church.  Each  of  us 
teaches  a  Sunday  school  class  and 
then  Pastor  Villaneuva  conducts  the 
morning  worship  in  Spanish.  Al- 
though our  church  membership  is 
small,  we  hope  that  through  the  mes- 
sage of  Christ  and  his  great  love 
we  may  win  more  and  more  families 
to  his  church. 

We  feel  that  the  work  of  die 
Migrant  Ministry  in  this  state  and 
all  states  is  a  very  challenging  and 
important  work.  Without  being  con- 
cerned about  the  physical  and  social 
needs  of  people,  one  can  scarcely 
relate  the  love  of  Christ  and  his 
gospel  to  them.  It  is  our  prayer 
that  through  our  work  and  efforts 
we  may  learn  to  understand  and 
meet  these  needs  more  fully  and 
that  we  may  help  each  family  find 
that  love  which  carries  on  through 
hardships,  sickness,  and  sorrow  — 
that  love  which  God  sent  through 
his  only  son,  Jesus  Christ. 


Return  to  India 

Continued  from  page  23 

and  attempt  to  resolve  various  social 
problems    such    as    overpopulation. 

Finally,  there  are  the  changes  I 
noted  in  the  church  in  India.  These 
could  largely  be  attributed  to  two 
developments:  India's  reluctance  to 
admit  many  new  missionaries,  and 
the  maturing  of  the  Indian  church 
itself.  The  eagerness  with  which  the 
Indian  local  leaders  seem  to  be  tak- 
ing over  the  handling  of  phases  of 
work  hitherto  considered  the  domain 
of  the  missionary  is  healthy  and  nec- 
essary to  the  growth  of  the  church. 
The  problems  attendant  to  the  form- 
ing of  the  United  Church  of  North 
India,  freed  from  unfortunate  U.S. 
denominational  divisions,  are  many. 
If  the  Christian  church  in  India  is 
to  survive  in  this  new  day,  she  must 
do  it  independently  in  the  spirit  of 
the  times. 

India  remains  today,  as  always, 
one  of  the  most  fascinating  nations 
of  the  world  to  missionary,  tourist, 
diplomat,  historian,  and  sociologist 
alike.  Long  recognized  as  the  jewel 
of  the  British  crown,  she  becomes 
now  the  testing  ground  of  democracy 
within  Asia,  and  upon  the  success 
she  achieves  may  well  rest  the  fate 
of  the  dark-skinned  peoples,  and  ulti- 
mately, of  the  world  as  a  whole. 


A  typical  view  of  a  migrant  farm  labor  camp  in  California 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


25 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (•).  —  Editor. 


Why  Am  I  Teaching?  Ralph  Nor- 
man Mould.  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Christian  Education,  1951.  69  pages. 

A  very  thought-provoking  discus- 
sion guide  for  teachers  to  follow  in 
a  series  of  five  or  six  group  meetings 
in  a  local  church. 

The  questions  are  probing  and 
should  produce  lively  discussion  with 
participation  from  everyone.  It  is 
very  inclusive  and  deals  with  mo- 
tives, aims  and  content,  pupils  and 
learning,  methods,  art  of  preparation 
and  relationships.  It  is  a  Presbyteri- 
an study  publication  but  it  is  general 
in  its  approach  and  material. 

Page  65,  item  11,  "Are  you  acting 
like  a  'good'  Presbyterian?"  is  the 
only  specific  Presbyterian  point  I  can 
recall.  Brethren  statistics  and  infor- 
mation could  easily  be  substituted 
when  used  by  our  people.  —  Glee 
Yoder,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

°  The     Bible     Calls    for    Action. 

George  D.  Younger.  Judson,  1959. 
107  pages.    $1.00. 

This  book  is  an  invitation  to  the 
reader  to  examine  the  faith  that  is 
in  him.  Mr.  Younger's  further  pur- 
pose is  to  confront  one's  own  faith 
with  the  faith  set  forth  in  the  Bible. 
From  this  kind  of  encounter  or 
dialogue  a  discussion  of  the  basis  for 
Christian  social  action  evolves.  This 
is  not  a  "how  to  do  it"  book  or  a 
handbook  of  techniques.  Rather  it 
affords  a  theological  framework 
from  which  one  gains  perspective  in 
confronting  the  actual  problems  in 
social  education  and  action. 

The  Bible  Calls  for  Action  can  be 
used  in  classes  and  groups.  At  the 
end  of  each  of  the  six  chapters  there 
are  suggested  scriptural  passages  for 
"personal  meditation  and  study"  and 
a  series  of  questions  "for  thought  and 
discussion." 

In  presenting  the  Biblical  point  of 
view  Mr.  Younger  exposes  the  inade- 
quacy of  the  individualistic-moralis- 
tic interpretation  of  the  Bible  that  is 
so  deeply  ingrained  in  American 
Protestantism.  He  likewise  rejects 
the  body-soul  dualism  which  is  a 
Greek  concept  foreign  to  Biblical 
faith.  Furthermore  he  contends  that 
the  Bible  is  neither  a  rule  book  nor 
a  statement  of  ideals.  It  is  a  witness 
to  the  fact  that  God  has  acted  and 
continues  to  act  in  the  world.    The 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Biblical  faith  is  a  summons  to  us  to 
respond  to  what  God  is  doing  in  the 
present  through  the  way  of  love  and 
responsibility  toward  him  and  toward 
the  neighbor.  Truly  the  gospel  is 
"the  gospel  of  action." 

The  author  further  discusses  the 
church  and  her  relation  to  the  world 
and  the  bearing  that  a  historical  reve- 
lation and  the  end  of  history  have 
upon  social  education  and  action. 

The  Bible  Calls  for  Action  can  be 
highly  recommended  for  individual 
reading  and  for  group  reading  and 
discussion.  It  should  go  a  long  way 
in  clarifying  much  of  our  fuzzy  think- 
ing about  social  education  and  action 
in  relation  to  Biblical  faith.  More- 
over, this  book  will  also  serve  as  a 
judgment  upon  so  much  of  our  feeble 
inaction  for  we  will  be  forcefully 
confronted  with  the  truth  that  "the 
Bible  calls  for  action." 

While  Mr.  Younger  is  well  aware 
of  the  fact  that  each  of  us  tends  to 
read  himself  and  the  ideas  and  ideals 
of  his  own  culture  into  the  Bible,  and 
while  he  rejects  many  contemporary 
ideas  that  are  at  variance  with  Bib- 
lical faith,  nevertheless  his  own  anal- 
ysis is  strongly  influenced  by  the 
neo-Reformation  theology  and  by  the 
realistic  school  of  political  thought. 
—  Warren  S.  Kissinger,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

*  The  Old  Testament  as  Word  of 
God.  Sigmund  Mowinckel.  Abing- 
don, 1959.    144  pages.    $2.75. 

In  this  significant  book  Sigmund 
Mowinckel,  a  noted  Old  Testament 
scholar  of  Oslo,  Norway,  explains 
how  the  Old  Testament  can  be  both 
the  Word  of  God  and  also  a  human 
book,  demonstrates  its  relation  to  the 
New  Testament,  discusses  the  elec- 
tion of  Israel,  the  relationship  of  the 
Hebrew  faith  to  other  religions,  and 
interprets  revelation  as  testimony  of 
God  about  himself  and  about  man. 

Here  is  one  of  the  most  important 
books  for  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren that  has  come  to  my  attention  in 
recent  years.  Whether  as  individual 
members  we  have  emphasized  our 
adherence  to  the  New  Testament  as 
our  rule  of  faith  and  practice  or  have 
absorbed  the  common  understanding 
of  the  authority  of  the  words  of  the 
Bible  as  held  by  many  of  our  neigh- 
bors, this  book  can  help  us  to  a  truer 
understanding  and  appreciation  of 
the  Old  Testament.  The  only  condi- 
tion placed  upon  the  reader  is  that 


he  study  this  book  honestly,  prayer- 
fully, and  with  an  open  mind.  — 
David  J.  Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 

"Sex  and  Love  in  the  Bible.  Wil- 
liam Graham  Cole.  Association  Press, 
1959.   448  pages.   $6.50. 

As  the  title  suggests,  sex  and  love 
belong  together  —  in  fife  no  less  than 
in  the  Bible.  When  they  flow  togeth- 
er the  experience  is  creative,  releas- 
ing, and  fulfilling.  It  is  rooted  in 
eternity,  in  the  love  of  God  himself 
and  his  love  for  his  people. 

To  the  average  layman  the  Bible 
and  its  teaching  regarding  sex  is 
confusing  and  ambiguous.  This  book 
does  a  remarkable  job  interpreting 
both  the  Old  and  the  New  Testa- 
ments in  such  a  way  that  it  makes 
sense  in  a  contemporary  world. 
Throughout  you  see  the  Christian 
community  living  alongside  their 
Canaanite  neighbors,  influencing 
them  and  being  influenced  by  them. 
The  book  brings  the  Bible  to  a  closer 
agreement  with  modern  day  psychol- 
ogy in  truth  and  practice. 

If  you  are  a  discerning  Christian 
wishing  to  make  the  gospel  become 
revelant  in  your  day,  this  book  is 
a  must  for  you.  Written  simply  and 
understandably,  in  Christian  circles 
it  will  surely  become  one  of  the  most 
talked-about  books.  —  Ed  Crill,  Eliz- 
abeihtown,  Pa. 

Mighty  Men  of  God.  Clark  W. 
Hunt.  Abingdon,  1959.  144  pages. 
$2.50. 

In  our  quest  for  relevance  we  need 
look  no  farther  than  to  the  very 
human  people  of  the  Book,  God- 
illumined  and  convincing.  Clark 
Hunt,  a  Methodist  minister  of  West- 
field,  N.  J.,  speaks  with  sparkle,  yet 
sound,  authentic  truth,  as  he  says 
"a  good  word  for  Cain,"  calls  Abra- 
ham "God's  advance  agent,"  reminds 
us  through  Jacob  that  "human  nature 
does  change,"  calls  Joseph  a  "tall 
man  above  the  fog,"  and  offers  in 
David  "a  study  in  strides  and 
stumbles." 

Neither  a  hanger  of  halos  nor  a 
debunker  of  darlings,  this  author  is 
a  preacher  of  sermons  about  Biblical 
people  as  alive  as  your  next-door 
neighbor  and  twice  as  interesting. 
For,  as  he  phrases  it,  "the  centuries 
and  the  circumstances  have  changed, 
but  the  choices  have  not."  Modern 
man  stands  confronted  in  this  book 
with  Biblical  man  and  finds  himself 
looking  in  a  mirror  illumined  by  the 
light  of  God.  —  Chalmer  E.  Faw, 
Chicago,  III. 


•  Invitation  to  Theology.  Allen 
O.  Miller.  Christian  Education  Press, 
1959.   278  pages.   $4.00. 

This  book  tackles  a  needed  task: 
to  help  parents  and  teachers  become 
more  theologically  intelligent,  so  that 
church-home  co-operation  may  be 
more  effective  in  the  Christian  nur- 
ture of  the  new  generation.  A  few 
basic  theological  positions  are  de- 
scribed —  but  it  is  doubtful  if  those 
not  familiar  with  the  language  will 
see  the  fine  shades  of  demarcation 
or  the  implication  for  their  work  in 
the  church. 

Carefully  sketching  the  direction 
of  the  discussion  in  the  introduction, 
Dr.  Miller  develops  the  major  ideas 
in  three  sections: 

(1)  The  Living  Word  of  God  de- 
scribes the  Bible  as  the  record  of 
God's  revelation  of  himself  in  the 
history  of  the  chosen  people. 

(2)  A  Covenant  Theology  grows 
out  of  this  concept  of  God's  relation 
to  his  people.  From  creation  to  the 
coming  kingdom  of  God,  Dr.  Miller 
employs  this  key  concept  as  the  most 
satisfying  explanation  of  the  divine- 
human  encounter. 

(3)  Christian  Nurture  and  Disci- 
pline covers  the  ministries  or  means 
of  grace  by  which  the  church  nour- 
ishes each  new  generation. 

The  viewpoint  of  the  book  is 
weighted  on  the  side  of  neo-ortho- 
doxy. 

It  rightly  points  out  the  failure  of 
some  to  take  the  Bible  seriously  in 
regard  to  sin.  But  it  does  not  deal 
with  the  optimism  which  Jesus  dis- 
played in  his  life. 

There  are  refreshing  approaches 
and  helpful  suggestions  to  program 
planners  in  section  three.  The  bias 
of  the  book  is  evident  here  also,  and 
leaves  a  good  bit  to  be  desired.  — 
S.  Loren  Bowman. 

'Jeremiah,  Prophet  to  the  Nations. 

Walter  J.  Harrelson.  Judson  Press, 
1959.  80  pages.   $1.00. 

There  is  perhaps  no  Hebrew 
prophet  whose  personal  struggles 
with  the  living  God  are  more  avail- 
able and  rewarding  to  modern  man 
than  Jeremiah.  A  knowledge  of  this 
spiritually  sensitive  soul,  catapulted 
into  the  middle  of  the  most  tumultu- 
ous period  of  his  nation's  life,  forces 
man  today  to  search  for  the  roots  of 
his  own  spiritual  wholeness. 

This  litde  book,  a  study  guide  that 
is  far  more  than  that  which  usually 
passes  under  that  classification,  will 
lead  the  inquiring  individual  or 
group  in  a  fresh  encounter  with  the 
best  in  the  Book  of  Jeremiah.  With 
disarming   simplicity   Dr.    Harrelson 


lays  bare  the  essential  issues  in  the 
Jeremiah  story  and  provides  the  ma- 
terials and  the  incentive  by  which 
each  earnest  seeker  may  struggle 
with  his  own  problems  in  the  new 
light  shed  by  this  part  of  the  Biblical 
record.  Particularly  will  Brethren 
who  find  it  difficult  to  appreciate 
the  rich  treasures  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment be  challenged  by  the  relevance 
of  this  inspiring  book.  —  Chalmer  E. 
Faw,  Chicago,  111. 


A  nniversaries 

Brother    and    Sister    Harley    Arnett 

celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary, Oct.  11,  1959,  with  open 
house.  They  are  members  of  the  Battle 
Creek  congregation,  Mich.  They  have 
three  children,  six  grandchildren,  and 
four  great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Opal 
Williams,  Delton,  Mich. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Osee  C.  Frantz  cele- 
brated their  fifty-fifth  wedding  anni- 
versary, Dec.  27,  1959,  with  open  house. 
They  have  seven  sons,  one  daughter, 
twenty-five  grandchildren,  and  six  great- 
grandchildren. —  Blanche  Frantz,  Rocky 
Ford,  Colo. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phares  Frantz  cele- 
brated their  fifty-eighth  wedding  anni- 
versary, Dec.  24,  1959  —  Mrs.  Ada  Ruth 
Leninger,  Denver,  Pa. 

Obituaries 

Bollinger,  Edna  May,  daughter  of 
James  D.  and  Mary  E.  Boggs,  died  Oct. 
25,  1959,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years. 
On  July  1,  1917,  she  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Benjamin  W.  Bollinger. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Hartville 
church,  Ohio.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  a  son,  a  daughter,  a  foster 
son,  eight  grandchildren,  a  great-grand- 
son, and  two  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  at  the  Hartville  church 
by  Bro.  Victor  Bendsen.  Interment  was 
in  the  Mt.  Peace  cemetery.  —  Pat 
Machamer,  North  Canton,  Ohio. 

Bowman,  Tennie,  daughter  of  Solo- 
mon and  Sarah  Garst,  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Tenn.,  March  17, 
1877,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  She  was  a  member  or  the 
Trinity  church,  Detroit,  Mich.  She  was 
preceded  in  death  by  her  husband,  Bro. 
John  P.  Bowman.  She  is  survived 
by  three  sisters,  two  brothers,  four 
daughters,  two  sons,  eight  grandchil- 
dren, and  nine  great-grandchildren.  — 
Paul  Hoffman,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Brown,  Ollie  May,  was  bom  near 
Luray,  Va.,  1885,  and  died  at  Liberal, 
Kansas,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
She  was  united  in  marriage  to  Raymond 
W.  Brown  in  1906.  She  is  survived  by 
her  husband,  three  sons,  one  brother, 
five  grandchildren,  and  two  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Liberal  Methodist  church, 
with  Bro.  S.  Omar  Overly  officiating, 
and  at  the  Eden  Valley  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Kansas.  Interment  was  in 
the  St.  John  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Fred  J. 
Ramirez,  Garden  City,  Kansas. 

Brumbaugh,  Melvin  H.,  son  of  John 
and  Ida  P.  Endress  Brumbaugh,  was 
born  April   12,   1922.    He  was  married 


to  Gloria  Lucille  Clouse  in  1946.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Woodbury  church, 
Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  eight 
children,  his  parents,  five  brothers,  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Woodbury  church  by  Bro. 
Earl  K.  Ziegler.  Interment  was  in  the 
Dry  Hill  cemetery.  —  Rena  R.  Stayer, 
Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Brumbaugh,  Sarah,  daughter  of  John 
and  Maria  Whittaker  Shoenfelt,  was 
born  March  16,  1866,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  ninety-three  years.  On  July  4, 
1949,  she  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Henry  D.  Brumbaugh,  who  preceded 
her  in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Clover  Creek  church.  Pa.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  three  children,  four  grand- 
children, nine  great-grandchildren,  two 
brothers,  and  two  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Clover  Creek 
church,  with  Brethren  Elmer  E.  Eber- 
sole  and  Roy  S.  Forney  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  Brumbaugh  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Foster  Wineland,  Martins- 
burg, Pa. 

Cline,  Ida  Frances,  daughter  of  Con- 
rad and  Frances  Baker  Long,  was  born 
Oct.  2,  1870,  and  died  Dec.  22,  1959. 
In  1893,  she  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Daniel  Christian  Cline,  who  preceded 
her  in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Middle  River  church,  Va.  Surviving  are 
three  sons,  two  sisters,  eighteen  grand- 
children, and  thirty-three  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Middle  River  church  by  Brethren 
Marvin  Clingenpeel  and  Fred  Cline,  her 
grandson.  Interment  was  in  the  adjoin- 
ing cemetery.  —  Mae  V.  Diehl,  Staunton, 
Va. 

Clouse,  Luther  G.,  son  of  George  W. 
and  Ella  Burgur  Clouse,  was  born  Jan. 
23,  1893,  and  died  Dec.  21,  1959.  On 
Oct.  1,  1920,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Belle  Amick.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Woodbury  church,  Pa.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  one  daughter,  two  step- 
children, twelve  grandchildren,  nine 
great-grandchildren,  three  brothers,  and 
two  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Woodbury  church  by 
Bro.  Earl  K.  Ziegler,  assisted  by  Bro. 
Clyde  Bush.  Interment  was  in  the  Dry 
Hill  cemetery.  —  Rena  R.  Stayer,  Mar- 
tinsburg, Pa. 

Eckhard,  Emma  Catherine,  daughter 
of  John  B.  and  Mary  Croft  Pote,  was 
born  March  24,  1872,  and  died  Dec.  1, 
1959.  In  1891,  she  was  married  to 
William  G.  Eckhard.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Holsinger  church,  Pa.  Surviv- 
ing are  two  sons,  seven  grandchildren, 
six  great-grandchildren,  and  two  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Holsinger  church  by  Bro.  Earl  K.  Zieg- 
ler. Interment  was  in  the  Holsinger 
cemetery.  —  Rena  R.  Stayer,  Martins- 
burg, Pa. 

Fasnacht,  Joel  H.,  son  of  Joel  and 
Elizabeth  Gockley  Fasnacht,  was  born 
in  Ephrata  Township,  Pa.,  and  died  at 
Denver,  Pa.,  Dec.  11,  1959,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-nine  years.  His  wife,  Laura 
Springer  Fasnacht,  preceded  him  in 
death.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
Cocalico  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  one 
daughter,  eight  sons,  twenty-eiuht 
grandchildren,  twelve  great-grandchil- 
dren, and  a  brother.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  by  Brethren  Peter 
Gress,  Peter  Heisey  and  Richard  Hack- 
man  in  the  Middle  Creek  church.    In- 


FEBRUARY  20,   I960 


27 


ti  E  Wf   BRETHREN 

V  ^—  BOOKS 


Handbook  on   Brethren   Hymns 

Ruth  B.  Statler  and  Nevin  W.  Fisher 

Since  the  publication  of  the  Brethren  Hymnal 
in  1951,  there  has  been  a  continuing  and  often- 
expressed  need  for  some  kind  of  a  handbook  which 
would  provide  users  of  the  hymnal  with  informa- 
tion concerning  die  hymns  written  by  Brethren 
authors  and  the  hymn  tunes  composed  by  Brethren 
musicians.  This  handbook  has  been  published  in 
part  to  meet  that  need. 

Each  hymn  written  by  a  Brethren  author  and 
each  hymn  set  to  a  tune  by  a  Brethren  composer 
is  discussed  by  Mrs.  Statler  as  to  its  spiritual  implications  and,  in  many 
cases,  as  to  its  origin  and  history.  Following  each  such  discussion  is  a 
set  of  suggestions,  written  by  Mr.  Fisher,  for  the  song  leader  in  order 
that  the  most  effective  use  may  be  made  of  the  hymn. 

A  brief  biographical  sketch  of  each  author  and  composer  is  also 
given.  $1.50 


Children  of  the  Bush  Country 

Mildred  M.  Grimley 

Lively,  real-life  stories  of  the  experiences  of 
the  three  Grimley  children  and  their  parents  in 
the  bush  country  of  Nigeria,  where  the  Grimleys 
are  in  charge  of  a  one-family  Brethren  mission 
station.  Illustrated  by  John  B.  Grimley.  For  jun- 
iors and  younger  junior  highs.  $2.00 


I  Was  a  Stranger 

Ruth  B.  Statler 

Readers  of  Mrs.  Statler's  two  other  novels, 
Whither  Thou  Goest  and  House  of  Clay,  will 
welcome  this  third  one.  Centered,  as  were  the 
other  two,  around  an  interest  of  vital  concern  to 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  I  Was  a  Stranger 
carries  forward  the  same  penetrating  insights  into 
the  human  personality  and  into  the  social  milieu 
in  which  that  personality  is  shaped  and  in  turn 
finds  expression. 

Plotted  in  simple  fashion,  this  novel  tells  the 
experiences  of  a  German  girl  from  the  time  she  first  hears  about  the 
high  school  student  exchange  program,  through  her  weeks  of  competing 
for  a  place  in  the  program,  her  voyage  to  America,  and  her  year  in  this 
country,  on  to  her  return  to  her  home.  During  her  stay  in  the  States 
she  was  the  foster  daughter  in  a  Brethren  home  in  Pennsylvania. 

Although  centering  about  the  experiences  of  a  teen-age  girl,  the 
book  will  be  read  with  interest,  enjoyment,  and  a  widening  of  horizons 
by  readers  of  any  age  from  junior  on  up.  $3.00 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


terment  was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  Ada  Ruth  Leininger,  Denver, 
Pa. 

Fisher,  Mary  B.,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Susanna  Burkholder,  was  born  Jan. 
17,  1874,  in  York  County,  Pa.,  and  died 
at  Abilene,  Kansas,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years.    She  was  a  member  of  the 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Church  of  the  Brethren.  She  was  pre- 
ceded in  death  by  her  husband,  William 
Henry  Fisher.  Surviving  are  two  step- 
daughters and  one  stepson.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Brethren  in 
Christ  church  by  Rev.  David  Musser 
and  Rev.  G.  E.  Whisler.  Interment 
was  in  the  Abilene  cemetery.  —  Rachel 
Fisher,  Abilene,  Kansas. 

Fleek,    Michael,    son    of    John    and 
Hannah  Davis  Fleek,  was  born  Feb.  17, 


1881,  and  died  July  22,  1959.  He  was 
married  to  Fannie  Mills  on  June  12, 
1907.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  one 
daughter,  three  grandsons,  two  great- 
granddaughters,  a  brother,  and  a  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Old  Furnace  church  by  Bro.  George 
Jeffrey.  Interment  was  in  the  Fort 
Ashby  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Clarence  Abe, 
Fort  Ashby,  W.  Va. 

Franks,  Lloyd  M.,  was  born  near 
Greensburg,  Ohio,  and  died  Dec.  30, 
1959,  at  Hartville,  Ohio.  On  June  2, 
1910,  he  was  married  to  Clara  Carper. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Hartville 
church,  Ohio.  Surviving  are  one  son, 
four  grandchildren,  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Hartville  church,  with  Bro.  Victor 
Bendsen  officiating.  Interment  was  in  the 
Mt.  Peace  cemetery.  —  Pat  Machamer, 
North  Canton,  Ohio. 

Gordon,  Thomas  E.,  son  of  Otis  and 
Bertha  Gordon,  was  born  July  3,  1893, 
and  died  Dec.  31,  1959.  On  Sept.  30, 
1916,  he  was  married  to  Mary  Hart- 
soch.  He  was  a  member  of  the  North 
Liberty  church,  Ind.  Surviving  are  his 
wife,  diree  daughters,  eleven  grand- 
children, two  sisters  and  two  brothers. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
North  Liberty  church,  with  Bro.  Melvin 
S.  Ritchey  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  Oak  Hill  cemetery.  —  Virgil  Houser, 
North  Liberty,  Ind. 

Hoover,  Calvin  R.,  died  at  Minot, 
N.  Dak.,  Nov.  1,  1959,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  one  son,  three 
daughters,  seven  grandchildren,  two 
brothers,  and  two  sisters.  Interment 
was  in  the  Minot  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  F. 
W.  Holland,  Wenatchee,  Wash. 

Huffman,  Hannah  C,  daughter  of 
John  T.  and  Suzanne  Wolford,  was 
born  Sept.  3,  1870,  and  died  April  18, 
1959.  She  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Martin  V.  Huffman.  She  is  survived  by 
two  daughters,  one  foster  daughter, 
twelve  grandchildren,  and  ten  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  by  the  undersigned  at  the  Bethel 
church,  W.  Va.  Interment  was  in  the 
Huffman  family  cemetery.  —  Daniel  B. 
Spaid,  Eglon,  W.  Va. 

Kurtz,  Carrie  A.,  daughter  of  Valen- 
tine and  Mary  Young  Summers,  was 
born  June  1,  1872,  in  Springfield 
Township,  Ohio,  and  died  Jan.  8,  1960, 
in  Youngstown,  Ohio.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Woodworth  church,  Ohio.  Sur- 
viving are  a  daughter,  two  sisters,  one 
grandchild,  and  three  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted at  the  Davidson  funeral  home 
by  Bro.  E.  G.  Diehm  and  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  Lake 
Park  cemetery.  —  Alvin  C.  Cook,  Poland, 
Ohio. 

Lewis,  Doris  Louise,  daughter  of 
Clarence  and  Lorena  Whitacre  Van 
Meter,  was  born  Jan.  9,  1940,  and  died 
Oct.  27,  1959.  On  June  1,  1957,  she 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Ronald  Lee 
Lewis.  She  is  survived  by  her  husband, 
parents,  one  daughter,  and  one  adopted 
sister.  The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Old  Furnace  church,  of  which  she 
was  a  member,  by  Brethren  George 
Jeffrey  and  Connell  Chaney.  Interment 
was  in  the  Abe  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Clar- 
ence Abe,  Fort  Ashby,  W.  Va. 

Line,  Albert  LeRoy,  died  Dec.  12, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 
He   was    a   member   of   the    Huntsdale 


church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  his  wife  and 
one  son.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Lutz-Hoffman  funeral  home, 
with  Bro.  Kenneth  Blough  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  Mt.  Holly  Springs 
cemetery.  —  Kenneth  R.  Blough,  Car- 
lisle, Pa. 

Lowe,  Herbert  O.,  son  of  Y.  O.  and 
Jane  Beard  Lowe,  was  born  Nov.  15, 
1903,  in  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  and  died  Oct. 
28,  1959.  He  was  married  to  Elda 
Roberts  on  July  4,  1925.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Ottumwa  church.  Sur- 
viving are  his  wife,  two  brothers,  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Ottumwa  church  by  Breth- 
ren Russell  E.  Pepple  and  Charles  A. 
Albin.  Interment  was  in  the  Memorial 
Lawn  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  John  D.  Ware, 
Ottumwa,  Iowa. 

Mannon,  Noah  Samuel,  was  born  in 
Floyd  County,  Va.,  May  16,  1882,  and 
died  Dec.  8,  1959.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Lucinda  Hurt  on  Dec.  25, 
1901.  He  united  with  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  early  youth.  He  was 
called  to  the  ministry  in  1907  and  was 
ordained  an  elder  in  1917.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  three  daughters,  three 
grandchildren,  and  two  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted in  the  Beaver  Creek  church,  Va., 
by  Brethren  William  Sweitzer,  H.  W. 
Spangler,  and  Archie  Naff.  Interment 
was  in  the  church  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  G. 
H.  Dickerson,  Floyd,  Va. 

Phillippy,  Harry  Lewis,  Sr.,  son  of 
Lewis  O.  and  Denia  Harris  Phillippy, 
was  born  Aug.  29,  1882,  at  Marlowe, 
W.  Va.,  and  died  at  Harrisonburg,  Va., 
Jan.  3,  1960.  In  1907,  he  was  married 
to  Daisy  Myrtle  Dunham,  who  pre- 
ceded him  in  death.  He  is  survived  by 
four  children,  four  grandchildren,  and 
one  great-grandchild.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  Rev.  James 
Turner  and  Bro.  Robert  Sherfy.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Rosedale  cemetery. 

—  Mrs.  John  E.  Moore,  Bridgewater, 
Va. 

Poling,  Sarah  Jane,  wife  of  Lloyd 
James  Poling,  was  born  Feb.  13,  1891, 
and  died  Oct.  4,  1959,  near  Parsons, 
W.  Va.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  one 
daughter,  one  granddaughter,  and  one 
sister.  The  funeral  service  was  held  in 
the  Greenleaf  funeral  home  by  the 
undersigned,  assisted  by  Brethren  W. 
L.  Teets  and  Allan  Pugh.  —  Daniel  B. 
Spaid,  Eglon,  W.  Va. 

Price,  Cora,  died  July  30,  1959,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  In  1895, 
she  was  married  to  David  Price,  who 
preceded  her  in  death.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lower  Deer  Creek  church, 
Ind.  Surviving  are  four  daughters,  four 
sons,  two  sisters,  eighteen  grandchil- 
dren,   and    fifteen    great-grandchildren. 

—  Mrs.  Fannie  Martin,  Flora,  Ind. 
Simmons,    Albert    Delmer,     son    of 

Samuel  and  Nina  Simmons,  was  born 
near  Horse  Shoe  Run,  W.  Va.,  May  12, 
1921,  and  died  at  Rahway,  N.  J.,  Nov. 
14,  1959.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  Turek  on  May  17,  1947.  He 
is  survived  by  one  son.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Duncan  funeral 
home  by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  Accident  cemetery.  —  Daniel 
B.  Spaid,  Eglon,  W.  Va. 

Snoberger,  Verna  Kathryn,  daughter 
of  David  and  Annie  Klotz  Teeter,  was 
born  at  New  Enterprise,  Pa.,  Jan.  12, 
1899,  and  died  at  Roaring  Spring,  Pa., 
Jan.  7,  1960.  On  Jan.  12,  1917,  she 
was    married    to    Chalmer    Snoberger, 


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who  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Martinsburg  Memorial 
church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by  one  son, 
one  daughter,  five  grandchildren,  and 
two  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Roy  S.  Forney.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Fairview  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  C.  O.  Beery,  Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Waybright,  Mintie  Belle,  wife  of 
George  W.  Waybright,  died  Nov.  3, 
1959.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Eglon 
congregation,  W.  Va.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Maple  Spring 
church  by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  Accident  cemetery.  —  Daniel 
B.  Spaid,  Eglon,  W.  Va. 

Whisler,  D.  L.,  was  born  July  29, 
1896,  at  Unionville,  Iowa,  and  died  at 
McFarland,  Calif.,  Dec.  28,  1959.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  Maude  Whisler, 
six  children,  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  McFarland 
church.  —  J.  R.  Jennings,  McFarland, 
Calif. 

Yoder,  Alberta  Fern,  daughter  of 
William  H.  and  Elva  Herr  Yoder,  was 
born  near  Conway,  Kansas,  Dec.  27, 
1909,  and  died  at  McPherson,  Kansas, 
Dec.  31,  1959.  She  worked  for  more 
than  twenty  years  in  the  offices  of  the 
General  Boards  at  Elgin,  most  of  the 
time  as  administrative  assistant  in  the 
ministry  and  home  mission  office.  Be- 
cause of  failing  health  she  returned  to 
her  parents'  home  in  McPherson  five 
years  ago.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  McPherson  church  by  die  under- 
signed.   Interment  was  in  the  McPher- 


DISTRICT 

OF 

FLORIDA 

JACKSONVILLE 
CLAY  COUNTY 
WINTER   PARK- 
ORLANDO 
TAMPA  — 
ST.   PETERSBURG 
SEBRING- 
LORIDA- 
ARCADIA- 
OKEECHOBEE 
FORT  MYERS 
POMPANO   BEACH- 
MIAMI-SOUTH   MIAMI- 

Brethren,  If  You  Are  Planning  A  Trip  To 
Florida,  We  Invite  You  To  Visit  Any  Or 
All  Of  Our  Churches.  If  You  Are  Planning 
To  Move  To  Florida,  We  Invite  You  To 
Settle  In  The  City  Of  Your  Choice,  And 
Unite  With  One  Of  Our  Churches. 

son  cemetery.  —  Burton  Metzler,  Mc- 
Pherson, Kansas. 

Ziegler,  Martha  F.,  daughter  of 
Reuben  and  ElizabeUi  Frantz  King,  was 
born  Sept.  20,  1872,  and  died  at  Rehrers- 
burg,  Pa.,  Dec.  29,  1959.  Her  husband, 
Henry  C.  Ziegler,  preceded  her  in 
death.    She  was  a  member  of  the  Little 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


29 


E.  STANLEY  JONES 

What  is  conversion?  How 
does  it  come  about?  What  are 
its  lasting  effects?  In  this  book 
E.  Stanley  Jones,  world  famous 
missionary  and  religious  writer, 
examines  all  aspects  of  con- 
version to  help  men  and  wom- 
en everywhere   find  this  new 

life. 

Written  against  our  jet-age 
background  this  book  is  richly 
illustrated  with  actual  cases 
of  conversion  among  ministers, 
murderers,  actors,  Moslems, 
80-year-olds,  8-year-olds,  Hin- 
dus, millionaires,  beggars, 
policemen,  intellectuals,  mis- 
sionaries, and  many  others 
from  all  over  the  world. 

Cloth,  $3.25;  paper,  $1.95 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Swatara  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are 
four  sons,  three  daughters,  twenty- 
two  grandchildren,  twenty-eight  great- 
frandchildren,  one  sister,  and  two 
rothers,  The  funeral  service  was  from 
the  Hill  funeral  home,  with  Brethren 
Howard  Merkey,  Conway  Bennett  and 
Curtis  Ziegler  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  Ziegler  Church  of  the  Brethren 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Carl  Brightbill,  My- 
erstown,  Pa. 


Church  News 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Hatfield  —  Some  of  our  members  at- 
tended the  leadership  training  school 
at  the  Ambler  church.  Sixty-six  women 
of  our  church  became  members  of  the 
ladies'  auxiliary  of  the  Neffsville  Breth- 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


ren  home  for  the  year  1960.  Twenty 
of  our  members  attended  the  annual 
women's  work  conference  held  at  the 
Bareville  church.  Dr.  Roy  E.  McAuley 
conducted  our  Bible  institute.  Bro. 
James  D'Amico  officiated  at  our  fall 
love  feast.  Brother  and  Sister  Norman  S. 
Frederick  served  as  delegates  to  the 
district  conference  held  in  the  East 
Fairview  church.  On  missionary  day 
Bro.  Charles  Bieber  and  his  family, 
missionaries  in  Nigeria  were  guests;  they 
showed  pictures  in  the  evening.  The 
home  ministers  spoke  at  our  Thanks- 
giving service  and  the  offering  was 
taken  for  district  home  missions.  Our 
pastor  spoke  at  the  Christmas  Day  serv- 
ice when  an  offering  was  taken  for 
world  missions.  Several  college  stu- 
dents who  were  home  for  vacation  took 
part  in  the  services.  The  Sunday  school's 
Christmas  program  concluded  with  a 
white  gift  service  and  an  offering  for 
relief.  Two  have  been  baptized  since 
our  last  report.  —  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Nyce, 
Lansdale,  Pa. 

Spring  Creek  —  On  rally  day  our 
senior  choir  conducted  worship  services 
at  the  Brethren  Home  at  Neffsville.  In 
the  evening  the  pastor  and  his  wife 
held  their  annual  reception  for  all  mem- 
bers and  friends  of  the  church.  We 
had  one  week  of  evangelistic  services 
with  Bro.  Howard  Merkey  as  the  evan- 
gelist. Bro.  A.  C.  Baugher  officiated  at 
our  love  feast.  Ten  new  members  were 
welcomed  into  the  church.  The  corner- 
stone of  the  new  education  building 
was  laid  at  the  conclusion  of  the  morn- 
ing service  on  Nov.  1.  At  the  spiritual 
retreat  of  the  deacon  board  Mrs.  George 
Detweiler  was  the  speaker.  The  choirs 
and  the  instrumental  ensemble  of  the 
church  presented  a  program  on  Nov. 
7.  The  community  Thanksgiving  service 
was  held  in  the  EUB  church.  Our 
Christmas  observance  began  with  a 
candlelight  carol  service,  with  the  senior 
choir  and  the  junior  high  and  youth 
choir  programs  a  week  later.  The  youth 
sponsored  a  watch  night  service.  Be- 
sides clothing  the  relief  shipment  for 
the  quarter  included  children's  friend- 
ship kits  and  bars  of  soap.  —  Mrs.  N. 
Emerson  Meashey,  Hershey,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 

Clover  Creek  —  Our  revival  services 
were  held  by  Bro.  Ralph  Ebersole.  Six 
persons  were  baptized.  Food  was  given 
to  the  Morrison  Cove  Home  at  Thanks- 
giving time.  The  offering  for  Share  Our 
Surplus  was  given  for  the  hungry  over- 
seas. Our  young  people  gave  a  Christ- 
mas play  on  Dec.  19.  Visitation  on  the 
Call  program  was  in  charge  of  the 
deacons  and  their  wives.  —  Mrs.  Foster 
Wineland,  Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Woodbury  —  Guest  speakers  have 
been  the  Harold  Royers  of  Nigeria, 
Africa,  D.  L.  Shaffer,  Jay  Sisco,  L.  W. 
Schultz,  Roscoe  Wareham,  Joseph 
Clapper,  Ordo  Pletcher,  and  Ralph  W. 
Schlosser.  A  marriage  rededication 
service  for  the  congregation  was  held 
at  the  Holsinger  house  climaxing  a 
series  of  messages  emphasizing  family 
life.  The  oldest  and  youngest  married 
couples  were  recognized.  Lorraine 
Bush  and  Anna  Mae  English  are  spend- 
ing a  year  in  BVS  in  Florida  and  Cali- 
fornia. The  Mennonite  chorus  presented 
a  program  of  sacred  music.  Our  pastor 
has  given  us  messages  on  the  Book  of 
Hosea    and    the    Ten    Commandments. 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program,  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  HI. 

No.  437.  Wanted:  Full-time  occu- 
pational therapy  director  for  mental 
hospital.  Should  have  training  in  this 
area.  Will  work  under  psychiatric  super- 
vision. A  church  sponsored  38-bed  hos- 
pital. Contact:  Mr.  D.  C.  Kauffman, 
Brook  Lane  Farm  Hospital,  R.  5, 
Hagerstown,  Md. 

No.  438.  The  Zion  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Prescott,  Mich.,  is  interested 
in  helping  Brethren  families  relocate  in 
their  area.  Some  farms  are  now  avail- 
able for  sale  and  others  may  be  rented. 
For  further  information  contact  Mr. 
Edwin  Miller,  R.  1,  Box  277,  Prescott, 
Mich. 


Under  the  Anniversary  Call  a  mission 
to  members  visitation  was  carried  out. 
The  Curryville  evangelistic  meeting 
was  held  by  Bro.  David  Markey  and 
the  Woodbury  meeting  by  Bro.  Carroll 
Ringgold.  Bro.  Robert  Blair  is  serving 
as  our  assistant  pastor.  The  Thanks- 
giving service  was  held  in  the  Curry- 
ville house.  Gifts  of  produce  were  pre- 
sented to  the  Martinsburg  Old  Folks 
Home.  A  program  of  Christmas  music 
by  the  joint  choirs  at  the  Woodbury 
house  and  a  candlelighting  service  for 
the  congregation  at  Curryville  marked 
the  Christmas  season.  At  the  latter 
service  T.  F.  Henry  of  Huntingdon 
presented  the  dramalogue,  The  First 
Gift.  George  Hershberger,  Robert 
Snyder,  and  Byron  Snyder  and  their 
wives  were  installed  in  the  office  of 
deacon.  —  Rena  R.  Stayer,  Martinsburg, 
Pa. 

Southern  Pennsylvania 

York,  Madison  Avenue  —  Bro.  Ray- 
mon  Eller  and  his  family  moved  into 
our  recently  purchased  parsonage  and 
he  was  installed  as  our  pastor  on  Sept. 
6,  1959,  with  Bro.  Harold  Bomberger 
conducting  the  services.  At  the  same 
time,  John  Trimmer  and  Charles  North- 
land were  installed  in  the  office  of 
deacon.  For  the  dedication  of  our  par- 
sonage, we  had  Bro.  John  Long  as 
speaker.  Bro.  Robert  Hess  held  a  one- 
week    evangelistic    meeting    preceding 


our  love  feast.  Our  pastor  conducted 
a  class  on  church  membership.  Nine 
have  been  baptized  and  six  babies  have 
been  consecrated.  Our  church  had 
charge  of  worship  at  the  Old  Folks 
Home  at  Cross  Keys.  The  choirs  of  our 
church  presented  a  Christmas  cantata, 
and  we  had  a  candlelight  service  on 
New  Year's  Eve.  The  men's  fellowship 
sponsored  the  Sunday  evening  worship 
services  during  November  and  Decem- 
ber. —  Mrs.  Annie  Waser,  Manchester, 
Pa. 

Florida,   Georgia,   and   Puerto   Rico 

District  Meeting  —  The  district  has 
again  shown  gains  in  members,  giving, 
new  organization,  and  interest  in  the 
total  church  program.  The  district 
meeting,  held  at  Camp  Ithiel,  Oct.  7-11, 
gave  evidence  of  a  forward  look. 

A  very  commendable  beginning  was 
made  in  extending  district  aid  to  the 
new  work  at  Pompano  Beach  in  the  way 
of  capital  gifts.  The  work  at  St.  Peters- 
burg is  becoming  better  established 
with  Merril  Heinz  as  resident  minister; 
he  is  also  district  executive  secretary. 
A  plan  for  a  Florida  home  for  the  aging 
was  discussed.  A  special  over-all  finance 
commission  was  created  to  give  general 
oversight  to  all  district  projects  involv- 
ing district  finances.  The  district  or- 
ganization has  been  changed  to  effect 
more  efficient  administration. 

Myrl  Weyant  was  moderator  of  the 
conference.  He  was  assisted  by  J.  M. 
Blough,  assistant  moderator,  Dr.  Homer 
Burke,  reader,  and  the  writer  as  clerk, 
pro  tern.  Guest  speakers  were  Warren 
D.  Bowman,  Kenneth  E.  McDowell, 
Samuel  A.  Harley,  James  E.  Renz,  and 
Mrs.  Frederick  Hollingshead. 

J.  M.  Blough  was  elected  moderator 
and  Dr.  Burke,  Standing  Committee 
delegate.  —  John  B.  White,  writing 
clerk. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Pipe  Creek  —  Evangelistic  services 
were  conducted  by  Bro.  Galen  R. 
Blough.  Three  joined  the  church  by 
baptism  and  two  by  letter.  A  leader- 
ship training  school  was  held  the  first 
week  in  November.  Ruth  Anna  Hoff 
gave  a  talk  on  the  Flat  Creek  mission 
at  a  morning  service.  Our  mission 
project  is  clothing  for  Flat  Creek.  For 
our  congregational  home  mission  fellow- 
ship dinner  we  had  Bro.  Donald  Plank 
as  the  speaker.  The  youth  had  their 
parents  as  guests  at  a  fellowship  dinner 
and  presented  the  projected  program 
for  the  year.  Our  CBYF  was  host  to 
the  district  round  table.  The  women 
are  quilting  and  wrapping  bandages. 
The  CBYF  took  gifts,  tree  decorations, 
and  refreshments  to  the  Hoffman 
Children's  home.  Open  house  was  held 
at  the  parsonage  for  our  pastor  and  his 
wife,  Brother  and  Sister  Cooper,  in 
honor  of  their  twenty-fifth  wedding  an- 
niversary. —  Mrs.  Fannie  Myers,  Taney- 
town,  Md. 

Middle  Maryland 

Mountain  View  —  Our  church  ob- 
served World  Communion  Sunday.  Ten 
of  our  CBYF  group  attended  the  district 
youth  banquet.  Sisters  Anna  Grace 
DeHaven  and  Pearl  McDonald  were 
delegates  to  the  district  conference. 
Brother  and  Sister  Charles  Walker  and 
Brother  and  Sister  Russell  Hardy  were 


BOOKS  for  the 

MINISTER'S 
LIBRARY 

The  Second  Reader's  Notebook 

GERALD  KENNEDY 

The  success  of  Bishop  Kennedy's  first  anthology  of  wisdom,  thought 
and  humor  has  encouraged  him  to  prepare  another  winnowing  of  his 
wide  and  various  reading.  From  current  fiction  and  biography  to  philos- 
ophy and  poetry  he  has  culled  the  most  interesting  and  lively  quotations. 
As  before,  they  will  be  found  to  make  unusual,  pertinent  and  usable 
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THE 
URGE|P^H- 

^p  MINISTRY 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin.  111. 


elected  and  installed  in  the  office  of 
deacon.  Rev.  Elwood  Dunn,  pastor  of 
St.  Luke's  EUB  church,  was  our  speaker 
on  Layman  Sunday.  Some  of  our  mem- 
bers visited  the  Fahrney-Keedy  home. 
Five  of  our  youth  went  to  Bridgewater 
College  on  Brethren  Day.  A  hymn  sing 
featured  special  musical  groups  within 
our  own  church.  Several  attended  the 
district  men's  and  women's  fellowship 


banquet.  We  had  our  Christmas  pro- 
gram on  Dec.  20,  and  after  the  program 
the  youth  went  caroling.  —  Mrs.  Oliver 
N.  Custer,  Bunker  Hill,  W.  Va. 

Western  Maryland 

Cumberland  — Bro.  Connell  T.  Chanev 


FEBRUARY  20,  1960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  .  .  . 


Name 


R.  D.  or  St. 


p.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


became  the  pastor  of  our  congregation 
on  Sept.  1  and  was  installed  by  mem- 
bers of  the  district  ministerial  board. 
We  were  officially  accepted  into  the 
district  of  Western  Maryland  at  the 
district  meeting.  This  fall  our  church 
observed  its  thirty-seventh  anniversary. 
Bro.  Arthur  Scrogum  was  the  speaker 
for  our  anniversary  services.  Brother 
Scrogum  was  also  the  evangelist  for  the 
fall  preaching  mission.  Members  of  the 
women's  fellowship  toured  the  service 
center  at  New  Windsor.  Thanksgiving 
services  were  held  on  Nov.  25.  The 
children's  and  youth  departments  of 
the  Sunday  school  presented  a  Christ- 
mas program.  A  very  inspirational 
candlelighting  service  was  held  on 
Christmas  Eve.  —  Mrs.  Gene  Weber, 
Cumberland,  Md. 

Tennessee 
Mountain  Valley  —  The  women's  fel- 
lowship visited  the  county  home  and 
the  Chuckey  rest  home,  giving  gifts  and 
having  worship.  They  also  made  sev- 
eral friendship  packages  and  sent  cloth- 
ing to  relief.  The  men  of  our  church 
gave  money  for  repairs  for  the  BVS 
jeep  on  Bay's  Mountain  and  also  gave 
bales  of  hay  for  the  BVS  horses  at  the 
Midway  mission.  The  youth  of  our 
church  gave  the  Thanksgiving  and 
Christmas  programs.  The  youth  made 
several  Christmas  boxes  for  the  shut-ins. 
We  have  a  100%  Gospel  Messenger 
club.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Charles  Rine- 
hart,  is  bringing  a  series  of  messages 
on  prayer  which  will  be  climaxed  with 
an  all-day  prayer  vigil  the  beginning  of 
Lent.  Visitation  evangelism  was  car- 
ried out  during  the  months  of  January 
and  February  under  the  direction  of 
our  pastor  and  during  the  Lenten  season 
he  will  be  bringing  messages  on  the 
Call  to  Discipleship.  During  the  month 
of  March  we  will  have  the  home  study 
course  for  our  school  of  missions.  Bro. 
B.  J.  Wampler  will  conduct  our  preach- 
ing mission.  —  Mrs.  Harrison  Kilday, 
Greeneville,  Tenn. 

First  Virginia 

Oak  Grove  —  We  joined  with  the 
Green  Hill  church  in  a  leadership 
training  school.    We  participated  in  the 


union  Thanksgiving  services  with  other 
denominations  in  our  area.  Our  choir 
gave  a  Christmas  cantata.  We  had  an 
all-church  Christmas  super  followed  by 
a  program  given  by  the  children.  We 
placed  a  large  Christmas  card  in  the 
vestibule  of  the  church  and  asked  mem- 
bers to  sign  the  card,  and  instead  of 
sending  cards  to  friends  in  the  church 
to  contribute  the  price  of  cards  and 
postage  to  CARE.  —  Amelia  M.  Nicar, 
Roanoke,  Va. 

Northern  Virginia 
Cook's  Creek  —  Five  members  have 
been  received  by  letter  and  five  by 
baptism.  Roger  Sappington  has  been 
secured  as  a  supply  pastor.  During 
Thanksgiving  week,  Robert  Sherfy  held 
a  revival  meeting  at  the  Garbers  house. 
The  interchurch  preaching  mission  was 
held  in  the  Dayton  church.  Christmas 
programs  were  given  in  each  church. 
During  the  holidays  several  gave  a 
day's  work  at  New  Windsor.  The  dis- 
trict recreation  laboratory  for  the 
CBYF  was  held  in  the  Dayton  church. 
We  had  our  mission  school  and  doc- 
trinal study  in  January.  At  a  council 
meeting,  five  men  were  elected  to  the 


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office  of  deacon:  Leon  Rhodes,  Harry 
Lantz,  Richard  Myers,  William  Reich, 
and  Elvin  Miller.  —  Mrs.  Ralph  Myers, 
Harrisonburg,  Va. 

Second  Virginia 

Sangerville  —  Twenty-four  were  bap- 
tized and  three  were  received  by  letter 
as  a  result  of  a  revival  led  by  Bro.  Paul 
Crumley.  Our  congregations  have  been 
left  without  a  minister  since  the  death 
of  Bro.  Ernest  CofFman  and  Bro.  C. 
A.  Click.  We  are  being  served  by 
ministers  from  Bridgewater.  A  film- 
strip  projector  has  been  purchased.  The 
women's  fellowship  packed  Christmas 
boxes.  Mrs.  Ida  Petre  filled  the  pulpit 
recently  and  told  us  of  her  work  in 
Africa.  The  CBYF  presented  a  Christ- 
mas pageant.  Meetings  are  held  on 
Sunday  nights,  in  each  of  the  three 
churches  in  turn.  —  Ruth  F.  Miller. 
Dayton,  Va. 


MiNisiER^  *"  BoOK;,of 


THE 


Month 


Selection  for  MARCH 


STEWARDSHIP  IN 
CONTEMPORARY  THEOLOGY 

Edited  by  T.  K.  Thompson 

Stewardship  in  Contemporary  Theology  brings  together  nine  distinguished 
American  theologians  who  apply  the  Biblical  and  the  ethical  principles  of 
Christian  stewardship  to  the  problems  confronting  the  individual  Christian 
and  his  church.  Regular  price,  $3.50;  to  members  $2.45;  plus  postage  and 
handling. 

Notice  mid-February  Pastors  Packet  for  more  information 
regarding  this  book  and  other  club  selections 


32 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES 


Elgin,  Illinois 


Gospel 


FEBRUARY  27,  1960 


Religious  News  Service 


Gospel  Messenger        READERS   WRITE   .  .  .   to   the  editor 

'Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  ihe  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
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Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

FEBRUARY  27,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  9 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

No  Longer  Foreign:   Our  Mission  Is  One     5 
A    Self-Appointed    King    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship:  Paul  and  Silas.  Dale  Aukerman     3 

We  Saw  the  Church  in  Nigeria. 

Walter   and   Frances   Bowman    ....      6 

World  Day  of  Prayer.    Elsa  Kruse  ...      9 

New  Testament  Fundamentals. 

Wayne  Zunkel    10 

A  Strategy  for  Survival.   Roy  White  .  .    12 

The  Case  Against  Capital  Punishment. 
Harvey  Bowers  14 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books  24 

Toward  His  Kingdom  — 

Falfurrias:       Brethren      Service      With 

Compassion.    Margaret  Haas    18 

Evidences  of  Growth  at  Mbororo. 

Charles  Kraft 20 

Brethren  Want  to  Know   21 

A  Quiet  and  Peaceable  Life   21 

Ray  Tritt:   Builder 22 

Social  Action  Indian  Style. 

Amsey  Bollinger   22 

Alice  King  Ebey:    Teacher  23 

The  Good  Neighbor 23 

Doctor  for  Sick  Jeeps   23 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    25 

Church  News    27 

•  •  • 

Dr.  Robert  G.  Lee,  Southern  Baptist 
minister,   Memphis,  Tenn.:     "We  have 

f rasped  the  mystery  of  the  atom  and 
ave  rejected  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 
We  know  how  to  blow  up  the  world,  but 
we  do  not  know  how  to  govern  it." 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and  , 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 

dom   of   God   was   compelling   and 
practical. 

Yet  it  is  strange  that  such  leader- 
ship was  lost  so  soon.  By  and  large 
the  Brethren  who  moved  out  of  the 
isolation  of  a  German  pacifist  sect 
in  the  nineteenth  century  were  taken 
in  by  the  evangelical  movement  of 
a  more  Bible-belt  culture.  All  the 
magnificent  strides  of  theology  since 
Schleirermacher  passed  them  by,  as 
a  whole.  Television  and  urban  life 
have  done  much  to  dilute  what  pe- 
culiarity remained  even  in  the  past 
few  decades.  Since  the  Brethren 
have  become  a  denomination  among 
others,  the  impression  is  now  made 
in  other  churches  of  a  group  which 
is  in  the  rear  guard  rather  than  the 
vanguard.  If  the  particular  justifica- 
tion for  being  unique  now,  and  the 
major  witness  therefore  for  the  Breth- 
ren, is  its  peace  testimony,  one  must 
wonder  why  it  is  not  accepted  with 
the  enthusiasm  with  which  the  few 


A  Testimony 

In  the  Aug.  16,  1959,  issue  of 
Journeys  I  read  something  under  the 
title,  "A  Summer  for  God." 

The  same  thought  had  entered  my 
mind  some  weeks  previous.  I 
reasoned  this  way:  God  has  given 
me  seventy-nine  summers  of  almost 
perfect  health.  And  I  thought  too 
if  the  BVS'ers  can  give  God  one  or 
two  of  the  best  years  of  their  fives 
surely  I  can  give  him  one  of  the  left- 
over summers  of  my  life.  I  decided 
to  do  so. 

I  earn  part  of  our  living  by  raising 
pigs  and  selling  them  at  weaning 
time.  It  would  be  very  difficult  to 
compute  just  what  part  of  the  profit 
should  be  credited  to  summer 
months.  And,  too,  I  earn  part  of 
our  living  by  helping  care  for  a 
rural  cemetery  and  two  church 
lawns.  I  receive  75c  per  hour  for 
my  labor.  The  members  of  the  com- 
mittee have  insisted  on  my  taking 
higher  wages  but  I  tell  them  I  do 
not  want  to  work  hard  enough  to 
earn  more. 

Now  this  is  the  way  I  decided 
to  do.  Putting  it  all  on  a  wage- 
earning  basis,  I  counted  the  number 
of  work  days  in  the  summer  months. 
Then  I  figured  eight  hours  per  day 
at  75c  per  hour.    It  totaled  $474. 

Much  of  the  amount  was  chan- 
neled through  our  local  congrega- 
tion. The  balance  was  used  for 
other   Christian   purposes.  —  Reader. 

Recover  Early  Leadership 

Brethren  are  always  especially  in- 
terested in  what  people  say  of  the 
Brethren.  This  is  true  of  other 
groups  also.  Brethren  are  also  partic- 
ularly interested  in  justifying  their 
uniqueness,  in  asserting  their  unique 
witness,  even  though  very  few  have 
the  perspective  to  compare  and  un- 
derstand what  it  really  is. 

In  the  world  of  1708  the  Pietists 
were  in  the  forefront.  Through  Im- 
manuel  Kant  they  have  influenced 
all  philosophy  since  then.  Through 
Schleiermacher  they  destroyed  the 
Protestant  orthodoxy  which  followed 
the  Reformation.  As  joint  bearers 
of  the  Anabaptist  tradition  they  bore 
the  seeds  of  democracy  and  the  mod- 
ern relation  of  church  and  state. 
Many  of  the  essential  thrusts  of  their 
early  movement  are  carried  most 
courageously  by  the  ecumenical 
movement  today,  especially  in  Life 
and  Work.    Their  vision  of  the  king- 


promote  it. 

The  cause  seems  to  be  the  com- 
partmentalization  of  fife  which  came 
with  Brethren  awakening  into  the 
status  of  a  denomination.  The  sep- 
aration of  ideology  from  technique, 
learned  from  the  revivalists,  has 
made  the  church  captive  in  many 
areas  to  business  and  advertising 
procedures.  The  separation  of  piety 
from  culture  has  isolated  the  impor- 
tance of  religion  into  a  minor  role 
in  many  places.  The  reduction  of 
the  Christian  ethic  to  relatively  un- 
important points  has  caused  the 
overlooking  of  the  much  more  sig- 
nificant theological  principles  in- 
volved in  it,  and  remarkably 
distorted  applications  to  the  social 
order.  The  great  insight  into  the 
priesthood  of  all  believers  has  been 
vitiated  by  the  reasoning  behind  the 
recruitment  of  ministers.  The  single 
mission  of  the  church  has,  usually 
by  practical  necessity,  been  frag- 
mented into  separated  projects  and 
committees.  Most  dangerous,  too 
often  the  criterion  for  any  policy  or 
program  is  whether  it  is  Brethren, 
or  non-Brethren,  and  not  whether 
it  is  Christian  or  right  or  significant, 
understood  in  its  whole  context.  In  ; 
short  the  church  suffers  from  the 
mediocrity  of  administrative  drive 
having  taken  first  place  over  religious 
leadership  in  the  world  situation. 

The  solution  for  such  a  situation 
is  not  to  bury  one's  head  in  the  sand 
Continued  on  page  27 


Paul  and  Silas 


Frederick  Shields 


Three  Lions 


Men  who  heard 
the  Call  to  Discipleship 


ORDINARILY  we  think  of 
Silas  only  as  a  traveling 
companion  of  Paul  and 
as    the    person    whose    voice 
joined  Paul's  in  the  midnight 
j  hymn-sing  at  the  jail  of  Philippi. 
dBut  even  in  the  Philippi  story 
(!  Silas  remains  in  Paul's  shadow 
—  a  dim  figure  that  we  do  not 
I!  really  get  acquainted  with. 

A  number  of  other  facts  about 
|i  Silas  have,  though,  come  down 
ji  to  us.  He  had  a  Hebrew  name 
t  and  was  a  leading  person  in  the 
I  Jerusalem  church.  At  the  close 
[of  the  council  of  Jerusalem  he 
land  Judas,  called  Barsabbas, 
[were  chosen  to  carry  the  letter 
lof  exhortation  to  Antioch  and 


Dale  Aukerman 


confirm  it  personally.  They  as 
prophets  preached  in  Antioch 
and  then  returned  to  Jerusalem. 
A  little  while  later  Paul,  hav- 
ing quarreled  with  Barnabas, 
decided  to  take  Silas  along  as 
co-worker.  Perhaps  Paul  needed 
to  send  to  Jerusalem  for  him. 
Paul  was  always  eager  for  good 
relations  with  the  Jerusalem 
church;  on  the  first  missionary 
journey  Barnabas  was  Paul's 
reconciling  link  with  that 
church,  during  the  second 
journey  Silas  was. 


Silas  was  associated  with  Paul 
in  the  discovery  of  Timothy,  the 
call  to  Macedonia,  the  founding 
of  the  churches  in  Philippi, 
Thessalonica,  and  Beroea.  Silas 
and  Timothy  remained  with  the 
infant  church  at  Beroea  when 
Paul  had  to  make  his  exit  to 
Athens.  They  rejoined  him  at 
Corinth  and  proclaimed  the 
good  news  with  him  there. 
When  Paul  (probably  from 
Corinth)  wrote  his  two  letters 
to  the  brethren  in  Thessalonica 
he  named  Silvanus  (a  Latin 
form  of  Silas)  and  Timothy  as 
joint  authors  with  him. 

FEBRUARY  27,   1960  3 


Silas  reappears  in  1  Peter;  his 
reappearance  may  be  a  direct, 
pervasive  one.  In  5:12  Peter 
writes,  "By  Silvanus,  a  faithful 
brother  as  I  regard  him,  I  have 
written  briefly  to  you."  This 
may  mean  simply  that  Silas  was 
to  deliver  the  letter  or  that,  in 
addition,  he  wrote  down  what 
Peter  dictated.  But  there  has 
been  much  question  as  to 
whether  Peter  could  have  com- 
posed the  fluent  Greek  of  this 
letter.  Perhaps  Silas  did  con- 
siderable polishing  of  Peter's 
Greek. 

This  much  —  this  little  —  we 
know  about  Silas.  The  rich 
young  ruler,  from  a  single  in- 
cident, we  see  far  more  vividly. 
But  what  sort  of  person  was 
Silas?  He  was  Jewish  enough 
in  his  thinking  to  be  highly  re- 
spected by  the  Jerusalem  Chris- 
tians but  eager  enough  for  the 
good  news  to  reach  Gentiles 
that  Paul  chose  him  as  mission- 
ary associate.  Silas,  though  an 
able  leader  himself,  was  not  a 
person  who  had  to  be  leader; 
he  liked  following  Paul's  lead. 
And  he  did  far  more  than  say 
Amen  to  Paul;  he  was,  as  Paul's 
fellow  worker,  a  pastor  of 
churches,  a  constant  evangelist, 
a  counselor  to  hundreds  of  new 
Christians.  The  imprint  of 
Paul  was  plainly  on  him:  Paul 
intensified  Silas's  evangelistic 
zeal  and  his  understanding  of 
how  radical  and  all-important 
God's  mercy  is. 

Silas,  for  his  part,  may  have 
exercised  a  moderating  influ- 
ence on  Paul  by  helping  to 
bring  out  the  conciliatory  in 
him.  Silas  was  a  Christian  of 
stature  before  he  met  Paul;  he 
grew  in  stature  during  the  work 
with  Paul;  and  it  is  only  the 
greatness  of  Paul  that  dwarfs 
him  somewhat. 

While  Silas  is  for  us  one  of 
the  dimmest  leaders  in  the  apos- 
tolic church,  Paul  is  the  most 

4  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


vivid.  We  know  his  mind  and 
heart  more  fully  than  those  of 
any  other  person  in  ancient 
history.  He  wrote  much  and 
did  not  hide  behind  what  he 
wrote.  The  contrasts,  twists, 
and  profundity  of  his  personal- 
ity come  through  amazingly  in 
his  letters  —  and  nowhere  more 
than   in   2   Corinthians    10-13. 

Paul  started  and  nurtured  the 
church  at  Corinth,  a  city  whose 
name  was  proverbially  linked 
with  immorality.  But  when, 
after  a  year  and  a  half,  he 
moved  on,  factions  arose,  per- 
verse teachers  flourished,  and  a 
general  rebelliousness  against 
his  authority  and  ideas  de- 
veloped. Paul  in  these  chapters 
wrote  as  one  who  knew  that 
everything  was  at  stake.  Hell 
or  heaven  lay  before  his  vacil- 
lating converts  in  Corinth.  And 
as  Corinth  went,  so  would  his 
other  churches  likely  go:  into 
united  fellowship  or  into  irrev- 
ocable schism.  Like  a  father 
rowing  desperately  toward  his 
children  in  a  sinking  boat  Paul 
was  striving  to  reach  the  hearts 
of  the  Corinthians. 

His  first  paragraphs  are  re- 
strained and  comparatively  gen- 
tle. "I,  Paul,  myself  entreat  you, 
by  the  meekness  and  gentleness 
of  Christ."  A  shy  little  fellow 
when  present  and  bold  only 
in  letters,  did  his  opponents 
charge?  But  there  is,  Paul 
pointed  out,  a  mighty  courage 
that  goes  with  meekness.  So 
his  opponents  were  boasting? 
Then  so  would  he  —  foolishly, 
absurdly  —  but  for  the  sake 
of  the  Corinthians  he  would 
humble  himself  even  to  boast- 
ing. 

Paul's  emotions  flash  kaleido- 
scopically  through  the  verses. 
"Divine  jealousy":  "For  I  be- 
trothed you  to  Christ  to  present 
you  as  a  pure  bride  to  her  one 
husband."  Impassioned  affirma- 
tion: "I  not  love  you?  God 
knows  I  do!"  Stern  accusation: 
"Such  men  are  false  apostles. 


deceitful  workmen,  disguising 
themselves  as  apostles  of  J 
Christ."  Sarcasm:  "You  gladly 
bear  with  fools,  being  wise 
yourselves."  Majestic  reminis- 
cence: "Three  times  I  have 
been  shipwrecked;  a  night  and 
a  day  I  have  been  adrift  at  sea; 
on  frequent  journeys,  in  danger 
from  rivers,  danger  from  rob- 
bers, danger  at  sea,  danger  from 
false  brethren;  in  toil  and  hard- 
ship, through  many  a  sleepless 
night,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  of- 
ten without  food,  in  cold  and 
exposure."  Tender  pleading:  "I 
seek  not  what  is  yours  but  you." 
Love's  anxiety:  "I  fear  that  I 
may  have  to  mourn  over  many 
of  those  who  sinned  before  and 
have  not  repented."  In  these 
chapters  we  see  these  varied 
emotions  —  some  of  them  so 
questionable  —  made  holy  by 
the  indwelling  Jesus. 

"I  am  talking  like  a  mad- 
man!" Paul  interjected.  In  a 
way  he  was  always  the  mad- 
man: maddest  of  men  in  the 
world's  Christ-rejecting  mad- 
ness; and  maddest  in  Christ's 
folly,  in  the  absurdity  of  cross- 
bearing. 

Paul  was  a  disciple  of  Jesus. 
Silas,  during  most  of  the  time 
we  read  about  him,  was  to  a 
considerable  extent  a  disciple 
of  Paul.  The  remarkable  thing 
is  that  his  discipleship  to  Paul 
intensified  his  discipleship  to 
Jesus.  We  Brethren  are  much 
concerned  to  avoid  putting  hu- 
man mediators  between  our- 
selves and  Jesus.  But  Paul  was 
not  centrally  between;  he  was 
marginally  between  Jesus  and 
Silas.  Jesus  the  risen  Lord,  in 
addition  to  his  direct  relation- 
ship to  Silas,  showed  himself 
partly  through  Paul. 

We  ourselves  have  much 
more  to  learn  than  we  do  from 
devoted  Christians  who  mar- 
ginally show  us  Jesus.  And  each 
of  us  is  called  to  the  eternally 
momentous  task  of  being  a 
marginal  revealer  of  the  Christ. 


EDITORIAL 


No  Longer  Foreign:  Our  Mission  Is  One 

IT  has  been  more  than  a  dozen  years  since 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board  was  estab- 
lished by  our  Annual  Conference  to  ad- 
minister and  direct  a  world-wide  program  of 
outreach,  of  witness  and  service.  This  program 
has  been  effectively  carried  on  through  five 
commissions  of  the  Board,  each  of  which  is 
responsible  for  specific  assignments.  It  seems 
to  us  that  the  time  has  come  to  ask  whether 
the  names  of  these  commissions,  given  to  them 
in  1947,  still  describe  the  functions  Conference 
asked  them  to  fulfill. 

We  are  thinking  specifically  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Commission  and  the  Ministry  and 
Home  Mission  Commission.  We  are  especially 
disturbed  over  the  connotations  of  the  word 
foreign  as  applied  to  our  witness  and  over  the 
artificial  division  of  our  one  mission  into  cate- 
gories of  home  and  foreign. 

No  one  likes  to  be  regarded  as  a  foreigner. 
Even  though  we  are  innocent  of  any  attempt  at 
discrimination,  the  term  suggests  distinctions 
that  are  contradictory  to  the  actual  experience 
of  our  brotherhood  in  Christ.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  more  we  who  are  Stateside  Brethren 
learn  about  developing  churches  in  India,  Ni- 
geria, and  Ecuador,  the  less  foreign  they  seem 
to  us  and  the  more  we  recognize  in  them  the 
basic  Christian  elements  which  make  us  one. 
If  we,  therefore,  even  thoughtlessly  or  by  neg- 
lect, continue  to  use  terminology  such  as 
foreign  missions  which  is  contrary  to  what  we 
experience  and  what  we  believe,  the  labels  will 
be  a  handicap  to  the  progress  of  our  churches 
overseas. 

If  it  is  embarrassing  to  designate  one  area 
of  our  work  as  "foreign,"  it  is  just  as  misleading 
to  describe  other  aspects  of  our  mission  as 
"home."  We  have  one  mission  no  matter  on 
what  map  or  under  what  administration.  Our 
labels  ought  to  reflect  our  better  concepts  and 
to  contribute  to  our  understanding  of  that  one 
mission. 

But  we  must  use  some  descriptive  terms. 
What  shall  they  be?  Here  there  are  no  obvious 
answers.  One  denomination  calls  its  missionaries 
"fraternal  workers."  This  avoids  the  undesirable 
label  but  it  offers  little  in  its  place.  The  term 
is  colorless  and  uninspiring,  though  it  may  be 
accurate.  Some  Christian  leaders  favor  the  use 
of  "ecumenical"  to  describe  overseas  work,  but 
the  term  needs  far  more  interpretation,  far  more 


spelling  out  in  its  best  sense  of  our  common 
sharing  in  Christ  before  it  can  serve  the  purpose 
we  have  in  mind.  Too  many  persons  associate 
the  ecumenical  movement  with  certain  inter- 
church  programs  and  plans  for  merger.  This, 
of  course,  is  to  ignore  the  honest  seeking  for 
unity  in  Christ  which  undergirds  many  such 
endeavors.  The  word  deserves  better  than  it  has 
yet  received  from  some  Christians.  Perhaps  in 
due  time  it  will  express  the  meaning  that  is 
central  and  not  incidental  to  its  use.  But  it  will 
hardly  serve  us  well  at  the  present  time. 

We  can  think  of  nothing  better  at  this 
moment  than  to  label  a  part  of  our  ministry  as 
"overseas,"  recognizing  that  our  mission  and 
ministiy  must  be  one,  just  as  our  brotherhood 
must  be  one.  Perhaps  what  we  have  called 
home  missions  could  better  be  described  as 
church  extension.  But  we  need  not  give  up 
such  a  good  word  as  mission  if  we  are  careful 
what  adjectives  we  use  to  qualify  it. 

One  commission  of  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board  has  already  begun  to  study  its  own  termi- 
nology with  a  view  to  suggesting  changes.  Per- 
haps many  others  on  the  Board  and  in  other 
capacities  have  ideas  to  propose.  May  we  urge 
our  readers  also  to  take  a  new  look  at  our  world 
mission.  The  New  Testament  puts  its  emphasis 
on  partnership  in  a  common  task  that  rises 
above  the  usual  separation  into  "home"  and 
"foreign."  After  1,900  years,  cannot  we  rise 
above  such  outdated  divisions?  —  k.m. 

A  Self-Appointed  King 

BISHOP  Homer  Tomlinson,  general  over- 
seer of  the  Church  of  God,  a  pentecostal 
group  with  headquarters  in  Queen's  Vil- 
lage, New  York,  wants  to  be  president  of  the 
United  States.  Recently  he  visited  most  of  the 
capitals  of  the  world.  In  each  he  set  up  his 
portable  throne,  put  on  his  regal  robe,  and 
crowned  himself  king.  Now  he  is  visiting  cities 
here  in  order  to  name  himself  the  king  of  each 
state.  The  bishop  goes  far  beyond  most  poli- 
ticians in  promising  peace  and  prosperity  for 
everyone  in  the  world  in  the  next  seven  years. 

Jesus  had  some  harsh  words  for  disciples 
who  sought  places  of  honor  in  his  kingdom. 
What  would  he  say  about  a  self-appointed  "king 
of  the  world"?  —  k.m. 

FEBRUARY  27,  1960  5 


Before  directing  an  international 

work  camp  in  Sardinia  in  the 

summer  of  1959,  Walter  Bowman, 

pastor  of  the  Fort  McKinley 

Church  of  the  Brethren,  Dayton, 

Ohio,  and  his  wife,  Frances,  with 

the  assistance  of  their  church,  made 

a  two-week  visit  to  the  Church  of 

the  Brethren  mission  area  in 

Nigeria.   They  share  their  insights 

"not  as  the  evaluations  of  experts, 

out  the  observations  of  a  pastor 

and  his  wife." 


We  Saw 


The  Church   in   Nigeria 


WE  WENT  to  Nigeria  to 
see  a  mission  and  found 
a  church.  True  enough, 
the  project  visited  still  carries 
the  name  mission,  and  the  tech- 
nicalities of  outside  aid  and 
personnel  which  give  it  mission 
status  are  still  present.  But 
that  here  is  the  body  of  Christ 
is  unmistakable,  for  here,  too, 
are  active,  established  congre- 
gations reaching  out  in  a  wide 
circle  around  themselves,  as 
well  as  responsible  leadership, 
and  a  priesthood  of  believers. 

To  be   sure,   it   is   a   young 
church.    It  is  at  the  point  of 

6  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


learning  to  think  for  itself,  to 
determine  in  large  part  its  own 
direction,  and  to  assume  respon- 
sibility for  its  own  decisions. 
But  one  wonders  if  young  is 
an  accurate  word.  For  one 
must  raise  questions  as  to  which 
is  more  mature  —  the  African 
church  that  wins  one  new  mem- 
ber for  every  three,  or  the 
church  in  America  that  has  a 
gain  of  only  one  for  each 
seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
members?  The  congregation 
which  has  not  started  a 
new  congregation  in  twenty- 
five  years  or  the  one  with 
twenty  potential  congregations 
surrounding  it?    The  one  with 


a  well-defined  program  of  train- 
ing and  preparation  for  mem- 
bership or  the  one  whose 
veteran  members  do  not  know 
"what  it's  all  about"? 

It  is  a  young  church,  but  it 
is  a  church  nevertheless,  be- 
cause God  has  brought  it  into 
being.  Of  course,  he  has  used 
some  of  us  to  plant  it  and  he 
will  continue  to  need  much  of 
our  resources  to  water  it,  but  it 
is  obvious  that  his  spirit  is 
working  there  in  the  lives  of 
mature  and  dedicated  people. 
We  must  not  be  guilty  of  pride 
which  says  "look  what  we  have 
done"  in  "our"  mission,  for  these 
are  not  spiritual  orphans  living 


off  the  crumbs  from  our  table, 
nor  are  they  some  particular 
brand  of  Christian  whose  salva- 
tion earns  us  a  very  special 
celestial  credit.  They  are  "all 
part  of  the  body  of  Christ,  and 
individually  members  of  it," 
called  to  be  sons  of  God,  even 
as  we  are. 

We  visited  Nigeria  for  two 
weeks  immediately  after  sitting 
with  Standing  Committee  and 
participating  in  the  Ocean 
Grove  Conference,  which  was 
much  concerned  with  the  con- 
tinuing aspects  of  our  CALL 
program.  We  had  been  im- 
pressed with  the  sincere  desire 
of  the  church  to  provide  a 
ministry  worthy  of  her  heritage 
and  startled  by  the  wide  gap 
between  our  commitment  and 
our  response. 

A  most  striking  impression 
came  when  we  began  to  sense, 
in  this  respect,  how  very  like 
us  Nigerians  are  —  and  how  ap- 
propriate the  emphases  of  the 
CALL  were  there  as  well  as 
here!  Having  participated  in 
the  CALL  to  responsible  stew- 
ardship in  our  own  church,  we 
felt  right  at  home  to  be  in  the 
midst  of  lively  stewardship  dis- 


cussions in  Africa.  The  specific 
content  of  the  debate  was  differ- 
ent, of  course,  but  it  still  point- 
ed to  the  responsibility  of  every 
member  to  give  tangible  ex- 
pression of  his  response  to  God. 

The  church  there  in  assem- 
bled council  was  asking  wheth- 
er every  Christian  ought  not  be 
willing  to  give  at  least  a  mini- 
mum contribution  toward  the 
district  program  and,  if  he  did 
not  demonstrate  that  much  in- 
terest, whether  he  ought  to  be 
permitted  the  blessings  of  par- 
ticipation in  the  love  feast. 
Other  thinking  young  leaders 
were  asking  whether  this  did 
not  represent  an  attempt  to  buy 
the  body  and  blood  of  the 
Lord.  But  underneath  it  all  lay 
the  same  problem  that  we  face : 
how  to  present  the  very  per- 
sonal claims  of  the  gospel  so 
clearly  and  convincingly  that, 
having  first  given  himself  to  the 
Lord,  every  individual  will  beg 
for  the  opportunity  of  sharing 
materially  in  the  work  of  the 
kingdom. 

We  also  had  participated  at 
home  in  the  CALL  to  witness 
with  good  interest  and  faltering 
success.   We  looked  to  Nigeria 


Religious  News  Service 


To  meet  the  great  need  for  literature  for  the  newly  literate  Nigerian  the 
Sudan  Interior  Mission  is  printing  a  series  of  illustrated,  colorful  leaflets 
in  several  African  languages  for  those  literate  only  in  their  own  tongue 


to  give  us  some  new  insights 
on  the  ministry  of  the  laity.  So 
we  asked  the  church  leaders 
about  their  visitation  programs 
and  how  they  involved  their 
people,  only  to  discover  a  very 
familiar  pattern  —  church  com- 
mittees carrying  the  load, 
deacons  providing  a  vital  lead- 
ership, and  the  rest  of  the  mem- 
bership enjoying  all  of  the 
blessings. 

Granted  that  even  with  these 
imperfections,  they  are  far  more 
effective  in  their  witnessing 
than  we  are,  we  still  find  our- 
selves wondering  whether  this 
is  a  universal  human  character- 
istic, to  be  timid  about  witness- 
ing or  whether  it  is  a  reflection 
of  the  priorities  of  the  church 
that  planted  and  watered.  We 
salute  our  brethren  on  the  effec- 
tiveness of  their  witness  but 
stand  judged  with  them  that  the 
CALL  of  Christ  to  his  witness 
has  not  yet  motivated  every  dis- 
ciple to  share  the  good  news  as 
he  has  experienced  it. 

We  arrived  in  Nigeria  with 
the  CALL  for  leadership  still 
ringing  in  our  ears.  Our  con- 
cern only  deepened  upon  dis- 
covering how  vital  is  this  life 
and  leadership  emphasis  in  our 
Nigerian  churches.  Our  short- 
age of  pastors  is  as  nothing  com- 
pared to  the  problems  created 
by  a  nearly  one  hundred  per- 
cent increase  in  new  congrega- 
tions in  the  past  couple  of  years 
without  a  corresponding  in- 
crease in  trained  leadership. 

The  completion  of  the  forma- 
tion of  the  indigenous  church 
is  seriously  hampered  when 
there  are  only  six  Nigerian 
pastors  and  two  licentiates  for 
twenty-one  congregations,  each 
of  which  is  surrounded  by  a 
circle  of  potential  congrega- 
tions. To  be  sure,  the  lay  min- 
istry of  dedicated  teachers  and 
evangelists  who  have  founded 
churches   almost   singlehanded 

FEBRUARY  27.  1960  7 


is  a  thrilling  story,  but  when  the 
effective  functioning  of  the 
church  is  so  closely  geared  to 
an  adequate,  trained  ministry, 
and  that  ministry  one  of  Ni- 
gerians to  their  own  people  if 
problems  of  colonialism,  na- 
tionalism, and  race  are  not  to 
plague  the  church,  we  hang  our 
heads  in  shame  that  we  have 
not  made  possible  before  this 
date  the  training  center  which 
will  soon  be  emerging  in  Ni- 
geria. 

But  the  church  in  Nigeria  is 
a  reflection  of  the  church  in 
America  in  a  yet  deeper  way. 
On  being  asked  what  is  the 
greatest  need  of  the  Nigerian 
church  today,  our  workers 
respond  emphatically,  "Deep- 
ening the  spiritual  life"  — a 
familiar  refrain  among  our 
churches.  In  light  of  this,  we 
tended  to  be  critical  that  in 
Nigeria  the  institutions  —  the 
schools,  hospitals,  etc.  —  seemed 
to  be  receiving  the  lion's  share 
of  attention,  until  we  remem- 
bered that  these  churches  had 
sprung  from  ours  —  from  our 
churches  whose  central  focus  is 
program,  whose  measure  of  de- 
votion is  activity,  and  whose 
depth  of  spiritual  perception  is 
ethical  perfection. 

Their  problem  of  provid- 
ing the  spiritual  undergirding 
which  will  enable  a  person  to 
withstand  the  pressures  of  ani- 
mism and  of  Islam  may  have 
some  unique  aspects  as  com- 
pared with  our  encounters  with 
pagan  materialism  in  the  West, 
but  we  stand  together  in  our 
need  to  be  less  concerned  about 
activity  and  program  in  the 
church  and  more  concerned 
about  our  need  "to  grow  up  in 
every  way  into  Christ  who  is 
the  head.  .  .  ." 

A  great  deal  is  being  said  in 
these  days  about  the  younger 
churches  —  the  churches  now 
vigorously  growing  in  Asia  and 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Africa  as  the  result  of  the  mis- 
sionary efforts  of  the  Western 
Churches  in  the  last  couple  of 
centuries.  One  of  the  most  in- 
spiring parts  of  such  reports  — 
as  in  the  case  of  the  creative 
approach  to  Protestant  unity  in 
India  —  is  the  account  of  points 
at  which  the  younger  churches 
have  outstripped  the  parent 
churches  in  spiritual  dynamic 
and  direction.  We  saw  the 
young  church  in  Nigeria,  and 
we  mention  only  a  few  of  the 
points  at  which  we  can  take  in- 
spiration for  ourselves. 

We  saw  an  active  ministry  of 
the  laity  which  many  of  our 
churches  need.  Granted  that 
this  witnessing  to  the  faith  was 
not  nearly  as  universal  as  we 
had  expected;  nevertheless,  the 
fact  that  the  church  increased 
its  membership  by  one  third 
again  this  year  only  emphasizes 
the  effectiveness  of  the  work  be- 
ing done  by  part  of  the  laity. 
Perhaps  the  use  of  lay  evange- 
lists at  dozens  of  points  in 
and  surrounding  our  established 
congregations  is  partly  dictated 
by  the  lack  of  trained  ministe- 
rial leadership,  but  a  visit  to 
churches  and  fellowship  groups 
under  their  care,  some  of  which 
have  been  built  almost  single- 
handedly,  quickly  shows  how 
valuable  is  their  contribution. 

Seeing  how  God  has  used  the 
lay  witness  of  these  who  have 
gone  out  week  after  week,  or 
of  those  who  have  gone  to  live 
as  the  only  Christian  in  a  re- 
mote village,  one  can  be  quite 
sure  that  adding  indefinitely  to 
a  paid  staff  in  the  home  church 
does  not  hold  all  the  answers. 

We  believe  we  saw  a  clearer 
witness  in  the  church  in  Ni- 
geria, calling  us  back  to  a 
thorough  understanding  of  the 
basis  of  our  faith.  Now  part  of 
this  may  be  the  result  of  cir- 
cumstance, that  the  type  of 
paganism  they  confront  de- 
mands a  sharper  distinction  be- 
tween the  new  and  the  old.  But 


H.  Stover  Kulp,  pioneer  missionary 
to  Nigeria,  meets  with  the  first 
six  pastors  of  the  District  of 
Nigeria.    They  are,  left  to  right, 
Madu,  Gwanu,  Karbam,  Hamnu, 
Kulp,  Thlama,  and  Mai  Sule 


one  cannot  help  but  feel  that 
part  of  it  is  that  they  are  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel,  for  they 
have  seen  how  it  is  the  power 
of  God  to  make  all  things  new. 
And  having  experienced  this 
thing  themselves,  they  know 
that  they  are  not  witnessing 
merely  to  a  set  of  ideas,  but  to 
the  event  which  takes  place 
when  Christ,  being  lifted  up, 
draws  men  unto  himself. 

We  saw  a  church  growing 
because  it  makes  clear  to 
its  members  its  expectations. 
Church  membership,  for  ex- 
ample, is  not  to  be  taken  lightly. 
Every  new  member  is  expected 
to  prepare  for  his  Christian  ex- 
perience by  taking  a  covenant 
before  the  church.  He  is  then 
expected  to  take  part  for  the 


next  year  in  classes  which  help 
him  to  understand  the  Christian 
faith  and  the  church,  and  which 
provide  a  starting  point  for  his 
spiritual  growth.  After  he  has 
demonstrated  his  commitment 
to  Christ  in  baptism,  in  some 
places  (not  nearly  enough)  he 
is  expected  to  continue  such 
study  for  a  period  of  time  to 
help  him  in  his  Christian  life. 

Now  it  may  be  argued  by 
some  that  this  sort  of  system 
tends  to  stifle  the  free  working 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  it 
tends  to  make  baptism  an  end 
in  itself  rather  than  the  begin- 
ning point  of  Christian  growth 
and  experience.  But  be  that  as 
it  may,  the  positive  values  in- 
herent in  it  still  stand  as  a  chal- 
lenge to  us  who  evidence  the 
attitude  that  people  automati- 
cally understand  the  Christian 
faith  and  that  any  serious  de- 
mands on  them  would  scare 
them  away. 

A  further  point  of  inspiration 


is  the  conviction,  taken  serious- 
ly by  our  Nigerian  brothers, 
that  if  we  are  to  be  the  salt  of 
the  earth  and  the  light  of  the 
world,  we  must  of  necessity  be 
different.  One  of  the  vital 
questions  of  the  deacons  and 
church  committees  is  discipline. 
What  acts  are  unworthy  of  fol- 
lowers of  Christ?  At  what  point 
does  the  fellowship  concern  it- 
self about  misdemeanors  be- 
cause the  group  witness  to 
the  community  is  impaired? 
Granted  the  ever-present  dan- 
ger of  an  emerging  legalism  or 
of  a  salvation  by  works,  one 
cannot  easily  dismiss  the  pagan- 
ism of  our  communities  and  the 
disturbing  reality  that  one  has 
difficulty  knowing  the  differ- 
ence between  Christian  and 
non-Christian. 

We  have  given  generously  to 
the  nurture  of  these  who  are  our 
brothers.  The  time  is  now  here 
when,  as  we  continue  our  shar- 
ing of  money  and  leadership  in 


order  that  this  church  may  ex- 
pand and  grow  as  it  should,  we 
must  also  receive  from  them  in- 
spiration and  guidance  for  our 
own  nurture. 


Christian  women  around  the  world 
join  together  on  March  4  in  a 

World  Day  of  Prayer 

Elsa  Kruse 

TODAY'S  technical  tri- 
umphs in  communications 
are  at  last  bringing  the 
world's  people  closer  together. 
But  for  almost  half  a  century, 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  Chris- 
tian people  in  many  lands  have 
been  linked  together  spiritually 
for  twenty-four  hours  each  year 
during  the  World  Day  of 
Prayer. 

Since  the  first  day  of  Lent  in 
1887,  which  a  group  of  Presby- 
terian women  designated  as  a 
day  of  prayer  for  home  missions, 
the  observance  has  grown  to  en- 
compass one  hundred  forty-five 
geographical  areas  on  six  conti- 
nents and  their  neighboring 
islands  "to  unite  all  Christians 
in  a  bond  of  prayer." 

Beginning  in  1941,  it  has 
been  one  of  the  most  solemn  re- 
sponsibilities to  which  United 
Church  Women  are  committed. 
Since  then,  women  of  a  differ- 
ent country  each  year  have  pre- 
pared the  World  Day  of  Prayer 
worship  service  and  chosen  its 
theme.  For  1960,  this  was  done 
by  the  Women's  Inter-Church 
Council  of  Canada  under  the 
title,  Labourers  Together  With 
God. 

The  1960  observance  of  the 
day,  which  falls  on  March  4, 
begins  just  west  of  the  Inter- 
national Date  Line  at  dawn  in 
the  Tonga  Islands  and  circles 
the  globe  until  the  final  prayers 
are  offered  on  St.  Lawrence  Is- 
land in  the  Bering  Sea.  Gather- 
ing on  March  4  in  churches, 

Continued  on  page  18 
FEBRUARY  27,  1960  fl 


N 


ew 


Testament 


Fundamentals 


Wayne  Zunkel 


Bishop  Otto 
Dibelius,  head  of 
the  Evangelical 
Church  in 
Germany,  defies 
Communist 
threats  against 
his  preaching  in 
East  Berlin.    The 
threats  were 
made  after  he 
had  declared  in  a 
booklet  that  no 
totalitarian 
regime 
constitutes  a 
"supreme 
authority"  to 
which  Christians 
owe  allegiance  in 
any  Biblical  sense 


Religious  News 
Service 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


IN  DAYS  like  ours  men  long 
for  a  faith  they  can  cling 
to.  Throughout  every  peri- 
od of  history  when  there  is 
great  unrest,  men  are  less  eager 
to  ask  questions  and  explore, 
more  eager  to  find  peace,  inner 
contentment,  a  sense  of  inner 
assurance.  When  days  are  un- 
certain, men  long  for  something 
they  may  accept  without  ques- 
tion —  either  a  Book  or  some 
pope  or  the  church  itself  or  a 
compact  creed  —  some  refuge 
from  the  winds  of  the  world 
where  for  brief  moments  they 
may  accept,  cease  their  strug- 
gle, find  in  their  hearts  a  feeling 
of  security. 

Just  as  in  days  past  there 
have  been  periods  where  there 
was  an  exodus  from  the  Catho- 
lic Church,  a  great  rebellion 
against  orthodoxy  and  authority 
and  dictatorial  power,  so  in  our 
day  there  is  a  widespread 
hunger  for  the  contentment 
that  this  kind  of  faith  can  bring. 
When  the  very  ground  on  which 
you  stand  seems  threatened, 
you  do  not  worry  so  much  about 
logic  or  good  sense  or  question- 
ing of  the  mind. 

Exhausted,  you  cease  the 
questioning  of  the  mind  and  let 
the  heart,  the  hungry  soul  have 
sway,  finding  contentment  in 
the  beauty,  the  majesty,  the 
utter  certainty,  the  sense  of 
authority  —  indeed  you  draw 
contentment  from  the  very 
thing  from  which  you  would 
rebel  in  a  more  normal  climate. 

It  is  significant  that  what  we 
call  "f undamentalism"  —  this  de- 
sire for  a  concise  creed,  for  a 
few  simple  tenets  to  hang  on 
to  —  emerged  on  the  heels  of 
World  War  I,  and  that  this  same 
hunger  runs  strong  again  in  our 
own  day,  in  the  unrest  following 
World  War  II  and  preceding  a 
possible  World  War  III.  This  is 
the  way  of  men  caught  up  in 
days  like  ours. 

What  are  the  fundamentals 
of  the  Christian  faith?   Is  it  a 


creed  that  can  be  memorized 
and  set  down  on  paper?  Is  it 
the  willingness  to  sign  one's 
name  to  some  doctrines?  Does 
this  save  us? 

Jesus  talked  about  this  very 
directly.  He  said  quite  plainly 
what  he  considered  to  be  the 
essence  of  true  religion  and  he 
said  it  repeatedly. 

In  Jesus'  mind,  words  were 
not  enough.  It  mattered  little 
to  him  what  men  said  about  him 
by  way  of  praise  if  they  were 
not  willing  to  act  on  what  he 
said.  If  it  stopped  with  words 
and  did  not  seep  down  into  life 
to  touch  every  area  and  trans- 
form us,  then  we  had  missed 
the  point. 

Men  asked  him  plainly  what 
God  commands.  And  he  an- 
swered plainly:  two  things  and 
two  things  only.  All  the  law,  he 
saw,  all  the  pages  of  law  deal- 
ing with  every  activity  of  man 
conceivable,  and  all  the  proph- 
ets —  all  they  came  and  died  to 
preach  —  are  summed  up  in  two 
requirements.  No  fine  print  in 
this  insurance  policy.  All  so 
plain,  so  simple  to  understand, 
but  all-demanding  in  what  it 
asks. 

The  first  and  greatest  com- 
mandment is  this,  "Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart  and  all  thy  soul  and 
all  thy  mind  and  all  thy 
strength."  That  is  the  first  re- 
quirement of  God.  And  the 
second  is  like  it.  "Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 

To  turn  it  around  and  state 
it  negatively,  there  are  two 
sins,  if  I  understand  Jesus.  The 
first  sin  is  to  love  something 
else  more  than  God.  To  care 
about  something  else  more  than 
we  care  about  God.  To  derive 
from  some  source  other  than 
God  our  greatest  pleasure.  To 
put  something  else  higher  on 
our  priority  list  —  whether  it  is 
our  family  or  a  new  car  or  a 
home  or  our  job  or  social  ac- 
ceptance  or   some    secret   joy. 


Religious  News   Service 

Church  World  Service  launched  its  shipment  of  blankets  to  the  freezing 
in  sixteen  overseas  areas  with  this  initial  airlift  of  twenty  bales  from 
Illinois  churches  for  Algerian  war  refugees.  Another  twenty  bales  were 
flown  to  the  West  Coast  en  route  to  typhoon  victims  in  Nagoya,  Japan 


The  first  and  greatest  sin  is  to 
love  something  else  more  than 
we  love  God. 

And  the  second,  which  he 
said  is  closely  tied  to  the  first, 
is  to  care  less  for  those  about  us 
than  we  care  about  ourselves. 
A  deep  overwhelming  love  for 
God,  and,  close  on  its  heels, 
a  consuming  passionate  love 
for  people  —  wherever  they  are 
found,  whatever  their  condition 

—  this  was  the  foundation  stone 
of  this  faith  he  preached. 

When  Jesus  talks  about 
heaven,  the  qualification  for  en- 
trance there  —  read  it  for  your- 
self in  Matthew  25  —  we  are  to 
be  received  into  God's  presence 
or  turned  away  into  utter  dark- 
ness —  we  will  be  judged  by 
how  we  treat  our  fellow  men. 
"Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these" 

—  fed  and  clothed  and  visited, 
bothered  to  care  —  "you  have 
done  it  unto  me." 

Naive!  From  the  lips  of  any- 
one but  Jesus,  even  the  theologi- 
ans and  preachers  who  name 
his  name  would  reject  it.  It  is 
too  simple.  Humanitarian.  Some 


sort  of  "social"  gospel.  Yet  one 
fact  remains  —  that  is  what 
Jesus  said.  The  entrance  exam 
into  heaven  depends  not  on  the 
words  you  express  or  the  faith 
you  claim,  not  even  on  the  con- 
verts you  make  —  but  rather  on 
the  love  you  have  shown.  That 
simple,  and  that  hard. 

All  the  law,  all  the  prophets 
summed  up  in  one  word,  love 
—  love  first  of  all  for  God  and 
secondly  for  mankind. 

The  primary  objection  I 
would  raise  with  most  men  who 
call  themselves  "fundamental- 
ists" is  that  so  often  they  are 
not.  The  things  they  stress 
most  are  not  at  the  center  of 
the  Christian  faith  but  often 
way  out  on  the  edges. 

Paul  put  it  rather  plainly,  "If 
I  speak  with  the  tongues  of 
men  and  of  angels  but  have  not 
love,  I  am  a  noisy  gong  or  a 
clanging  cymbal.  .  .  ." 

"Make  love  your  aim,  and 
earnestly  desire  the  gifts  of  the 
spirit." 


FEBRUARY  27,  1960 


11 


The  experience  of  the 
Douglas  Park  church,  Chicago,  Illinois 
in  co-operative  ownership  of  homes 
can  offer 


A  STRATEGY  FOR  SURVIVAL 


THE  price  of  being  small 
comes  high  to  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  When 
members  of  a  larger  denomina- 
tion move  from  one  town  to  the 
next  it  is  safe  to  assume  they 
will  locate  fairly  close  to  an- 
other of  their  churches.  Our 
church  faces  a  very  different 
costly  situation.  When  econom- 
ic factors  cause  our  people  to 
move,  there  probably  will  not 
be  one  of  our  churches  close  at 
hand. 

This  situation  is  bleeding  us 
white.  Tens  of  thousands  of 
our  people  move  away  geo- 
graphically and  are  lost  to  us. 
Even  if  we  have  a  normal  evan- 
gelizing rate  we  still  may 
dwindle  out  of  existence. 

To  silence  our  testimony  at 
this  time  might  not  be  a  good 
thing.  Certainly  our  fathers' 
church  had  reason  to  continue. 
The  world  needed  their  empha- 
sis on  the  whole  Word  of  God, 
on  the  Christian  life  as  the  ulti- 
mate test  of  salvation,  on  peace 
as  one  of  the  essential  fruits  of 
the  indwelling  Holy  Spirit,  and 
on  the  use  of  all  the  ordinances 
as  given  to  strengthen  the  be- 
liever's faith  and  to  promote 
growth  in  grace.  Many  of  our 
people  may  yet  have  a  similar 
message.  Certainly  the  world 
needs  it. 

If  we  have  not  lost  our  Chris- 
tian witness  then  we  owe  it  to 
God  to  study  ways  to  survive. 
This  may  not  prove  easy.  To 
gather  an  adequate  number  of 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Roy  White 


paying  members  with  little  re- 
gard to  their  faith  or  conduct 
is  one  thing;  to  unite  a  body  of 
serious  believers  into  obedient 
faith  in  Jesus  is  quite  another. 

Some  of  our  Sunday  school 
children  at  Douglas  Park  church 
in  Chicago  lived  along  the 
city's  notorious  West  Madison 
Street  about  two  full  miles  from 
the  church.  In  nice  weather 
they  walked  to  Sunday  school, 
but  in  bad  weather  they  had  to 
miss.  Surely  it  would  be  better 
for  them  and  better  for  the 
church  if  they  lived  in  the 
neighborhood.  When  both  of 
our  deacons  were  forced  from 
the  community  because  they 
could  find  no  place  there  to 
live,  we  knew  that  something 
should  be  done. 

What  could  we  do  to  help 
Douglas  Park  families  live  near 
their  church  and  to  own  their 
homes?  Where  should  we  be- 
gin? 

We  knew  of  several  families 
who  were  paying  high  rents  for 
places  in  bad  neighborhoods, 
far  from  their  church.  Did  they 
want  to  unite  and  buy  a  build- 
ing? A  few  did.  Some  were 
frankly  skeptical.  Where  would 
we  get  the  money?  What  would 
the  payments  be?  Could  we 
guarantee  it?  How  would  they 
get  their  money  back  when  they 
wanted  to  leave? 

We  found  that  banks,  trust 
funds,  insurance  companies,  as 


well  as  private  individuals, 
might  help  us.  For  the  next 
fifteen  years  in  order  to  provide 
twenty  apartments  we  bor- 
rowed from  all  of  these,  except 
insurance  companies.  This  left 
us  from  twenty  to  forty  per 
cent  of  each  purchase  to  raise 
from  private  individuals.  The 
person  who  put  up  this  amount 
took  title  to  the  building,  the 
chief  lender  took  a  mortgage, 
the  actual  buyers  bought  on 
contract.  When  half  of  the  pur- 
chase price  had  been  paid,  the 
buyers  were  given  their  deed  in 
exchange  for  signing  a  new 
mortgage.  After  ten  years  of 
this  the  bank  was  accepting  our 
appraisal  as  their  own. 

The  final  form  of  ownership 
varied.  We  tried  co-op  owner- 
ship, partnerships,  and  undivid- 
ed share  in  the  title.  All  were 
successful.  No  purchaser  ever 
lost  his  money.  Each  method 
has  its  own  strong  points  and 
its  weaknesses. 

As  our  resident  members  in- 
creased the  church  prospered. 
Being  close  together  socially, 
they  were  more  inclined  to 
marry  within  the  church  and  so 
made  sounder  homes.  One  of 
the  major  factors  which  kept 
Douglas  Park  from  closing 
down,  like  so  many  other  West 
Side  churches,  was  this  housing 
program. 

Things  began  going  so  well 
that  we  grew  complacent.  We 
did  not  anticipate  the  rough 
period  which  lay  ahead.  Event- 
ually our  people  had  their 
apartments  paid  for.  Now  their 


Clark  and   Clark 


One  of  the  big  problems  of  the  city  Church  of  the  Brethren  congregation 
is   to   provide   housing   near   the    church   for   those    moving    into    the    city 


equity  in  their  urban  home 
would  make  a  down  payment 
on  a  suburban  home.  They  had 
no  way  of  knowing  that  the 
figures  quoted  to  them  by  many 
a  suburban  salesman  were  "and- 
up"  estimates  which  too  often 
would  force  mother  out  to  work 
if  they  did  not  want  to  lose 
their  down  payment  and  start 
over  again  with  nothing.  Our 
members  could  see  that  many 


conditions  about  them  were  un- 
desirable. They  could  not  know 
all  the  polite  hazards  and  handi- 
caps farther  west. 

Those  who  left  "Douglas" 
were  entirely  free  either  to  rent 
or  to  sell.  In  either  case  it  was 
not  often  that  a  Brethren  family 
was  waiting  and  able  to  pay 
the  highest  price.  After  a  rash 
of  removals,  we  found  that  we 
now  had  only  seven  Brethren 


families  who  still  lived  in  our 
"project"  apartments.  What  we 
fondly  pictured  as  a  noble  ex- 
periment seemed  likely  to  prove 
a  horrible  example.  We  had 
left  it  to  ran  itself  and  it  would 
not.  We  had  assumed  that  our 
people  would  do  the  right 
thing,  without  trying  to  tell 
them  what  that  might  be. 

Still  the  basic  needs  of  fami- 
lies had  not  changed.  Many 
could  pay  $7,000  for  a  home  at 
Douglas  Park,  but  they  could 
not  possibly  carry  two  or  three 
times  that  amount  in  the 
suburbs  —  especially  when  they 
would  have  to  have  a  car  or 
two,  and  all  sorts  of  expensive 
extras.  Despite  the  limitations 
of  city  life,  it  might  be  better 
to  live  opposite  the  park  and 
near  the  church,  with  mother  at 
home,  than  to  live  in  the  sub- 
urbs with  mother  out  working. 
The  emotional  tension  within 
the  city  is  balanced  by  the  fi- 
nancial tension  farther  out. 

From  our  experience  we  have 
learned  that  almost  any  system 
of  locating  families  near  their 
church  will  work  if  someone 
works  at  it.  There  is  no  substi- 
tute for  work.  If  there  were  we 
would  have  found  it  long  ago. 
When  we  worked  at  our  hous- 
ing project,  it  flourished.  When 
we  relaxed,  it  slumped.  One 
person  may  do  this  work  but  it 
will  be  a  lot  easier  if  he  has 
help.  Assuming  dedication  and 
normal  intelligence,  then  suc- 
cess depends  upon  the  amount 
of  effort  used.  By  this  we  mean 
leg  work.  Someone  has  to  spend 
some  time  tossing  in  bed  or  on 
his  knees,  then  get  up  and  labor 
when  he  does  not  much  feel 
like  it. 

Only  solid  Christians  can  do 
this.  They  must  be  generous, 
stable,  patient,  and  Spirit  guid- 
ed. Anyone  with  a  short  temper 
or  a  greedy  disposition  is  totally 
unfit.    Better  a  solid  inexperi- 


FEBRUARY  27.  1960 


13 


enced  person  than  a  weak  but 
clever  one.  Incidentally,  the 
one  who  devotes  his  time  to 
actual  sales  should  get  a  small 
commission,  although  I  never 
did.  I  suggest  a  fourth  of  the 
ordinary  commission;  it  must  be 
kept  sacrificial  or  the  wrong 
people  will  take  it  up.  An  al- 
ternative would  be  for  a  full 
commission  to  be  set  aside  to 
build  up  a  special  housing  fund. 

Sound  banking  policies  must 
be  studied  and  followed.  A 
good  way  to  insure  this  would 
be  to  get  mortgages  only  from 
banks  at  first.  One  way  to  glori- 
fy God  is  to  pay  our  bills.  To 
promote  a  housing  project  we 
have  to  avoid  bankruptcy. 
Every  participant  should  know 
that  any  missed  payment  is  a 
vote  to  kill  the  project.  When 
an  occasional  infantile  member 
buys  a  new  car  but  defaults  pay- 
ment on  his  house,  it  is  time  to 
apply  Matthew  18  —  and  the 
first  time  is  much  better  than 
the  twenty-first  time.  Insurance 
for  sickness  and  legitimate 
lapses  is  almost  a  necessity,  un- 
less a  group  feels  able  to  carry 
that  extra  load. 

Incidentally,  the  one  who 
makes  the  down  payment 
should  hold  the  deed,  not  the 
mortgage.  It  is  not  right  that 
a  family  who  has  invested 
neither  time  nor  labor  in  a  place 
should  own  it.  Once  they  have 
something  in  it,  they  deserve 
the  title.  If  they  keep  their 
word,  they  cannot  lose.  If  they 
fail,  they  hurt  only  themselves. 
In  such  a  situation,  it  is  quite 
safe  to  sell  to  people  who  have 
no  down  payment.  Thus  we 
can  help  those  who  ordinarily 
would  find  it  difficult  if  not 
impossible  to  own  a  home. 

Do  not  forget  your  objective 
—  to  locate  people  near  to  their 
church.  It  is  not  good  steward- 
ship to  let  loyal  members  of 
other  churches,  who  are  looking 


The  case  against 


Capital  Punishment 


IN  THE  year  1801  a  thirteen- 
year-old  boy  was  publicly 
hanged  in  England  for 
stealing  a  teaspoon.  A  short 
time  later  a  nine-year-old  girl 
was  hanged  for  setting  fire  to  a 
house.  It  was  a  common  prac- 
tice in  England  to  hang  people 
who  disobeyed  the  law.  There 
were  220  offenses  for  which  the 
courts  meted  out  death  penal- 
ties for  their  infraction.  Stealing 


Harvey  Bowers 

of  silverware  was  a  capital 
crime,  so  were  the  shooting  of 
rabbits,  talking  to  gypsies,  steal- 
ing turnips,  cutting  down  a 
tree,  stealing  a  handkerchief,  or 
picking  pockets;  for  all  these, 
and  many  more,  a  life  was  ex- 
acted for  the  felony. 

Contrary  to  the  opinion  most 
people  hold  the  enactment  of 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


for  bargains,  crowd  your  mem- 
bers away  from  your  church. 

As  each  home  is  bought,  the 
buyer  should  sign  an  option 
which  binds  him  to  sell  back  to 
you  at  a  reasonable  price  if  he 
leaves.  If  you  do  not  do  this, 
then  get  ready  to  sell  your 
church  also,  eventually.  When 
those  who  are  leaving  need 
money  —  and  who  does  not  — 
and  know  they  can  sell  at  a  neat 
profit,  they  may  decide  they  are 
too  poor  to  worry  about  the 
next  fellow. 

Every  buyer  should  get  back 
his  equity  that  he  paid  in 
(usually  about  half  his  actual 
payments;  taxes  and  interest 
eat  up  the  rest);  also  all  major 
improvements  (less  ten  per 
cent  a  year  for  depreciation 
ordinarily);  plus  currency  in- 
flation for  the  period.  From 
that  should  be  subtracted  build- 
ing depreciation  as  indicated  by 
income  tax  scale.  This  does  not 
seem  like  a  quick  way  to  get 
rich,  yet  it  is  a  lot  better  than 
saving  rent  receipts.  Also  no 
one  can  put  you  out,  and  it  is 
surprising  how  soon  a  family 
will  have  a  few  thousand  dol- 
lars, when  they  never  had  a 
hundred  before. 


Back  of  all  this  detail  there 
must  be  a  deep,  positive  convic- 
tion that  this  project  must  work 
to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  fur- 
thering of  his  one,  spiritual, 
holy  church.  Without  the  Holy 
Spirit  guiding  it,  the  effort  will 
end  in  a  wrangle  or  a  scandal  or 
in  death  from  neglect. 

And,  finally,  there  must  be  a 
system  of  communication  be- 
tween churches.  Responsible 
persons  must  be  inspired  to 
make  this  housing  program  a 
sound  investment  for  those  with 
a  little  saving,  a  stimulus 
to  home  ownership  near  the 
church,  a  program  to  make  a 
better  church  community,  and 
a  healing  force  to  stem  our  loss 
by  removals. 

We  could  have  a  printed  form 
to  be  sent  ahead  to  the  pastor 
who  then  hands  it  to  his 
housing  representative:  "Jonn 
Smith,  his  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren are  moving  into  your  town. 
They  would  prefer  to  be  lo- 
cated near  their  own  church. 
Can  you  help  them?" 

Instead  of  letting  members 
who  are  moving  drift  into  good- 
ness-knows-what,  the  church  by 
wise  leadership  can  make  this 
a  great  spiritual  advance. 


such  laws  was  not  originally 
designed  as  punishment.  If  a 
man  in  heat  of  passion  or  by 
design  kills  another  man,  it  is 
customary  to  say  that  as  a  pun- 
ishment for  the  act,  he  too 
should  be  killed.  But  death 
penalties  were  written  into  vi- 
olations as  warnings.  The  pur- 
pose of  these  laws  was  to  deter 
and  not  to  punish,  and  the 
history  of  this  interpretation  has 
been  failure  from  the  start.  The 
two  hundred  and  twenty  crimes 
mentioned  that  carried  the 
death  penalty  have  over  the 
years  been  reduced  to  three, 
and  these  three  are  still  on  the 
statute  books  of  England  and 
also  of  many  states  in  this  coun- 
try. As  rigid  laws  they,  too, 
1  have  failed  their  purpose. 

In  the  winter  of  1927  a  man 
|  was  hanged  for  murder  in 
j  Auburn  Prison.  The  hanging 
]  was  like  other  hangings  staged 
j  as  a  warning  for  subsequent  of- 
I  fenders  —  but  it  just  did  not 
work  out  that  way.  Within  the 
next  thirty  days  there  were 
|  twenty-four  murders  in  New 
I  York  City,  ten  in  New  Jersey, 
I  and  ten  in  Pennsylvania. 

The  defenders  of  capital  pun- 

i'  ishment  have  produced  no  evi- 

|  dence    to    support    their    case. 

When  challenged  their  answer 

has  always  been  that  there  is  no 

j  alternative.     There    are    many 

arguments  against  and  no  sub- 

|  stantial  argument  to  defend  it. 

Executions     are     dramatic 

I  shows   that   draw   the   morbid 

lj  and  sadistic.   Once  there  was  a 

|  hanging  in  London  that  over 

'  100,000  congregated  to  witness. 

;  Public  highways  in  England,  at 

j  one    time,    were    dotted    with 

I  gibbets  —  the  early  guidebooks 

|  used  them  as  landmarks. 

"Hanging  days"  were  nation- 
al holidays  —  the  servants  and 
clerks  always  looked  forward  to 
those  days  off!  One  interesting 
aspect  of  the  fallacy  of  the  law 
was  the  hanging  of  a  pick- 
pocket. Instead  of  discouraging 


the  nefarious  practice  —  it  real- 
ly helped  it.  For  pickpockets 
from  far  and  near  came  to  pick 
the  pockets  of  the  onlookers. 

Capital  punishment  has  al- 
ways been  the  quick  way  of 
disposing  of  a  problem  without 
solving  it.  Penal  authorities  are 
mutual  in  their  agreement  that 
the  law  is  useless  and  has  failed 
as  an  effective  deterrent  to 
crime.  Thirty-eight  countries 
have  abolished  it,  together  with 
seven  of  our  states  and  two 
of  our  territories:  Delaware, 
Rhode  Island,  Maine,  Michi- 
gan, Minnesota,  North  Dakota, 
Wisconsin,  Puerto  Rico,  and  the 
Virgin  Islands.  Regardless  of 
how  prejudiced  the  reader  may 
be  on  this  subject,  this  challeng- 
ing statement  cannot  be  re- 
futed: There  are  fewer  murders 


in  the  areas  that  have  abolished 
the  law  than  in  those  places 
that  maintain  it. 

We  cannot,  however,  dis- 
count the  fact  that  many  people 
favor  execution:  bus  drivers, 
diplomats,  dishwashers,  minis- 
ters, atheists  —  all  are  callous  in 
their  belief.  The  boundary  is 
not  identified  by  culture  or  in- 
come; the  division  is  not  be- 
tween the  rich  and  the  poor;  it 
is  primarily  between  those  who 
have  charity,  and  those  who 
have  not.  Many  of  these  per- 
sons favor  the  law  in  theory,  but 
not  in  practice.  There  is  a  strong 
reluctance  to  enforce  it. 

Last  year,  as  in  other  years, 
there  were  many  murder  trials 
in  the  United  States.  But  of  the 
large  number  convicted  only 
sixty-two  were  executed.    It  is 


A.  Devaney 
Capital  punishment  has  not  proved  to  be  a  deterrent  to  crime 


FEBRUARY  27,  1960 


15 


estimated  that  the  odds  are  one 
hundred  to  one  against  a  man 
paying  the  death  penalty.  In 
those  states  where  first-degree 
murder  carries  a  death  penalty 
and  is  mandatory,  we  find 
many  acquittals.  The  reason 
given  is  that  inflicting  the  death 
penalty  is  repugnant  to  most 
people,  and,  wherever  possible, 
juries  try  to  avoid  a  conviction. 

Capital  punishment  is  immor- 
al, irreligious,  impracticable, 
and  it  renders  mistakes  irrepar- 
able. The  miscarriage  of  justice 
has  happened  many  times.  One 
asks,  have  there  been  errors? 
One  year's  record  from  the 
court  files  in  London  tell  of  five 
people  who  were  hanged  and 
afterward  discovered  innocent! 

The  sad  part  about  the  histo- 
ry of  crime  is  that  the  death 
penalty  for  the  most  part  falls 
on  the  obscure,  the  impover- 
ished, the  friendless,  or  defec- 
tive individuals.  The  poor  and 
the  indigent  are  generally  the 
ones  apprehended  and  the  ones 
who  pay. 

Criminologists,  psychiatrists, 
social  workers,  and  the  rank  and 
file  of  the  legal  profession  are 
the  ones  who  know  best  about 
capital  punishment,  and  it  is 
they  who  are  practically  unani- 
mous for  its  repeal. 

To  many  of  us  capital  punish- 
ment is  primarily  a  moral  issue. 
We  believe  it  is  evil,  ignoring 
the  tenets  of  faith  by  replacing 
the  cross  with  the  gallows.  Most 
people  try  to  balance  the  scales 
of  justice  with  only  the  things 
that  are  thought  of  as  practical 
—  yet  in  this  they  fail,  for  they 
consider  love  as  something  im- 
practical. But  in  truth  there  is 
not  now,  nor  has  there  been, 
anything  more  practical.  Its 
force  is  powerful.  It  is  life's 
great  neutralizer.  To  condone 
capital  punishment  men  resort 
to  their  baser  elements  —  for- 
getting intelligence  and  love. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


World  Day  of  Prayer 

Continued  from  page  9 

cathedrals,  and  small  chapels  all 
over  the  world,  women  will 
make  this  a  day  of  supplication 
reaching  beyond  all  national 
boundaries  with  the  words: 
"Lord  of  the  world,  make  all 
the  lands  thine  own." 

Dedicated  through  the  cen- 
turies to  making  a  better  world, 
women  have  always  understood 
the  need  for  spiritual  guidance 
and  strength  for  their  duties  as 
wives,  mothers,  teachers,  and 
pioneers.  Because  they  are  also 
practical,  church  women  in  this 
country  and  around  the  earth 
follow  their  prayers  with  offer- 
ings on  the  World  Day  of 
Prayer  to  accomplish  the  things 
to  which  their  Christian  com- 
mitment calls  them. 

In  the  33  states  in  this  coun- 
try where  the  migrant  ministry 
is  at  work,  World  Day  of  Prayer 
offerings  provide  trained  field 
personnel  and  constantly  ex- 
pand areas  of  operation  to  aid 
many  of  America's  2,000,000 
migrant  farm  laborers  and  their 
families.  The  spiritual  as  well 
as  economic  vacuum  in  which 
people  in  our  low-income  farm 
communities  exist  is  being  re- 
lieved in  part  by  a  network  of 
vacation  Bible  schools  and 
training  institutes  for  pastors 
and  lay  leaders  in  isolated  areas, 
which  World  Day  of  Prayer 
gifts  help  to  make  possible. 

These  also  provide  chaplain- 
cy service  in  government  hos- 
pitals in  Alaska,  and  help  train 
Indian  lay  leaders  at  the  Cook 
Christian  training  school  in 
Phoenix,  Ariz.,  and  at  a  com- 
munity service  center  in  Rapid 
City,  S.  Dak.  A  part  of  the 
fund  also  goes  to  a  small  demon- 
stration farm  in  Puerto  Rico, 
where  rural  ministers  learn  and 
later  teach  their  parishioners 
ways  of  better  farming. 

Education,  leadership  train- 
ing, and  financial  backing  for 
Christian  broadcasting  will  be 


major  emphases  in  the  overseas 
outreach  of  United  Church 
Women  this  year.  Among  these 
undertakings,  a  substantial  por- 
tion of  the  World  Day  of  Prayer 
offerings  will  widen  the  work 
of  training  new  literates  in 
underdeveloped  countries,  par- 
ticularly at  the  new  institute 
in  Kitwe,  Northern  Rhodesia, 
established  by  the  Committee 
on  World  Literacy  and  Chris- 
tian Literature  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches.  And 
training  courses  for  Christian 
writers  and  editors  in  Africa, 
Asia,  and  Latin  America  can 
also  be  expanded  during  the 
year. 

Eleven  Christian  colleges  for 
women  in  the  Far  East  also  re- 
ceive direct  support  from  World 
Day  of  Prayer  offerings.  The 
annual  offering  also  maintains 
scholarships  for  a  number  of 
foreign  students  studying  in  the 
United  States,  in  universities 
and  theological  seminaries. 

One  of  the  newest  projects  in 
the  churches'  overseas  work  to 
win  World  Day  of  Prayer  sup- 
port is  an  expanded  Christian 
broadcasting  service.  Up  to 
$15,000  from  this  year's  offer- 
ings will  be  earmarked  for 
RAVEMCCO  -  the  National 
Council  of  Churches'  overseas 
broadcasting  unit  —  to  help 
build  Christian  broadcasting  fa- 
cilities in  Africa.  The  unit  now 
maintains  studios  and  trans- 
mitters in  East  Asia  and  Latin 
America. 

Whether  in  Austria  or  Aus- 
tralia, the  Fiji  Islands  or 
Finland,  Korea  or  Kuwait, 
Christian  women  will  join  on 
the  World  Day  of  Prayer  with 
the  twelve  million  church 
women  in  this  country  repre- 
sented by  the  National  Council 
of  Churches'  general  depart- 
ment of  United  Church  Women, 
and  other  thousands  of  women 
in  the  Canadian  churches  as 
their  worship  service  unites  all 
Christians  "in  a  bond  of  prayer." 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


McPherson  College  is  the  second  Church  of  the 
Brethren  college  to  receive  a  grant  by  the  Association 
of  College  and  Research  Libraries  from  a  contribution 
from  the  U.S.  Steel  Corporation.  The  $300  will  be  used 
to  purchase  books  in  the  field  of  drama.  Elizabethtown 
College  received  a  similar  grant. 

H.  Spenser  Minnich,  retired  director  of  special  gifts 
for  the  Brotherhood,  has  assumed  a  similar  responsibil- 
ity part-time  for  La  Verne  College.  His  work  will  be 
in  wills,  annuities,  estate  counseling,  and  life-income 
investments.  He  and  Mrs.  Minnich  are  residing  at  2325 
Fifth  St.,  La  Verne,  Calif. 

The  Faculty  Forum  is  a  monthly  informal  session 
of  the  Bridgewater  College  faculty  in  which  members 
share  papers  on  subjects  in  their  field.  The  following 
have  been  given:  The  Dead  Sea  Scrolls,  by  Thomas  A. 
Davis;  Cancer  Research  on  the  Bridgewater  College 
Campus,  by  Lowell  Heisey;  and  Leadership  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  by  Roger  E.  Sappington. 

Stanley  G.  Keller,  district  executive  for  Southern 
California  and  Arizona,  has  been  elected  secretary  of 
the  Ministers  Convocation  of  1961.  Some  500  pastors 
participated  in  the  recent  convocation,  held  at  the 
University  of  Southern  California  under  auspices  of 
the  university,  the  Southern  California-Southern  Nevada 
Council  of  Churches,  and  the  Southern  California 
School  of  Theology. 

TV  and  Radio  Programs 

Frontiers  of  Faith,  which  returned  to  the  screen  the 
first  of  February,  will  continue  through  April.  It  can 
be  viewed  each  Sunday,  1:30  —  2:00  p.m.,  EST,  over 
the  NBC  network.    As  planned  the  programs  will  be: 

Feb.  28,  And  Joy  Is  My  Witness,  a  religious  dance 
work  designed  to  convey  the  structure  and  spirit  of 
Bach's  Toccata,  Adagio,  and  Fugue  in  C  Major. 

March  6,  Rembrandt  and  the  Gospel,  a  program 
based  on  the  book  of  the  same  title  by  Dr.  Visser  't 
Hooft.  It  will  deal  with  Rembrandt's  deepening  aware- 
ness of  the  meaning  of  Christ  and  his  message  for 
mankind. 

March  13,  The  Grandeur  and  Misery  of  Man.  This 
will  be  a  series  of  readings  by  Sir  Cedric  Hardwicke. 
They  demonstrate  the  extremes  of  man's  state  today 
and  the  eventual  solution  to  be  achieved  only  through 
abandoning  himself  to  God. 

The  Art  of  Living  (NBC  radio,  Sundays,  9:15-9:30 
a.m.,  EST).  The  topics  for  Dr.  Norman  Vincent  Peak's 
talks  are: 

Feb.  28,  How  to  Adjust  When  Things  Go  Wrong; 
March  6,  Tranquility  and  Efficiency;  March  13,  How 
to  Handle  Frustration;  March  20,  The  Courage  to  Live 
Well;  March  27,  The  Art  of  Loving  People. 

National  Radio  Pulpit.  Dr.  Ralph  Sockman  con- 
tinues his  Sunday  morning  radio  sermons  (NBC,  10:05- 
10:30  a.m.  EST)  through  March.  For  the  next  three 
months,  Dr.  Robert  MacCracken  of  the  Riverside 
church,  New  York  City,  will  be  the  minister.  Dr. 
Sockman's  sermon  topics  are: 

Feb.  28,  More  Power  Within;  March  6,  Doors 
of  Destiny;  March  13,  A  Walking  Shadow;  March  20, 
But  Can  We  Change  Human  Nature?  March  27,  The 
Climb  to  Confidence. 


Ira  Moomaw  and  Dan,  Lucille,  and  Steven  West 
were  present  at  the  annual  missionary  conference  in 
India.  Dan  has  directed  a  conference  with  a  selected 
group  of  Indian  church  leaders. 

A  memorial  scholarship  fund  at  Juniata  College  has 
been  established  by  his  colleagues  in  memory  of  Con- 
gressman Richard  M.  Simpson,  it  has  been  announced 
by  Joseph  W.  Martin,  Jr.  Mr.  Simpson  was  a  resident  of 
Huntingdon,  Pa. 

Partial  scholarships  are  now  available  for  persons 
to  attend  the  Yale  University  Summer  School  of  Alcohol 
Studies  from  June  26  to  July  22.  Interested  persons 
from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  should  direct  their 
applications  and  requests  for  information  to  the  Director 
of  Social  Welfare,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  at  the  earliest  possible  date. 

The  Church  Calendar 
February  28 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  A  Prisoner  for  Christ.  Acts 
21:17  —  22:29.  Memory  Selection:  Take  your  share  of 
suffering  as  a  good  soldier  of  Christ  Jesus.  2  Tim.  2:3 
(R.S.V.) 

Feb.  28  -  March  4  Adult  Seminar,  Washington,  D.C., 
and  New  York  City 

March  2  Ash  Wednesday  (beginning  of  Lent) 

March  4  World  Day  of  Prayer 

March  6  Commitment  Day  (for  total  abstinence) 

March  6  Eastern  Maryland  CBYF  round  table  and 
speech  contest,  Washington  City  church 

March  11-12  Central  Region  daily  vacation  church 
school  conference,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

March  27  —  April  2  White  House  Conference  on  Chil- 
dren and  Youth 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Hartman  Rice  of  Conemaugh,  Pa.,  in  the  Yellow 
Creek  congregation,  Bethel  house,  Pa.,  Feb.  28  —  March  13. 

Bro.  Jesse  Whitacre  of  Ridgeley,  W.  Va.,  in  the  Morgan- 
town  church,  W.  Va.,  March  20-27. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  New  Paris 
church,  Ind.,  March  29  -  April  10. 

Bro.  David  H.  Markey  of  Mattawana,  Pa.,  in  the  German 
Valley  church,  March  31  —  April  9. 

Bro.  Bay  Zook  of  Garrison,  Iowa,  in  the  Nappanee 
church,  Ind.,  March  27  — April  3. 

Bro.  Clarence  Horst  of  Ephrata,  Pa.,  in  the  Heidelberg 
church,  Pa.,  March  6-20. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Four  baptized  and  seven  received  by  letter  in  the 
Batavia  church,  111.  Fifteen  baptized  in  the  Union  Center 
church,  Ind. 

Sixteen  baptized  in  the  Akron  church,  Pa.  Four  baptized 
in  tire  Burnham  church,  Pa. 

Six  baptized,  six  received  by  letter  and  one  received 
on  former  baptism  in  the  Bethany  church,  Del.  Three  bap- 
tized in  the  Morgantown  church,  W.  Va. 


FEBRUARY  27,  1960 


17 


1 T"1 

A  cowboy's  life  is  led  by  BVS'er 
Larry  Fredricks  of  the  Brethren 
Service  Project  at  Falfurrias,  Texas 


Margaret  Imogene  Haas 
with  Kermon  Thomason 

Illustrations  by  Kermon  Thomason 


Falfurrias:  Brethren  Service 


LARRY  FREDRICKS  and  Bob 
Bradley  get  up  at  4  a.m.  each 
day,  milk  a  herd  of  twenty- 
seven  cows,  shoot  possums  and  rattle- 
snakes for  sport,  and  while  away  the 
winter  evenings  playing  the  guitar 
and  singing.  Carol  Dilling  cooks 
three  meals  a  day  for  twelve  hungry 
workers  and  anyone  else  who  drops 
in,  keeps  house,  and  works  in  a  kin- 
dergarten in  her  spare  time.  Barry 
Haldeman  and  Kenneth  Harris  care 
for  eighteen  hundred  hens,  grade  and 
box  the  eggs  in  cartons,  and  sell  them 
to  the  grocery  store  and  hospital  in 
Falfurrias.  Phil  Thompson  and 
Larry  King  serve  as  maintenance 
men,  keeping  the  project's  assort- 
ment of  vehicles  running  and  the 
grounds  in  order.  Phil  also  serves 
as  accountant  and  secretary. 


This  project  works  to   show  better 
fanning  methods  to  the  Spanish- 
speaking  people  of  the  area 


Operating  a  dairy  and  poultry 
business,  running  a  kindergarten  and 
a  Bible  school,  helping  in  the  local 
church,  sponsoring  a  Boy  Scout 
troop,  and  just  keeping  the  Brethren 
Service  project  going  from  one  day 
to  the  next  takes  all  the  time  of 
project  director  Olin  Mason  and  his 
crew  of  ten  Brethren  Volunteer  Serv- 
ice workers.  But  they  have  much 
to  show  for  their  efforts.  Their 
sprawling  ranch,  located  deep  in  the 


southern  tip  of  Texas,  is  run  on  a 
profit  basis,  and  the  local  church 
reflects  what  dedication  and  hard 
work  can  do  for  the  lives  of  under- 
privileged people. 

From  the  time  you  bump  across 
the  railroad  tracks  and  enter  the 
Brethren  Service  project,  you  catch 
its  spirit  and  atmosphere.  Everybody 
has  a  job  to  do  and  everybody  is 
working  with  zeal. 

The  main  purpose  of  the  project 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


is  to  create  an  example  for  the  Span- 
ish-speaking people  of  the  area,  the 
underprivileged  class,  and  to  show 
them  a  way  to  a  better  and  more 
meaningful  life.  This  goal  is  being 
reached  in  several  ways.  One  way 
is  through  demonstrating  to  the 
farmers  improved  and  scientific  agri- 
cultural methods  of  farming.  Most 
of  the  farming  done  by  the  Spanish- 
American  farmers  is  primitive  and 
crude,  making  for  worn-out  and  un- 
productive soil,  low  crop  yield,  and 
indirectly  a  low  standard  of  living. 
The  Brethren  Service  project  serves 
as  a  practicable  example  for  these 
farmers  to  improve  their  work  meth- 
od and  way  of  living. 

Another  phase  of  the  effort  to 
make  a  better  life  for  the  Latin 
Americans  is  the  project's  kinder- 
garten. The  kindergarten  attempts 
to  teach  the  children  to  speak  and 
understand  English  well  enough  to 
be  ready  for  public  school.  Mrs. 
Jerry  Yoder  is  in  charge  of  the 
thirty-nine  children.  An  invaluable 
aid  is  Jose  Francisco,  a  volunteer 
from  Puerto  Rico,  whose  Spanish 
background  makes  him  well-qualified 
to  assist  in  teaching  English  to  the 


ers,  brings  in  a  tidy  profit  for  its 
treasury   through   hot   tamale   sales. 

A  special  area  in  which  the  volun- 
teers work  is  the  youth  fellowship. 
Through  it,  nearly  forty  girls  and 
boys  are  organized  for  work,  wor- 
ship, and  fun.  A  recent  project  of 
the  youth  fellowship  was  a  Hal- 
loween carnival  which  raised  money 
for  the  Falfurrias  hospital. 

Regular  church  services  are  held 
each  Sunday  morning  and  evening, 
and  on  Wednesday  evenings.  These 
are  led  in  English  and  Spanish  by 
interim  pastor  Jaime  Redifi  of 
Ecuador. 

Because  many  Latin  Americans  of 
Falfurrias  are  itinerant  farm  work- 
ers, dependent  on  the  cotton  and 
watermelon  crops  of  the  summer 
months  for  most  of  their  income,  it 
is  difficult  to  keep  a  steady  program 
of  church  school  work.  As  soon  as 
school  is  out  and  before  everyone 
leaves  for  the  cotton  and  watermelon 
fields,  the  volunteers  have  their  an- 
nual Bible  school.  A  unique  feature 
of  their  Bible  school  is  the  hour  it 
is  held.  The  summer  days  in  Fal- 
furrias are  intolerably  hot,  too  hot 
to   expect  to  keep   the  attention  of 


atmosphere  of  love,  friendliness,  re- 
spect, and  co-operation,  and  a  will- 
ingness to  do  all  one  can  for  his 
neighbor's  good. 


With  Atmosphere 


Latin- Americans.  Jose  works  with 
the  children  on  the  playground.  Also 
he  works  with  the  older  boys  through 
his  Boy  Scout  troop,  which  has  made 
good  showings  at  the  camperees  and 
skill  craft  days. 

Another  way  in  which  the  Breth- 
ren Service  workers  aid  the  commu- 
nity is  through  the  church.  To  begin, 
the  people  must  have  a  way  to 
church.  The  volunteers  maintain  and 
drive  two  buses  one  hundred  twenty 
miles  for  each  church  service  bring- 
ing in  members  who  have  no  car 
or  other  means  of  transportation. 
Many  of  the  Sunday  school  classes 
are  taught  by  the  volunteers,  who 
also  act  as  assistants  in  other  areas 
of  the  church  organization.  But,  in- 
creasingly, the  attempt  is  made  to 
integrate  the  lay  members  of  the 
church  into  the  group  as  leaders,  or- 
ganizers, and  workers.  An  example 
is  Angie  Navarro,  an  energetic  per- 
sonality whose  progressive  ideas  and 
effort  have  helped  to  make  the  wom- 
en's fellowship  one  of  the  most  active 
in  the  church.  Tamales  are  a  favorite 
dish  of  Latin  Americans,  and  Angie's 
group,  filled  with  expert  tamale  mak- 


the  children;  so  the  volunteers  hold 
their  school  in  the  cool  of  the  eve- 
ning. This  remedies  the  heat  situa- 
tion, and  a  large  number  of  adults 
as  well  as  children  turn  out  for  the 
classes,  some  of  which  are  held  in 
Spanish. 

One  cannot  stay  long  at  Falfurrias 
without  catching  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  workers  for  their  job.  Life  is 
not  easy  on  a  farm  and  especially 
on  one  like  this  where  there  is  so 
much  besides  the  regular  farm  activ- 
ities that  have  to  be  attended  to. 
From  dawn  to  dark  the  BVS'ers 
work,  but  there  is  always  one  more 
task  ahead  for  them.  Look  around 
and  you  will  see  a  few  buildings  that 
need  a  coat  of  paint,  perhaps  a  door 
here  and  there  that  needs  mending, 
but  look  again  .  .  .  did  you  see  the 
flowers  that  Larry  found  time  some- 
how to  plant  and  care  for?  Did 
you  see  the  playground  and  hear 
the  happy  shouts  of  the  kindergart- 
ners  at  play?  Did  you  notice  the 
friendly,  talkative  people  as  they 
came  from  the  church? 

Yes,  Falfurrias  is  a  Brethren  Serv- 
ice   project    with    atmosphere,     an 


A  happier,  fuller  life  lies  in  the 
future    of    the    Latin    Americans    of 
Falfurrias  because  of  Brethren 
Service 


FEBRUARY  27,  1980 


19 


Toward   His   Kingdom 


B      An  African  layman 
leads  hymns  at  a 
worship  gathering 


Irven   Stern 


Evidence  of  Growth  at  Mbororo 


Charles  Kraft 


ONE  of  the  biggest  problems 
the  missionary  faces  is  that  of 
helping  the  Nigerians  to  real- 
ize that  Christianity  is  not  just  "the 
white  man's  religion,"  but  that  it 
is  meant  to  be  the  black  man's  as 
well.  This  truth  seems  to  be  dawn- 
ing upon  more  and  more  of  the 
church  leaders  here  in  a  very  real 
way. 

One  of  the  results  is  the  produc- 
tion of  a  vast  number  of  native  Chris- 
tian songs  which  are  used  in  worship 
services  and  fellowship  game  times 
to  reach  the  hearts  of  their  people 
with  the  gospel  message  in  as  effec- 
tive a  way  as  possible  among  these 
music-loving  people. 

A  second  result  of  this  realization 
is  the  rising  up  of  many  with  leader- 
ship ability  to  become  village  evan- 
gelists without  pay  for  the  sake  of 
Christ.  This  releases  them  from  the 
stigma  of  "preaching  for  money  only" 
and  wins  for  the  gospel  a  far  more 
interested  hearing,  since  people  can 
see  that  something  more  than  money 
is  responsible  for  the  enthusiasm  of 
these  witnesses. 


Indeed,  for  this  reason,  some  who 
formerly  received  salaries  for  their 
efforts  to  advance  the  work  of  Christ 
are  now  voluntarily  refusing  to  be 
paid  for  their  work. 

The  implication  of  such  dedication 
on  the  part  of  these  leaders  can  be 
fully  appreciated  only  in  the  context 
of  the  life  of  the  Nigerians,  who 
expect   a   person   to   be   self-seeking 


and  who  understand  selflessness  even 
less  than  we  do.  But  the  impact 
of  the  increased  dedication  is  begin- 
ning to  show  up  statistically.  With 
157  baptized  and  300  in  prebaptism 
classes,  our  total  membership  was 
more  than  doubled  this  year. 

A  further  reason  for  rapid  growth 
is  the  conscious  attempt  to  divorce 
the  church  from  the  schools  on  the 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


The  offering  is  received  in  a  Nigerian  church  service 


The   Church    at   Work 


part  of  these  leaders.  This  enables 
them  more  effectively  to  approach 
the  older  folks,  many  of  whom  had 
the  impression  that  Christianity  is 
only  for  children.  Our  whole  out- 
village  evangelistic  program  has  been 
revamped  in  accordance  with  this 
aim  to  resemble  more  clearly  what 
can  properly  be  called  a  church,  as 
opposed  to  a  modified  school.  The 
evangelists  now  are  spending  a  large 
part  of  their  time  visiting  and  teach- 
ing in  the  people's  homes,  especially 
in  the  evenings,  rather  than  in  teach- 
ing children  only. 

With  the  growth  in  numbers  has 
come  an  increase  in  giving.  The 
total  giving  for  the  year  was  about 
$354.  Considering  that  many  of 
these  people  have  no  more  than 
$1.00  in  a  full  year,  this  figure  looks 
pretty  good.  Of  course,  most  of  it 
comes  from  salaried  people  (who  are 
certainly  a  small  minority  of  the 
total),  but  many  of  these  are  tithing 
regularly  and   giving  more  besides. 

Along  with  growth  in  an  area  such 
as  this  must  come  division.  The  divi- 
sion in  this  case  is  to  be  desired,  how- 
ever. We  hope  to  receive  permission 
soon  for  the  three  major  villages 
which  make  up  this  church  to  split 
into  three  separate  churches.  The 
church  here  was  originally  estab- 
lished with  the  intention  that  this 
would  happen.  If  the  church  coun- 
cil agrees  with  us  that  the  time  is 
ripe,  this  will  be  the  year. 

This  would  mean  that  instead  of 
a  single  "area  church"  supervised 
from  Mbororo  and  including  villages 
with  good-sized  congregations  as  far 
as  six  to  eight  miles  away,  separate 
churches  would  be  established  at 
Mwada  and  Brishishiwa,  in  addition 
to  the  one  at  Mbororo.  Each  of  these 
churches  would  include  about  100 
members,  and  each  has  excellent 
prospects  for  the  continued  rapid 
growth  which  characterizes  the 
whole  area. 


The  General  Synod  of  the  Neth- 
erlands Reformed  Church  has  au- 
thorized continued  discussions  with 
representatives  of  the  Gereformeerde 
Churches  in  the  Netherlands,  with 
a  view  to  ultimate  reunion.  The 
Gereformeerde  Churches  broke  away 
from  the  majority  Reformed  Church 
during  the  nineteenth  century.  A 
joint  commission  has  been  meeting 
to  strengthen  understanding  and  fel- 
lowship between  the  two  groups. 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


When  a  church  establishes  a  unified 
budget,  should  it  have  special  offer- 
ings at  Christmas,  Conference,  etc.? 

A  pastor  called  to  the  attention 
of  his  congregation  a  printed  folder 
depicting  the  mission  work  abroad. 
He  pointed  out  that  congregations 
across  the  Brotherhood  would  be  re- 
ceiving on  that  day  a  "special  Christ- 
mas offering"  for  missions.  Then  he 
said,  "I  want  to  remind  each  of  you 
that  in  our  church  we  receive  fifty- 
two  'special  offerings'  a  year  for 
missions.  This  important  work  is  in- 
cluded in  our  budget." 

A  unified  budget  includes  all  the 
anticipated  program  expenditures  of 
the  congregation  for  the  year  ahead. 
When  a  congregation  adopts  the 
unified  budget  system  it  quite  nat- 
urally faces  the  question,  "Shall  we 
continue  receiving  special  offerings?" 
In  answering  this  question  it  helps 
to  examine  the  congregation's  over- 
all plan  for  receiving  and  disbursing 
funds. 

An  increasing  number  of  congre- 
gations conduct  an  annual  every- 
member  enlistment.  Each  person  is 
asked  to  consider  prayerfully  how 
much  he  will  contribute  each  week 


for  the  Lord's  work  and  make  a 
signed  declaration  of  his  intention. 
He  is  given  a  packet  of  weekly  of- 
fering envelopes.  All  of  his  giving 
goes  into  one  treasury. 

Churches  using  the  every-member 
enlistment  plan  can  more  realistically 
anticipate  their  giving  total  for  the 
coming  year.  With  this  total  they 
build  a  program  budget  inclusive  of 
all  phases  of  the  congregation's  min- 
istry. The  women's  fellowship,  youth 
fellowship,  Christian  education,  and 
district  and  Brotherhood  needs  are 
included  in  a  unified  budget. 

Frequent  "special  offerings"  are 
unnecessary  for  congregations  that 
follow  this  Annual  Conference  ap- 
proved plan.  In  fact,  "special  of- 
ferings" may  tend  to  undermine 
planned,  systematic  giving. 

If  an  unexpected  emergency  arises, 
the  congregation  is  free  to  decide 
what  course  of  action  it  will  take  to 
meet  the  need.  The  important  thing 
is  to  adopt  snund  financial  practices. 
The  Aposde  Paul  instructed  the 
churches  of  Galatia  and  Corinth, 
"Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let 
every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store, 
as  God  hath  prospered  him,  .  .  ." 
(1  Cor.  16:2).  -Don  Stern. 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


A  Quiet  and  Peaceable  Life 

I  EXHORT  therefore,  that,  first  of 
all,  supplications,  prayers,  inter- 
cessions, and  giving  of  thanks, 
be  made  for  all  men;  for  kings,  and 
for  all  that  are  in  authority;  that  we 
may  lead  a  quiet  and  peaceable  life 
in  all  godliness  and  honesty"  ( 1  Tim. 
2:1-2). 

Facing  the  turmoil  in  Africa,  one 
can  fervently  say  Amen  to  the 
apostle's  desire  for  a  quiet  and  peace- 
able life  for  the  church.  He  had 
known  enough  of  stonn  in  his  own 
experience   and   at   the   end   of   the 


This  article,  which  first  appeared  in 
The  Lightbearer,  magazine  of  the  Sudan 
United  Mission,  was  printed  in  England 
by  the  British  branch.  It  is  used  by 
permission. 


long  fight  he  wished  the  church  to 
have  peace. 

The  activity  in  Africa  is  extraordi- 
nary. Not  only  is  there  the  emotion 
of  individual  states  for  self-govern- 
ment, but  there  is  a  strong  sentiment 
toward  unity  among  those  that  are 
already  free.  Two  unions  of  groups 
from  the  former  French  Protectorate 
have  already  been  formed  and  there 
are  discussions  among  the  prime 
ministers  of  Guinea,  Liberia,  and 
Ghana  toward  a  union  of  states 
which,  if  it  materializes,  will  step 
over  the  barriers  made  by  British 
and  French  frontiers. 

Along  with  high  ideals  there  are, 
of  course,  personal  ambitions  and 
craving  for  power  with  the  jealousies 


FEBRUARY  27,  1960 


21 


Toward  His  Kingdom- 


RAY  TRITT:   Builder 

AN  EX-NAVY  man,  Ray  Tritt,  who  received  train- 
ing as  a  builder  during  his  military  service,  in 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service,  and  with  a  construc- 
tion company  owned  by  a  Brethren  family,  arrived  in 
Nigeria  with  his  family  on  Jan.  4  to  begin  a  career  as 
a  missionary  builder. 

From  1948  to  1952  Ray  Tritt  served  in  the  U.  S. 
navy  as  a  damage  controlman  doing  maintenance,  minor 
boat  repairs,  and  general  carpentry.  This  experience 
stood  him  in  good  stead  in  his  BVS  assignment,  for  he 
was  assigned  to  help  construct  Kassel  House  in  Kassel, 
Germany. 

At  the  same  time,  June  Replogle  had  joined  the  same 
BVS  unit  and  was  also  sent  to  Kassel.  June  and  Ray 
were  married  in  Germany  and  came  back  to  the  United 
States  to  live  in  Easton,  Md.  There  Ray  went  to  work 
for  Walbridge  Brothers,  builders  and  contractors,  with 
whom  he  received  valuable  in-service  training  as  a 
builder. 

While  Ray  was  perfecting  his  knowledge  of  his 
trade,  June  worked  as  a  secretary  until  their  first  child 


Ray  and  June  Tritt  look  at  Nigeria  on  the  globe  trying 
to  visualize  the  country  where  they  will  be  serving 


arrived.  Since  then  she  has  been  a  full-time  homemaker.  The  Tritts  now  have  two  children:  Sharon  Kay,  four 
years  old,  and  Mark  Allan,  two  and  one  half. 

When  Ray  felt  he  was  sufBciendy  well  trained,  he  offered  himself  to  the  Foreign  Mission  Commission  for  serv- 
ice in  the  mission  building  program.   The  Tritts  were  assigned  to  Nigeria,  where  the  need  for  buildings  is  great. 

Many  times  missionaries  trained  for  other  work  have,  of  necessity,  had  to  help  with  building.  Now  trained 
builders  will  release  substitute  builders  for  their  special  fields  of  service. 

As  a  builder,  Ray  will  have  to  travel  much  and  a  settled  family  life  may  not  be  possible.  This  young  family 
is,  however,  ready  to  do  whatever  the  job  calls  for,  believing  that  Christ  is  never  unreasonable  in  his  demands  upon 
his  disciples. 


"H"3"H"*"3"-M'  *  ♦  *  *  »H>^^>^^^^h$m|>^>4mHh|^^hH>»»4^>^4>»»» 


that  accompany  them.  There  will 
be,  too,  irritations  caused  by  inex- 
perience in  office.  Throughout  his- 
tory the  church  has  suffered  quite 
as  much  from  the  effect  of  petty 
and  local  dislikes  as  from  the  hostility 
of  a  central  policy. 

In  general,  therefore,  one  forsees 
a  considerable  amount  of  testing  for 
the  church  in  Africa  and  it  is  in 
the  expectation  of  that  that  the 
apostle's  exhortation  is  of  such  inter- 
est. His  remedy  was  in  the  making 
of  supplications,  prayers,  and  inter- 
cessions and  the  giving  of  thanks. 
Probably  none  of  those  in  authority 
in  his  day  were  Christian,  yet  loyalty 
to  them  is  enjoined.  This  giving  of 
thanks  should  receive  special  atten- 
tion, for  obedience  in  this  concern- 
ing rulers  could  radically  alter  the 
thinking  of  Christians. 

•  •  • 

"Live  as  free  men,  yet  without  using 
your  freedom  as  a  pretext  for  evil;  but 
live  as  servants  of  God"  (1  Peter  2:16). 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Social  Action 

Indian  Style 

Amsey  Bollinger 

THE  economic  level  of  the  In- 
dian people  is  so  low  that  the 
great  Mahatma  Gandhi  gave 
little  support  to  literacy  efforts  be- 
cause he  felt  the  people  needed  to 
be  fed  first  before  they  could  learn  to 
read. 

Facing  this  acute  need,  the  Eco- 
nomic Uplift  Committee  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  India  has 
projects  such  as  the  following 
planned  for  the  next  year: 

1.  The  holding  of  training  insti- 
tutes or  short  courses  for  church 
workers,  i.e.,  evangelists  and  pastors 
and  also  laymen.  It  is  planned  to 
hold  one  such  institute  for  lay  leaders 
in  the  Anklesvar  and  Rajpipla  area 
churches.  This  will  be  held  at 
Anklesvar  under  the  guidance  of  the 
Rural  Service  Center. 

2.  It  will  employ  a  traveling  ex- 
tension worker  or  village  improve- 


ment worker  who  will  be  located  at 
Jhagadia  in  the  Rajpipla  area  and 
will  work  in  the  villages  of  that  area 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Rural 
Service  Center.  Shantilal  Bhagat  has 
offered  to  give  up  his  best  village 
worker  for  this  work.  This  man  has 
had  a  number  of  years  experience 
working  with  the  Rural  Service  Cen- 
ter and  knows  how  to  do  the  job. 

3.  The  committee  is  working  on 
a  plan  of  poultry  improvement  pro- 
motion among  the  church  people. 

4.  The  committee  approved  the 
giving  of  a  scholarship  to  send  a 
young  man  to  one  of  the  diesel- 
engine  manufacturing  companies  in 
Poona  for  training  in  maintenance 
and  repair. 

5.  It  was  also  decided  to  give  spe- 
cial scholarships  to  young  men  for 
taking  a  course  in  electric  wiring. 
This  is  a  field  which  will  likely  ex- 
pand in  the  future  and  should  offer 
opportunities  for  both  profitable 
employment  and  private  business 
venture. 


■The   Church   at   Work 


ALICE  KING  EBEY:   Teacher 


I  WOULD  rather  teach  than  eat," 
Mrs.  Alice  Ebey  once  said,  and 
her  life  must  have  been  a  joy 
to  her  for  she  was  continually 
teaching. 

Even  before  becoming  a  mission- 
ary, she  taught  Bible  at  Manchester 
College.  One  of  her  pupils  was 
Adam  Ebey  to  whom  she  was  mar- 
ried on  Sept.  5,  1900. 

Two  weeks  later  they  sailed  for 
India  on  their  first  mission  assign- 
ment under  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. There  they  served  for  more 
than  three  decades,  living  among  the 
people  of  India,  and  teaching  them 
not  only  by  word  of  mouth  but  also 
by  the  example  of  their  lives. 

Mrs.  Ebey  was  the  mother  of  three 
sons  and  five  daughters.  She  buried 
five  of  her  children  in  India.  Three 
died  of  diphtheria  and  one  of  typhoid 
fever.  Mrs.  Ebey,  who  died  Jan.  5, 
1960,  is  survived  by  two  daughters: 
Mrs.  R.  R.  Thompson  of  Elkhart, 
Ind.,  and  Mrs.  Wesley  Brubaker  of 
Walkerton,   Ind. 

In  1931  Adam  Ebey's  health  made 
necessary  their  retirement.    He  died 


iiH#;.:: 

llm:.;:;:::- 


in  1939  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 

After  his  death  Alice  Ebey  was 
called  back  to  India  for  two  more 
years  of  service.  Even  a  fourteen 
years'  absence  had  not  dimmed  the 
memory  of  her  for  her  Indian  friends 
and  she  was  called  upon  to  teach 
both  publicly  and  from  house  to 
house. 

Back  in  the  United  States  for  final 
retirement,  she  was  still  able  to  teach 
Bible  classes  in  the  North  Manches- 
ter church. 

Her  experience  on  the  executive 
committee  in  India,  which  developed 
a  surprisingly  strong  ability  in  ad- 
ministrative matters  for  a  woman  of 
her  day,  was  used  back  home  when 
she  became  the  first  district  field 
woman. 

Chalmer  Shull,  who  as  a  young 
missionary  in  India  received  good 
training  and  inspiration  from  his  as- 
sociation with  the  Ebeys,  says,  "For 
the  Ebeys  there  were  hardships  to 
endure  which  need  not  be  experi- 
enced by  missionaries  today.  But 
faith  never  wavered  and  strength  to 
endure  was  always  there." 


THE  GOOD  NEIGHBOR.  Jim  Waterman,  a  businessman  and 
community  leader,  shocked  by  a  newspaper  story  of  racial  tension  involving 
a  Negro  employee  of  his,  goes  to  investigate  in  this  new  black  and  white 
filmstrip.  When  he  learns  the  facts  and  figures  about  discrimination  in 
housing,  he  resolves  to  use  his  influence  to  help  end  it.  The  filmstrip  shows 
how  community  leadership  can  get  the  truth  about  housing  in  changing 
neighborhoods  and  what  can  be  done  to  avoid  panic  selling  and  to  make 
integration  an  orderly,  democratic  process. 

This  filmstrip  would  be  especially  helpful  to  use  as  a  follow-up  of  the 
film,  All  the  Way  Home  (30-minute  black  and  white  film  available  from 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices  at  $10  rental).  The  Good  Neighbor 
has  128  frames,  a  33Js  rpm  record,  and  runs  approximately  26*2  minutes. 
It  is  available  at  $25  sale  or  $3  rental  from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


Paul  M.  Grisso 

Doctor  for 
Sick  Jeeps 

ON  DECEMBER  1  Paul  M. 
Grisso  left  New  York  by  plane 
for  Jos,  Nigeria,  West  Africa. 
His  mission:  to  give  ten  weeks  of 
volunteer  service  in  the  repair  and 
maintenance  of  mission  vehicles  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  mission 
area.  Paul  Grisso  is  a  member  of 
the  Poages  Mill  congregation  near 
Roanoke,  Va.  When  asked  why  he 
volunteered  to  leave  his  farm  and 
auto  repair  shop  near  Roanoke  to 
give  his  time  in  Africa  he  states,  "I 
thought  about  the  fact  that  often 
the  evangelistic  missionary  spent 
precious  hours  in  work  that  many 
people  other  than  himself  are  better 
suited  for." 

The  arrangement,  originally 
worked  out  and  publicized  for  med- 
ical doctors,  calls  for  the  volunteer 
to  pay  the  full  cost  of  his  round- 
trip  transportation  between  his  home 
in  the  United  States  and  the  port 
of  entry  of  the  country  where  he 
will  serve,  in  this  case  Roanoke  to 
Jos.  The  sole  responsibility  of  the 
Foreign  Mission  Commission  is  to 
provide  travel  within  Nigeria,  food 
and  lodging  while  serving  on  the 
field,  and  a  tour  of  the  mission  if 
desired. 

Mr.  Grisso  stated  from  the  first  that 
he  was  not  particularly  interested 
in  a  "Cook's  tour"  of  a  mission  field 
but  rather  wished   to  be  useful   in 


FEBRUARY  27.  1960 


23 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


"A  Heap  of  Living.  Cora  W.  Hel- 
man.     Herman,    1959.     136   pages. 

$2.95. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  tell  the 
life  story  of  Elder  J.  Edson  Ulery 
without  telling  much  of  the  story 
of  the  Onekama  church,  Mich.  Con- 
versely, telling  the  story  of  that 
church  involves  telling  of  the  Ulerys. 
Mrs.  Helman  in  this  little  volume 
has  given  an  intimate,  informal  ac- 
count of  both.  But  this  book  is  still 
more  than  these  two  stories  blended. 
It  is  a  firsthand  picture  of  Brethren 
attempting  to  establish  homes  and 
churches  in  an  undeveloped  area, 
and,  as  such,  it  has  historical  sig- 
nificance. The  field  of  Brethren  his- 
tory and  biography  has  gained 
through  the  publication  of  this 
book.  —  Ora  W.  Garber. 

"Creole  Holiday.  Phyllis  A.  Whit- 
ney. Westminster,  1959.  206  pages. 
$2.95. 

Laure  Beaudine,  from  part-French 
descent,  is  found  existing,  not  really 
living,  with  her  Aunt  Judity  for  only 
as  long  as  necessary.  Laure  dreams 
of  following  in  her  mother's  footsteps 
of  an  actress  with  her  father's  com- 
pany. Jules,  her  father  and  also  a 
famous  Shakespearian  actor  of  the 
90's,  is  the  black  sheep  of  his  family 
for  "taking  to  the  stage." 

In  the  mid-1890's  Jules'  company 
plays  in  New  York,  Laure  risks 
sneaking  away  from  Aunt  Judity  and 
catches  her  father  back  stage.  He 
takes  her  along  on  his  vacation  to 
New  Orleans,  his  homeland.   During 


his  own  trade,  namely,  auto  me- 
chanics. "I  have  never  felt  called 
to  the  evangelistic  ministry  as  such," 
states  Paul  Grisso.  "But  on  the  other 
hand,  it  seems  to  me  that  each  of 
us  must,  if  we  fulfill  our  reason  for 
being,  contribute  more  than  a  token 
effort  toward  building  a  better 
world." 

Word  from  Nigeria  states  that  Mr. 
Grisso  is  on  the  job  "day  and  night" 
and  rendering  useful  service  in  the 
remodeling,  repair,  and  maintenance 
of  mission  vehicles  in  the  shop  of 
the  mission's  central  motor  pool  at 
Garkida. 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


this  escape  from  New  York  life,  from 
babied,  artificial  life,  Laure  finds  her 
maturing  self  hard  to  understand  and 
accept  amid  all  the  gay,  lively  ro- 
mance of  the  carnival,  Mardi  Gras, 
and  plantations.  She  finds  a  deep 
love  for  people  in  general  and  for 
Cole  Drummond  in  particular.  This 
mysterious  Cole  has  a  unique  sensi- 
tivity about  him  and  he  helps  her 
to  find  her  "roots"  and  a  sense 
of  family  with  her  Grandmere 
'Toinette. 

This  is  the  story  of  Laure  who, 
discovering  that  she  was  after  the 
wrong  goal,  eventually  finds  what 
she  is  really  seeking.  Life  values  and 
meanings  are  heavily  and  helpfully 
weighed.  —  Muriel  Rose,  Syracuse, 
Ind. 

Before  the  Child  Reads.  James  L. 
Hymes,  Jr.  Row,  Peterson,  1958. 
96  pages.    $2.00. 

As  a  parent  of  a  five  or  six  year 
old,  have  you  ever  wondered  or 
worried  about  what  the  school  means 
by  reading  readiness?  Does  it  come 
with  natural  growth?  Can  or  should 
it  be  hastened?  Is  it  the  same  for 
all?  What  contributes  gready  to  it? 
How  should  teachers  and  parents  of 
this  age  child  be  handling  this  most 
important  period?  These  questions 
are  discussed  fully,  clearly,  and 
simply  in  this  very  enlightening 
book.  It  deals  with  the  erroneous 
idea  that  we  can  "build"  readiness. 
It  gives  sympathetic  comfort  and 
guidance.  Church  school  teachers 
will  find  it  equally  helpful  for  gain- 
ing basic  understandings  of  the  kin- 
dergarten and  primary  one  children 
as  well  as  guiding  principles  for  ac- 
tivities. I  feel  the  teacher  who  reads 
this  book  will  have  a  deeper  love 
of  the  children  and  their  parents  and 
a  clearer  understanding  of  the  job. 
Parents  should  feel  the  release  of  the 
weight  of  undue  concern  and  gain 
a  feeling  that  they  play  an  important 
role  in  the  plan  of  God  for  the 
growth  of  their  child.  —  Edna  Frye, 
Windber,  Pa. 

"A  Faith  to  Live  By.  Harry 
Hutchison.  Wilde,  1959.  92  pages. 
$2.00. 

"The  faith  to  five  by  puts  to  flight 
the  persistent  enemies  of  the  soul 
which  plague  us."  So  says  the  author 
of  this  little  book  which  was  written, 


according  to  the  author,  with  the 
skeptic  and  cynic  in  mind.  Although 
the  chapters  are  brief,  they  do  deal 
with  some  basic  issues  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith.  Of  particular  note  are 
chapters  such  as  Is  There  Anything 
to  Religion?  The  Good  News  in 
Brief,  and  Dare  We  Hope  for  Life 
Hereafter?  Nowhere  is  this  manu- 
script called  a  collection  of  sermons 
but  this  reader  could  not  get  over 
the  feeling  that  the  book  is  just  that. 
A  chief  difficulty  is  that  the  chapters 
are  not  held  together  by  any  domi- 
nant theme.  This  tends  to  disrupt 
the  continuity  of  thought.  The  book 
would  also  be  stronger  if  the  basic 
issues  inferred  by  the  chapter  tides 
had  been  dealt  with  in  something 
other  than  a  superficial  manner. 
These  two  factors  do  not  keep  it 
from  being  a  good  book,  but  do 
keep  it  from  being  a  great  book.  In 
spite  of  these  circumstances,  many 
laymen  will  find  it  helpful.  Ministers 
will  discover  several  interesting 
quotes  from  James  S.  Stewart  and 
John  Bailie  that  will  help  in  sermon 
preparation.  —  Floyd  E.  Bantz,  Mc- 
Pherson,  Kansas. 

The  Vanishing  Adolescent.  Edgar 
Z.  Friedenberg.  Beacon  Press,  1959. 
144  pages.  $2.95. 

Whether  or  not  you  will  agree 
with  the  author  that  adolescence  as 
a  developmental  process  is  becoming 
obsolete,  you  will  have  to  decide 
after  reading  this  controversial  book. 

Mr.  Friedenberg,  a  thirty-eight- 
year-old  teacher  of  adolescent  devel- 
opment at  Brooklyn  College,  explains 
in  some  detail  the  role  and  needs 
of  the  adolescent  and  how  such 
needs  are  failing  to  be  met  in  our 
society  —  mainly  in  our  schools. 
The  church  as  such  is  not  mentioned 
but  one  can  see  so  vividly  in  the 
charges  against  the  schools  that  the 
same  might  be  true  of  our  churches. 

The  developmental  task  of  the 
adolescent,  claims  the  author,  is  self- 
definition  but  against  such  is  the  con- 
flict of  being  pressed  into  society's 
mold.  He  charges  the  school  with 
devoting  itself  to  the  interests  of  uni- 
formity more  than  to  individuality. 

Anyone  who  is  working  with 
youth  —  and  Mr.  Friedenberg  says 
many  such  people  do  not  really  like 
youth  —  will  be  attracted  to  this 
book.  It  is  quite  intellectual  and 
is  based  on  psychological  insights  but 
is  readable  nonetheless.  The  chapter 
on  the  adults'  emotional  reaction  to 
adolescents  is  of  particular  value  to 
teachers,  leaders,  and  parents.  — 
Glennis  Parks,  Elgin,  III. 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Brethren  Participate  in 
Vigil  Against  Germ  Warfare 

Harold  E.  Kettering,  pastor  of  the 
Longmeadow  Church  of  the  Brethren 
at  Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  nine  mem- 
bers of  his  congregation  participated 
in  the  vigil  at  Fort  Derrick,  Md., 
on  Jan.  10.  This  vigil,  which  has 
been  in  continual  operation  since 
July  1,  1959,  is  an  appeal  to  stop 
preparation  for  germ  warfare. 

The  BVS  training  unit  from  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  participated  in  the 
vigil  on  Jan.  13.  After  the  daily 
closing  of  the  vigil  at  5:00  p.m. 
the  unit  members  prepared  supper 
at  the  First  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  Frederick,  with  other  vigil  par- 
ticipants as  guests.  In  the  evening 
George  Willoughby,  executive  secre- 
tary of  the  Central  Committee  for 
Conscientious  Objectors,  discussed 
with  the  group  the  relation  of  the 
conscientious  objector  to  society  and 
the  state.  Two  previous  BVS  training 
units  have  participated  in  the  vigil 
for  short  periods  of  time. 

One  Billion  Dollar  Church 
Construction  Forecast  for  1960 

Church  construction  will  exceed 
one  billion  dollars  in  1960,  according 
to  a  prediction  by  the  Department 
of  Commerce,  included  in  its  annual 
report  on  the  oudook  for  the  con- 
struction industry. 

If  this  forecast  comes  true  it  will 
be  the  first  billion-dollar  year  in 
history  for  erection  of  religious 
buildings.  Church  construction  set 
a  new  all-time  mark  of  $935,000,000 
in  1959.  It  is  expected  that  there 
will  also  be  a  substantial  upturn  in 
building  activity  by  the  nation's  non- 
public schools  and  colleges  during 
this  year. 

Swedish  Church  to  Ordain 
First  Women  Ministers 

The  Swedish  Lutheran  Church  will 
ordain  its  first  women  ministers  this 
spring.  Ordination  of  women  has 
been  a  controversial  issue  in  the 
church  for  a  number  of  years. 

In  1958  a  bill  permitting  women 
pastors  in  the  church  was  passed 
by  both  chambers  of  the  Swedish 
parliament.  However,  women  could 
not  become  ministers  until  the 
measure  was  endorsed  by  the 
church's  General  Assembly.  This 
was  done  in  September  1958, 
despite  some  opposition  within  the 
denomination. 


More  than  eighty  persons 
witness  the  ground 
breaking  for  the  first  unit 
of  the  St.  Petersburg 
church,  Fla.  Taking  part 
in  the  service,  left  to  right 
were  Chalmer  Hoffman, 
chairman  of  trustees,  Tom 
Couper,  treasurer,  George 
Feathers,  contractor,  and 
M.  S.  Heinz,  pastor,  The 
church  property  is  located 
in  the  northwestern  section  of  the  city  in  a  growing  community  of  four 
hundred  homes.  It  is  hoped  to  have  this  first  unit,  a  chapel  and  educational 
building,  ready  by  April  to  serve  not  only  the  permanent  residents  but  also 
those  vacationing  there 


Methodists  Approve  New 
Missionary  Training  Program 

A  radically  different  training  pro- 
gram for  Methodist  missionaries 
serving  abroad  has  been  approved 
by  the  denomination's  Division  of 
World  Missions.  The  new  prefield 
training  will  feature  a  missionary 
community  with  "spiritual  disci- 
plines" and  an  intensive  curriculum 
including  studies  in  the  Bible,  the- 
ology, missions,  linguistics,  anthro- 
pology, international  relations,  and 
orientation. 

With  accommodations  for  seventy- 
five  to  one  hundred  missionaries,  the 
community  will  be  located  near  an 
established  center  such  as  a  uni- 
versity or  seminary.  It  will  have  a 
special  faculty  and  facilities  for 
classes,  worship,  social  activities,  and 
dining.  Methodist  officials  say  the 
new  program,  if  developed,  will  pre- 
pare missionaries  to  face  more  ade- 
quately the  rapidly  changing  social, 
political,  and  religious  conditions  in 
overseas  misson  fields. 


Straus  Foundation  Grants  to 
Promote  Human 
Relations  Programs 

The  Roger  Williams  Straus  Me- 
morial Foundation  has  given  grants 
totaling  $85,000  to  be  used  in  the 
field  of  human  relations.  A  major 
share  of  the  grants  is  made  available 
to  the  National  Conference  of 
Christians  and  Jews  which  will  re- 
ceive $77,500  for  three  designated 
purposes. 

The  conference  was  granted  $50,- 
000  for  "the  improvement  of 
interreligious  news  through  commu- 
nications," and  $20,000  for  a  pilot 
program  of  dialogue  meetings  on  in- 
terreligious tensions  involving  key 
leaders  in  all  major  cities  of  the 
United  States. 

The  Straus  Foundation  was  estab- 
lished by  Mrs.  Roger  Williams  Straus 
as  a  memorial  to  her  husband,  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  National  Con- 
ference of  Christians  and  Jews. 


FEBRUARY  27,  1960 


25 


Episcopal  Unit  to  Urge 
Aid  on  Planned  Parenthood 

An  agency  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  has  urged  that  birth 
control  methods  and  information 
morally  acceptable  to  Christians  and 
medically  endorsed  should  be  pro- 
vided to  countries  where  population 
control  has  become  a  necessity. 

The  denomination's  Joint  Com- 
mission on  the  Church  in  Human 
Affairs  said  it  would  ask  the  Epis- 
copal General  Convention  in  1961 
to  urge  that  richer  nations  give  such 
planned  parenthood  assistance  in 
overseas  areas  where  the  population 
is  growing  too  fast  for  the  country's 
welfare. 

Fact-finding  Committee  Upholds 
Methodist  Jurisdictional  System 

A  special  fact-finding  committee 
of  the  Methodist  Church  has  advised 
the  denomination  to  make  no  basic 
changes  in  its  regional  and  racial 
jurisdictional  structure.  This  report 
of  a  four-year  study  by  the  church's 
seven-member  Commission  on  the 
Jurisdictional  System  is  expected  to 
cause  major  debate  at  the  quadren- 
nial Methodist  General  Conference, 
to  be  held  in  Denver,  April  27  — 
May  11. 

Since  1939  the  church  has  been 
divided  into  six  U.S.  administrative 
jurisdictions  —  five  regional  and  one 
all-Negro  Central  Jurisdiction.  Each 
jurisdiction  elects  its  own  bishops 
and  members  of  general  boards  and 
agencies. 

Opponents  of  the  jurisdictional 
structure  claim  it  encourages  section- 
alism and  racial  segregation.  Sup- 
porters insist  that  the  system  is 
needed  to  prevent  a  top-heavy  cen- 
tral organization. 

Construction  Under  Way  for 
Controversial  Air  Force  Chapel 

After  much  disagreement  over  de- 
sign, the  controversial  chapel  of  the 
Air  Force  Academy  near  Colorado 
Springs  is  at  last  scheduled  for  con- 
struction. The  modernistic  design  of 
the  chapel  remains  essentially  un- 
changed since  first  drawings  were 
unveiled  nearly  four  years  ago  and 
then  brought  criticism  from  the  floor 
of  Congress. 

The  trifaith  structure  will  have  17 
cast  aluminum  spires  150  feet  high. 
It  will  have  three  separate  worship 
areas,  sanctuaries  with  900  seats  for 
Protestant  services,  500  for  Roman 
Catholic   rites,   and   100   for  Jewish 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


worship.  The  two-story  chapel  and 
its  basement  will  have  54,000  square 
feet  of  space.  It  is  scheduled  for 
completion  in  June  1961.  It  is  ex- 
pected to  cost  more  than  $3,385,000. 

Record  Church  Budgets  and 
Contributions  Forecast  for  1960 

Record  church  budgets  and  con- 
tributions in  1960  were  forecast  at 
the  tenth  annual  All-Lutheran  Stew- 
ardship Conference  recently. 

Attending  the  meeting  were  forty 
stewardship  specialists  and  officers  of 
Lutheran  bodies.  They  cited  as 
reasons  for  the  continuing  upward 
trend  the  rising  national  income,  in- 
creasing numbers  of  contributors  and 
higher  per  capita  giving  as  intensive 
denominational  stewardship  educa- 
tion programs  bear  fruit. 

Stewardship  as  defined  by  one 
conference  leader  means  "using 
everything,  everybody,  everywhere, 
under  God  to  extend  his  kingdom." 
This  includes  time,  talent,  and 
treasure. 

Some  of  the  stewardship  special- 
ists now  recommend  three  every- 
member  canvasses  instead  of  the 
traditional  one  each  year  for  local 
churches.  Another  speaker  empha- 
sized that  a  stewardship  program 
must  be  based  on  long-range  plan- 
ning at  the  synodical  or  district  level. 

President  at  Service  Marking 
Congress'  Convening 

President  Eisenhower  and  Vice- 
President  Nixon  were  present  at  a 
service  of  intercession  and  holy  com- 
munion on  the  occasion  of  the  recon- 
vening of  Congress.  The  service  was 
held  at  the  National  Presbyterian 
church  in  Washington. 

The  National  Capital  Area  Coun- 
cil of  Churches  joined  with  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.S.A. 
in  sponsoring  the  service.  It  was 
attended  by  about  500  persons,  in- 
cluding more  than  100  members  of 
Congress  and  their  families. 

Members  of  Congress  who  are  rul- 
ing elders  of  Presbyterian  churches 
in  their  home  towns  assisted  in  serv- 
ing  communion   to   the  worshipers. 

Christian  Network  Opens 
New  Station  in  Korea 

A  third  station  has  been  opened 
and  put  into  operation  by  the  inter- 
denominational Protestant  radio  net- 
work in  Korea.  The  new  outlet  in 
Pusan  is  a  250-watt  relay  station. 
Inaguration  of  the  unit  along  with 
one  opened  earlier  in  1959  marked 
the  fifth  anniversary  of  the  country's 


first  Christian  broadcasting  station 
in  Seoul.  Together  the  three  stations 
reach  a  potential  audience  of  more 
than  4,000,000  listeners  in  three 
cities.  Network  operations  are  under 
the  direction  of  the  National  Chris- 
tian Council  of  Korea. 

Three  Australian  Churches 
Unite  Missionary  Training 

Mission  boards  serving  three  major 
Australian  churches  will  open  a 
united  missionary  college  soon  as 
a  "witness  of  the  ecumenical  nature 
of  the  church's  task  today."  The  in- 
stitution, which  will  be  known  as  "All 
Saints  College  —  Australian  School 
for  Ecumenical  Missions,"  will  train 
ministers,  teachers,  nurses,  agricul- 
turalists, builders,  social  workers, 
secretaries  and  technicians  in  com- 
municating the  Christian  message 
and  understanding  the  people  they 
will  serve. 

Co-operating  in  support  of  the  in- 
stitution are  the  mission  boards  of 
the  Methodist  and  Presbyterian 
churches  and  the  London  Missionary 
Society,  which  serves  Congregational 
churches. 

Papuans  Ask  Restriction 
on  Number  of  Missionaries 

A  delegation  representing  50,000 
natives  of  Papua,  the  Australian  ter- 
ritory in  the  Island  of  New  Guinea, 
has  asked  the  Australian  minister  for 
territories  to  curb  the  flow  of  mis- 
sionaries into  Papua. 

The  delegation  expressed  grati- 
tude for  the  work  of  various  mission 
schools  and  hospitals,  but  said  there 
were  already  so  many  missions  from 
different  denominations  working 
there  that  the  situation  had  become 
confusing  to  the  Papuans. 

Moscow  Baptists  Observe 
Christmas  on  Orthodox  Date 

More  than  2,000  Baptists  in  Mos- 
cow who  observed  Christmas  accord- 
ing to  the  old  Julian  calendar  as  do 
the  Russian  Orthodox,  gathered  for 
the  morning  service  on  Jan.  6  in  the 
city's  only  Baptist  church.  In  the 
evening  a  larger  group  of  Baptists 
paid  homage  to  the  infant  Savior. 
Many  worshippers,  unable  to  gain 
admittance  to  the  church,  stood  on 
the  street  outside  listening  to  Christ- 
mas carols  sung  by  the  choir. 

The  Rev.  Jacob  Zhidkov,  chair- 
man of  the  All-Union  Council  of 
Evangelical  Christians  (Baptists)  said 
the  Russian  Baptists  decided  after 
World  War  II  to  observe  Christmas 
on  January  6  and  7.    Baptist  believ- 


ers  in  Central  Asia,  the  Baltic  Re- 
publics, and  the  Western  Ukraine, 
however,  still  celebrate  the  birth  of 
Christ  on  Dec.  25,  along  with  the 
Western  world.  The  date  was 
changed  in  Russia  so  as  not  to  sep- 
arate at  Christmas  families  consisting 
of  both  Orthodox  and  Baptist 
believers. 

Moscow's  churches  were  crowded 
to  the  doors  as  the  Russian  Orthodox 
observed  Christmas  according  to  the 
old  Julian  calendar.  Evidence  of 
Christmas  was  seen  not  only  in  the 
crowded  churches  but  also  in  stores 
where  throngs  of  shoppers  followed 
the  ancient  custom  of  buying  small 
pigs  and  ducks  to  be  stuffed  with 
porridge  and  apples. 

Dibelius  Cables  Ben-Gurion  His 
Concern  Over  Anti-Semitic  Acts 

Bishop  Otto  Dibelius  of  Berlin, 
chairman  of  the  Council  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church  in  Germany,  sent  a 
cable  to  Premier  Ben-Gurion  of  Is- 
rael, expressing  the  "deep  concern 
and  disgust"  of  German  Protestants 
over  the  wave  of  anti-Semitic  out- 
rages in  Germany.  At  the  same  time 
Dr.  Dibelius  forwarded  a  sum  of 
$25,000  in  the  name  of  the  church 
to  assist  distressed  immigrants  in 
Israel. 

Dr.  Ernest  Wilm  of  Bielefeld, 
Germany,  president  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Church  of  Westphalia,  said,  "It 
is  necessary  to  investigate  who 
sowed  the  hatred  of  Jews  in  our 
children's  hearts  and  incited  them 
to  such  abominable  acts." 

UN  Study  Finds  Drop 
in  Religious  Bias 

Religious  discrimination  is  declin- 
ing throughout  the  world,  according 
to  a  two-year  study  by  the  United 
Nations.  A  report  on  the  study  was 
completed  before  the  current  out- 
break of  synagogue  and  church 
desecration. 

The  30,000-word  statement  pre- 
pared for  the  UN  Subcommission  on 
Prevention  of  Discrimination  and 
Protection  of  Minorities  said  that  a 
change  in  the  attitude  of  churches, 
governments,  and  the  public  has 
produced  a  wide-spread  trend  toward 
equal  treatment  of  religions  and 
followers. 

Quotes  in  the  News 

John  Wesley  Lord,  Methodist 
bishop:  "Let  us  thank  God  in  Amer- 
ica we  have  no  state  church.  A  free 
society  demands  a  free  church,  a 
church  which  the  people  have  a  right 
to  reject  or  gloriously  embrace." 


Readers  Write 

Continued  from  page  2 

again.  The  rare  and  special  qualities 
of  the  Brethren  are  really  those  of 
its  community  life  and  of  the  sin- 
cerity of  its  faith,  as  contrasted  to 
most  other  churches.  Yet,  however 
nice  that  fact  can  be  for  those  in 
the  circle,  it  can  hardly  compensate 
for  the  suppression  of  advancement 
in  a  religion  sense.  The  recovery 
of  a  leadership  such  as  that  which 
existed,  in  its  own  context,  in  the 
early  eighteenth  century,  requires 
more  serious  soul  searching  than  has 
been  anticipated  within  that  circle. 
Perhaps  the  ways  of  history  are  such 
that  new  wine  cannot  be  put  into 
old  wineskins,  and  that  God  chooses 
strangely  different  vessels  for  ever- 
new  tasks.  —  Joseph  Mow,  Deerfield, 
Mass. 


Church  News 

Northern  California 
McFarland  —  Some  of  our  guest 
speakers  have  been  Sister  Edna  Switzer, 
missionary  to  Ecuador;  Bro.  Galen 
Snell,  missionary  to  the  Navajos;  Bro. 
Herbert  Ruthrauff  of  La  Verne  College, 
who  spoke  on  Our  Objectives  in  Chris- 
tian Education;  Magna  Trocme,  from 
the  Fellowship  of  Reconciliation,  who 
presented  the  world  needs  and  enlarged 
our  vision  of  world  peace.  Our  Call 
program  is  being  carried  out  through 
our  undershepherd  groups.  These 
groups  work  under  the  leadership  of 
our  Call  chairman,  Bro.  Dale  Snell,  and 
our  pastor,  Bro.  Joseph  Jennings.  Bro. 
H.  Spenser  Minnich  was  guest  minister 
in  a  series  of  meetings  in  January.  — 
Mrs.  A.  R.  Grober,  McFarland,  Calif. 

Waterford  —  While  the  Russell  John- 
sons were  home  from  Greece,  we  pur- 
chased some  films  of  Paul's  missionary 
journeys  for  them  to  use  in  their  work. 
Now  they  write  they  have  them  trans- 
lated into  Greek  and  that  they  are 
proving  very  helpful.  Galen  and  Ruth 
Snell  showed  us  some  slides  of  the 
work  they  are  doing  among  the  Navajo 
Indians  at  the  Lybrook  mission  in  New 
Mexico.  Bro.  Lorell  Weiss  officiated 
at  our  fall  communion  service.  Our 
women  have  been  helping  with  the 
mending  and  packing  of  clothing  at  the 
service  center  in  Modesto  for  relief. 
They  meet  once  a  month  to  roll  band- 
ages for  the  leper  colony.  They  have 
also  sent  a  number  of  comforters  and 
canned  fruit  to  the  Indian  mission  at 
Lybrook.  The  children's  department 
have  just  completed  a  five-year  plan 
in  which  they  have  given  four  $35 
scholarships  per  year  to  help  support 
African  children  in  school.  They  de- 
cided to  continue  this  plan.  They  have 
also  been  giving  to  Ecuador  for  Edna 
Switzer's  work.  They  also  sponsored  a 
Christmas  tree  festival  for  the  church 
families.  Another  of  the  children's 
projects  was  a  family  dinner  in  honor 
of  our  missionary,  Edna  Switzer,  who 
is  home  from  Ecuador.  After  the  pot- 
luck  supper  a  film  on  Ecuador  was 
shown.    A   total   view   of  the   church's 


work  was  given  at  the  loyalty  dinner.  — 
Sarah  D.  Sutphin,  Waterford,  Calif. 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 
Pasadena  —  Brother  and  Sister  Harold 
Royer,  our  congregation's  missionaries  to 
Nigeria,  were  guest  speakers  here  while 
home  on  furlough.  They  showed  films 
of  their  work  in  Africa.  Bro  Jay  Gibble 
was  installed  as  our  minister  of  Chris- 
tian education  and  evangelism.  His 
work  will  center  on  the  youth  of  our 
church.  Brother  Studebaker  spoke  at 
the  Pomona  sanctuary  dedication.  The 
East  Pasadena  Kiwanis  club  members 
and  their  families  worshiped  with  us 
recently.  Ernest  and  Iva  Toland  are  on 
the  deacons'  cabinet.  Bro.  Bergen 
Birdsall,  executive  secretary  of  the 
California  Temperance  Federation,  was 
guest  speaker  here.  The  youth  and 
sanctuary  choir  presented  the  Christmas 
cantata  and  drama,  The  Everlasting 
Light.  Dr.  Gladdys  Muir  taught  a  six- 
week  course  on  Peace  and  International 
Brotherhood.  Four  were  received  by 
letter  and  seven  babies  were  dedicated 
during  the  first  quarter  of  the  church 
year.  —  Betty  Cohick,  Pasadena,  Calif. 

San  Diego  —  Installation  of  Sunday 
school  teachers  and  officers  was  held 
during  a  morning  worship  hour.  Senior 
high  CBYF,  under  the  direction  of 
Brother  and  Sister  William  Bloomer, 
sponsored  dinner  for  the  entire  church 
and  showed  the  movie  entitled  Wake 
Up  or  Blow  Up.  We  are  having  open- 
ing worship  in  the  Sunday  school  class 
and  general  opening  in  the  sanctuary 
once  a  quarter.  Bro.  Donald  G.  Hol- 
sopple  filled  the  pulpit  during  the  dis- 
trict meeting  and  during  the  time  of 
Bro.  Niels  Esbensen's  recovery  from  an 
accident.  The  women  of  our  church 
did  volunteer  clerical  work  for  the  San 
Diego  County  Tuberculosis  and  Health 
Association.  A  membership  class  was 
held  during  the  fall.  The  senior  CBYF 
have  been  having  joint  meetings  with 
the  El  Cajon  youth  group.  Three  have 
been  received  into  our  fellowship  by 
letter  and  two  by  baptism.  —  Anna 
Schriefer,  San  Diego,  Calif. 

Idaho  and  Western  Montana 

Fruitland  —  Our  church  participated 
in  the  union  Thanksgiving  Day  services. 
Father-son  banquet  was  served  by  the 
ladies.  Sister  Jane  Moulton  will  repre- 
sent our  district  on  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee next  spring.  Recently  six  new 
members  were  added  by  baptism  and 
eight  by  letter.  Several  members  at- 
tended the  district  workshop  held  at  the 
Boise  Mountain  View  church.  —  Reina 
Downing,  Fruitland,  Idaho. 

Washington 

Wenatchee  Valley  —  Assistant  pastor, 
Bro.  Don  Border,  and  his  group  of 
dramatists,  brought  the  Christmas  mes- 
sage in  The  Touch  of  His  Hand.  This 
event  was  shared  with  the  Brethren 
from  the  Sunnyslope  congregation  with 
a  buffet  supper  preceding  the  presenta- 
tion. The  white  gift  services  brought 
gifts  for  the  needy  and  cash  to  send  to 
the  refugee  camps  in  the  Near  East. 
Our  women's  fellowship  plans  to  give 
funds  for  a  cabin  in  the  Cle  Elum  camp 
grounds.  The  men's  fellowship  have 
secured  a  school  gym  for  fun  and  ac- 
tivity together  on  Wednesday  evenings. 


FEBRUARY  27,  1960 


27 


Catalafi 

BOOKS  FOR 
CHILDREN 

WRITE  FOR  YOUR 
FREE  COPY 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Lloyd  C.  Wicke 


IN 
MY  LIFE 


An  exploration  into  the  inner 
life  of  a  Christian  including 
discussions  of  such  personal 
concerns  as  the  meaning  of  ex- 
istence and  the  significance  of 
faith,  prayer,  and  the  Bible. 
The  author  also  examines  the 
Christian's  relationship  to  the 
church  and  the  community. 
After  considering  the  idea  of 
Christian  perfection,  he  con- 
cludes with  a  stirring  assurance 
of  the  Christian  hope  of  im- 
mortality. $1.00 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Bro.  Wayne  Crist  dedicated  nine 
couples  and  their  children  at  a  special 
holiday  commitment  service.  Our  youth 
fellowship  under  the  direction  of  their 
leaders,  Brother  and  Sister  Norman 
Delebarre,  had  a  New  Year  dedication 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


service  and  a  1960  breakfast  fellowship. 
Alex  Cianciara,  our  Polish  agricultural 
expert,  has  now  finished  up  his  season. 
—  Geraldine  Eller,  East  Wenatchee, 
Wash. 

Colorado 

Haxtun  — The  quarterly  council  meet- 
ing followed  a  basket  dinner.  The 
service  of  the  bread  and  cup  was  ob- 
served during  a  morning  service.  In 
the  evening  the  church  choir  presented 
its  program,  Joseph  and  the  Nativity. 
The  CBYF  went  caroling  and  then  re- 
turned to  the  church  for  refreshments 
and  recreation.  The  CBYF  took  Christ- 
mas cookies  and  candy  baskets  to  shut- 
ins.  They  also  sponsored  a  family  watch 
night  party  at  which  the  film,  Miracle 
of  34th  Street,  was  shown,  followed  by 
recreation,  fellowship  and  refreshments. 
Later  a  devotional  period  was  held 
until  midnight.  —  Mrs.  Charles  F.  Ed- 
wards, Haxtun,  Colo. 

Middle  Iowa 

Maxwell  —  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Harold 
E.  Smith,  and  his  family  moved  into 
the  church  parsonage.  Besides  serving 
our  congregation  he  is  also  a  part-time 
guidance  counselor  in  the  high  school. 
Five  of  our  youth  group  attended  camp. 
Our  pastor  was  guest  speaker  for  both 
union  World  Community  Day  service 
and  the  union  Thanksgiving  service.  We 
also  held  our  union  Christmas  Eve 
candlelighting  service.  Our  women's 
fellowship  has  been  doing  relief  work; 
they  also  donated  fifty  yards  of  outing 
to  the  Garkida  hospital.  The  children 
and  youth  brought  gifts  for  the  school 
at  Garkida  as  part  of  their  Christmas 
giving.  —  Alice  Gooden,  Maxwell,  Iowa. 

Southern  Iowa 

Ottumwa  —  Bro.  Desmond  W.  Bit- 
tinger  was  guest  speaker  for  the  dedi- 
cation for  our  new  building.  Arlene 
Merkey,  a  BVS'er  in  Greece  for  three 
years,  spoke  to  a  joint  meeting  of  the 
young  people.  The  district  projects  for 
the  women's  work  for  the  coming  year 
are  the  making  of  comforters  for  relief 
and  the  raising  of  money  to  aid  a  stu- 
dent at  Bethany.  The  missionary  society 
purchased  the  windows  for  the  sanctu- 
ary and  the  service  circle  the  tile 
blocks  for  the  sanctuary.  Bro.  Jay 
Johnson  is  our  moderator  this  year.  The 
Christmas  program  given  by  the  Sunday 
school  concluded  with  a  white  gift  serv- 
ice. A  large  group  of  young  people 
went  caroling  twice.  The  CBYF  held 
a  joint  meeting  with  the  Monroe  County 
youth.  They  attended  a  worship  service 
in  a  local  Jewish  synagogue.  Six  per- 
sons have  been  baptized.  —  Mrs.  John 
D.  Ware,  Ottumwa,  Iowa. 

Western  Kansas 

Garden  City  —  We  welcomed  into  our 
fellowship  Brother  and  Sister  Dorsey 
Rotruck  and  Martha.  An  installation 
service  for  all  officers  and  teachers  was 
held  this  fall.  The  speaker  for  the  in- 
stallation service  for  our  pastor  was 
Bro.  G.  A.  Zook.  The  district  meeting 
was  held  in  our  church.  Many  enjoyed 
the  dramatization  of  the  first  Thanks- 
giving with  a  supper  of  wild  game, 
Indian  cornbread,  and  Pilgrim  pastries. 
People  came  dressed  as  Pilgrims  or 
Indians.  A  Boy  Scout  troop  dressed  in 
buckskin  and  feathers  gave  an  Indian 
buffalo    killing    service.     The    women's 


fellowship  decorated  a  large  tree  for 
their  Christmas  tree  festival.  Our  float 
in  the  Christmas  parade  made  front 
page.  The  theme  was  As  Shepherds 
Watched  Their  Flocks.  The  children 
had  their  Christmas  program  at  a  morn- 
ing worship.  We  are  now  having  our 
school  of  missions,  the  theme  of  which 
is  Africa.  —  Mrs.  Fred  J.  Ramirez,  Gar- 
den City,  Kansas. 

Middle  Missouri 

Kansas  City,  First  Central  —  Three 
letters  of  membership  have  been  re- 
ceived since  our  last  report.  Bro. 
Oliver  Dilley  preached  for  us  the  Sun- 
day our  pastor  was  at  regional  confer- 
ence. The  district  women's  rally  was 
held  in  our  church,  with  Bro.  Robert 
Mould  giving  the  message.  We  had  a 
watch  night  service  with  refreshments, 
games,  and  a  service  just  before  mid- 
night by  the  pastor.  Quarterly  council 
was  moderated  by  Bro.  Leland  Wilson. 
Our  women's  fellowship  is  preparing  a 
box  of  clothing  for  Japanese  relief.  Our 
pastor  is  conducting  a  membership  class. 
—  Mrs.  Gertrude  Gaba,  Kansas  City, 
Mo. 

Warrensburg  —  Bro.  Harold  I.  Mohler 
is  our  Call  chairman.  The  women's 
fellowship  has  organized  into  two 
circles.  Their  work  program  consists  of 
quilting,  making  bandages  for  the  com- 
munity cancer  chest,  and  visitations. 
The  youth  share  in  the  total  stewardship 
program  of  the  church  by  placing  their 
commitments  into  the  operating  budget 
and  sharing  in  the  program  of  Christian 
education  by  being  a  part  of  the  budget. 
The  choir  presented  a  vesper  program 
on  Christmas  Sunday.  The  ministry 
and  evangelism  commission  will  launch 
the  undershepherd  plan  for  the  church 
with  six  teams  for  visitations.  —  Mrs. 
Olive  E.  Park,  Warrensburg,  Mo. 

Nebraska 

Lincoln,  Antelope  Park  Community  — 

Our  women's  fellowship  has  prepared 
relief  clothing  for  shipment.  Following 
the  service  work  there  was  a  program 
for  the  installation  of  women's  fellow- 
ship officers.  Several  of  our  members 
helped  in  the  religious  survey  taken  in 
our  city.  Our  church  observed  World 
Communion  Sunday.  The  father-son 
banquet  was  held  this  fall.  The  ladies' 
trio  from  McPherson  College  presented 
a  musical  program  here.  Our  youth 
fellowship,  assisted  by  Sister  John 
Cullen  as  soloist,  presented  a  vesper 
service  of  choral  readings  and  music. 
A  goodly  number  went  Christmas  carol- 
ing. There  was  a  service  of  consecra- 
tion for  four  little  children  at  a  morning 
service.  We  had  a  Christmas  tree 
festival  and  family  party.  —  Mary  Ann 
Eberly,  Lincoln,  Nebr. 

Northeastern  Ohio 

Sugarcreek  —  Our  church  participated 
in  the  union  Thanksgiving  service  at  the 
United  Church  of  Christ;  Robert  P. 
Fryman,  our  pastor  preached  the  ser- 
mon. A  program  by  the  children  on 
the  morning  of  Dec.  20  and  the  play, 
The  Road  to  Bethlehem,  in  the  evening 
marked  our  observance  of  the  Christmas 
season.  Alvin  Kintner  of  New  Phila- 
delphia, Ohio,  is  our  new  moderator. 
Wayne  Harmon,  Lester  Hostetler,  pastor 
of  the  Mennonite  church,  and  William 
Fisher  brought  messages  in  the  absence 
of    our    pastor.      Those    interested    in 


working  with  wood  and  leather  meet 
each  Thursday  after  school.  —  Mrs.  Peter 
H.  Domer,  Sugarcreek,  Ohio. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Conestoga  —  Sister  Mildred  Myer, 
who  teaches  at  the  Lybrook  Navajo 
mission  school  in  New  Mexico,  spoke  to 
us  and  showed  pictures  of  her  work. 
During  Bible  school  the  children  gave 
$170  for  meals  for  millions,  a  youth 
mission  project  $40  for  Ecuador;  ninety 
soap  and  washcloth  "mittens"  were 
donated.  Some  recent  speakers  have 
been  Brother  and  Sister  Harold  Rover, 
Brethren  Owen  Shankster,  James  Ober, 
Henry  Enders,  and  Enos  Heisey,  and 
Dr.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff.  A  group  from  our 
church  spent  a  day  at  New  Windsor 
processing  clothing.  Mrs.  Peter  Shih 
spoke  to  us  one  evening.  James  William 
Quee,  III,  a  native  Christian  from  the 
EUB  mission,  spoke  of  his  work  in 
Africa.  Two  of  our  young  people  are 
doing  BVS  work  in  Chicago.  At  our 
fall  love  feast  service  Brethren  Robert 
O.  Hess  and  John  Shuman  were  guest 
ministers.  Our  women  were  host  to  the 
district  women's  fellowship  meeting. 
Sister  Ethel  Meyer,  recently  returned 
from  Europe,  gave  an  illustrated  talk 
of  her  work  in  Germany  and  Greece. 
We  had  an  every-member  visitation 
Sunday  as  part  of  the  Call  program.  As 
a  result  of  our  revival  meeting,  eight 
have  been  baptized.  Bro.  Robert 
Young  was  the  evangelist.  —  Mrs. 
Richard  Buckwalter,  Bareville,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 

Dunnings  Creek  —  A  number  of  mem- 
bers from  the  New  Paris  and  Holsinger 
churches  attended  leadership  training 
classes  at  New  Enterprise.  A  Juniata 
College  deputation  team  led  our  wor- 
ship at  each  church  one  Sunday.  Those 
attending  district  conference  were  Bro. 
Fred  Driver,  our  pastor,  and  Verla 
Hinson,  Verda  Moore,  Agnes  Miller, 
and  Gene  Wentz.  The  young  adult  Sun- 
day school  classes  from  both  churches 
have  joined  together  for  Bible  study 
and  class  meetings.  Our  women's  fel- 
lowship have  rolled  bandages,  made  up 
school  kits  for  Nigeria,  and  made  soap 
for  relief.  Rev.  James  Henderson, 
Negro  minister  from  a  Johnstown  Bap- 
tist church,  led  our  worship  one  eve- 
ning in  keeping  widi  peace  and  race 
relations.  Union  Thanksgiving  services 
were  held  in  the  New  Paris  EUB  church 
with  Brother  Driver  bringing  the  mes- 
sage. Bro.  John  Fike  met  with  our 
board  concerning  the  Call  program.  The 
youth  presented  Christmas  programs  at 
each  church.  The  Christmas  offerings 
will  be  used  to  purchase  blankets  and 
they  will  be  flown  to  areas  where  they 
are  badly  needed.  —  Thelma  Wentz, 
Alum  Bank,  Pa. 

New  Enterprise  —  The  Middle  Penn- 
sylvania district  leadership  school  was 
held  in  our  church.  We  had  an  installa- 
tion and  dedication  service  for  all  our 
church  school  teachers.  Brother  Smith, 
Bro.  Edgar  Detwiler,  Mrs.  Ross  Hersh- 
berger  and  Mrs.  Earnest  Replogle  repre- 
sented us  at  district  conference.  Our 
pastor,  Bro.  William  Smith,  spoke  at 
the  district  CBYF  banquet.  Brother 
Smith  was  the  speaker  for  our  preach- 
ing mission.  Our  pastor's  family  in- 
vited the  congregation  to  their  home 
dedication  service.  Our  women's  fel- 
lowship sponsored  the  bloodmobile.  We 


To  Plow  With  Hope 

DONALD  K.  FAFJS 

THE  INTERNATIONAL 
WAR  AGAINST 

POVERTY 

This  is  a  useful  and  warmly  human  survey  of 
problems  and  possibilities  in  the  less-developed 
regions  of  the  world  —  almost  unnoticed  by  the 
public  at  large  —  together  with  an  exciting  story 
of  what  is  being  done  to  change  them. 
To  Plow  With  Hope  deals  concretely  and  real- 
istically with  the  world-wide  problems  of  food, 
health  and  education.  The  entire  range  of  work  is  here:  the  her- 
itage and  present  tasks  of  "Point  Four,"  the  FAO  group,  the  varied 
work  of  UNICEF,  the  "Colombo  Plan,"  the  accomplishments  of  the 
World  Health  Organization,  the  efforts  of  the  voluntary  groups  such 
as  the  churches,  and  the  total  impact  of  the  work  of  private  agencies 
and  foundations. 

Here  is  invaluable  "ammunition,"  found  nowhere  else,  which  con- 
cerned persons  may  take  up  to  fight  the  war  on  poverty  —  and  in 
another  sense,  to  fight  ignorance  and  indifference  at  home.        $3.75 

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THE 

CREATIVE 
YEARS 


REUEL  L.  HOWE 

In  this  book,  the  author  has  scored 
again  as  he  did  in  his  earlier  volume, 
Man's  Need  and  God's  Action.  Directed 
primarily  to  middle-age  adults  with 
families  who  are  buffeted  by  the  pres- 
sures of  modern  life,  one  should  find 
excellent  reading  here.  Many  adults 
will  come  to  see  themselves  in  the 
mirror  of  this  book.  It  brings  together 
the  insights  of  the  gospel.  $3.50 


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had  a  school  of  social  welfare.  The 
women's  Christmas  fellowship  tea  was 
held  in  our  church.  Our  church  was 
represented  at  the  district  briefing 
sessions  on  the  Call  to  Discipleship  by 
three  laymen  and  our  pastor.  A  public 
address  system  was  installed  in  our 
church  during  Christmas  week.  Our 
primary,  junior,  and  junior  high  choirs 


conducted  the  Christmas  morning  wor- 
ship. —  Mrs.  James  Davis,  Loysburg,  Pa. 

Southern  Pennsylvania 
Shippensburg  —  Our  congregation  ob- 
served    World     Communion     Sunday. 


FEBRUARY  27,  1960 


29 


THE 

DEVIL'S 

REPERTOIRE 


VICTOR  GOLLANCZ 

This  passionate,  eloquent 
plea  for  nuclear  disarma- 
ment —  with  or  without  Rus- 
sian participation  —  has  had 
a  tremendous  impact  in 
England.  It  is  not  a  book 
about  political  or  military 
strategy.  It  is  a  moving  and 
powerful  declaration  of  hu- 
manity, a  book  calling  upon 
those  fundamental  emotions 
which  distinguish  (or  ought 
to  distinguish)  men  from 
animals.  Victor  Gollancz 
presents  here,  with  terrify- 
ing logic,  his  three  reasons 
why  nuclear  warfare  or  even 
its  contemplation  would  be 
mankind's  "final  and  most 
abominable  iniquity."  His 
arguments,  supplemented  by 
quotations  from  letters  writ- 
ten by  Hiroshima  survivors, 
are  irrefutable  in  their  sim- 
plicity and  urgency.  And 
his  answers  to  those  who 
favor  nuclear  testing,  stock- 

Eiling,    and   the   use   of   the 
omb,  are  devastatingly  ef- 
fective.  The  author  is  one  of 
England's  most  distinguished 
and    courageous   publishers. 
$2.50 

Church   of   the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Seven  of  our  members  registered  in  the 
community  school  of  religion.  Bro  S. 
A.  Meyers  brought  the  message  at  our 
annual  harvest  meeting.  Our  church 
members  helped  in  the  community  re- 
ligious census.  Our  district  delegates 
were  Brethren  S.  A.  Meyers  and 
Charles  L.  Rowland.  Guest  speaker  for 
services  in  observance  of  World  Com- 
munity Day  was  Bro.  W.  Ray  Kyle, 
director  of  material  aid  at  New  Wind- 
sor, Md.  We  enjoyed  colored  slides  of 
Europe  by  individuals  during  our 
evening    services.     Bro.    M.    R.    Zigler 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


spoke  in  our  church.  The  neighboring 
Brethren  churches  were  invited  to  at- 
tend. —  Mrs.  Louise  Helm,  Shippens- 
burg,  Pa. 

Mardela 

Fairview  —  Bro.  David  Hanawalt  was 
with  us  to  discuss  our  church  program. 
Revival  services  were  held  by  Bro. 
Jesse  W.  Whitacre.  Seven  persons 
were  baptized.  The  children  presented 
a  Christmas  program.  The  CBYF  held 
their  traditional  candlelight  and  white 
gift  service  after  which  we  enjoyed  a 
period  of  fellowship.  Johnnie  Williams 
showed  slides  from  pictures  of  his 
service  experiences  in  Oklahoma.  The 
young  folks  went  Christmas  caroling 
and  distributed  boxes.  John  Earl 
Hutchison,  who  has  done  volunteer 
service  in  Europe  and  toured  countries 
in  Asia,  showed  slides  related  to  his 
experiences.  Our  spring  love  feast  will 
be  held  on  Palm  Sunday.  Our  pastor  is 
conducting  training  classes  for  new 
members.  —  Mrs.  Daniel  T.  Bridge, 
Cordova,  Md. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Westminster  —  Our  church  sanctuary, 
Christian  education,  and  new  pipe  or- 
gan have  been  dedicated.  Our  vacation 
Bible  school  was  held  in  our  church  in 
co-operation  with  St.  Paul's  United 
Church  of  Christ.  Supplies  were  col- 
lected for  the  Navajo  Indians.  Bro. 
Earl  Mitchell,  a  former  pastor,  was  the 
speaker  for  our  church  loyalty  week 
services.  A  vesper  concert  was  given 
by  Dr.  Gerald  Cole  of  Western  Mary- 
land college  faculty.  Dr.  Robert  Pond 
was  the  guest  speaker  for  the  district 
men's  dinner.  The  community  Thanks- 
giving service  was  held  in  our  sanctu- 
ary with  Rev.  John  Thomson,  pastor  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  as  speaker.  A 
family  night  was  held  in  connection 
with  quarterly  all-church  council  meet- 
ing; the  filmstrip,  Stories  About  Our 
Christmas  Carols,  was  shown.  We  had 
a  New  Year's  Eve  family  program  and 
watch  night  service  with  individual 
candlelighting.  The  church  records 
show  a  gain  of  fifty-one  members  this 
year.  —  Mrs.  David  Flora,  Westminster, 
Md. 

Middle  Maryland 

Longmeadow  —  Sunday  school  and 
church  officers  were  installed  on  Oct.  4. 
The  church  sponsored  a  program  and 
had  the  evening  meal  at  the  Hagers- 
town  Union  Rescue  mission.  Three 
have  been  baptized.  A  service  was  held 
on  Thanksgiving  day.  A  hymn  sing  was 
held  on  a  Sunday  evening.  The  women's 
fellowship  is  knotting  comforters  for 
relief.  Bro.  Ray  Showalter  from  Bridge- 
water  College  was  our  guest  speaker 
one  Sunday.  We  had  a  family  fellow- 
ship dinner  at  the  Leitersburg  Grange 
hall.  The  CBYF  presented  a  candle- 
lighting  service  on  Christmas  Eve,  fol- 
lowed by  caroling.  —  Mrs.  Galen  Strite, 
Boonsboro,  Md. 

Myersville  —  We  welcomed  Brother 
and  Sister  Clyde  C.  Fry  and  their 
family  into  our  fellowship  with  a  re- 
ception following  the  installation  serv- 
ice. Brother  Fry  has  accepted  the 
pastorate  of  the  Middletown  Valley 
congregation.  The  district  conference 
was  held  in  our  church.  Bro.  Clarence 
R.  Bowman  of  Staunton,  Va.,  con- 
ducted our  preaching  mission  and  offici- 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program,  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  437.  Wanted:  Full-time  occu- 
pational therapy  director  for  mental 
hospital.  Should  have  training  in  this 
area.  Will  work  under  psychiatric  super- 
vision. A  church  sponsored  38-bed  hos- 
pital. Contact:  Mr.  D.  C.  Kauffman, 
Brook  Lane  Farm  Hospital,  R.  5, 
Hagerstown,  Md. 

No.  438.  The  Zion  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Prescott,  Mich.,  is  interested 
in  helping  Brethren  families  relocate  in 
their  area.  Some  farms  are  now  avail- 
able for  sale  and  others  may  be  rented. 
For  further  information  contact  Mr. 
Edwin  Miller,  R.  1,  Box  277,  Prescott, 
Mich. 


ated  at  our  communion  service.  Bro. 
Ray  Showalter  visited  among  the  three 
congregations  for  solicitations  in  the  in- 
terest of  Bridgewater  college.  The  first 
phase  of  the  congregational  study,  with 
Bro.  Arthur  Scrogum,  has  been  com- 
pleted. Three  new  members  have  been 
received  by  baptism  and  four  by  letter. 
Our  women's  fellowship  prepared  and 
distributed  Christmas  fruit  baskets  to 
the  shut-ins  of  the  congregation  and 
community.  The  youth  group  is  hold- 
ing combined  meetings  with  the  other 
two  churches  of  the  congregation.  — 
Margaretta  H.  Rice,  Thurmont,  Md. 

Western  Maryland 

Western  Port  —  Six  new  members 
have  been  received  by  letter  and  two 
babies  dedicated.  We  had  a  special 
service,  sponsored  by  the  ministry  and 
evangelism  committee,  for  all  new  mem- 
bers. Our  church  was  host  to  the 
Western  Maryland  conference.  We  par- 
ticipated in  the  social  welfare  institutes 
conducted  by  Bro.  Jim  Renz.  Seven  of 
our  youth,  their  leaders,  and  pastor, 
Bro.  Levi  J.  Ziegler,  attended  Brethren 
Day  at  Bridgewater  College.  Three  of 
our  young  people  and  Brother  Ziegler 
were  part  of  the  prayer  vigil  at  Fort 
Detrick,  Md.,  where  germ  warfare  is 
being  prepared  for.  Our  members 
brought  gifts  to  a  manger  scene  for  the 
needy  folk  in  our  area.  We  also  dis- 
tributed   gifts    to    forestry    camps    for 


PEWS,PULPIT«CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

il  write  for  Free  catalog 

V   AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

JRRedington&Co. 


DEPT.  211  SCRANTON  2.  PA. 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 


starting  a  100%  Gospel  Messenger  club. 
—  Mrs.  Robert  C.  Zollman,  Lexington, 
Va. 

Southern  Virginia 

Danville  —  The  senior  Bible  class  has 
started  a  new  project.    In  addition  to 

Name   regular  project  of  raising  a  substantial 

amount  each  year  for  our  building  fund 

R.  D.  or  St each  Sunday  the  senior  Bible  class  takes 

a  special  offering  to  be  used  for  worthy 

P.  O Zone  State  causes  as  the  need  arises;  the  class  has 

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in      bought   a  modern  hospital   bed   to   be 

address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address.  used  by  ™e  sic,k  among  us.   A  program 

was  given  at  Christmas  by  the  children 

and  young  people.  A  substantial  amount 

'  of  material  goods  was  collected  and  de- 

livered to  the  relief  truck  to  be  sent  to 
New  Windsor.  Two  comforters  and 
one  hundred  eighty-five  pounds  of 
clothing  were  given  by  the  women's 
fellowship.  Our  church  services  were 
broadcast  by  radio  in  January.  We  had 
a  school  of  missions  during  January. 
Our  pastor,  Bro.  Joseph  E.  Whitacre, 
will  conduct  pre-Easter  services  at  the 
church.  —  Mrs.  Orva  Shaw,  Danville,  Va. 


delinquent  boys  of  Maryland.  Our 
mission  and  service  committee  spon- 
sored a  golden-age  dinner  for  our 
church  members  past  the  age  of  sixty- 
five.  Our  church  was  host  to  the  West 
Marva  district  youth.  The  guest  speak- 
er was  Bro.  James  Flora.  —  Mrs.  Ruth 
Leller,  Western  Port,  Md. 

Second  Virginia 

Beaver  Creek  —  Plans  for  a  Sunday 
school  addition  have  been  approved. 
Our  revival  was  held  by  Bro.  Robert  E. 
Houff.  Twenty-one  new  members  have 
been  added  to  the  church  with  quite 
a  number  rededicating  their  lives.  The 
women's  fellowship  presented  the  play, 
The  Call,  to  inaugurate  the  Call  pro- 
gram. We  participated  in  the  Call  pro- 
gram with  the  missioners  also  presenting 
the  building  program  at  the  same  time. 
Each  group  in  the  church  has  spon- 
sored some  project  for  the  building 
program.  The  women's  fellowship  made 
six  comforters  and  health  kits  for  over- 
seas and  Christmas  stockings  for  mental 
institutions.  Quite  a  number  of  our 
members  attended  the  annual  women's 
fellowship  social  for  the  three  churches 
at  the  Mt.  Bethel  church.  Our  Thanks- 
giving sacrificial  offering  was  sent  to 
the  Share  Our  Surplus  fund.  Bro. 
S.  D.  Glick  brought  the  message  for 
the  Thanksgiving  service  with  the 
offering  going  to  Japanese  relief.  Six 
of  our  members  spent  a  day  at  New 
Windsor  processing  clothing.  At  our 
school  of  missions  we  have  heard  Dr. 
Merle  Eshelman,  returned  missionary  to 
Africa;  Brother  and  Sister  Ira  Petre, 
missionaries  on  furlough  from  Africa; 
Mrs.  Eva  Bowman  and  Bro.  S.  L.  Sim- 
mons as  leaders.  The  young  people 
presented  the  play,  Home  for  Christ- 
mas, and  went  caroling  afterwards.  The 
teachers  of  the  Sunday  school  had  a 
Christmas  party  for  all  the  children  and 
parents.  —  Mrs.  A.  S.  Glick,  Dayton,  Va. 

Buena  Vista  —  Installation  services 
were  held  for  Sunday  school  officers  and 
teachers  during  a  morning  service.  Our 
church  participated  in  the  SOS  pro- 
gram and  the  call  for  aid  in  the  disaster 


of  Japan.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Robert  L. 
Byrd,  held  a  week's  revival  in  our 
church.  The  men's  fellowship  gave  a 
banquet  for  the  entire  church  in  De- 
cember. The  men  are  also  sponsoring 
a  project  to  send  a  heifer  overseas.  Mrs. 
Robert  L.  Byrd  has  recently  shown 
some  slides  from  the  Navajo  Indian 
mission  at  Lybrook,  N.  Mex.    We  are 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


EUROPEAN 

ORIGINS 

of  the  Brethren 


Donald  F.  Durnbaugh 

This  official  anniversary  volume  for  the 
250th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is  a  source  book 
on  the  early  eighteenth  century  Euro- 
pean period  of  our  church.  It  presents 
in  translations  scores  of  documents,  most 
of  them  hitherto  unknown  to  us,  found 
in  the  archives  of  Europe.  $4.75 


Companion  volume,  The  Adventurous  Future, 

is  a  compilation  of  addresses,  papers,  statements,  and  mes- 
sages associated  with  the  celebration  of  the  250th  anniver- 
sary. Compiled  and  edited  by  Paul  H.  Bowman.         $3.75 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


Jht&cn, erf tb<QteZn/vens 


MESSENGER 


MARCH  5.  1960 


LontLy 
sPLtnoofi 


Gendreau 


I  ONG  years  ago  a  slender  free  found  enough  soil  in  which  fo  fake  roof  above  fhe 
L  sheer  sZ  of  a  canyon.  Now  aging,  buf  still  capable  of  raising  a  S™^<*™- 
etfe  aaainsf  fhe  summer  sky.  it  stands  in  lonely  splendor  am,d  the  rocks  that  seem  so 
hosfile  fo  ofher  vegefafion.  The  rains  and  fhe  burning  sun,  fhe  sforms  and  fhe  wh.pp.ng 
w°nd-all  fh forces  fhe  passing  seasons  can  marshal  have  beafen  aga.nsf  fhe  sfurdy 
Zfc  and  fhe  yielding  branches,  buf  fhe  weafher-beafen  free  only  ga.ns  ,n  d,gn,fy 
as  if  endures  from  year  fo  year.  If  is  a  witness  to  the  wisdom  of  hun  who  "has  made  ev- 
ening beau  Z  i  its  timl."  It  is  an  example  to  persons  whose  grow.ng  («£"«"£ 
from  sfffl  and  shaded  sfreams  buf  who  can  asserf  eyen  ,n  fhe.r  .sola  .on  fhaf  God  has 
neTher  fo'offenno,  neglecfed  fhem.  They  foo  bring  forfh  fheir  fru.f  ,n  fhe.r  season  and 
their  leaves  do  not  wither. 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS  WRITE 


to   the  editoi 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

MARCH  5,  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  10 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Whose  Church?    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Beachhead.    Wayne  Zunkel    3 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship:    Luke  and  Timothy. 

Dale  Aukerman    6 

New  Creature.    Byron  Miller 8 

The  Christian  Witness  in  Nationalistic 

Movements.  George  W.  Carpenter  .  11 
Better  Alignment.  Homer  F.  Caskey  . .  13 
Reviews  of  Recent  Books 25 

News  — 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    14 

Kingdom  Gleanings   16 

Church  News    28 

Toward  His  Kingdom  — 

A  Future  for  Falerna.  Nancy  Lawrence  18 
You  and  the  International  Student. 

Mrs.  Harlan  J.  Brooks   21 

Nasrapur  —  Spiritual  Life  Center. 

Florence  M.  Bollinger   21 

"Come  Ye  . . .  Apart."  Mrs.  Betty  Marcy  22 
The  Cross  Hanging  Out  of  Heaven  . .   24 

Brethren  Want  to  Know 25 

•         •         • 

Dr.  Simon  Greenberg,  vice-chancellor 
of  the  Jewish  Theological  Seminary: 
"An  active  awareness  of  man's  awful 
sense  of  responsibility,  not  only  for 
one's  own  destiny,  but  for  the  destiny 
of  all  creation,  must  inform  every  deed, 
regardless  of  how  insignificant  it  may  be 
in  our  estimation.  Until  the  whole  of 
mankind  will  be  organized  to  protect  its 
humblest  member  the  injustice  and  un- 
Idndness  which  he  suffers  will  consti- 
tute a  burden  of  guilt  upon  each  of  us." 

2  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


Order  and  Procedures  at  the  Love 
Feast 

While  planning  our  most  recent 
love  feast,  the  commission  of  deacons 
at  the  North  Baltimore  church  gave 
some  serious  thought  to  the  order 
and  procedures  of  this  very  signifi- 
cant service. 

We  have  been  accustomed  to  a 
service  which  I  believe  corresponds 
essentially  with  love  feasts  through- 
out the  Brotherhood.  Two  concerns 
were  expressed  relating  to  this  serv- 
ice, and  out  of  a  study  of  these  came 
the  decision  to  alter  our  service  some- 
what. These  concerns  were:  (1)  the 
washing  of  feet  prior  to  the  eating 
of  the  meal  seems  quite  unsanitary, 
and  (2)  the  presence  of  a  "head 
table"  at  which  the  pastor,  moder- 
ator, deacons,  etc.,  sat  seems  quite 
undemocratic  and  un-Brethren  in  its 
suggestion  of  a  hierarchy. 

In  studying  these  concerns,  a  re- 
view of  the  Scriptures  (John  13:3-5) 
revealed  that  the  sequence  at  the 
Lord's  Last  Supper  was  in  reverse 
order  from  what  we  had  been  prac- 
ticing. It  clearly  states  that  Jesus 
rose  from  his  supper  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  wash  the  feet  of  his 
disciples.  An  informal  inquiry  of  vari- 
ous church  leaders  in  this  area  failed 
to  elicit  the  reason  our  love  feasts 
had  been  in  reverse  order. 

That  the  sacrament  of  feet  wash- 
ing is  intended  as  an  act  of  humility 
has  been  generally  held  to  be  true 
and  consistent  with  Jesus'  insistence 
on  servitude  for  Christians.  The  fact 
that  the  deacons,  pastor  and  mod- 
erator are  separated  from  congrega- 
tion in  form  only  and  not  in  spirit 
does  not  entirely  dispel  the  illusion 
that  the  priestly  wash  only  the  feet 
of  the  priestly.  Being  separated  thus 
from  the  congregation  as  a  whole 
interdicts  a  complete  sharing  of  this 
service  by  the  entire  congregation. 

We  decided  to  change  the  order 
of  our  service,  that  is,  wash  feet 
after  the  meal,  and  to  be  seated  at 
random,  thus  doing  away  with  the 
special  table.  The  pastor  conducted 
the  service  and  those  who  had  scrip- 
tures to  read  or  who  led  the  congre- 
gation in  prayer  did  so  from  the 
places  where  they  were  seated.  The 
experience  was  well  received  and  a 
most  significant  service  was  shared. 

Because  it  is  our  understanding 
that  the  previous  form  of  our  love 
feast  is  generally  practiced  through- 


out the  Brotherhood  and  because  we 
believe  it  is  good  and  proper  t<j 
discuss  and  examine  religious  cus< 
toms,  we  are  sharing  this  experience) 
hoping  that  it  will  stimulate  thoughi 
and  comment.  —  C.  Lowell  Edwards, 
M.D.,  846  Evesham  Ave.,  Baltimore 
12,  Md. 

Live  What  We  Teach 

A  letter  in  the  Jan.  30  issue  states 
a  truth  when  it  says  that  most  of 
us  would  be  surprised  to  find  how! 
few  young  people  know  the  Ten 
Commandments.  We  would  be  more 
surprised  to  find  how  few  know  the 
Great  Commission  or  even  where  it 
might  be  found  in  the  Bible. 

While  knowing  these  things  by 
memory  dare  not  be  minimized,  yet 
living  them  is  of  far  greater  impor- 
tance. In  a  leadership  training  school- 
last  week,  our  instructor  gave  us  a;; 
get-acquainted  sheet.  The  first  ques- 
tion  was,  "Why  do  you  teach  Sunday;, 
school?"  Bro.  Olden  Mitchell  said1: 
recently  that  we  should  teach  as 
Christ  told  us  to  teach  —  to  observer 
all  things  whatsoever  he  commanded 
us! 

The  most  important  reason  for  my 
teaching  is  that  I  feel  an  urgency 
to  go  and  teach  and  share  the  joy 
of  knowing  our  Savior  and  Lord.  I! 
think  that  this  was  instilled  into  my 
character  by  my  parents  as  they., 
made  our  home  the  center  of  our: 
Christian  growth  by  the  examples 
which  they  set  for  us.  In  their  lives, 
the  church  was  always  foremost,  and 
naturally  they  were  concerned  about 
what  the  church  and  the  public 
schools  taught  and  how  much  they 
used  the  Bible,  but  as  I  look  back 
and  realize  how  much  their  living 
the  Bible  truths  has  meant  to  me, 
I  am  conscious  of  the  task  which 
is  before  us  for  our  children. 

Much  more  co-operation  is  needed 
between  the  church  school  teacher 
and  the  parents  whose  children  she 
teaches.  If  a  teacher  could  be  posi- 
tive that  parents  were  carrying  on 
daily  devotions  in  line  with  the  les- 
sons she  wishes  to  teach  and  that 
together  they  were  living  the  truths 
that  they  teach,  our  church  would 
be  an  even  mightier  fortress  in  the 
world  today  and  truly  we  would  be 
much  better  prepared  to  hear  our 
Lord  say  to  us,  "Well  done,  thou 
good  and  faithful  servant."  —  Mrs. 
Earl  Peters,  Manheim,  Pa. 


I 


Ge 


Some  of  the  houses  near  the  church,  though  older,  are 
well  kept  and  modern  inside.  The  neighborhood  is  a 
blending  of  old  and  new,  rich  and  poor,  black  and  white 


Wayne  Zunkel 


L 


IKE  the  crack  of  a  rifle  in  a  moment  of 
peace  and  quiet  came  the  observation 
by  Truman  B.  Douglass:  "In  almost 
direct  proportion  to  the  increasing  importance 
of  the  city  in  American  culture  has  been  the 
withdrawal  —  both  physical  and  spiritual  —  of 
the  Protestant  church." 

I  could  not  have  been  jolted  more,  for  the 
church  I  serve  is  a  city  church  located  in  the 
Jpeart  of  a  metropolitan  area  of  some  two 
hundred  fifty  thousand.  More  than  this,  ours 
was  a  church  going  through  the  throes  of  de- 
ciding whether  to  remain  in  an  older,  deterior- 
ating neighborhood  hemmed  in  by  streets  and 
houses,  or  to  follow  the  practice  so  common 
among  Brethren  and  Protestants  in  general: 
iGet  what  we  could  for  our  old  church,  find  a 
plot  of  ground  in  a  growing  suburban  com- 
munity, and  build  a  totally  new  church  with 
adequate  parking  facilities. 

To  many  of  us,  it  made  no  sense  to  stay 
where  we  were.  In  fifty  years  at  our  location 
we  had  not  served  our  immediate  community 
in  a  vital  way.  We  were  primarily  a  church  of 
Brethren  scattered  over  a  city,  a  church  of 
Brethren  who  were  moving  ever  farther  from 
8  the  center  where  stands  the  church. 

But  a  new  factor  had  just  been  added  to 
sthe  picture.    Truman  Douglass,  executive  vice- 


One  Brethren  congregation 

has  voted  to  remain   in  the  city 

and  to  maintain  its  strategic 


HHEAD 


president  of  the  Congregational  Christian  Board 
of  Home  Missions,  had  written  an  article  for 
the  November  1958  Harpers'  Magazine  entitled 
The  Job  Protestants  Shirk.  The  ideas  and  con- 
cerns he  expressed  were  new  to  us.  But  they 
made  sense.  In  recent  months  they  have  been 
restated  and  documented  many  times. 

America  is  moving  to  the  city  at  an  alarm- 
ing rate.  One  person  out  of  eight  in  the  U.  S. 
lives  in  a  city  of  more  than  a  million  inhabitants. 
There  was  a  period  between  1920  and  1930 
when  major  cities  witnessed  a  decline  in  popu- 
lation. Actually  these  who  moved  never  really 
left  the  city.  They  merely  moved  to  the  unin- 
corporated fringe  areas. 

However,  since  1940,  the  trend  has  been 
completely  reversed,  and  now  masses  of  the 
population  are  moving  toward  the  city.  Ex- 
tensive redevelopment  programs  are  leveling 
old,  crowded  dwellings  and  replacing  them  with 
new,  modern  apartment  buildings.  Time  Maga- 
zine for  December  14,  1959,  reported  that  by 
1980,  one  hundred  sixty  big  urban  areas  will 
hold  eighty  per  cent  of  the  total  population. 

The  city  is  growing  in  its  importance  in 
American  life.  As  Douglass  mentioned  in  his 
article,  "From  these  cities  spring  the  ideas, 
tastes,  standards,  folkways,  and  value  judgments 
which  —  through  radio,  television,  and  the  mass 
circulation  magazines  —  become  those  of  the 
whole  nation." 


MARCH  5,  1960 


Who  sold  hula  hoops  to  an  entire  nation's 
children  almost  overnight?  From  whence  flows 
such  power?  Politically,  culturally,  religiously 
the  nation's  future  is  being  shaped  in  the  heart 
of  America's  big  cities.  Said  Douglass,  "If  Prot- 
estantism gives  up  the  city  it  virtually  gives  up 
America.  Yet  that  is  precisely  what  it  is  doing." 

Unable  to  close  our  eyes  to  such  words,  a 
pastor  and  a  church  began  to  rethink  assump- 
tions. Suddenly  it  seemed  to  some  of  us  that 
we  were  located  in  the  center  of  what  is  in- 
creasingly a  veiy  crucial  battleground.  It  would 
cost  to  stay  in  the  city.  Land  is  expensive.  To 
expand  means  buying  properties  and  tearing 
down  buildings.  But  here  in  the  heart  of  the 
city  are  children  of  God  en  masse,  far  more 
heads  per  square  block  than  in  the  sprawling 
suburbs.  Here  are  people  who  need  the  ministry 
of  the  church. 

Other  facts  began  to  enter  the  picture.  A 
graduate  student  of  Drew  University  made  an 
extensive  study  of  the  downtown  churches  in 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  discovered  that  Prot- 
estant churches  which  had  moved  to  Newark's 
suburbs  within  the  last  sixty  years  had  not 
necessarily  gained  in  numbers  or  objectives  by 
the  transfer.  Of  those  churches  which  re- 
mained, he  found  that  they  shrank  or  grew  ac- 
cording to  their  leadership. 

One  church  which  stayed,  Second  Presby- 
terian, dwindled  to  three  hundred  eighty-eight 
members  and  then,  finding  the  "right"  minister, 
zoomed  to  a  peak  of  two  thousand  six  hundred 
forty-five  through  program  changes  aimed  at 
reaching  people  of  diverse  backgrounds.  The 
student  found  that  generally  the  more  demo- 
cratic churches  had  more  difficulty  in  uniting 
on  the  needed  strong  program  than  did  those 
churches  from  authoritarian  denominations. 

Prophetic  voices  were  raised  from  still  other 
quarters.  Thomas  K.  Fitzpatrick,  dean  of  the 
School  of  Architecture  at  the  University  of 
Virginia,  writing  not  for  church  members  but 
for  architects  in  the  November  1959  Journal  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Architects  on  the  sub- 
ject, The  Church  in  the  City  of  Tomorrow  said, 
there  is  "no  justification  for  .  .  .  our  flight  to 
the  suburbs." 

He  minced  no  words:  "Too  many  times  we 
have  been  frightened  into  the  'suburban  solu- 
tion, by  ministers  with  an  'edifice'  complex  or 
by  the  foolish  notion  that  the  church  must  neces- 
sarily be  as  convenient  as  the  country  club.  We 
seem  to  have  achieved  an  Alice-in- Wonderland 
concept  that  suburbia  with  its  cute  little  pack- 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Two  blocks  west  of  First  church  is  the  Mulberry  Street 
bridge  which  links  the  Hill  district,  where  the  church 
is  located,  with  downtown  Harrisburg,  some  of  which 
is  scheduled  for  redevelopment,  with  a  civic  auditorium 


ages   for   living   row   on   row,   each  with   its 
handkerchief-size  plot  of  green  will  last  forever, | 
forgetting  that  in  twenty  years  or  less  it  can  be- 
come Drearyville.    I  am  quite  aware   of  the 
enormous  difficulties  one  faces  in  maintaining; 
a  downtown  church  and  all  of  the  parallel  prob- 
lems.  But  the  solution  is  not  found  in  running, 
away." 

By  relocating  we  would  merely  postpone  for 
some  twenty  years  our  entry  into  the  battle  for  ■: 
the  city.  Already  we  had  a  strategic  beachhead  I 
which,  if  abandoned,  probably  could  not  be 
recovered  at  a  future  date  at  any  cost. 

Our  congregation  has  not  found  the  answers 
as  to  how  to  tackle  the  city.  Nor  are  we  all 
agreed  as  to  what  our  program  and  our  future 
shall  be.  But  on  December  6,  1959,  we  made 
a  step  toward  committing  ourselves  to  trying 
to  find  answers.  On  that  day  we  voted  to  remain 
in  the  city  and  to  build  adequate  facilities  at 
our  present  location. 

It  seems  to  us  that  two  programs  will  be 
necessary  if  our  venture  is  to  be  effective.  We 
will  continue  to  need  a  vital  program  appealing 
to  a  wide  range  of  people  scattered  over  the' 
metropolitan  area.  These  folks  would  provide 
leadership  both  financial  and  personnel-wise. 
In  this  respect  we  will  be  a  community  church 
—  not  in  the  sense  of  occupying  houses  side  by 
side  or  of  sending  our  youngsters  to  the  same 
public  school,  but  "community"  in  the  sense  the 
sociologist  uses  the  term.  We  will  be  a  com- 
munity of  people  separated  by  miles,  coming 
from  many  walks  of  life,  but  united  by  common 
spiritual  hungers,  common  dreams,  and  com- 


Continued  on  page  13 


EDITORIAL 


Whose  Church? 

WHEN  a  new  pope  was  chosen  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  sometime  ago, 
a  newspaper  story  described  one  of  his 
first  official  acts.  He  drove  to  an  ancient  church 
and,  as  Bishop  of  Rome,  took  over  the  control 
of  it. 

Perhaps  we  should  not  read  too  much  into 
the  notice.  It  was  a  formality,  of  course,  but 
did  it  not  dangerously  suggest  that  now  the 
pope,  as  official  head  of  the  church,  is  in  pos- 
session of  it?  At  least  we  are  prompted  to  in- 
quire of  the  church  as  we  know  it  —  whose 
church  is  it? 

Visit  some  churches  and  you  will  conclude 
that  the  minister  is  in  possession.  He  may  even 
speak  benevolently  of  "my  church"  and  "my 
people."  He  does  not  intend  to  assert  owner- 
ship, but  perhaps  unconsciously  he  betrays  his 
feeling  of  possession. 

Visit  other  churches  and  you  will  observe 
that  a  layman  with  great  influence,  or  perhaps 
even  a  family  that  has  been  in  control  for  gen- 
erations, looks  possessively  at  the  church.  They 
carefully  screen  any  applicants  for  membership 
and  they  are  cool  toward  any  effort  to  open  the 
way  for  strangers  to  come  in.  After  all,  this  is 
their  church.  It  has  been  in  the  family  for  years. 

Far  more  common  is  the  church  that  seems 
to  belong  to  a  particular  class  of  people.  We 
have  heard  of  churches  that  give  a  warm  wel- 
come only  to  professional  and  business  people. 
There  are  thousands  of  churches  that  deliber- 
ately limit  their  membership  to  people  of  one 
race  or  color.  When  questioned  about  others, 
they  answer,  "Let  them  go  to  their  church  and 
let  us  keep  ours  as  we  have  always  had  it." 
Whose  church?  A  social  group  has  taken  pos- 
session. 

Then  there  is  the  church  that  from  all  ap- 
pearances is  entirely  the  property  of  a  denomi- 
nation. It  was  built  by  Brethren  for  Brethren 
and  only  Brethren  or  potential  Brethren  are 
really  welcome.  Many  churches  have  been 
started  in  strange  cities  not  to  minister  in 
Christ's  name  but  to  provide  a  haven  for  Breth- 
ren-or  Lutherans,  Methodists,  Presbyterians, 
you  name  them  — and  their  children.  Such  a 
church  is  loyal  to  rites  and  ordinances  and  labels 
and  programs  — but  not  always  so  faithful  to 
Jesus  Christ. 

You  can  mention  other  churches  that  ac- 
knowledge   their    ownership  -  state    churches 


belonging  to  a  national  government,  regional 
churches  limited  by  their  geography,  communi- 
ty churches  devoted  to  a  neighborhood.  In  each 
case  the  church  may  have  been  founded  to 
serve  a  worthy  purpose  but  in  many  instances 
it  lost  sight  of  its  true  nature  and  function  so 
that  it  became  a  servant  of  an  individual,  a 
family,  a  class,  a  culture,  a  nation,  or  a  pressure 
group.  Thus,  though  continuing  to  call  itself  a 
church,  it  forgot  to  whom  it  really  belonged. 

Many  of  our  difficulties  in  the  church  today 
could  be  eased  if  we  could  remember  whose 
we  are.  The  church  is  the  body  of  Christ. 
Essentially  it  belongs  to  him  and  to  no  other. 
Whatever  standards  of  membership  are  estab- 
lished must  be  his  —  not  the  ruling  of  a  confer- 
ence or  the  decision  of  a  leader  or  the  vote  of 
a  congregation  or  the  act  of  a  parliament  or 
the  discussion  of  an  assembly. 

The  church  is  Christ's.  It  is  not  a  piece  of 
property  though  indeed  it  is  local.  It  is  a  con- 
gregation of  those  who  have  been  summoned  in 
response  to  a  call.  It  is  a  fellowship  of  believers 
who  have  committed  themselves  to  Christ.  It 
is  his  body,  his  bride,  his  building,  his  house- 
hold. Wherever  Christ  is  present  in  the  midst 
of  two  or  three  who  have  gathered  in  his  name, 
there  is  the  church. 

We  speak  incorrectly  when  we  refer  to  the 
church  only  as  if  it  were  a  building  or  an 
organization  or  an  institution.  To  be  accurate, 
we  could  use  Paul's  terms  in  his  letters  referring 
to  "the  church  of  God  which  is  at  Corinth"  or 
"all  God's  beloved  in  Rome,"  or  "the  faithful 
brethren  in  Christ  at  Colossae."  Even  in  Corinth 
there  were  those  who  forgot  to  whom  the 
church  belonged.  They  claimed  the  supremacy 
of  Paul  or  Apollos  and  thereby  came  division. 
Only  as  we  remember  who  we  are  and  whose 
we  are  will  we  begin  to  understand  the  nature 
and  the  function  of  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

— K.M. 

•         •         • 

There  is  no  salvation  in  war.  Therefore  the  arms 
ought  to  be  abolished  in  order  to  avoid  any  occasion 
of  returning  to  enmity  and  wars.  Such  is  the 
commandment  of  God.  The  question  remains:  What 
shall  we  do  with  rifles  and  guns?  My  answer  is:  Rifles 
ought  to  be  used  against  beasts,  whereas  guns  ought 
to  be  melted  into  bells  to  convocate  the  people,  or  into 
musical  instruments,  so  that  everything  may  serve  the 
glory  of  God. 

/.  A.  Comenius  (1592-1670) 


MARCH  5.  1960 


Men  who  heard 

the  call  to  discipleship: 


Luke 
and 

Timothy 


Dale  Aukerman 


LUKE  was  almost  too 
humble  and  self-effacing. 
Though  he  wrote  about 
a  fourth  of  the  New  Testament 
(more  of  it  than  Paul  in  fact), 
he  did  not  mention  his  own 
name  once.  At  the  beginning  of 
Luke  and  of  the  Acts  he  formal- 
ly addressed  Theophilus,  but 
concealed  his  own  name.  The 
title  Luke  was  given  to  the 
gospel  somewhat  later. 

In  Acts  16:10  there  comes  an 
abrupt  and  intriguing  we:  "And 
when  he  had  seen  the  vision, 
immediately  we  sought  to  go 
on  into  Macedonia,  concluding 
that  God  had  called  us  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  them." 
Presumably  Luke  joined  Paul, 
Silas,  and  Timothy  at  Troas 
shortly  before  the  historic  cross- 
ing over  to  Europe,  and  shared 
with  them  in  the  initial  work  at 
Philippi. 

But  in  Acts  17:1  it  is  they 
who    go    on    to    Thessalonica. 


Overlooking  St.  Paul's  Bay,  Malta,  is  this  statue,  a 
reminder  of  Paul's  shipwreck  near  this  spot  1,900 
years  ago,  as  recorded  by  Luke  in  Acts  of  the  Apostles 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Only  in  Acts  20:6  does  we  pop 
up  again:  Luke  sailed  with 
Paul  from  Philippi  to  Troas.  He 
listened  to  Paul's  nearly  fatal 
sermon  there,  and  at  Miletus 
joined  in  the  farewell  to  the 
Ephesian  elders.  Luke  traveled 
with  Paul  to  Palestine  and  went 
up  with  him  to  Jerusalem. 
When  after  two  years  of  im- 
prisonment at  Caesarea  Paul 
set  out  for  Rome,  the  we  comes 
along  again,  and  Luke  gives  us 
a  graphic  shipwreck  story. 

Through  all  the  we  sections 
Luke  never  steps  outside  the 
obscurity  of  his  we.  It  would 
have  been  helpful  if  he  had 
used  his  name  a  few  times; 
there  would  have  been  less 
room  for  skepticism  about  the 
authorship  of  Luke  and  Acts. 
But  the  earliest  Christian  tradi- 
tions  and   post-apostolic   writ- 


ings unite  in  assigning  the  two 
books  to  Luke. 

Luke  seems  to  have  been  a 
Greek,  though  we  cannot  be 
quite  certain  of  this.  The  only 
sort  of  immortality  that  most 
Greek  and  Roman  intellectuals 
found  much  meaning  in  was  the 
"immortality"  of  having  one's 
name  "live"  on  in  history  be- 
cause of  memorable  deeds  or] 
artistic  creation.  Luke  was  gift- 
ed and  he  knew  it.  His  un- 
willingness to  use  his  name  may 
in  part  represent  his  climactic 
"no"  in  a  long  personal  struggle 
against  the  desire  for  fame  in 
history. 

Luke  did  get  mentioned  in 
the  New  Testament  though  — 
three  times,  and  briefly,  by 
Paul.  When  Paul  from  a  jail  in 
Rome  wrote  the  twin  letters  to 
the   Colossians   and  Philemon, 


Luke  "the  beloved  physician" 
was  with  him.  His  name  in 
both  letters  was  placed  next  to 
that  of  Demas;  the  two  men 
worked  closely  together. 

However,  Paul  in  closing  his 
second  letter  to  Timothy  need- 
ed to  write,  "Demas,  in  love 
with  this  present  world,  has  de- 
serted me  and  gone  to  Thessa- 
lonica;  Luke  alone  is  with 
me."  Luke  remained  loyal,  and 
one  has  the  impression  that 
Paul  especially  cherished  Luke's 
companionship. 

Timothy  was  Paul's  even 
more  intimate  companion.  "I 
have  no  one  like  him,"  Paul,  in 
chains  at  Rome,  wrote  to  the 
Philippians;  unlike  others  (even 
in  the  church )  Timothy  looked, 
not  after  his  own  interests,  but 
those  of  Jesus  Christ.  "As  a  son 
with  a  father"  he  served  with 
Paul  in  proclaiming  the  gospel. 

Timothy  was  already  a  dis- 
ciple when  Paul  first  met  him 
at  Lystra.  His  mother  and 
grandmother  were  Christians, 
but  apparently  his  Greek  father 
held  to  pagan  ways.  The  di- 
videdness  of  this  home  may 
have  been  the  chief  source  of 
certain  weaknesses  in  Timothy's 
character. 

Paul  was  immediately  struck 
by  Timothy's  potential:  his 
deep-moving  earnestness,  the 
calm  simplicity  and  mellowness 
of  lus  ways.  These  are  particu- 
larly sonlike  qualities,  and 
Timothy,  more  fully  than  any 


other  Biblical  person  (except 
Jesus),  was  a  son. 

In  association  with  Paul  and 
under  pressure  of  great  respon- 
sibilities Timothy  developed 
fast.  He  and  Silas  remained 
with  the  new  fellowship  at 
Beroea  when  Paul  had  to  leave. 
They  preached  with  Paul  in 
Corinth.  Timothy  won  the  af- 
fection of  the  Corinthian  Chris- 
tians and,  when  troubles  later 
broke  out,  was  seen  by  Paul  as 
the  natural  person  to  go  and 
straighten  things  out.  The 
Corinthians  though  were  too 
much  for  Timothy  to  handle; 
Paul  needed  to  send  Titus. 

Paul  gives  Timothy's  name 
alongside  his  own  at  the  begin- 
ning of  1  and  2  Thessalonians, 
2  Corinthians,  Philippians,  Co- 
lossians,  and  Philemon.  And  we 
have  of  course  the  two  letters 
written  to  Timothy.  During 
Paul's  prison  years  Timothy  was 
his  wide-ranging  emissary  to 
many  churches.  Timothy's  mind 
was  full  of  the  Christian  teach- 
ing that  came  through  Paul. 
Better  than  anyone  else  he 
could  echo  the  gospel  Paul  was 
proclaiming. 

Timothy  had  a  weak  stomach 
and  "frequent  ailments."  He  at 
times  lacked  strength  and  vigor 
of  character.  His  winsome 
meekness  easily  shifted  back 
into  shyness  and  timidity.  Paul 
at  times  needed  to  urge  him, 
"Let  no  one  despise  your 
youth." 


The  purpose  of  the  Call  to  Discipleship  program  can  be 

stated  briefly: 

•  to  gain  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  meaning  of 

Christian  discipleship 

•  to  feel  the  pull  to  a  more  genuine  personal 

commit- 

ment 

•  to  deepen  the  spiritual  lift 

2  of  families 

•  to  enrich  congregational 

worship 

•  to  maintain  the  spirit  of 

evangelism  that  is 

gripping 

the  church  more  firmly 

■n       ■        '  i  '" 

In  2  Tim.  1:6-7  Paul  wrote, 
"I  remind  you  to  rekindle  the 
gift  of  God  that  is  within  you; 
for  God  did  not  give  us  a  spirit 
of  timidity  but  a  spirit  of  power 
and  love  and  self-  control."  This 
rekindle  and  some  other  exhor- 
tations in  the  two  letters  suggest 
that  Paul  felt  Timothy  had 
grown  a  little  languid  in  faith 
and  might  become  more  so  after 
losing  his  spiritual  father. 

Timothy's  mind  was  im- 
mersed in  the  stories  about 
Jesus,  especially  those  of  his 
death  and  resurrection.  The 
risen  Lord  was  vividly  real  to 
him.  Timothy  was  continually 
preaching  Christ.  But  Timothy 
let  himself,  perhaps,  be  too 
much  the  son  of  Paul  and  not 
enough  the  disciple  of  Jesus. 
Being  a  son  was  easier  than  be- 
ing a  disciple.  Yet  this  was  a 
sonship  that  prodded  always 
toward  fuller  discipleship. 

The  gospel  story  must  have 
had  a  profound  impact  on  Luke. 
From  the  time  he  first  heard 
about  Jesus,  he  sought  to  learn 
more;  and  through  the  years  he 
kept  seeking.  As  the  call  to 
write  became  clear  to  him,  his 
buttonholing  of  original  eye- 
witnesses increased.  He  cross- 
checked accounts  of  incidents, 
rejected  unverifiable  stories. 

In  the  first  prologue  to  The- 
ophilus  he  stresses  his  desire  for 
certainty  and  accuracy.  But  far 
more  than  for  these  his  desire 
was  to  know  Jesus,  to  meet  him 
more  fully.  A  big  part  of  the 
power  in  Luke's  writing  is  that 
he  is  discovering  Jesus  right 
along  with  us.  The  stories  are 
ever  so  incisively  new  to  him. 

Luke  sought  Jesus  more 
through  the  memory  of  eye- 
witnesses; Timothy  sought  him 
more  through  the  interpreta- 
tions of  inspired  minds.  Both 
men  found  him,  and  in  the  years 
of  their  co-labor  he  transmuted 
all  their  seeking  into  finding. 

MARCH  5.   1960  7 


THE  glory  of  our  gospel  is 
its  power  to  change  life. 
As  one  goes  up  the  hier- 
archy of  nature  which  God  has 
created,  he  finds  an  increasing 
capacity  for  adaptation:    H2O 
is  capable  of  assuming  the  three 
forms  of  ice,  water,  and  steam. 
Plants   adapt   only  to   seasons 
and  local  conditions.    Animals 
have  the  additional  powers  of 
movement,    though    each    re- 
mains fixed  in  type.  A  cow  will 
always  be  a  cow.  But  man  has 
the  greatest  capacity  of  all  for 
change.   He  who  is  born  of  the 
flesh  can  also  be  born  of  the 
Spirit.   He  who  is  only  a  crea- 
ture can  become  a  child  of  God. 
Man  alone  is  convertible.    By 
the  grace  of  God,  he  can  be 
"transferred  from  the  dominion 
of  darkness  into  the  kingdom 
of  his  beloved  Son"  ( Col.  1 :  13 ) . 
A  parishioner  of  mine  once 
asked:     "Why    don't    we    see 
miracles  performed  today,  as  in 
Jesus'  time?"    I  think  I  knew 
what  he  meant,  but  I  was  dis- 
appointed that  he  apparently 
did  not  see  the  greatest  miracle 
of    all  —  lives    being    changed 
through  Jesus  Christ.    This  is 
happening  every  day,  to  people 
of  all  walks  of  life.   One  of  the 
most  graphic  Biblical  illustra- 
tions we  have  of  a  changed  life 
is  that  of  Saul  of  Tarsus. 

Saul  was  devoted  to  carrying 
out  what  he  conceived  as  God's 
will.  He  had  made  himself  pub- 
lic prosecutor  of  Christians. 
With  the  necessary  official  doc- 
uments, Saul  set  out  for  Damas- 
cus, "breathing  threatenings 
and  slaughter  against  the  dis- 
ciples of  the  Lord."  It  was  his 
plan  to  bring  all  Christians, 
bound,  to  Jerusalem  for  trial. 

Then  a  marvelous  thing  hap- 
pened. A  dazzling  light  from 
heaven  struck  Saul  prostrate  to 
the  ground.  Then  he  heard  a 
voice,  "Saul,  Saul,  why  do 
you  persecute  me?"  Falteringly 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Therefore  if  any  man 
be  in  Christ,  he  is  a 


New  Creature 


old  things  are  passed  away; 
behold,  all  things  are  become  new 


Byron  Miller 


Saul  asked,  "Who  are  you, 
Lord?"  And  he  said,  "I  am 
Jesus,  whom  you  are  persecut- 
ing; rise,  enter  into  the  city,  and 
you  will  be  told  what  you  are 
to  do."  Saul  arose,  but  being 
blind  he  was  led  by  others  into 
Damascus.  There  in  the  house 
of  Judas,  Saul  fasted  and 
prayed. 

After  three  days,  he  was 
touched  by  one  named  Ananias, 
received  his  sight,  and  was  bap- 
tized. And,  immediately,  Saul 
went  into  the  synagogues  and 
proclaimed  "Jesus  as  the  Son  of 
God"  (Acts  9:20).  There  was 
a  clear  "before  Christ"  and  an 
"after  Christ"  in  the  life  of  Paul. 
He  became  God's  man  to  take 
the  good  news  to  the  Gentiles. 
Here  are  some  of  his  rich  words 
of  testimony:  "If  any  man  is  in 
Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature;  old 
things  have  passed  away;  be- 
hold the  new  has  come"  ( 2  Cor. 
5:17);  "It  is  no  longer  I  that 
liveth,  but  Christ  that  liveth  in 


me"  (Gal.  2:20);  "For  me  to 
live  is  Christ"  (Phil.  1:21). 

Some  may  say:  "I  never  had 
a  dramatic  experience  of  Christ 
like  Paul."  This  may  be  true. 
To  feel  that  God  expects  all  to 
have  the  same  experience  of 
Christ  is  to  misunderstand  how 
the  Holy  Spirit  works  in  the  life 
of  the  believer.  The  point  is 
not  how  it  happens,  but  that  it 
does  happen. 

Clovis  Chappell  illustrates 
this  well  in  one  of  his  books.  A 
farmer  had  two  colts  of  like  age. 
From  the  first,  he  worked  gent- 
ly with  the  one,  patting  it, 
stroking  it,  leaning  against  it, 
leading  it  out  of  the  stall.  This 
same  ritual  was  performed  each 
day.  One  day  he  threw  a 
blanket  on  it,  later  put  a  bridle 
on  it,  and  still  later  a  saddle. 
Then  he  climbed  on  the  colt, 
and  the  steed  walked  off  calmly, 
as  if  it  had  always  been  ridden. 

With  the  other  colt,  the  farm- 
er did  not  try  to  "break  him" 


, 


Luoma 


When  a  person  comes  to  God  in  contrition  and 
in  faith  he  can  change  him  into  a  new  creation 


for  several  years.  And  when  he 
did,  there  was  protest.  The  colt 
reared,    kicked,    jumped,    and 
threw   the    owner   off    several 
times.    But  after  many  stormy 
sessions,  the  colt  was  "broken" 
to  ride.  The  end  result  was  the 
same  in  both  animals,  but  the 
process  was  different.    In  the 
one,  it  was  gradual;  with  the 
other  it  was  stormy  and  violent. 
So   whether   our   conversion 
comes  as  a  "crisis  or  as  quietly 
as  the  dawn,"  it  finds  its  validi- 
ty in  the  life  lived  afterward. 
This  is  the  test.  "By  their  fruits, 
ye  shall  know  them,"  said  Jesus 
(Matt.   7:20).    He  had   great 
concern  over  the  religionists  of 
his  day  who  carefully  kept  the 
traditional  forms  of  religion  - 
attended  the  synagogue,  fasted, 
gave  liberally,  made  long  pray- 
ers _  yet  their  lives  were  a  con- 
tradiction." 

All  through  our  history,  we 
Brethren  have  stressed  religion 
as   life -the   "good   life,"   the 


spiritual  life,  life  that  has  hands 
and  feet.  This  is  good  and  right, 
but,  reacting  unfavorably  to  the 
more  emotional  sects  who  stress 
salvation  almost  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  equally  important  doc- 
trines, we  Brethren,  I  fear,  have 
passed  too  lightly  over  the  pre- 
requisite to  the  good  life,  a 
direct  encounter  with  Jesus 
Christ  in  a  conversion  experi- 
ence. 

Hence,  in  our  church  we  are 
trying  to  nurture  many  lives 
that  have  never  been  born. 
They  are  attracted,  but  not 
committed,  not  won.  They  are 
wearing  themselves  out  trying 
to  keep  up  an  outward  form  of 
moral  respectability,  to  do  what 
is  expected  of  them,  but  the 
inner  life  (subconscious)  con- 
tradicts the  outer  effort.  The 
inner  life  is  not  saying  "Amen" 
to  the  outer  acts.  So  in  many 
lives  there  is  form  without  fire, 
motion  without  change,  effort 
without  fruit. 


Jesus  said:  "Ye  must  be  born 
again"  to  see  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  (John  3:3).  Brethren 
need  to  recover  this  emphasis 
in  the  lives  of  both  clergymen 
and  laity.  There  are  cherished 
sins  that  need  to  be  forsaken, 
lazy  bodies  and  minds  that  need 
discipline,  halfhearted  devotion 
that  needs  wholehearted  com- 
mitment to  Christ.  We  need  a 
better  understanding  of  con- 
version and  more  declaration 
about  it. 

Conversion  is  not  something 
we  do  for  ourselves.    It  is  an 
act  of  God  in  response  to  our 
contrition    and    faith    in    him 
(John  1:12;  Eph.   2:8).    Con- 
version   is    not    the    old    life 
patched   up   by   resolute    self- 
effort  and  improvement.    Con- 
version   is    a    "new    creation." 
Conversion  is  not  some  isolated 
experience  of  finality,  separated 
from  life.  It  is  a  time  of  choos- 
ing Christ,  yes,  but  also  a  dy- 
namic,   transforming,    growing 
process  of  life,  "being  changed 
into  Christ's  likeness  from  ^  one 
degree  of  glory  to  another"  (2 
Cor.  3:18). 

Conversion  is  not  necessarily 
synonymous  with  joining  a 
church,  though  in  some  lives  it 
may  be.  But  many  who  have 
joined  the  church  are  not  differ- 
ent. The  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are 
not  obvious  in  their  lives. 

If  anyone  is  converted,  two 
things  must  happen:  There 
must  be  a  coming  down  of  the 
higher  order  to  the  lower,  and 
a  surrendering  of  the  lower  or- 
der to  the  higher.  God  has  al- 
ready come  down  to  us  in  Jesus. 
Therefore,  the  blockage  must 
be  on  our  side.  "But  as  many  as 
receive  Jesus  .  .  .  they  are  born, 
not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of 
man,  but  of  God"  (John  1:12- 
13).  Jesus  used  the  figure  of 
birth  to  illustrate  it.  A  child  is 
surrendered  to  the  mother  in 
embryo.  It  has  eyes,  but  cannot 


MARCH   5,   I960 


see,  legs  that  cannot  walk;  it 
has  developed  just  so  far.  Then 
one  day  it  is  born!  It  bursts  into 
a  new  world;  it  sees,  it  eats,  it 
grows,  it  walks;  and  it  becomes 
a  mature  adult. 

As  we  are  bom  into  the  hu- 
man family  so  we  must  be  born 
into  the  divine  family.  We  burst 
into  a  new  world  and  a  new 
world  bursts  into  us.  What  a 
miracle!  And  what  glorious  re- 
sults! 

Now  there  is  a  reality  in  the 
soul  never  there  before.  We 
preached  about  God,  we  sang 
about  him,  we  taught  about 
him,  but  we  did  not  know  him. 
Now  he  is  a  possession,  not  a 
profession.  He  is  knowable. 
For  if  God  can  convert  a  man 
without  his  knowing  it,  he  can 
lose  his  religion  without  missing 
it. 

There  is  a  recentering  of  life 
around  Christ.  Before,  our  loy- 
alties were  divided  between 
multiple  selves.  Energy  was 
wasted  trying  to  find  life's  goal 
between  competitive  interests. 
Now  the  energy  can  be  spent 
in  making  the  journey. 

Jesus  becomes  not  only  a 
model  to  be  copied,  but  a  life 
to  be  lived  —  in  us.  "Christ  in 
you,  the  hope  of  glory,"  says 
Paul  (Col.  1:27). 

The  convert's  judgment  of 
values  is  transformed.  Things 
which  before  seemed  precious, 
now  are  considered  trivial; 
things  which  before  seemed  in- 
consequential are  now  the  es- 
sence of  real  life.  When  price 
tags  of  life  are  so  mixed  that 
one  oscillates  between  what  the 
world  has  to  offer  and  Christ's 
offer,  his  conversion  is  question- 
able. 

The  convert  is  a  "new  crea- 
ture" (2  Cor.  5:17).  Old  loves 
are  gone;  a  new  affection 
takes  their  place.  Old  attitudes 
of  selfishness  and  pride  are 
changed  to  humility.    The  old 


disposition  is  changed  to  sweet- 
ness. Fear  and  worry  give  way 
to  peace  and  confidence  of  soul. 
Waning  strength  is  reinforced 
by  a  power  that  enables  us  to 
do  things  which  before  seemed 
impossible. 

In  all  our  church  life,  conver- 
sion is  the  crying  need.  In 
evangelism,  if  our  experience  of 
Christ  is  so  lean  in  spiritual 
quality  that  we  have  so  little  to 
share,  a  Call  program  is  not 
the  answer.  Christ's  converting 
power  is  the  answer.  Then  a 
person  "cannot  help  but  speak 
of  the  things  he  has  seen  and 
heard"  ( Acts  4 :  20 ) .  How  can  a 
converted  man  or  woman  ra- 
tionalize, make  excuses  and  be 
as  irregular  in  public  worship 
as  many  church  members  are! 
Is  there  anything  else  to  con- 
clude but  that  the  power  of 
Christ  has  not  touched  that 
area  of  his  or  her  life  when 
some  members  can  hardly  wait 
until  they  get  out  of  church  to 


light  up  their  favorite  brand  of 
tobacco? 

I  am  also  amazed  at  the  inner 
resentment  harbored  in  unlov- 
ing hearts.  Genuinely  converted 
people  have  a  different  nature. 
"He  loves  because  he  is  born  of 
God  and  knows  God,  for  God  is 
love"  (1  John  4:7-8). 

The  transforming  power  of 
Christ  remade  faltering  Peter 
into  a  pillar  for  Christ,  changed 
Saul  the  persecutor  into  Paul 
the  proclaimer  of  Christ,  caused 
the  chains  of  sensuality  to  fall 
from  St.  Augustine  in  the  gar- 
den of  Milan,  and  "strangely 
warmed"  the  heart  of  John  Wes- 
ley in  a  Methodist  meeting. 

Have  you  become  a  new 
creature  through  the  convert- 
ing power  of  Christ?  Have  I? 
Have  all  the  members  of  our 
churches?  If  so,  Christ  calls  us 
to  live  the  maximum  Christian 
life.  If  not,  it  is  not  too  late. 
The  gospel  gives  us  a  fresh 
beginning  when  we  are  ready. 


Religious  News  Service 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Arranging  his  scant  supply  of  gospel  literature  which  he  transports  in  a 
reed  basket,  this  aging  Indian  evangelist  sets  up  a  portable  bookstall  by 
a  wayside,  ready  to  bear  witness  to  his  faith.   Eager  customers  press  close 


The  Christian  Witness 


A  SURGE  toward  freedom 
is  now  gaining  momen- 
tum in  Africa.  French 
colonies  have  become  autono- 
mous republics  in  a  new  French 
commonwealth,  Ghana  gained 
independence  within  the  British 
family  of  nations  in  1957,  and 
other  West  African  countries 
are  well  on  the  way,  including 
Nigeria. 

This  widespread  urge  toward 
freedom  *  takes  the  name  of 
nationalism.  The  first  goal  of 
a  subject  people  is  to  throw  off 
the  foreign  yoke  and  be  free.  A 
recent  affirmation  of  leaders  of 
an  independence  movement  in 
Belgian  Congo  is  typical.  It 
reads  in  part: 

"In  his  own  country  a  man's 
rights  should  prevail  .  .  . 

"Any  people  persecuting  .  .  . 
another  will  receive  punish- 
ment from  men  and  rebuke 
from  God. 

"Therefore,  chiefs,  recorders, 
counselors  and  elders,  be  awake, 
be  ready.  In  chains,  imprison- 
ment, trials,  hunger,  and  death 
be  joyful,  for  we  suffer  for  the 
sake  of  our  country,  which  God 
in  the  highest  made  for  us  .  .  . 

"It  is  good  to  rule,  but  not  to 
be  ruled.   Be  strong!" 

Echoes  of  the  American  Rev- 
olution seem  to  ring  through 
this  statement  and  many  like  it. 
Not  least  notable  is  the  fre- 
quently recurring  reference  to 
God,  the  Creator  and  Judge  of 
the  nations,  the  Author  of  Free- 
dom, who  gives  to  each  people 
its  dwelling  place.  It  is  not  by 
accident  that  Christians,  ani- 
mated with  Biblical  faith  in 
such  a  God,  often  feel  called  to 
support  and  even  to  lead  nation- 
alistic movements. 

Until  the  struggle  for  free- 
dom is  won,  the  issues  are 
simple.    Liberty  is  good,  any- 


Dr.  George  W.  Car- 
penter, now  active 
general  secretary  of 
the  International  Mis- 
sionary Council,  has 
spent  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century 
as  a  missionary  in 
Africa.  What  he  has 
to  say  about  the 
church's  relationship 
to  nationalism  applies 
not  only  to  the  "young- 
er churches"  in  new 
nations,  out  to  the 
church  everywhere,  in- 
cluding America. 


thing  that  stands  in  the  way  is 
bad.  Even  after  the  attainment 
of  independence  the  movement 
may  continue  for  some  time  by 
its  own  momentum.  If  the  new 
government  is  weak,  ineffective, 
or  ill-advised,  its  failures  can 
be  charged  to  the  former  ruling 
power,  which  becomes  a  scape- 
goat for  faults  not  its  own. 
Fear  of  falling  again  under  for- 
eign political  or  economical 
control  can  be  used  to  rally 
popular  support  even  for  a 
poorly  run  administration.  "Self- 
government  is  more  important 
than  good  government"  is  a 
plausible  slogan. 

But  this  situation  does  not 
last.  A  nation  has  to  learn  to 
stand  on  its  own  feet  and  move 
forward.  The  task  of  building 
a  new  nation  in  this  modern 
world  is  hard,  long,  and  intri- 
cate. It  demands  powers  of 
statesmanship,  administrative 
skills,  a  mature  wisdom,  and  a 
devotion  to  the  public  interest, 
that  are  likely  to  be  in  short 
supply  —  especially  in  a  new 
nation  with  limited  experience 
in  self-government. 

Persons  possessing  these  gifts 


in 

Nationalist 

Movements 


are  not  necessarily  the  ones  in 
whose  hands  power  is  placed. 
There  is  always  danger  that  a 
young  nation  will  fall  into  some 
new  despotism,  not  this  time  at 
the  hands  of  a  foreign  power, 
but  in  subjection  to  an  indige- 
nous dictatorship  which  rules 
by  force  because  it  lacks  the 
wisdom  and  patience  to  make 
democracy  work. 

In  many  instances,  the  basic 
issue  is  that  of  achieving  a 
single  national  loyalty  embrac- 
ing and  sustaining  the  whole 
country  and  all  its  peoples, 
where  the  prior  loyalties  were 
on  a  much  smaller  scale.  How 
big  is  a  "nation"?  The  Iroquois 
Indians  of  America,  numbering 
at  most  a  few  tens  of  thousands, 
were  a  confederation  of  five 
"nations,"  five  separate  groups, 
each  held  together  by  the  loyal- 
ty of  its  members  toward  each 
other. 

Any  nationalist  movement 
has  to  build  upon  the  existing 
loyalty  bond  of  its  supporters. 
It  can  only  include  those  who 
already  feel  themselves  to  be 
in  some  real  sense  one  people. 
It  is  likely  to  emphasize  the 
differences  from  those  on  the 


MARCH  5,  1960 


11 


outside  in  order  to  reinforce 
the  national  identity  uniting 
the  group. 

Hence,  in  relation  to  the  scale 
of  modern  states,  nationalism  is 
likely  to  be  sectional,  even  di- 
visive, rather  than  a  unifying 
factor.  Cultural  and  religious 
factors  become  the  elements  of 
politics.  For  instance,  Ceylon 
is  an  island,  not  too  large  to  de- 
velop national  institutions  read- 
ily, but  it  is  not  one  community. 
Tamils  and  Buddhists  are  sepa- 
rate cultural  groups,  far  from 
ready  to  sink  their  differences 
in  a  common  nationhood. 

This  problem  of  loyalties  is 
particularly  acute  where  several 
peoples  of  different  racial  ori- 
gins, languages,  and  cultures 
have  migrated  into  the  same 
territory,  each  of  them  regard- 
ing the  country  as  their  national 
homeland.  The  Union  of  South 


Africa  is  the  most  serious  case. 
Afrikaner  nationhood  is  focused 
in  the  Nationalist  Party,  which 
holds  dominant  political  power. 
It  seeks  to  establish  a  repub- 
lic enshrining  its  doctrine  of 
apartheid  ( separate  national  de- 
velopment for  the  diverse  eth- 
nic groups). 

African  political  and  social 
aspirations  center  largely  in 
the  African  National  Congress; 
Asians  form  another  distinct 
group  with  "national"  aspira- 
tions; and  the  "colored"  people 
(of  mixed  European,  African 
and  Malay  ancestry)  form  a 
group  distinct  from  all  the 
others. 

It  is  clearly  impossible  for  all 
these  "nations"  to  attain  mutual- 
ly exclusive  goals  within  the 
same  homeland.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  the  Afrikaner  ideal  of 
separation  can  be  carried  out 
without  economic  suicide  or 
without  disastrous  social  effects. 
An  inclusive  national  loyalty 
embracing  all  the  peoples  of  the 


Union  seems  to  be  the  only  con- 
structive and  permanent  solu- 
tion. 

In  such  situations  the  Chris- 
tian "ministry  of  reconciliation" 
is  of  crucial  importance.  Lines 
of  separation  must  be  crossed, 
antagonisms  must  give  place  to 
co-operation.  Christians  start 
with  the  conviction  that  in  Jesus 
Christ  the  "middle  wall  of  parti- 
tion" has  already  been  broken 
down.  All  Christians  are  one 
people  in  Christ.  Even  more 
basically,  all  people  are  children 
of  the  same  Creator  God,  made 
of  one  blood  and  members  un- 
der God  of  the  same  human 
family.  Christ  is  Lord  of  the 
church  and  Lord  of  the  world, 
and  the  calling  of  the  church  is 
to  make  that  Lordship  evident 
both  within  its  own  life  and  in 
every  human  relationship. 

As  Christians  cope  with  these 
issues,  both  as  individuals  and 
in  the  corporate  life  of  the 
church  and  nation,  the  church 
also  comes  under  judgment.  A 


Africa,  for  centuries  a  sleeping  continent,  is  at  last  awake  and 
stirring.   Typical  of  the  swift  political  and  cultural  changes, 
which  Christian  mission  officials  view  as  signaling  a  need  for  a 
new  thrust  in  this  decade,  is  the  spiraling  demand  for  trained 
nationals  in  all  fields.   Here,  an  Oxford-educated  geography 
master  at  Achimota  College,  near  Accra,  Ghana  (left),  discusses 
the  new  Africa  with  students  at  a  government-sponsored  school 


fresh  realization  arises  that  the 
church  itself  must  exemplify  the 
"gathering  of  the  nations,"  both 
in  the  personal  relations  of  its 
members,  in  the  inclusiveness  of 
its  congregational  life,  and  in 
the  world-embracing  fellowship 
of  which  the  local  congregations 
are  a  part. 

The  failure  of  many  Chris- 
tians to  "cross  frontiers"  in  their 
own  friendships  and  attitudes 
is  one  of  the  major  stumbling 
blocks  to  the  acceptance  of  the 
gospel  in  the  new  nations. 
Events  in  the  so-called  "Chris- 
tian nations"  of  the  West  are  all 
too  often  used  to  discredit 
Christianity  in  Asia  and  Africa. 
Christians  there  are  compelled 
to  accept  the  reproach  and  to 
apologize  for  what  they  cannot 
condone.  This  does  not  com- 
mend the  gospel  to  the  unbe- 
liever. 

What  is  it,  then,  that  does 
commend  the  gospel?  Perhaps 
most  of  all  it  is  the  quality  of 
person  that  results  when  the 
new  life  that  is  in  Christ  comes 
to  full  expression.  The  young 
nations  have  tremendous  need 
for  persons  whose  primary  mo- 
tive is  devotion  to  the  public 
good,  who  are  able  to  think 
boldly  and  judge  wisely  be- 
cause their  own  spirits  have 
been  set  free  from  bondage  to 
self,  to  tradition,  or  to  false  or 
temporary  goals. 

Neither  the  ancient  religions 
of  Asia  and  Africa  nor  the 
pseudo  faith  of  modern  secular- 
ism has  this  liberating  power. 
They  lack  even  the  basic 
conception  of  committed  per- 
sonality which  is  central  in 
Christianity.  For  this  reason 
Christian  faith  does  in  fact  pro- 
vide an  element  essential  to  the 
healthy  growth  of  society.  Not 
only  in  posts  of  conspicuous 
leadership  but  in  thousands  of 
unheralded  positions  of  service, 
Christians  are  bearing  effective 
witness  by  their  contribution  to 
the  building  of  the  new  society. 


This  is  possible  only  by  virtue 
of  the  fact  that  Christianity  has 
already  taken  root  as  a  living, 
indigenous  force  within  the 
social  fabric  of  almost  every 
country.  A  common  religious 
faith  is  one  of  the  ties  by  which 
nationalism  builds  up  the  co- 
hesiveness  of  a  people.  If  the 
Christian  minority  is  regarded 
as  "foreign,"  its  adherents  be- 
come outcasts  and  may  suffer 
severely. 

The  saving  fact  is  that  the 
gospel  is  universal,  it  belongs 
not  to  one  culture  but  to  all 
mankind,  and  that  Christian  cit- 
izens in  every  country  are  able 
and  eager  to  identify  themselves 
with  the  highest  national  inter- 
est. An  Indonesian  Christian  re- 
marks, "We  Christians  have  to 
show  that  we  are  just  as  good 
revolutionaries  as  anyone  else." 
Nationalism  is  arousing  many 
Christians  out  of  the  "ghetto 
mentality"  into  which  they 
were  falling,  and  thrusting  them 
into  the  main  streams  of  na- 
tional life. 

And  when  the  first  fever 
of  revolutionary  enthusiasm 
abates,  it  is  the  Christian,  with 
his  commitment  to  eternal  val- 
ues and  his  sense  of  relatedness 
to  all  mankind,  who  is  most 
able  to  conserve  what  has  been 
gained  and  to  point  the  way 
forward. 

This  article  was  prepared  in  behalf  of 
the  eighteenth  Ecumenical  Student  Con- 
ference on  the  Christian  World  Mission, 
which  met  at  Ohio  University,  Ohio, 
December   27,    1959,    to   January   2,    1960. 


Better  Alignment 
Homer  F.  Caskey 

YOU  had  better  get  those 
wheels  aligned  soon,  or 
else,"  said  my  auto  me- 
chanic as  he  pointed  to  my  front 
tires.  I  said,  "What  do  you 
mean  by  'or  else?"  He  replied, 
"Well,  if  you  don't  get  them  in 
line  your  front  tires  will  soon  be 
gone.  They  are  pulling  against 
each  other." 

That    statement,    "pulling 


against  each  other,"  made  me 
think  of  some  church  members. 
If  there  is  not  some  spiritual 
alignment  made  soon  they  will 
find  themselves  on  a  junk  heap. 

It  cost  me  $10  for  what  I 
thought  a  small  operation  on  my 
car,  but  it  was  worth  it  because 
it  eliminated  friction  and  saved 
tires. 

We  know  that  there  is  no 
man-made  machine  for  spiritual 
adjustment.  However,  there  is 
a  process,  a  divine  dynamic, 
made  available  for  everyone 
who  might  be  out  of  line  with 
God  and  his  children. 

Once  a  great  man,  Saul  of 
Tarsus,  was  informed  by  our 
Lord  that  he  was  dreadfully  out 
of  line.  He  was  pulling  against 
himself  and  everything  that  was 
right.  His  future  could  only 
lead  to  ruin  if  he  continued  on 
his  way.  He  willingly  sub- 
mitted to  the  alignment  opera- 
tion as  suggested  by  the  Lord. 

We  know  his  life's  story.  He 
ran  the  course  without  friction 
with  his  Lord.  His  secret: 
"Have  the  mind  of  Christ." 

Beachhead 

Continued  from  page  4 

mon  convictions.  And  we  will 
need  yet  a  second  program, 
seeking  in  a  vital  way  to  minis- 
ter to  those  who  live  within  the 
shadows  of  the  church. 

If  successful,  ours  would,  of 
necessity,  become  a  church 
which  reaches  across  the  bar- 
riers which  divide  mankind. 
Like  the  city  itself,  it  would 
bring  white  and  black,  rich  and 
poor,  educated  and  simple  to- 
gether, this  time  to  worship  the 
God  who  made  us  all. 

It  could  well  be  that  we  will 
fail  utterly  in  our  experiment, 
but  increasingly  it  seems  to  us 
that  in  succeeding  at  this  task 
may  well  lie  the  key  to  survival 
of  our  Protestant  faith  as  a 
major  force  in  American  life. 


MARCH  5,  1960 


13 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Religious  Publicists  Hit  Bible 
Movies  Exploiting  Violence,  Sex 

Motion  pictures  on  Biblical  themes 
which  exploit  sex  and  violence  were 
deplored  by  the  Washington  chapter 
of  the  National  Religious  Publicity 
Council  in  a  recent  resolution. 

While  praising  the  movie  industry 
for  many  themes  of  spiritual  value 
produced  in  recent  years,  the  reli- 
gious publicity  group  expressed  its 
strong  disapproval  of  films  which 
"extort  the  Biblical  account  and  hold 
up  the  central  aspects  of  Judeo- 
Christian  tradition  to  disrepute." 

The  council  charged  that  many 
films  ostensibly  based  on  Biblical  in- 
cidents are  altered  to  such  an  extent 
that  the  scriptural  account  is  dis- 
torted and  the  distortion  frequently 
takes  the  form  of  exaggeration  of 
evil,  especially  sex  and  violence. 

The  Washington  organization 
called  on  the  General  Board  of  the 
National  Council  of  Churches  as  well 
as  the  National  Association  of  Evan- 
gelicals and  other  interdenomination- 
al agencies  to  voice  their  concern 
over  such  objectionable  motion 
pictures. 

Clergymen  to  Receive  Clinical 
Pastoral  Training 
in  Prison  System 

Clergymen  may  now  receive  clin- 
ical pastoral  training  in  the  federal 
prison  system  under  terms  of  a 
unique  agreement  reached  by  the 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Prisons  and  the  De- 
partment of  Pastoral  Services  of  the 
National  Council  of  Churches. 

The  department  will  nominate 
prospective  trainees  who  have  re- 
ceived the  endorsement  of  their  re- 
spective denominations.  Ministers 
with  orientation  and  clinical  training 
will  receive  preference.  Training 
will  be  done  in  residence  at  the 
Lewisburg  federal  penitentiary  in 
Pennsylvania. 

Internees  may  choose  one  to  four 
quarters  of  work  and  will  be  paid 
by  the  Bureau  of  Prisons  at  the  rate 
of  $4,040  a  year.  There  are  openings 
at  regular  intervals  during  the  year. 

Heifer  Project  Sends  Livestock 
to  Thirty  Areas 

Last  year  Heifer  Project  sent  501 
cattle,  84  goats,  391  sheep,  522  pigs, 
28,128  chicks,  5,500  hatching  eggs, 
113  rabbits,  10  pigeons,  8  turkeys, 
2  geese,  and  1  jackass  to  29  coun- 


Juniata  College's 
delegation  to  the 
Brethren  youth 
seminar  in 
Washington  also 
presented  services 
in  churches  en 
route  to  the 
capital.    The 
^ydg^'£         \  SW&L&      1m      six-member  team 

was  the  guest  of 
the  Calvary 
church  in  Brook- 
lyn and  the 
Wilmington 
church,  Del.  Left 
to  right  are: 
Donald  F. 
Durnbaugh, 
faculty  adviser, 
and  Students  J. 
Francis  Henry,  Phoebe  E.  Cuppett,  Joanne  C.  Zwick, 
Richard  B.  Gardner,  and  Elizabeth  A.  Donnelly 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


tries.  Most  of  the  shipments  origi- 
nated in  the  United  States.  Funds 
or  livestock  were  also  received  from 
contributors  in  Holland,  Germany, 
Switzerland,  Morocco  and  Canada. 
Thurl  Metzger,  executive  director 
of  the  project,  says,  "We  are  now 
making  most  of  our  shipments  to 
agriculturally  developing  countries. 
As  economic  conditions  are  im- 
proved, it  becomes  possible  to  feed 
grain  to  livestock  that  was  formerly 
needed  for  human  consumption." 

Temperance  Group  Urges  "Grass 
Roots"  Election  Action 

More  than  twenty  religious  and 
temperance  agencies  composing  the 
National  Temperance  and  Prohibi- 
tion Council  issued  a  call  for  church- 
men to  take  "effective  political  action 
at  the  grass  roots"  in  connection  with 
the  1960  elections. 

The  council's  annual  meeting 
urged  voters  to  ask  candidates  for 
public  office  to  make  plain  their 
views  on  proposed  temperance  legis- 
lation. The  council  further  urged 
that  voters  support  candidates  who 
possess  high  personal  integrity  and 
strong  moral  conviction.  The  coun- 
cil urged  church  and  temperance 
groups  to  continue  working  toward 
the  goal  of  banning  all  advertising 
of  liquor  from  interstate  commerce. 

Survey  Shows  No  Increased 
Church  Attendance  With  Age 

A  survey  of  nearly  7,000  Protes- 
tants, Roman  Catholics,  and  Jews  in 
the  Detroit  metropolitan  area  indi- 
cates that  older  people  do  not  gen- 


erally attend  worship  services  more 
frequently  than  younger  ones. 

The  study,  which  has  been  con- 
ducted during  a  five-year  period, 
fails  to  show  any  general  trend  in 
attendance  with  age  or  indication  of 
an  increase  in  religiosity  in  the  later 
years.  The  proportion  of  church 
members  who  attend  services  once 
a  week  ranges  from  forty-three  to 
forty-nine  per  cent,  but  shows  no 
steady  increase  with  age.  However, 
women  in  all  age  groups  attend 
churches  or  synagogues  more  often 
than  men,  with  those  between  forty 
and  sixty-five  going  most  frequently. 

Yugoslav  Communists  Relax 
Attitude  Toward  Family 
Religious  Adherence 

Yugoslavia's  ruling  Communist 
party,  known  as  the  League  of  Com- 
munists, has  announced  that  it  will 
be  more  tolerant  in  the  future  toward 
members  whose  families  practice 
religion. 

The  official  party  organ  said  it  had 
been  found  necessary  to  "clarify  the 
problem"  after  numerous  readers  had 
asked  whether  somebody  can  be  a 
Communist  party  member  if  his  chil- 
dren are  baptized  and  attend  church 
with  their  mother.  The  newspaper 
replied,  "He  can  be  a  party  member 
if  he  first  tries  to  convert  his  wife 
and  children  to  atheism.  If  he  fails, 
the  party  will  tolerate  this." 

The  party's  new  attitude  contrasts 
sharply  with  a  previous  policy  ac- 
cording to  which  many  Communists 
were  expelled  from  the  almost  two- 


ORLANDO  CHURCH  DEDICATES  FIRST  UNIT 


■  Dedication  services  on  Thanksgiving  Day  1959 
marked  the  completion  of  the  second  step  of  the  building 
program  of  the  Orlando  church,  Fla.  Samuel  A.  Harley, 
executive  secretary,  Southeastern  Region,  was  the 
speaker. 

After  analyzing  its  potential  for  future  growth  on 
the  original  site,  the  congregation  decided  to  relocate, 
and  land  was  secured  in  an  area  of  residential  develop- 
ment. The  parsonage  was  completed  in  the  spring  of 
1959,  in  time  for  the  pastor  to  move  to  the  new  commu- 
nity before  the  second  step  of  the  building  program 
began.  The  first  unit  of  the  church  was  constructed, 
with  a  fellowship  hall  doubling  as  a  sanctuary  until  the 


third  phase  of  the  project  is  completed,  fourteen  class- 
rooms, kitchen,  and  administrative  office. 

The  parsonage  and  the  first  unit  are  valued  at 
$100,000.  Generous  contributions  of  time  and  skills 
by  the  members  are  represented  in  this  figure. 

The  church  was  organized  in  1952  with  20  mem- 
bers; presently  the  membership  is  124.  The  response 
of  the  community  has  been  encouraging  and  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  members  noteworthy.  Giving  to  the  Brother- 
hood and  to  an  enlarged  local  budget  have  increased. 
The  congregation  hopes  that  the  church  may  fulfill  its 
purpose  in  meeting  the  needs  of  its  members  and  the 
community. 


million-strong  membership  for  toler- 
ating the  religious  adherence  of  their 
families.  The  magazine  stressed  that 
although  religious  sentiment  was  in- 
compatible with  party  members,  reli- 
gion must  not  be  combated  by 
administrative  measures,  but  only 
through  education. 


Christian  Campaign  for  Decent 
Entertainment  Urged 

The  Evangelical  Press  Association 
has  called  on  all  Christians  to  speak 
out  and  exert  their  influence  for  the 
promotion  of  wholesome  literature 
and  decent  entertainment.  In  a  reso- 
lution adopted  at  its  annual  meeting, 


Senator  Oren  E. 
Long  of  Hawaii  is 
pictured  above 
(left)  as  he  was 
greeted  upon  his 
arrival  in 
Washington, 
D.  C,  by  Dr. 
Frederick  Brown 
Harris  (center), 
chaplain  of  the 
U.S.  Senate,  and 
Rep.  Merwin 
Coad  of  Iowa,  an 
ordained  minister 
who  is  serving  in 
Congress 


Muse 


the  association  urged  the  142  con- 
servative Protestant  publications  af- 
filiated with  it  to  "continue  to  sound 
alerts  against  the  purveying  of  of- 
fensive literature." 

Protestants  Seek  $11,418,000 
for  1960  Overseas  Relief 

American  Protestant  and  Eastern 
Orthodox  church  members  are  being 
asked  to  contribute  $11,418,000  in 
the  1960  United  Appeal  by  Church 
World  Service  for  overseas  relief  and 
rehabilitation. 

The  major  emphasis  of  the  1960 
appeal  will  be  the  One  Great  Hour 
of  Sharing  observance  in  local 
churches  late  in  March.  At  that  time 
specific  offerings  in  many  churches 
will  be  dedicated  for  the  overseas 
relief  program  abroad. 

Similar  offerings  are  being  made 
by  a  number  of  denominations  on 
various  other  dates.  Still  other  de- 
nominational groups,  including  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  extend  their 
relief  fund  appeals  around  the  year. 
Part  of  the  funds  raised  will  finance 
processing,  shipping,  and  distribu- 
tion of  more  than  ten  milllion  pounds 
of  clothing,  donated  by  church 
members. 


MARCH  5,  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Civic  Leaders  Appeal  to  President  to  Ban 
All  Nuclear  Tests 

Thirty-eight  prominent  citizens,  including 
Eleanor  Roosevelt,  Norman  Thomas,  Harry 
Emerson  Fosdick,  Reinhold  Niebuhr,  and  Mar- 
tin Luther  King,  have  appealed  to  President 
Eisenhower  "to  seek  an  immediate  agreement 
to  ban  all  nuclear  tests,"  including  small  under- 
ground explosions.  They  called  upon  him 
"to  avoid  demands  for  such  a  flawlessly  reliable 
agreement  that  agreement  itself  becomes 
impossible." 

In  their  appeal  to  the  President,  they 
asked  for  a  continued  moratorium  on  all  tests 
and  urged  a  joint  British-Russian-American 
"study  over  a  two-year  period  of  methods  for 
detecting  low-range  explosions." 

The  group  of  thirty-eight  pointed  out  that 
a  test  ban  agreement  "will  establish  not  only 
the  principle  of  mutual  inspection  but  by  the 
very  presence  of  inspection  teams  will  make 
nuclear  war  less  likely.  It  will,"  they  said, 
"give  the  world  a  chance  not  only  to  halt 
weapons  tests  but  also  to  halt  the  trend 
toward  other  countries  developing  nuclear 
weapons.  It  will  provide  a  pilot  program  from 
which  many  lessons  may  be  learned  in  the 
negotiations   for   more   general   disarmament." 

The  appeal  to  the  President  on  behalf 
of  the  thirty-eight  signers  was  released  by 
the  Program  for  Disarmament,  a  co-operative 
program  of  the  American  Friends  Service  Com- 
mittee, and  the  Brethren  Service  Commission, 
the  Board  of  World  Peace  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  the  Women's  International  League 
for  Peace  and  Freedom,  the  Friends  Committee 
on  National  Legislation,  the  Fellowship  of 
Reconciliation,  and  the  Friends  General  Con- 
ference. Included  among  the  signers  were 
A.  C.  Baugher,  president  of  Elizabethtown 
College,  and  Harold  D.  Fasnacht,  President  of 
La  Verne  College. 


BVS'ers  Ron  Studebaker,  Margaret  Wampler,  and 
Caron  Boyce  arrived  in  Morocco  from  Germany  early 
in  February  to  begin  work  at  the  Eirene  project.  Other 
Brethren  on  the  project  are  John  Glick  and  the  Daryl 
Brandts,  directors. 

Annie  Kurtz,  wife  of  Michael  Kurtz,  well-known 
elder  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania  living  at  Richland,  died 
February  19  as  a  result  of  being  burned  a  week  earlier. 
She  was  the  mother  of  Earl  Kurtz,  who  was  manager 
of  the  Brethren  Publishing  House  for  a  number  of  years. 

Our  Unity  in  the  Community  is  the  theme  for  the 
Ecumenical  Institute  for  Christian  Leaders  to  be  held 
at  Blue  Ridge  Assembly,  N.  C,  July  17-22.  A  giant 
Bible  hymn  festival  will  open  the  institute,  Bible  lectures 
will  be  given  daily,  and  workshops  will  be  carried  on. 
Christian  leaders  from  all  denominations  and  races 
are  invited  to  attend. 


Seven  La  Verne  College  seniors  have  been  selected 
for  this  year's  publication,  Who's  Who  Among  Students 
in  American  Universities  and  Colleges.  The  group  in- 
cludes Beverly  Butterbaugh  of  La  Verne,  Peggy  Deal 
of  Pomona,  Fred  Michael  of  Olympia,  Wash.,  Barbara 
Dixon,  of  Corona,  Mrs.  Carolyn  Call  Warren  of  La 
Verne,  Don  Holstrom  of  Pomona,  and  Jim  Hauk  of  El 
Monte. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


D.  W.  Bfttinger  writes  that  he  recently  underwent 
surgery.  He  has  received  many  cards  and  letters  from 
over  the  Brotherhood,  indicating  the  prayers  of  the 
church.  He  expresses  appreciation  for  these  and  wishes 
it  to  be  known  that  this  was  not  a  return  of  his  difficulty 
of  two  years  ago,  but  more  probably  relates  to  a  tropical 
disease  suffered  while  he  was  in  Africa.  His  health  is  : 
good  and  his  recovery  is  rapid. 

Jay  Strom,  BVS'er  from  Worthington,  Minn.,  arrived 
in  Poland  from  Germany  in  January  to  spend  a  year 
as  an  agricultural  exchangee.  The  other  American 
exchangee  at  present  in  Poland  is  Kathryn  Pierson,  who 
is  studying  and  working  at  the  Research  Institute  of  . 
Pomology  in  Skierniewice.  Ronald  Brunk,  Gordon 
Switzer,  and  Ray  Canfield  have  already  completed  an 
exchange  year  in  Poland. 

A  tour  to  the  country  of  Mexico  (limited  to  twenty- 
five  persons)  is  being  planned  for  June  24  —  July  12.  '■. 
This  nineteen-day  tour  with  twelve  days  in  Mexico 
will  start  and  end  in  Indiana  and  will  include  one 
day  in  New  Orleans  and  a  half  day  at  Piney  Woods 
School,  Miss.,  on  the  return  trip.  The  group  will  travel 
in  a  specially  chartered  bus  and  have  a  lecturer  en 
route  in  Mexico.  Any  one  interested  please  write  at 
once  to  Mrs.  L.  W.  Shultz,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 

President  Eisenhower  was  asked  by  Church  World 
Service  to  intervene  personally  to  secure  legislation 
on  behalf  of  refugees  wishing  to  settle  in  the  United 
States.  "World  Refugee  Year  is  nearing  its  end  but  the 
government  has  yet  to  show  decisive  action  through 
positive  legislation,"  the  board  of  managers  wrote  the 
President.  The  first  session  of  the  eighty-sixth  Congress 
met  seven  and  one-half  months  without  voting  on  the 
upping  of  refugee  quotas  during  the  special  year.  The 
letter  pointed  out  "that  although  the  United  States  is 
a  co-sponsor  of  World  Refugee  Year,  it  has  yet  to 
complete  the  responsibilities  involved."  World  Refugee 
Year  ends  in  June. 

TV  Programs 

On  March  20  the  program,  Frontiers  of  Faith,  be- 
gins a  series  of  six  dramas  dealing  with  contemporary 
applications  of  the  Christian  ethic.  They  are:  March  . 
20 -Turn  Off  the  Music;  March  27 -Self  Portrait,  ; 
by  Elliott  Baker;  April  3  -  The  Last  Cage,  by  Jo  Scott; 
April  10  — The  Green  Wound,  by  John  Block;  April 
17  —  still  untitied,  a  story  for  Easter  by  Robert  Black- 
burn and  Sidney  Lanier;  April  24  —  still  in  planning 
stage. 

This  program  can  be  viewed  each  Sunday,  1:30  — 
2:00  p.m.,  EST,  over  the  NBC  network. 


Brotherhood  Theme:  Brethren  Under  the  Lordship  of  Christ 


Students  of  foreign  languages  at  Juniata  College 
are  assigned  to  special  tables  in  the  dining  halls  "to 
increase  their  fluency  in  conversation." 

Christian  education  will  be  the  emphasis  of  a  week- 
end conference  in  the  First  church,  Canton,  Ohio, 
March  18-20.  Calvert  N.  Ellis,  president  of  Juniata 
College,  Pa.,  is  scheduled  as  the  leader. 

W.  E.  Ickes  of  Adel,  Iowa,  is  conducting  a  tour  of 
Europe  this  summer,  leaving  New  York  on  June  18  and 
returning  July  20.  Mr.  Ickes  has  made  five  trips  abroad 
and  knows  what  people  are  interested  in  seeing.  He  has 
been  active  in  Brethren  service  work  for  a  number  of 
years.  For  further  information  write  W.  E.  Ickes,  Adel, 
Iowa. 

Standing  Committee  Delegates 

Southern  Iowa:  Lyle  Albright;  alternate,  Harley 
Yates. 

Licensed  and  Ordained  to  the  Ministry 

Fred  Bernhard,  licensed  in  the  Florin  church,  East- 
ern Pennsylvania. 

Alton  L.  McDaniel,  ordained  in  the  Bethany  church, 
Del.,  in  the  Mardela  District. 

Yearbook  Corrections 

The  name  of  Roger  Swaim,  1017  Burch  Ave.,  Lima, 
Ohio,  was  inadvertently  omitted  from  the  list  of 
licentiates. 

The  correct  address  for  Clayton  H.  Gehman  is  R.  1, 
Friedens,  Pa.  Brother  Gehman  is  pastor  of  the  Geiger 
church  in  Western  Pennsylvania  and  also  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Administration  for  that  district. 

Changes  of  Address 

The  following  changes  of  address  for  Nigerian 
missionaries  should  be  noted.  All  are  Nigeria,  West 
Africa. 

Lawrence  Clark,  to  Shafa,  P.O.  Biu,  via  Mubi 
and  Yola. 

Monroe  Good,  to  Garkida,  via  Mubi  and  Yola. 

Clara  Harper,  to  Marama,  P.O.  Biu,  via  Mubi  and 
Yola. 

Gerald  Neher,  Raij  Tritt,  and  Charles  Kraft,  to 
Mubi,  via  Yola. 

U.  S.  Farmers  to  Poland 

Ten  U.  S.  farmers  will  have  an  opportunity  to 
exchange  visits  with  Polish  farmers  this  summer  under 
the  sponsorship  of  the  Brethren  Service  Commission. 
The  participants  will  travel  by  air  from  New  York  to 
Warsaw  on  July  1  and  return  by  air  from  London  to 
New  York  on  Aug.  28.  They  will  live  and  work  on  a 
Polish  farm,  visit  points  of  interest  in  Poland,  and  make 
stopovers  in  Vienna,  Geneva,  Rome,  Paris,  and  London. 
In  return  Polish  farmers  will  come  to  the  States  for 
a  similar  visit  during  this  summer.  Individual  farmers 
who  are  interested  in  participating  should  write  immedi- 
iately  to  the  Exchange  Program,  Brethren  Service  Cen- 
ter, New  Windsor,  Md.  Also  churches  or  Farm  Bureau, 
Fanners'  Union,  Grange,  and  other  farm  groups  are 
invited  to  submit  candidates  and  participate  in  the 
costs  of  the  project. 


The  Juniata  College  choir,  winch  completed  an 
eleven-day  tour  early  in  February,  will  make  nine 
appearances  in  March  on  week-end  tours. 

Frances  Rodeffer,  BVS'er  who  has  been  working 
in  the  business  office  at  Kassel,  Germany,  is  now  work- 
ing at  a  Protestant  church  center  in  Berlin.  This  center 
serves  as  a  home  and  hospital  for  over  2,000  young 
and  old  people  and  as  a  training  place  for  social  workers. 
Also  it  serves  as  a  meeting  place  for  conferences  of 
people  from  the  East  and  the  West. 


March  6 


The  Church  Calendar 


Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday   School   Lesson:     God's   Protecting   Providence. 
Acts  22:30-23:35.    Memory  Selection: 
God  is  our  refuge  and  strength 

a  very  present  help  in  trouble.   Ps.  46:1  (R.S.V.) 

March  6  Commitment  Day  (for  total  abstinence) 

March  6  Eastern  Maryland  CBYF  round  table  and 
speech  contest,  Washington  City  church 

March  11-12  Central  Region  daily  vacation  church 
school  conference,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

March  27  —  April  2  White  House  Conference  on  Chil- 
dren and  Youth 

April  10  Palm  Sunday 

April  15  Good  Friday 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  J.  Robert  Boyer  of  Fredericksburg,  Iowa,  in  the 
Osage  church,  Kansas,  beginning  March  13. 

Bro.  Wayne  Geisert  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  in  the  First 
Central  church,  Kansas  City,  Kansas,  April  3-10. 

Bro.  Howard  Bernhard  of  Florin,  Pa.,  in  the  Big  Dam 
house,  Schuylkill  congregation,  Pa.,  April  3-17. 

Bro.  C.  Ernest  Davis  of  La  Verne,  Calif.,  in  the  Prairie 
View  church,  Kansas,  April  3-17. 

Bro.  Arthur  Hunn  of  Meyersdale,  Pa.,  in  the  Western 
Port  church,  Md.,  April  4-10. 

Bro.  Clyde  R.  Shallenberger  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  the 
First  church,  Baltimore,  Md.,  April  10-13. 

Bro.  Milton  Hershey  of  Manheim,  Pa.,  in  the  Spring 
Creek  church,  Hershey,  Pa.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  R.  E.  Mohler  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  in  the  Aline 
church,  Okla.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  Connell  T.  Chaney  of  Cumberland,  Md.,  in  the 
Living  Stone  church,  Cumberland,  Md.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  Harold  Martin  of  Spring  Grove,  Pa.,  in  the  West 
Conestoga  congregation,  Pa.,  March  27  — April  10. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Seven  baptized  in  the  Adrian  church,  Mich.  Two  re- 
ceived by  letter  in  the  First  church,  Canton,  Ohio. 

Six  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  Maple 
Spring  church,  Pa. 

Two  baptized  and  twelve  received  by  letter  in  the 
Friendsliip  church,  Baltimore,  Md.  Twelve  baptized  in  the 
Henry  Fork  church,  Va.  Two  baptized  and  two  received 
by  letter  in  the  Buena  Vista  church,  Va.  Six  baptized  and 
six  received  by  letter  in  the  Boones  Chapel  church  of  the 
Boones  Mill  congregation,  Va.  Six  received  by  letter  in 
the  Western  Port  church,  Md. 


MARCH  5,  1960 


17 


Future 


Falerna 


THE  village's  appearance  is  deceptive  when  seen 
for  the  first  time  in  the  late  afternoon  sun  from 
the  valley  road  along  the  Mediterranean.    From 
the  distance  its  coral,  white,  and  earth-colored  houses 
clinging  halfway  up  the  side  of  the  mountain  have  a 
meditative,  almost  romantic  beauty. 

It  is  only  when  one  follows  the  narrow,  winding 
road  up  the  mountainside  and  enters  the  village  that 
the  reality  behind  the  picturesque  facade  becomes 
evident. 

For  in  this  mountainous  area  in  southern  Italy 
lies  a  land  where  all  time  has  stopped,  and  the  peasants 
live  out  their  lives  with  the  same  motionless  acceptance 
of  poverty  and  despair  as  have  their  forefathers  for 
generations  before  them. 

Christ  Stopped  at  Eboli 

This  is  the  land  to  which  the  peasant  says  "Christ 
never  came:  He  stopped  short  at  Eboli."  But  no  one 
else  has  ever  come  to  help  him  either,  and  nothing  in 
his  past  makes  the  peasant  believe  he  can  change  his 
future. 

But  it  is  here  in  this  remote  desolate  area  of  Calabria, 
400  kilometers  south  of  Naples,  where  hopelessness  is 
as  great  an  enemy  as  poverty,  that  the  centuries-old 
pattern  one  day  may  be  broken. 

In  the  village  of  Falerna  (population  3,000),  where 
the  annual  cash  income  is  less  than  $250,  the  World 
Council  of  Churches,  in  co-operation  with  the  Federal 
Council  of  Churches  of  Italy,  has  undertaken  one  of 
the  most  imaginative  and  perhaps  difficult  enterprises 
in  its  history  of  aid  in  underdeveloped  countries. 

Since  May  1958  it  has  sponsored  an  international, 
ecumenical  technical  assistance  team  which  is  living 
and  working  in  the  village,  sharing  in  the  daily  life 
and  problems  of  its  people.  The  five-member  team, 
which  is  "nonpreaching  and  nonproselytizing"  in  its 
approach,  is  helping  to  provide  some  of  the  most  basic 
necessities  of  life  for  a  people  for  whom  any  innovation 
becomes  a  coveted  luxury. 

Recendy  with  John  Taylor,  photographer  for  the 
World  Council,  I  spent  two  days  in  Falerna  visiting 
the  team.  The  team  directors  are  a  dedicated  young 
Dutch  couple,  Wim  and  let  van  der  Linden,  whose 
warmth  and  sensitive  understanding  for  the  people  of 
Falerna  was  evident  immediately  and  opened  doors  for 
us  wherever  we  went. 


18 


NANCY  LAWRENCE 

A  desolate  Italian  village  is 
aided  by  a  World  Council 
of  Churches  technical 
assistance  team 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Ralph  Buffenmeyer,  a  BVS  member  of  the  Italian  Team 
of  the  World  Council  of  Churches,  referees  a  game  of 
box  hockey.  The  team  has  organized  recreation  pro- 
grams for  youngsters  and  adults  in  the  village  of  Falerna 


A  Typical  Home 

Because  such  extreme  poverty  allows  little  variation, 
all  the  houses  we  saw  during  our  two-day  visit  were 
very  much  like  the  first  one  we  visited.  The  room  was 
dark,  low  ceilinged,  and  dirty.  The  only  light  came 
from  the  door  and  a  tiny  window  in  the  thick  wall, 
so  it  took  a  minute  when  we  first  entered  to  focus  our 
eyes  before  we  could  make  out  its  outlines.  In  the 
corner  was  a  "fireplace,"  a  few  stones  projecting  into 
the  room.  The  walls  and  ceiling  were  black  with  smoke 
stain.  Along  a  wall  was  a  table  and  two  straight-back 
chairs.  Above  the  table  was  hanging  a  copper  pot 
and  two  wicker  baskets  and  a  yellowed  photograph 
cut  from  a  magazine.  Jutting  out  from  the  wall  directiy 
in  front  of  us  was  a  massive  bed  —  neady  made  and 
covered  with  a  blue  and  white  spread.  As  we  entered, 
two  large  white  chickens  scurried  off  it  and  took  cover 
under  the  table. 

The  pride  of  the  household  was  the  new  toilet.  It 
stood  just  to  the  left  of  die  door  separated  from  the 
room  by  a  flimsy  curtain.  The  owner  of  the  house,  a 
small  dark  excitable  man,  and  his  wife,  a  child  in 
arms  and  two  tugging  at  her  skirts,  showed  it  to  us 
with  enthusiasm.  They  were  the  first  family  in  the 
village  for  whom  the  team  built  a  toilet. 

Because  needs  in  Falerna  are  so  basic,  the  building 
of  water  closets  has  been  one  of  the  two  major  team 
work  projects  to  date.  In  all,  the  team  has  installed 
fifteen  toilet  and  water  facilities  along  this  one  street, 
working  with  the  peasants  themselves  to  lay  the  main 
pipes  along  the  street  and  the  connecting  pipes  into 
each  home. 

Livestock  Leaves  the  Home 

The  second  major  project  has  been  getting  the 
livestock  out  of  the  homes.  For  centuries  the  peasants 
of  Falerna  have  shared  their  dismal  hovels  with  their 
pigs,  chickens,  and  goats.  Behind  the  crudity  of  the 
practice  has  been  shrewd  reasoning.  The  animals  have 
a  better  chance  of  surviving  the  cold  winters  in  the 
shelter  of  the  homes,  they  help  keep  the  room  warm, 
and  as  the  family's  most  important  possession  are  kept 
safe  from  thieves. 

This  fear,  together  with  the  strength  of  tradition 


For  centuries  the  villagers  of  Falerna  have  shared 

their    miserable    hovels    with    their    livestock  —  pigs, 

chickens,  and  goats  —  their  prize  possessions   and 

the  primary  asset  of  their  poverty-stricken  lives 


Bread  for  the  family  is  baked  once  a  week  in  this  oven 


let  van  der  Linden  stops  to  talk  to  a  Falerna  village 
woman.   The  chief  means  of  transportation  for  goods 
and  produce  is  still  the  heads  of  the  women 


■■^■^KS  2aR9&. 


MARCH  5,  1960 


19 


Through  the  team's  efforts  these  village  schoolboys  may  have  a  chance  to 
rise  out  of  the  poverty-stricken  way  of  life  that  their  parents  have  known 


and  the  desire  not  to  be  different 
from  their  neighbors,  has  meant  long, 
often  frustrating  delays.  The  team 
has  had  to  work  slowly,  building 
confidence  step  by  step.  The  first 
family  to  accept  the  help  offered 
was  the  deacon  of  the  village's 
Waldensian   church. 

Working  with  him,  the  team  mem- 
bers constructed  a  modern  cheap 
pigsty  of  cement  blocks  on  the  hill 
behind  his  house,  and  moved  the 
ungainly  ugly  animal  which  had 
been  occupying  the  deacon's  one- 
room  house  all  its  life.  The  change 
was  obvious  even  to  the  most  con- 
servative villager,  and  after  having 
been  assured  of  the  animal's  safety, 
others  also  asked  for  help.  Thus  far 
the  team  has  constructed  twenty-four 
pigsties  on  land  owned  by  the 
peasants  outside  the  village. 

The  building  of  the  pigsties  has 
had  a  definite,  if  gradual,  influence 
on  village  life  in  other  ways.  Seeing 
for  the  first  time  that  construction 
can  be  done  cheaply  and  easily,  sev- 
eral villagers  have  started  making 
long-needed  repairs  or  additions  to 
their  houses. 

New  Ways  of  Farming 

Other  team  projects,  while  per- 
haps less  graphic  and  less  well  un- 
derstood by  the  peasants,  are  also 
under  way  and  give  the  promise  of 
eventually  providing  even  more  con- 
crete changes.  In  co-operation  with 
the  agricultural  school  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Bari,  the  team  has  started 
agricultural  projects,  including  seed- 


test  plots,  irrigation,  experiments  in 
orchard  improving,  and  feeding  ex- 
periments. They  are  also  attempting 
to  introduce  more  modern  farm  im- 
plements to  replace  the  ancient 
wooden  ones  now  mainly  in  use. 

The  most  immediately  obvious  ad- 
dition to  the  town  by  the  team  is 
the  prefabricated  barrack  donated  by 
the   Reformed   Church   of   Holland. 


Situated  midway  up  the  side  of  a 
hill  on  the  north  side  of  the  village, 
its  freshly-painted  walls  make  a  sharp 
contrast  to  the  surrounding  houses. 

Originally  planned  as  a  beach 
house  for  a  children's  program  at 
the  seashore,  it  was  later  moved  into 
the  village  and  is  now  being  used 
as  a  center  for  recreational  programs 
for  both  youngsters  and  adults.  Here 
too  the  women  come  for  sewing  les- 
sons —  on  two  machines  donated  by 
the  Grange  in  the  United  States  — 
and  cooking  classes  are  being  held. 

Because  the  team  wishes  to  share 
as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  life  and 
problems  of  the  villagers,  they  live 
in  the  village  in  a  small  white  two- 
story  house  which  they  themselves 
helped  construct.  Team  life  is 
austere  and  the  work  is  hard,  but 
its  members  are  an  exceptional 
group  who  have  developed  an  easy 
camaraderie  among  themselves  which 
is  contagious.  Anyone  looking  for 
martyrdom  will  not  find  it  here. 

Meet  the  Team 

Team  directors,  the  van  der  Lin- 
dens, were  missionaries  in  Indonesia 
before  they  took  on  this  assignment. 
Both  in  their  late  twenties,  Wim  is 
a  graduate  agriculturalist  and  let  a 
trained  nurse  and  accomplished 
seamstress. 


Iiillllliii 
§§§illl§ 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  team  members  relax  after  a  hard  day  with  a  hymn  sing.  Left  to  right 
are  a  villager  who  cooks  for  the  team;  Eralda  Toscano,  an  Italian  home 
economist;  Bob  Rockwell,  a  Quaker  from  Ohio;  Antonio  Grandinetti,  an 
Italian  graduate  engineer;  let  (at  piano),  Saskia,  and  Wim  van  der 
Linden,  Dutch  team  directors;  and  Ralph  Buffenmeyer,  Brethren  volunteer 


The  two  American  team  members 
are  Ralph  Buffenmyer,  twenty-two, 
of  Florin,  Pa.,  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  Bob 
Rockwell,  twenty-one,  of  Barnesville, 
Ohio,  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  Both  are  pacifists  and  have 
undertaken  the  two-year  stint  at 
Falerna  as  an  alternative  for  military 
service.  Ralph  is  studying  business 
administration  at  Elizabethtown  Col- 
lege, Pa.,  and  is  a  skilled  carpenter. 
Bob,  a  junior  at  Wilmington  College, 
Ohio,  was  raised  on  a  fruit  farm  and 
plans   to  become  a  horticulturalist. 

The  two  Italian  members  of  the 
team  are  Eralda  Toscarna,  twenty- 
three,  a  home  economist  who  is  con- 
ducting the  cooking  classes,  and 
Antonio  Grandinetti,  twenty-two,  a 
graduate  engineer. 

How  Successful? 

How  effective  can  such  a  program 
in  the  backward  village  of  an  under- 
developed area  be?  Wim  van  der 
Linden  has  no  illusions.  The  im- 
mensity of  the  need  is  far  beyond 
the  resources  of  the  team. 

He  recognizes  too  that  at  the  best 
present  projects  are  only  "a  finger 
in  the  dike"  action  and  that  future 
work  must  be  aimed  at  development 
of  small  industries,  marketing  pro- 
duce, and  other  measures  to  bring 
cash  into  the  community.  Also  there 
are  years  of  superstition,  ignorance, 
and  tradition  to  be  broken  down. 

"We  will  not  solve  the  problem," 
he  told  me.  "But  the  Italian  govern- 
ment has  given  help  in  other  areas 
and  eventually  they  will  do  some- 
thing here.  When  they  do,  we  hope 
to  give  a  kind  of  positive  direction 
to  this  development." 

Meanwhile  the  team  is  serving  as 
a  pilot  project  for  other  programs 
in  similar  needy  areas.  When  next 
spring  —  and  for  the  following  five 
years  —  world  attention  is  focused  on 
the  UN  Food  and  Agriculture  Or- 
ganization's Freedom  From  Hunger 
Campaign,  the  Falerna  experiment 
will  provide  a  classic  example  of 
what  can  be  done  in  local  projects. 

Perhaps  the  impact  of  the  team 
is  best  illustrated  by  an  incident 
which  happened  after  we  left 
Falerna.  We  had  stopped  to  take 
some  pictures  in  another  small  vil- 
lage several  kilometers  to  the  north. 

Immediately  our  car  was  sur- 
rounded by  villagers,  speaking  and 
gesticulating  wildly.  "Are  you  from 
the  Evangelical  Team?"  they  de- 
manded. "Have  you  come  to  help 
us  too?  Tell  the  team  to  come  down 
here.  We  need  help.  We  need  help 
too." 


You 

and  the 

International 

Student 


►  The  missionary  was  seated  in  the  train. 
A  stranger,  face  beaming,  strode  toward 
him  and  seated  himself  beside  him. 
The  stranger  introduced  himself  as  hav- 
ing studied  three  years  in  a  California 
university.  This  university  was  the  mission- 
ary's alma  mater.  So  the  conversation  was 
off  to  a  good  start.  Finally,  the  talk  led 
to  religion.  In  Asia  it  is  a  natural  topic. 
Had  he  attended  church?  Oh,  yes,  regu- 
larly on  the  university  campus  and  he  had 
enjoyed  it  very  much.  When  asked  what 
he  recalled  of  his  religious  impressions,  he 
repeated  one  verse  (John  3:16)  and  said 
there  were  good  sermons.  But  he  had 
not  become  a  Christian. 

How  many  international  students  vague- 
ly or  definitely  hungry  for  spiritual  nourish- 
ment, sojourning  among  Christian  folk  on 
campuses,  in  communities,  and  even 
churches  can  give  as  their  final  verdict, 
"No  man  cared  for  my  soul."  —  Mrs.  Harlan 
J.  Brooks. 


NASRAPUR  - 

Spiritual  Life  Center 

THOUGH  a  United  Church  is 
not  yet  a  reality  in  Northern 
India,  the  Spiritual  Life  Center 
at  Nasrapur  has  made  possible  pi- 
oneer practice  in  ecumenicity  as  most 
of  the  Protestant  churches  have  used 
it  for  prayer  retreats,  executive  board 
meetings,  literacy  institutes,  mission- 
ary retreats,  and  many  kinds  of 
camps. 

Located  in  a  beautiful  valley  sur- 
rounded by  the  foothills  of  the  West- 
ern Ghats,  twenty-three  miles  from 
the  city  of  Poona,  the  center  was 
once  the  estate  of  a  rich  Englishman. 
The  once  palatial  home  has  today 
become  a  simple  hostel  accommodat- 
ing many  guests,  the  central  court 
being  roofed  over  to  make  a  place 
of  assembly.  The  open  flat  roof 
of  the  house  is  a  wonderful  spot 
for  morning  devotions  or  evening 
vespers. 

Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  reno- 
vation is  in  the  former  cowshed, 
which  has  been  made  into  a  charm- 
ing, rustic  chapel.  With  sides  open 
to  breezes  and  sunshine,  the  altar 
and  cross  call  one  to  spiritual  medita- 
tion and  worship. 

The  heart  of  this  Spiritual  Life 
Center  is  Rev.  and  Mrs.  John  Crozier. 
Of  New  Zealand  nationality,  their 
sincere  Christian  character,  com- 
bined with  a  practical  turn  of  mind 


Florence  M.  Bollinger 


and  management,  has  greatly  influ- 
enced and  aided  the  Center  in  its 
development.  Anyone  would  think 
of  pastors,  teachers,  and  missionaries 
in  planning  retreats.  The  Croziers 
imaginatively  include  nurses,  high 
school  boys  and  girls,  Christian 
policemen  and  people  from  many 
walks   of  life. 

During  the  past  year,  apart  from 
regularly  scheduled  meetings  and  re- 
treats, two  gatherings  of  unusual 
nature  met  at  Nasrapur. 

First,  the  "Asian  Christian  Book 
Sellers  Institute,"  the  first  of  its  kind 
to  be  held  in  India  on  an  interna- 
tional level.  Anyone  interested  in  the 
growth  and  nurture  of  the  Church 
in  India  can  understand  the  need 
for  more  and  better  Christian  litera- 
ture. The  ministry  of  those  who 
distribute  this  literature  is  vital  and 
well  recognized  by  this  institute. 

Second,  ninety  student  delegates 
from  all  over  India,  the  Naga  Hills 
and  Assam,  Africa  and  Fiji  met  to 
study  the  Bible.  Through  the  in- 
spiration of  prayer,  study  and  fellow- 
ship, they  worshiped  as  "all  one 
in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  Much  is 
expected  from  such  meetings  in  lead- 
ership for  the  church  in  the  coming 
vears. 


MARCH  5,  1960 


21 


WHEN  the  women  of  the  dis- 
trict of  Southern  Illinois  as- 
semble at  the  time  of  the 
spring  rally  conversation  about  wom- 
en at  camp  is  spontaneous.  Plans 
begin  to  develop  for  what  will  be 
done  at  camp  and  who  will  attend. 
Women  who  have  already  attended 
camp  speak  of  their  satisfaction  and 
enthusiasm  with  the  experience,  and 
encourage  other  women  to  share 
such  an  experience  for  two  days. 

Is  this  camp  for  women  another 
workshop  for  learning  and  study?  Is 
it  another  conference?  Does  it  re- 
quire leadership  experience?  Do  you 
really  have  to  rough  it  when  you 
go  to  camp? 

The  meaning  of  the  camp  experi- 
ence is  in  the  words,  "Come  ye  .  .  . 
apart  .  .  .  and  rest  a  while."  The 
program,  if  it  were  so  called,  includes 
the  elements  of  fellowship,  relaxa- 
tion, inspiration,  and  some  activity. 
A  leader  who  can  inspire,  inform, 
and  challenge  is  with  the  group  for 
an  hour  each  morning.  She  may  pre- 
sent a  theme  in  the  area  of  family 
life,  personal  problems,  enriched 
spiritual  living,  women  in  the 
church,  women  gainfully  employed, 
the  hunger  of  children  around  the 
world,  etc.  Women  may  ask  ques- 
tions and  make  comments  on  what 
she  says. 

At  a  later  time  in  the  morning 
just  before  the  noon  meal,  an  hour 
is  devoted  to  study  of  the  Bible. 
Fortunately  for  those  attending,  the 
same  Bible  scholar  has  been  avail- 
able for  a  number  of  years  to  lead 
this  study,  to  make  the  truth  found 
in  the  Bible  relate  itself  to  living  in 
contemporary  times,  and  to  make  it 
appeal  to  young  and  old. 


Mrs.  Betty  Morcy 

A  work-service  project  is  co- 
operatively engaged  in.  This  may  be 
quilting,  using  the  needle  in  some 
other  way,  or  even  doing  something 
entirely  different.  Such  activities 
could  be  rolling  bandages  or  making 
cancer  pads. 

In  the  afternoon  a  camper  is  free 
to  choose  what  she  will  do.  There 
is  one  hour,  however,  when  all  will 
be  doing  the  same  thing  at  the  same 
time  —  resting.  And  who  is  it  among 
the  women  —  older  or  younger  — 
who  is  negative  to  the  call  to  lie 
down  for  an  hour?  The  other  hours 
of  the  afternoon  may  be  spent  in 
the  swimming  pool,  continuing  the 
service  project  of  the  morning,  pur- 
Dean  of  the  Southern  Illinois  women's 
camp,    1959 


suing  a  craft  project,  reading,  just 
relaxing,  or  extending  the  rest  hour. 

Camp  begins  on  Tuesday  evening 
and  continues  through  breakfast  on 
Friday.  This  schedule  has  been 
found  to  be  quite  satisfactory.  Ar- 
riving on  Tuesday  evening,  getting 
acquainted,  and  getting  settled,  pack- 
ing and  cleaning  up  on  Friday  morn- 
ing allow  two  complete  days  in 
camp. 

The  two  evenings  in  camp  permit 
a  proportionate  time  for  "just  plain 
fun"  and  "a  lift,"  fitting  the  camper 
to  return  in  good  trim  to  the  routine. 

On  the  first  evening  the  women 
may  enjoy  group  singing,  solo  sing- 
ing or  playing  an  instrument.  They 
used  to  sing  solos  in  church,  but 
they  have  been  wholly  occupied  with 
family  responsibilities  recently.  Here 
at  camp  they  really  appreciate  the 
chance  to  sing  and  play,  and  they 
indulge  wholeheartedly  and  with  joy. 
They  may  play  games  in  larger  or 
smaller  groups  and  have  many  a 
laugh  as  they  vie  with  the  other 
campers  and  fail  in  some  physical 
or  mental  exercise. 

On  the  second  evening  the  think- 
ing and  planning  move  to  a  more 
serious  look  at  life.  The  women  may 
be  ready  to  express  themselves  on 
an  evaluation  of  the  camp  experi- 
ence. Because  they  have  had  close 
fellowship  they  may  be  ready  to 
share  convictions  on  some  of  the 
more  daring  patterns  of  living.  The 
value  of  this  last  session  together 
may  depend  on  die  height  intimate 
fellowship  has  reached.  The  final 
session  of  the  camp  concludes  with 
a  spiritual  experience  around  a  camp- 
fire  directed  by  the  one  who  has 
come   to   camp   to   give  inspiration 


22 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


A  work-service  project  is  part  of  the  camp  experience 


and     uplift     in     the     first     hour     of     each     morning. 

This  type  of  camp  experience  is  designed  to  interest 
women  of  any  age.  Grandmothers  in  their  eighties 
have  enjoyed  it;  very  young  mothers  have  responded 
heartily  to  the  invitation  to  spend  several  days  at  camp 
if  they  can  put  the  children  in  the  hands  of  a  concerned 
person  while  they  are  away  from  home.  The  older 
women  enjoy  the  fellowship,  the  singing,  the  Bible 
study,  the  quilting  or  sewing  project,  the  chance  to  see 
the  younger  women  inspired  and  actively  engaged  in 
church  sponsored  programs. 

Younger  women  enjoy  swimming,  boating,  cookouts, 
learning  new  skills  and  crafts,  and  a  brief  freedom  from 
routine  household  tasks.  It  is  worth  something  at  any 
age  to  understand  that  others  are  meeting  the  same 
problems  you  are  facing  and  to  be  able  to  share  with 
them.  This  camp  experience  affords  time  and  the 
atmosphere  for  talking  over  mutual  concerns.  To  be 
inspired  by  those  who  have  lived  longer  and  more 
courageously  and  more  lovingly  is  worth  what  it  costs 
to  get  to  camp.  "Come  ye  .  .  .  apart .  .  .  and  rest  awhile." 


top: 

The  first  night  at  camp  is  a  fine  time  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  fellow  campers  through  various  stunts 

center: 

Women  welcome  the  period  set  aside  for  rest 

bottom,  right: 
I  These  two  have  profitably  used  the  free  hours 

nbelow: 

) ,  The  communion  service  in  the  light  of  the  campfire  is  a 

■  high  point  of  the  two  days.   Women  in  the  costumes  of 

our  mission  areas  bring  close  the  unity  of  Christians 


Andrew  Holderreed 


The  cross  on  the  United  Theological  College  chapel  looks   as 
though  it  were  hanging  out  of  heaven  when  it  is  lighted  at  night 


A  HITCHHIKING  Indian  boy, 
asked  where  he  wanted  to  go, 
said,  "Take  me  to  where  the 
cross  hangs  out  of  heaven."  In  the 
light  of  this  cross  on  the  chapel  tower 
of  the  United  Theological  College 
of  Western  India  at  Poona,  the  only 
theological  college  in  Western  India 
that  instructs  in  the  Marathi  (pro- 
nounced muh-rah-ti)  language,  min- 
isters are  trained  to  serve  the  church 
of  Christ  in  India. 

Perhaps  the  most  acute  problem 
facing  the  Christian  church  the 
world  over  is  its  lack  of  trained  lead- 
ership. In  India,  as  well  as  in  the 
United  States,  the  problem  is  not 
lack  of  training  facilities,  but  lack 
of  students  to  use  those  facilities. 

Dr.  Reid  Graham,  principal  of 
United  Theological  College,  visited 
Elgin  for  the  November  meeting  of 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board.  In 
his  report  on  the  college  he  said, 
"If  and  when  the  Spirit  of  God 
moves  in  the  hearts  of  men  for  a 
quickening  of  spiritual  life  and  for 
a  great  Christian  forward  movement, 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


this  college  will  be  ready  to  train 
those  who  must  be  the  leaders  of 
such  a  movement." 

This  statement  reflects  a  conviction 
expressed  by  E.  Stanley  Jones  and 
other  church  leaders  that  a  ground 
swell  of  spiritual  awareness  and  re- 
sponse is  in  the  making.  Perhaps 
Americans  had  to  have  the  experi- 
ence of  economic  abundance,  indeed 
opulence,  to  prove  to  them  that  the 
real  satisfactions  in  life  are  to  be 
found  in  the  realm  of  the  spirit.  But 
this  impending  spiritual  resurgence 
is  noted  in  India  as  well,  and  it  is 
expected  that  all  over  the  world  large 
numbers  of  young  people  will  be 
deciding  for  church  vocations.  It  is 
good  to  know  that  training  facilities 
are  ready  for  them. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  is 
one  of  eight  denominations  co-op- 
erating in  the  United  Theological 
College.  Though  the  co-operating 
churches  range  in  doctrine  from  that 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  to 
that  of  the  Anglican  Church,  it  has 
been  possible  to  maintain  these  dif- 
ferences without  controversy,  thus 
stimulating     greater     understanding 


and  respect  for  each  other's  point  of  : 
view. 

A  physical  plant  which  can  accom- 
modate fifty  high  school  graduates, 
and  a  staff  of  ten  full-time  teachers 
is  now  used  by  fifteen  full-time  stu-  : 
dents  and  five  wives.  The  degree 
earned  after  a  three-year  course  of 
study  is  LTD  (licentiate  in  theol- 
ogy). Dr.  Graham  explained  that 
giving  a  B.D.  degree  would  be  like 
using  a  Cadillac  to  do  a  job  that 
a  jeep  could  do  better. 

The  school's  curriculum  is  based 
on  that  of  Serampore  University  and 
the  third-year  students  take  that  uni- 
versity's exams.  Three  times  in  the 
past  eight  years  a  United  Theological 
College  student  has  been  given  the 
Senator's  Prize  for  standing  first 
in  Biblical  studies  in  Serampore 
University. 

Besides  his  studies,  each  student 
is  given  practical  experience  in  many  : 
phases  of  church  work  by  working 
on   Sundays  in   one  of  the  twelve 
nearby  churches. 

Night  classes  are  also  provided  for 
laymen  of  the  Poona  area.  Extension 
teaching,  in  the  form  of  two-week 
institutes  in  the  various  mission 
areas,  occupies  the  time  of  one  staff 
member. 

Principal  Graham  thinks  the  future  : 
of  the  college  is  very  bright.  In  addi- 
tion to  anticipating  a  larger  number 
of  pupils,  he  expects  the  college  staff  , 
to  embark  on  a  program  of  writing 
books  and  translating  books  from 
English  to  Marathi  to  make  more 
theological  literature  available  in  the 
regional  language.  At  the  present 
time,  without  many  books  in  Marathi, 
teachers  have  to  write  class  notes 
and  syllabi  in  Marathi. 

The  church  has  seen  the  need 
and  supplied  the  facilities.  It  now 
remains  for  students  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  them.  For  India  needs 
a  strong  Christian  witness  and  this 
cannot  be  made  until  Indian  leaders 
are  trained  to  lead  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  significant  Christian 
movement. 


J.  Edgar  Hoover,  director  of  the 
Federal  Bureau  of  Investigation, 
speaking  about  the  spread  of  porno- 
graphic literature:  "Although  this 
despicable  trade  reaps  $500,000,000 
a  year,  this  diabolical  business  is 
costing  the  nation  much  more  than 
money.  It  is  robbing  our  country 
and  particularly  our  younger  genera- 
tion of  decency.  It  is  a  seedbed  for 
delinquency  among  juveniles  and 
depravity  among  all  ages." 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


NEW  BOOKS 


Why  do  Brethren  have  a  shortage  of 
ministers?  We  can  hardly  say  it 
is  caused  by  growing  pains. 

There  are  a  number  of  reasons  for 
the  shortage  of  ministers. 

1.  One  cause  that  is  not  easily 
dealt  with  is  that  the  concept  of 
the  pastoral  ministry  is  not  as  clear 
in  people's  minds  in  this  more  com- 
plicated society  as  it  was  in  the 
days  when  the  minister's  job  was 
more  simple.  He  is  no  longer  pri- 
marily a  preacher.  Preaching  is  im- 
portant to  today's  pastor,  but  he  must 
also  be  a  counselor,  an  educator,  and 
an  administrator.  The  fact  that  the 
role  of  the  minister  is  not  fully  com- 
prehended by  many  people  adds  to 
the  difficulty  of  recruitment. 

2.  To  this  must  be  added  the  fact 
that  the  Brethren  have  not  defined 
the  ways  through  which  the  call  to 
the  ministry  can  be  given  most  ef- 
fectively. For  the  most  part,  min- 
isters are  no  longer  called  in  a 
council  meeting  by  use  of  an  open 
ballot.  But,  having  abandoned  that 
practice,  we  are  only  in  the  early 
stages  of  establishing  a  counseling 
approach  that  will  touch  all  young 
people  of  the  church  in  the  interest 
of  their  vocational   choice. 


3.  Then,  too,  while  it  is  little  com- 
fort, it  is  a  fact  that  all  religious 
bodies  are  experiencing  a  shortage 
of  ministers.  A  recent  release  from 
the  Department  of  Ministry  of  the 
National  Council  of  Churches,  in- 
dicated that  there  were  56,000  emp- 
ty pulpits  in  America,  and  10,000 
other  Protestant  church  posts  in  need 
of  leadership.  Several  larger  de- 
nominations have  seven  per  cent 
of  their  churches  without  pastors. 
In  our  church,  four  per  cent  need  to 
make  temporary  arrangements  for 
their  pulpits  at  the  beginning  of  Oc- 
tober 1959. 

Some  positive  notes  can  be 
sounded,  however.  A  number  of 
district  boards  are  holding  confer- 
ences on  Christian  vocation  and  are 
giving  guidance  to  local  church  lead- 
ers, pastors,  parents,  and  youth  on 
Christian  vocation.  Also,  beginning 
in  1960,  under  the  theme  adopted 
by  Annual  Conference,  My  Calling 
to  Fulfill,  there  will  be  a  vigorous 
program  of  leadership  development 
and  recruitment.  But  even  so,  we 
will  need  to  prepare  to  face  a  short- 
age in  our  pastoral  supply  for  sev- 
eral more  years  until  those  who  hear 
the  call  can  prepare  properly.  — 
Stewart  B.  Kauffman. 

Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation. 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


Chapel  In  The  Sky 

Charles  Ray  Goff.  Seventeen 
messages  of  encouragement  and 
inspiration  for  anyone  who  truly 
aspires  to  lead  a  Christian  life  in 
our  modern  world.  Written  in  a 
relaxed  and  informal  manner  for 
laymen  and  ministers. 

Devotional   Programs 

About  People 

And  Places 

Ruth  C.  Ikerman.  Forty  com- 
plete programs  from  around  the 
world  for  women's  groups.  Each 
program  has  a  scripture  reading, 
introduction,  brief  meditation,  and 
an  appropriate  closing  prayer. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices.  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (•).  — Editor. 


Great  Women  of  the  Christian 
Faith.  Edith  Deen.  Harper,  1959. 
428  pages.   $4.95. 

The  writer  of  this  book  presents 
some  of  the  greatest  women  in  the 
long  march  of  Christianity.  Their 
lives  have  richly  blest  humankind, 
and  are  as  radiant  stars  where  their 
light  will  never  lose  their  beauty  and 
splendor.  The  book  does  not  discuss 
theology,  but  portrays  lives  with  ded- 
icated conviction  and  heroic  courage 
in  times  of  brutal  cruelty  in  the  first 
centuries  of  Christianity,  through  the 
Middle  Ages,  to  the  beginnings  of 
missionary  concerns  and  develop- 
ments.    It   is   truly   a   pageantry   of 


Christian  women  across  the  cen- 
turies, witnessing  their  faith  in  the 
Invisible,  both  living  and  dying  for 
this  faith. 

Of  the  one  hundred  twenty-three 
brief  biographies,  some  were  martyrs, 
some  suffered  imprisonment,  some 
were  mothers  of  famous  sons,  some 
were  women  of  wealth  who  gave 
generously  to  the  poor,  some  were 
wives  who  gave  boundless  inspira- 
tion to  great  reformers,  to  bishops, 
to  poets,  to  defenders  of  freedom, 
to  missionaries  of  distinction.  Many 
were  poor  in  things,  but  rich  in  spirit. 

In  our  day  of  prosperous  ease, 
these  "windows"  of  divine  light  will 


~  Order  from  your  Bookstore " 

ABINGDON  PRESS 

Publisher  of 

THE  INTERPRETER'S  BIBLE 


give  strength  and  inspiration  to  in- 
dividuals and  groups  who  will  take 
time  to  read  and  ponder  the  signifi- 
cance of  these  worthy  women  who 
bore  such  valiant  faith.  We  cannot 
emphasize  too  strongly  how  the  de- 
votion and  courage  of  this  pageant 
of  great  Christian  women  has  helped 
the  church  survive  in  times  of  peril 
and  suffering.  —  Harriett  Howard 
Bright,  Bichmond,  Ind. 

Foundations  of  the  Responsible 
Society.  Walter  G.  Muelder.  Abing- 
don, 1959.  304  pages.   $6.00. 

A   responsible   society,    based    on 


MARCH  5,  1960 


25 


Sex  and  Love 

in  the  Bible 

WILLIAM    GRAHAM    COLE 

A  revealing  examination  of  all  of  the  prac- 
tices and  teachings  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  .  .  .  what  they  say  to  us  today. 

This  is  a  book  which  seeks  to  do  two 
things.  In  the  first  instance  it  serves  as  a 
guide  to  understanding  what  the  Bible  says 
about  sex  and  love  in  the  light  of  the  total 
historical  background.  The  second  concern 
is  practical.  The  approach  is  not  merely  anti- 
quarian, looking  at  the  past  as  an  interesting 
curiosity.  The  Biblical  material  is  assessed  from  the  standpoint  of 
our  present  problems  in  the  realm  of  sexual  morality,  asking  what 
the  Bible  has  to  say  to  us. 

Sex  and  Love  in  the  Bible  begins  with  a  survey  of  the  meaning 
of  love,  both  divine  and  human,  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments 
and  then  moves  on  to  examine  the  relationship  between  sex  and 
love  as  the  Bible  sees  it.  Subsequent  chapters  discuss  sex  before 
and  in  marriage,  prostitution  and  adultery,  homosexuality  and  some 
of  the  other  perversions.  A  final  chapter  summarizes  the  findings 
and  relates  them  to  the  world  of  Doctors  Freud  and  Kinsey. 

This  book  is  serious  rather  than  sensational.  The  facts  of  life 
are  faced  openly  and  frankly,  but  with  devoutness  and  dignity. 

$6.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


group  and  individual  responsibility, 
is  the  goal  of  this  work.  Dr.  Muelder 
covers  both  theoretical  ethics  and 
social  analysis  in  the  comprehensive 
analysis  of  Christian  social  ethics. 
Out  of  this  analysis,  the  subsequent 
chapters  discuss  many  issues  of  our 
modern  world. 

The  author  attempts  to  synthesize 
and  integrate  the  theological,  philo- 
sophical, sociological,  and  social  wel- 
fare approaches  into  a  coherent 
pattern  that  provides  the  basis 
for  the  responsible  society.  —  James 
Renz. 

Know  Your  Government.  George 
E.  Ross.  Rand  McNally,  1959.  72 
pages.     $2.95,   cloth;    $1.50,   paper. 

This  is  a  popularly  written  and 
illustrated  book  describing  how  the 
government  of  the  U.S.A.  functions. 
A  lay  person  who  does  not  own  a 
book  on  this  subject  will  find  this 
one  helpful  and  interesting  and  fairly 
complete.  High  school  and  junior 
high  school  youth  will  also  find  it 
very  useful  and  interesting  for  their 
use.  —  Ralph  Smeltzer. 


26 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  Church  in  Thy  House.  Hollis 
and  Elizabeth  Pistole.  Warner,  1959. 
94  pages.    $3.00. 

This  book  is  written  with  an  easy 
style  and  is  well  illustrated  by  exam- 
ple. It  seeks  to  point  out  how  par- 
ents and  teachers  can  co-operate  to 
further  extend  the  ideas  studied  in 
the  church  school  into  family  con- 
versation and  worship  at  home.  The 
importance  of  the  home  as  a  primary 
avenue  of  Christian  education  is  rec- 
ognized, and  it  helps  to  show  us  ways 
by  which  the  church  can  offer  its  re- 
sources to  the  home.  —  Glee  Yoder, 
McPherson,  Kansas. 

Historical  Atlas  of  the  Holy  Land. 

Rand  McNally,  1959.  88  pages. 
$2.95,  cloth;  $1.95,  paper. 

Some  forty-seven  maps,  twenty- 
two  of  which  are  in  full  color, 
supplemented  by  about  forty-five 
well-chosen  photographs,  an  easily 
understood  text,  and  a  table  of  Bible 
history  combine  to  make  this  greatly 
condensed  version  of  Kraeling's 
larger  Bible  Atlas  the  most  usable 
short  atlas  of  the  Holy  Land  avail- 
able today. 

This  reviewer  would  disagree  at 
a  number  of  points  with  the  author 


as,  for  example,  the  late  date  as- 
signed by  Kraeling  to  the  patriarchs 
and  the  exact  location  of  the  com- 
monly called  Pisidian  Antioch.  Nev- 
ertheless, this  is  a  magnificent  book 
which  will  help  to  make  the  Bible 
live  for  many  people.  —  David  J. 
Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 

*The  Young  Minister.  Peter 
Goulding.  Wilde,  1949.  244  pages. 
$2.50. 

A  novel,  written  in  the  manner  of 
a  diary,  pictures  the  struggle  of  a 
country  minister  as  he  seeks  to  find 
his  role  among  his  people.  It  is 
thrilling  to  see  the  young  man  grow 
in  love  for  those  whom  he  would 
serve.  The  reader  feels  that  he  is 
looking  into  the  very  mind  and  heart 
of  the  minister  as  he  develops  his 
philosophy  of  Christian  service;  he 
agonizes  with  him  as  he  faces  dis- 
couragements, rejoices  with  him  in 
his  triumphs,  and  thrills  with  him  in 
his  appreciation  of  nature. 

This  is  a  book  worthy  of  the  read- 
ing of  both  ministers  and  laymen, 
for  it  has  a  universal  appeal  and 
application.  —  Carl  E.  Myers,  Mt. 
Morris,  III. 

Meditations   on   Garden   Themes. 

Josephine  Robertson.  Abingdon, 
1959.    112  pages,  $1.75. 

The  garden  heart  finds  refreshing 
faith  and  a  growing  devotion  each 
moment  shared  with  this  litde  book. 
The  reader  senses  the  hope,  patience, 
and  joy,  mingled  with  the  struggles 
of  toil  and  disappointment  of  the 
gardener  who  plants  the  seed  —  may- 
be never  quite  realizing  the  ideal 
that  prompted  the  planting.  Even 
then,  patches  of  beauty  and  fra- 
grance have  given  those  who  noticed 
lingering  encouragement  and  a  deep- 
ening appreciation  of  the  good. 

The  fifty-one  meditations,  ac- 
companied with  scripture  verse  and 
prayer,  reflect  spiritual  insights  of 
the  author's  own  experiences  and  ob- 
servations, along  with  stories  of  other 
gardeners.  They  vary  from  the  "Bor- 
der of  Parsley"  to  "You  Can  Grow 
Orchids."  One  reads  about  "Seeds 
in  the  Wagon  Train,"  "When  Flow- 
ers Speak,"  "Colors  That  Clash," 
"Memorials,"  "We  Make  Our  Neigh- 
bor's View,"  and  others,  all  symboliz- 
ing human  struggles  and  joys.  Mrs. 
Robertson  in  the  foreword  writes  of 
the  child  'leaving  his  Garden  of 
Eden"  (home  and  family)  who  may, 
some  dark  night,  enter  the  Garden 
of  Gethsemane.  But  by  keeping  his 
faith  he  can  come  out  of  the  shadows 
to  walk  again  along  the  sunlit 
paths.  —  Esther  K.  Crouse,  Queen 
Anne,  Md. 


^t 


I  Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  Earl  Deardorff  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Dec.  6,  1959,  in  the  La  Verne 
church,  Calif.  The  Deardorffs  have  four 
daughters  and  six  grandchildren.  —  H. 
M.  Brubaker,  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Brother  and  Sister  A.  P.  Musselman 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary at  Lima,  Ohio,  on  Feb.  14,  1960, 
with  open  house.  —  Mrs.  O.  C.  Anspach, 
Lafayette,  Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  V.  Stutsman  of 
Girard,  111.,  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary  with  open  house 
on  Nov.  15,  1959.  They  have  served  in 
the  office  of  deacon  for  over  forty 
years.  They  have  three  children  and 
four  grandchildren.  —  Eva  Brubaker, 
Waggoner,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  W.  Williams  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Dec.  23,  1959.  -  Mrs.  Doris  M. 
Davidson,  Martinsville,  Va. 


Obituaries 


Albright,  Sadie  P.,  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Rheumah  Snoberger  Showalter  was 
born  Nov.  5,  1883,  and  died  Dec.  13, 
1959.  She  was  married  to  Harris  Al- 
bright, who  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Roaring  Spring 
church.  She  is  survived  by  one  daugh- 
ter, two  sons,  four  grandchildren,  five 
great-grandchildren,  two  sisters,  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Berkey  Knavel  at 
the  church.  Interment  was  in  the  Al- 
bright cemetery.  —  Margaret  E.  Guyer, 
Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 

Amstutz,  Derlin  J.,  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Joseph  Amstutz,  was  born  in 
Baughman  Township,  Ohio,  Feb.  15, 
1897,  and  died  Oct.  20,  1959.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  East  Chippewa  church, 
Ohio.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Ruth, 
three  sons,  one  daughter,  ten  grand- 
children and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  East  Chippewa 
church  by  Bro.  Guy  Buch.  Interment 
was  in  the  church  cemetery.  —  Bessie  F. 
Coffman,  Dalton,  Ohio. 

Baker,  Alfred,  son  of  David  K.  and 
Sarah  Elizabeth  Steinmetz  Baker,  was 
born  in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio, 
Oct.  17,  1872,  and  died  Jan.  12,  1960. 
On  May  15,  1898,  he  was  married  to 
Ruth  Myers.  He  was  baptized  into  the 
Poplar  Grove  church,  Ohio,  in  1913.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  two  sons,  two 
daughters,  sixteen  grandchildren,  and 
twenty-seven  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Beech 
Grove  church  with  the  undersigned 
officiating.  Interment  was  made  in  the 
New  Madison  cemetery.  —  Pius  Gibble, 
Hollansburg,  Ohio. 

Barklow,  Fred  Leroy,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Emma  Jane  Bonewitz  Bark- 
low,  was  born  July  26,  1916,  at  Myrtle 
Point,  Oregon,  and  died  Oct.  5,  1959. 
In  1950  he  was  married  to  Monica 
Botti.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Meadowview  church,  Calif.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  two  daughters,  a 
brother,  and  two  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  Sacramento,  Calif., 
by  the  undersigned.  Interment  was 
in  the  East  Lawn  cemetery.  —  John 
Hunter,  Sacramento,  Calif. 

Bauer,  Cletus  J.,  son  of  Jacob  S.  and 


r-tyan.  ike.  Mitudeb-i 


YOU  CAN  PREACH! 

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G.     RAY    JORDAN 


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through  the  reading  and  application  of  the  suggestions  in  this  book. 

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PREACHING  ON  CHRISTIAN  UNITY 

edited    by    ROBERT    TOBIAS 

Sermons  on  unity  by  a  dozen  famed  Christian  leaders  highlight 
this  volume.  Almost  every  phase  of  ecumenicity  is  touched  by 
these  men,  representatives  of  a  variety  of  beliefs,  experiences,  and 
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UNIVERSITY  CHURCH 

GEORGE    A.    BUTTRICK 

Here  is  the  long-awaited  first  collection  of  sermons  by  one  of 
the  most  influential  preachers  and  religious  writers  of  this  genera- 
tion. Recognizing  what  many  moderns  —  with  their  doubts  and 
fears  spawned  by  science  and  philosophy  —  have  called  "the  appar- 
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Elizabeth  Bauer,  was  born  June  20, 
1896,  at  McEwen,  Tenn.,  and  died  April 
21,  1959,  at  Garden  City,  Kansas.  He 
was  a  member  of  Prairie  View  church, 
Kansas.  On  Nov.  12,  1922,  he  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  to  Evalina  Dague.  Sur- 
viving are  his  wife,  two  daughters,  one 
son,  and  nine  grandchildren.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  at  the  Prairie  View 
church  by  Bro.  R.  E.  Mohler.  Interment 
was  in  the  Prairie  View  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Raymond  Daniels,  Modoc,  Kansas. 
Benner,  Emma  J.,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Alice  Kerstetter  Stroup,  was  born 
June  4,  1886,  and  died  Jan.  9,  1960. 
Her  husband,  John  W.  Benner,  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  is  survived  by 
five  sons,  three  daughters,  nineteen 
grandchildren,  eighteen  great-grand- 
children, two  brothers,  and  two  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Bunkertown  church,  Pa.,  by  Bro.  David 


H.  Markey.  Interment  was  in  the  Bunk- 
ertown cemetery.  —  Elsie  H.  Leonard, 
McAlisterville,  Pa. 

Bigler  Roy,  was  born  Oct.  6,  1885, 
and  died,  at  Goshen,  Ind.,  Jan.  8,  1960. 
He  was  married  to  Myrtle  Cripe  in  Oc- 
tober 1907.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
a  daughter,  one  grandson,  and  a  brodi- 
er.  The  funeral  service  was  conducted 
by  Bro.  Clarence  Fike  at  the  Yoder- 
Culp  funeral  home.  Interment  was 
in  the  West  Goshen  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Lewis  Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Boppe,  Amelia  V.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Emily  Jacobs,  died  Dec.  23,  1959, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Broadfording  church, 
Md.  She  is  survived  by  her  husband, 
two    sons,    four    daughters,    seventeen 


MARCH  5,  1960 


27 


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grandchildren,  and  seven  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Broadfording  church  by  Brethren 
David  Petre,  Robert  Seek  and  J.  Stanley 
Earhart.  Interment  was  in  the  River- 
view  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Edith  Myers, 
Hagerstown,  Md. 

Boucher,  Columbia,  daughter  of  Silas 
and  Anna  Gerhardt  Walker,  was  born 
near  Rockwood,  Pa.,  Jan.  13,  1875,  and 
died  Jan.  12,  1960.  She  was  preceded 
in  death  by  her  husband,  M.  Grant 
Boucher.  She  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Rockwood  church.  Surviving  are 
four  children,  seven  grandchildren, 
three  great-grandchildren,  and  one 
sister.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  W.  F.  Berkebile  in  the 
Hauger  funeral  home.  Interment  was 
in  the  Rockwood  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Walter  F.  Berkebile,  Rockwood,  Pa. 

Bowlby,  William  H.,  son  of  Austin 
and  Magdelena  Geary  Bowlby,  was 
born  in  Pennsville,  Pa.,  Nov.  7,  1888, 
and  died  Jan.  7,  1960.  He  was  a 
deacon  of  the  Rockwood  church,  Pa., 
for  more  than  thirty  years.    He  is  sur- 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


vived  by  his  wife,  the  former  Kathryn 
M.  Horner,  a  son,  four  grandchildren, 
two  brothers,  and  one  sister.  The  funer- 
al service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Walter  F.  Berkebile,  assisted  by  Bro. 
James  Boitnott  in  the  Rockwood  church. 
Interment  was  in  the  Rockwood  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Walter  F.  Berkebile,  Rock- 
wood, Pa. 

Bowman,  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Steiner  B.  Wachter,  was  born 
in  Frederick  County,  Md.,  Aug.  4,  1911, 
and  died  Dec.  20,  1959.  She  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Cletus  I.  Bowman 
on  Nov.  24,  1928.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Union  Bridge  church,  Md.  She 
is  survived  by  her  husband,  one 
daughter,  one  son,  five  grandchildren, 
her  parents,  a  sister,  and  five  brothers. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Union  Bridge  church  by  Bro.  Glen  M. 
Baird.  Interment  was  in  the  Pipe  Creek 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Maurice  M.  McDaniel, 
New  Windsor,  Md. 

Cocanour,  Luretta,  daughter  of  Moses 
and  Mary  Hostetler,  was  born  at  Waka- 
rusa,  Ind.,  Oct.  31,  1870,  and  died 
at  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  Dec.  31, 
1959.  In  1892,  she  was  married  to 
George  Cocanour,  who  preceded  her  in 


death.  She  was  a  long-time  member  of  I 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  she  and 
her  husband  having  served  in  the  office 
of  deacon.  Surviving  are  one  daughter, 
one  son,  and  five  grandchildren.  Thei 
funeral  service  was  held  in  Wakarusa. 
Interment  was  in  the  Olive  cemetery.  — 
V.  F.  Schwalm,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 

Cowan,  Sara  H.,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Susan  Ritchey  Van  Horn,  was  born 
June  1,  1891,  and  died  Tan.  17,  1960. 
She  was  a  member  or  the  Everett 
church,  Pa.  She  was  preceded  in  death 
by  her  husband,  Atlee  L.  Cowan.  She 
is  survived  by  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Stewart  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Fred  M.  Bowman.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Ritchey  cemetery.  — 
Joy  Harsh,  Everett,  Pa. 

Deafenbaugh,  Chester,  was  born  in 
Indiana,  May  18,  1866,  and  died  in 
Tampa,  Fla.,  Jan.  15,  1960.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Duval  funeral 
chapel  in  Tampa  by  the  undersigned. 
Interment  was  in  the  Eel  River  church 
cemetery,  Ind.,  with  Bro.  Moyne  Landis 
in  charge  —  John  M.  Meyers,  Tampa, 
Fla. 


Church  News 

Middle  Indiana 

Akron  Cooperative  —  We  held  our 
quarterly  council  meeting.  We  will 
have  two  love  feasts,  one  on  Thursday 
evening  before  Good  Friday  and  the 
other  on  World  Communion  day.  On 
April  3-9,  Bro.  Horace  Huse,  pastor  of 
the  Loree  Brethren  church,  will  be 
here  in  a  week  of  evangelistic  meetings. 
We  felt  our  church  was  strengthened 
through  the  Call  to  Witness  program 
last  year  so  we  will  have  another  pro- 
gram this  year.  —  Mrs.  Fred  Wolga- 
muth,  Akron,  Ind. 

Andrews  —  Bertha  Bigelow  and  Gar- 
nett  Keel  were  our  delegates  to  district 
meeting.  Bro.  Max  Benson  began  pas- 
toral work  here  on  Sept.  1.  Installa- 
tion services  were  conducted  by  our 
new  elder,  Bro.  Conrad  Snavely.  Rus- 
sell Bollinger  was  speaker  for  our  har- 
vest meeting  and  home-coming.  Union 
Thanksgiving  services  were  held  at  our 
church,  with  Rev.  Daniel  Bengston  giv- 
ing the  message.  Everette  and  Bertha 
Bigelow  have  been  installed  in  the 
office  of  deacon.  On  Dec.  20,  we  had  a 
dedication  service  for  a  baby  and  his 
parents  at  the  morning  service,  and  in 
the  evening  we  had  a  family  night  sup- 
per and  Christmas  program.  —  Goldie 
Priser,  Andrews,  Ind. 

Liberty  Mills  —  At  our  fall  love  feast 
our  pastor,  Bro.  John  Whitcraft,  offici- 
ated. Bro.  Mark  Wolfe,  of  Copper  Hill, 
Va.,  held  our  revival  meetings.  Two 
have  been  baptized  and  four  received 
by  letter.  Our  CBYF  was  given  a  vote 
of  recognition  at  our  council  meeting 
for  their  very  active  work  in  the  church 
programs.  The  youth  of  our  church  at- 
tended the  passion  play  at  Muncie,  Ind. 
The  women  s  fellowship  has  been  mak- 
ing comforters  for  relief  as  well  as 
home  mission  work.  A  dedication  serv- 
ice was  held  for  six  babies.  Our  church 
is  starting  a  library  for  the  children. 
The  children  helped  support  this  as 
their  Christmas  project.  —  Mrs.  Donald 
Warner,  South  Whitley,  Ind. 

Peru  —  Bro.  Howard  Keim  left  to  take 
over  the  leadership  of  the  church  in 
Peoria,  111.    Bro.  H.  F.  Richards  filled 


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The  Protestant  Choir  of 

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(Don  Janse,  Cond.) 

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Our  Help  in  Ages  Past, 
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the  Lambs,  Jesu  Joy  of 
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Organ  Meditations 

(Van  Taibert  at  the 

Pipe  Organ)  FH-1 03 

Out  of  the  Depths  I  Cry 
to  Thee,  With  All  My 
Powers,  I  Sing  the 
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Christ  Whose  Glory 
Fills  the  Skies,  and 
many  more. 

Sunday  Evensong 

(Don  Janse,  Baritone) 

FH-1 02 

The  Lord  Is  My  Shep- 
herd (Tchaikovsky) ,  I 
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Thou  Art  Gone  Up  on 
High  (Handel),  and 
many  others! 


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HOUR  RECORD  CLUB.  Send  me  the  three  records 
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NAME. 


ADDRESS 

OTY ZONE ... .  STATE 

D  Check  here  if  you  want  us  to  send  you  the  first 
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OAanddauqhte/ih 
INGLENOOK 
COOKBOOK 


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$2.00 

Over  fifteen  hundred  fa- 
vorite recipes  contributed 
by  Brethren  cooks.  Includes 
sections  on  invalid  cookery, 
outdoor  meals,  group  cook- 
ery, school  lunches,  interna- 
tional cookery,  as  well  as 
food  charts  and  useful 
household  information. 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Yearbook 

I960 

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30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the  pulpit  two  Sundays  and  Bro.  Carl 
Showalter,  our  in-coming  pastor,  took 
over  the  last  Sunday  of  August.  Bro. 
Graydon  Snyder  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry.  He  is  now  a  professor  in 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary.  Five  of  our 
young  men  have  been  licensed  to  the 
ministry.  Bro.  Charles  Dumond  held  a 
week  of  evangelistic  meetings.  Three 
were  baptized.  We  took  over  a  bushel  of 
fresh  fruit  to  the  Mexico  Church  of  the 
Brethren  home  before  Thanksgiving.  A 
leadership  training  class  has  been  or- 
ganized by  our  pastor.  The  women's 
fellowship  makes  comforters  and  mends 
clothes  for  relief.  They  have  also  been 
making  many  visits  to  our  shut-ins.  The 
cantata,  That  Song  of  Old,  was  given 
by  our  choir  on  Christmas.  On  Christ- 
mas Eve  we  held  the  communion  by 
candlelight.  —  Mrs.  Lamoin  Lawson, 
Peru,  Ind. 

Northern  Indiana 

Fort  Wayne,  Beacon  Heights  —  The 

church  met  in  council  with  Bro.  Galen 
Whitehead  presiding.  We  decided  to 
sponsor  a  refugee  family.  A  family  life 
conference  was  held  at  which  Bro.  E. 
Clyde  Weaver  was  leader.  Seven 
children  have  been  dedicated.  Installa- 
tion services  were  held  for  all  those 
serving  in  various  capacities  in  the 
church.  Four  have  been  received  by 
letter  since  our  last  report.  The  pastor 
is  teaching  a  class  in  preparation  for 
church  membership.  After  the  Christ- 
mas party  a  number  of  the  older  chil- 
dren went  caroling.  The  women  have 
made  comforters,  rolled  bandages,  and 
filled  friendship  packets.  The  Mother's 
study  fellowship  heard  Dr.  Dayton 
Musselman  recently  on  Parenthood  a 
Pleasure,  Not  a  Chore.  —  Lula  M.  Netz- 
ley,  New  Haven,  Ind. 

New  Paris  —  During  the  past  year 
new  classes  have  been  organized  in  our 
Sunday  school.  Our  pastor,  Brother 
Kenneth  Hollinger,  is  conducting  a  class 
on  the  meaning  of  church  membership. 
A  new  church  directory  was  put  out 
the  first  of  the  year.  Rolf  Gminder  is 
our  new  exchange  student  from  Ger- 
many. Ocella  Letherman  is  in  BVS 
work  in  Belle  Glade,  Fla.  Our  Sunday 
school  superintendent  and  his  wife, 
Brother  and  Sister  George  Neff,  are 
spending  three  months  in  India  under 
the  direction  of  Farmers  and  World 
Affairs.  The  Orville  Shermans  are  now 
in  charge  of  the  Mexico  Home.  —  Treva 
Steele,  New  Paris,  Ind. 

North  Liberty  —  The  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship  program  was  carried  out  with 
visitation  of  the  members.  Missioners 
participated  in  a  series  of  training  ses- 
sions and  the  whole  church  joined  in 
a  loyalty  dinner.  Bro.  Robert  Kneckel 
was  guest  speaker  for  the  father-son 
banquet.  Community  Thanksgiving 
services  were  held  in  our  church;  Bro. 
Charles  D.  Patterson,  assisted  by  other 
ministers  of  the  community,  brought 
the  message.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Melvin 
Ritchey,  presented  meditation  messages 
over  WNDU  radio  and  WNDU-TV. 
Some  of  the  women  of  the  church 
made  a  tour  of  Beatty  Memorial  state 
hospital  and  made  arrangements  to 
hold  a  Christmas  party  for  them.  Mary 
Miller,  regional  children's  director,  told 
of  her  varied  experiences  while  working 
with  the  Navajo  Indians  at  Lybrook. 
At  our  annual  watch  night  service, 
pictures   were   shown   of   some   of  the 


activities  of  the  church  during  the  past 
year.  Bro.  Richard  Burger  spent  a 
Sunday  evening  with  us,  showing  pic- 
tures and  speaking  about  the  African 
mission  work.  —  Virgil  Houser,  North 
Liberty,  Ind. 

Osceola  — We  had  a  consecration 
service  for  all  new  officers  and  teachers 
on  Oct.  4.  At  our  harvest  meeting, 
Sister  Opal  Pence  was  guest  speaker. 
It  was  also  note-burning  Sunday.  Bro. 
E.  Paul  Weaver  was  our  evangelist  last 
fall.  We  closed  with  communion.  The 
women's  fellowship  canned  food  for  the 
Mexico  Home.  Our  juniors  and  junior 
high  were  in  charge  of  the  Thanks- 
giving services.  The  children  and 
junior  high  departments  helped  with 
the  Christmas  worship  service.  The 
church  basement  is  being  remodeled 
and  a  new  heating  system  is  being  in- 
stalled. Our  pastor  is  at  present  con- 
ducting a  class  in  church  membership. 
We  studied  Africa  at  school  of  missions. 
We  are  looking  forward  to  our  spring 
revival  for  which  Bro.  Ralph  Smeltzer 
is  the  evangelist.  —  Mrs.  Betty  L. 
Miller,  Elkhart,  Ind. 

Union  Center  —  We  celebrated  our 
church  centennial  last  year.  Our  new 
church  was  completed  last  year,  also. 
—  C.  L.  Schmucker,  Nappanee,  Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 

Lafayette  —  We  had  a  special  service 
for  the  commissioning  of  missioners  for 
the  visitation  program  which  was  cli- 
maxed by  a  loyalty  dinner.  On  World 
Communion  Sunday  we  had  a  dedica- 
tion of  our  pledges  after  which  we 
had  a  dedication  and  renewal  service 
through  the  sacrament  of  the  bread  and 
cup.  Some  of  our  members  attended 
the  World  Communion  Day  services  at 
a  local  church.  A  special  offering  was 
lifted  for  the  Japanese  disaster  relief 
fund.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Ralph  Mc- 
Fadden,  has  been  preaching  a  series  of 
sermons  on  the  seven  deadly  sins.  Since 
our  last  report  we  have  received  five 
members  by  letter.  Our  women's  fel- 
lowship group  has  been  divided  into 
three  circles;  they  are  sewing  hospital 
gowns  and  rolling  bandages  for  the 
Garkida  leprosarium.  Bro.  Stewart 
Kauffman  was  the  evangelist  for  our 
evangelistic  meetings.  Eberhard  Stein- 
berg, German  exchange  student  who 
is  staying  with  the  George  Hildreth 
family  this  year,  gave  a  speech  en- 
titled World  Affairs  Are  My  Affairs.  — 
Mrs.  Byrel  Leslie,  Lafayette,  Ind. 

Rossville  —  Our  church  was  repre- 
sented at  the  district  meeting  at  Union 
Grove  by  Clara  Metzger  and  Blanch 
Wenger.  Evangelistic  meetings  were 
held  by  Bro.  Lester  Fike.  Sister  Ramona 
Wagoner  was  elected  Sunday  school 
superintendent  and  Bro.  Ralph  Petry 
elder.  Ten  have  been  baptized  and 
one  has  been  received  by  letter.  Rally 
day  was  observed  on  Oct.  4,  and  our 
communion  was  held  that  evening. 
Sister  Calvin  Bright  brought  us  a 
message  one  Sunday  evening.  An  area 
meeting  for  church  workers  was  held 
here,  led  by  Brother  and  Sister  Byron 
Miller,  Bro.  Howard  Burnett,  Sister 
Harriet  Bright  and  Sister  Thelma  Stout. 
The  Christmas  program  was  preceded 
by  a  fellowship  supper.  —  Mrs.  Ferris 
Hylton,  Cutler,  Ind. 

Michigan 
Hope  —  Two  have  been  received  by 
letter    and    two    babies    dedicated.     A 


■    '     ■■— ■ 


trie 

ming 

off 


who  earnestly  seeks  the  mind  of 
Christ  becomes  concerned  for  every  neighbor  and  for  every 
neighborhood  of  the  world.  This  concern  encompasses  the  well- 
being  of  the  whole  man  and  the  whole  community  of  men.  It 
includes  both  compassionate  sharing  with  those  in  physical  need 
and  heroic  action  toward  social  justice. 

as  we  serve  even  iithese  least"  both   individu- 
ally and  within  the  community,  we  serve  our  Lord  and  Master. 

—  A  Statement  Concerning  Brethren  Service,  Annual  Conference,  1959 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 


MARCH  5.  1960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  .  .  . 

Name    


R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


large  crowd  attended  our  father  and 
son  banquet,  at  which  Charlie  Maxwell 
of  the  Detroit  Tigers  spoke.  A  Breth- 
ren Service  training  conference  was 
held  at  our  church.  Our  Christmas 
program  consisted  of  the  play,  A  Light 
in  the  Window,  and  carols  by  the 
junior  choir.  After  the  program,  the 
Sunday  school  children  brought  gifts 
for  those  in  need.  The  young  adults 
and  the  young  people  went  caroling  to 
the  sick  and  shut-ins  throughout  the 
community.  The  young  adults  also 
sponsored  a  shower  for  a  family  in  the 
community  that  had  lost  all  their  pos- 
sessions in  a  fire.  Our  women's  fellow- 
ship has  been  making  several  com- 
forters for  relief.  Bro.  Stephen  Weaver 
filled  the  pulpit  one  Sunday  during  our 
pastor's  absence.  —  Wilmina  Wieland, 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Muskegon  —  Sunday  school  officers 
were  installed  during  a  morning  wor- 
ship service.  At  our  fall  council  meet- 
ing we  drew  up  the  budget  for  the 
coming  year.  Bro.  Roy  McRoberts  was 
honored  and  given  a  gift  in  appre- 
ciation for  his  sixteen  years  of  service 
as  moderator.  Brother  and  Sister  C.  O. 
Brubaker  conducted  a  week  of  evan- 
gelistic services.  The  Friendship  circle 
has  been  making  pads  for  the  cancer 
society.  They  entertained  the  ladies 
and  girls  of  the  church  with  a  Christmas 
party.  The  Dorcas  society  packed 
health  kits  for  overseas.  They  are  sew- 
ing for  relief  and  have  canned  apple- 
sauce for  Bethany  Hospital  and  Camp 
Brethren  Heights.  Community  Thanks- 
giving services  were  held  at  the  Faith 
Reformed  church.  Bro.  Wayne  Wheel- 
er, field  worker  for  the  Michigan  Tem- 
perance Foundation,  brought  us  a 
message.  —  Mrs.  Austin  Tarte,  Muske- 
gon, Mich. 

Northeastern  Ohio 

Ashland  Dickey  — At  a  combined 
family  and  missionary  meeting  Mrs. 
Janet  Fox  was  the  speaker.  She  showed 
pictures  and  told  about  her  experi- 
ences as  a  missionary  in  Nigeria.    Our 


daily  vacation  Bible  school  closed  with 
an  evening  program.  We  had  a  father- 
son  banquet.  Our  church  was  host  to 
the  district  men's  fellowship.  Bro. 
Perry  L.  Huffaker  was  the  guest  minis- 
ter for  our  evangelistic  services.  Two 
new  members  were  received  by  letter. 
Fifteen  women  attended  an  area  fel- 
lowship meeting,  and  seventeen  men 
and  boys  the  subdistrict  father-son 
banquet.  The  women's  fellowship  made 
friendship  packets  for  men  and  women 
and  the  primary  department  made 
children's  packets.  The  children  pre- 
sented a  Christmas  program.  —  Mrs. 
Jean  Schar,  Ashland,  Ohio. 


PEWS,PULPITa  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

j  write  for  Free  catalog 

¥    AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

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Classified  Advertising 

BRETHREN  TRAVEL  —  Leaving 
July  6,  1960,  for  a  44-day  bus  tour 
of  Europe.  Visiting  8  countries, 
highlighted  by  visiting  Schwarz- 
enau  and  various  Brethren  Service 
centers  and  projects,  and  attend- 
ance at  the  Oberammergau  Passion 
Play,  Salzburg  Music  Festival  and 
a  Shakespearean  play  at  Stratford- 
on-Avon.  For  information  write: 
European  Friendship  Tour,  %  J. 
Kenneth  Kreider,  Elizabethtown 
College,  Elizabethtown,  Pa. 


FOR  SALE  —  Fifty-acre  farm, 
semimodern  large  house,  2  miles 
from  school  and  Brethren  church. 
Adjoining  U.S.  20.  Write:  Chester 
Kintner,  Alvordton,  Ohio. 


A  HEAP  OF  LIVING,  by  Cora  W. 
Helman.  Story  of  the  life  and  ac- 
tivities of  J.  Edson  Ulrey,  portray- 
ing church  history  on  the  local  level 
for  more  than  half  a  century.  Price, 
$2.95,  plus  10c  postage.  Order  from: 
Cora  W.  Helman,  Onekama,  Mich. 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


WOMAN 

TO 

WOMAN 

Eugenia  Price 


Beginning  with  a  stimulating  discussion  of  "The  Differ- 
ence It  Makes  When  a  Woman's  Personality  Is  Christ- 
Controlled,"  the  author  considers  the  difference  it  makes  in 
her  disposition,  in  her  work  and  appearence,  in  her  marital 
relationships,  in  her  home  and  her  children's  lives,  in  her 
church  life  and  spiritual  life,  in  the  way  she  meets  life,  and 
other  specific  areas  in  her  life  in  which  she  is  free  to  choose 
whether  she  will  be  herself  or  let  Christ  be  himself  in  her. 

$2.95 
CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  111. 


.«■   ■  wmw  t 


»*»«^"»""«l 


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C Aa/teA erf tn£^LMeWve^^ 

Gospel 


MARCH  12,  1960 


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Swords  Into  Plowshares 


5>5> 


From  the  studio  of  a  Soviet  sculptor  comes  a  graphic 

illustration  of  the  Biblical  call  to  peacemakers.    Yevgeni 
Vuchetich  is  the  artist  whose  impressive  sculpture  can 

soon  be  viewed  at  the  United  Nations  in  New  York. 


A  Commentary  on  This   Issue 

■  The  theme  of  this  special  Brethren  Service  issue  of 
the  Gospel  Messenger,  Disciples  Are  Peacemakers,  is 
introduced  by  M.  Guy  West's  guest  editorial.  He  lifts 
up  peacemaking  as  an  essential  aspect  of  this  year's 
Brotherhood  theme  the  Call  to  Discipleship. 

In  Down-to-Earth  Peacemaker  Inez  Long  has 
caught  the  inspiring  spirit  of  Andrew  W.  Cordier,  a 
man  whose  skill  and  dedication  have  led  him  to  the 
most  influential  political  post  any  Brethren  has  held. 

The  picture  story  of  the  Martin  Youngs,  a  family 
using  the  opportunities  around  them  to  light  lamps  in 
a  darkening  world,  should  stir  all  of  us  to  become  a 
flame  for  peace.  As  "convinced  Brethren,"  rather  than 
"birthright  Brethren,"  they  provide  an  outstanding  ex- 
ception to  the  observation  made  in  the  succeeding 
article  that  congregations  in  which  families  have  been 
Brethren  for  several  generations  are  generally  stronger 
supporters  of  our  church's  peace  doctrine. 

Each  reader  will  want  to  analyze  his  own  congrega- 
tion's peace  witness  as  he  reads  Don  Royer's  A  Tale 
of  Two  Congregations.  Does  your  congregation  have 
an  "S"  witness  or  a  "C"  witness?  Do  you  agree  with 
the  conclusions  presented?    Write  us  your  comments. 

The  breakthrough  for  the  peace  witness  made  by 
the  historic  peace  churches  in  the  thinking  of  European 
church  leaders  is  described  in  Kurtis  Naylor's  article. 
Are  we  Brethren  able  to  communicate  our  peace  posi- 
tion in  a  theologically  sound  and  convincing  manner  to 
follow  up  this  breakthrough?  Are  we  moving  forward 
rapidly  enough  in  our  preparation  for  this  task?  How 
effective  is  our  peace  witness  in  Europe  outside  the 
churches,  for  example  to  those  in  government? 

Albert  Huston's  article  reflects  the  growing  demand 
in  Japan  for  peace  and  disarmament.  Our  church  is 
playing  a  significant,  though  small,  role  in  helping  to 
guide  the  Japanese  peace  movement  both  within  and 
outside  the  churches.  Are  we  prepared  with  commit- 
ment, insight,  and  resources  to  increase  our  response 
to  this  outstanding  challenge  offered  to  us? 

How  well  we  are  now  doing  as  a  church  in  peace- 
making is  revealed  in  part  in  some  answers  to  questions 
in  the  Brethren  Want  to  Know  column.  We  hope  these 
frank  evaluations  will  stimulate  our  readers  also  to 
evaluate  our  church's  discipleship  in  peacemaking. 
Your  comments  will  be  welcome  and  can  be  shared  with 
other  readers  through  these  pages. 

Ralph  E.   Smeltzer. 


Guest  Editorial 


Disciples 


MOST  readers  of  the  Gospel  Messenger 
will  likely  agree  (1)  that  our  world 
desperately  needs  peacemakers,  and 
(2)  that  this  is  a  vital  aspect  of  Christian  dis- 
cipleship. But  how  shall  the  peacemaker  do 
his  work  in  the  modern  world?  On  this  third 
point  there  may  be  disagreement. 

The  need  for  peacemaking  in  our  world  is 
painfully  obvious.  Many  areas  of  tension  and 
conflict  are  called  to  mind  by  the  mere  mention 
of  such  words  as  these:  Washington  and 
Moscow,  Little  Rock  and  Americus  (Georgia), 
the  steel  industry  and  labor  unions,  the  divorce 
courts  of  any  American  city,  the  line  fence  be- 
tween too  many  neighbors,  the  council  meeting 
in  some  churches,  our  crowded  mental  hospitals 
and  overworked  psychiatrists.  Here,  from  in- 
ternational relations  to  individual  personality,  ! 
we  find  areas  of  tension  and  conflict  where 
peacemakers  are  urgently  needed.  On  this  we 
shall  have  no  disagreement. 

And  such  peacemaking  is  obviously  involved 
in  discipleship.  Even  a  casual  reading  of  the 
New  Testament  should  make  this  clear.  For 
those  who  seek  them  there  are  proof  texts. 
"Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be 
called  the  sons  of  God"  (Matt.  5:9).  "If  anyone 
is  in  Christ  he  is  a  new  creation;  the  old  has 
passed  away.  All  this  is  from  God  who  through 


GOSPEL     MESSENGER    volume  109 


MARCH  12.  1960 


Number  11 


Editor:    Kenneth  I.  Morse 
Editorial  Assistant:    Elizabeth  Weigle 

Member:    Associated  Church  Press 

Subscriber:    Religious  News  Service 
Ecumenical  Church  Press 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


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20,  1918.    Printed  in  U.S.A. 


Are  Peacemakers 


M.  Guy  West 


Christ  reconciled  us  to  himself  and  gave  us  the 
ministry  of  reconciliation"  (2  Cor.  5:17-18). 

These  are  plain  words  and  they  can  be 
matched  by  many  similar  texts.  But  the  spirit 
of  our  Master's  life  is  even  more  convincing. 
Jesus  was  a  man  of  peace.  He  went  about  doing 
good.  He  had  compassion  on  all  who  were  in 
need.  He  loved  everyone.  He  died  with  a 
prayer  on  his  lips  for  the  forgiveness  of  his 
persecutors.  His  was  unmistakably  a  spirit  of 
love  and  compassion,  and  the  disciple  is  to  have 
the  same  mind  and  spirit  (Phil.  2:5). 

Peacemaking  is  the  disciple's  business.  On 
this,  likewise,  most  of  us  will  readily  agree. 

But  how?    What  methods   shall  we   use? 

Shall  we  rely  on  military  force  or  persuasion? 

The   Associated   Press    recently    quoted    Rep. 

Byron  Johnson  of  Colorado  as  follows:    "The 

United  States  has  enough  nerve  gas  on  hand 

to  kill  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the 

world."    The   same  is   likely  true   of   bombs, 

Ideadly  germs,  and  other  weapons.   Shall  we  go 

[on  developing  and  stockpiling  them,  putting 

Imore  men  in  uniform  and  hoping  by  our  mili- 

Itary  strength  to  make  others  afraid  to  cause 

trouble? 


Or  shall  our  emphasis  be  upon  sharing  our 
abundance  with  the  world's  needy,  working  for 
the  freedom  and  equality  of  the  oppressed, 
striving  through  sacrificial  love  to  secure  peace 
and  freedom  for  all  men?  In  a  word,  shall  our 
methods  of  peacemaking  be  those  of  the  sword 
or  those  of  the  cross?  Here  is  the  modern 
peacemaker's  dilemma. 

As  you  wrestle  with  this  issue  such  discern- 
ing words  as  the  following  may  prove  helpful: 
"For  to  this  end  you  have  been  called,  because 
Christ  also  suffered  for  you,  leaving  you  an 
example  that  you  should  follow  in  his  steps" 
(1  Peter  2:21).  This  makes  the  disciple's  call 
to  peacemaking  unmistakably  clear  and  undeni- 
ably difficult.  No  short  cuts  or  easy  methods 
are  his.  Christ  suffered  and  died  on  the  cross, 
and  we  have  been  called  to  follow  in  his  foot- 
steps. Let  us  hope  that  the  current  Call  to 
Discipleship  of  our  denomination  will  sharpen 
this  issue  and  lead  us  all  to  take  a  new  look  at 
the  peacemaking  implications  of  discipleship. 

"And  they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plowshares, 

and  their  spears  into  pruning  hooks; 
nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 

neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more"  (Isa>  2:4) . 


In  This  Number 

A.  Commentary  on  This  Issue 2 

Disciples  Are  Peacemakers.   M.  Guy  West  ...  2 

Down-to-Earth  Peacemaker.    Inez  Long  4 

Family  Aflame  for  Peace 8 

The  Growing  Peace  Witness  in  Europe. 

Kurtis  F.  Naylor 12 

Speak  From  Experience.    Albert  W.  Huston  .  .  14 

This  Year's  Special  Call 16 


A  Tale  of  Two  Congregations. 

Donald  M.  Royer 18 

Reading  Their  Way  Out  of  Bondage 22 

The  Field  Is  the  World 23 

News  — 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World  24 

MARCH  12.  I960  3 


Down-to-Earth 
PEACEMAKER 


Inez  Long 


THE  man  at  the  blond,  functional  desk 
thirty-eight  floors  above  the  ground  spoke 
in  down-to-earth  terms.  "Everyone  wants 
peace,"  he  said,  "but  wishes  are  not  enough. 
Practical  steps  and  a  strong  will  to  peace  and 
justice  are  needed." 

The  man,  Andrew  Cordier,  spoke  from  the 
summit  of  the  United  Nations  building  as  it 
pushed  through  the  fog  of  East  River.  An  ad- 
joining, squatlike  building  backed  up  against 
the  dramatic  skyline  of  Manhattan  to  the  west. 
Within  these  architectural  restraints,  a  spirit  of 
open  communication  has  been  designed  and 
constructed  by  practical  peacemakers.  Cordier 
is  one  of  them,  executive  assistant  to  the  secre- 
tary general  of  the  United  Nations  since  its 
founding  fifteen  years  ago. 

Like  the  building,  Andrew  Cordier's  friend- 
liness is  as  clear  as  glass,  his  firmness  as  tough 
as  steel.  Speak  his  name  in  French  and  the 
cadences  flow  mellow  and  soft.  Speak  his 
name  in  the  Yankee  dialect  of  his  Ohio  home 
and  the  consonants  rumble  with  the  throaty 
roar  of  a  tractor  when  the  plow  is  put  in  the 
spring  furrow. 

His  peacemaking  has  the  same  mixture.  A 
wide-eyed  dream  of  peace  inherited  from  his  re- 
ligious ancestors  comes  to  focus  in  the  challenge, 
both  historic  and  prophetic,  that  war  is  neither 


A 

PROFILE 

OF 

ANDREW 

CORDIER 


inevitable  nor  is  it  the  will  of  God.  'The  United 
Nations  is  no  guarantee  of  peace,"  says  Cordier. 
"But  here  peace  has  a  fighting  chance." 

This  fighting  chance  runs  through  the  miles 
of  uncluttered  areas  of  communication  from  the 
third  basement  to  the  thirty-eighth  floor  of  the 
United  Nations  building.  Into  this  fighting 
arena,  sized  for  all  humanity,  one  million  visitors 
come  every  year  to  share  the  indomitable  spirit 
of  the  United  Nations,  personalized  in  states- 
men such  as  Andrew  W.  Cordier. 

His  stature  is  as  solid  as  his  convictions. 
His  stocky  build,  blocked  out  on  a  sturdy  frame, 
is  one  and  the  same  piece  with  his  weight  as 
a  man.  His  natural  gifts  would  make  a  lesser 
man  proud,  and  Cordier  has  the  physical  bear- 
ing for  pride.  Yet,  self-effacing,  he  is  unawed 
by  rank.  He  sees  prime  ministers,  chiefs  of 
staff,  and  men  in  the  work  crew  as  having  an 
equally  vital  function  never  apart  from  the 
whole. 

"Each  is  important,"  advises  Cordier.  "The 
balance  of  all  is  related  to  the  function  of  each." 
He  attends  the  annual  Christmas  party  for  the 
manual  workers  in  the  third  basement  with  the 
same  conviviality  which  makes  him  friend  to 
eighty-two  member  delegations  and  a  staff  of 
sixty-five  hundred  workers  from  seventy  coun- 
tries. 

"Heard  you  worked  late  last  night,"  the  door- 
man and  the  elevator  girl  say  by  way  of  greeting 
him  in  the  morning  after  the  light  has  been  on 
in  his  office  all  night.  This  same  esprit  de  corps, 
with  a  rousing  boost  for  the  fellow  who  is  in 
there  slugging  away  at  the  job,  made  him  a 

I  popular  announcer  for  football  games  at  the 
Midwest  college  where  he  was  a  professor. 
This  sense  of  personal  responsibility  and 
fair  play  came  from  the  preaching  he  heard  in 
the  plain  meetinghouse  where  he  attended 
church  as  a  boy  near  Hartville,  Ohio.  His  family 
were  Brethren,  a  pietist  sect  with  a  strict  moral 
code  which  defined  the  rights  and  responsibili- 
ties of  the  good  life.  One  right  they  conceded 
to  no  one:   disrespect  for  the  rights  of  others. 

With  a  stiff  backbone  for  human  rights, 
Andrew  developed  very  early  a  soft  heart  for 
those  whose  rights  were  threatened.  "The  spirit 
of  the  United  Nations  is  at  once  stern,  as  in  the 
Suez  crisis,  and  at  the  same  time  tender,  as  in 
UNICEF,"  says  Cordier.  He  grew  up  in  both 
attitudes. 

The  Brethren  taught  Andrew  to  hold  the 
line  against  evil,  peacefully,  yet  not  without 
disturbance  if  necessary.  They  taught  him  to 
resist  evil  aggressively  lest  he,  himself,  be  over- 
come by  evil.  The  fighting  orders  of  the  Breth- 


ren, one  of  the  three  historic  peace  churches,  is 
"to  overcome  evil  with  good."  From  his  re- 
ligious background,  Cordier  developed  the  in- 
vincible determination  to  work  to  attain  high 
moral  goals. 

As  a  farm  boy  on  a  northeastern  Ohio  farm, 
Andrew  knew  firsthand  the  elemental  forces  at 
work  to  keep  back  the  encroachments  on  the 
good  life.  He  saw,  dramatized  in  daily  exist- 
ence, the  thin  line  between  life  and  death.  Liv- 
ing close  to  the  soil,  he  developed  a  champion's 
delight  in  the  vitality  of  all  living  things  to 
maintain  themselves  against  insufferable  odds. 
The  right  to  produce,  to  reproduce,  to  possess, 
and  to  grow  are  sacred  rights  to  him.  "The 
farm  is  a  good  place  to  grow  up,"  he  declares. 
"Work  and  struggle  are  accepted  as  a  necessary 
part  of  life." 

While  the  farm  gave  him  lessons  in  struggle, 
his  noncomformist  parents  gave  him  examples 
in  individualization.  His  mother  wore  the  plain 
black  bonnet  of  Brethren  women.  Andrew's 
deacon  father  with  the  farmer-preachers  ad- 
monished the  church  members  to  be  a  peculiar 
people  unto  the  Lord. 

If  the  church  gave  him  his  identity  as  a 
person,  the  country  school  gave  him  an  image 
of  his  lifework  which  was  to  thrust  him  beyond 
the  world  of  Hartville.  "I  never  had  to  decide 
what  I  wanted  to  be,"  he  recalls.  "When  I  was 
eight  years  old,  in  the  fourth  grade,  A.  J.  Brum- 
baugh was  my  teacher,  a  very  inspiring  one. 
From  that  time  on,  I  knew  I  wanted  to  be  a 
teacher." 

A.  J.  Brumbaugh,  later  to  become  dean  of 
the  University  of  Chicago,  laid  the  roadbed  for 
Andrew's  education  and  the  boy  contributed 
his  part  by  walking  two  and  a  half  miles  to  high 
school.  He  went  every  Sunday  to  church,  every 
Sunday  night  to  youth  meeting  of  which  he  was 
president. 

Others  helped.    One  summer  day,  the  Rev. 

MARCH  12,  1960  5 


Mr.  Shoemaker  met  him  at  the  end  of  a  corn 
row  with  a  book  in  his  hand.  "Andrew,"  he 
said,  "I  was  wondering  if  you  would  like  to  join 
a  group  to  study  this  book,"  and  he  held  up  a 
copy  of  The  Making  of  a  Teacher  by  M.  G. 
Brumbaugh,  the  first  Brethren  in  public  life  to 
ease  the  church's  suspicion  about  education. 

"Within  a  generation  some  fifteen  young 
men  left  the  Hartville  church  community  and 
earned  doctor's  degrees,"  states  Cordier.  "The 
factors  responsible  for  this  high  percentage 
would  make  a  valuable  study." 

D.  W.  Kurtz  was  the  first  member  of  the 
local  church  to  receive  a  doctorate  and  to 
become  a  nationally  known  preacher.  He 
pioneered  the  interest  of  the  young  people  in 
higher  education.  Otho  Winger,  vigorous  young 
president  of  a  burgeoning  church  college  at 
North  Manchester,  Indiana,  visited  Andrew's 
father  when  the  boy  was  in  high  school. 

"Education  will  make  a  better  man  of  your 
son,"  he  said,  emphatically.  "And  a  church  col- 
lege will  give  him  Christian  character  along 


United  Nations 

Andrew  W.  Cordier  (standing),  executive  assistant  to 
Secretary  General  Dag  Hammerskjold  (left),  counts 
votes  on  a  resolution  being  acted  upon  in  a  session 
of    the    General    Assembly    of    the    United    Nations 

6  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


with  his  education."  It  was  a  convincing  argu- 
ment. He  and  Kurtz  tipped  the  balance  against 
the  prevailing  idea  among  the  prosperous 
Brethren  farmers  that  "only  a  soft  man  gets  an 
education.  The  real  men  stay  home,  work,  and 
have  something  to  show  for  it  in  the  end." 

With  the  pace  of  a  man  who  knew  what  he 
wanted,  Andrew  graduated  from  Manchester 
College,  took  a  bride  from  its  community,  set 
up  graduate  study  at  the  University  of  Chicago 
under  a  triumvirate  of  notable  historians,  and 
returned  to  his  Indiana  alma  mater  as  professor. 

For  two  decades,  across  the  brash  twenties, 
the  foreboding  thirties  and  the  erupting  forties, 
his  office  at  the  center  of  a  quiet  campus,  on 
the  second  floor  of  an  even  quieter  library,  was 
the  hub  for  central  Indiana's  growing  interest  in 
responsible  internationalism. 

To  Cordier  s  students,  Europe's  events  were 
as  near  as  their  professor's  next  lecture.  In  his 
correspondence,  answered  by  way  of  the  only 
dictaphone  on  the  campus,  he  referred  to  distant 
events  as  one  personally  involved.  From  stacks 
of  books  and  magazines,  he  marshaled  his  of- 
fensive against  American  isolationism. 

His  reputation  as  a  lecturer,  fortified  by 
travel  abroad  each  summer,  gave  him  a  wide 
lecturing  circuit.  In  one  year  he  received  four- 
teen hundred  requests  for  lectures.  Service 
clubs,  religious  groups,  social  clubs,  institutes, 
farm  groups,  universities  and  colleges,  meeting; 
in  churches,  auditoriums,  barns,  homes,  hotels,, 
classrooms,  parlors  and  basements,  were  asking 
the  same  vital  question,  "What  can  be  done  to 
assure  a  better  world?" 

His  lectures  poured  out  facts  from  a  dynamo 
of  conviction.  He  recited  the  doom  of  the 
League  of  Nations  foreshadowed  by  Hitler's 
rise  to  power.  He  saw  Sudetenland's  fate.  He 
witnessed  the  crisis  at  Danzig.  He  stated  bold- 
ly that  America  could  not  shun  these  problems. 

After  one  ninety-minute  lecture,  one  farmer 
said,  "I  don'  know  what  he's  gettin'  at,  an' 
if'n  I  did,  I'm  not  sure  I'd  believe  it.  But  he 
does.    He  sure  does!" 

His  faith  in  the  peaceful  and  just  settlement 
of  international  conflicts  is  a  steady,  almost 
stubborn  faith.  To  say  that  his  faith  is  mere 
idealism,  with  fruitless  promises  for  human 
betterment,  is  to  sell  him  short.  Cordier  is  first 
of  all  a  historian,  conversant  with  man's  puny 
schemes. 

His  faith  is  rooted  in  the  conviction  that 
God,  by  his  very  nature  has  not  allowed  a 
human  condition  so  grim  that  human  beings 
under  divine  pardon  and  power,  cannot  change 

"War,  as  an  instrument  for  settling  inter- 


national  conflict,"  says  Cordier,  "is  grim  and 
inhuman.  Especially  in  an  atomic  age.  It 
threatens  to  destroy  everything  civilization  has 
achieved." 

Cordier  considers  no  person  or  plight  beyond 
redemption.  Always  there  are  unexplored  areas, 
he  believes,  in  which  creative  solutions  can  be 
found. 

"Compromise  is  not  the  word,"  he  reasons 
aloud,  in  a  tone  reminiscent  of  the  classroom. 
"Creative  communication  is  better.  Solutions 
may  be  brought  to  light  which  were  unknown 
before  by  the  several  parties  involved." 

He  will  admit  to  no  one's  being  impossible. 
Neither  will  he  accept  the  unacceptable  tactics 
of  others  as  counterdefense.  "What  is  the  point," 
he  asks,  "in  becoming  like  the  people  we  are 
fighting?  Nothing  is  gained  that  way."  He  be- 
lieves that  people  of  good  will  must  demonstrate 
the  very  qualities  which  they  believe  to  be  the 
conditions  for  peace. 

Straight  from  his  religious  forebears  is  this 
idea  that  standards  of  righteousness  must  not 
only  be  preached  but  lived.  Every  situation 
demands  understanding,  decision,  and  action. 
History  is  a  determinative  force  but  people  and 
nations  have  the  right  and  the  power  to  shape 
the  nature  of  that  determination. 

"This  is  man's  holy  freedom,"  states  Cordier. 

He  is  an  unquiet  historian,  given  to  con- 
ns templation  only  to  gear  him  into  action  on  con- 
crete problems.  He  believes  that  past  solutions 
nj  cannot  be  applied  to  present  problems  but  he 
issues  a  warning:  "History  indicates  that  there 
are  limits  to  humanity's  tolerance  of  violence, 
perversity,  and  immorality." 

To  such,  he  believes,  humanity  carries  built- 
>i|  [n  correctives.  To  blueprint  correctives  to  war, 
le  was  called  to  Washington  by  the  State  De- 
partment during  World  War  II. 

He  was  present  at  San  Francisco  when  the 

delegates  adopted  the  famous  preamble,  "We, 

the  peoples  of  the  United  Nations,  determined 

i  to  save  succeeding  generations  from  the  scourge 

of  war.  .  .  ." 

He  watched  men  such  as  Senator  Vanden- 
iol  )urg  wrestle  through  the  death  throes  of  Ameri- 
ieti  can  isolationism  until  today  men  in  public  life 
may  have  isolationist  tendencies  but  they  most 
Jij  certainly  do  not  want  to  be  branded  with  them. 

He  saw  the  United  States  accept  her  role 
in  a  responsible  internationalism.  He  believes 
that  we  have  already  passed  into  a  new  era,  in 
which  man's  supreme  folly  would  be  to  use  the 
weapons  at  his  disposal  to  destroy  himself. 

Cordier  helped  his  church  plan  correctives 
to  hate  and  terror  by  organizing  emergency  re- 


lief work  for  war  victims.  At  the  head  of  the 
mahogany  table  at  the  church  headquarters  at 
Elgin,  Illinois,  he  sat  as  the  first  chairman  of  the 
Brethren  Service  Committee.  There  he  helped 
the  Brethren  interpret  their  religion  as  one  in 
which  man  is  inextricably  bound  to  others,  in 
down-to-earth  ways,  whom  he  ignores  at  his 
own  peril. 

Rules  for  material  aid  to  friend  and  foe 
alike  were  laid  down.  First,  the  person  to  re- 
ceive gifts  must  be  a  person  in  need.  Second, 
this  person  must  share  the  benefits  received 
from  the  gifts.  Third,  each  gift  must  carry  a 
single  statement  about  the  donor:  Given  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Clothing,  food,  medicine,  eyeglasses,  heifers, 
goats,  chickens,  seeds,  tools,  and  blankets  cross- 
ing the  seas  after  the  war  under  the  Brethren 
Service  insignia  were  later  joined  by  larger 
quantities  under  Church  World  Service  in 
which  the  Protestant  churches,  generally,  came 
to  recognize  that  material  aid  is  an  implementa- 
tion of  the  gospel  of  their  Lord. 

But  it  was  not  at  the  mahogany  table  of 
Brethren  Service,  nor  at  the  blond  table  on  the 
thirty-eighth  floor  of  United  Nations,  that 
Andrew  Cordier  received  his  first  lessons  in 
peacemaking. 

"Utter  sincerity,  utter  fairness  and  utter  in- 
tegrity are  basic  to  communication,"  states 
Cordier,  "and  I  first  learned  them  as  prior  con- 
ditions to  coming  to  the  love  feast  tables.  At 
these  tables,  after  applying  the  rules  of  Matthew 
18,  the  Brethren  dramatize  the  idea  of  brother- 
hood under  God." 

Twice  a  year,  the  unobtrusive  Brethren, 
numbering  only  200,000,  gather  around  the  love 
feast  tables  in  a  literal,  altogether  menial  inter- 
pretation of  New  Testament  commands.  They 
eat  a  simple  meal  together.  They  kneel  down 
and  wash  each  other's  feet.  In  these  two  acts 
they  confess  to  each  other  their  common  need 
for  food  and  service.  In  the  communion  service 
which  follows,  they  confess  their  dependency 
upon  a  righteous  God  through  whom  they  come 
to  know  their  interdependency  as  brothers. 
They  confess  that  through  the  grace  of  God 
alone  can  they  receive  strength  to  be  gracious 
to  their  fellow  men. 

There  at  the  long  white  love  feast  tables, 
with  the  aroma  of  warm  beef  soup  everywhere 
throughout  the  meetinghouse,  with  everyone 
singing  the  great  hymns  of  the  faith  in  a  sing- 
song rhythm  that  leans  on  human  voices  without 

Continued  on  page   16 
MARCH  12,  1960  7 


Family 


L 


/AST  summer's  vacation  for  the  Martin  Young  family  was  a  venture  in 
peacemaking.  For  several  days  Martin  and  Betty  Young  and  their  teen-agers 
Penny  and  Craig  participated  in  Omaha  Action,  a  nonviolent  protest  against 
the  government's  missiles-for-warfare  program  at  Fort  Mead,  between  Omaha 
and  Lincoln,  Nebr. 

On  their  first  visit  Penny  and  Craig  joined  the  group  of  pacifists  walking: 
the  thirty  miles  from  Omaha  to  the  missile  base,  carrying  posters,  passing  out 
literature,  and  voicing  concerns  with  persons  along  the  way.  Later  the  family 
joined  a  round-the-clock  vigil  set  up  outside  the  entrance  to  the  base.  They 
witnessed  the  arrest  of  several  of  the  group  for  their  civil  disobedience  act  of 
going  through  the  gate  to  talk  to  the  workers. 

"We  had  talked  about  peace  for  so  long  and  gone  to  so  many  meetings 
but  seemingly  got  nowhere,"  explained  Betty.    "We  thought  that  this  was  a 


sue 
ofti 
oil 
part 
Adv 


good  opportunity  for  our  family  to  see  peacemaking  in  action  and  to  observe  Li 


Martin  and  Craig  prepare  for  the  Nebraska  trip  by 
packing  clothing  and  boxes  of  literature  from  the 

fc)maha  Action  office.  The  comfortable  walking  shoes 
come  in  handy  when  the  Youngs  join  the  protestors, 

luch  as  those  pictured  upper  right,  who  are  marching 
to  the  Fort  Mead  missile  base 


I  Htkhi 


lartin  Young,  chairman  of  his  church's  social  action 
j  committee,  helps  Mrs.  Richard  Dunham  pack  blankets 

for  relief 


\ 


.■.■■■■■■■:■:.'.    :  ■ :-'v.: 


Text  by  Esther  Mohler 

Photos  by  Brethren  News  Service 


Aflame  for  Peace 


Jiat  God  works  in  places  other  than  in  the  church.  Besides,  it  takes  dramatic 
eC  iction  to  wake  up  the  public  to  the  dangers  the  world  is  facing.  Even  though 
Dsl  >uch  action  may  make  some  people  hostile,  once  they  get  over  the  first 
W'  mtagonism  it  may  have  a  more  lasting  effect  than  other  methods." 

As  the  following  pages  show,  participation  in  Omaha  Action  has  by  no 

neans  meant  the  end  to  this  family's  efforts  for  peace.  Back  home  in  Lombard, 

W'  llinois,   Martin  is  chairman  of  the  local  church  social  action  committee,   a 

iil)  member  of  the  district  peace  committee  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  pre- 

inct  committeeman  for  his  political  party,  and  secretary  of  the  Lombard  Club 

3f  that  party.   Both  he  and  Betty  are  active  in  the  West  Suburban  Fellowship 

3f  Reconciliation  and  in  the  Committee  for  a  Sane  Nuclear  Policy.    Penny 

participates  in  the  Student  Peace  Union  and  the  National  Association  for  the 

Advancement  of  Colored  People.    Craig  concentrates  on  sharing  his  views  in 

fff  talks  with  his  buddies  and  in  themes,  such  as  Let's  Ditch  the  A-Bomb. 


MARTIN: 

"Our  nation  needs  more  com- 
mitted Christians  working  in 
political  parties  to  help  get 
candidates  who  will  strive 
for  peace  and  justice" 


When  Martin  meets  O.  E.  Gibson  (left)  they  have 
much  to  talk  about.  There  are  plans  for  the  next  meet- 
ing of  the  district  peace  committee.  Then  Mr.  Gibson 
shows  him  some  of  the  books  he  is  using  in  presenting 
peace  and  alternative  service  in  the  high  schools  of  the 
area  in  behalf  of  their  local  Fellowship  of  Reconcilia- 
tion. He  wants  to  know  too  of  Martin's  work  in  circu- 
lating petitions  for  a  congressional  candidate  who  has 
taken  a  stand  on  peace  and  his  activity  in  urging  people 
to  register  to  vote. 

Several  months  ago  the  local  church  asked  Martin 
to  lead  an  adult  class  on  peace  for  three  months.  The 
class  became  so  enthusiastic  that  they  asked  him  to 
continue  the  study  another  quarter.  After  that  the 
group  continued  to  meet  once  a  month  in  homes  to 
discuss  various  aspects  of  the  problem.   He  is  interested 


in  starting  a  study  group   soon  on  the  economics  of. 
peace  and  disarmament. 

An  engineer  by  profession,  Martin  works  at  present 
with  a  firm  that  is  designing  machinery  for  a  steel  mill. 
He  considers  himself  lucky  to  have  a  job  that  poses  no  i 
great  problem  in  avoiding  work  that  is  against  his  con- 
science. As  a  consulting  engineer  he  moves  from  com- 
pany to  company  and  merely  does  not  apply  for  any* 
job  that  includes  a  defense  contract. 

Martin  regretted  his  own  reluctance  to  join  with:] 
those  at  Omaha  Action  who  were  willing  to  climb  thee 
fence  or  walk  through  the  gate  and  be  arrested.  "I 
wonder  why  the  rest  of  us  are  not  willing,"  he  mused. 
"Is  it  that  we  cannot  afford  to  be  arrested  because 
we  have  to  pay  off  the  mortgage  on  the  house,  or  that 
we  fear  social  ostracism?" 


CRAIG: 


•We're  inhuman  —  just  push  a  little  button  and  it's  good-by  humans" 


Craig,  a  ninth  grader  who  plans  to  become  an  arche- 
ologist,  collects  antiques  and  nature  items,  as  his  room 
testifies.  He  is  pictured  showing  his  latest  "find,"  an 
1859  French  sword,  to  the  Price  brothers.  He  explains 
that  he  secured  the  sword  because  it  is  an  antique 
rather  than  because  it  is  a  symbol  of  war. 

Whenever  the  boys  get  together,  nuclear  warfare 
is  a  sure  topic  of  conversation.  The  brothers,  whose 
father  is  in  military  service,  posed  the  difficult-to-answer 
assertion  that  as  long  as  both  the  United  States  and 
Russia  have  missiles  there  will  be  no  war.  In  response 
Craig  told  how  a  man  stationed  behind  a  push  button  at 
Omaha  might  misinterpret  a  disturbance  on  the  radar 
screen  and  push  the  button  releasing  deadly  missiles 
toward  Russia,  only  to  discover  later  that  it  was  a  false 
alarm  that  touched  off  World  War  III. 

"Rockets  to  the  moon  are  okay,"  Craig  declared, 
"but  unless  we  stop  making  nuclear  armaments  and  dis- 
arm, the  world  is  likely  to  destroy  itself."  He  considers 
it  a  crime  to  hold  a  job  that  might  require  one  to 
shoot  a  missile  against  other  human  beings. 


Last  April  Penny  and  seven  others  from  the  local 
community,  including  Judy  Kanarek  (left)  and  Shirley 
Stevens  (center),  joined  a  busload  of  youth  traveling 
from  Maywood,  111.,  to  Washington,  D.  C,  to  participate 
in  the  Youth  March  for  Integrated  Schools.  They  were 
among  the  estimated  30,000  youth  from  37  states  and 
Puerto  Rico  who  converged  on  the  capital  for  a  day  to 
petition  the  President  for  integration.  "It  was  a  thrill  to 
see  so  many  young  people  from  all  over  the  country 
gathered  together  for  one  purpose,"  Penny  exclaimed. 

A  busy  sixteen-year-old  who  aspires  to  be  a  psychi- 
atric caseworker,  Penny  finds  time  to  be  in  campus 
council,  pep  club,  Y-Teens,  NAACP,  Student  Peace 
Union,  and  Girls  Athletic  Association.  She  was  a  coun- 
selor last  summer  at  the  district  church  camp  for  juniors. 


PENNY: 

"Christians  have  many  times  been 
willing  to  break  man-made  law  when 
it  conflicts  with  God's  laio  of  love'- 


She  had  not  relished  the  idea  of  their  family  going 
to  the  Omaha  project.  She  had  figured  it  would  be 
dull.  "When  I  got  there,  though,  I  found  out  that  it 
was  really  great.  In  fact,  I  hated  to  leave  that  place. 
It  was  the  dedication  of  these  people  that  changed 
my  mind.  I  saw  that  here  was  a  group  of  people  who 
were  really  doing  something  for  peace." 

Penny  describes  her  Omaha  experiences  as  building 
on  the  foundation  of  the  national  youth  conference  at 
Lake  Junaluska  the  summer  before  from  which  she 
came  home  all  inspired  about  the  peace  message.  "I 
think  action  projects  like  this  are  a  good  way  to  get 
youth  really  interested  in  peace,  because  actually  doing 
something  makes  an  impression  that  lasts  longer  than 
just  talking  about  it,"  she  concluded. 


BETTY: 

"We  joined  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  because  it  was  a  peace  church. 
Now  we  would  like  to  get  the  Brethren  interested  in  doing  more  for  peace" 

Betty  is  training  as  a  speech  correctionist.  She 
also  finds  time  to  be  a  member  of  the  Fellowship  of 
Reconciliation  and  the  Committee  for  a  Sane  Nuclear 
Policy,  as  well  as  to  refinish  furniture  in  their  home, 
make  hats  with  neighbor  women,  and  review  books  on 
world  affairs  for  a  women's  group. 

Regarding  peace  education  in  the  home,  Betty  has 
decided  views:  "First  of  all,  whenever  the  subject  is 
brought  up,  drop  whatever  you  are  doing  and  take 
time  to  discuss  it  with  the  children.  This  is  much  more 
ffective  than  saying,  'Now  let's  have  a  discussion  on 
peace.'  Always  have  good  literature  on  peace." 

Betty  gained  many  of  her  ideas  about  peace  from 
the  pacifist  minister  of  the  Congregational  church  she 
attended  as  a  child.  She  met  her  husband  at  meetings 
of  the  Youth  Committee  Against  War.  After  they 
moved  to  Lombard  several  years  ago,  they  became 
dissatisfied  with  the  militaristic  attitude  of  the  church 
they  were  attending  and  chose  to  become  members  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  because  of  its  stand  on 
peace.  Now  Betty  says:  "I  think  the  Brethren  should 
ae  more  open  in  telling  of  their  work  for  peace  and 
n  sharing  their  beliefs.  Also  I  think  the  Brethren  could 
•till  do  much  more  for  peace." 


eac 


The  Growin 


itness 


The  historic  peace  churches  are  finding  ways  of  witnessing  to  and 

conversing  with  the  Protestant  churches  of  Europe 

for  the  first  time  since  the  Reformation 


Kurtis  F.  Naylor 


WHEN  are  Christians  going  to  cease  kill- 
ing each  other?"  is  the  question  that  M. 
R.  Zigler  has  been  asking  European 
church  leaders  for  the  last  twelve  years.  As  a 
result  of  his  persistent  questioning  and  his 
firm  conviction  that  the  historic  peace  churches 
have  a  mission  to  other  churches  and  to  the 
world,  it  is  possible  now  to  speak  of  a  growing 
peace  witness  among  European  churches. 

In  addition  to  raising  questions,  M.  R. 
Zigler  supported  a  program  of  voluntary  and 
sacrificial  service  to  people  in  need.  He  re- 
garded Brethren  Volunteers,  the  World  Council 
of  Churches,  the  historic  peace  churches,  vari- 
ous church  leaders  and  theologians,  and  count- 
less people  in  international  organizations  and 
government  as  members  of  his  "parish"  during 
his  years  of  directing  Brethren  Service  activi- 
ties in  Europe.  More  than  any  other  person  we 
know,  M.  R.  devoted  his  life  to  fostering  peace 
and  soothing  the  ragged,  torn  edges  of  man- 
kind's suffering. 

But  how  should  we  speak  of  the  growing 
witness  and  the  peace  development  in  Europe? 
To  speak  at  all  is  to  involve  one  in  the  paradox 
of  hope  and  despair.    There  is  much  to  cause 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


confident  expectation  and  there  is  much  to  give 
grave  concern,  if  not  alarm.  We  can  confidently 
say  to  the  prophets  of  gloom  who  predict  the 
night,  "Ah,  yes,  but  it  is  still  day  and  we  must 
work,  and  our  Father  works." 

The  challenging  presence  of  the  gospel 
record,  the  steady  witness  of  the  historic  peace 
churches,  the  war  catastrophes  of  the  twentieth 
century  and  the  horrible  possibilities  of  atomic, 
bacteriological  and  chemical  suicide  led  the 
ecumenical  movement  to  declare  in  Amsterdam 
in  1948  that  "war  is  against  the  will  of  God" 
and  in  Evanston  in  1954  to  regard  Christian 
pacifism  and  Christian  participation  in  arma- 
ment as  parallel  ways  of  serving  the  peace.  To 
speak  bluntly,  this  represents  genuine  progress. 
Christian  pacifism  is  no  longer  regarded  as  a 
sectarian  luxury  of  the  church  but  is  now  a* 
recognized  parallel  program  for  Christians. 

Germany  is  perhaps  the  place  in  Europe 
where  the  Brethren  have  been  most  active  and 
known.  Dr.  Martin  Niemoller,  Prases  Wilm, 
Pastor  Wilhelm  Mensching,  Dr.  Sigmund 
Schultze,  Oberkirchenrat  Dr.  Heinz  Kloppen- 
burg,  Prof.  Dr.  H.  Vogel,  Prof.  Dr.  H.  Gollwitzer 
and  Prof.  Dr.  H.  J.  Iwand  are  just  a  few  of  the 
churchmen  and  theologians  who  have  grown 
increasingly  concerned  and  even  active  in  the 


The  Continuation  Committee  of  the  historic  peace 
churches  in  Europe  and  the  International  Fellowship 
of  Reconciliation  consider  a  united  testimony  for 
peace  and  the  responsibility  of  the  historic  peace 
churches  for  conscientious  objectors  to  war  everywhere 


peace  movement.  These  men  are  strong  and 
respected  figures  in  the  church  life  and  cultural 
affairs  of  Germany. 

That  they  are  influential  is  beyond  question. 
Yet  in  spite  of  this  they  are  increasingly  sub- 
jected to  organized  opposition.  It  is  reported 
that  Dr.  Niemoller  recently  had  an  evening 
speaking  engagement  in  a  church  canceled  be- 
cause the  army  requested  the  use  of  the  church 
on  that  morning  to  swear  in  new  recruits.  There 
was  obviously  here  a  sharp  contradiction.  Re- 
grettably, the  recruits  for  the  army  were  sworn 
in  in  the  church  and  Dr.  Niemoller,  a  church 
president,  spoke  in  the  auditorium  of  the 
teachers'  college. 

There  is  now  a  real  encounter  and  conversa- 
tion in  the  churches  of  Europe  on  the  Christian 
peace  issue.  For  the  first  time  since  the  violent 
break  between  classical  Protestantism  and  the 
Anabaptists  on  this  point  there  is  widespread 
discussion  of  the  issue.  Luther  maintained  that 
the  use  of  force  by  the  rulers  ( state )  was  a  part 
of  the  divine  commission  and  that  consequently 
'warriors  can  be  in  the  state  of  salvation,"  as 
he  stated  in  the  title  of  one  of  his  tracts. 


What  Is  Puidoux? 

In  August  1955  a  group  of  American  and 
European  theologians  met  at  Puidoux  (pronounced 
pwee  doo),  Switzerland,  to  consider  matters  of  the 
Christian  faith  and  war.  As  a  result  the  Puidoux 
Continuation  Committee  was  formed  to  plan  for 
future  confrontations  of  theologians  on  this  issue. 
In  typical  ecumenical  "shorthand"  the  conferences 
and  the  movement  have  since  been  referred  to  as 
Puidoux. 


Luther  warned  against  unjust  war,  the  use 
of  force  for  personal  reasons,  and  admonished 
that  success  in  arms  (or  the  right)  must  be 
left  in  the  hands  of  God.  Article  16  of  the 
Augsburg  Confession  states  "war  for  the  sake 
of  common  peace  is  permitted."  Calvin  held 
essentially  this  same  point  of  view.  The  Ana- 
baptists felt  this  was  an  inadmissible  compro- 
mise and  contrary  to  the  gospel.  For  hundreds 
of  years  conversation  between  the  classical 
Protestants  on  the  one  hand  and  the  Anabaptist 
sects  on  the  other  had  practically  ceased. 

It  is  a  genuine  development  for  peace  that 
conversation  is  now  resumed.  The  arena  is 
the  ecumenical  movement  and  especially  the 
Puidoux  Continuation  Committee. 

Twelve  years  ago  when  M.  R.  Zigler  came 
to  Europe  he  invited  Quakers,  Mennonites,  and 
Brethren  to  meet  together.  Out  of  this  fellow- 
ship grew  the  concern  to  share  our  thinking 
and  insights  and  problems  with  the  wider 
Christian  community  of  Europe.  This  was  done 
at  Puidoux,  Switzerland,  in  1955.  Those  who 
were  there  had  their  minds  quickened,  their 
faith  stretched,  and  their  imagination  tingled. 

The  Puidoux  Continuation  Committee  was 
the  result.  This  is  a  committee  of  European 
churchmen  and  historic  peace  church  repre- 
sentatives. M.  R.  Zigler  has  been  the  contact 
person  and  prime  mover.  Thanks  to  the  Menno- 
nites, Clarence  Bauman,  Albert  J.  Meyer,  John 
Howard  Yoder,  Paul  Peachy,  Robert  Kreider, 
and  Peter  Dyck  the  solid  theological  thought 
and  witness  of  the  historic  peace  churches  has 
been  shared. 

Our  own  Dale  Aukerman  has  just  recently 
come  to  the  executive  secretaryship  of  the 
Puidoux  Continuation  Committee.  On  August 
2-7, 1960,  near  Paris  a  conference  called  Puidoux 
III  will  be  held.  W.  Harold  Row,  Warren  Groff, 
Dale  Aukerman,  Kurtis  Naylor,  and  perhaps 
Donald  Durnbaugh  will  represent  the  Brethren. 
There  will  also  be  a  significant  group  of  our 
fellow  Christians  from  Eastern  Europe  in  at- 
tendance. 

The  encounter  between  East  and  West  is 
perhaps  one  of  the  most  awkward,  yet  neces- 
sary, next  steps  for  peacemaking  in  Europe. 
Here  in  the  words  of  Prof.  Helmut  Gollwitzer 
we  are  called  "to  cross  (in  a  literal  sense  of  the 
word:  to  carry  the  cross  through! )  the  absolute 
contradiction  which  has  today  appeared  in  the 
relation  between  East  and  West  as  a  conse- 
quence of  the  unreconcilable  character  of 
ideologies  and  social  systems." 


MARCH  12,  1960 


13 


M.  R.  Zigler  (left)  has  been  asking  European  church 
leaders  when  Christians  will  cease  to  kill  one  another. 
That  question  and  other  concerns  about  the  peace 
witness  of  churches  he  may  be  discussing  here  with  Dr. 
Visser  't  Hooft,  general  secretary  of  the  World  Council 

We  must  never  allow  present  tensions  and 
differences  to  become  absolutes.  We  must 
"again  become  pioneers"  and  cross  freely  all 
boundaries  and  push  aside  all  curtains.  The 
political  alternatives  striving  for  ascendancy  in 
our  world  must  be  guided  from  front  immobility 
into  an  open  competition  and  exchange.  The 
churches  and  Christians  can  play  a  decisive 
role  in  loosening  or  hardening  these  alternatives. 

The  church  has  a  mission  to  the  whole  world 
and  we  must  share  with  our  neighbors  —  friends 
and  enemies  —  the  promise  given  to  the  new 
beings  in  Christ  who  love  and  serve.  We  must 
never  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  we  love  and 
serve  because  he  first  loved  us.  For  those  who 
speak  of  the  night  let  us  say:  "We  must  respond 
to  the  God  of  steadfast  love." 

EISENHOWER: 

Every  gun  that  is  made,  every  warship  launched, 
every  rocket  fired  signifies,  in  the  final  sense,  a  theft 
from  those  who  hunger  and  are  not  fed,  those  who  are 
cold  and  are  not  clothed.  This  world  in  arms  is  not 
spending  money  alone.  It  is  spending  the  sweat  of  its 
laborers,  the  genius  of  its  scientists,  the  hopes  of  its 
children. 

KHRUSHCHEV: 

A  priceless  fund  of  human  energy,  knowledge,  in- 
genuity, and  skill  is  thrown  as  into  a  bottomless  pit, 
squandered  on  growing  armaments  .  .  .  We  need 
peace  .  .  .  We  would  like  to  devote  all  our  economy 
and  resources  to  peaceful  purposes  in  order  to  provide 
our  people  with  an  abundance  of  food,  clothing,  homes, 
etc. 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  Japanese  —  the  world's  first  victi 
pressing  hard  for  peace  and  are  requiri 
to  reappraise  their  message  and  missii 
for  a  peace  witness   Japanese   ChristU1 


Speak  Fron 


IN  RECENT  years  the  Japanese  have  been 
outspoken  in  their  desire  for  peace.  This 
expression  has  been  genuine.  The  devas- 
tation of  the  last  war,  caused  by  both  con- 
ventional and  nuclear  weapons,  taught  an 
unforgettable  lesson.  Knowing  from  firsthand 
experience  the  consequences  of  war,  the  Japa- 
nese people  are  eager  to  be  spared  a  repeat 
performance. 

The  fear  of  another  such  experience  has 
been  at  the  base  of  the  very  vocal  Japanese  ob- 
jection to  nuclear  bomb  tests.  This  sentiment 
has  expressed  itself  through  mass  rallies,  protest 
marches,  signature  campaigns,  and  the  like, 
with  hundreds  of  thousands  participating.  Since 
nuclear  armaments  will  most  likely  be  used  if 
there  is  another  war,  many  ask  what  better  way 
is  there  to  work  for  peace  than  to  work  against 
the  testing  and  stockpiling  of  such  weapons. 

By  making  the  issue  of  bomb  tests  its  major 
concern,  the  secular  peace  movement  in  Japan 
has  been  able  to  get  the  active  support  of  large 
segments  of  the  population.  Each  summer  one 
particularly  large  conference  is  held  around  the 
time  of  the  August  6  anniversary  of  the  bombing 
of  Hiroshima,  as  a  protest  against  nuclear  bomb 
tests  and  to  deal  with  other  issues  of  peace. 

Japanese  Christians  have  shared  the  national 
sentiment  against  bomb  tests  and  war.  They 
also  have  known  the  cost  that  war  and  the  prep- 
aration for  it  exact,  having  suffered  severe  re- 
strictions, hardships,  and  loss,  before  and  during 
the  second  world  war.  Consequently,  Christians 
in  growing  numbers  have  been  active  in  the 
secular  peace  movement. 

The  growth  in  the  Christian  peace  witness 
in  Japan,  however,  has  been  not  so  much  in 
numbers,  as  in  depth.  There  has  been  a  growing 
awareness  among  Christians  that  their  faith 
does  speak  to  the  issues  of  peace  and  war,  and 
that  it  does  so  in  a  unique  way.  The  political 
coloring  which  accompanies  some  of  the  secular 
peace  activities  has  forced  many  Christians  to 
feel  that  their  peace  witness  and  convictions 


the  A-bomb  —  are 
erican  missionaries 
regard  to  the  need 


experience 


Albert  W.  Huston 


must  go  further  and  deeper  than  just  national 
sentiment.  But  this  has  not  eliminated  their 
participations  in  public  peace  efforts.  In  fact, 
it  has  been  the  reason  for  a  number  of  deliberate 
attempts  to  witness  to  the  Christian  motives  for 
peace  where  Communists,  atheists,  humanists, 
and  others  were  present.  The  increased  depth 
has  meant  a  broadening  of  interest  and  witness. 

To  gain  this  depth  a  number  of  small  groups 
and  seminars  have  been  started.  In  several 
places  these  groups  have  worked  together  at 
the  Biblical  and  theological  bases  of  peace. 
Other  groups  have  asked  themselves  what  the 
|  Christian's  personal  and  corporate  responsibility 
is  as  a  peacemaker.  What  obligations  do  the 
Japanese  Christians  have  for  righting  past 
wrongs  and  relieving  tensions  which  now  exist 
between  Japan  and  other  nations,  such  as 
Korea?  They  have  been  searching  for  the 
answers  to  these  questions. 

A  group  of  laymen  and  ministers  in  Hiro- 
shima is  struggling  to  discover  just  what  it  can 
do  to  let  the  rest  of  the  world's  Christians  know 
the  suffering  that  still  exists  in  the  city.  They 
cannot  ignore  the  maimed  and  twisted  bodies 
and  minds  which  come  to  them  personally  or 
to  the  Japan  Church  World  Service  Center  for 
Atomic  Bomb  Victims.  The  rest  of  the  world 
has  offered  a  great  deal  of  verbal  sympathy, 
but  little  actual  help.  The  Hiroshima  Christians 
feel  that  they  must  help  if  they  claim  to  have 
a  genuine  concern  for  peace. 

Most  of  the  seminars  on  peace  and  inter- 
national relations  have  been  sponsored  or  sup- 
ported by  the  historic  peace  churches.  Each 
summer  for  the  past  several  years,  the  American 
Friends  Service  Committee  has  held  seminars 
for  students,  to  which  about  a  hundred  students 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  nations  come.  In  both 
the  spring  and  the  fall  a  series  of  weekly  lectures 
is  also  conducted  by  the  Quakers.   In  the  past 


year  two  peace  seminars  for  seminary  students 
from  ten  schools  have  been  held,  supported 
jointly  by  the  Mennonites  and  the  Brethren. 
Plans  are  now  being  made  by  the  Brethren 
Service  Commission  for  a  summer  international 
seminar  for  seminary  students  and  graduate 
students  in  international  relations. 

A  most  striking  increase  in  concern  about 
peace  has  been  shown  by  the  missionaries  in 
Japan.  Being  inescapably  associated  in  the 
minds  of  many  Japanese  with  the  political  poli- 
cies of  the  West,  and  challenged  on  them,  mis- 
sionaries have  been  forced  to  reappraise  what 
relation  this  may  be  having  to  their  ministry. 
With  peace  being  a  deep  concern  among  the 
Japanese,  the  missionaries  have  come  to  feel 
the  need  to  let  their  message  speak  to  the  issue. 

As  a  result,  this  past  January  over  forty  mis- 
sionaries attended  a  seminar  on  the  Ministry  of 
Reconciliation  in  a  World  of  Conflict.  A  very 
major  step  toward  reconciliation  was  made 
when  missionaries  who  had  previously  had  no 
association  with  each  other  because  of  theologi- 
cal differences  sat  down  together  to  discover 
what  things  make  for  peace. 

One  concrete  issue  which  has  recently  re- 
ceived the  earnest  attention  of  Christians  has 
been  the  revision  of  the  Japan-American  Securi- 
ty Treaty.  Enacted  at  the  time  of  the  Korean 
War,  the  Security  Treaty  provided  protection 
for  Japan  and  military  concessions  to  the  United 
States.  At  the  initiative  of  the  Japanese  govern- 
ment, a  draft  was  agreed  upon  which  would 
give  Japan  more  authority  and  more  military 
responsibility. 

Christians  have  been  divided  in  their  opin- 


Japanese  and  foreign  work  campers  clean  from  around 

a  kindergarten  the  mud  and  debris  left  by  the  floods 

caused  by  typhoon 


MARCH  12.  1960 


15 


ion  of  this  revision.  Those  who  are  for  it  feel 
that  in  facing  international  realities,  Japan  must 
ally  herself  more  closely  with  the  United  States 
and  do  so  with  a  spirit  of  equality,  increasing 
her  military  responsibilities  as  an  equal  partner 
in  the  pact.  Those  who  are  opposed  to  it  fear 
that  by  revising  this  treaty,  Japan  may  be  start- 
ing down  the  same  path  that  led  to  the  as- 
cendancy of  her  military  faction  in  the  past  and 
that  she  would  be  repudiating  the  spirit  of  her 
"peace  constitution"  as  well  as  adding  to  ten- 
sions beginning  to  thaw  between  East  and  West. 

It  is  difficult  to  know  which  of  these  views 
is  held  by  the  majority  of  Christians,  but  those 
who  have  opposed  the  revision  have  done  so 
with  an  unprecedented  earnestness.  On  Janu- 
ary 15  a  thousand  Christians  from  one  denomi- 
nation marched  through  the  streets  of  Tokyo  in 
protest.  Christian  peace  organizations,  both 
pacifist  and  nonpacifist,  have  been  outspoken 
in  their  opposition  to  the  revision. 

The  peace  movement  in  Japan  is  in  the 
midst  of  growing  pains.  The  future  of  the 
secular  movement  is  unpredictable.  One  can 
safely  say,  I  believe,  that  the  Christian  witness 
is  growing,  if  not  in  multiplying  numbers,  at 
least  in  depth  and  effectiveness. 


Down-to-Earth  Peacemaker 

Continued  from  page  7 

aid  of  an  instrument,  with  men  and  women, 
great  and  small,  kneeling  in  service  to  each 
other  out  of  obedience  to  a  common  heavenly 
Father,  young  Andrew  received  a  strong  ethical 
religious  faith. 

This  faith,  about  which  the  Brethren  speak 
so  little  because  it  moves  them  so  much,  cannot 
be  ignored.  For  the  Brethren  believe  that  they 
are  under  condemnation  if  they  rise  from  the 
love  feast  tables  and  do  not  put  the  commands 
of  brotherhood  into  action. 

"I  saw  these  concepts  acted  out  before  my 
eyes,  by  people  I  loved  and  trusted,  from  the 
time  I  could  remember,"  Cordier  affirms.  "The 
ideas  stayed  with  me.  I  received  my  first  world 
view  here." 

But  it  is  not  a  world  view  which  impels 
Cordier  and  his  fellow  Brethren  to  the  love 
feast  tables.  They  come  because  they  believe 
it  is  the  will  of  God  that  they  come.  They 
come  through  obedience  to  God. 

Through  God,  and  God  alone,  they  believe, 
will  they  learn  who  man  is  and  who  he  is  meant 
to  be  as  a  child  of  God.    Through  him  they 


Reprinted  from  Motive  with  permission 


This  Year's   Special  Call 


receive  a  common  concern  for  all  mankind 
which  takes  precedence  over  the  narrow  inter- 
ests of  any  one  person  or  group. 

"Such  concepts  of  brotherhood  at  the  con- 
ference tables  of  United  Nations  give  peace  a 
fighting  chance,"  repeats  Cordier.  "Here  man- 
kind has  a  right  to  hear  the  evidence  and  to 
shape  the  future." 

"And  the  shape  of  that  future,"  he  states 
with  an  inherited  zeal  for  direct  speech  docu- 
mented by  action,  "resides  in  man's  rightful  use 
of  his  holy  freedom,  given  by  God  to  all  people." 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Many  factors  have  converged  to  call  us  to  a  stronger 
discipleship  for  peace  this  year. 

The  1958  Annual  Conference  called  for  "a  more 
effective  program  of  peace  education  and  action  in  our 
local  churches." 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board  in  June  1959  (1) 
directed  the  Brethren  Service  staff  to  "make  the  peace 
witness  an  even  more  conscious  part  of  all  programs," 
(2)  added  the  new  position  of  peace  counselor,  (3)  in- 
creased the  peace  education  aspect  of  social  education, 
enlarging  the  program's  title  from  social  education  to 
peace  and  social  education,  and  (4)  called  upon  the 
entire  Brotherhood  staff  to  "give  greater  emphasis  to 
the  cause  of  peace  in  the  several  program  and  age 
emphases  of  the  church." 

The  1959-60  annual  social  education  study  theme 
for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  other  denominations 
is  on  peace  and  international  relations.  Christian  Re- 
sponsibility on  a  Changing  Planet  is  the  tide  of  this 
nationwide  program   of   study   and   action   for   peace.   .4 

The  1959-60  Peace  and  Citizenship  Speech  Contest 
for  high  school  youth  is  on  the  theme,  World  Affairs 
Are  My  Affairs  —  Christ  Calls  Us  to  Witness  for  Peace. 
The  national  contest  will  be  held  at  Annual  Conference 
this  June. 

An  opportunity  for  each  of  us  to  rethink  our  own 
peace  witness  as  a  part  of  our  discipleship  will  be  af- 
forded in  the  spring  adult  and  youth  church  school 
lessons  on  discipleship.  —  Balph  E.  Smeltzer. 


THERE  IS  SOMETHING  more  terrible  than  the  disin- 
tegration of  the  atom:  that  is  the  disintegration  of  con- 
sciences. The  Atomic  Era,  the  era  of  absolute  physical  force, 
urgently  demands,  as  a  counterpart,  conscientious  positions 
that  are  pure,  irreducible,  and  absolute  themselves.  What- 
ever happens,  this  will  be  our  only  means  of  overcoming 
folly  and  despair.  Whatever  happens  ( let  it  be  any  invasion 
or  any  horror),  those  who  preserve  intact  in  their  depth  of  . 
soul  faith  in  the  sacred  principles  of  life  will  be  the 
strongest.  Their  votes  will  be  stifled,  they  will  be  thrown 
into  prison,  they  will  seem  to  be  helpless  and  crushed,  but 
in  reality,  even  under  such  conditions,  they  will  be  in-  j 
vincible,  because  they  will  be  in  harmony  with  the  immor- 
tal powers  that  govern  life.  And,  in  the  end,  they  will 
be  the  victors.  The  world,  if  it  continues  to  exist,  will  be 
rebuilt  according  to  their  credo.  Once  again  we  shall  see 
the  triumph  of  Athens  and  Jerusalem,  the  triumph  of  the 
spirit  overcoming  the  empire,  the  triumph  of  life  over  brute 
force  and  death. 

—  Ignazio  Silone 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Midyear  Achievement 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board  seeks  to 
fulfill  every  aspect  of  the  year's  work  as  author- 
ized by  Annual  Conference.  As  in  other  years 
the  Board  will  carefully  scrutinize  the  total  of 
Brotherhood  Fund  receipts  in  its  meeting 
March  22-25. 

Under  authority  of  Conference  the  Broth- 
erhood Board  has  made  large  commitments 
that  must  be  met  in  the  weeks  and  months 
ahead  or  serious  consequences  are  inevitable. 

Will  you  help  lead  your  church  in  a  bold 
adventure  of  sacrificial  sharing  so  that  our 
church  may  reach  new  dimensions  of  spiritual 
depth  and  visible  outreach? 

To  be  a  part  of  this  year's  checkup  achieve- 
ment, funds  must  arrive  in  Elgin  on  or  before 
March  31.  —  Donald  E.  Rowe,  director  of 
interpretation. 


The  young  adults  of  Middle  Indiana  (those  twenty 
years  old  or  over  and  unmarried)  are  having  a  meeting 
for  recreation  and  worship  on  Saturday  afternoon, 
March  12,  at  2:00  p.m.  The  place  is  the  Mexico 
church.  Elden  Yohe,  the  adviser  for  this  group  is  eager 
to  have  the  names  and  addresses  of  any  young  adults 
living  in  Middle  Indiana.  Write  him  at  574  W.  Hill, 
Wabash,  Ind. 

Forms  are  in  preparation  for  requesting  Annual 
Conference  accommodations  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
and  for  preregistering  children  in  their  respective 
groups.  These  forms  will  be  sent  to  each  church  soon. 
Please  wait  for  these  forms  before  submitting  requests 
for  accommodations.  There  will  be  ample  time  for 
their  completion  before  the  April  30  deadline  date.  Do 
not  write  to  the  university.  All  requests  should  be  sent 
to  S.  Loren  Bowman  at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Executive  Secretary  Named  for  Middle  Pennsylvania 

Clyde  L.  Carter,  pastor  of  the  Walnut  Grove  church, 
Western  Pennsylvania,  has  been  named  executive  secre- 
tary for  Middle  Pennsylvania.  Brother  Carter,  the  first 
appointee  to  the  newly  created  position,  will  assume 
his  duties  on  Sept.  1.  His  office  and  residence  will  be 
in  Huntingdon,  Pa. 

Election  of  Brother  Carter  to  the  position  by  the 
district  board  at  a  recent  meeting  followed  a  decision 
of  the  district  conference  last  October. 

Clyde  Carter  is  a  graduate  of  La  Verne  College  and 
of  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary.  From  1946  to  1951 
he  was  a  missionary  in  India.  Since  1953  he  has  been 
pastor  of  the  Johnstown  church. 

In  his  new  position  Brother  Carter  will  act  as  the 
principal  executive  officer  of  the  district,  with  responsi- 
bilities in  administration,  promotion,  education,  and 
pastoral  relations.  Middle  Pennsylvania  has  a  total 
membership  of  well  over  12,000  members. 


The  spring  assembly  of  the  Northwestern  Ohio 
churches,  March  18  and  19,  will  have  Stewart  Kauff- 
man,  director  of  ministry  and  evangelism  for  the  Broth- 
erhood, as  guest  speaker.  The  Call  to  Discipleship  is 
the  theme  for  this  meeting  which  will  be  held  at  the 
Lima  church. 

An  Action  Sheet  concerning  the  United  States  giving 
H-bombs  to  allies  has  been  mailed  to  pastors,  Brethren 
Service  representatives,  and  the  special  Brethren  Serv- 
ice News  mailing  list.  Ask  your  pastor  or  Brethren 
Service  representative  for  this  information  or  write 
to  the  Brethren  Service  Commission  asking  to  be  placed 
on  the  special  list. 

Immigration  Services  of  the  Brethren  Service  Com- 
mission reports  that  fifty-three  persons  are  waiting  to 
come  to  the  States  through  its  program  under  the  regu- 
lar immigration  quota  of  our  country.  Thirteen  of  these 
persons  need  sponsors.  Under  the  special  legislation, 
Public  Law  No.  85-892,  one  hundred  thirty-five  persons 
are  waiting  to  come  through  the  Brethren  Service 
program.  Eleven  of  these  have  arrival  dates  and 
seventy-four  of  them  need  sponsors. 

The  Church  Calendar 
March  13 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Before  Governors  and  Kings. 
Acts  24  —  26.  Memory  Selection:  God  did  not  give  us 
a  spirit  of  timidity  but  a  spirit  of  power  and  love  and 
self-control.   2  Tim.  1:7  (R.S.V.) 

March  11-12  Central  Region  daily  vacation  church 
school  conference,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

March  27  —  April  2  White  House  Conference  on  Chil- 
dren and  Youth 

April  10  Palm  Sunday 

April  12  Northern  Indiana  Women's  Fellowship  spring 
rally,  Goshen  College,  Goshen 

April  15  Good  Friday 

April  17  Easter 

April  18-22  Regional  interdenominational  camp  leaders' 
conference,  Camp  Hanover,  Richmond,  Va. 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Floyd  E.  Bantz  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  in  the 
Beatrice  church,  Nebr.,  April  3-7. 

Bro.  Edwin  C.  Petry  of  North  Canton,  Ohio,  in  the  New 
Salem  church,  Ind.,  April  3-10. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Michigan 
City  church,  Ind.,  April  12-24. 

Bro.  Robert  Turner  of  Mt.  Joy,  Pa.,  in  the  West  Green- 
tree  church,  Pa.,  April  13-17. 

Bro.  A.  J.  Caricofe  of  Westminster,  Md.,  in  the  Bush 
Creek  church,  Md.,  April  17-24. 

Bro.  Harry  Brubaker  of  Roaring  Spring,  Pa.,  in  the  Point 
church,  Pa.,  April  18-24. 

Bro.  Rufus  B.  King  of  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  in  the 
Pleasant  Valley  church,  Ind.,  April  3-10. 


MARCH  12,  1960 


17 


WHAT  is  it  that  makes 
certain  congregations 
strong  witnesses  to  the 
peace  doctrine  while  others 
limp  along  with  a  confused  or 
lukewarm  ministry?  The  an- 
swer to  this  question  is  not 
easy.  While  the  preaching  and 
teaching  program  of  the  con- 
gregation are  important  in  un- 
dergirding  and  interpreting  the 
ministry  of  reconciliation,  other 
factors  which  lie  in  the  feelings 
and  behavior  of  the  members 
must  also  be  taken  into  account. 
Following  is  a  tale  of  two  con- 
gregations. Congregation  S,  a 
strong  supporter  of  the  ministry 
of  reconciliation  is  compared 
with  Congregation  C,  a  con- 
fused and  lukewarm  supporter 
of  this  ministry. 

Congregation  S  Is  Strong 

A  look  at  the  table  will  indi- 
cate that  Congregation  S  has 
been  one  of  the  strongest  sup- 
porters of  the  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation both  in  war  and  peace. 
During  World  War  II,  when 
the  majority  of  members  in 
many  congregations  were  criti- 
cal of  the  Civilian  Public  Serv- 
ice program,  sixty-four  per  cent 
of  the  members  of  this  congre- 
gation approved  of  the  CPS 
camps. 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Today,  when  many  congre- 
gations have  either  a  confused 
or  lukewarm  attitude  towards 
the  alternative  service  program 
for  conscientious  objectors,  six- 
ty-five per  cent  of  the  members 
of  Congregation  S  approve  this 
type  of  service.  Its  support  of 
the  Brethren  Service  program 
of  rehabilitation  and  reconcilia- 
tion at  home  and  abroad  is 
stronger  than  that  of  any  church 
included  in  this  study.  How 
can  the  behavior  of  Congrega- 
tion S  be  explained?  Perhaps 
the  following  findings  will  pro- 
vide a  few  clues. 

1.  A  greater  percentage 
(eighty-four  per  cent)  of  the 
members  in  Congregation  S 
had  a  correct  understanding  of 
the  official  Brethren  position  on 
military  service  than  did  the 
members  in  Congregation  C  or, 
for  that  matter,  in  any  other 
congregation  studied.  This  bet- 
ter understanding  was  due,  in 
part,  to  an  effective  teaching 
program  over  the  years  from  the 
pulpit  and  classroom,  but  also 
resulted,  in  part,  from  the 
second  finding  which  follows. 

2.  The  majority  of  the  fami- 
lies in  Congregation  S  had  been 
members  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  for  four  or  more  gen- 
erations. They  were  aware  of 
the  meaning  and  import  of  the 
Brethren  heritage  to  a  much 


greater  extent  than  were  the 
members  of  Congregation  C. 
The  child  growing  up  in  this 
congregation  was  made  aware 
of  the  ministry  of  reconciliation 
not  only  by  his  minister  and 
Sunday  school  teacher  but  also 
by  his  parents.  The  peace  doc- 
trine was  part  of  his  childhood 
nurture  at  home  and  church. 
While  some  children  in  Congre- 
gation S  later  rebelled  against 
the  peace  witness,  they  were 
at  least  aware  that  it  was  part 
of  the  Brethren  heritage.  This 
awareness  was  not  nearly  so 
prevalent  among  the  children 
of  Congregation  C. 

3.  There  is  a  strong  tendency 
for  members  of  Congregation  S 
to  bear  each  other's  burdens. 
This  was  vividly  illustrated  sev- 
eral years  ago  when  a  young 
man  fresh  out  of  the  navy  mar- 
ried one  of  the  Brethren  girls 
of  this  congregation.  Although 
he  had  never  before  heard 
of  the  Brethren  he  attended 
church  with  his  wife. 

Two  years  passed  and  their 
first  child  became  so  ill  that  it 
had  to  be  taken  to  a  distant 
clinic  for  prolonged  treatment. 
The  father  had  to  leave  his  job 
temporarily  and  was  left  with- 
out a  source  of  income.  Within 
a  few  days  the  couple  began 
receiving  money  and  sympathy 
from  Congregation  S.   In  fact, 


the  congregation  continued  its 
concern  until  the  child  recov- 
ered. 

The  father,  who  had  held  the 
Brethren  at  arms'  length  until 
this  time,  began  to  study  what 
the  Brethren  believed  about 
reconciliation,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  he  became  a 
staunch  advocate  of  the  minis- 
try of  reconciliation  in  the  con- 
gregation. His  doubts  about 
the  wisdom  of  the  military  so- 
lution to  world  problems  began 
on  an  aircraft  during  his  navy 
days,  but  it  was  not  until  a  re- 
demptive body  of  Christians 
stood  by  him  in  his  hour  of 
need  that  he  became  a  Chris- 
tian peacemaker. 

4.  A  higher  proportion  of  the 
members  of  Congregation  S  had 
responsibilities  in  the  church, 
that  is,  were  teachers,  commit- 
tee members,  deacons,  ushers, 
district  officers,  etc.,  than  in 
Congregation  C.  The  larger 
study  indicated  that  in  every 
one  of  the  eighteen  congrega- 
tions surveyed  those  members 
who  held  church  offices  of 
some  kind  gave  stronger  sup- 


port to  the  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation in  particular  and  the 
doctrines  of  the  church  in 
general  than  did  those  who  held 
no  responsibility  in  the  church. 
This  suggests  that  members 
who  feel  that  their  congrega- 
tion needs  them  are  more  likely 
to  feel  responsible  for  the  teach- 
ings of  the  church  than  those 
members  who  are  not  actively 
working  in  and  for  the  congre- 
gation. 

Congregation  C  Is  Confused 

This  congregation  has  been 
confused  in  its  witness  in  the 
sense  that  a  high  percentage  of 
its  members  have  been  uncer- 
tain about  the  meaning  of  the 
peace  doctrine  and  have,  ac- 
cordingly, made  a  confusing 
and  lukewarm  witness.  In  Con- 
gregation C  the  supreme  fact 
about  the  witness  is  not  so  much 
outright  opposition  to  the  min- 
istry of  reconciliation  as  it  is 
confusion  about  it.  Let  us  look 
at  the  behavior  patterns  of  Con- 
gregation C  in  order  to  under- 
stand this  point. 

1.  The  table  indicates   that 


only  six  out  of  ten  members 
actually  know  what  the  official 
Brethren  position  is  regarding 
military  service  for  its  mem- 
bers; fifteen  per  cent  thought 
that  the  church  approved  of 
service  in  the  armed  forces; 
while  one  out  of  four  simply 
did  not  know  what  the  church 
approved  in  this  regard.  On  the 
other  three  questions  it  will  be 
noted  that  the  rate  of  uncer- 
tainty is  considerably  high- 
er than  in  Congregation  S. 
Evidently,  the  teaching  and 
preaching  program  of  the  con- 
gregation failed  to  interpret  the 
peace  doctrine  to  its  members, 
or,  if  it  was  interpreted,  the 
teaching  failed  to  get  through. 
2.  This  congregation  is  com- 
posed largely  of  families  who 
have  been  Brethren  for  less  than 
three  generations.  Many  of  the 
members  are  "convinced"  rather 
than  "birthright"  Brethren  in 
the  sense  that  they  were 
converted  from  a  nonchurch 
background  during  evangelistic 
services  ( sometimes  rather  emo- 
tional ones)  or  entered  the 
church  through  marriage.    The 


ATTITUDES  OF  TWO  CONGREGATIONS  TOWARD  THE  BRETHREN  PEACE  DOCTRINE 
Percentage  of  members  who  either  favored  the  Brethren  peace  doctrine  or  were  uncertain  about  their  attitudes 


CUffttNT  KN01AJL£DG€  OF 

ALMMW£  mm£  VfcTHItEN  OFFICIAL  BRETHREN 
C.1?S.  CAMPS         TffoGRAM  $tf?i//C£    -POSITION    ON 

WORLD  WAR  2     i ,  PftteRAAf     MILITARY  SERVICF 


FAVOR  UNCERTAIN 


.99 


.89 


.10 


kind  of  evangelism  which 
brought  them  into  the  church 
had  little  to  do  with  interpret- 
ing the  New  Testament  princi- 
ples on  winch  the  Brethren  base 
their  faith.  There  was  and  is 
little  awareness,  consequently, 
of  the  significance  of  being  a 
historic  peace  church. 

While  in  Congregation  S  the 
church  and  the  family  co- 
operate in  interpreting  the  min- 
istry of  reconciliation  to  the 
growing  child,  in  Congregation 
C  the  church  had  to  bear  that 
burden  alone  in  most  cases. 

Allied  with  this  point  is  the 
significant  fact  that  in  Congre- 
gation S  whole  families  worship 
together  for  the  most  part, 
while  in  Congregation  C  there 
is  a  high  proportion  of  wives 
worshiping  without  husbands, 
or  mothers  and  children  wor- 
shiping without  fathers.  This 
fact  alone  has  deep  implications 
for  transmitting  the  principles 
of  the  church  from  one  genera- 
tion to  another. 

3.  Congregation  C  has  tradi- 
tionally   used    Sunday    school 
materials    and    hymnbooks 
from   non-Brethren   publishing 
houses.      The     materials     and 
hymnbooks  used  have  reflected 
a  religious  view  which  is  either 
indifferent  to  New  Testament 
pacifism  or  critical  of  it.    Re- 
lated to  this  fact  is  the  observa- 
tion that  Congregation  C  has 
been  much  more  receptive  to 
pastors  trained  in  seminaries  or 
schools    of   the    Bible    with    a 
fundamentalistic  point  of  view. 
This     congregation     showed 
greater  support  for  the  Youth 
for  Christ  movement  than  any 
other  congregation  studied.  Ex- 
pressive of  this  point  of  view 
was  Congregation  C's  response 
to    the   "wars   and   rumors    of 
wars"  passage.  One  out  of  four 
members  felt  that  this  passage 
(Matt.  24:6)  meant  that  there 
will  be  wars  until  the  end  of 


time  and  that  any  attempt  to 
work  at  this  problem  is  fruitless. 
In  Congregation  S  only  one  out 
of  fifty  members  had  this  view 
of  the  "wars  and  rumors  of  war" 
passage. 

4.  In  Congregation  C  the 
pastor  and  the  Sunday  school 
teachers  have  heard  more  vocal 
opposition  to  the  peace  doc- 
trine on  Biblical  grounds  than 
in  Congregation  S,  and  have 
been  more  quiet,  therefore, 
about  this  phase  of  the  ministry. 
Although  the  minister  of  Con- 
gregation C  is  facing  a  congre- 
gation in  which  two  out  of 
three  either  favor  the  alterna- 
tive service  program  today 
(forty-five  per  cent)  or  are 
open  to  teaching  on  the  matter 
(twenty-one  per  cent),  a  vocal 
minority  expresses  itself  openly 
against  this  phase  of  the 
church's     ministry     and     the 


church  leadership  mistakenly 
accepts  this  view  as  the  domi- 
nant feeling  of  the  congrega- 
tion. 

5.  A  final  factor  that  deserves 
our  consideration  here  is  the 
fact  that  over  half  the  members 
of  Congregation  C  work  in  in- 
dustries with  government  con- 
tracts for  military  material.  This 
has  led  to  the  following  set  of 
attitudes.  When  asked  what 
they  would  do  in  time  of  war, 
about  one  in  two  replied  that 
they  would  buy  war  bonds, 
work  in  industries  making  ma- 
terials for  war,  and  at  the  same 
time  increase  their  giving  to  the 
Brethren  Service  program. 

This,  then,  is  a  partial  picture 
of  Congregation  C  grappling 
with  the  "peculiar"  ministry  of 
reconciliation  on  the  one  hand 
and  the  realities  of  the  "bread 
and  butter"  world  on  the  other. 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


What  are  the  Brethren  colleges  doing 
to  train  peacemakers?  Are  there 
courses  offered  particularly  in  this 
area  of  work? 

There  is  no  single  answer  to  these 
questions.  The  courses  offered  vary 
from  college  to  college,  and  the  em- 
phasis upon  our  peace  ideals  is  not 
uniform  in  degree  or  in  method.  But 
when  the  word  train  is  used  in  its 
true  meaning  we  are  forced  to  con- 
clude that  our  colleges  are  not  major- 
ing in  developing  peacemakers. 

All  of  our  colleges  offer  academic 
courses  in  Bible  and  religion,  church 
leadership  and  Christian  education, 
political  science,  and  international 
relations.  These  courses  provide  a 
necessary  backdrop  for  considering 
the  specific  problems  related  to 
peacemaking.  In  co-operation  with 
the  Brethren  Service  Commission,  a 
peace  institute  is  held  periodically 
in  most  of  our  colleges. 


Each  college,  in  varying  degree, 
involves  some  students  in  informal 
activities  which  deal  directly  with 
the  ideas  and  motives  of  pacifism 
and  peacemaking,  that  is,  club 
programs,  discussion  groups,  and  re- 
ligious programs. 

Manchester's  curriculum  desig- 
nates a  major  in  peace  studies  which 
includes  a  course  on  the  Basic 
Philosophy  of  Peace  and  one  on 
Principles  and  Procedures  for  Peace- 
making. McPherson  offers  a  course 
on  Christianity  and  War.  Beyond 
these  specific  offerings,  the  academic 
approach  is  indirect  —  depending 
upon  related  courses,  teachers'  atti- 
tudes, special  activities,  and  the  gen- 
eral Christian  viewpoint  underlying 
our  colleges. 

Some  claim  that  aggressive  train- 
ing of  peacemakers  belongs  to  the 
church  and  the  home  and  not  to 
the  colleges.  This  answer  is  too  easy. 
All    have    responsibility    for    peace 


training.  And  in  the  case  of  the 
colleges,  there  should  be  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  specific  academic 
courses  offered.  Beyond  this,  they 
should  become  research  centers  to 
discover  and  to  define  the  intellectu- 
al and  spiritual  foundations  for 
peacemaking  in  today's  world. 

The  Brethren  Service  Commission, 
the  local  church,  and  the  community 
should  co-operate  in  providing  field 
opportunities  for  testing  the  findings 
flowing  from  this  research.  Serious 
training  for  tomorrow's  peacemakers 
requires  a  concerted  effort  on  the 
part  of  all  agencies  of  the  church.  — 
S.  Loren  Bowman. 


How    well   are   we   succeeding    in 

teaching    peace    in    our    overseas 

churches? 

Among  North  American  Brethren 
peace  leaders  there  is  a  popular  con- 
ception that  there  has  been  little 
peace  education  in  our  churches 
abroad.  In  general  this  is  an  ac- 
curate assumption. 

There  are  several  reasons  why  this 
should  be  true.  During  the  early 
stages  of  the  introduction  of  the 
Christian  religion  into  a  new  area 
immediate  and  pressing  problems  re- 
lated to  building  a  church,  determin- 
ing the  basis  for  church  membership, 
conducting  schools,  and  teaching 
concerning  monogamy  and  Christian 
family  life  demand  the  primary  at- 
tention of  the  missionary. 

Missionaries  have  often  been 
somewhat  detached  from  any  source 
of  stimulation  to  teach  pacifism.  In 
some  areas  the  attitude  of  govern- 
ment toward  foreign  missionaries 
has  dictated  a  "hands  off"  policy  in 
this  particular  area  of  education  and 
action. 

In  recent  years  there  has  been  en- 
couraging evidence  of  increased  in- 
terest and  activity  in  peace  education. 
Hans  de  Boer's  statement  concerning 
Nehru's  appreciation  for  the  witness 
of  Brethren  and  other  pacifist  groups 
in  India  reveals  that  peace  education 
has  not  been  totally  lacking  in  that 
country. 

The  presence  of  alternative  serv- 
ice workers  in  Nigeria  and  Ecuador 
gives  frequent  opportunities  for  dis- 
cussions of  their  motivation  and  the 
reasons  for  their  serving  in  these 
countries. 

There  is  hope  in  the  fact  that  some 
of  our  younger  missionaries  today 
are  former  Brethren  Volunteer  Serv- 
ice workers  and  many  are  strong 
pacifists. 

As  missionaries  are  moving  away 


from  the  institutional  approach  and 
are  assuming  a  new  role  they  have 
more  time  for  creative  thinking  and 
planning  for  peace  education,  and 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  they 
are  turning  their  attention  to  this 
problem. 

Visits  of  leaders  such  as  the  Ora 
Hustons  and  the  Dan  Wests  to  mis- 
sion areas  and  the  participation  by 
missionaries  in  seminars  and  leader- 
ship laboratories  and  similar  experi- 
ences which  bring  missionaries  and 
national  leaders  closer  to  the  main 
stream  of  church  life  encourage  and 
stimulate  peace  education  in  our 
churches  abroad.  —  /.  Henry  Long. 


We  saw  an  announcement  about  the 
appointment  of  a  "peace  counsel- 
or" on  our  national  staff.   What  is 
his  job?    How  can  he  help  us? 
First,   let  me   indicate   what   the 
job  is  not.   This  job  is  not  to  promote 
international  relations.    It  is  not  to 
interpret   and   promote   the   United 
Nations.    It  is  not  to  direct  political 
action  on  the  state,  national,  or  inter- 
national level.    The  peace  counselor 
is  not  a  technical  adviser  on  alterna- 
tive service.    He  is  not  a  researcher 
on  peace  or  peace  publications.    He 
is  not  an  editor  of  peace  promotional 
and  educational  material. 

The  peace  counselor  will  attempt 
to  encourage  and  undergird  personal 
peace  convictions.  He  hopes  to  sup- 
port and  promote  the  peace  position 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  as 
set  forth  in  Annual  Conference  de- 
cisions. An  important  part  of  the 
work  is  building  a  psychological  anti- 
dote for  the  creeping  militarism  in 
our  lives. 

He  will  try  to  stimulate  Biblical 
study  on  the  general  philosophy  of 
peace  as  taught  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment and  the  example  of  Jesus 
Christ.  He  will  attempt  to  encourage 
participation  in  activities  that  would 
build  the  pacifist  viewpoint  and  basis 
of  life.  He  will  attempt  to  quicken 
the  conscience  of  the  church  on  the 
sinfulness  of  war.  He  will  attempt 
to  build  a  program  that  would  devel- 
op peace  convictions  and  offer  ave- 
nues of  expression  for  these 
convictions. 

The  program  is  divided  into  two 
parts  —  work  in  the  field  and  work 
in  the  office.  The  work  in  the  field 
is  that  of  a  personal,  spiritual  peace 
counselor.  The  counselor  wants  to 
get  into  as  many  local  churches  as 
possible  for  two-  or  three-day  peri- 
ods. While  there,  he  will  want  to 
have  a  meeting  with  the  entire  con- 
gregation   and   a    separate   meeting 


with  the  youth  group,  if  possible. 
In  addition  to  these  meetings,  he  will 
have  a  number  of  individual  confer- 
ences on  individual  problems  con- 
nected with  the  peace  witness.  Also, 
he  will  assist  in  setting  up  a  local 
church  peace  program  including 
both  study  and  action. 

In  certain  areas  workshops  will 
be  established  on  week  ends  for  a 
number  of  churches.  These  will  last 
one  or  two  days  and  can  be  for 
any  group  —  youth,  men,  women, 
ministers,  local  peace  counselors,  or 
any  combination  of  groups.  While 
the  peace  counselor  cannot  serve  in 
all  of  these,  he  hopes  to  be  able 
to  suggest  personnel  to  lead  such 
workshops. 

The  peace  counselor  hopes  to  be 
available  to  work  in  district,  sub- 
district,  state,  or  regional  meetings. 
These  include  youth  rallies;  men's 
work,  women's  work,  pastors'  confer- 
ences; district  meetings;  and  other 
meetings  on  an  area  basis.  Another 
field  activity  is  to  set  up  or  assist 
in  setting  up  teen-age  week-end  re- 
treats where  young  people  will  be 
gathered  together  from  one  or  sev- 
eral churches  to  study  seriously  the 
Christian  attitude  toward  war  and 
participation  in  military  service. 
These  will  also  include  training  in 
the  arts  of  peace  and  peace  witness. 
The  peace  counselor  will  be  present 
in  a  number  of  summer  camps, 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service  training 
units,  BVS  project  units. 

The  office  time  would  be  spent 
in  a  number  of  ways  —  in  answering 
correspondence  on  peace,  peace 
problems,  and  peace  work  and  in 
working  with  individuals  and  church 
officers  and  committees. 

The  teen-age  mailings  are  to  be 
improved  and  increased.  We  hope 
the  time  comes  when  we  can  contact 
every  teen-ager  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  on  and  following  his  or 
her  sixteenth  birthday.  Greater  ef- 
fort will  be  made  to  keep  pastors 
in  touch  with  these  teen-agers  while 
the  mailings  are  being  made  to  them. 

Local  church  leadership  on  peace 
will  be  encouraged  and  supported 
from  the  General  Offices.  The  file 
of  resource  leaders  will  be  built  up 
and  suggestions  made  to  any  congre- 
gation or  camp  seeking  qualified 
leadership  in  any  area  of  peace  edu- 
cation and  peace  evangelism. 

The  prayers  of  the  church  are 
sought  for  a  greater  peace  witness 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  —  Ora 
Huston. 


MARCH  12,  1960 


21 


Kathryn  Kiracofe  teaches  Indian 
village  women  to  read 


Reading  Their  Way 
Out 
of 
Bondage 


AN  ILLITERATE  man  is  a 
slave.  He  is  unable  to  follow 
the  simplest  written  guidance 
on  agricultural  methods,  on  the  care 
of  children,  on  protection  from  dis- 
ease, on  the  interest  terms  of  his 
debts.  Missionaries  like  Kathryn 
Kiracofe  are  helping  many  of  the 
forty-four  per  cent  of  the  earth's 
illiterates  to  read. 

Involved  in  teaching  villagers  in 
India,  Kathryn  Kiracofe  studied  lit- 
eracy techniques  at  Cornell  Uni- 
versity during  her  furlough  and 
visited  literacy  programs  in  Egypt 
and  Liberia  en  route  to  India  to 
see  the  application  of  techniques  to 
specific  situations. 

She  discovered  that  books  on  agri- 
culture written  for  beginning  readers 
helped  change  the  whole  life  of  an 
Egyptian  village  she  visited. 

One  man  had  bought  a  Jersey  bull 
to  improve  his  herd  and  thus  in- 
crease the  milk  supply;  another  had 
purchased  a  Swiss  goat  for  the  same 
purpose;  an  elder  of  the  church  had 
procured  an  incubator  to  hatch  eggs. 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


The  Jersey  bull  became  too  hard 
to  handle;  so  he  was  butchered  after 
leaving  some  fine  offspring.  The 
goat  died  because  he  did  not  have 
the  special  handling  he  needed.  And 
the  incubator  was  a  failure  because 
the  owner  did  not  know  how  to  regu- 
late the  temperature. 

"Nothing  daunted,"  Miss  Kiracofe 
reported,  "they  used  their  new  tool, 
reading,  to  find  other  ways  out  of 
their  dilemma.  First  they  learned 
that  the  government  would  help 
them  form  a  co-operative.  They  did 
this,  and  together  they  were  able  to 
have  many  material  things  they  had 
never  had  separately.  Moreover, 
they  learned  to  work  together  and 
form  a  real  community  through  com- 
mon endeavor.  This  produced  an 
optimistic  and  enthusiastic  atmos- 
phere in  the  village. 

"Secondly,  the  Presbyterian  mis- 
sion organized  a  Rural  Service 
Center  with  departments  of  Bible, 
agriculture,  public  health,  and  home 
economics  to  help  the  villagers  learn 
more  as  they  experimented  in  all 
these  areas." 

At  the  time  the  villagers  had  in- 


vited the  literacy  workers  to  conduct 
a  campaign  for  them,  the  elementary 
school  had  helped  only  twenty  per 
cent  to  become  literate.  Literacy 
jumped  to  sixty-five  per  cent  by  the 
end  of  the  year  of  the  campaign. 

"The  resulting  economic  growth 
which  I  saw,"  said  Miss  Kiracofe, 
"demonstrated  dramatically  the  mar- 
riage of  literacy  to  economic  devel- 
opment. Illiterate  workers  cannot 
become  skilled  workers,  and  skilled 
workers  earn  between  sixty  and  four 
hundred  per  cent  more  than 
unskilled." 

Whereas  the  Egyptian  village  af- 
forded a  glimpse  at  the  results  of 
a  literacy  campaign,  Miss  Kiracofe 
saw  a  literacy  campaign  in  progress 
in  Liberia. 

The  first  problem  encountered  by 
the  Lutheran  missionaries,  Reverend 
and  Mrs.  Wesley  Sadler,  was  reduc- 
ing the  Liberian  tribal  languages  to 
writing.  The  government  is  so  inter- 
ested in  having  its  people  learn  Eng- 
lish that  all  schools  teach  nothing 
else.  However,  if  adults  are  to  learn 
to  read,  they  must  learn  in  their 
own  language. 


The  next  step  was  producing  liter- 
ature that  was  both  interesting  and 
instructive  for  new  readers.  The 
Sadlers  and  their  helpers  in  the  liter- 
acy program  produce  two  new  books 
each  month.  They  begin  with  books 
of  local  fables  so  the  new  readers 
can  see  with  their  eyes  stories  they 
have  heard  all  their  lives. 

Next  comes  a  book  about  God 
leading  up  to  the  stories  of  Jesus. 
Along  with  Christian  religious  books 
there  is  a  series  to  acquaint  the  new 
reader  with  his  world,  stories  of 
natural  phenomena.  Then  stories  of 
how  other  people  live,  books  on 
health  and  sanitation,  arithmetic  and 
its  use  in  daily  life,  improvement 
of  village  life  and  of  work  methods. 
Each  book  is  in  a  story  form  and 
illustrated.  In  addition  a  newssheet 
is  produced  each  week  to  help  them 
until  they  acquire  enough  skill  to 
read  newspapers. 

Teachers  are  recruited  from  new 
readers.  Careful  supervision,  clear- 
cut  rules  to  follow,  and  wages  that 
may  be  cut  if  rules  are  not  followed 
have  proved  effective  ways  of 
spreading  the  ability  to  read  to  many 
people  as  fast  as  possible. 

Miss  Kiracofe  stresses  that  "be- 
hind all  the  Christian  literacy  cam- 
paigns is  the  desire  to  stretch  the 
ability  of  the  people  to  understand 
and  know  about  Christ.  An  aware- 
ness of  God's  love  and  purpose  for 


their  lives  results  in  rising  standards 
of  living.  It  also  strengthens  the 
character  of  the  people.  This  makes 
for  a  stronger  country." 

Christ's  ability  to  set  the  captive 
free  is  nowhere  more  apparent  than 
in  the  results  of  the  painstaking  re- 
search done  in  literacy  which  has 
found  increasingly  better  ways  to 
give  freedom  to  millions  who  have 
walked  in  ignorance. 


The  Field 

Is  the  World... 

New  Course  Designed  to 
Upgrade  Vernacular  Teachers 

A  special  "bridge"  course  is  ex- 
pected to  open  at  Waka  Teacher 
Training  Center,  Nigeria,  in  April 
of  1960.  The  course  is  a  co-operative 
venture  of  the  Northern  Educational 
Advisory  Committee  formed  by  all 
Protestant  missions  in  Northern 
Nigeria. 

The  proposed  course  is  designed 
to  qualify  elementary  teachers  of  the 
area,  now  qualified  to  teach  only 
in  the  vernacular  languages,  to  teach 
all  subject  matter  in  English.  The 
independent  government  of  Nigeria 
has  given  assurance  of  a  grant-in-aid 
for  the  proposed  course  in  keeping 
with   its   decision   to   make   English 


the  official  language  of  instruction 
for  the  schools  of  that  country  at 
all   grade   levels. 

Premier  of  Eastern  Nigeria 
Stumping  the  Country 

During  the  elections  for  the  first 
democratically  elected  House  of 
Representatives  in  Nigeria,  the 
premier  of  the  Eastern  Region,  Chief 
Awolowo,  used  a  helicopter  to  reach 
remote  villages  in  the  north  of 
Nigeria. 

Robert  Bischof  tells  of  the  excite- 
ment in  Lassa  when  the  helicopter 
landed  so  that  Chief  Awolowo  could 
give  a  ten-minute  speech.  "It  was 
certainly  something  new  for  the  peo- 
ple around  here  to  see.  Most  of 
them  had  never  seen  even  an  air- 
plane up   close." 

Mission  Well  to  Supply 
Water  to  Villagers 

Americans  seldom  think  of  the 
water  supply.  In  Nigeria  it  is  a  con- 
stant cause  for  concern. 

Charles  Kraft,  writing  from 
Mbororo,  says  that  when  the  gov- 
ernment well-diggers  broke  through 
the  hard  rock  and  water  began  seep- 
ing into  the  well,  they  had  their 
first  optimistic  feelings  in  a  long 
time  about  the  water  supply. 

The  well  is  seventy  feet  deep  and 
since  the  mission  will  allow  the  vil- 
lage people  to  use  water  from  the 
mission  faucets,  it  will  not  have  to 
pay  for  the  digging  or  the  cement 
casing  the  government  did.  It  will 
pay  for  the  piping  to  the  school 
and   dispensary,   however. 

Brethren  Teachers  Attend 
Craft  Training  Institute 

Two  Church  of  the  Brethren 
teachers  were  chosen  by  the  educa- 
tional department  of  Bombay  State 
to  attend  a  six-month  training  insti- 
tute for  the  training  of  craft  instruc- 
tors at  Aundh  Camp,  seven  miles 
west  of  Poona. 

This  is  a  great  honor  as  only  155 
men  from  all  over  India  were  asked 
to  participate.  It  is  one  of  two  such 
training  institutes  in  India,  and  they 
are  rated  first  in  Asia  in  the  training 
of  craft  instructors. 

Samuel  N.  Bhagat,  one  of  the 
Brethren  teachers  who  attended,  was 
especially  happy  that  they  had  the 
opportunity  to  witness  to  their  Chris- 
tian faith  daily  as  they  studied  with 
the  other  Indian  teachers. 


A  new  reader  begins  to  teach  nonreaders  what  she  has  learned 


MARCH  12,  1960 


23 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Methodists  Launch  Four- Year 
Mission  Advance 

The  Methodist  Board  of  Missions 
has  launched  a  four-year  program 
calling  for  a  world-wide  emphasis  on 
increased  evangelism  in  four  "lands 
of  decision,"  and  in  stepped-up  pro- 
duction of  Christian  literature  and 
intensive  church  development  in 
Hawaii  and  Puerto  Rico. 

The  four  "lands  of  decision"  are 
West  Pakistan,  Southern  Rhodesia, 
Argentina,  and  "China-in-dispersion," 
the  latter  term  referring  to  Taiwan, 
Hong  Kong,  and  overseas  Chinese 
in  Southeast  Asian  countries. 

A  record  number  of  ninety-three 
new  missionaries  were  commissioned 
by  the  Methodist  Board.  For  its  in- 
creased production  of  Christian  lit- 
erature and  audio-visual  aids,  the 
board  plans  to  recruit  "a  much  larger 
number  of  missionaries  trained  in 
journalism,  linguistics,  literature 
publication,  audio-visuals,  radio,  and 
television." 

Methodist  publishing  facilities 
abroad  are  slated  to  be  enlarged 
and  bookrooms  and  bookmobiles  to 
be  increased  in  number  and  capacity. 
The  board  said,  "With  the  Commu- 
nist world  press  pouring  out  a  steady 
stream  of  literature  for  political 
propaganda  purposes,  Christian 
forces  cannot  afford  to  plan  for  less 
than  an  all-out  effort  to  win  the 
minds  of  men  for  Christ  through 
the  ministries  of  the  printed  word 
and  mass  communications." 

U.S.,  Vienna  Protestants  Conduct 
Student  Exchange  Program 

A  student  exchange  program  to 
be  conducted  jointly  with  Protestant 
bodies  in  the  United  States  has  been 
announced  by  the  Vienna  Protestant 
Church  Council. 

Under  the  plan,  Austrian  students 
from  sixteen  to  eighteen  will  study 
at  church-affiliated  schools  and  col- 
leges in  the  United  States,  and  schol- 
arships will  be  awarded  to  American 
students  at  Austrian  universities,  sec- 
ondary schools,  and  higher  technical 
schools.  Both  Austrian  and  Ameri- 
can students  will  reside  with  families 
in  the  respective  countries. 

The  Austrian  plan  is  part  of  the 
world-wide  student  exchange  pro- 
gram which  has  been  under  way 
for  several  years  under  the  sponsor- 
ship  of   the   International   Christian 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Youth  Exchange  Program,  in  which 
eight  United  States  denominations, 
including  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren,   participate. 

Communist  "Confessional" 
Urged 

A  Communist  counterpart  to  Ro- 
man Catholic  confessional  has  been 
suggested  by  an  official  Communist 
weekly  in  Warsaw,  Poland. 

The  organ  of  the  Central  Commit- 
tee of  the  Polish  Communist  Party 
recommended  that  the  committee  set 
up  "a  kind  of  confessional"  which 
would  be  run  by  Communist  psychi- 
atrists and  operate  in  public  libraries, 
Communist  cultural  centers,  and  oth- 
er public  places.  It  said  that  such 
a  program  is  required  because  even 
children  of  nonbelievers  often  go  to 
church  "for  the  sole  purpose  of  dis- 
cussing their  personal  problems  in 
the  confessional." 

Soviet  Zone  Police  Setting 
Up  "Clergymen's  Indexes" 

All  district  offices  of  the  people's 
police  of  the  Soviet  Zone  of  Ger- 
many have  been  ordered  by  the  East 
German  interior  ministry  to  set  up 
special  "clergymen's  indexes,"  ac- 
cording to  the  reports  in  the  West 
Berlin  press.  The  records  are  to 
include  the  daily  activities  of  the 
clergymen,  their  political  stands,  the 
trends  of  their  sermons,  and  their 
official  and  private  utterances. 

The  order  is  the  latest  in  the  series 
of  measures  aimed  at  bringing  the 
clergy  of  East  Germany  under  strict 
surveillance  of  the  Communist  re- 
gime. Some  time  ago  the  Central 
Committee  of  the  Socialist  Unity 
(Communist)  Party  in  East  Germany 
ordered  a  close  check  of  the  former 
and  present  activities  of  clergymen 
to  detect  any  opposition  to  the  pol- 
icies of  the  Soviet  Zone  government. 

Orthodox  Churches  to  Weigh 
Ecumenical  Council  Bid 

Ecumenical  Patriarch  Athenagor- 
as,  head  of  the  Eastern  Orthodox 
churches,  sent  a  letter  to  Pope  John 
XXIII  recendy,  announcing  that  an 
all-Orthodox  synod  would  be  held 
to  decide  whether  the  Eastern  Or- 
thodox communion  should  take  part 
in  the  Ecumenical  Council  sum- 
moned by  the  pope. 

The  Pan-Orthodox  meeting  will 
be  the  first  of  its  kind  since  1921. 
Besides  bringing  together  many  of 


the  Eastern  Orthodox  bodies,  the 
meeting  is  expected  to  be  attended 
also  by  representatives  of  Armenian, 
Jacobite,  Coptic,  Ethiopian,  and  Old 
Catholic  churches. 

The  letter  sent  by  the  patriarch 
to  the  pope  has  raised  new  hopes  in 
the  Vatican  that  Orthodox  churches 
might  eventually  be  reunited  with 
Rome. 

Canadian  Churches  Planning 
Federated  University 

Anglican,  Roman  Catholic,  and 
United  Church  of  Canada  leaders 
in  the  province  of  Ontario  have  pro- 
posed plans  to  establish  a  new  uni- 
versity in  the  northland  of  the 
province. 

The  institution  will  be  known  as 
Laurentian  University  of  Sudbury. 
The  university  will  qualify  for  grants 
from  the  government  because,  al- 
though the  individual  units  will  be 
church-related,  the  institution  as  a 
whole  will  be  nondenominational. 
The  three  groups  are  planning  to 
set  up  a  system  of  federated  colleges. 
A  bill  which  would  grant  govern- 
ment recognition  of  the  new  uni- 
versity will  be  presented  at  the 
current  session  of  the  provincial 
legislature. 

Bishop  Newbigin  Blasts  Missions' 
"Colonial"  Outlook 

Bishop  J.  E.  Lesslie  Newbigin  of 
the  Church  of  South  India,  general 
secretary  of  the  International  Mis- 
sionary Council,  recendy  said  in 
Toronto,  Ontario,  that  the  Western 
world  must  get  rid  of  the  old- 
fashioned  idea  that  missions  are  "a 
bulwark  of  democracy,  a  buttress 
against  communism,  and  an  outpost 
of  capitalism." 

The  bishop  charged  that  the  col- 
onial atmosphere  is  still  continued 
in  many  a  mission  compound.  He 
pointed  out  that  with  the  revival 
of  Buddhism  and  Hinduism  large 
numbers  of  people  now  believe  that 
Christianity  has  failed  to  give  world 
leadership.  He  also  warned  that  dis- 
unity among  the  churches  is  the 
biggest  problem  facing  Christianity. 

Australian  Protestant  Churches 
Hold  First  National  Conference 

Sir  Dallas  Brooks,  governor  of 
Victoria,  opened  the  first  National 
Conference  of  Australian  Churches 
at  a  huge  rally  in  the  Melbourne 
cricket  grounds,  which  was  attended 
by  many  thousands,  including  more 


than  430  official  delegates  from  16 
Protestant  denominations.  Later  the 
conference  broke  up  into  five  com- 
missions which  convened  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Melbourne  to  discuss  such 
subjects  as  the  evangelistic  responsi- 
bility of  Australian  churches  in  a 
world  setting  and  the  ethical  prob- 
lems of  economic  technical  aid  in 
Asia. 

The  conference  was  sponsored  by 
the  Australian  Council  of  the  World 
Council  of  Churches.  It  was  at- 
tended by  Protestant  religious  lead- 
ers from  overseas  countries,  as  well 
as  by  observers  from  three  non- 
Protestant  groups,  including  Roman 
Catholic.  Churchmen  described  the 
meeting  as  "the  most  significant  and 
important"  in  the  history  of  Austral- 
ian Christian  churches. 

Congress  Voices  Indignation 
at  Desecrations 

On  a  roll  call  of  392-0,  the  House 
of  Representatives  in  Washington  re- 
cendy  passed  a  resolution  expressing 
a  "profound  sense  of  indignation  and 
shock"  at  recent  desecrations  of 
houses  of  worship. 

The  resolution  calls  upon  "all  per- 
sons and  governments  throughout 
the  world  to  exert  their  energies 
to  the  end  that  these  shameful  events 
shall  not  recur." 

The  Senate  is  expected  to  join 
the  House  in  the  resolution.  Being 
a  concurrent  resolution  expressing 
the  view  of  Congress,  it  will  not 
require  Presidential  signature. 

CWS  Shipments  Totaled 
356,300,000  Pounds  in  1959 

American  Protestant  and  Eastern 
Orthodox  churches  shipped  more 
than  356,300,000  pounds  of  relief 
supplies  for  distribution  to  hungry, 
homeless,  destitute,  and  under- 
privileged people  overseas  last  year 
through  Church  World  Service. 

The  total,  valued  at  $25,778,000 
represented  about  10,000,000 
pounds  more  than  in  1958.  Food, 
clothing,  medicines,  tools,  and  self- 
help  materials  were  included  in  the 
supplies  which  went  to  forty-one 
countries  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa, 
South  America  and  the  Caribbean. 

Foods  and  funds  contributed  in 
U.S.  agricultural  areas  through  the 
Christian  Rural  Overseas  Program, 
which  is  administered  by  CWS,  rep- 
resented a  value  of  more  than 
$960,000,  an  increase  of  4  per  cent 
over  1958.  CROP  also  delivered 
5,000,000  pounds  of  fiber  and  self- 
help  materials  for  the  overseas  relief 
program  in   1959. 


Elgin  Courier-News 


Two  church  workers  stand  amid  the  1,200  blankets  donated 
by  the  Protestant  churches  of  one  Illinois  community  and  gathered 
at  a  Brethren  church  prior  to  processing  and  shipment  abroad 


OPERATION  "BLANKET  LIFT' 


Operation  "blanket  lift,"  con- 
ducted by  churches  in  Illinois  and 
Indiana  early  this  year,  netted  100, 
000  blankets  for  overseas  relief,  ac- 
cording to  tallies  at  two  processing 
centers. 

The  Brethren  Service  Center  at 
Nappanee,  Ind.,  picked  up  twelve 
semitrailer  loads  of  blankets  in  Illi- 
nois and  five  and  a  half  in  Indiana, 
for  a  total  of  75,000  blankets.  A 
semitrailer  truck  from  the  Brethren 
Service  Center  at  New  Windsor, 
Md.,  was  transferred  to  Nappanee 
to  assist  the  two  semitrailers  already 
hauling  blankets  from  communities 
in  the  two  Midwestern  states.  John 
Heisel,  manager  of  the  Nappanee 
center,  reported  another  warehouse 
was  acquired  to  store  the  blankets 
until  they  were  packed  for  shipment. 


Another  25,000  blankets  collected 
from  southern  Illinois  were  delivered 
to  the  Church  World  Service  ware- 
house in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Additional  community-wide  blan- 
ket appeals  have  been  launched  since 
in  other  states.  Throughout  many, 
as  in  the  pilot  drives  in  Illinois 
and  Indiana,  Brethren  churches  are 
serving  as  community  collection 
centers. 

The  immediate  aim  of  the  United 
Clothing  Appeal  is  for  two  million 
blankets  for  delivery  to  refugees,  or- 
phans, victims  of  disaster,  and  the 
pitifully  poor  throughout  the  world. 
Throughout  1960  Church  World 
Service  has  as  its  goal  the  collection 
of  ten  million  pounds  of  useful  gar- 
ments, and  in  the  next  four  years, 
a  total  of  fifty  million  pounds. 


Kerala  Communists  Get 
Resounding  Rebuff 

The  Communist  Party  in  Kerala, 
the  state  in  India  whose  educational 
policy  has  been  under  attack  by 
Roman  Catholic,  Moslem,  and  Hindu 
communities,  met  a  three  to  one 
smashing  defeat  in  the  general  elec- 
tion for  the  legislative  assembly. 

The  Communists  gained  only  27 
out   of    126   seats   in   the   state   as- 


sembly, while  the  three-party  United 
Democratic  Front  won  95.  Three 
other  seats  were  obtained  by 
independents. 

Weeks  before  the  election,  the 
state's  3,000,000  Catholics  had  been 
exhorted  not  to  vote  for  Com- 
munist candidates  or  for  those  affili- 
ated    with     the     Reds.      However, 


MARCH  12,  1960 


25 


E.  STANLEY  JONES 

What  is  conversion?  How 
does  it  come  about?  What  are 
its  lasting  effects?  In  this  book 
E.  Stanley  Jones,  world  famous 
missionary  and  religious  writer, 
examines  all  aspects  of  con- 
version to  help  men  and  wom- 
en everywhere  find  this  new 
life. 

Written  against  our  jet-age 
background  this  book  is  richly 
illustrated  with  actual  cases 
of  conversion  among  ministers, 
murderers,  actors,  Moslems, 
80-year-olds,  8-year-olds,  Hin- 
dus, millionaires,  beggars, 
policemen,  intellectuals,  mis- 
sionaries, and  many  others 
from  all  over  the  world. 

Cloth,  $3.25;  paper,  $1.95 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 


Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  tor 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (•).  —  Editor. 


although  the  Communists  showed 
poorly  in  the  number  of  seats  they 
obtained,  they  received  more  votes 
in  this  election  than  in  1957,  when 
they  came  to  power. 

News  Briefs 

Spokesmen  for  two  Protestant 
groups,  the  Methodist  Board  of 
World  Peace  and  the  Friends  Com- 
mittee on  National  Legislation,  have 
urged  the  Senate  Foreign  Relations 
Committee  in  Washington  to  ap- 
prove a  resolution  giving  the  Sen- 
ate's assent  to  U.S.  acceptance  of 
full  jurisdiction  of  the  World  Court 
in  all  disputes  concerning  this 
nation. 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Retreat  to  Reality.  Dudley  Zuver. 
Crowell,  1959.   281  pages.   $4.75. 

Dudley  Zuver,  both  an  armchair 
philosopher  and  a  writer,  yet  more 
than  either,  has  presented  us  with  a 
palatable  existentialism  by  illustra- 
tive means.  Writing  somewhere  be- 
tween Sarte's  "No  Exit"  and  Buber's 
"I-Thou,"  he  spells  out  a  philosophy 
of  existence  using  common  and  con- 
crete illustrations,  thereby  giving 
handles  to  what  appears  to  most  as 
a  very  elusive  way  of  thinking.  He 
challenges  many  of  our  standard  and 
ingrown  dualisms,  such  as  moral  and 
immoral,  spirit  and  form,  showing 
how  these  are  only  relative  if  we 
dare  "retreat  to  reality."  For  those 
with  a  philosophic  bent,  both  pastor 
and  layman,  this  book  can  be  stimu- 
lating and  relative  to  our  everyday 
situation.  —  Graydon  F.  Snyder,  Chi- 
cago, III. 

"Devotions  for  Women  at  Work. 

Martha  Meister  Kiely.  Abingdon, 
1958.    128  pages.    $1.75. 

This  book  is  for  the  women  who 
spend  most  of  their  time  at  home, 
for  mothers  of  children  who  have 
occasion  to  become  weary  in  doing 
the  multitude  of  daily  tasks.  The 
writer  gives  new  color  to  the  daily 
routine  by  drawing  spiritual  truths 
from  commonplace  things  and  giv- 
ing them  fresh  significance.  Some 
of  the  wide  range  of  subjects  are: 
God's  Baby  Sitter,  Just  a  Flowerpot, 
Thermostatic  Living,  and  God's  Tug 
on  the  Apron  Strings. 

The  selection  of  scripture  and 
prayer  with  each  subject  helps  the 
reader  to  live  creatively,  abundandy, 
and  significandy  in  the  home.  —  Mrs. 
Chester  Murrey,  Conway,  Kansas. 

Kitchen  Communion.  Cornelia  M. 
Renfroe.  John  Knox,  1959.  47 
pages.    $1.50. 

A  delightful  little  book  —  warm 
with  spiritual  messages  and  prayers 
—  that  lifts  the  young  homemaker 
and  mother  out  of  the  turmoil  of 
dirty  dishes,  unmade  beds,  noisy 
children,  and  routine  schedules. 

The  atmosphere  cleared  as  she  re- 
alized, "I  don't  love  enough,  don't 
give  enough,  don't  pray  enough  and 
don't  believe  enough."  In  her  kitchen 
communion  with  God  she  adds,  "I'm 


still  so  pitifully,  awfully  human,  but 
You  know  that  anyway  ...  I  bet 
we  really  get  things  done  .  .  .  That 
is  .  .  .  I'll  do  them,  God.  Just  please 
let  me  know  You  are  there  .  .  ." 

The  book,  truly  a  spirit  lifter,  with 
unusual  simplicity,  would  make  a 
lovely  gift.  —  Esther  K.  Crouse, 
Queen  Anne,  Md. 

*  Tensions  Our  Children  Live 
With.  Edited  by  Dorothy  T.  Spoerl. 
Beacon  Press,  1959.  232  pages. 
$3.50. 

There  are  many  home,  church  and 
public  school,  camp,  club  and  vaca- 
tion church  school  situations  where 
this  book  can  be  used  by  the  discern- 
ing adult  who  wants  to  help  children 
and  junior  high  youth  with  their 
social  relations  and  ethical  problems. 
It  is  easy  to  capture  interest  with 
these  fifty-three  stories  of  boys  and 
girls  facing  situations  of  tensions. 

The  fact  that  many  of  the  problem 
situations  are  left  open-ended  lends 
them  to  animated  discussion  and 
probable  role  play  or  acting  out  end- 
ings. All  the  stories  and  situations 
are  alive  with  real  boys  and  girls  and 
will  hold  interest  as  well  as  help 
develop  a  social  awareness  and  sense 
of  values.  The  situations  range  from 
the  boy  who  does  not  want  to  play 
with  others,  to  cheating,  how  friends 
help  in  the  face  of  death,  war  games, 
and  playmates  of  different  national, 
racial,  or  religious  backgrounds.  One 
problem  situation  of  particular  inter- 
est to  some  Brethren  is  that  of  deal- 
ing with  a  boy  whose  older  brother 
is  in  jail  as  a  conscientious  objector. 
The  book's  introduction  is  very  help- 
ful in  giving  ways  to  use  stories,  ten 
situations  in  which  stories  of  this 
type  may  fit  into  your  program,  and 
suggestions  on  learning  the  art  of 
storytelling. 

Nearly  all  the  stories  can  be  used 
with  third  graders  through  junior 
high.  A  good  leader  should  have  a 
cursory  knowledge  of  the  fifty-three 
stories  and  problem  situations,  thus 
being  able  to  draw  on  them  when 
appropriate  in  the  church  school 
class,  camp,  club,  or  home  situation. 
Although  it  is  hoped  that  these 
stories  will  encourage  spontaneous 
discussion,  there  are  five  or  more  sug- 
gested questions  and  ideas  with  each 
of  the  stories  as  a  point  of  departure 
to  encourage  discussion.  —  Paul  M. 
Weaver. 


Obituaries 


Emmert,  Leila  B.,  daughter  of  George 
and  Sarah  Stouffer  Boerner,  was  born 
in  Waynesboro,  Pa.,  and  died  at  Boons- 
boro,  Md.,  Jan.  11,  1960,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years.  She  was  married  to 
Harvey  D.  Emmert,  who  preceded  her 
in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Waynesboro  church.  Surviving  are  one 
son,  one  daughter,  nine  grandchildren, 
and  one  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  Waynesboro  church  by 
Brethren  Theodore  E.  Whitacre  and 
DeWitt  H.  Miller.  Interment  was  in 
the  Green  Hill  cemetery.  —  Thelma  M. 
Widdowson,  Waynesboro,  Pa. 

Enfield,  John  Jacob,  son  of  Freeman 
and  Naomi  Schrock  Enfield,  was  born 
March  8,  1874,  near  Rockford,  Pa.,  and 
died  Jan.  9,  1960.  He  was  preceded  in 
death   by   his   wife,   the   former   Cora 

iean  Weigley.  He  was  a  charter  mem- 
er  and  trustee  of  the  Rockwood  church. 
Surviving  are  three  sons,  one  brother, 
and  one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Mills  and  Mickey  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Walter  F.  Berkebile.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Rockwood  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  Walter  F.  Berkebile,  Rockwood, 
Pa. 

Fodor,  Julia,  wife  of  Michael  Fodor, 
was  born  in  Czechoslovakia,  Oct.  6, 
1907,  and  died  Jan.  8,  1960,  in  Han- 
over, Pa.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Black  Rock  church.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  six  sons,  two  grandchildren, 
one  brother,  and  one  sister.  The  funer- 
al service  was  conducted  in  the  Pleasant 
Hill  church  by  Brethren  N.  S.  Sellers 
and  Paul  K.  Newcomer.  Interment  was 
in  the  Pleasant  Hill  cemetery.  —  Lydia 
M.  Resser,  Manchester,  Md. 

Forney,  Rilla  Adell,  was  born  March 
21,  1880,  and  died  Jan.  8,  1960.  She 
was  married  on  Dec.  23,  1899,  to  Cal 
Forney.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  a 
son,  two  daughters,  five  grandchildren, 
ten  great-grandchildren,  a  sister,  and  a 
brother.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Clarence  B.  Fike  at  the 
Goshen  City  church,  Ind.  Interment 
was  in  the  Oak  Ridge  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Lewis  Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Frantz,  Susie  Jane,  died  in  McFar- 
land,  Calif.,  Jan.  2,  1960,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-one  years.  She  is  survived  by 
her  sister  and  a  granddaughter.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  in  the 
Delano-McFarland  cemetery.  —  J.  R. 
Jennings,  McFarland,  Calif. 

Garrett,  Walter,  was  born  Dec.  28, 
1878,  and  died  Nov.  26,  1959.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Buena  Vista  church, 
Va.  He  was  married  to  Alice  Bvrd 
Coleman,  who  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  is  survived  by  three  daughters,  two 
sons,  seventeen  grandchildren,  and  two 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  Amole's  funeral  home 
by  Bro.  Robert  L.  Bvrd,  assisted  by 
Bro.  Frank  Figgers.  Interment  was  in 
the  Greenhill  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Robert 
C.  Zollman,  Lexington,  Va. 

Geiman,  May  W.,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Elizabeth  Williar  Geiman,  was 
born  at  Westminster,  Md.,  July  6,  1884, 
and  died  at  her  home  there,  Sept.  11, 
1959.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Meadow  Branch  church,  Md.  She  is 
survived  by  two  brothers  and  five 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Meadow  Branch  church  bv  Breth- 


ren A.  Joseph  Caricofe  and  Ralph  W. 
Schlosser.  Interment  was  in  the  ad- 
joining cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Gerald  E. 
Boone,  Westminster,  Md. 

Gilbert,  Duncan  Gardner,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Weldon  W.  Gilbert,  was  born 
May  5,  1941,  and  died  Sept.  8,  1959. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Buena  Vista 
church,  Va.  He  is  survived  by  his 
parents,  one  sister,  and  two  brothers. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  in 
the  Buena  Vista  church  by  Bro.  John 
F.  Graham,  assisted  by  Bro.  Robert  L. 
Byrd.  Interment  was  in  the  Rockbridge 
Memorial  park.  —  Mrs.  Robert  C.  ZoD- 
man,  Lexington,  Va. 

Glotfelty,  Margaret  Bell  Wagner, 
was  born  Oct.  3,  1879,  in  Batavia,  Iowa, 
and  died  Jan.  9,  1960.  In  1898  she  was 
married  to  LeRoy  Glotfelty,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  was  a  long- 
time member  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Surviving  are  one  daughter, 
four  sons,  twelve  grandchildren,  and 
nine  great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Finch  funeral 
home  with  Bro.  Carl  Myers  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  Silver  Creek  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Harold  Alter,  Mt.  Morris, 
111. 

Graham,  William  M.,  was  born  Sept. 
2,  1892,  at  Huntington,  Ind.,  and  died 
Dec.  16,  1959,  at  Puyallup,  Wash.  He 
was  married  to  Lottie  Gilbertson  on 
Nov.  5,  1914.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Carrington  church,  N.  Dak.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  two  daughters,  one 
son,  several  grandchildren,  his  mother, 
one  sister,  and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Carrington 
church  by  Bro.  Ernest  Walker.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Carrington  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  C.  W.  Ibsen,  Carrington,  N. 
Dak. 

Harbaugh,  Herschel  H,  son  of  Sam- 
uel M.  and  Ella  Cornelius  Harbaugh, 
was  born  May  17,  1889,  in  Black 
Hawk  County,  Iowa,  and  died  in  Janu- 
ary 1960.  He  was  married  to  Stella 
Fike  on  June  8,  1916.  He  was  lifetime 
resident  of  Orange  Township  and  a 
member  of  the  South  Waterloo  church, 
where  he  served  on  the  official  board 
and  as  an  active  trustee.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  two  sons,  two  daughters,  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  the  undersigned  in  the 
South  Waterloo  church.  Interment  was 
in  the  Orange  cemetery.  —  Clarence  D. 
Sink,  Waterloo,  Iowa. 

Harris,  Beverly  Gail,  daughter  of 
Russell  and  Marguerite  Epperly  Harris, 
was  born  Oct.  28,  1955,  at  Roanoke, 
Va.,  and  died  Nov.  24,  1959.  She  is 
survived  by  her  parents,  paternal  grand- 
father, maternal  grandmother,  one  sis- 
ter, and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  Topeco 
church  by  Bro.  David  Rogers,  assisted 
by  Bro.  Arthur  Warner.  Interment  was 
in  the  church  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Michael 
Southerly,  Falls  Church,  Va. 

Henderson,  Delbert  V.,  was  born  Oct. 
4,  1940,  and  died  Tan.  1,  1960.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  White  Cottage 
church,  Ohio.  Surviving  are  his  par- 
ents, three  sisters,  one  brother,  and  his 
grandparents.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Bolin  Brvan  funeral  home, 
with  Bro.  Wayne  Harman  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  Memorial  park, 
Zanesville,  Ohio.  —  Ella  Weaver,  South 
Janesville,  Ohio. 

Hershberger,  Paul  B„  son  of  John  S. 
and    Emma    Nycum    Hershberger,    was 


MARY  STONER  WINE 

Poems   by  a 
Brethren  poet 

Over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
poems,  mostly  of  a  devotional 
nature,  by  one  of  the  best 
known  Brethren  poets.  This 
book  may  be  used  for  both 
private  and  group  devotions  as 
well  as  for  sheer  enjoyment. 
It  makes  a  nice  gift  for  that 
special  friend.  $2.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


born  Feb.  11,  1893,  and  died  Jan.  12, 
1960.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Everett  church,  Pa.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  three  daughters,  four  sisters, 
and  five  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Everett  church 
by  Bro.  Fred  M.  Bowman.  Interment 
was  in  the  Everett  cemetery.  —  Joy 
Harsh,  Everett,  Pa. 

Holler,  Perry  W.,  was  born  Dec.  28, 
1876,  and  died  Aug.  21,  1959.  He  was 
baptized  into  the  Lower  Miami  church, 
Ohio,  on  Oct.  27,  1915.  He  is  survived 
by  one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Edward  Angeny.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Lower  Miami  ceme- 
tery. —  Lulie  Laprad,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Holt,  Beulah,  daughter  of  Robert  C. 
and  Ruth  Mills,  was  born  Sept.  8,  1889, 
in  Rockingham  County,  N.  G,  and  died 
Oct.  25,  1959,  at  Danville,  Va.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Danville  church.  She 
is  survived  by  her  husband,  four 
daughters,  two  sons,  three  sisters, 
eleven  grandchildren,  and  three  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  Swicegood  funeral  home.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Schoolfield  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Orva  Shaw,  Danville,  Va. 


MARCH  12,  1960 


27 


For  youth  .   .   . 

Pioneer  Surgeon 

dr.  ephraim 
Mcdowell 

JOSEPHINE  RICH 

Traveling  on  horseback 
through  rain  and  snow,  fight- 
ing ignorance  and  suspicion 
as  well  as  death,  McDowell 
risked  his  medical  integrity  by 
performing  the  first  abdominal 
operation.  Ages  13  and  up. 
$2.95 


Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


Hoover,  Jacob  Merrion,  was  born 
Dec.  11,  1872,  in  Henry  County,  Ind., 
and  died  Jan.  4,  1960,  at  Grand  Junc- 
tion, Colo.  He  was  married  to  Edith 
Cotton  on  April  14,  1900.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  two  sons,  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Interment  was  in  the  Crawford 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  J.  A.  Mitchell,  Grand 
Junction,  Colo. 

Hoover,  Sara  Charlotte,  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Susan  Replogle,  died 
April  12,  1959,  at  Miami,  Fla.  Her 
husband,  William  E.  Hoover,  preceded 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


her  in  death.  She  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Roaring  Spring  church,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  two  sisters,  eight 
children,  twenty-six  grandchildren,  and 
fourteen  great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs. 
William  Barnett,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Hottle,  Noah  Edward,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Catherine  Hottle,  was  born  at 
Woodstock,  Va.,  Oct.  28,  1883.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Barbara  Mae 
Mathias  on  Oct.  1,  1913.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Oakton  church,  Va.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife  and  four  daugh- 
ters. The  funeral  service  was  conducted 
by  Bro.  David  L.  Rogers  in  the  Oakton 
church.  Interment  was  in  the  Can- 
non Branch  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Michael 
Southerly,  Falls  Church,  Va. 

Johnson,  J.  Harold,  was  born  in  Okla- 
homa, Nov.  13,  1905,  and  died  Jan.  2, 
1960.  He  had  been  an  active  member 
in  the  Yuba  City,  Chico,  and  Meadow- 
view  churches.  Calif.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  Etta,  and  three  daughters. 
Private  services  were  held  for  the 
family  and  a  memorial  was  read  in  the 
worship  service  of  the  Meadowview 
church  by  the  undersigned.  —  John  W. 
Hunter,  Sacramento,  Calif. 

Justus,  Ella,  daughter  of  John  and 
Amanda  Mort  Addlesperger,  was  born 
Feb.  8,  1867,  at  Ringgold,  Md.,  and 
died  Jan.  19,  1960,  at  Fairfield,  Pa.  In 
1886,  she  was  married  to  Homer  Justus, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. She  is  survived  by  five  daughters, 
nineteen  grandchildren,  thirty-three 
great-grandchildren,  and  six  great-great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Grove  funeral  home  by 
Brethren  Theodore  E.  Whitacre  and 
John  E.  Rowland.  Interment  was  in 
the  Green  Hill  cemetery.  —  Thelma  M. 
Widdowson,  Waynesboro,  Pa. 

Kirkdorffer,  Vern,  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jacob  Kirkdorffer,  was  born  in 
Elkhart  County,  Ind.,  Jan.  29,  1886, 
and  died  Jan.  15,  1960.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Jennie  Mishler  in  December 
1907.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Bethany 
church,  Ind.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
five  sons,  four  daughters,  twenty-two 
grandchildren,  eight  great-grandchil- 
dren, three  sisters,  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Bethany  church  by  the  undersigned  and 
Bro.  Israel  Gordon  officiating.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Union  Center  cemetery. 

—  Eldon  Evans,  Argos,  Ind. 
LeDane,  Thomas  Hill,  son  of  Mr.  and 

Mrs.  Thomas  Hill  LeDane,  died  Jan. 
11,  1960,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Hunts- 
dale  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  his 
wife,  a  daughter,  five  sons,  thirteen 
grandchildren,  and  two  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Lutz-Hoffman  funeral  home, 
with  the  undersigned  officiating.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Centerville  cemetery. 

—  Kenneth  R.  Blough,  Carlisle,  Pa. 
Long,  William  C,  died  Dec.  3,  1959, 

at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Dayton  church, 
Va.  On  Nov.  9,  1911,  he  was  married 
to  Fannie  Rebecca  Kagey.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  two  daughters,  one  son,  six 
grandchildren,  two  sisters,  and  one 
brother.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Dayton  church  with  Bro.  James 
Flora  officiating,  assisted  by  Bro.  Jacob 
Replogle.  Interment  was  in  the  Oak 
Lawn  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ralph  Myers, 
Harrisonburg,  Va. 


Church  News 

Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 

Polo  —  Five  from  our  church  attended 
regional  conference  in  Indiana.  Twenty- 
one  Brethren  participated  in  leadership 
training  school.  A  goodly  number  at- 
tended Franklin  Grove  district  confer- 
ence. The  women  presented  gifts  to 
the  residents  of  the  Brethren  Home. 
One  member  of  our  church  is  in  BVS. 
As  their  Christmas  project  the  children 
of  our  church  brought  gifts  for  Navajo 
Indians.  Fourteen  attended  Brethren 
Service  training  conference  in  Milledge- 
ville.  Four  new  members  were  received 
into  our  church  membership.  Five 
babies  were  dedicated.  —  Mrs.  Elery 
Shank,  Polo,  111. 

Middle  Indiana 

Mexico  —  Our  new  pastor,  Donald  E. 
Ritchey,  was  installed  on  Sept.  6  and 
the  family  welcomed  at  a  fellowship 
meal.  We  have  made  forty-three  large 
comforters  for  overseas  in  addition  to 
doing  other  relief  sewing.  Seven  have 
been  baptized  and  several  received  by 
letter.  The  choir  and  a  cast  presented 
the  Christmas  cantata  entitled  The 
Gift.  The  children  gave  a  program  at 
the  Brethren  Home.  At  our  last  council 
meeting,  Bro.  Russell  Gallahan  was  ap- 
pointed as  trustee.  —  Mrs.  Verlon  Sites, 
Mexico,  Ind. 

Pipe  Creek  —  Our  fall  evangelist  was 
Bro.  Jay  J.  Johnson  of  Iowa.  At  our 
quarterly  council  meeting  the  election 
of  Sunday  school  officers  for  the  year 
took  place.  —  Mrs.  Wayne  E.  Klepinger, 
Bunker  Hill,  Ind. 

Northern  Indiana 

Ft.  Wayne,  Lincolnshire  —  The  sec- 
ond training  session  for  visitors  was  at 
the  midweek  service  at  which  Bro. 
Everett  R.  Fisher  was  the  speaker.  In 
keeping  with  our  Call  to  Witness,  fifty 
were  consecrated  as  missioners  on  Loy- 
alty Sunday.  Bro.  Paul  Weaver,  the 
national  junior  high  director  was  in 
charge  of  the  recreation  seminar.  Our 
choir  sang  at  the  union  Thanksgiving 
service  held  at  Calvary  Presbyterian 
church.  Bro.  Dean  Frantz  was  with  us 
on  Dec.  4-6  for  a  series  of  Advent  serv- 
ices. Men's  fellowship  selected  Larry 
Bennett  to  go  to  the  Washington-United 
Nations  youth  seminar.  On  Jan.  10  Bro. 
Galen  Lehman,  Central  Region  secre- 
tary, preached  at  our  morning  worship 
and  in  the  afternoon  met  with  all  officers 
of  the  church  for  a  planning  session. 
The  women's  fellowship  sent  350 
pounds  of  clothing,  5  comforters,  and  18 
pairs  of  children's  and  men's  shoes  for 
relief.  We  will  share  in  the  Indiana 
drive  for  blankets  for  relief.  —  Mrs. 
Quinter  E.  Hollenberg,  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind. 

Pleasant  Hill  —  Our  pastor  and  his 
family  have  recently  moved  into  our 
new  parsonage.  Dedication  services 
were  conducted  for  it  on  Thanksgiving 
morning  and  open  house  was  held  later. 
The  men  of  the  church  harvested 
twenty-nine  acres  of  corn  this  fall.  In 
December  our  women's  fellowship  spon- 
sored a  family  night  with  a  supper  and 
an  auction.  Our  temperance  speaker 
for  this  year  was  Alan  Ladd.  Prof,  and 
Mrs.  Paul  Halladay  were  with  us  for 
an  evening  service  recently.  Professor 
Hallady    gave    us    special    numbers    in 


music  and  Mrs.  Halladay  told  of  the 
refugee  work  in  Europe.  Brother  and 
Sister  Leon  Clingenpeel  were  called  to 
:  the  deacon's  office  for  a  one-year  pro- 
bationary period.  —  Mrs.  Clarence  Barn- 
hart,  Churubusco,  Ind. 

Plymouth  —  Several  of  our  children's 
workers  attended  the  fall  conference  at 
the  Goshen  City  church.  Our  pastor, 
Bro.  Homer  Kiracofe,  conducted  evan- 
gelistic services  at  the  West  Goshen 
church.  In  November  sea-going  cow- 
boys Floyd  Leeper  and  Fred  Neidlinger 
shared  their  pictures  and  experiences  of 
Europe.  Iris  Neff,  who  served  on  the 
mission  field  of  Nigeria  as  a  nurse,  was 
our  guest  speaker.  Dr.  Boy  A.  Burkhart, 
nationally  known  speaker,  pastor  con- 
sultant, and  author,  was  with  us  in  a 
spiritual  life  mission,  which  included 
pastor's  therapy  sessions  and  special 
prayer  meetings.  The  Loyal  Friends 
class  entertained  ward  B  at  the  Norman 
Beatty  Memorial  hospital  at  a  Christmas 
party.  Several  of  our  women  went  to 
Westville  and  wrapped  Christmas  gifts 
for  the  hospital.  The  Christmas  cantata, 
The  Nativity,  was  given  by  our  choir, 
and  a  dedication  service  was  held  for 
three  babies.  Mrs.  Magda  Trocme,  wife 
of  Andre  Trocme,  French  pastor  and  co- 
secretary  of  the  International  Fellow- 
ship of  Reconciliation  for  Continental 
Europe,  spoke  on  Jan.  8.  During  Janu- 
ary, we  had  a  school  of  missions  on 
Africa.  —  Mrs.  Raymond  Ullery,  Ply- 
mouth, Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 

Indianapolis,  Northview  —  A  new 

membership  class  started  in  January. 
The  men  had  a  dinner  meeting  for  the 
fathers  and  sons  of  the  church.  We 
participated  in  the  Indiana  Council  of 
Churches'  campaign  for  blankets  to  save 
the  lives  of  refugees  overseas.  We 
observed  our  communion  service  in 
January.  Our  pastor,  Floyd  Biddix,  was 
absent  from  the  pulpit  for  three  Sun- 
days due  to  surgery.  Dr.  Ronald 
Osbom,  dean  of  the  Christian  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Butler  University,  was 
the  speaker  for  two  Sundays.  Our 
youth  are  co-operating  with  the  Church 
Federation  in  a  clothing  drive.  The 
men  continue  their  work  on  the  play- 
ground. —  Annis  Heiny,  Noblesville. 
Ind. 

Nettle  Creek  -  Sister  Harriett  Bright 
brought  the  message  one  Sunday  when 
our  pastor,  Byron  Miller,  was  absent. 
Brother  and  Sister  Dallas  Oswalt  re- 
cently showed  pictures  of  their  work  in 
Africa.  A  consecration  service  was  held 
for  five  babies.  We  had  early  morning 
services  on  Thanksgiving  day.  Our 
church  was  host  to  the  district  fall 
conference  at  which  Bro.  Howard 
Burnett,  Sister  Harriett  Bright,  and 
Brother  and  Sister  Miller  were  leaders. 
All  women's  groups  meet  bi-monthly  to 
do  work  for  the  Garkida  leprosarium. 
They  also  had  a  Christmas  party  for 
the  women  in  a  cottage  at  New  Castle 
state  hospital.  Our  CBYF,  assisted  by 
the  choir,  presented  the  pageant,  The 
Adoration  of  the  Kings  and  Shepherds. 
Sister  Louise  Spahl,  district  director  of 
peace  and  Brethren  service,  showed 
pictures  of  her  work  in  Puerto  Rico.  — 
Mrs.  Elmer  Wampole,  Greensfork,  Ind. 

Pyrmont  —  At  our  harvest  homecom- 
ing meeting  our  pastor,  Ralph  Perry, 
brought  the  morning  message,  and  an 
interesting  afternoon  program  was  giv- 


A  Church  Annuity  for  Ms 


Investing  is  uncertain,  but  (have  a  Board  Annuity1. 


•  The  investment  return  is  good 

•  It  is  assured  for  life 

•  My  check  always  comes  promptly 

•  My  investment  benefits  people  —  boys,  girls,  men  and  women 

•  And  I  have  satisfaction  in  my  heart 

Do  you  know   about   the   tax   deduction    afforded   by   a    gift   on   the    annuity   plan? 
Why  not  send  today  for  information?    You  will  incur  no  obligation  'whatever. 


GENERAL.    BROTHERHOOD    BOARD 
1  4  5.1     Dundee     Ave  n  u  e     .     .     E  1  gin.     Illinois 


Please  send  me  free,  the  leaflet.  "A  Church  Annuity  Yields 
Triple  Benefits."  quoting  rates  up  to  7.4%.  Tell  me  what 
percent  income  I  would  receive  for  birth  dates  as  follows: 


MYSELF 


Month 


Day 


Year 


A  CO-ANNUITANT 


Month 


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Year 


MY  NAME 
ST.;  RFD  .... 


CITY STATE 


(Clip  and  mail  to  Harl  L.  Russell,  Director  of  Special  Gifts,   at  the  above  address. 
Your  inquiry  will  be  considered  confidential.) 


en.  Our  entire  church  school  presented 
a  splendid  Christmas  program.  Our 
church  was  also  host  to  the  annual  com- 
munity watch  night  service  on  New 
Year's  Eve.  We  had  our  school  of 
missions  during  January.  On  Jan.  31 
Bro.  Ira  Frantz  and  his  wife  showed 
slides  of  the  mission  work  in  Ecuador. 
We  are  planning  an  extensive  remodel- 
ing project  for  the  near  future.  —  Mrs. 
John  E.  Wagoner,  Delphi,  Ind. 

Michigan 
Beaverton  —  We  observed  the  white 
gift  service  previous  to  the  morning 
sermon  on  Dec.  20.  The  children's  de- 
partment prepared  boxes  of  fruit  and 
other  Christmas  goodies  to  be  taken  to 
the  sick  and  shut-ins.  In  the  evening  a 
Christmas  pageant  was  given.  The 
women's  fellowship  continues  to  work 
on  relief  comforters  and  other  projects. 
Twelve  members  have  been  received  by 


REWS,PULPIT&  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

j write  for  Free  catalog 

¥    AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

J.RRedington&Co. 


DEPT.  211    SCR  ANTON  2.  PA. 


letter.  Our  pastor  is  holding  a  member- 
ship class.  He  also  plans  to  have  pre- 
Easter  services  closing  with  a  love  feast. 
—  Mrs.  Chas.  E.  Ward,  Beaverton,  Mich. 
Midland  —  Bro.  J.  F.  Baldwin,  execu- 
tive secretary  for  our  district,  was  guest 
speaker  at  the  Nov.  15  worship  service, 
and  he  and  Mrs.  Baldwin  spoke  at  the 
evening   home    and    family   life    series. 


MARCH  12,  1960 


29 


Looking 
Toward 
Christian 
Marriage 

DONALD  M.  MAYNARD 

Am  I  ready  for  marriage?  Do 
religious  differences  matter  if  we 
really  love  each  other?  How  soon 
should  we  plan  to  have  children? 
How  will  we  ever  stretch  our  in- 
come to  cover  everything  we 
want?  What  if  I  don't  get  mar- 
ried? 

These  are  typical  questions  Dr. 
Maynard  discusses  in  this  com- 
prehensive survey  of  Christian 
marriage  —  a  survey  that  extends 
from  the  first  thoughts  of  mar- 
riage through  the  early  years  of 
married  life.  Those  who  are 
thinking  about  marriage,  those 
who  are  engaged,  and  those  who 
have  recently  been  married,  will 
find  this  a  helpful  and  practical 
handbook  on  Christian  marriage. 
Paper,  $1.50 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Our  pastor,  Lloyd  Evans,  held  a  week's 
preaching  mission  in  Metamora,  Ohio. 
The  Christmas  program  this  year  con- 
sisted of  a  contata  presented  by  the 
young  people  accompanied  by  the  adult 
choir.  The  new  year  was  welcomed  in 
at  a  watch  night  service  on  New  Year's 
Eve.  Duane  Wyman  is  scoutmaster  for 
the  recently  organized  Boy  Scout  troop. 
We  have  received  thirty  new  members 
since  we  moved  into  the  new  church. 
Three  babies  were  dedicated  during  the 
morning  service  on  Dec.  27.  —  Evelyn 
M.  Brown,  Midland,  Mich. 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Northeastern  Ohio 

Akron,  First  —  Bro.  Kenneth  Long 
was  our  evangelist  for  a  series  of  meet- 
ings. Every  Wednesday  evening  boys 
and  girls  between  the  ages  of  nine  to 
fifteen  meet  as  a  youth  club  for  music 
and  Bible  study  and  crafts.  The  church 
has  gained  twelve  members  through 
baptism  and  four  by  letter.  Bro.  Ralph 
B.  Martin,  our  pastor,  attended  regional 
conference.  We  observed  love  feast  on 
World  Communion  Sunday.  On  the 
evening  of  Dec.  20,  our  CBYF  pre- 
sented the  play,  The  Tree,  and  follow- 
ing that  the  choir  and  others  went 
caroling.  The  men's  fellowship  spon- 
sored the  watch  night  service  for  the 
entire  church.  During  the  past  year 
our  pastor  has  conducted  consecration 
service  for  six  babies.  —  Mrs.  W.  E. 
Hershberger,  Cuyohoga  Falls,  Ohio. 

Alliance,  First  —  On  World  commun- 
ion Sunday,  we  held  our  love  feast  with 
Bro.  Richard  C.  Overly  in  charge.  On 
one  Sunday  the  Barnes  family  of  Da- 
mascus, Ohio,  gave  an  enjoyable  service 
in  song  and  instrumental  music.  Our 
church  was  represented  at  regional 
conference  by  our  pastor  and  Mrs. 
Robert  Gwynne.  We  were  inspired  by 
the  messages  of  our  evangelist,  Bro. 
Wm.  Walters  of  Mansfield.  Two  young 
people  united  with  the  church.  We 
now  have  one  person  waiting  baptism 
and  one  joining  by  letter.  The  children's 
department  presented  a  Christmas  pro- 
gram in  which  they  dedicated  a  mitten 
tree.  The  mittens  were  donated  to  the 
Salvation  Army  to  be  given  out  in  the 
Christmas  baskets.  On  New  Year's  Eve 
we  held  a  watch  party  at  the  church; 
we  closed  the  service  with  a  prayer 
meeting  and  personal  rededication  of 
our  lives.  A  number  of  our  members 
plan  to  attend  the  leadership  train- 
ing school  at  Hartville.  —  Mrs.  Mary 
Antram,  Alliance,  Ohio. 

Cleveland,  First  —  Rally  day  services 
were  followed  by  a  fellowship  dinner. 
Five  of  our  members  attended  classes 
in  a  leadership  training  school  for  all 
church  workers  at  the  First  Baptist 
church.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Cletus  S. 
Myers,  was  one  of  the  instructors.  Our 
pastor  and  Bro.  Donald  R.  Flory,  min- 
ister of  the  Brookpark  church  of  our 
city,  exchanged  pulpits  one  Sunday. 
We  observed  World  Communion  Sun- 
day with  a  special  candlelight  love 
feast.  Our  young  people  had  a  scaven- 
ger clothing  drive  for  Christian  world 
service.  Our  congregation  participated 
in  the  union  Thanksgiving  service  held 
in  Christ  Episcopal  church.  A  special 
offering  for  the  world  program  of  the 
church  was  taken  at  our  own  Thanks- 
giving service.  The  Brookpark  church 
choir  joined  us  in  presenting  a  Christ- 
mas pageant  and  candlelighting  service. 
We  have  received  three  by  baptism  and 
thirteen  by  letter.  Our  pastor  has  re- 
cently been  elected  secretary  of  the 
Cleveland  Heights  Ministerial  Associa- 
tion. —  Henry  P.  Harley,  Cleveland 
Heights,  Ohio. 

East  Chippewa  —  Our  pastor,  Guy 
Buch,  held  a  week's  series  of  meetings 
at  the  Black  River  church.  The  women  s 
fellowship  group  made  house  slippers 
for  each  woman  in  Ward  53  at  the 
Apple  state  hospital.  The  annual  youth 
tea  for  all  young  people  and  their  par- 
ents was  held.  Special  offerings  for  out- 
reach were  taken  at  Thanksgiving  and 
Christmas.    Our  church  led  the  worship 


DOROTHY  HEIDERSTADT 

These  twelve  biographies  of 
religious  leaders  (including 
Wycliffe,  Tyndale,  Coverdale, 
Luther,  Judson  and  the  Bing- 
hams),  who  translated  the  Bi- 
ble into  the  language  of  the 
people,  show  how  the  Scrip- 
tures came  to  the  English,  the 
Germans,  Algonquian  Indians, 
Burmese,  Chinese,  South  Af- 
ricans, the  Eskimos  of  Green- 
land, the  people  of  India,  and 
many  other  diverse  national- 
ities. Ages  10  to  14.        $2.95 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


at  the  Wayne  county  home  on  Dec.  13. 
The  Christmas  program  was  given  after 
the  noon  meal  on  our  annual  family 
day,  Dec.  20.  The  pastor's  class  on 
preparing  for  church  membership  began 
the  first  of  January  and  will  continue 
until  Easter.  Rev.  Delbert  Kettering, 
pastor  of  the  Elyria  missions  church, 
spoke  at  the  dinner  at  which  the  men 
of  the  Beech  Grove  church  were  guests. 
We  are  studying  Africa  in  our  annual 
school  of  missions.  The  date  for  our 
spring  communion  has  been  set  for  April 
3,  1960. -Bessie  F.  Coffman,  Dalton, 
Ohio. 

Hartville  —  Our  fall  love  feast  was 
held  on  World  Communion  Sunday.  A 
special  women's  fellowship  meeting  was 
followed  by  a  tea  with  the  ladies  from 
the  Springfield  church  as  guests.  The 
Family  Circle  class  surprised  our  pastor 
on  his  birthday  with  a  chili  supper  at 
which  the  deacons  were  guests.  Union 
Thanksgiving  services  were  held  in  our 


church,  with  Reverend  McCabe,  pastor 
of  the  Lutheran  church,  delivering  the 
message.  Three  have  been  received 
into  church  by  letter.  We  met  at  the 
church  for  a  family  Christmas  party. 
Our  women  were  guests  of  the  Spring- 
field women's  fellowship  group.  Our 
youth  had  the  youth  of  the  Reformed 
church  as  guests  to  a  carry-in  dinner. 
We  had  a  Christmas  program  and  a 
watch  night  party  and  service  at  the 
church.  We  had  our  morning  com- 
munion service  during  the  worship 
hour  of  Jan.  3.  Our  youth  attended  the 
youth  rally  at  the  Eastwood  church. 
Bro.  Benton  Rhoades  conducted  a  series 
of  meetings.  On  Jan.  6,  we  held  a 
twelve-hour  prayer  vigil  in  the  sanctu- 
ary. —  Pat  Machamer,  North  Canton, 
Ohio. 

New  Philadelphia  —  Since  our  last  re- 
port, a  garage  was  completed  at  the 
parsonage.  The  Gideons  had  charge  of 
a  morning  worship  service  in  November. 
At  an  evening  worship  service  the 
CBYF  showed  two  films,  Grandfather's 
Boyhood  Thanksgiving  and  Indians  at 
Thanksgiving.  Used  clothing  and  sew- 
ing kits  were  sent  to  New  Windsor,  Md. 
The  women's  work  had  a  Christmas 
party  and  made  baskets  for  shut-ins. 
The  film,  Holy  Night  was  shown  at  the 
children's  program  and  candlelight  serv- 
ice. One  night  a  month  has  been  desig- 
nated church  night  when  all  boards, 
committees,  and  teachers  will  meet.  — 
Mrs.  Robert  Gaudy,  New  Philadelphia, 
Ohio. 

White  Cottage  —  Brother  and  Sister 
Wayne  Harmer  are  filling  the  pulpit  at 
White  Cottage.  We  had  one  week  of 
evangelistic  meetings,  with  Bro.  Merlin 
G.  Shull  bringing  the  message.  Ten 
were  received  by  baptism  this  past  year. 
The  women  are  making  comforters. 
Prayer  meeting  is  being  held  every 
week.  The  church  is  sponsoring  a  seeds 
project.  Sunday  school  attendance  has 
been  poor  all  winter.  —  Ella  Weaver, 
South  Zanesville,  Ohio. 

Northwestern  Ohio 

Pleasant  View  —  Bro.  Irvin  Thomas 
assisted  our  pastor  at  the  fall  commun- 
ion. Our  pastor,  David  Wampler,  his 
wife,  and  three  others  attended  regional 
conference  at  Manchester  College.  Four 
of  our  men  went  to  the  district  rally  in 
the  Eagle  Creek  church.  Sixteen  women 
spent  a  day  in  our  home  for  the  aged  in 
Fostoria,  Ohio.  They  also  gave  them  a 
gift  of  canned  goods.  Doctor  Milkie,  a 
psychiatrist  from  the  Lima  state  hos- 
pital, spoke  at  the  father-son  banquet. 
Five  babies  were  dedicated.  One  father 
was  baptized.  Our  women's  fellowship 
remembered  our  aged  and  shut-ins  with 
delicacies  at  Thanksgiving  and  with 
poinsettias  at  Christmas.  Our  annual 
Christmas  vespers  was  held  on  the  Sun- 
day preceding  Christmas,  followed  by 
caroling  the  same  evening.  Our  CBYF 
gave  an  interesting  Sunday  evening 
program  in  our  church  recently.  Two 
of  our  youth  attended  the  CBYF  semi- 
nar in  Washington,  D.  C,  and  New 
York.  —  Mrs.  Paul  Rusmisel,  Columbus 
Grove,  Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

Bear  Creek  —  Our  pastor  and  his 
wife,  Brother  and  Sister  G.  W.  Phillips, 
attended  the  regional  conference  at 
Manchester  college.    Our  delegates  to 


*         1    *:       A-fO 


T    A  1  *J 


*  Those 
*  Later 

*3*   Years 

FRANCES  AVERY  FAUNCE 


Five  aging  women,  two  of  them  in  a  home  for  older  adults,  come 
together,  after  many  years  of  being  separated.  Through  conversational 
technique  the  author  (one  of  the  five)  leads  the  reader  through  the 
problems  and  concerns  faced  by  older  adults.  Much  emphasis  is  given 
to  the  proper  attitudes  and  development  of  a  sound  philosophy. 

This  book  is  excellent  reading  for  the  older  adult,  the  individual 
or  family  of  a  person  about  to  enter  a  home  for  the  aging,  for  families 
with  parents  and  grandparents  living  with  children,  or  others  who  work 
with  this  age  group.  $3.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


the  district  conference  were  Dora 
Beechly,  Dixie  McKibben  and  Welty 
Garber.  Prof.  Floyd  Mallott  was  with 
us  in  a  series  of  meetings.  Dr.  Bruce 
Behney,  dean  of  the  United  Seminary, 
Dayton,  Ohio,  gave  the  message  at  our 
Thanksgiving  service.  The  United 
church  chorus  of  the  Dixie  area  gave 
a  Christmas  cantata.  Our  young 
people  attended  the  district  youth  con- 
ference at  the  Eversole  church.  —  Mrs. 
Hugh  Norris,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Covington  —  A  number  of  our  women 
attended  the  women's  fellowship  work- 
shop at  the  Beaver  Creek  church,  and 
several  men  from  our  church  the  dis- 
trict men's  mass  meeting  at  the  Ludlow 
Falls  camp  grounds.  Rev.  Martin  Luther 
King,  Sr.,  was  speaker.  A  dedication 
of  the  Mary  Stoner  Wine  memorial 
was  led  by  her  husband  at  a  Sunday 
morning  service.  The  memorial  was  a 
picture  of  Christ  on  the  way  to  Em- 
maus.  Our  deacon  board  is  sponsoring 
the  immigration  from  Holland  of  the 
Alexander  Mies  family.  Our  church 
observed  World  Communion  Day.  A 
number  of  children  have  been  dedi- 
cated. On  laymen's  Sunday  three  young 
men  of  the  church  gave  the  message. 
Brother  and  Sister  J.  F.  Baldwin  held 
a  week  of  meetings.  We  closed  with 
a  baptismal  service  followed  by  a 
candlelight  service  in  receiving  the 
seven  new  converts.  Once  a  month  the 
women  come  to  church  all  day  for  aid 
work.  We  had  union  Thanksgiving 
services  with  the  other  churches  of  our 
community.  The  young  adult  class 
sponsored  films  on  the  life  of  Paul 
which  were  followed  by  a  discussion 
period.  During  the  Christmas  season 
we  had  our  first  morning  communion, 
a  candlelighting  service  and  a  Christ- 
mas play.  —  Ethel  Manning,  Covington, 
Ohio. 


m 

HI 


^sture   correct, 

3UALITY  that  is 

established, 

and  time  enduring  BEAUTY 

in  CHURCH  SEATING  and 

CHANCEL  FURNITURE. 

Write  or  phone   199 

North  Manchester,  Indiana, 

tor  complete  suggestions 


MARCH  12-  1960 


31 


■ 


THE 

CHURCH 


ISN'T 


THERE 


The  Church  of  the  Brethren  isn't  there  in  the  squatters'  villages 

of  Hong  Kong,  where  bundles  of  rags  in  street  doorways  turn  out  to  be 

sleeping  infants.   The  church  isn't  there  in  the  Sealdah  railway  station  in  Calcutta, 

where  day  and  night  some  of  the  city's  three  million  refugees  line  the  street  in 

every  direction.    The  church  isn't  there  amid  the  sea  of  black  faces  in  Haiti, 

where  starvation  and  drought  and  disease  and  literacy  strangle  the  island's  populace. 

Why  aren't  the   Brethren  there?    Possibly  because  they  are  other  places,  working 

among  peoples  like  the  rural  villagers  in  Greece,  the  mountain  folk  in  Puerto  Rico,  the 

peasant  farmers  in  Morocco,  the  homeless  Arabs  in  Jerusalem,  the  flood  victims  in  Nagoya, 

Japan,  the  Indonesian  refugees  in  Holland,  the  Soviet  exiles  in  Germany,  the  agricultural 

exchangees  from  Poland,  the  student  exchangees  from  several  countries,  the  poorly  housed 

in  Baltimore  and  Washington,  D.C.,  the  migrants  in  Florida  and  California.    Brethren 

are  already  there,  knee  deep  in  some  of  the  world's  greatest  human  needs. 

The   issue   really  is  not  whether  Brethren  are  in  this  place  or  that.    Rather,  it  is  whether  they 
are  witnessing  Christians  at  every  place  and  in  every  way  they  can  be.  Whether  they  are  facing 

up  to  the  gap  between  the  world  they  know  and  the  world  which  their  destitute  brothers  know. 

Whether  they  have  the  vision  to  uncover  blind  spots  along  the  Jericho  Roads  they  travel. 

A   people   of  God    who  love  their  neighbors  as  themselves  cannot  look  today  at  Hong  Kong 
or  Calcutta  or  Haiti  and  feel  content,  no  matter  how  extensive  their  present  acts  of  service. 

CHURCH     OF    THE     BRETHREN 


Gospel 


MESSENGER 


MARCH  19.  1960 


H.  Armstrong  Roberts 


IHb    COINrLICT  —  first  in  a  series  of  Lenten  sermons 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS   WRITE  .   .   .   to   the  editor 

The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
•authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service. 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 


MARCH  19.  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  12 


In  This  Number  .  .  . 

Editorial  — 

Those  Embarrassing  Manuals    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Chrysostom  and  Augustine. 

Dale    W.    Brown    3 

The  Conflict.  Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr.  . .  6 
I'll  See  You  at  Annual  Conference. 

Edward   K.   Ziegler    9 

Conference  Business    11 

The  Brook  That  Failed. 

Frederick  Brown  Harris    12 

Contrasts  and  Parallels   18 

The  Field  Is  the  World 19 

Needed:    Mariners  on  a  Rough  Sea. 

Dan  West 20 

Women's   Work   in   Ecuador. 

Estella  Horning  20 

Disciples  in  a  New  Decade   21 

December  BVS  Unit.  Kermon  Thomason  22 

Brethren  Want  to  Know  23 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books   23 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings  16 

New    Opportunities    Face    Board    and 

Commissions    17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    26 

Brethren  at  White  House  Conference  .   27 

Church  News    29 

•         •         • 

What  then  is  beauty  of  soul?  Tem- 
perance, mildness,  almsgiving,  love, 
brotherly  kindness,  tender  affection, 
obedience  to  God,  the  fulfillment  of 
the  law,  righteousness,  contrition  of 
heart.  These  things  are  the  beauty  of 
the  soul.  These  things  then  are  not 
the  results  of  nature,  but  of  moral  dis- 
position. And  he  who  does  not  possess 
these  things  is  able  to  receive  them, 
and  he  who  has  them,  if  he  becomes 
careless,  loses  them.  —  Chrysostom. 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Much  to  Be  Thankful  For 

The  article,  "So  Much  to  Be 
Thankful  For,"  the  life  story  of  Mary 
Neher,  by  Ira  Frantz,  was  a  great 
inspiration  to  me.  I  thought  how 
many,  many  more  things  I  have  to 
be  thankful  for.  There  are  many 
things  one  can  do  sitting  in  a  chair. 
There  are  many  boys  in  service  who 
would  be  glad  for  a  cheerful  letter 
from  someone  interested  in  them. 
There  are  always  sick  in  the  hos- 
pitals to  send  cards  and  messages 
to.  Even  some  who  have  no  friends 
near  would  be  glad  to  know  that 
someone  was  thinking  of  them. 

We  will  all  get  to  that  place  in 
life,  if  we  live  to  the  golden  age, 
when  we  must  sit  back  and  let  others 
take  the  active  part  in  the  church 
school  and  community.  But  like 
Mary,  we  don't  have  to  give  up. 
There  is  still  so  much  to  be  thankful 
for.  We  can  live  a  happy,  full  life, 
even  in  a  wheel  chair.  —  Mrs.  Berma 
Kelley,  2339-H-Rd,  R.  2,  Grand 
Junction,  Colo. 

Irresponsible  Christianity 

Brother  Wampler's  letter  in  Read- 
ers Write  was  like  a  long-awaited 
letter  from  back  home.  It  restored 
meaning  and  purpose  to  the  Chris- 
tian life. 

In  these  days  of  automatic  this 
and  flick-of-a-switch  that,  some 
preachers,  not  wanting  to  be  out- 
done by  industry,  strive  hard  to 
modernize  Christianity.  They  give 
us  the  push-button  type.  Press  the 
button  of  grace  and  in  an  instant 
you  have  it  made  for  all  eternity. 

We  deplore  the  welfare  state  in 
which  the  government  does  every- 
thing for  the  people.  Now  we  have 
the  welfare  state  of  religion  where 
God  does  it  all  —  man  doesn't  do 
anything,  just  believes.  Works  do 
not  have  a  part,  we  just  do  them 
for  awards.  Sure  it  is  convenient, 
but  not  convincing. 

In  the  light  of  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  revelation  of  God 
in  the  flesh,  works  do  enter  in  hand 
in  hand  with  faith  and  grace.  They 
cannot  be  separated.  Matt.  25:31- 
46,  the  parable  of  the  last  judgment, 
has  much  to  say  about  works. 

The  Bible  does  not  assure  us  of 
"once  in  grace  always  in  grace." 
The  Bible  warns  us  to  take  heed 
lest  we  fall. 

We    may   deceive   ourselves    and 


others  with  the  idea  that  we  our- 
selves have  nothing  to  do  and  float 
around  in  a  delirious  bliss,  but  Satan 
dances  with  glee,  for  with  such  an 
irresponsible  Christianity,  he  knows 
he's  got  it  made.  —  Pearl  Weaver, 
709  Henry  St.,  Marion,  Ohio. 

It  Pays  to  Advertise 

At  various  times  my  husband  and 
I  have  spent  a  Sunday  in  a  hotel  in 
one  of  our  large  cities  across  the 
country  where  we  have  gone  to  at- 
tend a  convention.  Since  we  are 
members  and  regular  churchgoers  at 
home  we  want  to  observe  a  part  of 
the  day  at  church,  preferably  at  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  But  how 
do  we  find  them?  We  consult  the 
church  directory  in  the  hotel  lobby 
where  we  find  dozens  of  churches 
fisted,  many  giving  the  street  ad- 
dress, time  of  service,  and  name 
and  address  of  the  pastor,  but  not 
once  have  we  ever  found  a  Church 
of  the  Brethren  listed  although  we 
know  there  is  one  or  more  in  or 
near  the  city.  The  telephone  direc- 
tory is  no  help  unless  we  know 
the  name  of  the  pastor  or  some  mem- 
ber. So  we  usually  just  go  to  the 
nearest  Protestant  church.  City  pas- 
tors, please  let  the  public  know 
where  your  church  is  located  as  there 
may  be  many  other  travelers  as  well 
as  local  people  who  would  like  to 
worship  with  you.  You  might  take 
a  tip  from  the  business  world.  When 
they  have  something  they  want  oth- 
ers to  know  about  and  to  get  people 
coming  their  way,  they  advertise.  — 
Mrs.  O.  F.  Foley,  501  S.  High  St., 
Harrisonburg,  Va. 

Friends  and  Disciples 

I  have  been  reading  Wm.  P.  Bark- 
er's two  books,  "Saints  in  Aprons 
and  Overalls,"  about  twelve  of  Paul's 
friends,  and  "Twelve  Who  Were 
Chosen,"  or  the  twelve  disciples  of 
Jesus. 

After  I  read  your  editorial  in  the 
Feb.  6  Gospel  Messenger  about  the 
Dutch  boy,  I  thought,  how  thankful 
both  the  boy  and  his  mother  should 
be  that  Dad  insisted  on  naming  him 
after  Peter,  Andrew,  James,  and 
John  instead  of  Paul's  friends, 
Tychicus,  Trophimus,  Epaphras, 
Aquila,  or  that  sleepy  fellow,  , 
Eutychus.  Thanks  for  all  the  inter- 
esting editorials.  —  Mrs.  Clarence  B. 
Cripe,  R.  4,  Box  84,  Goshen,  Ind. 


THE  call  to  discipleship  did  not  end  with 
the  responses  recorded  in  our  New  Testa- 
ment. The  great  commission,  "Go  .  .  . 
make  disciples,"  has  been  compelling  for  each 
generation.  We  now  look  to  the  last  half  of 
the  fourth  century  and  the  dramatic  lives 
of  discipleship  followed  by  Chrysostom  and 
Augustine. 

Similarities 
Both  knew  saintly  mothers.  Chrysostom 
( 347-407 )  was  born  as  the  son  of  a  distinguished 
military  officer,  who  died  leaving  his  wife, 
Anthusa,  a  widow  in  her  twentieth  year.  She 
shines  with  the  mother  of  Augustine,  Monica, 
as  among  the  great  Christian  women  of  antiqui- 


Men  who  heard 

the  call  to  discipleship-. 


Chrysostom 

and 
Augustine 


Dale  W.  Brown 


Augustine  as  painted  by  Giuseppe  Ribera 

Three   Lions 


ty.  The  famous  pagan  rhetorician,  Libanius, 
upon  hearing  of  her,  exclaimed,  "Oh  what  won- 
derful women  there  are  among  the  Christians!" 

Augustine  (354-430)  was  born  of  a  father 
who  was  a  pagan  until  late  in  life.  As  a 
Christian,  Monica  worried  greatly  over  her  son. 
Once  in  talking  with  a  bishop,  she  received  this 
assurance,  "Don't  worry.  The  son  of  so  many 
tears  cannot  be  lost."  One  of  the  marks  of 
discipleship  is  the  recognition  of  what  God  has 
done  for  us  through  saintly  individuals,  be  they 
mothers  or  others. 

Both  were  brilliant  students  nurtured  in  the 
best  of  academic  environment.   Chrysostom  re- 

MARCH  19,  1960  3 


ceived  his  literary  training  from 
Libanius,  who  accounted  him 
his  best  scholar  and  who,  when 
asked  shortly  before  his  death 
whom  he  wished  for  his  suc- 
cessor, replied:  Chysostom,  if 
only  the  Christians  had  not 
carried  him  away."  After  be- 
coming a  writer,  he  resolved  to 
divine  things  and  was  baptized 
by  Bishop  Meletius  in  Antioch 
after  three  years  of  instruction. 
Later  in  monastic  circles  he 
spent  six  happy  years  in  theo- 
logical study,  meditation,  and 
prayer. 

Augustine  had  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  minds  ever  to 
espouse  the  cause  of  Christi- 
anity. This  fluid  mind  flowed 
through  the  currents  of  Cicero, 
Manicheism  (an  oriental  phi- 
losophy of  light  and  darkness), 
and  Neoplatonism  before  com- 
ing under  the  spell  of  the  great 
preaching  of  Ambrose,  Bishop 
of  Milan.  It  was  then  that  he 
saw  the  futility  of  searching  for 
God  by  philosophy  and  accept- 
ed by  faith  God's  revelation.  He 
proclaimed,  "I  believe,  that 
I  may  understand."  Disciple- 
ship  is  not  the  disparagement 
of  scholarship  on  the  one  hand, 
or  the  worship  of  it  on  the 
other,  but  the  use  of  it  for  the 
glory  of  God. 

Both  Chrysostom  and  Au- 
gustine were  ascetic  in  outlook. 
For  monasticism  was  being 
born.  The  civilized  world  was 
breaking  up,  and  there  was  a 
flight  to  the  desert.  Chrysostom 
as  a  young  convert  wanted  to 
join  the  brothers  on  the  hills 
above  Antioch  in  Syria,  but  his 
widowed  mother  held  him  back. 
"Your  father  died  as  soon  as 
you  were  born.  It  has  been  a 
struggle  to  take  care  of  you. 
Don't  think  I  want  to  make  you 
unhappy,  but  I  do  want  you  to 
stay  with  me  till  I  die."  Chrysos- 
tom stayed,  but  when  she  died, 
he  became  a  monk. 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Augustine,  though  attracted 
by  the  rigorous  discipline  of  the 
Manichees,  had  never  been  able 
to  live  it  himself.  Only  after  be- 
coming a  Christian  was  he  able 
to  follow  the  vows,  including 
chastity,  formulated  by  the 
group  with  whom  he  lived.  His 
conversion  experience  in  the 
garden  had  ascetic  overtones. 
After  an  intense  struggle,  he 
heard  the  voice  of  a  child  sing- 


M. 


.an  has  not  been  cre- 
ated stooping  towards  the 
earth,  like  the  irrational  an- 
imals; but  his  bodily  form, 
erect  and  looking  heaven- 
ward, admonishes  him  to 
mind  the  things  that  are 
above. 

Augustine 


ing,  "Take  up,  and  read."  He 
opened  the  Bible  at  random. 
His  eyes  fell  upon  the  verse, 
"Not  in  rioting  and  drunkeness 
.  .  .  but  put  ye  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  make  not  pro- 
vision for  the  flesh,  to  fulfill  the 
lusts  thereof." 

Yet  both  were  drawn  into  the 
active  life  of  the  world,  Chry- 
sostom becoming  a  minister  at 
Antioch  for  twelve  years  and 
later  drafted  as  Patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  and  Augustine 
becoming  Bishop  of  Hippo  in 
North  Africa.  Perhaps  being  a 
bishop  was  more  heroic  than 
being  a  monk.  For  a  bishop  has 
to  settle  the  quarrels  of  his  con- 
gregation and  argue  with  the 
heretics  of  his  day.  All  involved 
is  more  difficult  than  sleeping 
on  a  rough  bed  and  going  with- 
out a  bath.  Discipleship  is 
neither  complete  withdrawal 
from  the  world  or  complete 
conformity  to  the  world.  For 
the  world  remains  an  object  of 
redemption.  "God  sent  his  Son 
into  the  world  not  to  condemn 
the  world,  but  that  the  world 
might  be  saved  through  him." 


Differences 
Chrysostom  was  one  of  the 
Greek  church  fathers  and  is 
highly  honored  and  read  in 
Eastern  Orthodoxy  today.  Au- 
gustine is  the  greatest  of  the 
Western  or  Latin  fathers.  Even 
in  the  fourth  century  there 
were  cleavages  which  would 
eventually  lead  to  the  great 
split  between  East  and  West  in 
1054.  Added  to  these  were  per- 
sonal differences.  Chrysostom 
was  saintly  from  the  very  be- 
ginning. Few  have  left  a  more 
spotless  reputation.  He  avoid- 
ed the  danger  of  hierarchical 
pride  and  worldly  conformity. 
He  continued  in  his  plain 
monastic  mode  of  life  in  the 
midst  of  splendor  and  applied 
his  income  to  the  support  of 
the  sick  and  the  stranger.  Ne- 
ander,  the  German  historian, 
compares  his  life  and  work  in 
the  Greek  church  with  that  of 
Spener,  the  practical  reformer 
in  the  Lutheran  Church  of  the 
seventeenth  century. 

Even  in  exile  Chrysostom 
wrote  many  letters  with  a  fine 
Christian  spirit,  convinced  that 
there  is  but  one  misfortune, 
namely,  departure  from  the 
path  of  piety  and  virtue.  Con- 
sistent with  the  Antiochian 
school,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber, he  stressed  the  historical 
approach  to  the  study  of  the 
Scriptures,  emphasizing  the  life 
of  Jesus.  Man  attains  good  by 
means  of  his  free  will,  which 
can  turn  away  from  evil,  but 
this  is  only  possible  with  the 
co-operation  of  divine  grace. 

In  contrast  Augustine  felt  in 
rebellion  against  God  from  the 
beginning.  In  the  Confessions 
as  he  reviewed  his  life  from 
stealing  pears  to  being  a  father 
though  not  a  husband,  he  was 
convinced  that  by  himself  his 
corrupt  nature  would  never 
have  come  to  God.  God  was 
leading  him  almost  against  his 
will.    This   theme   has   caused 

Continued  on  page  8 


EDITORIAL 


Those  Embarrassing  Manuals 

AIR  FORCE  officials  were  busy  last  month 
publicly  withdrawing  from  use  several 
training  manuals  that  came  under  fire  in 
congressional  investigations. 

One  manual  instructed  enlisted  men  on  how 
to  mix  drinks  for  officers'  cocktail  parties.  It 
was  intended  to  train  men  who  are  assigned  to 
the  personal  staffs  of  all  officers  of  general  rank 
in  the  air  force.  Temperance  groups  were 
especially  indignant  over  directions  like  the 
following:  "Most  companies  making  spirits  will 
gladly  furnish  you  with  a  booklet  giving  in- 
structions on  mixing  drinks."  The  manual  said  a 
portable  bar  serves  best  for  serving  drinks  at 
officers'  parties. 

Apparently  mixing  drinks  was  only  one  of 
many  "servant  jobs"  to  which  enlisted  men 
could  be  assigned.  They  must  be  shown  how 
to  wash  an  officer's  dog,  tend  his  potted  plants, 
and  buy  his  groceries.  As  for  the  officers  them- 
selves they  also  had  a  manual  to  guide  them  in 
arranging  for  cocktail  hours  and  bingo  parties. 

Another  air  force  development  that  was  cut 
short  by  public  criticism  was  recently  in  force 
in  a  base  in  Kansas.  Noncommissioned  officers 
there  were  asked  to  oversee  the  personal  as 
well  as  military  fives  of  airmen,  supervising 
their  off-duty  activities,  inquiring  into  their 
family  histories  and  their  financial  status,  even 
deciding  when  they  needed  haircuts.  "Big 
brother  is  watching  you." 

The  latest  manual  to  be  banned  from  further 
circulation  is  one  that  purports  to  show  how 
communism  had  infiltrated  the  churches.  It 
claims,  for  example,  that  the  Revised  Standard 
Version  of  the  Bible  was  prepared  by  ninety- 
five  persons,  thirty  of  whom  were  affiliated 
with  Communist  fronts.  Although  the  manual 
was  issued  by  the  reserve  training  branch  of 
the  Continental  Air  Command,  its  appearance 
came  as  a  shock  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Air 
Force  Dudley  C.  Sharp,  who  said  he  "cate- 
gorically repudiated  the  publication." 

There  have  been  frequent  attempts  in  the 
part  to  pin  the  Communist  label  on  prominent 
ministers  by  quoting  them  out  of  context  and 
branding  them  because  of  certain  organizations 
with  which  some  have  been  identified.  We 
saw  one  such  publication  which  included  the 
late  Ernest  G.  Hoff,  for  many  years  editor  of 
our  Sunday  school  publications,  among  those 
who  were  active  in  Communist-led  organiza- 


tions. The  only  evidence  offered  was  the  names 
of  two  peace  proposals  which  he  must  have 
endorsed  many  years  ago.  These  were  not 
Communist  fronts  but  movements  calling  for 
peace  action.  Yet  someone  thought  the  pro- 
posals were  "soft  on  Russia"  and  labeled  them 
as  Communist  —  and  in  this  devious  way  it  is 
only  a  short  step  to  branding  as  "red"  a  man 
to  whom  everything  about  communism  was 
abhorrent. 

Many  of  us  know  from  observation  where 
such  unfounded  accusations  originate  but  ap- 
parently certain  air  force  officials  did  not  take 
the  trouble  to  question  the  source  of  the  ridicu- 
lous charges  they  were  willing  to  publish. 

Is  it  not  about  time  that  Americans  sub- 
jected not  only  the  air  force  but  all  branches 
of  the  military  to  a  thorough  examination? 
Here  is  where  the  lion's  share  of  our  national 
budget  goes  —  and  far  too  many  of  those  billions 
are  used  to  maintain  an  undemocratic  and  a 
bureaucratic  system  that  will  not  be  reformed 
simply  by  withdrawing  a  few  embarrassing 
manuals.  —  k.m. 

Life  Expectancy 

SOMEONE  in  our  town  figured  out  recently 
that  a  baby  born  today  can  reasonably 
look  forward  to  a  lifetime  of  more  than 
seventy  years.  In  that  time  he  will  spend  seven 
years  eating  and  about  twenty-three  years 
sleeping.  The  normal  share  for  churchgoing, 
according  to  this  statistician,  totals  up  to  about 
one  and  one-quarter  years. 

Life  expectancy,  which  has  gradually  risen 
across  the  years,  now  has  reached  the  point 
where  the  average  experience  will  come  close 
to  what  the  psalmist  dreamed  of  so  long  ago 
when  he  spoke  of  "threescore  and  ten"  as  a 
span  that  some  mortals  at  least  could  attain. 
But  his  concern  then  was  with  the  quality  of 
those  years  and  not  merely  with  their  number. 
So  must  we  ask  whether  we  exist  only  for  toil 
and  trouble,  only  for  selfish  consumption  and 
for  private  pleasure,  or  whether  the  days  of  our 
years  will  be  spent  meaningfully  and  fruitfully. 
So  few  persons  attain  even  to  their  normal 
allotment  of  a  few  hours  for  worship.  Yet  this 
—  and  more  —  is  so  little  to  give  to  the  God 
whom  we  can  claim  as  a  dwelling  place  for 
all  generations.  —  k.m. 

MARCH  19,  1960  5 


The 
Conflict 


We  reject  the  methods  of  Judas 
but  we  have  not  yet  the  faith  nor  the 
grace   to  put  into   practice   Christ's  way 


Harry  E.  Zeller,  Jr. 


CONFLICTS  are  of  many  sizes  and  shapes.  The 
struggle  to  secure  mastery  often  produces  a  con- 
flict of  personalities.  A  fertile  mind  may  be  in 
conflict  when  it  grapples  with  ideas.  The  collision  of 
good  and  evil  is  a  conflict  with  which  the  sensitive  spirit 
wrestles. 

Personality  conflicts  are  legion.  Sometimes  these  are 
within  an  individual,  and  he  becomes  a  civil  war 
struggling  to  determine  which  aspect  of  his  life  shall  be 
dominant.  Personality  conflicts  are  often  between  in- 
dividuals. Because  people  differ  from  one  another,  life 
has  variety  and  flavor.  When  these  differences  are  acute 
("He  rubs  the  snout  of  his  gregariousness  down  the  fur 
of  my  irritability" ) ,  the  sparks  fly!  When  these  conflicts 
multiply  in  the  marriage  relationship,  we  call  them  ex- 
treme cruelty,  and  the  result  is  divorce  and  broken  homes. 

Politics  has  popularized  the  conflict-of-interest  con- 
cept. Human  beings  find  it  difficult  to  detach  themselves 
from  personal  gain  in  making  public  decisions.  Many 
positions  in  public  life  require  a  man  to  divest  himself 
of  such  business  interests  as  may  produce  a  conflict  of 
interest. 

We  hear  much  of  conflicts  of  national  interests.  The 
old  way  to  resolve  the  struggle  to  achieve  political  mastery  , 

was  an  all-out  slugging  war  in  which  nations  tooled  up       ^^^:::i'':::A:y:&:-<:y:: 
to  beat  each  other's  brains  out.   The  new  way  is  a  cold 
war  in  which  a  hot  war  is  stalemated  behind  iron,  bamboo, 
or  silken  curtains,  but  the  same  essential  struggle  is  carried 
on  as  viciously  as  before,  with  propaganda,   economic 


v^*SS& 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Bramanti 


Three   Lions 


parleying,  threats,  pressures, 
"agonizing  reappraisal"  and 
"massive  retaliation,"  bids  for 
world  sympathy,  ad  infinitum. 

During  this  process  we  keep 
our  fingers  crossed  and  pile  up 
hardware  for  bloody  interconti- 
nental conflict,  hoping  that  the 
United  Nations  will  discover 
some  way  to  resolve  the  con- 
flict of  national  interests  before 
it  explodes  in  the  ruin  of  civili- 
zation. 

Transcending  all  conflicts, 
but  a  part  of  every  one  of 
them,  is  the  conflict  of  ideas 
with  ideals,  of  practices  with 
principles,  of  darkness  with 
light,  of  evil  with  good,  of 
wrong  with  right,  of  Satan  with 
God.  This  is  the  real  struggle 
which  is  carried  on  ceaselessly 
above  the  earth,  beneath  the 
earth,  and  on  the  earth.  This 
is  the  endless  conflict  which  be- 
gan with  humanity  and  will 
continue  until  time  is  merged 
with  eternity. 

In  every  conflict  there  is  a 
point  where  the  issue  is  most 
fully  joined,  a  time  in  which 
the  competing  forces  are  exert- 
ing their  mightiest  efforts,  a 
moment  when  the  outcome  is 
determined.  The  cross  is  that 
pivotal  point  of  all  human  desti- 
ny. The  cross  is  the  intersection 
where  good  and  evil  meet  head 
on.  The  worst  evil  could  do  is 
pitted  against  the  best  God 
could  do  in  that  terrible  colli- 
sion we  know  as  the  crucifixion 
of  Christ.  The  cross  is  the  high- 
watermark  of  evil  and  of  good. 
Here  is  the  war  of  the  worlds, 
the  issue  of  life  and  death,  the 
conflict  of  conflicts. 

Sometimes  we  imagine  that, 
being  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus  was 
rendered  immune  from  the  suf- 
fering the  cross  seems  to  have 
entailed.  Make  no  mistake 
about  the  rugged  violence  and 
agony  of  that  conflict.  In  pros- 
pect the  ordeal  was  frightening. 
Hear  the  words  of  a  physician, 
"And   being  in   an   agony,   he 


prayed  more  earnestly;  and  his 
sweat  became  like  great  drops 
of  blood  falling  down  upon  the 
ground."  The  struggle  intensi- 
fied in  the  brutality  of  the  cruci- 
fixion itself,  and  the  zenith 
came  in  that  moment  when 
Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
"Father,  into  thy  hands  I  com- 
mit my  spirit." 

For  the  other  antagonist  in 
this  struggle  of  evil  with  good 
the  going  was  not  easy  either. 
Wrong  often  seems  so  appeal- 
ing and  rewarding  in  prospect. 
There  is  excitement  in  the 
scheming  to  destroy,  the  antici- 
pated popular  acclaim,  the 
pocket  full  of  money,  the  thrill 
of  riding  to  power  and  fame  — 
all  rebels  have  surged  to  this 
adventure.  But  in  retrospect, 
wrong  changes  character  and 
becomes  hideous;  it  sours  and 
sickens.  Blood  on  the  hands 
turns  black  in  the  heart.  Money 
gained  by  deception  buys  only 
grief  and  is  often  tossed  away. 


Indeed,  all  life  is  a  useless  tor- 
ment, an  agony  too  great  to  be 
endured.  "And  throwing  down 
the  pieces  of  silver  in  the  temple 
...  he  [Judas]  went  out  and 
hanged  himself." 

There  could  be  no  wider  con- 
trast of  two  personalities  in  con- 
flict. Christ,  the  Son  of  God 
and  the  friend  of  man,  is  the 
most  loved  person  ever  to  walk 
the  earth.  To  his  pure  manhood 
we  are  irresistibly  drawn.  Judas, 
for  whom  the  world  would 
have  been  better  had  he  not 
been  born,  is  the  scapegoat  on 
whom  clusters  leechlike  the 
vile,  and  unwanted  aspects  of 
our  sinful  life,  for  whom  no 
mother  would  ever  name  a  son. 
To  chose  between  these  two  is 
no  conflict.  We  are  drawn  to 
Christ  and  repulsed  by  Judas. 

The  methods  employed  by 
Jesus  and  Judas  are  as  divergent 
as  their  personalities.  Judas  was 
a  traitor  to  friend  and  foe.  He 
sold  out  for  a  bribe,  made  de- 


Judas,  unable  to 

endure  the  guilt 

of  having 

betrayed  Jesus, 

"went  out  and 

hanged  himself" 


Bramanti 
Three  Lions 


MARCH  19.  1960 


ception  his  technique  and 
treachery  his  tool  by  which  he 
achieved  anarchy  through  vio- 
lence. All  these  have  a  larger 
play  in  personal  and  public  life 
than  we  like  to  believe,  yet  such 
methods  do  not  commend  them- 
selves to  thinking  people. 

But  are  we  ready  to  adopt 
the  methods  of  Jesus?  Think  of 
his  resignation,  his  patience,  his 
refusal  to  retaliate,  his  insist- 
ence on  forgiveness  rather  than 
vengeance  upon  our  enemies, 
his  turning  the  other  cheek,  his 
going  the  second  mile,  his  cup 
of  cold  water,  his  willingness  to 
love  to  the  bitter  end.  Then  re- 
member the  Alamo  or  Pearl 
Harbor.  Debate  the  admission 
of  Red  China  to  the  United 
Nations  or  the  renewal  of  the 
bomb  tests.  Ponder  the  TV 
quiz  fixes  and  payola.  Reflect 
on  the  tactics  of  the  Teamsters' 
Union,  and  study  the  problem 
of  speeding  up  the  securing  of 
civil  rights  for  all  our  citizens. 
Would  you,  now  honestly, 
would  you  dare  propose  the 
methods  of  Jesus  as  the  way  to 
right  the  wrongs  of  our  troubled 
world? 

This,  then,  is  our  conflict.  We 
reject  the  methods  of  Judas, 
but  we  cannot  quite  bring  our- 
selves to  put  into  practice  the 
methods  of  the  Savior.  We  want 
to  be  Christian,  but  we  dare 
not  be  Christian  enough  to  do 
it  Christ's  way.  We  are  ideal- 
istic, but  we  feel  we  must  also 
be  practical.  We  reject  Judas, 
but  we  cannot  take  Christ  and 
his  way  of  dealing  with  Com- 
munists, with  traitors,  with 
treason,  with  violence,  with 
revolution,  with  war,  with  race. 

And  so  we  stand  once  again 
where  all  men  have  stood,  as 
strangers  at  the  crossroads  of 
destiny.  We  do  not  want  the 
method  of  Judas  and  we  cannot 
take  the  way  of  Jesus.  And  so 
the  darkness   settles   over  our 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


world  not  unlike  the  eclipse 
which  covered  the  earth  on  that 
crucifixion  day. 

This,  then,  is  our  confession, 
our  agony,  our  conflict:  not 
that  we  renounce  the  methods 
of  Judas  which  we  do  renounce, 
but  that  we  have  not  yet  the 
faith  nor  the  grace  to  embrace 
the  way  of  Jesus  as  we  ought. 


Chrysostom  and  Augustine 

Continued  from  page  4 

him  to  be  called  the  doctor  of 
grace. 

This  is  reflected  in  these  por- 
tions of  one  of  his  prayers: 
"Late  have  I  loved  thee.  Thou 
wert  with  me  and  I  was  not 
with  thee.  Long  was  I  held 
from  thee  by  those  things 
which  without  thee  are  naught. 
Thou  didst  call  and  cry  and 
burst  my  deafness.  Thou  didst 
gleam  and  glow  and  dispel  my 
blindness.  Thou  hast  made  us 
for  thyself  and  our  hearts  are 
restless  till  they  find  their  rest 
in  thee."  With  Augustine  the 
disciple  must  constantly  ac- 
knowledge his  indebtedness  to 
and  need  for  grace;  with  Chry- 
sostom he  must  recognize  that 
this  grace  demands  and  enables 
moral  earnestness. 

Both  were  great  preachers, 
Chrysostom,  the  more  pro- 
phetic and  practical;  Augustine, 
the  theologian  defending  the 
church  and  its  faith.  Neverthe- 
less, it  must  be  kept  in  mind 
that  the  above  emphases  are 
mutually  dependent.  The  name, 
Chrysostom,  means  the  golden 
mouthed.  His  real  name  was 
John.  His  great  influence  was 
as  a  preacher.  His  were  prac- 
tical exhortations  for  everyday 
living  from  the  Scripture.  He 
was  prophetic.  He  wrote,  "Fear 
God,  not  man."  He  fought 
simony  and  other  sins  of  in- 
stitutionalism.  He  preached, 
"Better  use  your  money  for 
the  poor."  Again,  "A  wife 
should  never  say  to  her  hus- 


band, 'You  lazy  good-for-noth- 
ing sluggard.' " 

His  fame  spread.  He  ruined 
himself,  however,  with  the  em- 
press by  preaching  vehemently 
against  the  luxury  of  women's 
dress.  Even  though  disagree- 
ing with  their  position,  he  re- 
ceived in  a  spirit  of  love  four 
tall  monks  who  were  being 
chased  by  another  bishop.  This 
gave  his  opponents  a  chance  to 
have  him  exiled.  But  he  was 
soon  called  back  because  of 
the  demand  of  the  people.  A 
second  exile  brought  on  his 
death,  and  his  remains  were 
solemnly  brought  back  thirty 
years  later. 

But  preaching  beliefs  is  im- 
portant also  as  is  indicated  by 
the  manifold  effects  of  the  in- 


c, 


Ihristianity  is  no  child's 
play;  no  matter  of  second- 
ary importance. 

Chrysostom 


fluence  of  Augustine.  He  has 
a  place  in  history  second  to 
none.  In  his  ecclesiasticism  he 
was  the  father  of  Catholicism; 
in  his  Neoplatonism,  he  was  the 
father  of  medieval  mysticism, 
and  in  his  doctrine  of  grace,  the 
father  of  Protestantism.  He  was 
influenced  by  so  many  schools 
himself  that  his  thought  has  be- 
come the  point  of  departure  for 
apparently  opposing  tenden- 
cies. 

Yes,  golden-mouthed  orators, 
doctors  of  grace,  great  minds, 
and  disciplined  lives  fill  us  with 
a  sense  of  inadequacy  as  we 
look  at  ourselves.  Yet  our  hope 
lies  in  their  testimony.  They 
were  not  saints  who  became 
Christian,  but  rather  they  be- 
came what  they  were  by  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


Annum  conf£ficnct 


snSM 


A  Brethren  Annual  Con- 
ference is  a  unique 
gathering.  It  is  a  family 
reunion,  inspirational  confer- 
ence, and  a  great  democratic 
assembly  of  the  church,  all 
rolled  into  one.    Thousands  of 


Brethren  try  to  attend  Confer- 
ence every  year.  There  are 
many  who  have  attended  more 
than  forty  Conferences.  And 
this  is  good.  It  is  one  of  the 
strongest   forces    for   unity    in 

Moderator  of  Annual  Conference 


the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
The  1960  Annual  Conference, 
the  174th  Annual  Conference, 
will  be  held  at  Urbana,  Illinois, 
on  the  spacious  and  beautiful 

MARCH   19,  1960  9 


campus  of  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, June  14-19.  The  central 
location  and  ample  facilities 
give  promise  that  this  may  be 
a  very  large  and  pleasant  Con- 
ference. Whether  it  will  be  a 
great  Conference  depends  upon 
the  quality  of  the  program  and 
the  nature  and  spirit  of  the 
business  we  do  for  God  in  the 
Conference. 

The  Conference  program  has 
long  since  been  planned,  and 
scores  of  brethren  and  sisters 
are  already  hard  at  work  on 
their  program  responsibilities. 
Some  of  our  strongest  preachers 
and  worship  leaders  are  prayer- 
fully preparing  sermons,  Bible 
hour  addresses,  and  orders  of 
worship  for  the  Conference. 
The  Conference  officers  and  the 
program  committee  have  given 
thoughtful  attention  to  the 
many  suggestions  which  have 
come  to  them  from  hundreds 
of  brethren.  We  believe  that 
this  Conference  program,  in 
many  respects  different  from 
other  recent  Conferences, 
promises  to  be  deeply  inspira- 
tional and  spiritually  moving. 
The  theme  of  the  Conference 
will  be  My  Calling  to  Fulfill,  the 
Brotherhood  theme  for  the  two 
years  ahead. 

The  Standing  Committee  and 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
and  staff  will  meet  on  Sunday, 
June  12,  for  an  all-day  sharing 
session  on  the  state  of  the 
church  and  its  future.  This 
consultation  will  begin  with  a 
rich  and  challenging  worship 
service  on  Sunday  morning.  In 
the  afternoon,  reports  will  be 
given  of  the  church  across  the 
world.  In  the  evening  session, 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
will  present  and  receive  coun- 
sel on  its  greatest  concerns. 

What  kind  of  business  will 
we  do  for  God  at  this  Confer- 
ence? At  this  writing,  few 
queries  have   yet  come  in  as 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


new  business.  There  will  be  re- 
ports and  far-reaching  recom- 
mendations from  committees 
which  were  appointed  by  earli- 
er Conferences.  This  "unfin- 
ished business"  can  be  very 
important  and  very  interesting. 
Some  committees  find  that  it 
takes  two  or  more  years  to  pre- 
pare a  report  which  is  based 
upon  careful  research  and  on 
prayerful  and  creative  discus- 
sion and  prophetic  planning. 

There  are  some  who  feel  that 
reports  —  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board,  the  seminary,  the 
councils  of  churches  with  which 
we  are  affiliated  —  are  tiresome. 
They  will  not  be  so.  They  are 
being  prepared  with  great  care 
and  presented  in  new  and  ex- 
citing ways.  Perhaps  the  only 
frustration  about  such  report 
business  is  the  failure  of  dele- 
gates to  ask  questions  and  make 
creative  comments.  This  dele- 
gates should  do  —  with  com- 
plete candor! 

Annual  Conference  makes 
policy  for  the  Brotherhood.  It 
makes  decisions  which  are  far- 
reaching,  and  which  may  total- 
ly change  the  direction  of  the 
church's  life  and  practice.  Since 
this  is  true,  it  is  important  that 
there  be  good  and  free  dis- 
cussion of  the  issues.  Debate  in 
Conference  should  be  vigorous 
and  honest.  Let  no  brother  feel 
that  because  he  disagrees  with 
a  report  or  proposal  and  ex- 
presses his  disagreement  vigor- 
ously, he  is  a  "bad  boy," 
upsetting  the  peace  and  harmo- 
ny of  the  Conference. 

As  moderator,  this  writer  be- 
lieves that  debate,  even  vigor- 
ous controversy  in  Conference, 
are  good,  and  are  of  the  essence 
of  a  good  Conference.  He 
would  insist  that  there  must  be 
two  qualifications  for  any  con- 
tribution to  open  Conference 
debate:  The  point  of  view  pre- 
sented should  be  honest,  and 
it  should  be  presented  out  of 
love  for  the  church. 


Having  said  that,  we  must 
further  say  that  vigorous  dissent 
is  not  a  sign  of  lack  of  love.  A 
Conference  session  in  which 
minorities,  even  lone  dissenters, 
fear  to  speak,  lest  they  be 
thought  disturbers  of  the  loving 
peace  of  the  assembly,  is  a  dead 
session.  A  good  Conference 
faces  important  issues,  debates 
them  candidly,  honestly,  vigor- 
ously, and  constantly  prays,  and 
believes,  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
will  guide  the  church  into  the 
right  decisions.  When  Confer- 
ence then  makes  decisions, 
both  sides  who  have  debated 
an  issue  seek  to  recognize  the 
Holy  Spirit's  guidance  and  to 
work  together  for  the  fulfill- 
ment of  God's  purposes. 

Now  a  word  about  delegates: 
Every  congregation  in  the 
Brotherhood  may  have  and 
should  have  at  least  one  dele- 
gate, no  matter  how  small  the 
church.  If  the  church  has  more 
than  two  hundred  members,  it 
may  send  one  additional  dele- 
gate for  each  two  hundred 
members  or  fraction  of  that 
number.  Thus  a  church  having 
between  201  and  400  members 
is  entitled  to  2  delegates,  one 
having  between  401  and  600  is 
entitled  to  3,  etc.  Thus,  if  every 
church  were  to  be  fully  repre- 
sented even  in  India,  Nigeria, 
Ecuador,  etc.,  there  would  be 
about  1,700  delegates  from  the 
churches,  and  90  members  on 
Standing  Committee.  The  high- 
est number  we  have  yet  had 
has  been  1,044  local  church 
delegates  and  89  Standing  Com- 
mittee delegates,  at  Ocean 
Grove  in  1959. 

Every  church  should  elect 
delegates  promptly  and  with 
great  care.  While  many 
churches  which  are  allowed 
only  one  delegate  send  the 
pastor,  it  is  important  to  have 
responsible  lay  men  and  women 
in  large  numbers.  Each  church 
should  send  its  pastor  to  An- 
nual  Conference,   whether   or 


'  The  General  Brotherhood  Board  and  Standing  Committee  meetings  will  be 
!  held  in  this  building,  the  Illini  Student  Union,  which  is  in  the  center  of  the 
|  airplane  view  of  the  University  of  Illinois  campus,  shown  on  page  nine. 
i  Annual    Conference    for    1960    will    use    the    facilities    of    the    university 


not  he  is  to  serve  as  a  delegate. 

Each  delegate  must  bring  to 
Conference  a  credential  blank, 
properly  signed,  and  may  serve 
as  a  delegate  only  after  he  has 
presented  his  credentials  to  the 
Credential  Committee.  All  vot- 
ing delegates,  and  no  other 
persons,  will  be  seated  in  a  re- 
served section  of  the  Confer- 
ence auditorium,  for  all  the 
business  sessions  of  the  Confer- 
ence, in  order  to  conduct  busi- 
ness efficiently.  Delegates  will 
receive  their  Conference  book- 
lets and  identification  badges 
when  they  register  with  the 
Credential  Committee  at  Con- 
ference. 

Most  of  the  Annual  Confer- 
ence business,  such  as  reports 
of  committees  now  working  on 
unfinished  business,  and  new 
|!  queries,  will  be  published  in 
the  Gospel  Messenger.  Dele- 
gates should  be  sure  to  read  all 
such  items  carefully  before 
coming  to  Conference.  Many 
churches  plan  a  good  discussion 
session  before  delegates  leave 
for  Conference,  to  talk  over  the 
Conference  business.  No  dele- 
gate, however,  should  come  to 


Conference  "instructed"  to  vote 
a  certain  way.  Such  prejudging 
makes  no  allowance  for  the 
guidance  of  God's  Spirit  in  the 
deliberations  of  the  Conference. 
This  can  be  one  of  our  great, 
creative  Annual  Conferences. 
Many  are  already  praying  and 
preparing  for  it.  It  depends 
upon  the  business,  the  attitudes 
we  bring  to  it,  and  our  response 
to  the  pressures  of  God's  Spirit 
upon  us.  So  shall  we  meet  at 
Urbana? 

Conference  Business 

Queries 
Brotherhood  Retirement  Policy 

Since  the  compulsory  Brotherhood 
retirement  policy  has  not  been  re- 
studied  in  its  nearly  two  decades  of 
operation, 

And  in  view  of  the  improved 
health  of  older  people  and  the  in- 
creased life  expectancy, 

And  with  concern  for  the  psycho- 
logical effects  of  retirement  for 
persons  who  are  still  mentally  and 
physically  capable  and  who  will  seek 
other  employment, 

And  since  some  major  industries 
are  reviewing  their  retirement 
policies, 

The  Board  of  Administration  of 
Northeastern  Kansas  through  district 
conference,     meeting     at     Navarre, 


Sept.  17-20,  1959,  asks  Annual  Con- 
ference assembled  at  Urbana,  111.,  to 
appoint  an  Annual  Conference  com- 
mittee of  three  to  study  the  Brother- 
hood retirement  policy  and  bring  a 
report. 

Leland    Wilson,    chairman 
Board  of  Administration 
Answer     of     district     conference: 
Passed  to  Annual  Conference. 
Gerald  Mease,  moderator 
Mrs.  Paul  Jewell,  district  clerk 

Washington  Office 

Inasmuch  as  the  Friends  once  in- 
vited the  Church  of  the  Brethren  to 
participate  with  them  in  maintaining 
an  office  in  Washington,  D.  C,  to 
seek  for  Christian  legislation  and  to 
keep  churches  informed  for  action, 

We,  the  Waterford  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  assembled  in  regular  quar- 
terly council,  July  23,  1959,  petition 
Annual  Conference,  through  district 
conference  of  Northern  California, 
to  take  steps  to  establish  such  an 
office  in  conjunction  with  the  Friends 
or  separately  as  seems  advisable. 
John  H.  Price,  elder 
Helen  Rinehart,  clerk 

Answer  of  district  conference: 
Passed  to  Annual  Conference. 

Dwight   Enberg,   moderator 
Irene  Armey,  writing  clerk 

Committee  to  Study  Ordination  of 
Ministers 

Having  observed  that  there  is 
within  the  Brotherhood  a  wide  vari- 
ation in  the  process  by  which  a  per- 
son receives  the  office  of  ordained 
minister,  we,  the  District  Board  of 
Southern  Ohio,  request  Annual  Con- 
ference to  appoint  a  committee  to 
make  a  study  of  the  ordination  of 
ministers,  and,  if  in  their  judgment 
it  is  advisable,  to  bring  to  Annual 
Conference  recommendations  which 
would  establish  uniform  understand- 
ing, definitions,  and  procedures  cov- 
ering the  following  questions: 

(1)  What  is  the  purpose  and 
what  is  the  significance  of  ordination? 

(2) What  are  the  prerequisites  to 
ordination?  Spiritual?  Emotional? 
Academic?    Other? 

(3)  At  what  point  in  the  course 
of  his  development  ought  a  minister 
receive  ordination? 

Paul  W.  Kinsel,  chairman 
Philip  H.  Lauver,  secretary 

Answer  of  district  meeting:  Passed 
to  Annual  Conference  of  1960. 

J.  Earl  Hostetter,  moderator 
H.  H.  Helman,  writing  clerk 
Continued  on  page  24 


MARCH  19,  1960 


11 


The  drying  up  of  our  water  resources 
is  tragic  evidence  of  our  lack  of 
stewardship  in  its  conservation 


Frederick  Brown  Harris 


Religious  News  Service 


The   Brook  That   Failed 


THERE  is  a  Biblical  story  of  a  stream  that 
failed,  the  ancient  record  of  a  water 
shortage  which  has  gripped  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  long  centuries.  It  tells  of  a  prophet 
who  prayed  for  water.  In  the  famine  which  was 
scourging  the  land,  Elijah  had  been  safe  by 
the  side  of  a  babbling  brook  —  his  needs  of  drink 
and  food  supplied  by  water  and  wings,  the 
pinions  of  ravens.  The  scene  is  adorned  with 
all  the  brilliant  colors  of  an  old-fashioned  Sun- 
day school  card. 

And  just  as  those  gayly  illumined  tokens 
of  juvenile  attendance  carried  always  a  "Golden 
Text"  beneath  the  scriptural  portrayal,  so  here 
is  the  sentence  which  tells  the  ominous  con- 
clusion of  a  fascinating  tale  of  the  Prophet  and 
the  Brook:    "And  it  came  to  pass  after  a  while, 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


that  the  brook  dried  up." 

The  little  stream  which  was  a  life  line  for 
the  prophet  was  one  of  the  few  left  in  the 
drought-plagued  land.  There  was  much  suffer- 
ing  among  the  people  because  for  so  long  the 
rain  had  failed  to  fall  on  fields  and  forests. 
When  in  his  panic  Elijah  discovered  the  brook, 
he  seemed  bent  on  just  saving  himself.  His  was 
a  solitary  escape.  At  first,  apparently  the  plight 
of  others  did  not  disturb  his  own  peace  of 
mind.  He  is  pictured  as  comfortably  stretched 
out  on  the  green  grass  by  the  water's  edge. 
Surely,  in  a  dry  and  thirsty  land  the  lines  had 
fallen  to  him  in  pleasant  places! 

Perhaps  as  the  rainless  days  passed  he  no- 
ticed that  the  volume  of  the  stream  was 
diminishing.    Still,  there  was  plenty  to  allay 


Chaplain  of  the  United  States  Senate 


his  thirst.  But  one  fateful  morning  the  prophet 
was  aghast  to  find  that  his  oasis  of  refreshment 
had  vanished  like  a  mirage  of  the  desert.  Where 
sparkling  water  had  made  the  murmuring  music 
of  salvation  there  was  but  cracked  and  dried 
earth.  With  a  wild  fear  clutching  at  his  heart, 
Elijah  found  himself  at  wits'  end,  "For  it  came 
to  pass  .  .  .  that  the  brook  dried  up." 

What  was  he  to  do?  Seek  another  crystal 
spring  somewhere  up  in  the  solitudes,  and  save 
himself?  Divine  guidance,  so  he  thought,  had 
led  him  to  the  hidden  place  of  his  selfish  safety. 
But  there  he  had  time  to  meditate.  Let  us  be- 
lieve that,  even  before  his  brook  failed,  his 
conscience  had  begun  to  trouble  him.  How 
often  the  Love  that  follows  us  all  the  way 
brings  its  lessons  in  pain  and  loss! 

Elijah's  heart  began  to  go  out  to  those  who 
were  suffering  the  pangs  from  which  he  fled 
alone.  The  brook  that  failed  sent  him  forth  to 
join  himself  with  others  in  need,  and  with  them 
to  face  the  water  and  food  situation  in  co- 
operation and  partnership.  He  had  come  to 
sense  that  the  authentic  call  of  God  is  never  to 
hide  his  servants  away  in  selfish  comfort,  oblivi- 
ous to  the  afflictions  which  have  smitten  others. 

There  crept  into  the  heart  of  the  prophet  a 
new  feeling  of  oneness  with  all  who  were 
cowering  under  the  pitiless  pall  of  the  rainless 
skies.  With  a  compulsion,  before  conspicuous 
for  its  absence,  he  crossed  the  boundaries  of 
his  own  country  and  found  himself  face  to  face 
with  those  wfyo,  to  him,  were  heathen  —  a 
woman  and  her  son. 

They,  in  the  midst  of  the  universal  want 
and  woe,  were  barely  able  to  keep  their  bodies 
and  souls  together.  The  woman,  too,  was  at 
what  the  psalmist  called  the  place  of  desperate 
•extremity,  wits'  end.  Her  cupboard  was  bare. 
But  no  miserly,  coward  soul  was  hers.  With 
the  stranger  who  came  to  her  door  she  shared 
her  last  crust.  Then  a  miracle  happened.   How 


the  partnership  of  need  solved  the  dreadful 
problem  is  not  part  of  the  story  now.  Suffice  it 
to  say,  it  did.  And  while  the  selfish  brook  had 
failed,  the  shared  barrel  did  not. 

This  lovely  old  etching  is  telling  us  that  only 
together  can  humanity  win.  A  dear  preacher 
friend  of  mine  whose  once  eloquent  lips  are 
stilled  now,  in  dwelling  upon  this  story,  did  not 
go  into  a  long  explanation  of  how  it  came  to 
pass  that  by  pooling  their  efforts  the  trio  found 
salvation.  Commenting  about  the  dried-up 
brook  and  the  never-empty  widow's  cruse,  he 
said  simply:  "Faith  in  God  is  not  a  condition 
to  be  hidden  in  some  sacred  canyon,  as  a  per- 
sonal security  policy.  It  is  rather  an  endow- 
ment to  carry  into  the  midst  of  life  with  which 
to  sustain  desperate  need.  When  woe  was 
running  down  every  road,  Elijah  joined  himself 
to  others  who  were  in  trouble.  Here  is  a 
prophet  who,  because  a  brook  failed,  found 
himself.  The  unwasting  meal,  shared  with 
others,  is  of  far  richer  significance  than  the 
hidden  brook  alone." 

But  what  does  this  water  shortage  in  Israel 
so  long  ago  have  to  do  with  water  in  America 
in  this  year  of  our  Lord  1960?  Answer:  Very 
much.  Even  with  all  the  ministry  of  rain  it 
has  come  to  pass  that  the  brooks  of  our  water 
supply  are  drying  up  across  this  favored  land. 
It  is  not  that  the  vagabond  clouds,  with  their 
precious  cargo  of  refreshing  moisture,  like 
white-sailed  barques  have  failed  to  float  across 
the  sea  of  azure  blue.  They  have  delivered 
their  priceless  elixir,  though  unequally,  to 
the  land. 

Now  when  the  distilled  water  is  drawn  from 
the  sea  it  is  but  being  taken  on  a  journey,  for 
some  time,  somewhere,  it  turns  again  home. 
The  wise  observation  of  Holy  Writ  is:  "All  the 
rivers  run  into  the  sea,  unto  the  place  where 
the  rivers  come."  There  would  be  no  rain 
were  it  not  for  the  sea  and  the  winds.  Every 
raindrop  is  the  child  of  the  sea,  drawn  from 
that  mighty  and  unfailing  reservoir  of  the  great 
deep.  The  grasses  know  nothing  of  the  sea  save 
as  they  discover  the  ocean  and  the  rainfall;  but 
without  the  sea  it  would  never  come.  The  rain 
is  the  sea  come  to  the  plants,  not  in  the  majesty 
of  the  tides  but  in  such  little  ways  as  even  a 
grass  blade  or  a  flower's  petal  can  harbor  it 
and  grow  thereby. 

The  lake  from  which  we  channel  the  water 
to  drink  is  fed  by  rains  which  visit  continental 
spaces.  But  the  refreshing  boon  without  which 
we  die  reaches  us  in  the  cup  of  cool,  clear  water 


MARCH  19.  1960 


13 


we  lift  to  our  thirsty  lips.  As  one  who  stood 
refreshed  by  showers  of  blessing  gratefully  bore 
witness,  "the  harvests  of  life  are  sure  when 
we  win  from  cosmic  tides  their  drops  of  rain." 
When  we,  whose  mortal  bodies  are  three- 
fourths  water,  take  into  our  hands  a  loaf  of 
bread  Maltbie  Babcock  reminds  us  of  what  is 
back  of  the  snowy  flour  — 

Back  of  the  flour  is  the  mill, 
[Perhaps  a  mill  run  by  water] 
And  back  of  the  mill  is  the  wheat, 
And  the  shower  —  yes,  the  shower  — 
And  the  sun,  and  the  Father's  will. 

But  even  in  our  America  there  has  con- 
tinued, year  after  year,  sounds  of  abundance  of 
rain  —  that  is,  taking  the  vast  expanse  of  the 
country  as  a  whole.  Yet  the  brooks  of  our 
water  supply  are  drying  up.  One  solemn  reason 
is  that  like  all  the  other  riches  of  this  continent, 
so  prodigally  endowed,  man  has  been  wasting 
his  substance  in  riotous  living. 

Senator  Richard  Neuberger  gives  a  vivid 
bird's-eye  view  of  this  wasted  substance  in  one 
sweeping  paragraph:  'The  gutted  forests  of  the 
lake  states,  a  dozen  silty  dust  bowls,  half  a 
thousand  polluted  rivers,  the  vanished  passen- 
ger pigeon,  and  the  slaughtered  bison  of  the 
plains,  migratory  fish  runs  choked  off  from  their 
spawning  grounds  by  chemical  wastes  and  un- 
screened irrigation  ditches,  all  bear  tragic  wit- 
ness to  our  failure  in  stewardship."  In  these 
latter  years  America  has  been  sobered  and 
alerted  by  the  warnings,  sounded  by  men  who 
see,  about  the  bird  life,  the  animal  life,  the 
river  life,  and  the  life  of  the  land  itself,  de- 
nuded and  eroded,  as  riches  piled  up  for 
thousands  of  years  run  off  to  the  sea. 

And  now  the  nation  is  compelled  to  face  the 
dire  implications  of  a  growing  water  shortage. 
From  various  parts  of  our  vast  domain  is  being 
lifted  the  agonizing  cry,  "Water,  water,  cool, 
clear  water!"  For  now  it  has  become  evident 
that  the  national  brook  is  running  dry.  Of 
course,  we  know  that  there  are  no  brooks  or 
rivers  in  the  Sahara  and  other  deserts.  They 
are  dry  and  thirsty  lands  where  no  water  is.  But 
who  would  expect  any  concern  regarding  the 
limitless  water  supply  of  a  land  that  has  the 
Hudson  and  the  Mississippi  and  the  Columbia 
and  a  thousand  refreshing  streams  which  make 
of  our  continental  expanse,  except  for  a  few 
spots  not  irrigated,  a  watered  garden? 

By  tapping  waiting  water  many  miles  from 
arid  land,  the  parched  places  blossom  as  the 
rose  as  man  commands  the  magic  liquid  to  come 


hither.  And  if  other  sources  fail,  man  has  al- 
ready taken  the  first  steps,  startling  in  their 
results,  to  wring  out  the  salt  from  the  boundless 
deep  and  separating  it  also  from  other  ingredi- 
ents make  it  pure  and  fresh,  to  quench  thirst 
and  quicken  the  parched  land. 

But,  listen  America!  With  all  our  vast  water 
supply  the  situation  is  not  as  rosy  as  a  superficial 
appraisal  might  suggest  The  fact  is  that  in  1957 
more  than  one  thousand  communities  endured 
water  shortage  to  some  degree.  In  some  cases 
there  was  not  enough  water  for  lawns,  and  in 
some  towns  not  enough  to  drink.  Reports  are 
disturbing  with  regard  to  the  underground  reser- 
voirs of  water.  The  levels  are  going  deeper  and 
deeper.  In  a  number  of  states  wells  have  to 
go  down  from  100  to  500  feet  deeper  than  they 
did  some  years  ago.  Need  of  water  is  a  power- 
ful and  dominating  influence,  and  the  need  is 
pressing  everywhere  between  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  the  Mississippi  Valley. 

The  governor  of  one  of  our  great  Western 
states  recently  declared  that  "every  drop  of 
available  water  must  go  to  agriculture  and  in- 
dustry." To  be  sure,  at  least  for  the  present, 
there  is  enough  water  if  fairly  distributed.  But 
the  problem  is  to  get  it  where  the  people  are 
and  where  the  need  is  imperative.  Golden 
Southern  California  is  thought  of  as  a  land  flow- 
ing with  milk  and  honey.  But  it  is  a  startling 
fact  that  fifty  cities  in  that  enchanted  region 
get  much  of  their  water  from  the  Colorado 
River,  nearly  500  miles  away. 

The  mushrooming  population  of  our  entire 
country  and  the  higher  standards  of  living  have 
meant  an  enormous  increase  in  bathrooms  and 
in  all  sorts  of  household  machines.  Every  per- 
son is  using  sixty  more  gallons  of  water  per  day 
than  our  grandparents  required  at  the  dawn  of 
the  century.  Industry  demands  twelve  times 
more  water  than  it  did  threescore  years  ago. 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Rayon  for  instance,  is  a  modern  product;  but 
like  all  other  new  things  it  calls  for  more  water. 
A  ton  of  rayon  takes  from  200,000  to  300,000 
gallons  of  water  to  make.  What  is  a  mere  ton 
of  steel  as  it  is  lifted  to  its  place  in  a  rising 
building?  But  it  takes  65,000  gallons  of  water 
to  fashion  it.  We  blithely  buy  our  bulging  news- 
papers never  realizing  that  a  good-sized  paper 
mill  needs  twenty-two  million  gallons  of  water 
a  day.  When  you  stop  at  a  gasoline  station  to 
"fill  it  up,"  every  gallon  registered  means  seven 
to  ten  gallons  of  water  for  processing. 

Cities  are  discouraging  industrial  concerns 
from  building  factories,  saying,  "We  haven't 
the  water  to  spare!"  What  the  use  of  water  for 
human  projects  is  doing  to  wildlife  was  indi- 
cated some  time  ago  when  3,000  dead  ducks 
were  piled  on  the  lawn  of  one  of  our  state  capi- 
tols  in  a  dramatic  protest  against  the  pollution 
of  their  great  river  and  the  draining  of  marshes. 

Some  time  ago  the  brook  of  the  water  supply 
for  New  York  City  so  nearly  dried  up  that  care- 
less people  were  fined  even  for  having  leaking 
taps,  and  the  use  of  water  was  sharply  cur- 
tailed. All  these  symptoms  could  be  increased 
at  least  a  dozenfold  in  emphasizing  our  grow- 
ing water  shortage  and  the  constantly  mounting 
demand  upon  the  supply. 

This  urgent  problem  cannot  be  solved  by 
just  lamenting  about  the  brooks  that  fail.  Like 
Elijah  we  must  join  others  facing  the  same 
problem.  The  water  solution  is  a  co-operative 
task.  We,  the  people,  must  tackle  it  together. 
Water  resources,  without  any  more  regard  to 
geographical  lines  than  Elijah  showed,  must 
be  protected,  conserved,  and  transported,  to 
assure  adequate  supplies  for  all  the  needs  of 
our  expanding  industrial  economy,  as  well  as 
to  assure  adequate  supplies  for  public  recrea- 
tional purposes  and  for  the  conservation  of 
precious  wildlife. 


It  is  in  the  spirit  of  Elijah  that  Chester 
Bowles  in  his  recent,  challenging  book  exhorts 
what  we  must  do  now  to  co-ordinate  the  powers 
of  federal,  state  and  local  governments.  He  de- 
clares, "We  must  tap  new  water  sources  and 
provide  for  the  more  efficient  use  and  reuse  of 
existing  water  resources." 

"We  must  make  an  all-out  attack  on  water 
pollution.  And,  above  all,  we  must  develop 
institutions  which  can  handle  land  and  water 
problems  on  a  regional  basis,  including  irri- 
gation, land  reclamation,  and  flood  control 
projects  which  will  correspond  not  to  our  official 
political  boundaries,  but  to  the  special  aspects 
of  each  region's  watershed  and  water  resource 
needs. 

And  so  it  came  to  pass  when  the  brook  dried 
up  that  Elijah  went  out  to  join  his  strategy  of 
salvation  with  that  of  others.  And  so  today,  in 
our  America,  the  brooks  that  are  failing  are 
driving  us,  with  a  sympathy  for  others,  to  face 
the  problems  that  can  be  solved  by  the  strength 
that  is  found  only  in  unity  of  purpose  and  en- 
deavor. Thus  do  we  become  workers  together 
with  God.  And  we  are  not  assured  regarding 
the  Father  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow, 
that  "he  shall  come  down  like  rain,"  answering 
in  the  oceanic  amplitude  of  his  grace  the  cry 
of  those  who  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness? For  "as  the  heart  panteth  after  the  water 
brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God!" 
And,  as  Longfellow  tells  us, 

As  torrents  in  summer,  half  dried  in  their  channels, 

Suddenly  rise  though  the  sky  is  still  cloudless, 

For  rain  has  been  falling,  far  off  at  their  fountains, 

So  hearts   that   are   fainting   grow   full   to   o'erflowing 

And  they  that  behold  it  marvel  and  know  not, 

That  God  at  their  fountains,  far  off,  hath  been  raining. 


MARCH  19,  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Brotherhood  Fund  Receipts 

Oct.  1,  1958,  to  Feb.  28, 1959 $555,087 

Oct.  1,  1959,  to  Feb.  29,  1960 $562,351 

Budgeted  obligations,  Oct.  1,  1959  — 

Feb.  29,  1960 $687,500 


A.  W.  Adkins  of  Mountain  Grove,  Mo.,  long-time 
elder,  Sunday  school  secretary,  district  fieldman,  and 
leader  of  Southern  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  died  on  Feb. 
24.  Memorial  services  were  held  on  the  29th  in  the 
Mountain  Grove  church. 

Forty-two  persons  attended  the  Washington  phase 
of  the  Brethren  Adult  Seminar  during  the  week  of  Feb. 
29,  and  twenty  of  them  braved  the  fourteen-inch  snow- 
fall to  travel  to  New  York  for  the  United  Nations  phase. 
A  fuller  report  of  the  seminar  will  appear  in  a  later 
issue  of  the  Gospel  Messenger. 

Immediately  following  the  disaster  of  Agadir, 
Morocco,  Kurtis  F.  Naylor,  director  of  Brethren  Service 
in  Europe,  flew  from  Geneva,  Switzerland,  to  the  scene 
in  behalf  of  the  World  Council  of  Churches,  EIRENE, 
and  the  Brethren  Service  Commission  to  determine 
how  these  organizations  could  best  assist  in  relief  to 
this  stricken  city. 

Contributions  to  La  Verne  College  in  the  first  six 
months  of  the  1959-60  fiscal  year  totaled  $68,367.  Of 
this  amount,  $40,925  was  received  in  gifts  from  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  A  fund  campaign, 
which  will  close  with  the  commencement  of  1962,  is 
being  launched  to  raise  funds  for  a  new  gymnasium  and 
current  operations. 

Twenty  thousand  dollars  for  two  annuity  income 
agreements  have  come  recently  to  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board  from  a  Brethren  widow  and  a  couple  whose 
membership  is  in  another  denomination.  The  director 
of  special  gifts  also  reports  the  receipt  of  a  number  of 
smaller  sums  from  individuals  who  desire  to  enlarge 
the  church's  witness  after  their  death,  and  yet  receive 
substantial  annuity  income  during  their  lifetime. 

Brethren  Service  Work  Camp  Tour 

The  work  camp  tour  in  Europe  this  summer  will 
be  directed  by  Donald  F.  Durnbaugh,  instructor  in  his- 
tory at  Juniata  College  and  a  former  Brethren  Service 
worker  in  Europe.  Tour  dates  will  be  June  14  to  July 
12.  Students,  teachers,  college  faculty  members,  and 
other  interested  adults  over  nineteen  will  participate  in 
the  tour  which  is  planned  to  include  the  Netherlands, 
Germany,  Poland,  Czechoslavakia,  Austria,  Yugoslavia, 
and  Switzerland. 

The  tour  group  will  fly  from  New  York  to  Amster- 
dam on  June  14  and  travel  in  Europe  by  chartered  bus. 
Opportunities  to  join  the  tour  will  be  available  until 
the  end  of  March.  Application  forms  are  available  from 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Lowell  V.  Heisey,  professor  of  chemistry  at  Bridge- 
water  College,  has  been  given  a  grant  of  $250  by  the 
Virginia  Acadamy  of  Science  to  support  his  research 
project  in  organic  chemistry.  Dr.  Heisey's  project  is 
synthesizing  a  group  of  compounds  related  to  known 
plant  hormones,  tuberculosis  drugs,  and  mental  health 
drugs.  He  started  his  research  in  1956  and  has  been 
aided  by  grants  from  the  American  Cancer  Society  and 
National  Science  Foundation. 

The  doctoral  thesis  of  Albert  L.  Gray,  Jr.,  chairman 
of  the  business  department  at  Elizabethtown  College, 
has  been  published  by  the  National  Council  of  Churches 
for  distribution  throughout  the  United  States.  Dr.  Gray 
wrote  his  thesis  on  Trends  and  Cycles  in  the  Financial 
Contributions  to  Ten  Selected  Protestant  Denominations 
Between  1900  and  1954.  As  a  result  of  his  study  Dr. 
Gray  reported  that  contributions  to  the  churches  were 
not  generally  affected  by  national  economic  fluctuations; 
rather,  they  responded  "to  the  planned  emphasis  of 
the  denomination's  national  leaders." 

Licensed  to  the  Ministry 

Robert  Hess,  licensed  in  the  Conestoga  congrega- 
tion, Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

Paris  Bain,  licensed  in  the  Peters  Creek  church,  First 
Virginia. 

Wiecmd  Lectures  in  Evangelism 

Dr.  Bryan  de  Kretser,  pastor  of  the  Columbo  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Ceylon,  has  been  secured  as  the 
lecturer  for  the  annual  Wieand  lectures  at  Bethany 
Biblical  Seminary,  March  29-31.  Using  the  theme,  The 
Gospel  for  Our  Times,  he  will  speak  at  9:40  in  the 
morning  and  at  7:30  in  the  evening.  His  subjects  are: 
Tuesday  a.m.,  Religion  and  the  Gospel;  Tuesday  p.m., 
The  Gospel  and  Science;  Wednesday  a.m.,  Christian 
Prospects  in  Asia  and  Africa;  Wednesday  p.m.,  The 
Christian  Faith  and  the  Problem  of  Peace;  Thursday 
a.m.,  The  Gospel  and  Human  Need. 

Dedications 

Arbutus  church,  Western  Pennsylvania,  dedication, 
Sunday,  April  3,  at  2:30  p.m.  Paul  M.  Robinson  will 
bring  the  dedicatory  message.  District  and  area  speak- 
ers will  preach  at  the  services  each  evening  of  the 
following  week. 

Reading  congregation,  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  will 
dedicate  its  relocated  new  church  on  Sunday,  April  10. 
Harold  Z.  Bomberger,  regional  secretary,  will  deliver 
the  dedicatory  address.  Services  will  be  held  for  three 
evenings  preceding  dedication  day.  Speakers  will  be 
Dr.  Mervin  Heller,  executive  secretary  of  the  Greater 
Reading  Council  of  Churches,  on  community  night, 
April  7;  Carl  Zeigler,  professor  at  Elizabethtown  Col- 
lege, for  district  night,  the  8th;  and  Ed  Crill,  dean  of 
students,  Elizabethtown  College,  for  youth  night,  the 
9th.  Besides  Brother  Bomberger  on  Sunday,  the  con- 
gregation will  hear  Ralph  W.  Schlosser  at  the  morning 
service  and  Robert  Byerly  in  the  evening. 

Fairview  church  of  Southern  Iowa,  will  dedicate 
its  educational  unit  on  Sunday,  April  10,  at  2:00  p.m. 
Dale  W.  Brown,  member  of  the  McPherson  College 
faculty,  will  preach  the  dedicatory  sermon. 


The  Church  Calendar 
March  20 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Paul's  Voyage  to  Rome.  Acts 
27:1  —  28:15.  Memory  Selection:  I  can  do  all  things  in 
him  who  strengthens  me.    Phil.  4:13  (R.S.V.) 

March  27  —  April  2  White  House  Conference  on  Chil- 
dren and  Youth 

April  10  Palm  Sunday 

April  12  Northern  Indiana  Women's  Fellowship  spring 
rally,  Goshen  College,  Goshen 

April  15  Good  Friday 

April  17  Easter 

April  18-22  Regional  interdenominational  camp  leaders' 
conference,    Camp   Hanover,    Richmond,    Va. 

April  22-24  Eastern  Region  conference,  Coventry 

April  23  Southeastern  Region  district  executive  secre- 
taries' meeting,  Rridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  23-24  Southeastern  Region  youth  round  table, 
Bridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  24  Christian  College  Day 

April  24-30  National  Mental  Health  Week 


With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Norman  Patrick  of  Hershey,  Pa.,  in  the  Swatara  Hill 
church,  Pa.,  March  20  — April  3. 

Bro.  M.  C.  Valentine  of  Orrtanna,  Pa.,  in  the  Back  Creek 
congregation,  Upton  house,  Pa.,  March  20  —  April  3. 

Bro.  Stewart  Kauffman  of  Elgin,  111.,  in  the  Ivester 
church,  Iowa,  March  27  —  April  3. 

Bro.  David  H.  Markey  of  Mattawana,  Pa.,  in  the 
Aughwick  congregation,  Germany  Valley  house,  March 
31  -  April  9. 

Bro.  Guy  R.  Buch  of  Orrville,  Ohio,  in  the  Olivet  church, 
Ohio,  April  4-10. 

Bro.  Dale  W.  Brown  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  in  the  Fair- 
view  church,  Iowa,  April  10-15. 

Bro.  Earl  D.  Dietz  of  Brandonville,  W.  Va.,  in  the  Sandy 
Creek  congregation,  Shady  Grove  house,  April  10-16. 

Bro.  Ralph  W.  Schlosser  of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  in  the 
Conestoga  congregation,  Bareville  house,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  Chalmer  E.  Faw  of  Chicago,  111.,  in  the  Richland 
church,  Pa.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  Glenn  Heckman  of  Smithburg,  Md.,  in  the  Broad- 
fording  church,  Md.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  Herald  Seese  of  Berlin,  Pa.,  in  the  Rummel  church, 
Pa.,  April  11-17. 

Bro.  Perry  Huffaker  of  West  Milton,  Ohio,  in  the  Stone 
Bridge   church,    Md.,   April    18-24. 

Bro.  Kenneth  R.  Blough  of  Carlisle,  Pa.,  in  the  Newville 
church,  Pa.,  April  10-16. 


New  Opportunities  Face  Board  and  Commissions 
in  Budget-Building  Sessions  Next  Week 


Authorizing  proposed  plans  for 
the  1960-62  emphasis  on  My  Calling 
to  Fulfill,  examining  procedures  for 
financing  the  relocation  of  Bethany 
Seminary,  and  building  budgets  to 
undergird  the  church's  global  min- 
istry next  fiscal  year  will  be  tasks 
of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
next  week.  The  board's  sessions  will 
be  held  Tuesday  through  Friday 
noon  at  the  General  Offices  in  Elgin, 
111. 

Norman  J.  Baugher,  general  sec- 
retary of  the  board,  indicated  that 
the  central  thrusts  of  the  forthcom- 
ing life  and  leadership  program  will 
be  outlined  during  the  meeting.  He 
mentioned  further  that  the  board, 
in  co-operation  with  the  seminary 
board  of  directors,  will  determine 
procedure  for  securing  finances  for 
Bethany's  relocation  from  westside 
Chicago  to  its  new  site  eighteen 
miles  west  of  the  Loop. 

Each  of  the  board's  five  commis- 
sions also  will  handle  full  dockets 
of  business  during  the  week.  As  is 
customary  at  the  March  board  meet- 
ing, budgets  will  be  built  for  each 
commission's  program  in  the  next 
fiscal  year. 

Among  other  items  on  the  agenda 
of  the  commissions  will  be  the 
following: 

Brethren  Service.  A  recommenda- 
tion will  be  presented  to  send  a 
worker  to  Haiti  to  assist  Church 
World  Service  in  the  distribution  of 


material  aid.  Also,  as  a  result  of  a 
deputation  visit  by  W.  Harold  Row, 
executive  secretary  of  the  commis- 
sion, Galen  Ogden,  executive  secre- 
tary of  the  Ministry  and  Home 
Missions  Commission,  and  other  rep- 
resentatives of  the  board  and  of 
the  district  of  Florida  and  Puerto 
Rico,  the  commission  will  consider 
with  the  Ministry  and  Home  Mission 
Commission  a  proposal  to  strengthen 
church  extension  in  Puerto  Rico. 

Christian  Education.  In  response 
to  an  Annual  Conference  query,  a 
staff  committee  will  present  for  com- 
mission approval  a  proposal  for  ma- 
terials for  church  membership 
training  classes.  If  approved,  the 
proposal  will  be  referred  to  the  Gen- 
eral Brotherhood  Board  and  to  An- 
nual Conference.  The  commission 
also  will  deal  with  a  concern  of  an 
Ohio  congregation  regarding  the 
frequency  with  which  Old  Testa- 
ment scriptures  comprise  the  basis 
for  study  in  recent  units  of  the 
uniform  series. 

Finance  Commission.  The  com- 
mission will  work  with  other 
commissions  in  finalizing  budget  al- 
locations for  1960-61,  in  fine  with 
a  ceiling  set  by  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board  and  in  accord  with  percent- 
ages suggested  for  each  commission 
program  by  the  board's  goals  and 
program  committee.  It  also  will  look 
at  new  road  signs  being  designed 


for  use  by  local  congregations. 

Foreign  Missions.  The  commis- 
sion will  examine  a  recommendation 
from  its  executive  secretary,  J.  Henry 
Long,  who  visited  the  Ecuador  mis- 
sion last  month,  to  extend  work  there 
to  Santo  Domingo,  an  area  100  miles 
southwest  of  the  present  mission  at 
Calderon.  Midweek  services  have 
been  under  way  in  the  new  area 
since  a  work  camp  met  there  last 
summer.  Twenty-four  members  of 
the  community  are  studying  for  bap- 
tism. The  commission  will  look  too 
at  its  own  terminology,  considering 
a  possible  replacement  for  the  word 
foreign. 

Ministry  and  Home  Missions.  A 
strategy  on  church  extension,  involv- 
ing the  location  and  the  financing 
of  new  churches,  will  be  studied. 
The  commission  also  will  evaluate 
plans  for  the  future  of  work  among 
the  Navajos  at  Lybrook,  N.  Mex. 

Several  of  the  commission  items 
will  be  passed  on  to  the  total  board 
for  final  action.  The  board  also  will 
consider  in  general  sessions  a  num- 
ber of  queries  referred  to  it  by 
Annual  Conference. 

Chairing  the  board  will  be  Ray- 
mond R.  Peters,  pastor  of  the  Mack 
Memorial  Church,  Dayton,  Ohio. 
The  two  women  and  twenty-three 
men  comprising  its  membership 
come  from  ten  states. 


MARCH  19.  1960 


17 


Contrasts 


and 


Parallels 


Above:    Adam  and  Alice  Ebey  at  the  time 
they  left  for  India  in  1900 


Left:    Letters  from  India  helped  to  increase 
the  Wamplers'  anticipation  as  they  prepared  to 
leave  for  India 


Courtesy  of  Lancaster  Intelligencer  Journal 


ADAM  EBEY,  candidate  for 
the  India  mission  field,  had 
a  special  problem.  In  May 
1900,  he  wrote  Galen  B.  Royer,  for- 
eign  mission   secretary,    as   follows: 

"You  will  remember  that  in  my 
application  I  did  not  fully  answer 
all  questions.  Since  then  I  have 
visited  Sister  Alice  King  and  she 
has  told  me  that  I  may  use  her 
name  in  connection  with  mine  if 
I  wanted  to.  Now  our  heart  affair 
is  not  fully  settled,  but  if  nothing 
very  great  comes  between  us,  we 
are  almost  sure  to  be  man  and  wife 
some  day." 

Two  months  later,  Adam's  prob- 
lem was  more  acute.  He  wrote: 
"I  want  to  speak  of  a  matter  that 
is  somewhat  delicate  and  I  know 
you  will  be  as  confidential  as  pos- 
sible. It  is  regarding  Sister  King 
and  myself.  I  thought  we  had  defi- 
nitely settled  our  minds  to  defer 
marriage  for  a  year  at  least.  But 
our  friends  (relatives  and  others) 
think  it  very  unwise  to  do  so.  Our 
matter  has  been  talked  everywhere. 
I  am  very  frequently  approached 
about  it  and  advice  is  freely  given. 
I  cannot  possibly  see  where  the  great 
harm  would  be  to  go  unmarried, 
going  as  we  do  in  a  party.   Knowing 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


human  nature  pretty  well,  I  foresaw 
what  people  would  say,  but  I  did 
not  think  it  would  be  so  widespread. 
.  .  .  We  will  be  criticized  either 
way,  but  as  far  as  I  have  learned, 
people  nearly  all  think  we  should 
marry  before  we  go  .  .  .  (so)  we 
have  decided  it  is  best  to  be  married 
shortly  before  we  leave." 

Sixty  years  later,  Fred  and  Jo 
Wampler,  the  newest  Brethren  mis- 
sionaries to  India,  had  quite  a  dif- 
ferent relationship  before  their  de- 
parture. Already  they  had  been 
married  for  six  years,  since  gradua- 
tion from  college,  and  they  had  a 
three-year-old  daughter,  Amanda,  to 
accompany  them. 

But  this  is  only  one  of  several  con- 
trasts between  the  pioneer  mission- 
aries and  their  modern  successors. 

Clothing  for  the  Ebeys  was  an 
inexpensive  item.  The  board  gave 
each  of  them  $25  for  outfitting. 
Adam  listed  some  of  his  expenses: 
7  shirts  $3.50 

6  collars  .68 

6  pr.  socks  .65 

shoes  2.00 

hat  1.50 

2  trunks  8.00 

The  Wamplers  needed  ten  times 
that  amount  for  outfitting  at  present 
prices. 

A  week  after  their  marriage,  Alice 


and  Adam  Ebey  boarded  a  ship  for 
India  and  thirty-two  days  later  ar- 
rived in  Bombay.  Although  Alice 
was  very  seasick,  she  wrote,  "I  would 
ten  times  rather  be  here  than  at 
home." 

When  the  Wamplers  went  to  In- 
dia, they  flew  to  Bombay  in  thirty- 
six  hours.  Writing  to  describe  their 
trip,  Fred  said,  "We  had  driven 
seven  hundred  fifty  miles  and  slept 
six  hours  in  the  two  days  prior  to 
our  arrival  at  Ocean  Grove  for  An- 
nual Conference,  and  were  much 
more  exhausted  then  than  when  we 
arrived  in  India." 

Whereas  Dr.  Wampler  not  only 
received  his  M.D.  degree  plus  two 
years  of  internship  to  qualify  as  a 
doctor,  he  also  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  and  spent  a  summer  as  a 
pastor  in  his  home  congregation, 
Greenmount,  near  Harrisonburg, 
Va.,  to  become  as  well  trained  as 
possible  for  missionary  work. 

Such  specialized  training  was  not 
required  in  1900.  Mr.  Ebey,  who 
had  the  equivalent  of  a  high  school 
education,  wrote  about  his  qualifica- 
tions as  a  missionary:  "About  my- 
self, I  am  quite  handy  with  tools, 
and  I  am  not  afraid  to  work.  I 
believe  I  am  intended  for  the  foreign 
field.  If  not,  I  cannot  see  why  I 
have  certain  talents  given  me." 


After  being  in  India  two  months, 
Adam  Ebey  wrote:  "We  have  been 
becoming  acclimated.  Do  you  know 
what  that  means?  Boils,  hives,  chills, 
fever,  malaria,  colds,  fleas,  and 
sandflies  .  .  ." 

The  Wamplers  have  mentioned 
none  of  these  troubles.  "Actually, 
coming  to  India  is  something  like 
I  imagine  going  West  must  have 
been  for  the  pioneers,"  writes  Fred. 
"You  leave  all  conveniences  and 
beautiful  things  at  home  and  step 
back  a  generation.  For  instance, 
have  you  ever  bought  wheat  in  a 
shop  and  then  taken  it  to  a  mill  to 
be  ground?  Then  you  sift  the  grain 
and  have  whole  wheat  flour  and 
whole  wheat  cereal.  ...  Jo  finds 
shopping  for  household  needs  quite 
a  problem  since  she  doesn't  know 
the  language  yet  and  people  are  ac- 
customed to  bargaining  about  price." 

But  for  all  these  contrasts  of  style 
and  time,  many  essential  similarities 
remain. 

The  Ebeys  arrived  in  Bombay  in 
the  midst  of  the  great  famine  to 
find  all  the  missions  and  relief 
agencies  giving  food  away,  trying 
to  prevent  some  of  the   starvation. 

"My  first  two  impressions  of  In- 
dia," Dr.  Wampler  wrote,  "are  the 
hospitality  of  the  people  and  the 
poverty  of  the  land.  The  poverty 
of  India  can't  be  appreciated  until 
you  have  seen  it.  It  is  often  heart- 
breaking to  see  the  odds  against 
which  these  people  must  struggle." 

Both  the  Wamplers  and  the  Ebeys 
took  the  same  first  step  to  equip 
themselves  to  meet  the  need  of  the 


Indian  people  —  language  study. 
Dr.  Fred  reports  that  people  stop 
them  on  the  street,  trying  to  teach 
them  a  few  words,  so  eager  are  they 
for  communication. 

When  Adam  Ebey  was  preparing 
to  go  to  India,  he  wrote,  "I  am 
getting  eager  to  go.  While  there 
is  self-denial  needed  to  go,  I  find  it 
the  most  pleasant  experience  of  my 
life.  I  am  absolutely  sure  that  I 
could  not  stay  home  now,  great 
lover  of  home  and  its  quietness  as 
I  have  been." 

The  same  quality  of  joy  in  doing 
this  work  was  expressed  by  Fred 
Wampler.  "I  have  dreamed  of  being 
a  missionary  since  I  was  eleven  years 
old.  My  wife  decided  for  missions 
in  college.  If  we  had  not  been  called 
to  India  or  some  other  mission  field, 
any  other  thing  we  would  have  done 
with  our  lives  would  have  been  a 
disappointing  second  best." 

Meeting  human  needs  by  healing 
the  body,  informing  the  mind,  and, 
above  all,  enriching  the  spirit 
through  knowledge  of  God  through 
Jesus,  remains  as  thrilling  an  occupa- 
tion today  as  it  was  sixty  years  ago. 

The  Field 

Is  the  World   .    .    . 

Brethren  Schoolman  Elected 
to  Federal  House  of  Assembly 

Balang  Utz  Balami,  former  board- 
ing superintendent  of  the  Waka 
Teacher  Training  Center,  was  chosen 
as  a  representative  to  the  Federal 
House  of  Assembly  in  the  recent 
Dec.  12  all-Nigerian  elections. 


Balami  is  the  foster  son  of  Miss 
Utz,  retired  missionary  nurse  and 
honorary  Member  of  the  Order  of 
the  British  Empire.  His  mother  hav- 
ing died  when  he  was  an  infant, 
Balang  was  brought  to  Miss  Utz's 
door  in  a  calabash,  the  Bura  name 
of  which  is  balang. 

Since  representation  is  according 
to  population,  the  Northern  Begion 
(where  the  Brethren  work  is  located) 
makes  up  the  majority  of  the  House. 
The  Northern  Peoples  Congress 
Party,  which  elected  Balami,  re- 
ceived the  highest  number  of  votes, 
but  did  not  carry  an  absolute  ma- 
jority in  the  House.  The  result  of 
the  election  was  as  follows: 
Northern  People's  Congress  (NPC), 
142  members;  National  Congress 
of  Nigeria  and  the  Camaroons 
(NCNC),  89  members;  the  Action 
Group,  73  members;  Independent, 
8  members.  The  leader  of  the 
NCNC  is  Dr.  Azikwe  (Zik),  who 
perhaps  has  been  the  outstanding 
nationalist  in  the  last  ten  or  fifteen 
years. 

The  Action  Group  leader  is  Chief 
Awololo,  who  has  been  the  premier 
of  the  Western  Region.  It  seems 
to  have  had  the  most  progressive 
government  of  any  region  in  Nigeria 
in  the  last  two  or  three  years.  In 
fact,  they  have  been  able  to  establish 
universal  education  there.  The 
NCNC  and  the  NPA  have  formed 
a  coalition  government.  The  new 
House  of  Assembly  was  scheduled 
to  meet  in  January. 

First  Secondary  School 
in  Brethren  Area  Opens 

A  new  secondary  school,  the  first 
in  the  Brethren  area,  has  been 
opened  at  Waka.  Similar  to  high 
schools  in  America,  it  offers  a  six- 
year  course  for  students  who  have 
completed  four  years  in  junior  pri- 
mary arnd  three  years  in  senior 
primary  school.  This  additional 
training  will  not  only  allow  for 
teacher  training  to  be  elevated  to 
a  new  academic  level,  but  will  also 
enable  graduates  to  enter  colleges 
and  professional  schools  in  other 
parts  of  Nigeria  and  abroad. 

In  the  province  of  Northern  Ni- 
geria, with  a  population  of  17,000,- 
000,  20  high  school  graduates  were 
reported  for  1957.  At  the  same  time, 
it  was  believed  that  the  Brethren 
area  had  at  that  time  a  total  of  3 
Nigerians  who  had  completed  high 
school  or  its  equivalent  —  out  of  an 
estimated  population  of  3,000,000. 


During  internship,  missionary  candidates   often  have  an  opportunity  to 
teach  as  Dr.  Fred  Wampler  is  doing  here  with  a  group  of  student  nurses 


MARCH  19,  1960 


19 


NEEDED:  Mariners  on  a  Rough  Sea 


FOR  decades  I  have  been  both 
appreciative  and  critical  of  our 
mission  program.  Never  going 
to  either  extreme  —  appreciation  or 
criticism  —  I  have  leaned  in  one  di- 
rection or  the  other  as  new  evidence 
came  to  me.  The  recent  visit  of 
seven  weeks  in  that  teeming  country 
of  India  as  it  flounders  out  of  its 
long  subjugation  and  into  the  mod- 
ern age,  has  made  me  more  appre- 
ciative than  ever.  And  in  the  next 
decades  our  mission  may  be  more 
important  than  ever. 

Most  of  the  missionaries  I  have 
known  in  some  way  —  many  when 
they  were  only  youth.  But  living 
with  them  on  the  field  and  sharing 
their  hopes  and  their  problems  as 
they  strive  for  Christian  solutions 
make  me  feel  that  they  are  a  vital 
part  of  the  whole  church  program 
in  the  emerging  world.  Ira  Moo- 
maw,  the  veteran  missionary  who 
is  deeply  welcome  back  in  India, 
told  me  that  likely  our  mission  here 
is  facing  the  most  difficult  time  it 
has  had.  That  makes  the  missionary 
adventure  only  more  interesting  and 
challenging. 

To  see  able  men  and  women,  born 
in  India,  taken  in  as  hungry  orphans 
and  loved  and  fed  and  guided,  now 
responsible  helpers  in  the  cause  of 
Christ  —  this  is  a  valid  tribute  to  the 
pioneers  and  later  workers  who  came 
here  to  help.  If  for  any  reason  all 
of  our  American  workers  would  have 
to  leave  India,  as  they  have  had 
to  leave  China,  I  would  have  to 
say  that  the  project  has  been  a  good 
one.  But  that  may  not  have  to  hap- 
pen. I  hope  it  goes  on  in  better 
ways. 

Certainly  there  have  been  mis- 
takes (that  happens  in  every  ad- 
venture), and  many  of  the  national 
Christians  have  a  long  way  to  go 
(so  do  we  in  the  U.S.A.).  But  many 
are  "going."  They  would  carry  on 
even  under  hard  circumstances. 

But  Brethren  have  something  to 
offer  to  this  giant  nation  in  its 
struggle.  And  the  future  is  always 
more  interesting  than  the  past  to 
me;  it  is  more  fun  to  help  make 
history  than  to  write  about  it  or 
read  about  it.  If  we  look  at  the 
forces  that  are  playing  on  India  now, 
there  may  be  a  brighter  future  for 
our  mission  than  in  any  previous 
years.  Here  is  a  bit  of  evidence 
worthy  of  consideration. 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Dan  West 


Walter  Lippman,  the  well-known 
columnist,  believes  that  the  next  ten 
years  will  be  critical  for  India,  that 
their  struggles  will  bring  heavy 
temptations  to  some  kind  of  dictator- 
ship, Communist  or  otherwise,  that 
America  can  be  very  helpful  in  their 
great  adventure  in  "government  of 
the  people,  for  the  people  and  by 
the  people"  (the  italics  are  Lincoln's). 
Without  that  help,  its  development 
may  be  too  slow;  the  low  economy, 
the  enormous  population,  the  limited 
resources,  and  the  strong  traditions 
in  the  558,000  villages  are  genuine 
problems  which  nobody  has  solved 
and  which  cannot  be  solved  without 
honest  help  from  outside.  And  the 
spiritual  aspect  of  this  situation  may 
prove  to  be  the  critical  one.  Here 
the  tiny  Brethren  group  may  be  of 
help  all  out  of  proportion  to  the 
small  number  of  them. 

Hans  DeBoer,  the  German  soldier 
turned  pacifist,  talked  with  Prime 
Minister  Nehru  some  years  ago,  and 
they  discussed  missions  in  India. 
The  latter  was  very  critical  of  some 
mission  efforts,  but  paid  high  tribute 
to  the  work  of  missionaries  from  the 
historic  peace  churches.  I  have  won- 
dered why. 

Ernest  Shull,  one  of  our  workers 
at  Ahwa,  in  the  jungle,  thinks  that 
in  the  next  period  of  years  the  Chris- 
tian group  may  shrink  in  number 
under  the  difficult  conditions  and 
then  grow  rapidly  if  our  witness 
of  deed  and  word  is  clear  and 
strong.  I  will  guess  he  may  be  right 
here. 

Another  missionary  from  another 
denomination  looks  for  whole  mass 
movements  toward  accepting  Christ 
—  if  our  witness  is  steady  and 
strong. 

A  Hindu  guru  (a  sage  or  saint) 
was  talking  with  some  other  Hindu 
thinkers.  He  predicted  that  in  an- 
other fifty  years  India  would  go  Mos- 
lem, and  then  turn  Christian  in 
another  fifty  years.  He  may  have 
something  worth  pondering.  Likely 
if  the  Christian  witness  (both  the 
deed  and  the  word)  is  the  kind  that 
Christ  wants,  this  time  can  be 
shortened. 

Nobody  who  is  timid  or  deeply 
uncertain  should  be  sent  to  this 
rough  "sea."  The  wind  and  the 
waves  are  strong  and  getting  strong- 
er. But  we  can  find  some  healthy 
young  souls  who  want  adventure  of 


a  major  nature.  India  will  furnish 
enough  of  that.  And  if  we  support 
them  in  spirit  and  thought  and 
money,  the  future  of  our  mission  will 
be  better  than  the  past  or  the 
present. 


Women's  Work  in  Ecuador 

Estella  Horning 

■  A  dozen  women  together  in  a 
kitchen  symbolize  the  beginning  of 
the  women's  fellowship  in  the  Ec- 
uador church. 

Meeting  twice  a  month,  these 
church  women  have  set  a  pattern 
for  their  meetings  by  beginning  with 
an  hour  of  work  of  some  sort  for 
the  church.  Their  first  project  has 
been  repairing  and  reconstructing 
hymnals.  Following  this  is  a  short 
business  meeting,  a  brief  worship 
service  and  a  period  of  study.  Mrs. 
Rolland  Flory  has  prepared  a  series 
on  prayer  to  begin  this  study. 

The  last  hour  is  devoted  to  some 
practical  homemaking  project.  The 
first  six  lessons  were  devoted  to 
cooking,  the  hostess  preparing  the 
lesson.  The  Indian  women  were  in 
this  way  enabled  to  share  their  dis- 
tinctive dishes  as  well  as  being  able 
to  learn  about  typical  dishes  of  the 
Ecuadorian  women  of  Spanish 
ancestry. 

The  next  six  homemaking  lessons 
will  be  on  the  general  topic  of  Nurs- 
ing for  Homemakers.  This  will  in- 
clude first  aid,  children's  diseases, 
care  during  pregnancy  and  child- 
birth, baby  care,  nutrition,  and  care 
of  the  sick  at  home. 

The  general  social  pattern  of  dom- 
inance by  the  women  of  Spanish 
ancestry  over  the  Indians  is  some- 
times evident  in  these  meetings. 
After  all,  both  the  "whites"  and  In- 
dians have  been  accustomed  to  it 
from  childhood.  But  Matilde  Benal- 
cazar  judiciously  puts  in  a  word  at 
the  right  time  or  begins  a  small  con- 
versation in  Quechua,  the  Indian 
language,  and  the  group  is  reminded 
that  they  no  longer  are  bound  by 
social  patterns  but  that  they  are  all 
Christian  sisters  equal  in  God's  sight. 


G.  Bromley  Oxnam,  Methodist 
bishop:  "Surely  God  did  not  devote 
all  of  his  creative  power  to  an  un- 
populated universe  and  did  not  place 
the  climax  of  creation,  which  we  be- 
lieve is  the  human  being,  solely  upon 
the  earth.  Must  the  old  demand  be 
revised  to  read,  'Go  ye  into  the 
universe  [instead  of  the  world]  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature'?" 


Disciples  in  a 


New  Decade 


THE  Call  to  Discipleship  is,  in 
part,  a  call  to  serious  study 
of  the  Word  of  God.  This  is 
the  conviction  of  the  Christian  Edu- 
cation Commission  and  the  Depart- 
ment of  Evangelism  of  the  Brother- 
hood. Together,  they  have  prepared 
curriculum  to  guide  adults,  families, 
and  youth  in  discerning  the  dimen- 
sion of  Christian  discipleship. 

During  the  next  quarter,  adults 
and  senior  high  youth  will  engage 
in  this  exploration  through  the  usual 
curricular  materials,  the  Brethren 
Adult  Quarterly,  the  CBYF  Bible 
Studies,  and  the  Leader.  For  fam- 
ilies, a  Daily  Prayer  Guide  will  point 
up  scriptural  passages  that  bear  on 
the  meaning  of  discipleship.  The 
selections  in  the  guide  coincide  with 
the  text  of  the  Adult  Quarterly. 

Throughout  April,  May,  and  June, 
classes  following  the  Adult  Quarterly 
will  center  on  New  Testament  pas- 
sages that  give  depth  and  breadth 
to  discipleship.  Each  lesson  will  ap- 
pear in  entirety  in  the  Leader  and 
in  condensation  in  the  Adult  Quar- 
terly. Ira  H.  Frantz  is  author  of 
the  lessons.  Also  published  in  the 
Leader  will  be  specific  lesson  sugges- 
tions by  Noah  Shideler  and  a  feature 
relating  the  lessons  to  current  issues 
by  Lorell  Weiss. 

A.  Stauffer  Curry,  editor  of  church 
school  publications,  pointed  out  that 
the  adult  lessons  will  follow  the  cur- 
rent uniform  series  based  on  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount.  He  indicated 
that  in  order  to  highlight  the  disci- 
pleship theme,  however,  the  topics 
and  scripture  passages  will  differ 
from  the  regular  series. 

From  May  22  to  June  26,  youth 
will  focus  on  The  Challenge  of 
Discipleship  as  presented  in  CBYF 
Bible  Studies.  Ercell  Lynn  is  writer 
of  the  six-session  unit  and  of  the 
teacher's  helps  which  will  appear  in 
the  May  and  June  issues  of  the 
Leader. 

In  pinpointing  the  purpose  of  the 
special  series,  Stewart  B.  Kauffman, 


Screen  Traveler  from  Gendreau 

director  of  ministry  and  evangelism, 
explained  that  the  lessons  will  aid 
"the  search  of  the  church  for  a  clear- 
er understanding  of  discipleship." 
He  believed  that  the  use  of  the  les- 
sons and  of  the  Daily  Prayer  Guide 
should  be  instrumental  in  helping 
adults,  families  and  youth  fulfill  the 
purposes  which  Annual  Conference 
set  for  the  Call  to  Discipleship. 
These  purposes  are: 

(1)  to  gain  a  clearer  understand- 
ing of  the  meaning  of  Christian 
discipleship; 

(2)  to  feel  the  pull  of  a  more 
genuine  personal  commitment; 

(3)  to  deepen  the  spiritual  life  of 
families; 

(4)  to  enrich  congregational  wor- 
ship; 

(5)  to  maintain  the  spirit  of  evan- 
gelism that  is  gripping  the  church 
more  firmly. 

Brother  Kauffman  singled  out  the 
unique  responsibility  of  church 
school  teachers  in  making  the  Call 


heard  throughout  the  church.  This 
he  oudined  as  the  first  phase  of  the 
threefold  Call  thrust.  After  it  comes 
experiencing  the  Call,  then  sharing 
it. 

The  evangelism  director  revealed 
further  that  other  denominations 
which  are  contemplating  their  own 
emphases  on  discipleship  are  view- 
ing with  interest  the  study  in  Breth- 
ren church  schools. 

One  district,  Mardela,  offered  a 
course  in  its  leadership  training 
school  earlier  this  month  for  teachers 
of  the  lessons  on  discipleship.  Floyd 
H.  Mitchell,  pastor  at  Easton,  Md., 
taught  the  course. 

Early  examiners  of  the  materials 
on  discipleship  have  suggested  that 
because  of  the  quality  of  the  lessons, 
when  the  study  is  completed  classes 
may  want  to  preserve  the  quarterlies 
and  Leaders  for  future  use. 

But  the  lesson  planners  feel  that 
little  will  have  been  achieved  if  the 
only  effect  of  the  special  series  will 
be  the  desire  of  classes  to  hold  on 
to  the  curriculum  material  for  a  re- 
peated study  in  the  years  to  come. 
They,  along  with  all  good  teachers, 
know  that  curriculum  is  broader 
than  lesson  materials.  Curriculum 
consists  of  experiences  as  well. 

The  value  of  the  discipleship 
study  will  be  realized  as  persons 
experience  with  new  meaning  their 
relationship  to  their  Lord  and  Savior, 
and  as  they  share  these  experiences 
with  others.  The  task  of  making 
the  Call  heard  next  quarter  rests 
heavily  upon  teachers,  but  the  ex- 
periencing and  the  sharing  of  the 
Call  are  tasks  for  every  disciple. 


Evangelist  Billy  Graham:  "Thou- 
sands of  American  youth  have  found 
the  cure  for  their  frustrations  and 
the  contradictions  of  insecurity  of 
adolescence  through  Christ  and  his 
way  of  life." 


MARCH  19,  1960 


21 


First  row:    Mickey  Marte,  Lynn  Warner,  Esther  Lantis,  Emmert  Funderburg,  Anne  Whitmore,  William  Kline,  Joan  Stayer, 

Calvin  Nolt,  Marilyn  Jones,  Skip  Wagner  (BVS  training  assistant) 

Second  row:  Orville  Hamrick,  Janet  Arnold,  Gary  Hosbrook,  Dorotha  West,  Bob  Mock  (BVS  training  director),  Zola  Fyock, 

Bruce  Weaver,  Norma  Bouch,  John  Stoltenberg,  Joan  Hylton,  Glenn  Mumford 

Third  row:    Anne  Haynes   (assistant  BVS  training  director),   Parry   Luebke,   Faye  Gibbel,  Jon   Williams,   Jane   Beplogle, 

Bichard  Jones,  Bachel  Connelly,  Wayne  Judd,  Donna  Forbes,  David  Arnold 

Fourth  row:    Anne  Grove,  Kenneth  Feasenhiser,  Lucy  Hollinger  (BVS  secretary),  Dainis  Bisenieks,   Bachel   Carey,  Larry 

Groves,  Linda  Forrester,  Jim  Martin,  Carolyn  Olwin,  Ben  Hylton 


December  BVS  Unit 


Kassel,  Germany 

Gary     Hosbrook,     Union,     Ohio; 
John  Stoltenberg,  El  Cerrito,  Calif. 


Feb.  6  marked  the  end  of  the  nine 
weeks  of  training  for  the  December 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service  unit. 
This  is  the  forty-fifth  such  unit  of 
volunteers.  Youthfulness  character- 
ized the  December  unit,  nineteen 
being  the  average  age  of  the  volun- 
teers. Twenty-three  of  the  volun- 
teers entered  BVS  after  high  school. 
The  other  fourteen  have  completed 
one  or  more  years  of  college,  repre- 
senting Bridgewater,  Juniata,  Man- 
chester, Yakima  Valley,  University 
of  South  Dakota,  Purdue,  Drake, 
and  University  of  Michigan. 

During  their  last  week  of  training 
the  unit  participated  in  the  Brethren 
youth  seminar  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
after  which  they  began  work  at  the 
following  projects: 

New  Windsor,  Maryland 

David  Arnold,  Cerro  Gordo,  111.; 
William  Kline,  Bristol,  Ind.;  Parry 
Luebke,  Froid,  Mont.;  Mickey 
Marte,  Chicago,  111.;  Calvin  Nolt, 
Lodi,  Ohio;  Lynn  Warner,  Union, 
Ohio;  Dorotha  West,  Selah,  Wash. 

Washington,  D.  C. 

Janet  Arnold,  Elgin,  111.  (Women's 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Kermon  Thomason 


International  League  for  Peace  and 
Freedom). 

Bethesda,  Maryland 

Dainis  Bisenieks,  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.;  Rachel  Connelly,  Bryan, 
Ohio;  Zola  Fyock,  Kent,  Ohio;  Larry 
Groves,  Milford,  Ind.;  Jane  Rep- 
logle,  Camden,  Ind.;  Norma  Rouch, 
Bremen,  Ind. 

Lybrook,  New  Mexico 

Rachel  Carey,  Union  City,  Ind.; 
Carolyn  Olwin,  Elgin,  111. 

Chicago,  Illinois 

Kenneth  Feasenhiser,  South  Bend, 
Ind.;  Orville  Hamrick,  Morgantown, 
W.  Va. 

Nigeria,  West  Africa 

Donna  Forbes,  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

Falfurrias,  Texas 

Faye  Gibbel,  Lebanon,  Pa. 

Baltimore,  Maryland 

Anne  Grove,  Waynesboro,  Va.; 
Bruce  Weaver,  Mexico,  Ind.;  Linda 
Forrester,  Taylors  Valley,  Va. 


Southeastern  Region 

Ben  and  Joan  Hylton,  Twin  Falls, 
Idaho. 

Nappanee,  Indiana 

Marilyn  and  Richard  Jones,  Polo, 
111. 

Rapid  City,  North  Dakota 

Wayne  Judd,  Luray,  Va. 

Neffsville,  Pennsylvania 

Esther  Lantis,  Goshen,  Ind.;  Joan 
Stayer,  North  Canton,  Ohio. 

Soudi  Modesto,  California 

Jim  Martin,  Elizabethtown,  Pa. 

Modesto,   California 

Glenn  Mumford,  Troy,  Ohio;  Em- 
mert Funderburg,  New  Carlisle, 
Ohio. 

Mountain  Valley,  Tennessee 

Anne  Whitmore,  South  Whitley, 
Ind. 

Girard,  Illinois 

Jon  Williams,  Newville,  Pa. 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


With  many  vacant  pulpits  and  many 
opportunities   to   minister  to   the 
unchurched,  what,  if  any,  effec- 
tive plans  has  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board  devised  to  recruit 
and  train  more  leaders? 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary  is  part 
of  the  answer  to  this  question.  Each 
year  about  thirty  students  are  grad- 
uated from  the  seminary  and  about 
ten  from  the  Bible  Training  School. 
The  seminary  is  supported  by  the 
entire  denomination  in  the  amount 
of  $100,000  per  year.  It  is  undoubt- 
edly the  most  effective  medium  we 
have  for  training  our  church  leaders. 


The  responsibility  for  recruitment 
falls  particularly  upon  the  colleges 
and  regional  and  district  executive 
secretaries,  but  experience  is  show- 
ing that  we  dare  not  overlook  the 
responsibility  of  families  and  local 
churches. 

In  order  to  bring  all  of  this  into 
focus  the  Brotherhood  Board  is  look- 
ing forward  to  at  least  a  two-year 
emphasis  on  recruitment  and  leader- 
ship development.  Personnel  is  be- 
ing sought  to  direct  this  special 
emphasis  throughout  the  church 
during  the  biennium  1960-62.  — 
Galen  B.  Ogden. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (•).  —  Editor. 


"The  Gesell  Institute  Party  Book. 

Various  authors.   Harper,  1959.    115 
pages.   $2.95. 

What  makes  a  party  successful? 
Since  children  and  junior  high  youth 
need  the  experiences  that  well- 
planned  parties  can  provide,  this  is 
an  important  question  for  parents 
and  teachers. 

The  Gesell  Institute  Party  Book  is 
a  practical  handbook  from  the  fa- 
mous Gesell  Institute  that  shows  how 
to  give  a  party  for  each  year  from 
the  ages  of  three  to  fifteen.    This 
volume,  though  it  indicates  in  some 
detail    and    rather    specifically    the 
kinds  of  games  and  even  the  order 
of  games  which  may  be  played  at 
parties,  is  not  intended  primarily  as 
a  manual  of  games.   Its  primary  em- 
phasis is  on  the  kinds  of  behavior 
which  may  be  expected  of  children 
of  different  ages  in  a  party  situation. 
It    particularly    emphasizes    danger 
points  and  things  to  be  avoided  as 
too  complex  and  too  difficult  at  cer- 
tain ages.   For  each  age  group  there 
is    guidance   as    to    the   keys    to    a 
successful    party,    the    number    of 
!  guests,  number  of  adults,  the  sched- 
>  ule,  possible  expense,  and  warnings. 
The    delightful    and    informative 
j  photographs  add  significantly  to  the 
i  value     of     the     book.  —  Mary     E. 
'  Spessard. 


In  the  Morning.  Carol  Cochrane. 
Revell,  1959.    64  pages.    65c. 

A  pocket-sized  devotional  booklet 
attractively  bound  in  limp  imitation 
leather,  printed  in  Great  Britain.  A 
very  brief  text,  a  reading  from  the 
Bible  (reference  only,  not  words),  a 
meditation,  a  verse  and  a  prayer 
on  each  two  pages,  arranged  for 
use  for  thirty-one  days.  The  presen- 
tations are  brief  but  pointed  in 
areas  where  Christians  need  daily 
reminders  of  the  reason  for  living. 
A  companion  booklet  to  In  the  Eve- 
ning. —  Edith  Barnes,  Elgin,  III. 

Meditations    on   the    Gospels.     J. 

Calvin  Keene.  Abingdon,  1959.  96 
pages.    $2.00. 

The  Society  of  Friends  has  been 
one  of  the  chief  sources  of  spiritual 
help  to  the  Brethren  in  our  move- 
ment from  legalism  to  obedience  to 
love  in  Christ.  J.  Calvin  Keene  is 
another  able  representative  of  the 
Quaker  tradition.  His  meditations  on 
selected  passages  from  Matthew, 
Luke,  and  John  are  for  mature  Chris- 
tians and  "questing"  believers. 

Each  of  the  eighty  meditations  in- 
cludes the  scripture  passage  and  sig- 
nificant questions  and  thoughts.  The 
questions  most  often  imply  an  answer 
and  thus  help  growth  both  in  spirit 
and  in  truth.    The  book  is  recom- 


mended for  individual  study.  The 
description  of  the  author  on  the  book 
cover  notes  his  interest  in  leading 
religious   retreats. 

Thus,  "Dr.  Keene's  unusual  ap- 
proach assumes  an  unhurried,  con- 
templative reading  of  a  scripture 
passage,  presents  a  few  guiding  state- 
ments, and  poses  the  kind  of  thought- 
provoking  questions  that  will  lead 
you  to  new  levels  of  awareness."  — 
Robert  McFadden,  Boston,  Mass. 

Through    Sunlight    and    Shadow. 

Evelyn  Bauer.  Herald  Press,  1959. 
222  pages.    $2.95. 

For  those  who  often  ask  the  for- 
eign missionary,  "Really,  what  makes 
up  the  everyday  life  of  a  mission- 
ary?" this  book  will  be  of  special 
interest.  Mrs.  Bauer  very  graphical- 
ly pictures  their  three  years  of  mis- 
sionary service  in  India  (under  the 
Mennonite  Board)  with  all  the  frus- 
trations as  well  as  the  joys  of  the 
first-termer's  adjustment  to  a  new 
culture.  Her  own  faith  in  God's  lead- 
ing and  his  abiding  presence  surely 
prepared  her  for  and  sustained  her 
during  the  tragic  illness  which  forced 
them  to  return  and  remain  in  the 
U.S. 

Though  she  faces  the  future  with 
a  crippled  body,  her  triumphant  spir- 
it is  an  inspiration  to  those  who  are 
confronted  with  disappointments,  in- 
terruptions in  life's  plans,  and  other 
"shadows."  She  says,  "Life  is  like 
an  elaborate  smorgasbord.  No  one 
can  partake  of  it  all.  Yet  each  dish 
is  so  good  that  if  one  can  have  only 
a  few,  he  can  make  what  he  does 
have  a  priceless  possession."  —Ruby 
Rhoades,  Elgin,  III. 

A  Guide  to  Study  and  Action, 
Youth  and  the  Town  and  Country 
Church.  J.  Martin  Bailey.  Friend- 
ship, 1959.   48  pages.   65c. 

This  study  guide  booklet  lays  bare 
some  of  the  problems  that  churches 
in  rural  America  face  and  indicates 
that  wherever  the  church  is  found 
you'll  find  her  struggling  with  the 
problems  of  human  existence.  You 
will  also  find  that  there  are  creative 
men  and  women  of  God  who  know 
how  to  help.  Town  and  country  folk 
are  not  only  farmers,  but  they  are 
miners,  fishermen,  doctors,  store 
clerks,  and  salesmen.  They  are  peo- 
ple who  live  in  the  less  populated 
areas  of  our  country.  This  guide  is 
for  use  with  this  year's  mission  study 
book,  Windbreaks,  written  by  Martin 
Bailey.  Good  studying.  —  Ed  Crill, 
Elizabethtown,  Pa. 


MARCH  19,  1960 


23 


Conference  Business 

Continued  from  page  11 
Roport 
Committee   on   Relation   of   Capital   Funds   Programs 
to  the  Unified  Budget 

The  unit  approach  to  receiving  and  disbursing 
church  funds  has  far-reaching  implications.  The  full 
application  of  this  idea  involves  an  appeal  to  the  in- 
dividual to  give  worthily  in  one  weekly  offering  for  all 
programs  and  causes,  with  the  resulting  systematic 
contributions  flowing  into  a  single  local  treasury,  out 
of  which  disbursements  are  made  to  all  causes,  local  and 
outreach. 

Since  by  its  very  nature  it  is  all-inclusive,  purporting 
to  administer  (channel)  all,  or  the  major  part,  of  the 
church  member's  giving,  the  maximum  use  of  this 
principle  is  inevitably  related  to  the  welfare  of  all 
church-related  institutions  which  necessarily  must  look 
to  the  same  donors  for  their  financial  support. 

We  recognize  at  once  the  values  and  advantages  of 
this  unit  or  unified  approach,  both  spiritually  and 
financially.  Its  use  has  brought  order,  simplicity,  en- 
larged giving,  and  deeper  commitment  to  an  all-in- 
clusive, balanced  church  program.  This  fact  has  been 
amply  demonstrated  by  many  congregations  in  our 
denomination  as  well  as  in  other  Protestant  denomina- 
tions. The  principles  involved  in  this  approach  were 
officially  adopted  by  our  1954  and  1955  Annual 
Conferences. 

For  many  congregations,  the  use  of  this  new  unified 
approach  has  meant  a  complete  change  from  a  highly 
segmented,  project-centered  form  of  financial  structure. 
The  period  since  1954  has  been  one  of  transition.  While 
a  considerable  number  of  churches  have  adopted  this 
Annual  Conference  approved  financial  structure,  the 
change-over  is  by  no  means  complete.  We  believe  it 
to  be  in  the  highest  interest  of  our  Brotherhood  that 
the  change  should  take  place  in  all  remaining  churches 
as  smoothly  and  as  soon  as  possible. 

To  facilitate  this  process  and  to  assist  the  churches 
in  arriving  at  a  greater  degree  of  uniformity  in  their 
financial  practices,  our  committee  has  sought  to  spell 
out  a  "norm"  or  pattern  as  the  unified  approach  is 
applied  at  all  levels  of  our  Brotherhood.  We  consider 
this  larger  concern  as  basic  to  the  whole  unified  opera- 
tion and  its  relation  to  capital  funds  programs. 

We  recommend  the  following  pattern  of  application 
as  a  guide: 
I.  At  the  local  church  level 

A.  A  unified  budget  comprehending  these  general 
categories: 

1.  Total  local  program  (including  men's  fellowship, 
women's  fellowship,  youth  fellowship,  and  Christian 
education  integrated  into  the  unified  budget). 

2.  Brotherhood  Fund. 

3.  District  administered  program  (including  age- 
group  financial  needs). 

4.  Area  college. 

5.  Building  or  improvement  fund  (optional). 

B.  A  "one-asking"  weekly  offering,  using  commit- 
ment cards,  weekly  envelopes,  and  the  every-member 
visitation. 

C.  Fund-raising  activities  by  the  age-groups  to  be 
avoided  since  they  compete  with  and  weaken  the  basic 
weekly  giving. 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


II.  At  the  district  level 

A.  A  unified  budget  covering  all  work  of  the  district 
board,  commissions,  and  age-group  organizations  to  be 
adopted. 

B.  All  funds  received  and  disbursed  to  be  handled 
by  one  district  treasurer. 

C.  The  district  budget  to  be  allocated  among  the 
congregations  either  on  a  suggested  quota  or  "self- 
allocation"  basis. 

D.  Capital  funds  for  district-administered  or  sup- 
ported projects  such  as  retirement  homes  and  camps  to 
come  from  the  unified  budget  of  the  district.  (To  meet 
this  budget,  the  district  should  use  a  stewardship  educa- 
tion and  action  program  to  raise  the  all-purpose  giving 
level  in  each  congregation.) 

E.  Capital  funds  for  colleges. 

1.  This  aspect  of  the  problem  does  not  admit  of  easy 
solution.  These  facts  about  colleges  make  their  acquisi- 
tion of  capital  funds  an  exception  to  be  considered 
outside  the  local  church  unified  budget: 

a.  While  they  are  church-related  institutions,  they 
are  responsible  for  their  own  financial  programs. 

b.  They  look  to  the  church  constituency  as  only  one 
segment  for  their  total  financial  support. 

c.  They  have  an  alumni  constituency  located  in  part 
among  the  memberships  of  our  congregations.  Their 
right  to  approach  alumni  for  support  at  any  time 
must  be  maintained.  The  local  church  ( even  operat- 
ing on  a  unified  budget)  does  not  have  the  right  to 
close  the  door  to  the  college  in  its  effort  to  organize 
an  appeal  to  these  alumni,  because  of  the  nature 
of  the  relationship  of  an  alumnus  to  his  alma  mater. 

d.  The  need  for  extremely  large  and  constantly 
recurring  capital  funds  would  place  such  a  large 
item  in  the  local  unified  budget  that,  if  handled 
this  way,  would  appear  disproportionate  to  the 
average  layman,  and  hence  be  unacceptable  in  the 
majority  of  congregations. 

2.  Therefore,  we  recommend: 

a.  That  the  congregation  allocate  a  worthy  amount 
for  college  operating  needs. 

b.  That  colleges  desiring  to  carry  out  special  capital- 
fund  campaigns  continue  to  have  this  right,  along 
with  the  close  co-operation  of  district  leaders,  pas- 
tors, and  congregational  leaders,  so  necessary  to  the 
successful  completion  of  these  projects. 

c.  That  if  a  congregation,  making  maximum  use 
of  the  unified  budget,  has  a  high-level  of  over-all 
giving  and  chooses  to  place  an  item  in  its  budget, 
rather  than  to  participate  in  a  uniformly  organized 
way  in  the  college's  capital-fund  campaign,  it  shall 
have  this  right,  provided  the  item  be  substantial 
and  in  proportion  to  amounts  being  raised  in  the 
current  campaign;  and,  secondly,  provided  it  be 
understood  that  the  college  is  still  free  to  approach 
any  alumnus,  or  others  with  special  interest  and 
above-average  ability  to  share,  on  an  individual 
basis. 

d.  That  as  more  congregations  use  the  unified 
budget,  the  colleges  consider  raising  some  of  their 
capital  funds  through  an  organized  special  gift 
effort  which  would  include  only  alumni  and  spe- 
cially interested  individuals.  This  would  avoid  an 
extra  organized  every-member  canvass,  congrega- 
tion by  congregation,  which  competes  with  the 
annual  every-member  enlistment. 

Because  the  unified  weekly  commitment  response 
for  budgets  rarely  reaches  accumulated  resources  of 


numerous  individuals,  the  capital-fund  campaigns 
ought  to  continue  as  they  provide  opportunity  for  gifts 
from  these  sources.  Therefore,  the  committee  favors 
the  occasional  campaign  for  capital  funds  since  it  will 
not  interfere  with  the  maximum  functioning  of  the  local 
unified  budget  appeal. 
III.  At  the  Brotherhood  Level 

A.  General  Brotherhood  Board  approve  one  budget 
to  meet  the  needs  of  all  program  areas,  inclusive  of 
age-groups  (this  pattern  now  is  in  operation). 

B.  The  Stewardship  Education  and  Interpretation 
departments  of  the  Brotherhood  continue  to  give  major 
attention: 

1.  To  planning  and  seeking  to  implement  a  compre- 
hensive program  of  stewardship  education. 

2.  To  assisting  local  churches  in  the  use  of  the  an- 
nual mission  to  members,  the  commitment  card,  weekly 
offering  envelopes,  and  adequate  reporting  and  record- 

I  ing  systems. 

3.  To  planning  and  implementing  a  year-round 
|  program  for  interpreting  the  General  Brotherhood  Board 

I  administered  program. 
4.  To  making  suitable  materials  available  to  those 
congregations    desiring    to    use    the    special    offering 
method. 

C.  Adopt  the  plan  of  "self-allocation"  for  the  Broth- 
erhood Fund  program. 

1.  What  is  self -allocation? 

At  its  spring  council  meeting,  each  congregation  in 
the  Brotherhood  would  be  asked  to  decide  upon  a 
worthy  amount  to  be  contributed  in  the  course  of  the 
ensuing  fiscal  year  for  the  Brotherhood  Fund  program. 

These  self-allocations  would  be  reported  to  the  dis- 

I"  trict  Brotherhood  Fund  representative.  He  in  turn 
would  report  them  to  the  Brotherhood's  Department 
of  Interpretation.  It  shall  become  the  responsibility  of 
Beach  district  Brotherhood  Fund  representative  to  assist 
lithe  churches  of  his  area  to  arrive  at  a  worthy  self- 
I  allocation  estimate.    The  sum  total  of  all  self -allocation 

I  commitments  then  becomes  a  guide  to  the  General 
^Brotherhood  Board  in  determining  the  budget  for  the 
fc  coming  year.  Thus,  the  self -allocations  of  the  churches 
lihelp  determine  in  a  major  way  the  degree  or  portion 

II  of  the  Brotherhood  program  which  can  be  accomplished 
i  in  any  given  year.  At  Annual  Conference,  each  district 
I  shall  be  represented  by  a  spokesman  who  at  a  service 
jof  dedication  will  report  the  total  committed  by  the 
i  churches  of  his  district. 

2.  How  is  self -allocation  determined? 

When  each  congregation  understands  that  the  de- 
li cision  as  to  how  much  should  be  self -allocated  for  the 
I  Brotherhood  Fund  program  rests  firmly  with  it,  the 
(:  next  questions  it  will  face  are,  "How  much  can  and 
!  should  our  church  propose?"  and  "Are  there  any  guiding 
I  principles?" 

We  recommend  that  each  congregation  determine 
I  its  fair  share  in  a  ratio  relationship  to  what  the  congrega- 
jltion  spends  for  its  local  operations: 

a.  The  first  principle  is  that  every  congregation 
should  seek  to  reach  its  highest  giving  potential  for 
world-wide  work  within  the  Brotherhood  Fund  since 
the  validated  program  is  always  considerably  in 
advance  of  current  giving. 

b.  The  second  principle  is  that  a  "minimum  level" 
for  each  congregation  is  $1  for  approved  outreach 
giving  for  every  $2  spent  locally. 

c.  The  third  principle  is  that  as  soon  as  a  church 
has  reached  the  "minimum  level"  it  should  strive 


to  reach  the  challenge  level:  An  equal  division  of 
all  money  given,  that  is  50%  for  outreach  and 
50%  for  local  needs. 

3.  What  is  approved  outreach  giving?  This  can  be 
described  as  follows: 

a.  All  money  contributed  through  the  local  church 
treasury  for  the  support  of  the  Brotherhood  Fund 
program.  This  is  the  primary  responsibility  of  each 
congregation  and  the  amount  of  the  total  earmarked 
for  this  purpose  is  the  self-allocation  which  is  to  be 
reported  to  the  Annual  Conference  each  year. 

b.  Other  outreach  giving  for  causes  administered 
directly  by  the  district  or  supported  by  the  district, 
inclusive  of  camps,  homes  for  the  aging,  etc. 

D.  Capital  Funds  for  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary 
We  recommend: 

1.  That  a  major  part  of  the  capital  fund  require- 
ments of  the  seminary  be  met  from  Brotherhood  Fund 
contributions. 

2.  That  the  trustees  of  the  Seminary  in  co-operation 
with  the  General  Brotherhood  Board,  conduct  a  special 
gifts  campaign,  seeking  contributions  from  persons  with 
larger-than-average  resources  and  from  those  persons 
with  a  special  interest  in  the  seminary,  in  connection 
with  the  current  relocation  program. 

IV.  Co-operation    and    co-ordination    for    major    fund 
appeals 

Major  fund  raising  campaigns  should  be  planned 
so  as  to  avoid  overlapping  and  confusion  with  other 
major  fund  appeals  that  are  directed  to  the  same  people 
and  congregations  in  a  given  period  of  time.  Because 
major  fund  campaigns  are  initiated  by  the  General 
Brotherhood  Board,  the  colleges,  districts,  retirement 
homes,  local  churches,  and  other  institutions,  it  is 
imperative  that  there  be  some  plan  for  making  clearance 
and  for  avoiding  overlapping  and  confusion. 

A.  At  the   Brotherhood   level 

We  recommend  that  the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
in  co-operation  with  the  colleges  and  the  seminary,  work 
out  a  plan  that  will  bring  about  co-ordination  and 
co-operation  in  major  fund  appeals.  Co-operation  in 
such  a  plan  would  be  on  a  voluntary  basis. 

B.  At  the  district  level 

We  recommend  that  the  Board  of  Administration 
of  each  district  establish  a  plan  for  co-ordinating  major 
appeals  for  funds,  if  such  appeals  are  undertaken. 

Illustration  of  Self -allocation 

Work  Sheet 

A.  Total  Local  Program    $30,000 

B.  Brotherhood       Board-administered 

Program:    Brotherhood  Fund  .  .$10,000 

C.  District-administered       or       Sup- 

ported Work   $10,000 

D.  Brethren  Area  College $  5,000 

E.  Total  Approved  Goal  for  Outreach 

Giving  (B,  C  and  D  combined)  $25,000 

Percentage  Ratio: 

E.  Total  Approved  Outreach  .  .$25,000 

A.  Giving  as  Related  to  Local 

Program  Expenses $30,000 

Percentage  of  Approved  Outreach  45% 

Percentage  of  Local 55% 

Total    100% 


MARCH  19,  1960 


25 


The  above  illustration  shows  that  45  cents  of  each 
dollar  is  for  approved  outreach  and  55  cents  of  each 
dollar  is  for  the  local  program.  This  almost  reaches 
the  challenge  level  of  50  cents  of  each  dollar  for  local 


program  and  an  equal  amount  for  approved  outreach. 
Committee: 

Joseph  W.  Kettering,  chairman 
A.  Wayne  Carr,  W.  W.  Clannin 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


German  Catholic  Hierarchy 
Announces  New  $2,000,000 
Relief  Grant 

The  German  Roman  Catholic 
hierarchy  has  announced  an  addi- 
tional grant  of  $2,000,000  for  relief 
projects  around  the  world.  In  recent 
months  the  bishops  of  the  church 
in  Germany  have  allocated  $3,000,- 
000  for  similar  projects  in  Asia,  Af- 
rica, and  Latin  America. 

Funds  for  the  allocations  came 
from  collections  taken  up  among 
German   Catholics   during  Lent. 

Two  Thirds  of  CO's 
Are  Mennonites 

More  than  two  thirds  of  the  con- 
scientious objectors  now  performing 
civilian  service  as  an  alternative  to 
military  duty  come  from  Mennonite 
churches.  Relatively  few  CO's  are 
coming  at  present  from  the  ranks  of 
the  major  Protestant  denominations. 

The  National  Service  Board  for 
Religious  Objectors  recently  sent  a 
survey  questionnaire  to  1,825  young 
men  presently  working  on  alternative 
service  projects.  Selective  Service 
itself  does  not  maintain  any  record 
concerning  the  denominational  affili- 
ation of  objectors. 

Replies  were  received  from  about 
eighty-five  per  cent  of  those  per- 
forming alternative  work  assign- 
ments. Some  188  of  the  total  are 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. Only  forty-three  are  members 
of  the  other  historic  peace  church, 
the  Religious  Society  of  Friends. 

The  significance  of  the  survey  is 
that  conscientious  objection  is  more 
and  more  coming  to  be  confined  to 
the  historic  peace  churches,  with  the 
Quakers,  who  were  once  the  reli- 
gious group  most  opposed  to  partici- 
pation in  military  service,  producing 
fewer  objectors  with  each  passing 
year. 

Church  Youth  Employment  Office 
Combats  Delinquency 

Two  North  Philadelphia  churches 
have  joined  forces  to  combat  delin- 
quency with  a  state-licensed  youth 
employment  agency,  backed  by  an 
anonymous  grant  of  $33,600  for  a 
staff  over  a  two-year  period. 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


The  collaborating  churches  are 
Zion  Baptist,  a  Negro  congregation, 
affiliated  with  the  American  Baptist 
Convention,  and  Christ  Episcopal, 
eight  blocks  away,  which  has  been 
white  but  now  has  a  few  Negro 
members.  The  two  congregations 
are  believed  to  be  the  only  ones 
having  state-licensed  employment 
agencies,  whose  services  are  adver- 
tised in  the  daily  press. 

UN  Report  Sees  Decline 
in  Religious  Bias 

A  two-year  study  by  the  United 
Nations  has  found  that  religious  dis- 
crimination is  declining  around  the 
world. 

The  study,  which  was  completed 
before  the  recent  outbreak  of  anti- 
Semitic  vandalism,  concludes  that 
there  is  "a  widespread  trend" 
toward  equal  treatment  of  religions 
and  their  followers.  It  attributes  the 
trend  to  a  change  in  the  attitude 
of  churches,  governments,  and  the 
public.  However,  it  said  the  possi- 
bility of  a  reversal  in  this  trend 
should  not  be  ruled  out. 

Judaism  Propagation  Group 
Plans  Mission  Center 

An  organization  which  was  formed 
in  Jerusalem  four  years  ago  to  win 
converts  to  Judaism  has  announced 
plans  for  setting  up  a  center  there 
for  training  missionaries  as  well  as 
a  hostel  to  house  prospective  con- 
verts coming  to  Israel. 

The  organization  is  the  Association 
for  the  Propagation  of  Judaism.  The 
organization  claims  about  1,000 
members,  of  whom  only  about  250 
are  active.  Its  objective  lacks  wide- 
spread support  because  Jewish  lead- 
ers generally  are  opposed  to  attempts 
to  convert  non-Jews  by  strictly  evan- 
gelistic methods. 

Last  year  the  Chief  Rabbinate  ac- 
cepted only  200  of  the  1,000  candi- 
dates for  conversion  to  Judaism, 
many  of  them  Christian  wives  of 
Jewish  East  European  immigrants  to 
Israel.  Reluctance  to  receive  con- 
verts to  Judaism  on  the  part  of  the 
Chief  Rabbinate  stems  largely  from 
a  tradition  which  started  in  England 
during  the  time  of  Oliver  Cromwell. 
In  1666,  after  the  Jews  had  been 
readmitted  to  England  by  the  Pro- 


tector, an  agreement  was  made  speci- 
fying that  Jews  would  (1)  never 
become  public  charges,  (2)  never 
lend  money  at  interest,  and  (3)  nev- 
er try  to  convert  Christians  to 
Judaism. 

Vienna  Catholic  Parley  Asks 
Monthly  Allowances  for  Mothers 

National  legislation  to  provide  a 
monthly  allowance  of  500  schilhngs 
($20)  for  all  mothers  of  growing 
children  in  Austria  has  been  urged 
by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Vien- 
na Catholic  Family  Association. 

The  assembly  declared  that  the 
state  should  provide  financial  aid  to  ■ 
the  mothers   so  they  "will  not  be 
forced  to  seek  employment  outside 
the  home." 

Bishop  Bruno  Wechner  of  Austria 
said,  "A  part-time  mother  is  pre- 
vented from  watching  over  the  char- 
acter  formation  of  the  child.  It  is 
the  mother  who  is  responsible  for 
the  earliest  religious  instruction  of  : 
the  child.  The  very  best  kinder-  • 
garten  or  nursery  school,  even  where 
religious  influence  is  present,  is  a 
poor  substitute  for  the  Catholic 
home,  where  instruction  and  guid- 
ance are  mixed  with  the  personal 
loving  care  of  the  mother." 

Ghana  Appeals  to  Vatican  on 
French  Nuclear  Tests 

Ghana  has  asked  the  Vatican  to 
use  its  influence  to  prevent  French 
nuclear  tests  in  the  Sahara  region. 
In  its  appeal,  Ghana  quoted  state- 
ments by  both  Pope  John  XXIII  and 
his  predecessor,  Pope  Pius  XII,  call- 
ing for  peaceful  rather  than  military 
use  of  nuclear  energy. 

The  appeal  coincided  with  a  joint 
protest  by  145  Italian  scientists 
against  the  French  tests.  The  scien- 
tists warned  that  the  tests  endanger 
not  only  the  fives  of  African  popula- 
tions surrounding  the  Sahara,  but 
also  people  in  Italy  proper,  because 
of  wind-borne  fallout. 

Production  Set  for  Film  Depicting 
Christianity  Under  Communism 

The  production  of  a  film  depicting 
Christianity's  struggle  under  Com- 
munism will  go  before  the  cameras 
in   West   Germany   some   time   this 


summer.  The  film  will  be  produced 
by  Lutheran  Film  Association,  a  co- 
operative group  composed  of  five 
Lutheran  church  bodies  and  the  Na- 
tional Lutheran  Council. 

The  film  concerns  a  German 
Lutheran  pastor  and  his  son  living 
in  East  Germany  and  recounts  their 
experience  in  the  struggle  between 
church  and  state.  The  producers 
hope  the  film  will  mirror  the  tensions 
going  on  in  East  Germany,  depicting 
the  Christian  faith  and  the  possibility 
of  its  survival. 

Evangelist  Says  Moving 
Baptists  Leave  Church  Rolls 

Southern  Baptist  churches  have 
been  told  by  an  evangelist  of  their 
Home  Mission  Board  that  some 
2,500,000  Southern  Baptists  have 
moved  to  other  cities  without  trans- 
ferring their  memberships  from  their 
former  churches. 

Dr.  Eual  F.  Lawson  called  on  Bap- 
tist churches  to  find  these  communi- 
cants and  persuade  them  to  join 
churches  where  they  five.  The 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  has  a 
membership  of  more  than  9,000,000. 

Congress  Urged  to  Admit 
More  Refugees  During  WRY 

Congress  was  called  on  recently 
by  an  American  Baptist  Convention 
leader  to  revise  immigration  and 
naturalization  laws  to  admit  more 
refugees  to  the  U.S.  during  the 
World  Refugee  Year. 

Dr.   John  W.   Thomas,   executive 

secretary     of     the     denomination's 

Council  on  Christian  Social  Progress, 

said  that  Baptists  in  common  with 

other  Christians  are  disappointed  at 

what  has  been  accomplished  by  the 

federal  government  in   the  first  six 

|  months  of  the  World  Refugee  Year. 

Dr.  Thomas  observed:    "No  major 

I  change  was  made  in  the  immigration 

I  laws,  thus  the  way  was  not  cleared 

]  for  the  United   States  to  play  the 

li  role    in    resettlement    which    might 

I  have  been  expected  of  the  leading 

i  nation  of  the  West." 

Plans  Mapped  for  Graham's 
;  Spanish- American  Crusade 

A  Billy  Graham  team  office  has 
been  opened  in  New  York  City  to 

j  co-ordinate  plans  for  the  evangelist's 
eight-day  Spanish-American  Crusade 

i  there  in  November,  which  is  being 
sponsored  by  the  Protestant  Council 
of  the  City. 

According  to  plans,  Mr.  Graham 
will  preach  nighdy,  assisted  by  a 
Spanish  interpreter.    Persons  attend- 

I  ing  the  rallies  will  be  asked  to  make 


decisions  for  Christ  and  decision 
cards  will  be  referred  to  area  church- 
es for  follow-up.  The  special  series 
of  evangelistic  meetings  is  designed 
to  reach  the  area's  Spanish-speaking 
population,  particularly  some  250,- 
000  Puerto  Ricans  whose  religious 
affiliations  are  unknown. 

The  Protestant  Council  of  New 
York  estimates  that  250,000  of  the 
city's  700,000  Spanish-speaking  peo- 
ple, predominantly  Puerto  Ricans, 
"may  have  no  active  church  affilia- 
tion." A  recent  council  study  showed 
that  15  per  cent  of  the  total  or  some 
100,000  Puerto  Ricans  are  Protes- 
tants and  50  per  cent  or  350,000, 
Roman  Catholic. 

Archaeologist  Disputes  Megiddo 
Stables  Were  Solomon's 

Prof.  Yigael  Yadin,  an  archaeolo- 
gist of  Hebrew  University  in  Jerusa- 
lem, said  the  so-called  Solomon's 
Stables  discovered  at  Megiddo  in 
1925  and  1939  by  an  expedition  of 
the  Oriental  Institute  of  the  Universi- 
ty of  Chicago  were  not  built  by  Sol- 
omon but  in  a  later  period. 

After  three  days  of  digging  at 
the  site,  Dr.  Yadin  said  the  stables 
most  probably  were  constructed  by 
King  Ahab,  who  with  his  allies  in 
853  B.C.  used  2,000  chariots  to 
check  the  Assyrian  emperor  Shal- 
maneser  in  the  Battle  of  KarKar. 

United  Church  Asks  Canadian 
Capital  Punishment  End 

Members  of  the  federal  govern- 
ment of  Canada  have  been  informed 
that  the  United  Church  of  Canada 
is  anxious  that  the  death  penalty 
be  abolished  as  soon  as  "alternative" 
methods  of  punishment  are  found. 
The  Canadian  House  of  Commons 
has  scheduled  a  free  vote  on  the 
thorny  subject  of  capital  punishment. 
This  means  that  "party  whips"  will 
be  taken  off  and  each  member  will 
be  allowed  to  vote  as  his  conscience 
dictates. 

Australian  Schools  Get 
Religious  Syllabus 

For  the  first  time,  a  Christian  edu- 
cation syllabus  for  use  in  secondary 
schools  in  New  South  Wales  and 
Victoria  has  been  issued  by  the  inter- 
denominational Councils  for  Chris- 
tian Education  in  Schools  in  these 
states.  The  syllabus  which  oudines 
a  six-year  study  course,  "marks  one 
important  step  forward  in  adolescent 
religious  education  in  Australia,"  ac- 
cording to  a  Methodist  paper  in 
New  South  Wales. 


BRETHREN  AT  WHITE 
HOUSE  CONFERENCE 

Six  official  representatives  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  received 
Presidential  invitations  to  participate 
in  the  Golden  Anniversary  White 
House  Conference  on  Children  and 
Youth,  March  27  — April  1  in  the 
nation's  capital. 

Other  Brethren  will  attend  the 
conference  under  auspices  of  varied 
state  and  national  organizations. 

Representing  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  will  be:  youth,  Sylvia  Mid- 
dlekauff,  Juniata  College  sophomore, 
and  Warren  Miller,  Bridgewater 
College  junior  and  national  youth 
president;  young  adult,  Philip  E. 
Norris,  pastor  of  the  University  Park 
church  in  Eastern  Maryland;  Chris- 
tian Education  Commission,  Mary 
Spessard,  director  of  children's  work, 
and  Joe  Long,  director  of  youth 
work;  and  Brethren  Service  Com- 
mission, James  Renz,  director  of 
social  welfare. 

The  purpose  of  the  conference  has 
been  defined  as  promoting  "oppor- 
tunities for  children  and  youth  to 
realize  their  full  potential."  Spe- 
cifically, the  7,000  participants  will 
engage  in  the  study  and  understand- 
ing of: 

•  Values  and  ideals  of  society. 

•  Effects  of  the  rapid  changes  in  this 
country  and  the  world  on  the  devel- 
opment of  children  and  youth. 

•  Relation  of  family,  religion,  the 
arts,  government,  community  organ- 
izations and  services,  peer  groups, 
and  adult  behavior  to  the  fulfillment 
of  youth. 

The  two  areas  of  conference  con- 
cern will  center  on  "The  World 
Around  the  Young"  and  "The  Young 
in  the  World."  In  210  work  groups 
of  30  persons  each,  the  participants 
will  study  in  detail  such  matters 
as  environment,  mobility,  economic 
support,  nurture,  opportunity,  free 
time,  mass  communication,  human 
resources,  and  beliefs,  all  as  influ- 
ences upon  young  people.  The  role 
of  youth  themselves  in  the  world 
will  be  looked  at  in  additional  for- 
ums on  maturity,  learning,  thinking, 
doing,  citizenship,  and  mental, 
physical,  and  social  handicaps. 

For  the  first  time,  500  guests  from 
other  countries  were  invited  to  join 
in  the  proceedings  on  the  same  basis 
as  American  participants. 

The  tradition  of  White  House 
Conferences  on  Children  and  Youth 
was  started  in  1908,  in  an  era  when 


MARCH  19,  1960 


27 


FOR 

MIDDLE-AGED 
ADULTS 


NOW  or  NEVER 


The  Promise  of  the 
Middle   Years 

SMILEY  BLANTON 

This  is  a  book  directed  especially  to 
middle-aged  people.  The  author  is  well- 
known  as  a  medical  doctor  and  psychia- 
trist with  a  firm  religious  faith.  Here  is  a 
wise  guide  from  an  authoritative  source  on  problems  of 
health,  sex,  marriage,  children,  money,  work  and  religion 
for  new  self-understanding  and  creativeness  in  the  high  noon 
of  one's  life.  In  the  midst  of  tensions,  pressures  and  perplexi- 
ties that  are  especially  prevalent  in  the  middle  years,  "Now 
or  Never"  aims  at  the  quest  for  wholeness  and  happiness  in 
the  remaining  years  of  life.  $4.95 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


Church   of   the  Brethren   General  Offices 

KODACHROME  SLIDES 

(2x2)  mounted,  are  ready  for  distribution.  Excellent  for  personal 
use  or  for  showing  to  church  groups.  Select  from  subjects  listed. 
Order  by  number. 


Price:    3 
Exterior  Views: 

9  Front  of  building,  northeast 
12  Entrance  steps  &  front  door 

16  Front  of  building  &  lawn,  east 

17  Entrance,   building   in   back- 

ground 

Interior  Views: 

1  Office  of  general  secretary 

2  Chapel 

4  Cafeteria 

7  GBB  conference  room 
10  General  office  area 

Chapel  Window  Symbols: 

3  Chi  Rho  —  monogram  of 

Christ 


for  $1.00 

5  Candle  —  Christ,  Light  of  the 

world 

6  Lord's  supper 

8  The  open  Bible 
11  The  cup  — 3rd  dimension 
effect 

13  IHS  -  Jesus 

14  Loaves  and  fishes 

15  The  cup  —  close-up  view 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


social  reforms  for  children  had  yet 
to  begin.  President  Theodore 
Roosevelt  was  convener.  The  earli- 
est of  America's  child  labor  laws 
grew  out  of  the  meeting. 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Obituaries 

Loose,  Cora,  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Susan  Kensinger  Lee,  was  born  in  Blair 
County,  Pa.,  July  11,  1872,  and  died  at 
Roaring  Spring,  Jan.  8,  1960.  She  was 
united  in  marriage  to  John  Loose,  who 
preceded  her  in  death.  She  was  a  chart- 
er member  of  the  Williamsburg  church, 


Pa.  She  is  survived  by  one  son,  two 
daughters,  two  sisters,  one  brother, 
nine  grandchildren,  twenty-four  great- 
grandchildren, and  one  great-great 
grandchild.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Bechtel  funeral  home  by 
Bro.  Glenn  Norris.  Interment  was 
in  the  Presbyterian  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Sollenberger,  Williamsburg, 
Pa. 

Martin,  Mary  Davis,  was  born  March 

2,  1887,  and  died  Jan.  15,  1960.  In 
October  1911,  she  was  married  to  J. 
Luther  Martin.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Boones  Chapel  church,  Va.  Sur- 
viving are  her  husband,  three  sons,  a 
daughter,  and  six  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Boones 
Chapel  church  by  Brethren  S.  H.  Flora, 
C.  P.  Stump,  and  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Davis  family  ceme- 
tery. —  Robert  S.  Roller,  Penhook,  Va. 

Mathews,  Helen,  was  born  June  27, 
1899,  in  Ramsey,  N.  J.,  and  died  Oct. 

11,  1959.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Winter  Park  church,  Fla.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  mother,  sister,  one  daugh- 
ter, and  three  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Cox- 
Parker  chapel  by  Brethren  Russell  K. 
Showalter  and  C.  E.  Bower.  Interment 
was  in  the  Palm  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Olive 
Brallier,  Orlando,  Fla. 

May,  Joshua  B.,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, Nov.  21,  1886,  and  died  in 
Tampa,  Fla.,  Jan.  8,  1960.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Duval  funeral 
chapel,  Tampa,  by  Bro.  A.  D.  Crist, 
assisted  by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  Myrtle  Hill  cemetery.  — 
John  M.  Meyers,  Tampa,  Fla. 

Metzger,  Perry,  son  of  Allen  and 
Anna  Fletcher  Metzger,  was  born  June 

12,  1883,  in  Peru,  Ind.,  and  died  Jan. 

3,  1960.  He  was  married  to  Dora 
Stover  in  1905.  He  was  a  deacon  of 
the  Pipe  Creek  church,  Ind.,  for  many 
years.  Surviving  are  one  son,  a  brother, 
three  grandchildren,  and  four  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Pipe  Creek  church  by  Breth- 
ren Willis  Maugans,  Carl  Showalter, 
and  Charles  R.  Oberhn.  Interment  was 
in  the  Metzger  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Wayne 
E.  Klepinger,  Bunker  Hill,  Ind. 

Miller,  Helen  G.,  daughter  of  J. 
Wilbert  and  Mary  E.  Wolfe  Miller,  was 
born  in  Orange  Township,  Iowa,  Nov. 
23,  1906,  and  died  Dec.  28,  1959.  Sur- 
viving are  her  father,  one  sister,  and 
three  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  her  pastor,  the  under- 
signed in  the  Locke  funeral  home, 
Waterloo.  Interment  was  in  the  Orange 
cemetery.  —  Clarence  D.  Sink,  Water- 
loo, Iowa. 

Miller,  Olive,  daughter  of  Frederick 
and  Mary  Stong  Miller,  was  bom 
March  4,  1886,  and  died  in  Martinsburg, 
Pa.,  Jan.  11,  1960.  She  was  received 
into  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
1901,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Everett 
church.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  K.  R.  Miller  funeral  home  by 
Bro.  Fred  M.  Bowman.  Interment  was 
in  the  Spring  Hope  cemetery.  —  Joy 
Harsh,  Everett,  Pa. 

Mohler,  Ella  E.,  daughter  of  Monroe 
C.  and  Susie  K.  Huber  Hackman,  died 
in  Ephrata,  Pa.,  Dec.  5,  1959,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-one  years.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ephrata  church.  Surviving, 
are  her  husband,  Allen  J.  Mohler,  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Miley  funeral  home  with 


Bro.  J.  A.  Robinson  officiating.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Hess  Mennonite  ceme- 
tery. —  Mabel  M.  Myer,  Ephrata,  Pa. 

Mostoller,  Emma  S.,  daughter  of 
John  F.  and  Sally  Schrock  Reiman,  was 
born  May  18,  1869,  near  Berlin,  Pa., 
and  died  Dec.  16,  1959,  in  Scalp  Level, 
Pa.  She  was  preceded  in  death  by  her 
husband,  Allen  F.  Mostoller.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Brotherton  church,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  one  sister,  five 
grandchildren,  and  twenty  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Brotherton  church,  with  Bro. 
Herald  V.  Seese  officiating.  Interment 
was  in  the  Pike  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Harry 
J.  Emerick,  Berlin,  Pa. 

Moyer,  Lizzie  B.,  wife  of  Elmer  M. 

Moyer,  was  born  April  28,  1881,  and 

died  Oct.  17,  1959.   She  is  survived  by 

her  husband,  three  sons,  two  daughters, 

■  nineteen     grandchildren,     and     seven 

I  great-grandchildren.    The  funeral  serv- 

lice    was    held    in    the    Indian    Creek 

I  church,   with   Brethren   Joseph    Moyer 

|and  A.  A.  Price  officiating.    Interment 

was  in  the  church  cemetery.  —  L.    G. 

Nyce,  Vernfield,  Pa. 


Church  News 

Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 
Freeport  —  Bro.  Charles  Cochran,  a 
student  of  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary, 
is  serving  as  interim  pastor  until  Sept. 
1,  1960.  Six  from  our  church  attended 
the  peace  leadership  training  institute 
at  Rockford  on  Oct.  10.  Mrs.  Chester 
Moats  was  speaker  for  the  children's 
workers'  conference.  Mrs.  Vera  Johan- 
sen  was  chairman  of  the  evening  pro- 
gram for  World  Community  Day  at  the 
Faith  EUB  church.  Our  church  con- 
tributed six  relief  layettes  and  is  par- 
ticipating in  the  present  share-a-blanket 
drive.  The  women's  fellowship  spon- 
sored a  family  Christmas  party.  Our 
project  was  a  collection  for  the  Breth- 
ren Home  at  Mt.  Morris.  The  children's 
department  completed  a  $200  payment 
for  a  heifer.  A  local  worker's  confer- 
ence for  teachers  was  held.  Mrs.  Joseph 
Schechter  was  director  of  the  school  of 
missions  held  in  January.  Our  theme 
was  Africa.  Featured  were  a  film  on 
Church  of  the  Brethren  missions  in 
Nigeria,  a  talk  by  an  African  college 
student,  and  the  play,  Edge  of  the 
Village.  —  Pearl  Kleckner,  Freeport,  111. 
Hickory  Grove  —  Two  have  been  re- 
ceived into  the  church  by  baptism.  Our 
vacation  Bible  school  was  held  jointly 
with  the  Methodist  church.  The  offer- 
ing was  sent  to  the  Lybrook  Indian 
school.  Some  from  our  church  attended 
the  sectional  Call  meetings  at  Yellow 
Creek  and  Cherry  Grove.  Our  CBYF 
group  entertained  the  sectional  group. 
Two  of  our  young  adults  attended  the 
young  adult  camp.  Our  communion  was 
held  on  World  Communion  Sunday. 
On  home-coming  day  our  pastor,  Bro. 
J.  Mark  Burner,  brought  the  morning 
sermon  and  Bro.  J.  Henry  Long  the 
afternoon  address.  Our  delegates  to  the 
district  conference  at  Franklin  Grove 
were  Delores  Leaveris  and  Lloyd  Beek- 
er.  We  participated  in  the  donating  of 
blankets  for  relief.  —  Nellie  Bowman, 
Mt.  Carroll,  111. 

Southern  Illinois 
LaPlace  —  We  co-operated  with  the 
Methodist  church  in  our  vacation  Bible 


A  Church  Annuity  for  Me 


Investing  is  uncertain  but  I  have  a  Board  Annuity! 


•  The  Investment  return  is  good 

•  It  is  assured  for  life 

•  My  check  always  comes  promptly 

•  My  investment  benefits  people  —  boys,  girls,  men  and  women 

•  And  I  have  satisfaction  in  my  heart 

Do  you  know  about  the  tax  deduction   afforded  by  a  gift  on   the  annuity   plan? 
Why  not  send  today  for  information?   You  will  incur  no  obligation  whatever. 


GENERAL    BROTHERHOOD    BOARD 
1451     Dundee     Avenue     .     .     Elgin,     Illinois 


Please  send  me  free,  the  leaflet,  "A  Church  Annuity  Yields 
Triple  Benefits."  quoting  rates  up  to  7.4%.  Tell  me  what 
percent  income  I  would  receive  for  birth  dates  as  follows: 


MYSELF 


Month 


Day 


Year 


A  CO-ANNUITANT 


Month 


Day 


Year 


MY  NAME  

ST.;  RFD CITY 

(Clip  and  mail  to  Harl  L.  Russell,  Director  of  Special  Gifts,  at  the  above  address. 
Your  inquiry  will  be  considered  confidential.) 


...  STATE 


school.  The  offerings  went  to  the  Illi- 
nois Council  of  Churches  for  the  sup- 
port of  migrant  workers  and  supplies 
for  the  Navajo  Indians  in  the  Southwest. 
Mary  Jones  and  Edith  Hite  were  our 
delegates  to  district  meeting.  Promo- 
tion day  services  were  in  charge  of 
teachers  and  pupils  of  the  children's 
department.  An  installation  service  for 
church  school  officers  and  teachers  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  B.  C.  Wenger.  David 
Arnold  entered  BVS  service,  serving 
the  first  three  months  at  the  National 
Institutes  of  Health  at  Bethesda,  Md. 
He  is  now  in  training  at  New  Windsor. 
Our  youth  group  was  host  to  the  local 
leaders'  lab.  The  Christmas  project  of 
our  homebuilder's  group  was  a  gift  of 
money  to  a  local  leader  for  retarded 
children.  The  junior  high  group  pre- 
sented   the    Christmas    program.     The 


Willing  Worker's  class  was  host  to  the 
adult  Sunday  school  and  presented  a 
picture,  The  Guiding  Star,  instead  of 
the  usual  study  period.  —  Gertrude  F. 
Traxler,  LaPlace,  111. 

Oak  Grove  —  We  have  had  one  bap- 
tism recently.  The  women's  fellowship 
met  one  afternoon  to  make  diapers  for 
the  World  Community  Day  project.  We 
had  an  all-day  prayer  vigil  before  our 
evangelistic  service  in  the  fall.  Bro. 
Dan  Flory  of  Springfield,  111.,  was  the 
evangelist.  Our  pastor  began  a  mem- 
bership class  in  December.  Our  church 
was  host  to  the  local  WCTU  family 
Christmas  potluck  supper.  The  CBYF 
gave  the  temperance  play,  We  Reach 
for  the  Stars.    The  CBYF  remembered 


MARCH  19,  1960 


29 


ADVENTURES 

IN 

PARENTHOOD 


W.  Taliaferro  Thompson 

Here  is  a  book  that  reflects 
the  wisdom  of  a  man  who  has 
been  a  friend  to  hundreds  of 
children.  Mr.  Thompson  has 
written  these  thought-provok- 
ing chapters:  Fathers  Are  Par- 
ents Too;  What  Boys  and  Girls 
Want;  What  Happens  When 
Needs  Are  Denied?;  When  to 
Say  No;  How  to  Say  No;  Reli- 
gion in  the  Home;  Making  Re- 
ligion Real. 

One  of  the  key  thoughts: 
"The  effective  influence  is  not 
what  the  parents  say,  but  what 
they  are  and  do.  .  .  ."      $2.50 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


the  shut-ins  with  fruit  baskets.  The 
Sunday  school  children  gave  a  Christ- 
mas program.  Construction  of  a  garage 
and  breeze  way  at  the  parsonage  is 
underway.  —  Mrs.  Durward  Hays,  Low- 
point,  111. 

Virden  —  Eight  have  been  baptized. 
We  had  a  family  night  as  outlined  in 
the  article,  The  Festival  of  the  Christ- 
mas Tree,  printed  in  the  November 
Leader.  At  our  council  meeting,  we 
decided  to  celebrate  our  fiftieth  anni- 
versary in  1962.  The  church  board 
will   serve  as   a  planning   group.     Our 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


church  is  co-operating  with  other  local 
churches  and  the  Illinois  Council  of 
Churches  in  an  evangelistic  emphasis 
during  February.  On  Jan.  10,  our  love 
feast  was  held.  —  Mrs.  Wray  White- 
neck,  Virden,  111. 

Beech  Grove  —  World  Community 
Day  was  observed  by  our  council  of 
churches.  Clothing  and  layettes  for 
needy  children  were  donated.  The 
community  Thanksgiving  service  was 
held  in  our  church,  with  Bro.  Ira 
A.  Oren  as  speaker.  The  CBYF  met 
in  the  sanctuary  one  evening  for 
a  film  on  juvenile  delinquency.  This 
was  followed  by  fellowship  and  recrea- 
tion. They  were  represented  at  their 
winter  conference  at  the  Eversole 
church.  Several  from  the  men's  group 
solicited  for  the  CROP  drive  in  the 
county.  The  women's  fellowship  Christ- 
mas program  was  presented  by  the 
girls  of  the  Sunday  school.  The  chil- 
dren's department  have  little  red 
stockings  to  be  filled  with  pennies. 
This  is  their  missionary  project.  One 
Sunday  our  church  was  responsible  for 
the  worship  service  at  the  Brethren's 
Home.  A  number  from  our  group  at- 
tended the  Darke  County  Christian 
leadership  training  school.  —  Mrs.  Ev- 
erett Druley,  Hollansburg,  Ohio. 

Brookville  —  Several  attended  the  dis- 
trict children's  workers  conference  at 
the  Mack  Memorial  church  of  Dayton. 
On  promotion  day  Bibles  were  given  to 
the  third-year  primaries.  A  number  of 
our  women  with  other  women  of  the 
community  were  guests  of  the  Method- 
ist women  at  a  meeting  at  which  Mrs. 
Carol  Dewey,  a  missionary,  was  the 
speaker.  We  now  have  a  church  library 
of  250  books.  Raymond  R.  Peters 
spoke  at  our  church  loyalty  dinner. 
That  same  evening  recognition  was 
given  to  new  members.  Our  pastor 
served  on  a  panel  discussion  at  regional 
conference.  A  number  of  our  youth 
enjoyed  the  sectional  youth  meeting. 
On  World  Community  Day  Mrs.  Russell 
Helstern  was  the  speaker.  During  our 
school  of  peace  our  speakers  were  Wil- 
bur Bollinger,  who  gave  a  historical 
review  of  world  disharmony;  Lewis 
Hoskins;  and  Matt  Thomson.  Five 
babies  have  been  dedicated.  Massed 
choirs  sang  during  the  morning  worship 
of  Dec.  20  for  our  Christmas  celebra- 
tion. Our  men's  fellowship  and  youth 
visited  shut-ins  with  carols  and  gifts. 
On  Dec.  13  Bro.  Chester  Harley 
brought  the  message  and  installed  six 
deacons.  The  communion  service  fol- 
lowed the  installation  service.  Seven 
new  members  have  been  received  by 
letter.  The  women's  fellowship  has 
been  making  comforters  for  relief.  — 
Mrs.  W.  Russell  Miller,  Brookville, 
Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

Lower  Miami  —  Our  vacation  Bible 
school  was  directed  by  Mrs.  Ray  Noff- 
singer.  A  number  of  our  young  people 
attended  the  regional  youth  conference 
at  Camp  Mack.  At  our  last  council 
four  new  members  were  elected  to  the 
deacon's  office  of  the  church.  They 
are:  Vern  Hoffman,  Richard  Foust, 
Walter  Laprad  and  William  Stebbins. 
Delegates  to  district  meeting  were 
Lulie  Laprad,  Sherman  Mohler,  and 
Lawrence  Garst.  —  Lulie  Laprad,  Day- 
ton, Ohio. 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  439.  Needed:  Cottage  Parents 
for  teen-agers  in  a  new  child  care 
center  in  the  East;  middle-age  couples 
(30-50  years)  in  good  physical  and 
mental  health,  who  are  mature  and 
settled.  Must  be  people  who  have  a 
sincere  liking  for  children,  who  can 
take  deviant  behavior  and  yet  exert  a 
wholesome  influence.  They  should 
drive,  have  a  high  school  or  college 
education,  and  no  dependent  children. 
Position  offers  salary  plus  maintenance. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Illinois. 


Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Big  Swatara  —  A  group  of  our  Sunday 
school  children  were  taken  by  bus  to 
the  children's  home  at  Neffsville.  After 
group  singing  they  lunched  together, 
and  then  the  Big  Swatara  children  went 
to  the  Brethren  home  and  sang  for 
them.  Bro.  Ammon  Merkey  was  guest 
speaker  for  our  Thanksgiving  Day 
service.  The  Elizabethtown  College 
Christian  Association  presented  a  re- 
ligious drama  entitled  Demas.  A  dedi- 
cation service  for  babies  was  conducted 
during  a  morning  worship  service.  Our 
women  are  sending  comforters,  band- 
ages, and  seeds  for  relief.  One  has 
been  received  by  baptism.  Bro.  Leroy 
Hawthorn  was  guest  speaker  on  Christ- 
mas morning.  Our  new  deacons,  Mahlon 
Geeseman  and  Harold  Gingrich,  and 
their  wives  were  installed  in  a  special 
service  at  which  Bro.  Howard  Merkey 
was  the  speaker.  A  school  of  missions 
was  held  two  Sunday  nights  in  January. 
Bro.  D.  Paul  Greene  from  Elizabeth- 
town  College  was  speaker  at  our  Bible 
institute.  —  Mrs.  John  Swope,  Union 
Deposit,  Pa. 

East  Fairview  —  The  teachers  of  the 
children's  department  attended  the  dis- 
trict children's  workers  meeting.  At  a 
public  program  sponsored  by  women's 
work,  Dr.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff  showed  a 
film  of  his  work  with  the  lepers  in: 
Nigeria.  The  women  packed  thirty-six 
boxes  for  shut-ins  and  sick  and  also 
spent  an  afternoon  and  evening  sewing 


for  relief.  The  young  adults  are  sup- 
porting the  Flat  Creek  mission  in 
Kentucky.  Brother  and  Sister  Paul 
Bruckhart,  Brother  and  Sister  Robert 
Buckwalter,  and  Brother  and  Sister 
Robert  Rohrer  were  installed  in  the 
office  of  deacon  and  Bro.  James  Weaver 
was  licensed  to  the  ministry  at  the 
December  council.  The  five-church 
group,  of  which  we  are  a  part,  held 
watch  night  services  on  New  Year's 
Eve  in  the  Florin  church.  Four  were 
baptized  and  two  were  received  by 
letter  in  January.  We  had  Bro.  Carl 
Zeigler  with  us  for  three  sessions  of 
Bible  study  on  the  Book  of  James.  We 
had  special  services  for  the  dedication 
of  our  new  educational  building  and 
the  tenth  anniversary  of  the  present 
edifice.  Bro.  Frank  Carper  spoke  at 
the  dedication  service  in  the  morning. 
Open  house  was  held  in  the  afternoon, 
and  in  the  evening  Bro.  Olden  Mitchell 
brought  the  message.  —  Mrs.  Mahlon 
Graybill,  Manheim,  Pa. 

Reading  —  On  Jan.  17  we  moved  into 
our  new  church  located  in  Wyomissing 
Hills  Garden.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Harold 
Bowser,  preached  on  Stepping  Forward 
in  Faith.  Our  dedication  service  will 
be  held  on  Palm  Sunday.  The  evan- 
gelism and  Call  programs  were  carried 
out  in  this  new  community,  where  we 
are  the  only  church.  Four  new  mem- 
bers are  awaiting  baptism  and  four  have 
been  received  by  letter.  On  the  last 
Sunday  evening  of  the  month  a  family 
night  program  is  held.  A  covered  dish 
social  precedes  the  evening  service. 
Sister  J.  C.  Wine,  a  former  missionary 
to  Africa,  showed  slides  and  spoke  at 
the  women's  fellowship  meeting.  We 
also  worked  a  day  at  the  Neffsville 
Home.  A  young  mothers'  group  has 
been  formed  to  take  care  of  the  nursery 
program  of  the  church.  —  Mrs.  Marie 
Phillips,  Birdsboro,  Pa. 

Schuylkill  —  Brother  and  Sister  Stew- 
art Zerbe  and  Brother  and  Sister  Ray 
Stump  were  installed  as  deacons  at  our 
council  meeting.  On  Dec.  13,  four  stu- 
dents from  Elizabethtown  College  filled 
the  pulpit.  The  message  was  given  by 
Bro.  Robert  Hess.  Our  evangelistic 
services  will  be  held  April  3-17,  with 
Bro.  Howard  Bernhard  as  the  evan- 
gelist. Our  love  feast  will  be  held  May 
14-15.  —  Mrs.  Ray  Stump,  Pine  Grove, 
Pa. 

Southern  Pennsylvania 
Buffalo  —  Guest  ministers  supplied 
our  pulpit  prior  to  the  summer  pastorate 
of  Bro.  Roger  L.  Forry.  At  the  close  of 
the  summer  the  congregation  extended 
him  a  call  as  pastor.  Brother  Forry  is 
continuing  his  seminary  studies  at  a 
school  within  commuting  distance.  Or- 
dination and  installation  services  were 
held  for  Brother  Forry  on  Dec.  20.  Bro. 
J.  M.  Baugher  represented  the  Southern 
Pennsylvania  commission  on  ministry 
and  evangelism,  and  Bro.  John  Boone 
from  the  Sugar  Valley  congregation 
represented  the  district  elders.  The 
women  are  collecting  clothing  to  be 
sent  to  New  Windsor  and  are  also  mak- 
ing bandages  to  send  to  leprosy  patients. 
The  church  has  taken  official  action  to 
build  a  parsonage  in  the  near  future. 
The  church  is  sponsoring  a  100%  Gos- 
pel Messenger  club  again  this  year.  On 
Jan.  23,  Dr.  Pfaltzgraff  gave  an  inter- 
esting talk  and  showed  pictures  of  his 
work  among  the  lepers  in  Nigeria.  — 
Mrs.  Paul  A.  Lemmon,  Lewisburg,  Pa. 


For 

BRETHREN 
ONLY 

by     KERMIT     EBY 

Described  by  its  author  as  a  "mood  piece," 
this   book    is   a   series   of   stimulating    reflections 
concerning  the  Brethren  expression  of  the  Christian  way  of  life 

Steeped  in  his  Brethren-Mennonite  background,  and  profoundly 
grateful  for  it,  the  author  looks  at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  of 
yesterday,  today,  and  tomorrow. 

He  is  pleased  with  a  part  of  what  he  sees,  and  he  tells  us  why. 
He  is  not  pleased  with  some  of  what  he  sees,  and  he  tells  us  why. 
Basic  New  Testament  concepts  are  kept  in  focus. 

His  widely  known  intimate  pictures  of  life  in  his  boyhood  Baugo 
are  employed  with  skill  and  insight.  So  also  are  his  related 
experiences  from  his  varied  adult-world  contacts. 

Throughout  he  pleads  for  a  church  committed  anew  to  the  basic 
Christian  principles  of  devotion  to  God  as  revealed  in  Christ  and 
to  human  brotherhood  and  justice. 

The  author  is  an  ordained  Church  of  the  Brethren  minister,  cur- 
rently a  professor  in  the  department  of  social  sciences  of  the 
University  of  Chicago;  formerly  a  public  schoolteacher,  the 
secretary  of  the  Chicago  Teachers  Union,  and  the  educational 
director  of  the  CIO. 

$3.00 


Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois 


Western  Pennsylvania 

Locust  Grove  —  At  our  quarterly 
council  meeting,  Bro.  Homer  Hoover 
from  the  Carson  Valley  church,  was 
elected  our  pastor  for  two  years.  The 
young  people  of  the  church  made  up 
fruit  baskets  and  boxes  of  cookies  for 
the  shut-ins  and  older  folks  of  the  com- 
munity. The  children  of  the  Sunday 
school  and  church  choir  gave  Christmas 
programs.  The  various  Sunday  school 
classes  are  taking  turns  in  having  the 
Sunday  school  opening.  Bro.  Earl  Zig- 
ler,  a  missionary  to  India,  was  at  our 
church  for  evening  service  on  March  1. 
—  Mrs.  Jean  Thomas,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Rummel  —  Our  church  and  the  Grace 
Lutheran  church  will  co-operate  again 
in  our  community  Lenten  services.  We 
expect  to  have  Bro.  Earl  M.  Zigler, 
missionary  to  India,  as  the  speaker. 
World  Day  of  Prayer  services  were  in 
the  Grace  Lutheran  church  on  March 
4.  Our  pre-communion  services  will  be 
held  during  Holy  Week,  when  Bro. 
Herald  Seese,  pastor  of  the  Brothers- 
valley  congregation,  will  speak.  We  are 
participating  in  the  Call  to  Discipleship 
phase  of  the  Call  program.  —  Mrs.  Clara 
Ott,  Windber,  Pa. 

Florida,  Georgia,  and  Puerto  Rico 

Orlando  —  Since  Thanksgiving  Day 
we  have  been  worshiping  in  our  new 
building.    Our  pastor,  David  Webster, 


Classified  Advertising 

A  HEAP  OF  LIVING,  by  Cora  W. 
Helman.  Story  of  the  life  and  ac- 
tivities of  J.  Edson  Ulrey,  portray- 
ing church  history  on  the  local  level 
for  more  than  half  a  century.  Price, 
$2.95,  plus  10c  postage.  Order  from: 
Cora  W.  Helman,  Onekama,  Mich. 


FOR  SALE  —  Bonnets,  turbans  and 
coverings  of  all  styles.  Wide  choice 
of  materials.  Also  hosiery.  Send  for 
new  catalog,  FREE.  Ida  M.  Myers, 
342  W.  Market  St.,  York,  Pa. 


EUROPEAN  TOUR:  W.  E.  Ickes, 
leaving  New  York,  June  18,  by  air. 
Visit  ten  different  countries,  cost 
$1,273.  Return  July  20th.  Optional 
tour  of  the  Scandinavian  countries, 
$472.  Return  August  1.  Ickes  has 
represented  the  Brethren  Service 
and  the  Heifer  Program,  and  has 
made  five  trips  abroad.  He  knows 
the  places  Americans  appreciate 
seeing  as  they  travel  abroad  and 
many  of  these  are  on  the  schedule. 
Write:  W.  E.  Ickes,  Adel,  Iowa. 


MARCH  19,  1960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  .  .  . 

Name    


R.  D.  or  St. 
P.  O. 


Zone 


State 


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address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


and  his  family  moved  into  the  new 
parsonage  in  early  spring.  Brethren 
Paul  Hiatt  and  Frank  Wine  directed 
the  construction  of  the  parsonage  and 
church.  A  recreation  program  was  or- 
ganized in  the  new  community  to  get 
acquainted  with  the  people.  Mary 
Cline,  a  student  at  Bridgewater  College, 
spent  the  summer  with  us  in  the  work- 
and-serve  program.  In  co-operation 
with  the  Brethren  in  Christ  church,  a 
joint  Bible  school  was  held  at  their 
church.  Two  of  our  members,  Glenda 
Fisher  and  Lamarr  Wingert,  are  in 
BVS.  The  young  people  have  sponsored 
two  displaced  Dutch  from  Indonesia. 
The  district  youth  jamboree  was  held 
here  over  the  New  Year  week  end.  Our 
moderator,  Bro.  Floyd  Irvin,  is  con- 
ducting a  series  of  Sunday  night  meet- 
ings on  peace  and  goodwill.  A  program 
for  evangelism  and  discipleship  is  being 
formulated  by  our  pastor  and  the  evan- 
gelism committee.  —  Homer  M.  Reber, 
Orlando,  Florida. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Locust  Grove  —  Bro.  Austin  Cooper 
was  elected  moderator  and  Bro.  Alton 
Esworthy  associate  moderator.  Evan- 
gelistic meetings  were  held  by  Bro.  J. 
L.  Miller.  Two  were  baptized  and  two 
received  by  letter.  Bro.  Byron  Flory 
officiated  at  our  love  feast.  Our  pastor 
is  teaching  a  Bible  hour  each  Wednes- 
day evening,  and  meeting  each  Thurs- 
day with  our  deacons  for  research  in 
prayer.  Our  district  secretary  con- 
ducted a  self-study  in  our  church. 
Twenty  of  our  sisters  have  joined  the 
Fahmey-Keedy  auxiliary.  Several  of 
our  people  visited  the  home  on  visitors' 
day,  taking  gifts  of  staples  and  canned 
food.  We  have  a  family  night  each 
month  with  a  different  fellowship  group 
serving  as  host  each  time.  Our  pastor 
had  consecration  services  for  two  new 
babies.  We  had  a  service  of  dedication 
for  our  new  organ.  One  of  our  youth, 
Bro.  Robert  Klein,  a  student  at  Bridge- 
water  College,  was  recently  licensed  to 
the  ministry.    The  CBYF  sponsored  a 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


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watch  night  service  with  a  social  hour. 
The  deacons  are  organizing  our  church 
on  the  undershepherd  plan.  A  com- 
mittee has  also  been  appointed  to  re- 
vise our  constitution.  Our  sisters  are 
sewing  cut  garments,  tying  comforters, 
and  rolling  bandages  for  relief.  Three 
of  our  young  people  are  serving  in 
BVS. -Mrs.  J.  Donald  Plank,  Mount 
Airy,  Md. 

Union  Bridge  —  On  World  Commun- 
ion Sunday  we  observed  our  love  feast. 
The  evangelistic  emphasis  of  the  Call 
program  was  carried  out  with  home 
visitation.  A  candlelight  service  and 
installation  of  the  new  officers  for  the 
women's  fellowship  was  held.  The 
pastor  conducts  Bible  study  once  a 
month  at  the  meeting  of  the  women's 
fellowship.  A  study  group  for  mothers 
of  preschool  children  was  organized  re- 


cendy.  Eighteen  persons  have  been  re- 
ceived into  the  fellowship  of  the  church 
by  baptism  and  by  letter  during  the 
past  year.  They  were  honored  at  a  des- 
sert supper  one  Sunday  evening.  At 
two  services  in  the  fall  Harold  Row 
spoke  on  the  Church  at  Work  in  the 
Modern  World.  Some  of  our  folks  at- 
tended a  community  leadership  training 
school  held  at  the  Pipe  Creek  church. 
Bro.  Austin  Cooper  was  the  guest  speak- 
er for  our  Thanksgiving  supper  meeting. 
A  group  from  our  church  sang  Christ- 
mas carols  at  the  Springfield  state 
mental  hospital.  The  pageant,  Looking 
for  a  Star,  in  co-operation  with  the 
senior  choir,  was  given  at  our  Christmas 
program.  —  Mrs.  Maurice  M.  McDaniel, 
New  Windsor,  Md. 


Minister's  Book  of  the  Month 


SELECTION  FOR  APRIL 

The  HUMAN  Problems  of  the  Minister 

Daniel  D.  Walker 

Introduction  by  Gerald  Kennedy 

The  business  or  "calling"  of  being  a  minister,  the  author  admits,  does  not 
remove  a  man  from  the  usual  temptations  and  frustrations.  In  fact,  in 
addition  to  the  tensions  to  which  all  twentieth-century  men  are  subject, 
there  are  some  special  ones  peculiarly  the  pastor's  own.  Dr.  Walker  says, 
"In  this  book  we  try  to  face  up  to  these  tensions,  to  talk  more  freely  about 
them,  and,  in  confronting  them,  to  be  better  prepared  to  reshape  the  ministry 
into  a  more  effective  instrument  for  God  in  our  day." 

Regular  price,  $3.95;  to  members  $2.75  plus  postage  and  handling 

Notice  mid-March  Pastor's  Packet  for  more  information 
regarding  this  book  and  other  club  selections 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  Illinois 


CAtttocn, erf tn£<&Meia/i&L' 

ftispeP 


MESSENGER 


MARCH  26,  1960 


<»$ai**t.>; 


X   >A 


de  Monel 


Three  Lions 


St.  Francis  of  Assisi  and  the  Birds 


Praised  be  my  Lord  God,  with  all  his  creatures,  and  especially  our  brother  the  Sun, 

who  brings  us  the  day  and  who  brings  us  the  light:  fair  is  he,  and  he  shines  with 

a  very  great  splendor.  .  .  . 
Praised  be  the  Lord  for  our  sister  the  Moon,  and  for  the  stars,  the  which  he  has  set 

clear  and  lovely  in  the  heaven. 
Praised  be  my  Lord  for  our  brother  the  wind,  and  for  air  and  clouds,  calms  and  all 

weather,  by  which  thou  upholdest  life  and  all  creatures.  .  .  . 
Praise  ye  and  bless  the  Lord,  and  give  thanks  to  him  and  serve  him  .  .  . 

Canticle  of  the  Sun,  by  St.  Francis  of  Assisi 


Gospel  Messenger  READERS    WRITE 

'Thy  Kingdom  Gome" 


to   the   editor 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

MARCH  26,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  13 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Westernized,    if   Not   Civilized    5 

No  Longer  a  Nobody   5 

Should  the  U.S.  Give  Away  H-Bombs?  5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship:     Bernard   and  Francis. 

Dale  W.  Brown 3 

The  Defaulter.  Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr.  . .  6 
What  Price  Vanity?  Joyce  D.  Miller  9 
Retarded  Children  Can  Be  Helped. 

Dorothy  G.  Murray 10 

Should  a  Pastor  Help  in  Will  Making? 

T.  K.  Thompson    12 

The  Small  Church  Dilemma. 

Chauncey  Shamberger   15 

World-Famous  Exile  Visits  Woodstock. 

Emma  K.  Ziegler   18 

Farmers  Hop  the  Curtain    19 

World  Refugee  Year  19 

A  Friend  Who  Loves  Me    19 

Brethren  Want  to  Know  20 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books  24 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings  16 

Rhoades     to    Co-ordinate     Leadership 

Thrust    17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    21 

Overseas  Report  From  West  Africa. 

H.  Stover  Kulp 23 

Church  News 28 

•         •         • 

Protestant  Episcopal  Bishop  Robert 
R.  Brown  of  Arkansas:  "Freedom  is  not 
the  right  to  do  whatever  we  want.  It  is 
the  privilege  of  doing  what  we  ought. 
It  is  not  private  license;  it  is  public 
responsibility.  It  is  not  freeing  our- 
selves; it  is  binding  ourselves  for  the 
good  of  all." 

2  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Spirit  of  Evangelism 

An  article  in  the  Nov.  21  issue 
was  of  special  interest  to  me.  "It 
Began  With  Four  Dollars"  was  rare. 
This  is  a  good  building  and  is  an 
attractive  rural  location. 

I  attended  this  church  in  child- 
hood and  was  nearly  a  charter  mem- 
ber or  possibly  so  around  thirty  years 
ago.  While  I  have  not  attended  there 
in  nearly  twenty-five  years  but  in 
another  area,  the  article  has  brought 
back  many  memories.  I  do  wish 
to  say  this  that  the  success  in  the 
early  life  of  the  church  is  a  good 
example  of  what  the  spirit  of  evan- 
gelism will  do  on  the  part  of  laymen 
as  well  as  the  leader. 

Not  long  after  the  church  was 
organized  we  had  from  seventy-five 
to  one  hundred  in  attendance.  Many 
interested  did  put  forth  special  effort 
to  contact  personally  the  unchurched 
and  prayed  for  these  people  and  took 
children  from  unchurched  homes  to 
Sunday  school.  And  a  real  zeal  was 
noticeable  on  the  part  of  many  mem- 
bers for  those  without  faith.  I'm 
glad,  Brethren,  the  emphasis  this 
year  is  on  evangelism.  We  recently 
saw  in  a  Messenger  article  the  amaz- 
ing growth  the  different  faiths  with 
a  strong  evangelistic  program  made 
over  those  churches  with  lesser  zeal. 
And  I  hope  our  church  will  continue 
to  be  evangelistic.  —  Mrs.  Donald 
Williams,  300  Washington  SE, 
Grand  Bapids,  Mich. 

Rings  True 

I  would  like  to  say  "Amen"  in 
reply  to  Chas.  Wampler's  letter  (Jan. 
23)  with  one  exception.  Many  of 
us,  reared  in  Christian  homes,  grow 
in  grace  through  our  parents,  and 
their  faith  finally  becomes  our  faith 
with  comparative  ease.  Others  must 
travel  a  rougher  path.  It  is  to  those 
and  those  of  us  who  have  wandered 
off  that  the  grace  of  God  really  rings 
true  often  with  real  impact. 

In  recent  years  I  allowed  the  hu- 
man weaknesses  of  others,  as  well 
as  my  own  to  become  a  stumbling 
block,  but  thanks  to  Sister  Anna 
Mow  I  can  now  sing  wholeheartedly 
the  praises  of  God.  .  .  . 

She  explained  so  skillfully  what  it 
meant  to  be  born  again,  to  know 
the  grace  of  God,  our  sonship  with 
him,  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  strength 
and  power  that  comes  to  us  through 
God.  .  .  . 


The  Lord  has  guided  me  all  the 
way  as  I  keep  trying  to  seek  and 
do  what  he  would  have  me  do. 
Reading  the  Bible  and  praying  have 
become  a  looked-forward-to  treat 
each  day.  —  Mrs.  Betty  Keener,  Box 
476,  B.  3,  Ashland,  Ohio. 

From  a  Rest  Home 

I  feel  I  must  let  you  know  how 
much  I  have  enjoyed  reading  the 
Gospel  Messenger.  I  am  a  guest  in 
a  rest  home  where  the  hosts  get  the 
Messenger  each  week.  I  must  tell 
you  that  in  my  opinion  it  is  one 
of  the  best  of  church  papers.  .  .  . 

I  have  thought  for  a  long  time 
that  a  Bible  school  should  be  con- 
ducted with  questions  and  answers, 
each  one  attending  have  a  Bible.  It 
is  appalling  how  little  so  many  know- 
about  the  Bible.  —  Mrs.  E.  Hoover, 
Indiana,  Pa. 

Effect  of  Beverage  Alcohol 

A    subject    most    commonly    dis- 
cussed nowadays  and  done  the  least  t 
about  is  the  sale  of  beverage  alcohol,  j 
We   are  being  brainwashed  to   the? 
effect  that  alcohol  is  not  responsible 
for  all  our  alcoholics.    But  by  the/ 
same  token  since  1933  (which  was; 
the  date  of  the  repeal  of  the  18th 
Amendment)  alcoholics  have  reached  i 
an     all-time     high,     crime     thrives, 
juvenile    delinquency    is    climbing,, 
our  jails  are  overcrowded,  new  peni- 
tentiaries   are    having    to    be    built, 
too  many  accidents  happen  on  our 
public    highways,    homes    are    con- 
stantly  being   broken    up,    children 
have  to  suffer,  and  money  is  being 
used  for  liquor  when  it  should  be 
used  for  the  building  of  homes  thati 
will  keep  America  strong. 

In  looking  over  my  encyclopedia 
on  the  18th  Amendment  I  find  "that 
prohibition,  fairly  effective  at  first, 
became  less  so  as  time  went  on." 
Bootlegging  of  liquor  on  an  unprece- 
dented scale  diverted  large  sums  ofi 
money  to  criminal  elements  of  the 
population. 

Now  I  wonder.  For  every  dollar 
that  the  government  gets  for  revenue 
from  the  sale  of  this  stuff,  seven 
dollars  has  to  be  used  to  control 
the  effects  of  it.  That  in  itself,  con- 
sidering the  money  standpoint, 
doesn't  add  up,  let  alone  all  these 
other  things  that  I  have  mentioned 
above,  which  are  a  small  part  of  all 
of  its  effects. 

Continued  on  page  20 


B 


E  LIKE  Jesus  is  not  only 
a  song  in  our  hymnal 
but  a  recurrent  theme  of 
I  Christian  history.  Especially  is 
I  this  true  of  the  people  called 
Brethren.  Nachfolge  Christi 
I  ( following  after  Christ )  is  cen- 
[tral  to  the  Anabaptist  heritage. 
I  We  feel  that  it  is  germane  to  our 
BNew  Testament.  "For  to  this 
I  you  have  been  called,  because 
S  Christ  also  suffered  for  you, 
I  leaving  you  an  example,  that 
Byou  should  follow  in  his  steps" 
1(1  Peter  2:21). 

Even  so  it  had  been  forgotten 
'jby  the  church,  and  it  remained 
|  for  two  medieval  saints  to  re- 
E  discover  this  motif  for  Christen- 
Idom.  Floyd  Mallott  has  felt 
I  that  the  small  group  at  Schwarz- 
lenau  was  another  appearance 
i  of  this  Bernardine-Franciscan 
i)  emphasis. 

Bernard  of  Clairvaux 

Whether  or  not  a  famous 
breed  of  dogs  was  named  after 
him,  they  do  possess  in  common 
with  this  great  man  an  associa- 
tion with  humanitarian  service 
and  with  monasteries.  Bernard 
was  born  in  Burgundy  in  1090. 
His  father  was  a  pious  devout 
nobleman.  His  mother  had  de- 
sired convent  life  but  was 
forced  to  marry  by  her  parents 
at  the  age  of  fifteen.  She  bore 
seven  children,  Bernard  being 
the  third  of  six  sons.  The 
mother  dedicated  her  life  to 
service  of  the  poor  and  her 
children  to  holy  service. 


Men  who  heard 

the  call  to  discipleship: 


Jesus,  the  very  thought  of  thee 
With  sweetness  fills  the  breast; 
But  sweeter  far  thy  face  to  see, 
And  in  thy  presence  rest. 

O  hope  of  every  contrite  heart, 
O  joy  of  all  the  meek, 
To  those  who  ask,  how  kind  thou  art! 
How  good  to  those  who  seek! 

But  what  to  those  who  find?  Ah,  this 
No  tongue  or  pen  can  show; 
The  love  of  Jesus,  what  it  is 
None  but  his  loved  ones  know. 
—  Bernard  of  Clairvaux 


ERNARD 


and 


RANCIS 


Dale  W.  Brown 


Thus,  it  was  natural  that 
Bernard  should  be  attracted  to 
a  neighboring  monastery,  which 
had  the  reputation  of  being  one 
of  the  most  reformed  and  aus- 
tere in  Europe.  It  was  the  only 
monastery  of  the  new  Cister- 
cian movement,  and  it  was 
struggling.  That  is,  until  the 
youthful  Bernard  knocked  at  its 
gate  with  thirty  companions. 
The  fact  that  he  had  persuaded 
these,  which  included  four 
brothers,  his  uncle,  and  two 
cousins,  indicates  the  natural 
leadership  ability  of  the  then 
twenty- two-year-old . 

New  life  immediately  came 
to  the  movement.  Three  years 
later  he  was  placed  in  charge  of 
a  new  community  of  twelve 
monks  at  Clairvaux,  where  he 
remained  as  abbot  until  his 
death  thirty-eight  years  later 
in  1153.  Thousands  wanted  to 
join  the  movement.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  the  order  had 
grown  to  350  abbeys  and  150 
dependent  cells. 


His  ascendency  to  leadership 
of  the  new  monastic  move- 
ment coincided  with  a  power 
vacuum  in  the  papacy.  Thus 
we  have  in  Bernard  the  story 
of  the  dominant  figure  of  the 
twelfth  century.  His  life  is  full 
of  contrasts.  Although  sickly 
all  of  his  life,  his  was  the  most 
active  and  vigorous  life  of  the 
century. 

Basically  seeking  contempla- 
tion in  his  small,  bare  cell,  he 
became  involved  in  politics, 
councils,  debates,  and  numer- 
ous private  affairs  of  others. 
He  traveled  from  one  end 
of  Europe  to  the  other.  Al- 
though he  was  a  man  who  was 
basically  a  peacemaker,  he  was 
the  great  preacher  of  the  second 
crusade.  And  although  he 
preached  love,  his  tongue  could 
be  as  fire  when  directed  to  his 
opponents  such  as  Abelard. 

Although  Bernard  refused  all 
ecclesiastical  office,  except  his 

MARCH  26.  1960  3 


lifetime  job  as  abbot  of  Clair- 
vaux,  he  wielded  great  power 
over  councils  and  popes,  once 
writing  to  Pope  Eugenius  III, 
"Remember,  that  thou  thyself 
art  not  the  Lord  of  bishops,  but 
one  of  them."  Bernard's  only 
basis  for  power  was  his  moral 
superiority  and  the  magic  of 
his  personal  appearance.  I 
agree  with  the  Catholic  writer, 
Lekai,  who  believes  it  is  a 
tribute  to  the  medieval  age  that 
a  monk  who  was  lacking  in  any 
official  position  was  so  feared 
and  obeyed  in  all  of  Europe. 
Today,  we  would  quickly  dis- 
miss him  as  a  religious  fanatic. 

Although  a  man  of  his  age, 
Bernard  differed  in  important 
respects  from  his  age.  He  did 
not  think  the  Jews  should  be 
persecuted.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  to  say  that  kindness  and 
gentleness  should  be  used  with 
the  children.  And  he  advocated 
feet  washing  as  an  additional 
sacrament  for  the  church. 

Francis  of  Assist 

Oh,  that  the  people  of  San 
Francisco  (Spanish  for  St. 
Francis )  would  live  up  to  their 
namesake!  For  Francis  (1182- 
1226)  lived  in  the  thirteenth 
century  what  Bernard  had  so 
eloquently  preached  in  the 
twelfth.  He  was  born  in  the 
little  Italian  village  of  Assisi. 
His  father  was  a  rich  merchant. 
He  knew  a  gay  life  and  a  good 
education.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  was  taken  captive  in 
a  local  feudal  war.  Soon  after 
this  he  took  sick,  and  first  be- 
gan to  think  seriously  concern- 
ing his  life. 

Following  his  conversion  he 
rebelled  against  his  father  and 
rejected  all  wealth.  The  trouble 
with  the  world,  he  believed, 
was  that  men  were  fighting  over 
riches.  And  the  trouble  with 
the  church  was  that  it  had 
grown   too  rich  and  was   for- 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


getting  the  poor.  Thus  Francis 
married  "Lady  Poverty."  He 
and  the  followers  he  immedi- 
ately attracted  would  accept  no 
money,  only  the  bare  necessi- 
ties of  life.  They  went  about 
preaching,  holding  before  the 
people  the  pattern  of  their 
Lord.  Full  of  joy,  they  even 
preached  to  the  birds. 

This  inaugurated  a  new  kind 
of  monasticism.    They  did  not 


Alone.  Rather  this  was  a  mysti- 
cism which  returned  the  human 
Jesus  to  the  center  of  devotion. 
This  union  was  not  one  for  the 
purpose  of  salvation  by  escape 
from  the  world,  but  rather  a 
union  of  affection  and  will  with 
Jesus  for  the  purpose  of  living 
like  him  in  the  world.  "In  a 
word,"  Bernard  said,  "my  phi- 
losophy is  this,  and  it  is  the 
loftiest  in  the  world:    to  know 


.  .  .  Blessed  is  the  servant  who  loves  his  brother  as  much  when  he 
is  sick  and  useless  as  when  he  is  well  and  can  be  of  service  to  him. 
And  blessed  is  he  who  loves  his  brother  as  well  when  he  is  far  off 
as  when  he  is  by  his  side;  and  who  would  say  nothing  behind  his 
back  he  might  not,  in  love,  say  before  his  face. 


—  Francis  of  Assisi 


I 


call  themselves  monks  because 
they  did  not  live  away  from  the 
world,  but  Friars  or  Brothers 
because  they  spent  most  of  their 
time  with  people.  In  the  early 
years  of  the  thirteenth,  "the 
most  wonderful  of  Christian 
centuries,"  there  occurred  one 
of  the  strangest  meetings  of 
history.  The  mightiest  of  popes, 
dictator  of  empires  and  un- 
challenged primate  of  a  wealthy 
and  powerful  church  organi- 
zation, granted  to  audience 
a  poor,  bedraggled  wanderer. 
Then  Innocent  III  gave  to 
Francis  of  Assisi  permission  to 
become  this  new  kind  of  order. 
There  are  many  wonderful 
stories  told  about  Francis  and 
his  followers,  some  true,  some 
probably  legend,  but  most  true 
to  the  spirit  of  this  man  who 
has  been  acclaimed  by  the 
world  as  the  nearest  imitator  of 
Christ. 

Jesus  Mysticism 

In  hundreds  of  sermons  on 
the  Songs  of  Solomon,  Bernard 
speaks  of  union  with  Christ. 
This  was  not  in  the  vein  of  the 
Dionysian  mysticism  of  his  day, 
with  its  abstract  talk  of  the 
flight    of    the    alone-with-the- 


Jesus,  and  him  crucified.  .  .  ." 

In  His  Steps 

This  resulted  in  a  new  stress 
on  the  imitation  of  Christ.  "In 
vain,"  Bernard  wrote,  "are  we 
called  Christians,  if  we  live  not 
according  to  the  example  and 
discipline  of  Christ."  Of  Jesus, 
he  preached,  "He  offers  himself 
as  an  example  of  humility,  as 
the  type  of  gentleness.  If  you 
follow  him,  you  shall  not  walk 
in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the 
light  of  life." 

What  Bernard  preached 
Francis  adopted  in  this  rule  for 
the  Brothers:  "The  rule  and  life 
of  these  brothers  is  this,  that 
they  live  in  obedience,  in 
chastity,  and  without  property, 
and  follow  the  teaching  and  the 
footsteps  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  .  .  .  who  says,  Tf  any- 
body wishes  to  come  after  me, 
let  him  deny  himself  and  carry 
his  cross  and  follow  me.' " 

No  side  of  the  medieval 
church  comes  as  close  to  the 
Brethren  as  does  this  move- 
ment. Concerning  pacifism, 
Francis  said,  "Let  us,  brothers 
all,  take  note  that  our  Lord 
says,  'Love  your  enemies  and 

Continued  on  page  15 


EDITORIAL 


Westernized,  If  Not  Civilized 

BRETHREN  rejoice  when  they  hear  of  the 
stability  and  the  growth  of  our  churches 
in  Northern  Nigeria.  Recent  articles  and 
pictures  have  enabled  us  to  sense  the  develop- 
ment there  of  a  kind  of  New  Testament  Chris- 
tianity that  is  all  too  rare  in  these  days. 

We  doubt  if  television  has  yet  come  to 
Northern  Nigeria.  But  it  has  already  arrived 
in  Lagos  in  the  south  and  perhaps  in  due  time 
its  questionable  benefits  will  have  penetrated  to 
the  north.  What  kind  of  Western  influence,  we 
might  ask,  accompanies  this  great  medium  of 
communication  when  it  takes  its  place  in  a  Ni- 
gerian city? 

Well,  here  is  a  run  down  on  the  programs 
you  could  watch  in  Lagos  on  Christmas  Day 
in  the  evening:  Our  Gang  comedies  for  the 
children,  news,  My  Favorite  Story,  Nitwits  on 
Parade,  Southward  With  Prince  Philip,  Hop- 
along  Cassidy  (his  picture  was  in  the  paper) 
and  a  final  news  summary.  The  next  evening's 
offering  included  boxing  films,  news,  sports  re- 
port, Big  Fights,  Sheriff  of  Cochise,  news,  and 
the  Saturday  cinema.  On  Sunday  evening  Ni- 
gerians could  watch  Lassie,  The  Life  of  Riley, 
Frankie  Laine,  Highway  Patrol,  Lone  Ranger, 
The  Falcon,  and  Lilli  Palmer  and  her  guests. 

One  of  our  missionaries  observed  that  Ni- 
geria will  soon  be  Westernized,  if  not  civilized. 
If  we  cannot  offer  anything  better  for  their 
Christmas  viewing  than  Hopalong,  Riley  and 
Frankie  Laine,  perhaps  we  should  start  now 
to  arrange  for  our  Nigerian  churches  to  send 
missionaries  to  the  pagans  and  savages  of  the 
West.  —  k.m. 

No  Longer  a  Nobody 

THE  man  standing  before  the  judge  was 
willing  to  admit  his  guilt.  Yes,  he  was 
a  vagrant,  but  he  was  not  sure  he  knew 
what  the  word  meant.  "A  vagrant,"  said  the 
judge,  "has  been  defined  as  a  nobody  on  his 
way  from  nowhere  to  nothing."  Said  the  ac- 
cused, "That's  me." 

The  definition  is  a  clever  one.  There  must 
be  multitudes  of  people  who  feel  sometimes 
that  they  are  nobodies  on  their  way  "from  no- 
where to  nothing." 

But  the  definition  is  unchristian.  It  ignores 
the  truth  that  in  the  sight  of  God  no  man  is 
a  nobody.  The  mere  fact  that  God  has  already 
demonstrated   his   infinite    concern   for   every 


single  person  keeps  each  individual  from  being 
a  nobody.  Society  may  brand  a  man  as  being 
of  no  worth.  Dictators  may  treat  their  victims 
as  objects  lacking  humanity;  and  even  our 
highly  impersonal  civilization  may  tend  to  turn 
persons  into  things;  but  this  is  not  the  will  of 
God.  He  continually  seeks  to  establish  a  per- 
sonal relationship  with  each  of  his  children  in 
order  that  each  nobody  develop  into  the  some- 
body that,  by  the  grace  of  God,  he  may  become. 

How  tragic  it  is  that  human  beings,  who 
have  been  created  for  love  and  affection,  are 
so  often  denied  it  by  their  parents  or  their  un- 
loving brothers  and  sisters  around  the  world. 
Being  refused  love,  they  find  it  difficult  to  love 
in  response  to  love.  So  they  turn  to  all  kinds 
of  aggression  in  order  to  become  "somebody," 
but  they  miss  their  essential  calling,  which  is 
to  be  children  of  a  loving  Father. 

How  tragic  also  that  Christians,  who  claim 
to  have  status  as  sons  of  God,  who  claim  to  be 
somebody  going  somewhere,  are  so  indifferent 
to  the  nobodies  who  are  sitting  at  their  door- 
steps. If  Christians  were  as  concerned  as  their 
Lord  was  concerned  for  the  worth  of  every  in- 
dividual, it  would  not  be  long  until  vagrants 
would  change  into  new  persons,  walking  with 
a  new  purpose  in  the  direction  of  a  new  and 
abundant  life.  —  k.m. 


Should  the  U.S.  Give  Away  H-Bombs? 

THE  peace  of  the  world  has  long  been  en- 
dangered by  the  existence  of  thermo- 
nuclear weapons  of  incredible  destructive 
power.  But  only  a  few  nations  have  so  far  been 
in  a  position  to  manufacture  and  test  them. 
Their  representatives  have  not  yet  agreed  as  to 
how  they  can  limit  their  manufacture  and 
suspend  all  tests. 

Even  so,  our  own  government  has  proposed 
to  turn  over  not  only  information  but  actual 
atomic  warheads  to  other  nations  we  consider 
as  allies,  thus  increasing  the  possibilities  for 
triggering  a  nuclear  war.  If  we  give  away 
H-bombs,  the  Soviet  Union  will  feel  justified 
in  so  arming  many  of  her  satellite  nations. 

Instead  of  spreading  the  use  of  atomic 
weapons,  we  ought  to  be  working  night  and 
day  to  control,  limit,  and  eventually  abandon 
all  such  instruments  of  destruction.  —  k.m. 

MARCH  26,  1960  5 


The  Defaulter 


The  measure  of  our  Christianity 

is  found  in  the  degree  in  which 

we  sense  the  burdens  of  men  and 

share  the  needs  of  human  beings 


Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr. 


X  AUL  TILLICH  once  de- 
fined being  religious  as  being 
unconditionally  concerned.  The 
degree  in  which  we  sense  the 
burdens  of  men  and  share  the 
needs  of  human  beings  is  an 
accurate  measure  of  our  Chris- 
tianity. 

Around  the  cross  of  Christ 
there  were  varying  degrees  of 
concern  about  wrongs  which 
plagued  humanity.  The  cross 
represents  Jesus'  unconditional 
concern  for  the  needs  of  sinful 
men.  It  was  almost  inevitable 
that  he  should  come  to  such  a 
death.  Jesus  saw  clearly  the 
woe  of  mankind  and  was  deep- 
ly committed  to  do  something 
which  would  change  the  sins  of 
the  world.  Jesus  was  deter- 
mined ("I  must")  to  confront 
the  evil  of  the  world  with  the 
grace  of  a  good  God.  Had  Jesus 
been  willing  to  close  his  eyes  to 
some  of  the  wrong  in  the  world, 
a  compromise  might  have  been 

G  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


arranged.  Had  Jesus  been  will- 
ing to  settle  for  less  than  per- 
fection, a  way  out  might  have 
been  effected. 

Because  Jesus  was  uncondi- 
tionally concerned  that  the 
wrongs  of  the  world  be  righted, 
it  was  inevitable  that  he  should 
have  come  at  last  to  the  cross. 
Phillips  Brooks  said  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  "He  died  the  way 
he  died  because  he  lived  the 
way  he  lived."  The  nature  of 
Jesus'  death  on  the  cross  is  an 
evidence  of  his  unconditional 
concern  with  the  needs  of  hu- 
manity. 

The  disciples  were  not  quite 
so  sensitive  to  what  was  hap- 
pening. Only  one  of  them 
stayed  within  eyeshot  of  the 
tragedy  and  he  was  cautious 
enough  to  follow  afar  off.  To 
the  soldiers  it  was  all  in  a  day's 
work.  One  soldier  managed  to 
break  through  the  shell  of  rou- 
tine and  see  that  this  was  dif- 
ferent from  any  other  duty  he 
had  carried  out.    Fate  caught 


Simon  the  Cyrenian  on  the 
downbeat,  and  immortality  was 
thrust  upon  him.  Conscripted 
against  his  will,  he  was  privi- 
leged to  be  the  only  person  who 
helped  Jesus  in  need. 

Pilate,  for  whom  justice  was 
on  dead  center,  was  there,  too. 
He  found  no  fault  at  all,  but 
would  not  lift  a  finger  to  help! 
He  tried  appeasement,  but  the 
crowd  wanted  the  whole  loaf. 
He  brushed  aside  wifely  intui- 
tion —  and  this  is  always  a 
mistake!  The  Roman  code  of 
justice  required  Pilate  —  since 
he  found  no  fault  in  Christ  — 
to  marshal  the  legions  of  Rome 
in  the  protection  of  an  innocent 
man.  Not  this  time  for  Pilate  or 
for  justice.  Pilate  had  to  be  on 
the  winning  side  —  to  stay  on 
the  winning  side!  His  fault  was 
a  default. 

We  are  Christian  and  we 
want  to  be  Christian.  So  we 
say,  but  dare  we  measure  this 
intention  by  our  "unconditional 
concern"? 


Camera  Clix 


Instead  of  calling  out  the  legions  of  Rome  to  protect  a  blameless  man,  Pilate,  wanting  to  be  on  the  winning  side, 
declared  himself  guiltless  of  the  blood  of  an  innocent  person  and  delivered  him  to  be  crucified 


Have  we  been  too  "neutraV 
to  be  effectively  Christian? 
Neutrality  in  the  diplomatic 
sense  is  often  a  good  thing.  In 
the  personal  sense  neutrality  is 
often  cowardice.  Unfortunate- 
ly, on  many  of  the  issues  of 
life  there  is  no  middle  ground. 
One  must  say  yes  or  no  accord- 
ing to  the  light  that  is  in  him. 
Gregory  Vlastos  reminds  us  that 
there  are  thousands  of  ways  of 
saying  no.  "I  agree  with  you  in 
principle,  but  .  .  ."  is  one  way. 
"Yes,  but  this  is  not  the  time 
.  .  ."  is  another  way.  One  can 
be  in  favor  of  a  thing  "under 
certain  conditions"  and  this,  in 
effect,  vetoes  it.  Or  one  can 
even  say,  "Don't  quote  me  on 
this"  and  he  has  effectively 
withdrawn  his  support. 

But  concern  and  commit- 
ment are  never  a  series  of  little 
prunings.   They  always  require 


a  tremendous  decision.  A  man 
must  stand  up  and  say,  "I  be- 
lieve that  God  is  my  Father," 
and  then  go  on  to  put  that  prin- 
ciple into  operation  in  all  areas 
of  his  life.  There  is  only  one 
way  to  say  yes.  We  may,  like 
Pilate,  be  quite  decisive  in  some 
areas  and  exceedingly  timid  in 
the  face  of  moral  and  ethical 
responsibilities.  Neutrality  de- 
stroys Christian  concern. 

Indifference  may  measure 
"the  difference"  our  faith  can 
make.  One  has  to  think  of  the 
minister  who  walked  through 
the  wards  of  a  veterans'  hospital 
and  kept  asking  himself,  "What 
did  I  do  to  prevent  this?"  Most 
of  us  are  so  involved  doing  what 
makes  things  better  for  us  that 
we  are  indifferent  to  what  else 
happens.  Selfishness  is  on  the 
other  end  of  the  teeter-totter  of 


indifference.  Felix  Morley  once 
said,  "The  real  subversives  in 
America  are  not  the  Commu- 
nists, but  the  apathetic  and  the 
selfish  who  care  little  for  church 
or  country  but  only  for  their 
own  way." 

Especially  do  we  not  wish  to 
be  regarded  as  reformers  or 
pioneers  or  prophets.  We  are 
just  people  who  don't  want  to 
get  mixed  up  in  anything  either 
too  bad  or  too  good.  One  gets 
typed  quickly  if  his  concerns 
are  unconditional.  If  he  speaks 
his  piece  on  race,  war,  or  in- 
justice, he  is  certain  to  be  mis- 
represented in  some  "guilt  by 
association." 

Feigning  indifference  is  so 
much  easier  than  standing  up 
to  be  counted.  So  Judy  Holhday 
told  the  Senate  Internal  Securi- 

MARCH  26.  1960  7 


ty  subcommittee,  "I  don't  say 
yes  to  anything  now  except 
cancer,  polio,  cerebral  palsy, 
and  things  like  that!" 

Then,  too,  one  can  always  get 
lost  in  the  crowd.  Anonymity 
is  a  boon  for  the  fainthearted. 
Ours  is  a  crowd  culture.  The 
individual  can  get  lost  in  the 
group  and  be  relieved  of  re- 
sponsibility. A  crowd  is  usually 
cheering,  watching,  being  spec- 
tators, and  spectators  do  not 
regard  themselves  as  responsi- 
ble for  what  happens  in  their 
presence! 

We  usually  regard  sin  as  a 
private  affair  in  which  the 
breach  is  between  God  and 
man.  God,  who  is  perfect,  is 
wronged  when  we  do  wrong.  In 
a  sense  this  is  quite  true,  but  in 
another  way  it  wholly  obscures 
an  important  dimension  of  sin. 
David  confessed,  "Against  thee 
and  thee  only  have  I  sinned 
.  .  ."  Had  not  David  sinned 
against  Uriah  and  Bathsheba,  as 
well  as  God?  We  must  banish 
the  notion  that  we  can  be  lost 
in  the  corporate  sins  around  us 
and  have  no  responsibility  for 
them. 

The  dimension  of  sin  which 
we  must  see  more  clearly  in  a 
crowd  culture  is  that  sin  is  not 
only  against  God  and  our  fel- 
lows individually,  but  that 
much  of  our  sin  is  by  syndicate. 
Society  gets  interwoven  and 
complex.  Much  that  we  do  that 
is  wrong  does  not  have  its  direct 
focus  on  any  individual  or  even 
upon  any  group  of  people  col- 
lectively. Thus  many  of  the 
things  which  we  do  may  not 
be  wrong  in  themselves,  but 
are  faults  by  defaut.  Often  sin 
is  not  in  the  wrong  we  do,  but 
in  the  right  we  do  not  do. 

Remembering  that  sixty-two 
per  cent  of  our  present  popula- 
tion names  the  same  Christ  as 
we  do  and  honors  him  in  life, 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


John  Bianchi 


Three  Lions 


When  questioned  about  his  relationship  to  the  Galilean,  Peter,  who  had 
followed  afar  off  after  Jesus  was  arrested,  denied  any  knowledge  of  him 


we  must  come  to  the  reluctant 
conclusion  that  the  sins  of  sur- 
plus food  in  the  face  of  world 
hunger,  of  racial  injustice  in  the 
face  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God, 
of  research  and  experimentation 
in  new  and  more  terrible  ways 
of  death  in  the  face  of  the  love 
of  Christ  represent  the  failure 
of  Christian  people  to  be  Chris- 
tian. This  is  not  the  triumph  of 
evil  men  over  good  men.  It  is 
the  failure  of  Christian  men 
and  women  to  be  Christian. 
George  Bernard  Shaw  was  right 
when  he  said  we  must  share  the 
guilt  of  the  world  or  move  to 
another  planet.  It  is  no  longer 
possible  to  hide  behind  an  un- 
christian society. 


Is  it  nothing  to  you  when 
racial  animosity  cuts  men  and 
women  from  normal  social  con- 
duct? Is  it  nothing  to  you 
when  war  like  some  vast  black 
death  fastens  itself  in  gaping, 
bloody  wounds  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth?  Is  it  nothing  to 
you  when  greed  grows  like  a 
cancer  or  hatred  strikes  with 
the  vengeance  of  polio?  Is  it 
nothing  to  you  that  we  are  all 
too  careful,  too  indifferent,  too 
selfish,  too  ready  to  be  lost  in 
the  crowd?  Is  it  nothing  to  you 
that  our  faith  is  a  measured 
quality,  our  conduct  a  calcu- 
lated thing,  our  dedication  not 
shallow  but  not  nearly  deep 
enough? 


What  PRICE  Vanity? 


Joyce  D.  Miller 


;|  A  young  girl  stands  admir- 
ing the  image  of  herself  be- 
decked in  a  newly  purchased 
dress. 

A  teen-age  boy  passes  his 
hand  caressingly  over  the  fend- 
er of  his  "cool"  new  sports  car. 

A  young  wife  fondles  her 
new  fur. 

None  of  these  three  needed 
or  could  afford  these  luxuries, 
but  they  are  typical,  average 
Americans,  and  they  have,  like 
most  of  us,  been  swept  up  in  a 
tide  of  materialism,  enticed  by 
extensive  and  often  misleading 
advertisements,  and  the  in- 
creasing popularity  of  "keeping 
up  with  the  Joneses." 

What  are  we  paying  for  these 
stimuli  of  our  vanities?  Obvi- 
ously, exaggerated  prices.  Un- 
fortunately, this  is  the  most 
minor  cost. 

Another,  may  be  our  father 
or  husband.  If  we  were  told 
that  the  price  of  a  new  car 
would  be  our  father,  we  would 
object  and  be  horrified.  How- 
ever, behind  many  of  our  need- 
less purchases  we  find  a  tired 
man  working  overtime,  taking 
on  extra  jobs  in  many  cases, 
thumbing  through  the  many 
bills  at  the  end  of  a  long  day, 
going  to  bed  wearily  pondering 
how  to  make  an  "extra  buck." 

Ironically,  it  is  the  family 
who  is  being  cheated.  Instead 
of  living  with  a  father  or  hus- 
band, we  have  a  financier  who 
is  spending  less  and  less  time 
learning  to  know  and  enjoy  the 
family.  No,  he  probably  does 
not  even  complain,  because  he 
is  such  a  great  person  he  wants 
us  to  have  the  very  best.  So 
why  not  demand  less  and  learn 
to  know  this  man  who  is  willing 
to    work    endlessly    for     our 


whims?  We  may  even  discover 
his  companionship  is  more  val- 
uable than  the  latest  gimmick. 

Secondly,  we  are,  in  many 
cases,  paying  the  price  of  a 
mother.  The  task  of  being  a 
mother  is  one  of  great  magni- 
tude, a  full-time  job.  If  our  ex- 
cessive demands  have  forced 
our  mothers  to  seek  employ- 
ment, we  may  one  day  regret 
having  missed  her  full-time 
devotion  at  home.  For  some 
day  that  new  coat  or  new 
car  will  be  old  and  threadbare, 
but  a  mother's  love  grows  in 
value  with  the  years.  Are  we 
selling  her  short? 

Because  of  the  increasing  de- 
mands made  on  the  wage  earner 
or  earners,  family  life  has  be- 
come all  but  nonexistent.  Home 
becomes  a  motel  to  accommo- 
date our  daily  necessities.  Each 
of  us  goes  his  own  way,  seeking 
companionship  through  various 
other  media  such  as  clubs  and 
school.  Even  our  buddies  at 
work  see  us  more  and  know  us 
better  than  our  families. 

Some  of  this  may  be  unavoid- 
able, but  if  juvenile  delinquen- 
cy, neuroses  and  psychoses  are 
to  be  conquered,  family  life 
must  be  revitalized.  It  is  a 
time-established  fact  that  the 
family  serves  to  strengthen 
mental  and  physical  stability. 
If  an  insatiable  desire  for  ma- 
terialistic pleasure  is  causing 
family  life  deterioration  for  us, 
we  had  better  re-evaluate  our 
needs. 

Even  the  church  has  fallen 
a  victim  to  personal  and  insti- 
tutional vanity.  Recently  when 
a  newcomer  was  invited  to  at- 
tend a  certain  church,  the  one 
invited  answered  by  pointing 
out   that   he   was   not    "fancy 


enough"  to  attend  this  particu- 
lar church.  Is  this  a  justifiable 
criticism  of  some  of  our 
churches?  Are  the  people  of 
our  churches  living  so  extrava- 
gantly that  a  person  of  less  than 
average  income  feels  uncom- 
fortable? If  so,  our  church  has 
become  less  effective  and  is  cer- 
tainly straying  from  the  church 
of  Jesus,  whose  whole  life  ex- 
emplified simplicity. 

Probably  the  most  tragic 
price  that  we  are  paying  for 
our  vanities  is  our  souls.  We 
are  housed,  dressed,  and  driven 
in  the  latest  and  the  most  beau- 
tiful. Should  our  outer  gar- 
ments be  stripped  away,  we 
might  find  souls  that  are  barren 
and  unsightly.  In  grooming  our 
exteriors,  we  have  neglected  our 
most  precious  possession,  and 
that  is  the  wee  bit  of  us  that 
makes  us  akin  to  God,  the  bit 
of  us  that  makes  us  more  than 
a  suit  of  clothes,  new  auto,  or 
a  split-level  home. 

It  is  said  we  are  a  much 
hated  country  for  our  vain  liv- 
ing. For  a  moment  look  through 
the  eyes  of  the  needy  and  real- 
ize that  our  vain  wastes  of 
material  blessings  must  indeed 
be  a  revolting  sight  to  those 
who  are  desperate. 

Christ  warned  over  and  over 
that  the  main  enemy  of  eternal 
life  would  be  the  vanities  en- 
joyed by  the  rich.  We  may  not 
be  "rich,"  but  it  seems  we  spend 
more  and  more  of  our  efforts 
to  achieve  those  things  that 
wealth  has  to  offer. 

Desires  for  a  better  life  have 
been  channeled  to  do  much 
good;  the  pitfall  lies  when  we 
worship  the  god  of  materialism 
and  self-satisfaction,  and  the 
true  God  who  gave  it  all  be- 
comes secondary.  Instead,  we 
should  seek  the  eternal  values 
that  belong  to  God.  They  will 
not  deteriorate  in  time. 

MARCH  26.  1960  9 


Thousands  of  parents  and  teachers  are  proving  now  the 


IT  IS  not  always  true  that 
the  source  of  one's  deepest 
sorrow  in  life  is  also  the 
selfsame  source  from  which 
springs  one's  greatest  joy,  but  it 
can  and  does  happen.  This 
strange  paradox  has  proved  true 
in  our  own  family.  It  may  have 
in  your  own.  Ten  years  ago 
my  husband  and  I  came  face  to 
face  with  the  stern  realization 
that  our  third  child,  winsome, 


10 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


physically  perfect  little  four- 
year-old  Stephen  was  mentally 
retarded. 

The  emotional  impact  cre- 
ated by  such  knowledge  has  to 
be  felt  to  be  believed.  Unbelief, 
bitterness,  guilt,  depression, 
vain  hope  and  utter  despair  — 
these  are  only  a  small  segment 
of  the  gamut  of  emotions 
through  which  parents  of  such 
children  pass  in  their  effort  to 
struggle  back  to  a  belief  that 
life  is  still  good  and  worth  liv- 


Retarded 


Dorothy  G.  Murray 


ing.  This  impact  was  felt  not 
only  by  my  husband  and  myself 
but  by  our  other  three  children 
as  well,  two  older  and  one 
younger  than  Steve. 

That  was  ten  years  ago.  To- 
day, Steve  is  fourteen  —  a  tall, 
handsome  lad  with  the  mind  of 
a  young  child.  Yet  our  family 
would  unanimously  agree  that 
our  Steve  has  unknowingly 
pointed  the  way  for  all  of  us 
to  the  "real  meaning  of  life,  that 
of  giving  oneself  to  a  cause 
that  will  outlast  it."  This,  brief- 
ly, is  our  story,  but  as  you  read, 
never  forget  that  it  is  also  the 
story  of  millions.  It  might  be 
that  of  your  neighbor  across 
the  street;  it  could  be  that  of  the 
school  friend  you  have  not 
heard  from  for  years.  Yes,  it 
could  even  have  been  your  own. 

For  two  years  after  the  dis- 
covery that  Steve  was  mentally 
retarded  we  followed  the  futile, 
searching,  lonely  paths  worn 
bare  by  generations  of  parents 
before  us.  Although  we  lived 
near  a  modern,  progressive  city 
of  over  100,000  (Roanoke,  Vir- 
ginia), here  is  what  we  found: 
Diagnostic    facilities    for    the 

Past  president  of  and  currently  public 
relations  chairman  of  the  Virginia  Asso- 
ciation for  Retarded   Children 


Children  Can   Be  Helped 


mentally  retarded:  none.  Train- 
ing or  educational  facilities: 
none.  Constructive  help  for  us 
as  parents:  none.  Recreational 
or  religious  programs  geared  to 
the  needs  of  the  retarded:  none. 

We  went  to  the  public  library 
to  seek  information  on  the  con- 
dition itself  as  well  as  guidance 
in  dealing  with  this  handicap. 
What  did  we  find?   Nothing. 

I  asked  our  physician  if  he 
could  help  me  find  something 
to  read  which  might  be  of  some 
help  in  our  life  with  our  men- 
tally retarded  son.  His  answer: 
"There  is  nothing,"  and  it  was 
the  truth,  cold  and  stark.  The 
problems  posed  by  mental  re- 
tardation had  been  totally  ig- 
nored by  the  press,  avoided 
(whenever  possible)  by  many 
members  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion, passed  up  almost  com- 
pletely in  educational,  recrea- 
tional, and  religious  services  for 
children. 

We  soon  discovered,  too,  that 
no  matter  how  hard  we  tried 
to  be  objective  ourselves  about 
Steve's  mental  limitations,  it 
was  not  only  difficult  but  al- 
most impossible  to  be  so  be- 
cause of  the  evasive,  embar- 
rassed attitude  of  the  general 
public.  Our  relatives,  friends, 
and  neighbors  (or  at  least 
many,  many  of  them )  were  not 
only  hesitant  about  asking 
about  him  but  I  sensed  a  genu- 
ine feeling  of  embarrassment 
on  their  part  if  we  even  men- 
tioned his  name.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  this  being  unable 
to  share  freely  the  grief  and 
sorrow  has  caused  more  real 
hurt  for  many  parents  of  re- 
tarded children  than  any  other 
single  thing. 


After  two  years  of  seeking 
and  searching  in  vain  for  some 
constructive  guidance  with  our 
problems,  we  joined  other  par- 
ents in  the  newly  formed  Na- 
tional Association  for  Retarded 
Children.  For  the  first  time,  we 
discovered  some  little  publi- 
cized facts  about  mental  re- 
tardation and  could  look  at 
Stevie  and  his  problems  with 
our  heads  as  well  as  our  hearts. 
And  as  we  became  actively  en- 
gaged in  trying  to  improve  con- 
ditions for  all  retarded  children 
everywhere,  we  found  a  meas- 
ure of  healing  for  our  own 
crushed  spirits. 

What  were  some  of  the  facts 
we  discovered?  We  found  that 
mental  retardation  was  far  more 
common  than  any  other  single 
handicap  suffered  by  children, 
including  polio,  rheumatic  heart 
disease,  cerebral  palsy,  deaf- 
ness, and  blindness.  We  learned 
that  three  per  cent  or  thirty 
children  out  of  every  one 
thousand  are  mentally  retarded 
to  the  degree  of  needing  special 
training  to  make  maximum  use 
of  their  limited  mental  facul- 
ties. We  found  that  only  one 
child  among  this  thirty  would 
be  so  severely  retarded  as  to  re- 
quire the  care  accorded  to  an 
infant  throughout  life. 

Four  among  the  thirty  would 
be  able  to  learn  some  degree  of 
self-help  but  they,  too,  would 
require  supervision  and  support 
throughout  life.  Our  Steve  is 
in  this  group.  We  learned  that 
the  remaining  twenty-five  of 
the  thirty,  the  "educable"  could 
be  expected  to  become  self- 
sustaining,  contributing  mem- 
bers of  society  if  they  are  given 


the  proper  education  and  guid- 
ance. 

We  discovered,  along  with 
the  needs,  that  the  facilities  for 
the  care  of  these  children  were 
almost  nil.  State  schools  and 
hospitals  were  all  greatly  over- 
crowded and  understaffed,  with 
long,  long  waiting  lists.  Few 
provisions  existed  for  adequate 
training  and  mere  custodial 
care  was  not  the  order  of  the 
day.  A  small  number  of  private 
residential  schools  were  scat- 
tered throughout  the  country 
but  fees  were  prohibitive  for 
the  average  family. 

Most  comforting  of  all  our 
discoveries,  however,  was  the 
fact  that  we  were  not  alone 
with  our  problem  as  we  had 
sadly  begun  to  believe.  We 
found  that  we  were  one  of  more 
than  four  million  other  families 
struggling  to  meet  the  day-by- 
day  problems  posed  by  a  men- 
tally retarded  child  within  the 
family  circle. 

Through  the  National  Associ- 
ation for  Retarded  Children  and 
its  units  in  750  communities, 
thousands  of  dedicated  parents 
and  others  are  arousing  our 
country  to  understanding  that 
retarded  children  can  be 
helped.  There  are  diagnostic 
clinics  in  many  areas,  and  the 
number  of  classes  in  special  ed- 
ucation for  the  retarded  is 
gradually  increasing.  For  the 
first  time,  scouting,  camping, 
swimming,  religious  education, 
and  other  services  are  open  to 
the  retarded  on  their  own  level. 
The  needs  are  almost  limitless, 
but  this  is  a  beginning. 

Continued  on  page  15 


MARCH   26,   1960 


11 


hould 

stor 
help 
in  will  m 


T.  E.  Thompson 


CHURCH  leaders  have 
recently  been  urging 
Christians  to  "remember 
the  church"  in  their  wills.  As 
a  result  of  this  emphasis  one 
question  is  frequently  asked, 
"Why  should  a  pastor  help  his 
parishioners  in  making  a  will?" 
There  are  many  who  say  that  it 
is  none  of  the  pastor's  business 
and  none  of  the  church's  busi- 
ness, and  they  cite  the  follow- 
ing arguments: 

The  possibility  of  an  overrich 
church.  Obviously,  all  men  die 
and  their  earthly  possessions 
must  be  turned  over  to  other 
persons  or  institutions.  In  the 
course  of  several  generations 
the  church  may,  and  oftentimes 
does,  pile  up  tremendous  re- 
sources, while  individuals  and 
families  pass  from  the  scene  of 
human  history. 

The  answer  to  this  criticism  is 
simply  that  for  the  past  hun- 
dred years,  from  all  sources, 
religious  groups  in  the  U.S.A. 
have  received  less  than  one  per 
cent  of  the  national  income.  Of 
this  one  per  cent,  not  more  than 
ten  per  cent  has  come  from  be- 
quests and  endowments.  Thus 
the  possibility  of  an   overrich 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


church  in  the  U.S.A.  seems  ex- 
tremely remote. 

A  second  argument  is  the 
blight  of  endowments.  A  few 
churches  in  the  United  States, 
especially  in  the  North  and  the 
East,  have  too  much  money 
from  endowment  income.  Well- 
meaning  persons  in  the  past 
have  left  these  churches  con- 
siderable sums  of  money  for  un- 
restricted use.  Oftentimes  there 
is  a  large  physical  plant,  a  staff 
of  ministers,  and  very  few  pa- 
rishioners. 

The  answer  here  is  that  some 
churches  in  missionary  situa- 
tions do  need  endowments,  but 
the  vast  majority  of  churches  in 
American  Protestant  life  are 
best  supported  by  income  from 
living  parishioners.  On  the 
other  hand,  theological  semi- 
naries, colleges  and  universities, 
hospitals,  homes  for  the  aged, 
boards  of  home  and  foreign 
missions,  and  similar  institu- 
tions, greatly  need  increased 
endowment  funds. 

A  third  criticism  is  the  threat 
of  commercialism.  In  the  time  of 
Henry  VIII,  clergy  were  often 
instructed  not  to  officiate  at  the 
funerals  of  the  deceased  unless 
the  deceased  had  written  a 
"mortuary"    in    his    will.     The 


"mortuary"  usually  consisted  of 
ten  per  cent  of  the  total  of  the 
temporal  goods,  and  was  given 
to  the  church  or  to  a  church 
order.  Thus  we  have  graphical- 
ly displayed  the  "commercial" 
tendency  inherent  in  any 
church  emphasis  upon  making 
a  Christian  will.  The  church  is 
definitely  tempted  to  sell  its 
services  for  a  price,  and  in  the 
case  of  ten  per  cent  of  an  estate 
the  price  is  pretty  heavy. 

The  rebuttal  to  this  argument 
is  very  simple.  The  church 
should  completely  abstain  from 
any  kind  of  selling  its  services 
in  order  to  gain  a  bequest. 

A  fourth  criticism  is  that  the 
church  has  a  monopoly  on 
death.  A  canny  Scot  once  ap- 
proached his  pastor  on  the 
proposition,  "If  I  left  the  church 
five  thousand  pounds,  could  you 
assure  me  a  place  in  heaven?" 
The  equally  canny  pastor  re- 
plied, "I  think  it  would  be  a 
chance  infinitely  worth  taking." 
All  men  know  they  must  die. 
If  they  believe  in  any  kind  of 
life  after  death,  they  seek  the 
guidance  of  ministers  and 
priests.  The  temptation  is  al- 
ways "to  be  on  the  safe  side." 
The  church,  therefore,  has  been 
frequently  criticized  for  taking 


advantage  of  the  fear  of  death 
and  the  uncertainties  of  life 
hereafter. 

The  answer  to  this  argument 
is  simply  that  a  bequest  is  a 
gift  made  by  the  living  for  the 
living;  it  has  no  influence  in 
any  way  on  the  status  of  the 
deceased. 

A  fifth  criticism  is  the  tempta- 
tion to  "undue  influence."  There 
have  been  many  cases  on  record 
in  which  the  clergy  have  been 
sued  by  interested  parties 
claiming  that,  in  the  exercise 
of  pastoral  functions,  an  undue 
and  unreasonable  influence  was 
exerted  on  the  elderly  in  order 
to  get  these  persons  to  write  the 
church  into  their  wills. 

Again,   the   rebuttal   to   this 


argument  is  relatively  simple. 
All  older  people  of  means  are 
under  "undue  influence"  from 
philanthropic  institutions  of  all 
kinds  and  most  especially  under 
the  influence  of  aggressive  rela- 
tives who  seek  to  gain  a  be- 
quest. 

A  sixth  criticism  is  the  in- 
evitable bitterness  of  relatives 
when  a  church  is  remembered 
in  a  bequest.  The  state,  through 
its  probate  courts,  has  defined 
precisely  the  blood  relation- 
ships and  the  way  these  persons 
may  participate  in  an  estate  in 
the  event  the  person  of  means 
dies  intestate,  that  is,  without  a 
will.  Nephews  and  nieces  who 
inevitably  look  to  the  "rich 
uncle"  are  especially  bitter 
when  a  church  receives  a  large 


portion  of  the  estate  and  the 
relatives  little  or  no  portion. 

The  answer  to  this  argument 
is  simply  that  the  testator 
should  decide  what  causes  and 
what  persons  come  first  in  his 
scale  of  values.  The  pastor  has 
a  definite  responsibility  to  pre- 
sent the  needs  of  the  church  in 
his  situation. 

A  final  criticism  is  the  inva- 
sion of  privacy.  The  making  of 
a  will  is  a  highly  private  matter 
between  a  husband  and  a  wife 
and  their  immediate  family.  In 
many  respects,  a  will  is  the 
most  serious  document  a  man 
ever  frames.  To  have  the  pastor 
of  the  church,  an  outsider, 
come  in  with  a  "sales  talk"  is  in 
extremely  bad  taste. 

Again,  the  answer  here  is 
basically  a  matter  of  a  man's 
religious  faith  and  his  devotion 
to  the  Christian  church.  If  the 
testator  is  a  practicing  Chris- 
tian, he  will  want  to  seek  the 
counsel  and  guidance  of  his 
minister  on  this,  one  of  the  most 
important  decisions  of  his  life. 

The  above  criticisms  of  a  pas- 
tor who  is  interested  in  helping 
his  people  make  a  will  are  fre- 
quently heard,  especially  in  the 
homes  of  the  not-so-near  rela- 
tives who  hope  to  benefit  by  a 
bequest.  What  are  the  positive 
reasons  why  a  pastor  should  as- 
sist his  people  in  making  a 
Christian  will? 

All  will  agree  that  the  pastor 
is  a  leader  and  counselor  in  the 
field  of  Christian  stewardship. 
Christian  stewardship  is  defined 
by  the  constitution  of  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches  as 
"the  practice  of  systematic  and 
proportionate  giving  of  time, 
abilities,  and  material  posses- 
sions, based  upon  the  convic- 
tion that  these  are  a  trust  from 
God  to  be  used  in  his  service 
for  the  benefit  of  all  mankind, 
in  grateful  acknowledgment  of 
Christ's  redeeming  love." 


Have  you  included  the  church  in  your  will? 


Devaney 


MARCH  26,   1960 


13 


On  the  basis  of  this  definition 
of  Christian  stewardship,  cer- 
tain matters  become  apparent: 

Will  making  is  an  essential 
part  of  Christian  stewardship. 
Every  Christian  comes  to 
church  on  Sunday  morning  and 
makes  his  weekly  offering  as  an 
act  of  worship.  Giving  is  as 
necessary  to  the  Christian  life 
as  breathing  is  to  the  physical 
life.  Giving  is  a  form  of  prayer 
in  which  we  pray,  "Thy  king- 
dom come,  thy  will  be  done,  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven,  through 
me."  In  the  course  of  the  years, 
a  careful,  thrifty  Christian  will 
save  some  money  beyond  his 
immediate  needs;  and  as  he 
faces  the  sunset  years  of  life, 
he  will  want  to  continue  the 
Christian  stewardship  convic- 
tion which  he  has  actively  fol- 
lowed in  his  weekly  offering 
envelopes  —  by  making  a  Chris- 
tian will.  All  of  a  Christian's 
time,  talents,  and  possessions 
are  to  be  used  to  the  glory  of 
God.  When  it  comes  to  the 
final  disposition  of  his  temporal 
resources,  the  Christian  will 
want  to  use  them  to  the  greater 
glory  of  God. 

Will  making  is  a  matter  of 
faith.  The  Christian  believes 
that  all  he  has  came  first  from 
God:  his  life  has  been  medi- 
ated through  his  church  and 
church  school;  his  money  and 
other  earthly  possessions  came 
as  a  result  of  God's  goodness  in 
creation  and  man's  work  with 
God.  The  Christian  believes 
that  God's  greatest  gift  is  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Savior  and  Lord.  A 
Christian's  will  should  witness 
to  his  faith  in  both  its  words 
and  its  intent. 

Will  making  is  a  matter  of 
values.  The  way  a  man  spends 
his  money  is  the  surest  clue  to 
the  kind  of  person  he  is.  Mak- 
ing a  will  is,  in  reality,  spending 
money.  The  same  criteria  of 
values,  both  negative  and  posi- 


A  Christian  will  makes  adequate  provision  for  the  family 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


tive  which  have  influenced  the 
Christian  in  his  daily  decisions 
for  stewardship  should  also  in- 
fluence the  decision  as  to  where 
his  money  goes  at  his  death. 

Will  making  gives  a  larger 
opportunity  for  Christian  wit- 
ness and  work.  Most  church 
people  have  only  modest  means. 
They  give  regularly  and  sys- 
tematically a  portion  of  their 
income  throughout  their  life- 
time, but  in  the  sunset  years 
they  have  the  unusual  privilege 
of  giving  a  considerable  bit  of 
money  in  one  lump  sum  in  the 
making  of  their  wills.  Often- 
times the  children  are  well 
established  and  there  is  no  fur- 
ther need  to  take  care  of  the 
family.  At  least  on  this  occa- 
sion, the  modest  Christian  can 
become  a  "big"  philanthropist. 
He  can  make  a  sizable  gift  for 
ministers'  pensions,  building 
new  churches,  or  sending  out 
missionaries. 

Will  making,  if  it  is  Christian, 
provides  for  both  family  and  the 
church.  Certainly,  the  family 
with  its  children  and  grand- 
children are  among  God's  great- 
est gifts.  At  each  stage  of  a 
Christian's  life,  he  will  have 
different  family  responsibilities. 
When  the  children  are  young 


and  in  need  of  care,  the  will 
should  reflect  this  situation.  As 
the  children  grow  up  and  found 
homes  of  their  own,  the  will  has 
a  different  place.  Every  will 
should  be  reviewed  at  regular 
intervals  of  four  or  five  years. 
Remembering  the  church  in  a 
will  is  not  a  matter  of  excluding 
the  family  and  remembering 
the  church.  It  is  a  matter  of 
remembering  both,  and  from 
the  same  motive  of  fulfilling 
one's  Christian  responsibilities. 

The  stewardship  ministry  of 
the  pastor  is  one  of  the  basic 
responsibilities  of  his  vocation. 
If  a  divorce  is  threatened  be- 
cause of  the  mishandling  of 
money,  the  pastor  brings  good 
financial  counsel  into  the  pic- 
ture. If  a  man's  niggardliness 
is  depriving  him  of  great  joy  in 
Christian  service,  it  is  the  pas- 
tor's duty  to  lead  him  to  a 
higher  standard  of  giving.  If  a 
man's  will  does  not  reflect  the 
basic  Christian  concerns  of  life, 
it  is  the  pastor's  privilege  to 
counsel  with  him  in  this  situa- 
tion. 

It  is  the  minister's  high  call- 
ing to  lead  his  people  in  the 
basic  Christian  ideal,  "Whatso- 
ever ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory 
of  God." 


Bernard  and  Francis 

Continued  from  page  4 

do  good  to  those  who  hate  you.' 
For  also  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
whose  footsteps  we  should  fol- 
low, called  his  betrayer  friend. 
All  therefore  who  unjustly  put 
on  us  trials  and  distress  .  .  .  and 
death,  are  our  friends,  whom 
we  ought  to  love  much,  be- 
cause through  what  they  put  on 
us  we  obtain  life  everlasting." 
If  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
is  interested  in  canonizing 
saints,  it  should  place  high  on 
the  list,  two  already  canonized 
by  the  ages,  St.  Bernard  of 
Clairvaux  and  St.  Francis  of 
Assisi. 


Retarded  Children 

Continued  from  page  11 

Most  important  of  all,  today 
it  is  possible  for  people  to  dis- 
cuss    mental    abnormality    in 
children    or    adults    with    the 
same  objectivity  accorded  phys- 
ical   handicaps.     The    veil    of 
■misinformation  and  superstition 
■that    for    centuries     shrouded 
■mental  retardation   has   lifted. 
II  am  helped  by  thinking  that 
■sharing  my  own  son's  story  with 
■others    has,    to    some    degree, 
■made  a  contribution  to  this.* 

Stevie  is  living  in  the  Lynch- 
Iburg  training  school  and  hospi- 
tal here  in  Virginia  now.  He 
is  happy  there.  Occasionally  we 
■bring  him  home  to  stay  with 
[us  for  a  week  and  then  our 
■family  of  four  children  are  to- 
Igether,  but  Stevie's  real  home 
lis  in  the  state  school,  where  he 
lis  learning  to  live  life  geared 
■to  his  own  abilities. 

The  current  effort  to  bring 
fehe  retarded  individual  into  his 
©rightful  heritage  of  human  un- 
Iderstanding  and  dignity  is  a 
Iworld-wide  one.  It  has  been 
■well  said  that  "A  civilization 
pan  be  judged  by  the  provisions 

•♦  This  Is  Stevie's  Story,  which  is  available 
■from  the  Merchandising  Department, 
■Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
lElgin,  Illinois    (1.00  per  copy) 


which  are  made  for  its  most 
helpless  citizens."  Perhaps  my 
Steve  and  the  other  "children 
limited"  we  stoop  to  serve  this 
day  are  giving  new  meaning 
to  Milton's  immortal  line  that 
"they  also  serve  who  only  stand 
and  wait." 

Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  United 
Press  International 


The  Small  Church 
Dilemma 

Chauncey  Shamberger 

THERE  was  a  day  when  the 
small  church  fitted  naturally 
into  its  environment.  Its  coun- 
terparts were  the  little  red  school- 
house  and  the  corner  grocery  store.  It 
cost  very  little  to  build,  much  of  the 
material  came  from  the  local  com- 
munity, and  men  had  time  and  the 
skills  to  build  it.  It  had  no  budget. 
Its  program  was  simple  and  inex- 
pensive.   It  fitted  into  its  day. 

But  the  litde  red  schoolhouses 
have  passed  out  of  existence  and  the 
schools  of  today  are  generally  the 
largest  buildings  in  the  community 
and  cost  the  taxpayer  the  most 
money.  The  corner  grocery  store  is 
now  a  supermarket.  The  small 
church  seems  out  of  place.  It  must 
either  become  larger  or  present  a 
feeble  witness  in  its  area. 

Small  churches  are  mostly  Protes- 
tant churches  or  those  commonly 
designated  as  fringe  churches.  One 
does  not  often  see  a  small  Roman 
Catholic  church  and  perhaps  less 
often  a  small  Mormon  church. 

The  fringe  churches  can  more 
nearly  exist  than  can  the  regular 
Protestant  churches.  They  often 
convert  old  residences  or  stone  build- 
ings into  meetinghouses,  their  lead- 
ers are  mostly  part  time  and  their 
programs  are  not  too  ambitious,  al- 
though many  of  them  give  sacri- 
ficially  for  missions. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  does 
not  fall  into  the  above  category.  Its 
little  churches  want  full-time  minis- 
ters and  want  to  do  many  things. 
However,  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren has  no  monopoly  in  this  field. 
All  Protestant  churches  have  little 
churches.  If  there  is  any  doubt  on 
this  point  go  a  few  blocks  from  any 
little  church  and  see  how  many  oth- 
ers there  are  like  it. 

They  enroll  about  the  same  num- 
ber in  Sunday  school,  have  much 
the  same  number  in  worship  service 


and  contribute  a  similar  amount  of 
money.  A  study  of  their  program 
and  activities  would  show  a  marked 
similarity. 

It  is  high  time  we  take  an  objec- 
tive view  of  these  small  churches. 
An  impartial  observer  would  assume 
that  there  must  be  significant  differ- 
ences to  justify  their  separate 
maintenance. 

Up  until  comparatively  recently 
their  differences  did  seem  important. 
One  does  not  have  to  be  too  elderly 
to  recall  vigorous  debates  about 
church  doctrines.  Each  group  felt 
that  the  rewards  of  heaven  were  for 
those  who  believed  as  it  did.  When 
such  considerations  are  at  stake  it 
is  worth  the  struggle  to  sacrifice  to 
keep  any  sized  church  going. 

But  the  things  that  once  seemed 
vital  have  now  become  insignificant 
and  most  Protestant  churches  now 
hold  in  common  the  things  that  have 
always  mattered.  This  has  become 
increasingly  obvious  and  anyone 
who  cannot  now  see  it  will  be  able 
to  see  it  before  much  longer. 

Why,  then,  should  little  churches 
continue  to  go  it  alone?  Is  not  the 
cause  of  Christ  suffering  as  long  as 
we  have  a  great  many  little 
churches?  Is  it  fair  to  the  good 
people  who  work  so  heroically  to 
keep  things  going  that  we  let  them 
battle  against  such  odds?  Has  not 
the  time  come  when  Protestant 
churches  must  do  something  about 
this  situation? 

It  is  much  easier  to  raise  this  ques- 
tion than  it  is  to  answer  it.  One 
cannot  imagine,  for  example,  that 
the  governing  boards  of  the  denomi- 
nations will  face  it.  Their  officers 
will  say  at  once  that  they  were  not 
called  to  their  positions  to  dissolve 
the  denominational  empires.  They 
want  to  report  more  churches,  not 
less. 

Nor  can  we  expect  people  in  the 
little  churches  to  set  about  merging 
with  other  little  churches.  They 
have  sacrificed  too  much,  too  long, 
to  give  up,  and  they  would  have  a 
feeling  of  disloyalty  if  they  even 
thought  it  should  be  done. 

But  this  is  the  dilemma  of  the 
little  churches.  Something  must  be 
done  or  they  will  struggle  on  as  long 
as  they  can,  and  then  the  door  will 
be  closed.  This  is  a  disturbing  con- 
clusion. It  is  not  necessarily  the  only 
conclusion  but  until  there  is  evidence 
that  something  is  going  to  be  done 
it  is  the  only  result  that  can  be 
expected. 


MARCH  26.   1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


A.  Blair  Helman,  president  of  Manchester  College, 
Ind.,  will  address  the  district  men's  banquet  in  Southern 
Indiana,  on  Saturday,  March  26.  The  annual  affair  is 
being  held  in  the  Y.M.C.A.  in  Anderson. 

Enrollment  for  the  spring  term  at  Juniata  College 
totals  739,  which  is  forty  less  than  the  fall  term  high 
of  779.  Of  this  total,  643  are  resident  students  and 
65  nonresident;  439  are  men  and  300  women. 

Rosa  Page  Welch,  noted  Negro  singer,  will  be  guest 
soloist  and  speaker  at  the  spring  rally  of  the  women's 
fellowship  of  Northern  Indiana  on  April  12.  The  pro- 
gram will  be  held  in  the  Goshen  College  auditorium. 

The  EIRENE  team  in  Morocco,  directed  by  Daryl 
E.  Brandt,  went  into  action  immediately  following  the 
disaster  at  Agadir  to  assist  in  the  rescue  and  relief 
operations.  The  relief  materials  from  many  countries 
which  have  been  channeled  through  the  World  Council 
of  Churches  are  being  distributed  by  EIRENE,  a  com- 
munity rehabilitation  team  sponsored  by  the  Brethren 
Service  Commission  and  the  Mennonite  Central  Com- 
mittee to  provide  a  service  opportunity  for  pacifists 
from  various  countries. 

Lois  Keim,  daughter  of  Howard  Keim,  pastor  of 
the  Peoria  church,  111.,  and  Mrs.  Keim,  has  been  selected 
to  represent  McPherson  College  in  a  direct  student 
exchange  with  a  college  in  Goettingen,  Germany.  Lois 
will  leave  for  Germany  in  mid-July  and  join  a  group  of 
international  students  at  Munich  Institute  for  further 
study  of  the  German  language.  She  will  begin  her 
work  at  Goettingen  about  the  first  of  November.  Jim 
Nettleton  is  presently  studying  at  the  university  at 
Goettingen;  Christiane  Brandt  is  the  German  exchange 
student. 

The  drama  club  of  Elizabethtown  College  has  pro- 
duced a  religious  drama,  Cry  Dawn  in  Dark  Babylon, 
for  presentation  in  several  area  churches  during  the  next 
two  months.  Written  by  Philip  Turner,  the  play  is  de- 
signed for  staging  in  a  church  chancel.  The  plot  centers 
on  the  impact  of  the  church  in  strengthening  people's 
faith  in  time  of  adversity.  Mrs.  Clarence  Enterline, 
college  drama  instructor,  is  director  for  the  production. 
Appearances  are  scheduled  for  the  Harrisburg  EUB 
church,  Elizabethtown  Church  of  the  Brethren,  and 
churches  in  Carlisle,  Jacobus,  and  York. 

First  and  Southern  districts  of  Virginia  are  co-op- 
erating in  a  Bethany  Seminary  extension  school,  which 
began  March  7  and  will  continue  until  May  30.  Sessions 
are  held  for  two  hours  on  Monday  nights  at  Central 
church,  Roanoke.  The  program  has  been  set  up  for 
ministers  who  have  been  out  of  seminary  and  need 
refresher  courses  and  for  those  who  have  not  completed 
college  and/or  seminary  and  wish  additional  training. 
Three  courses  are  offered,  Living  Religions,  Romans 
and  Galatians,  and  Christian  Education  in  the  Local 
Church.  Instructors  are  Edward  K.  Ziegler,  Carroll 
S.  Ringgold,  and  Eugene  Lenker. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Church  treasurers  who  remit  pension  contributions 
are  reminded  by  the  secretary  of  the  Pension  Plan  to 
send  them  on  the  due  date  or  within  one  month  of  that 
date.  When  remittances  are  received  thereafter  an  extra 
interest  payment  notice  will  be  sent  to  the  one  who 
has  remitted  late.  The  interest  charge  for  late  payment 
has  replaced  the  former  uniform  late  payment  fee. 

Pastors  who  will  be  negotiating  with  churches  they 
may  possibly  serve  in  the  future  are  urged  to  mention 
to  those  with  whom  they  negotiate  the  church's  partici- 
pation in  their  pension  and  group  insurance  coverages. 
Occasionally  the  failure  to  arrange  for  these  important 
security  provisions  has  not  only  caused  avoidable  em- 
barrassment, but  also  in  a  few  instances  a  year's  omis- 
sion of  these  provisions  for  the  pastor  and  his  family. 
Any  pastor  or  lay  official  who  needs  information  on 
these  coverages  should  address  his  questions  to  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Manchester  College  will  dedicate  its  new  science 
hall  in  a  ceremony  planned  for  Saturday,  March  26, 
at  10:00  a.m.  Dr.  Manning  M.  Pattillo,  associate  direc- 
tor of  Lilly  Endowment,  Inc.,  will  give  the  dedicatory 
address.  V.  F.  Schwalm,  president  emeritus,  will  pre- 
sent the  historical  statement,  The  Development  of  the 
Sciences  at  Manchester  College.  On  Thursday  evening 
and  Friday  preceding  the  dedication  a  science  institute 
for  scientists  and  teachers  of  science  was  held.  The 
Hall  of  Science  brings  together  in  one  building  the 
various  sciences  formerly  scattered  in  several  buildings. 


Anniversary  and  Dedication 

Messiah  church,  Kansas  City,  Middle  Missouri,  will 
celebrate  its  fiftieth  anniversary  with  a  Saturday  evening 
session  on  April  23  and  an  all-day  meeting  on  Sunday, 
April  24.  Scheduled  as  speakers  are  Paul  M.  Robinson, 
president  of  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary,  Chicago,  111., 
and  Floyd  E.  Bantz,  Western  Region  secretary  and 
former  pastor  of  the  Kansas  City  church. 

Round  Hill  church,  Northern  Virginia,  will  dedicate 
its  new  house  of  worship  on  Palm  Sunday,  April  10. 
Paul  H.  Bowman  of  Timberville,  Va.,  will  bring  the 
morning  message  and  deliver  the  dedicatory  address 
in  the  afternoon.  A.  Ray  Showalter  of  Bridgewater,  Va., 
will  begin  a  week's  pre-Easter  service  in  the  evening. 
The  congregation  has  been  worshiping  in  a  log  church 
house  which  is  103  years  old.  Cecil  O.  Showalter  is 
the  pastor  and  Mark  S.  Roller  the  moderator. 


The  Church  Calendar 


March  27 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School . 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  A  Witness  in  Chains.  Acts  28: 
16-31;  Phil.  1:12-13;  Col.  4:3-4.  Memory  Selection: 
In  all  these  things  we  are  more  than  conquerors  through 
him  who  loved  us.    Rom.  8:37  (R.S.V.) 

March  27  —  April  2  White  House  Conference  on  Chil- 
dren and  Youth 
April  10  Palm  Sunday 


April  12  Northern  Indiana  Women's  Fellowship  spring 
rally,  Goshen  College,  Goshen 

April  15  Good  Friday 

April  17  Easter 

April  18-22  Regional  interdenominational  camp  leaders' 
conference,  Camp  Hanover,  Richmond,  Va. 

April  22-24  Eastern  Region  conference,  Coventry 

April  23  Southeastern  Region  district  executive  secre- 
taries' meeting,  Bridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  23-24  Southeastern  Region  youth  round  table, 
Bridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  24  Christian  College  Day 

April  24-30  National  Mental  Health  Week 

May  1-8  National  Family  Week 

May  6  May  Fellowship  Day 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  S.  Loren  Bowman  of  Elgin,  111.,  in  the  Bridgewater 
church,  Va.,  April  3-10. 

Bro.  Jacob  L.  Miller  of  York,  Pa.,  in  the  White  Oak 
congregation,  Manheim  house,  Pa.,  April  3-17. 

Bro.  Clyde  R.  Shallenberger  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  First 
church,  Baltimore,  Md.,  April  10-13. 

Bro.  Donald  E.  Miller  of  Shady  Grove,  Pa.,  in  the 
Hatfield  church,  Pa.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  Elmer  Hoover  of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  in  the  Myers- 
town  church,  Pa.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  James  E.  Renz  of  Elgin,  111.,  in  the  North  Bethel 
church,  Mo.,  April  10-17. 


Bro.  A.  Ray  Showalter  of  Bridgewater,  Va.,  in  the 
Round  Hill  church,  Va.,  April  10-17. 

Sister  Harriett  Bright  of  Richmond,  Ind.,  in  the  Upper 
Fall  Creek  church,  Ind.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  Harold  Jones  of  Harleysville,  Pa.,  in  the  Spring- 
ville  church,  Pa.,  April  11-17. 

Bro.  Stanley  Sutphin  of  Berkeley,  Calif.,  in  the  Empire 
church,  Calif.,  April  12-14. 

Bro.  Wilbur  Lehman  of  Manheim,  Pa.,  in  the  Florin 
church,  Pa.,  April  13-17. 

Bro.  Benton  Rhoades  of  Elgin,  111.,  in  the  Ft.  McKinley 
church,  Ohio,  April  13-17. 

Bro.  John  T.  Glick  of  Bridgewater,  Va.,  in  the  Hollidays- 
burg  church,  Pa.,  April  13-17. 

Bro.  Ora  R.  DeLauter  of  Clayton,  Ohio,  in  the  Manor 
congregation,  Downsville  house,  Md.,  April  18-24. 

Bro.  Kenneth  Franklin  of  Rouzerville,  Pa.,  in  the  Hunts- 
dale  church,  Pa.,  April  24  — May  1. 

Bro.  William  Walters  of  Mansfield,  Ohio,  in  the  Sugar- 
creek  church,  Ohio,  April  24  —  May  1. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Locust 
Grove  church,  Ind.,  April  26  — May  8. 

Sister  Elizabeth  Broughman  of  Roanoke,  Va.,  in  the 
Freemont  church,  Va.,  April  10-17. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Six  baptized  and  twelve  received  by  letter  in  the  Reedley 
church,  Calif. 

Eight  baptized  and  five  received  by  letter  in  the  Nap- 
panee  church,  Ind. 

Two  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter  in  the  Point 
church,  Pa.  Fifteen  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in 
the  Chiques  church,  Pa. 

Eight  baptized  in  the  Johnsontown  church,  W.  Va. 
Seven  baptized  and  four  received  by  letter  in  the  Cloverdale 
church,  Va.  Twelve  baptized  in  the  Henry  Fork  church,  Va. 
Sixteen  baptized  in  the  Mill  Creek  church,  Va. 


Rhoades  to  Co-ordinate  Leadership   Thrust 


LEADERSHIP  for  Christ  and 
the  church,  selected  by  An- 
nual Conference  as  the  Broth- 
erhood-wide emphasis  in  1960-62, 
will  be  directed  by  J.  Benton 
Rhoades,  former  director  of  mission- 
ary education  and  recruitment.  He 
assumed  responsibility  for  this  work 
March  1,  according  to  Norman  J. 
Baugher,  general  secretary  of  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board. 

The  purpose  of  the  new  thrust, 
which  originated  as  one  aspect  of 
the  Anniversary  Call,  was  outlined 


Benton  Rhoades 


by  the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
as  follows: 

To  challenge  every  member  to  a 
new  sense  of  responsibility  for  par- 
ticipation in  the  church's  life  and 
witness; 

To  create  an  awareness  of  leader- 
ship needs  within  the  church; 

To  encourage  higher  standards  of 
leadership  performance  among  all 
church  workers. 

Toward  these  aims  Brother 
Rhoades  will  co-ordinate  leadership 
development  workshops,  human  re- 
lations laboratories,  vocational  con- 
ferences, and  efforts  to  recruit 
youth  and  adults  for  church-related 
vocations. 

A  corps  of  consultants  represent- 
ing various  areas  of  church  leader- 
ship will  serve  as  advisers  for  the 
new  program.  They  are:  Harold 
Z.  Bomberger,  executive  secretary, 
Eastern  Region,  and  pastor-elect, 
McPherson,  Kansas;  Earl  W.  Fike, 
Jr.,  pastor,  Chicago;  Paul  W.  Keller, 
professor  of  speech,  Manchester  Col- 
lege; J.  H.  Mathis,  executive  secre- 
tary, Pacific  Coast  Region;  and  Jesse 
H.  Ziegler,  associate  director,  Ameri- 
ican  Association  of  Theological 
Schools,  Dayton,  Ohio. 


Highlighting  the  two-year  empha- 
sis on  leadership  and  recruitment, 
beginning  this  fall,  will  be  the  theme, 
My  Calling  to  Fulfill,  also  approved 
by  Annual  Conference. 

Brother  Rhoades  from  his  youth 
has  served  in  various  capacities  of 
leadership:  as  president  of  the  stu- 
dent body  at  Manchester  College 
and  at  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary; 
as  chairman  of  the  United  Christian 
Youth  Movement;  as  director  of 
Brethren  Service  work  among  Japa- 
nese-Americans in  Chicago  and  of 
a  home  missions  project  in  Kentucky; 
as  pastor  of  the  Eel  River  congrega- 
tion in  Middle  Indiana;  as  a  pioneer 
Church  of  the  Brethren  missionary 
for  ten  years  and  later  Point  Four 
representative  for  the  United  States 
Operations  Missions  in  Ecuador; 
and  most  recently,  as  member  of 
the  staff  of  the  Foreign  Mission 
Commission. 

For  the  next  two  months  the 
vacancy  in  missionary  education  cre- 
ated by  Brother  Rhoades'  move  to 
his  new  position  will  be  filled  by 
Donald  Fike,  missionary  on  leave 
from  Ecuador. 


MARCH  26,  1960 


17 


Tibetans  pray  at  a  Buddhist  temple 
in  New  Delhi,  India,  for  the  safety  of 
the  Dalai  Lama,  their  spiritual  head 


Emma  E.  Ziegler 


Religious  News  Service 


World-Famous  Exile  Visits  Woodstock 


Woodstock  School  has  been  in  the 
midst  of  the  excitement  surrounding 
the  exile  of  the  Dalai  Lama  in  India. 

Forced  to  flee  his  native  Tibet 
when  the  Chinese  Communists 
crushed  the  Tibetan  revolt,  the  Dalai 
Lama  was  readily  granted  asylum 
by  the  Indian  government.  He  has 
been  living  at  Mussorie,  one  of  the 
most  popular  summer  resorts  in  the 
lower  Himalayas  and  location  of 
Woodstock,  the  school  which  chil- 
dren of  Christian  missionaries  of  all 
denominations  attend. 

At  first,  in  order  to  satisfy  the 
curiosity  of  the  people  and  also  to 
show  appreciation  for  the  hospitality 
of  India,  the  Dalai  Lama  arranged 
to  greet  people  each  Wednesday 
morning.  As  each  person  filed  past 
him,  he  gave  a  token  scarf  to  him, 
the  traditional  way  of  greeting  in 
Tibet.  But  since  thousands  appeared 
each  Wednesday,  he  soon  adopted 
the  practice  of  merely  coming  out 
and  giving  the  assembled  crowds  a 
greeting. 

He  gave  private  audiences,  as 
well,  by  appointment.  Several  mis- 
sionary ladies  made  an  appointment 
to  see  him  and  in  the  course  of 
the  conversation,  one  of  the  ladies 
asked,  "How  do  you  feel  about  being 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


called  a  god-king?" 

He  thought  a  bit  and  then  said, 
"What  do  you  think  about  it?" 

She  replied,  "Well,  I  am  a  Chris- 
tian, and  we  believe  that  there  can 
be  only  one  who  can  be  a  God-King 
and  that  is  Jesus." 

The  Dalai  Lama  smiled  sweetly 
and  said  nothing. 

One  afternoon  this  distinguished 
Buddhist  leader  came  to  Woodstock 
with  his  entourage  and  spent  several 
hours  going  from  classroom  to  class- 
room, into  the  laboratories,  the  shop, 
the  home  economics  room,  to  the 
playground  where  the  physical  edu- 
cation classes  were  being  conducted, 
and,  by  his  special  request,  to  a 
girls'  dormitory. 

He  impressed  me  as  having  an 
alert  and  inquiring  mind.  He  asked 
many  questions,  tasted  what  the  girls 
were  cooking,  looked  at  a  slide  under 
the  microscope  in  the  biology  class, 
examined  tools  in  the  shop.  Of 
course,  he  had  to  converse  through 
an  interpreter. 

The  formal  welcome  took  place 
in  the  auditorium  where  the  entire 
school  was  assembled.  The  presi- 
dent of  the  student  government 
made  the  formal  presentation  of  a 
white  silk  scarf  and,  after  a  welcom- 
ing speech  by  the  principal  and  a 
response   by    the    Dalai   Lama,    the 


high  school  orchestra  and  choir  pre- 
sented a  short  program  which,  the 
Dalai  Lama  remarked,  was  too  short. 

When  he  learned  of  the  traditional 
program  of  Christmas  music  which 
the  Woodstock  choirs  and  orchestras 
give,  the  Dalai  Lama  expressed  a 
wish  to  attend.  It  was  made  clear 
to  him  that  it  was  going  to  be  a 
worship  service  of  Christian  music, 
but  he  still  wanted  to  attend. 

During  the  program  he  joined  in 
the  congregational  singing  of  carols 
since  he  reads  English.  Mr. 
Burgoyne,  Woodstock  principal,  said 
he  felt  queer  to  hear  the  Dalai  Lama 
singing,  "Hail,  incarnate  Deity." 

After  the  program,  the  Dalai 
Lama  told  Mr.  Burgoyne,  "That 
music  would  melt  the  heart  of  any 
man." 

To  see  him  at  close  range  and 
watch  the  expression  of  his  face, 
is  to  be  convinced  of  his  sincerity 
and  basic  goodness.  And  to  see  him 
enhances  the  feeling  of  sympathy 
for  him  and  his  people  and  country 
who  have  suffered  so  much  and  who 
seem  to  be  the  victims  of  a  losing 
cause.  Certainly  the  Christian  peo- 
ple of  the  world  should  join  with 
Buddhists  in  prayer  to  the  Creator 
of  us  all.  Surely  he  is  concerned 
when  any  of  his  children  are  in 
distress. 


Farmers  Hop 
the  Curtain 


BVS'ers  Doris  Hoover  and  Randy  Fenimore  visit  Gordon 

Switzer  (center)  at  one  of  the  experimental  farms  on  which 

he  worked  during  his  exchange  year  in  Poland 


SEVENTY  Polish  and  American 
agriculturalists  offer  outstand- 
ing evidence  that  an  "iron  cur- 
tain" is  not  a  sufficient  barrier  to 
halt  men  of  goodwill.  From  1957 
to  1960  the  Brethren  Service  Com- 
mission has  sponsored  or  is  sponsor- 
ing fifteen  U.  S.  exchangees  to 
Poland  and  fifty-five  Polish  ex- 
changees to  the  States. 

Began  in  1947 

The  Polish-American  agricultural 
exchange  actually  began  with  the 
coming  of  ten  Polish  undergraduate 
agriculturalists  to  the  States  for  a 
year  in  1947.  The  program  was  dis- 
continued after  that  year  as  a  result 
of  East-West  tensions.  After  a  ten- 
year  lapse  the  program  was  renewed 
as  eight  Polish  agricultural  special- 
ists crossed  the  ocean,  followed  by 
eighteen  more  up  to  the  present. 
Within  the  past  two  years  five  junior 
agriculturalists  from  the  States  have 
gone  to  Eastern  Europe  also  for  a 
year. 

Opening  for  U.S.  Farmers 

The  latest  phase  of  the  project 
includes  the  two-month  visit  of  ten 
U.  S.  farmers  to  Poland  being  or- 
ganized for  this  summer.  These  ex- 
changees will  travel  by  air  from  New 
York  to  Warsaw  on  July  1.  Each  of 
them  will  then  live  and  work  on  a 
Polish  farm  for  several  weeks  and 
visit  points  of  interest  in  that  coun- 
try. On  the  return  trip  they  will 
make  stopovers  in  Vienna,  Rome, 
Paris,  and  London.  They  will  fly 
from  London  to  New  York  on  Aug. 
28. 

Congregations  and  local  Farm 
Bureau,  Grange,  and  Farmers'  Union 
groups  are  being  encouraged  to  sub- 


mit candidates  for  the  exchange  and 
to  participate  in  the  costs,  which 
amount  to  only  $1,185  from  New 
York  and  back.  Individual  farmers 
and  agriculturalists  are  also  invited 
to  apply.  Interested  persons  are  ad- 
vised to  write  immediately  to  the 
Exchange  Program,  Brethren  Service 
Center,  New  Windsor,  Md. 

In  return  for  the  visit  of  the 
Americans,  Polish  farmers  will  come 
to  the  States  during  this  summer  and 
be  programed  in  a  similar  manner. 
These  exchanges  are  being  arranged 
in  co-operation  with  Dr.  Pieniazek, 
director  of  the  Agricultural  Institute 
at  Skierniewice,  Poland,  at  which 
several  of  the  American  exchangees 
have  worked  and  studied. 


WORLD  REFUGEE 
YEAR 

World  Refugee  Year  —  A 
Guide  for  Community  Ac- 
tion was  designed  to  serve 
as  a  blueprint  for  individual 
and  community  action.  It 
outlines  ideas  for  stimulat- 
ing awareness  of  refugee 
problems  during  the  World 
Refugee  Year.  As  well  as 
giving  a  brief  sketch  of  the 
problem,  it  presents  some 
helpful  ideas  for  using 
newspaper,  TV,  and  radio 
resources  in  observance  of 
the  year.  This  booklet  is 
available  from  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  General  Of- 
fices, Elgin,  111.,  at  40  cents 
per  copy. 


This  Polish-American  exchange  is 
considered  by  many  to  be  a  unique 
contribution  to  better  understanding 
between  nations,  as  well  as  a  valu- 
able means  of  sharing  agricultural 
information  and  experience. 


A  FRIEND 
WHO  LOVES  ME 

AS  I  was  walking  through  the 
woods  one  day  I  was  charmed 
by  the  ringing  notes  of  a 
minor  Quechua  melody  chanted  by 
a  little  Indian  girl  tending  sheep  and 
goats  on  the  opposite  hillside.  As 
I  stopped  to  listen  the  melody 
changed,  and  I  was  surprised  as  I 
recognized  the  gospel  tune,  "I  Have 
a  Friend  Who  Loves  Me,  His  Name 
Is  Jesus  Christ."  This  little  scene 
fastened  itself  in  my  memory  as  it 
is  perhaps  symbolic  of  what  is  hap- 
pening in  the  valley  of  Calderon. 
To  the  casual  eye  it  seems  a  poor, 
backward  Indian  community,  rustic, 
even  primitive  in  many  respects,  and 
entrenched  in  the  customs  and  super- 
stitions of  its  ancestors.  But  when 
one  stops  to  look  and  listen  more 
closely  one  is  surprised  by  unex- 
pected glimmers  of  the  light  of  the 
Christian  gospel  —  traditional  cos- 
tume clothes  changed  lives,  dwell- 
ings of  mud  and  straw  house  dwell- 
ers with  hearts  of  gold,  a  pitifully 
poor  corn  crop  stands  alongside  rich- 
ness in  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  a  diet  of 
corn  and  rice  is  supplemented  by 
the  Bread  of  Life. 


MARCH  26,   1960 


19 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


We  are  grateful  for  the  devoted 
leadership  of  our  Brotherhood 
Board  and  staff  in  leading  us  for- 
ward in  stewardship,  witness,  and 
mission.  Would  it  not  be  well  now 
to  give  a  period  of  time  to  consid- 
er our  worship,  devotional  life, 
prayer,  our  life  in  communion 
with  God?  Is  not  this  the  crying 
need  of  our  world  — and  the 
church  included? 

The  concern  of  this  question  is 
caught  up  in  the  recommendation 


taken  to  the  last  Annual  Conference 
by  the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
for  an  emphasis  in  the  spiritual  life 
under  the  theme,  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship.  Work  has  been  done  in  plan- 
ning program,  and  resources  are  be- 
ing prepared  to  carry  forward  this 
emphasis.  Districts  are  calling  meet- 
ings to  introduce  this  emphasis  to 
local  church  leaders.  We  pray  that 
these  efforts  will  help  strengthen  the 
foundations  of  our  faith  and  enhance 
the  growth  of  the  spiritual  life.  — 
Norman  J.  Baugher. 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


►  Have  you  used  this  thirteen-session  unit  on  peace?  This  ninety-five-page 
book  contains  materials  for  children,  youth,  and  adults  designed  to  develop 
new  insights  into  the  scriptural  and  doctrinal  basis  of  our  peace  position. 
A  long  time  favorite,  this  unit  was  revised  in  1959.  Each  unit  contains 
a  bibliography  and  helpful  teacher's  suggestions  as  well  as  appropriate 
stories,  discussion  helps,  and  action  suggestions.  Order  from  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  at  $1.00  per  copy. 


Readers  Write 

Continued  from  page  2 

My  book  also  states  that  the  ensu- 
ing thirteen  years  provided  a  work- 
ing test  of  the  policy.  In  those 
thirteen  years  (which  I  can  barely 
remember)  weren't  we  better  off? 
The  sin  of  those  years  was  confined 
to  the  people  that   sinned.    Nowa- 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


days,  many  innocent  people  have 
to  suffer,  and  I  don't  believe  in  shar- 
ing this  burden. 

There  are  still  some  communities 
that  have  local  option.  I  am  glad 
to  live  in  one  of  these  communities. 
Aren't  there  enough  Christian  people 
in  this  great  country  of  ours  who 
can  write  their  congressmen  and  en- 
courage them  to  have  it  brought 
before  the  people?  —  Edwin  Liven- 
good,  Milledgeville,  111. 


Retired  Minister  Uses 
Hobby  for  the  Church 

Using  wood  from  church  pews 
more  than  a  hundred  years  old, 
Thomas  E.  Hunter,  a  retired  minister 
in  the  Springfield  church,  Ohio,  de- 
signed and  made  crosses  like  the 
one  shown  here  to  hold  communion 
cups  and  bread.  All  those  attending 
love  feast  at  the  Springfield  church 
can  be  served  in  this  way.  In  follow- 
ing his  hobby  of  cabinetmaking 
Brother  Hunter  has  made  and  do- 
nated numerous  other  items  to  his 
church.  In  addition  he  has  served 
in  every  capacity  it  is  possible  for 
a  layman  to  fill.  Since  he  entered 
the  ministry,  on  many  occasions  he 
has  filled  the  pulpit  in  the  absence 
of  the  pastor.  In  1956  Brother  Hunt- 
er retired  from  the  local  plant  of 
the  International  Harvester  Com- 
pany after  forty  years  of  continuous 
service. 


John  C.  Eller,  administrator  of  Beth- 
any Hospital,  Chicago,  Illinois,  was 
recently  elected  president  of  the  Chi- 
cago Hospital  Council.  He  started 
his  term  of  office  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing by  presenting  a  plaque  to  the  im- 
mediate past  president,  Karl  Klicka 
(left).  Eller,  before  becoming  admin- 
istrator of  Bethany  Hospital,  had 
served  the  institution  as  chaplain, 
purchasing  agent,  and  assistant 
administrator 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Protestant  Churches  to  Give 
Million  to  Hindu  Refugees 

A  $1,000,000  five-year  relief  and 
rehabilitation  program  to  aid  some 
of  the  more  than  3,000,000  Hindu 
refugees  in  West  Bengal  and  Cal- 
cutta was  approved  recently  by  the 
board  of  managers  of  Church  World 
Service. 

Known  as  Project  Doya,  meaning 
mercy,  the  program  calls  for  a  vari- 
ety of  educational  and  practical  self- 
help  projects,  rather  than  direct 
relief,  to  benefit  the  refugees  who 
poured  into  India  from  East  Pakistan 
after  the  partition  of  India  in  1947. 

Project  Doya  also  is  expected  to 
receive  financial  aid  from  the  World 
Council  of  Churches,  the  British 
Council  of  Churches,  and  the  Ger- 
man Inter-Church  Relief  Organiza- 
tion. Many  of  the  refugees  now  live 
in  border  interception  centers  and 
transit  camps  and  in  563  colonies. 

Project  Doya  will  provide  educa- 
tional, economic,  medical,  and  voca- 
tional training  units  in  the  refugee 
colonies,  set  up  new  camp  centers 
for  resettlement,  and  form  a  refugee 
student  aid  unit. 

Disciples  Schedule  Ten- Year 
Expansion  Program 

Representatives  of  the  Interna- 
tional Convention  of  Christian 
Churches  (Disciples  of  Christ)  have 
completed  plans  for  an  ambitious 
ten-year  denominational  expansion 
program  to  be  launched  July  1. 

The  goals  of  this  "Decade  of  De- 
cision" effort  include  establishment 
of  1,500  new  churches  in  the  United 
States  and  the  budgeting  of  some 
$275,000,000  for  the  work.  The  de- 
nomination now  has  about  8,000 
congregations  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada. 

Neighborhood  Theater  Owners 
Demand  Better  Film  Fare 

A  representative  of  neighborhood 
theaters  in  the  United  States  recently 
told  congressional  investigators  that 
the  nation's  family  audiences  should 
be  given  better  film  fare. 

The  Allied  States  Association  of 
Motion  Picture  Exhibitors  differed 
sharply  with  spokesmen  for  the  film 
producers  in  their  estimate  of  the 
moral  level  of  current  movie  produc- 
tions. Abram  F.  Myers,  who  is  gen- 
eral counsel  for  the  Exhibitors,  said 
that  both  the  dialogue  and  plot  of 
many    current    Hollywood    produc- 


Girl  Scouts   of  Warren,  Ohio,  participated  in  the   Religion   in   American 
Life   campaign   to   increase   attendance   at   all   churches    and    synagogues 


Warren  Named  Com- 
munity of  the  Year 

WARREN,  Ohio,  was  named  the 
"Community  of  the  Year"  for  1959 
by  Religion  in  American  Life,  Inc. 
(RIAL),  a  nonsectarian  organization 
devoted  to  increasing  worship  at- 
tendance at  all  churches  and 
synagogues. 

Selected  from  among  454  cities 
and  towns  throughout  the  country 
which  held  Religion  in  American 
Life  community  campaigns  during 
the  year,  the  northeastern  Ohio  city, 
a  few  miles  north  of  Youngstown, 
was  honored  for  holding  the  best 
all-round  program. 

Named  by  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  Religion  in  American  Life,  War- 
ren was  one  of  several  top  contend- 
ers for  the  honor.  Others  were 
Aberdeen,  Wash.;  Anniston,  Ala.; 
Bedford,  Ind.;  Culver  City,  Calif.; 
Florence,  Ala.;  Long  Branch,  N.  J.; 
Orlando,  Fla.;  Riverside,  Calif.; 
Roaring  Spring,  Pa.;  and  Summit, 
N.J. 


In  Warren,  twenty-five  commu- 
nity groups  and  thirty  churches  and 
synagogues  co-operated  in  a  month- 
long  RIAL  program  during  Novem- 
ber, which  was  observed  nationally 
as  Religion  in  American  Life  month. 
The  nationwide  effort  was  aided  by 
more  than  $8,000,000  worth  of  ad- 
vertising contributed  through  the 
Advertising  Council. 

Worship  attendance  increased  an 
average  of  twelve  per  cent  in  the 
participating  houses  of  worship  in 
Warren.  They  included  twenty-four 
Protestant,  three  Roman  Catholic, 
two  Eastern  Orthodox  churches,  and 
one  synagogue. 

The  Warren  program  was  spon- 
sored by  the  local  Kiwanis  Club  and 
Junior  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
also  involved  were  the  Warren  Coun- 
cil of  Churches,  Ministerial  Associa- 
tion, Lions,  Rotary,  Optimist  and 
Exchange  clubs,  United  Church 
Women,  Boy  Scouts,  Girl  Scouts, 
seven  women's  organizations,  and 
others. 


tions  are  offensive  to  millions  of 
Americans  and  are  hurting  the  the- 
ater industry. 

Mr.  Myers  told  the  congressional 
committee  that  small  theaters  for- 
merly plagued  by  compulsory  block- 
booking,  which  is  now  outlawed, 
still  have  trouble  getting  good  films 
because  the  studios  will  release  them 
only  at  periods  of  peak  attendance 
such    as    holidays,    compelling    the 


theaters  to  take  films  at  other  peri- 
ods that  they  would  just  as  soon 
not  exhibit. 

Governor  Munoz  Marin  Hails 
Churches'  Aid  to  Puerto  Ricans 

Governor  Luis  Munoz  Marin  of 
Puerto  Rico  recently  told  Religious 
News  Service  that  the  churches  in 


MARCH  26.   1960 


21 


the  United  States  and  Puerto  Rico 
are  doing  a  very  helpful  job  in  their 
over-all  program  to  improve  the 
health,  education,  and  spiritual  lives 
of  Puerto  Ricans. 

The  governor  asserted  that  Puerto 
Rico  is  proud  of  its  strong  clear-cut 
separation  of  church  and  state.  He 
said,  "Under  the  commonwealth's 
own  constitution  the  church-state 
separation  is  even  more  clearly  de- 
find  than  in  the  constitution  of 
the  United  States."  He  added  that 
there  is  complete  religious  freedom 
on  the  island. 

Hebrew  University  Students 
Honor  Dr.  Schweitzer 

Dr.  Martin  Buber,  a  noted  Jewish 
writer  and  philosopher,  who  is  now 
eighty-one  years  old,  recently  ad- 
dressed the  mass  meeting  in  Jerusa- 
lem at  Hebrew  University  organized 
in  honor  of  Dr.  Albert  Schweitzer's 
eighty-fifth  birthday. 

Dr.  Buber,  who  was  forced  out 
of  his  post  as  professor  of  the  science 
of  religion  at  the  University  of 
Frankfurt  when  the  Nazis  came  to 
power  in  1933,  has  been  a  friend 
of  Dr.  Schweitzer  for  sixty  years. 
He  said  that  real  Christians  and  real 
Jews  are  united  by  "the  realization 
of  the  faith  and  life  beyond  all 
dogmas." 

New  Malta  Stamps  Mark 
St.  Paul's  Shipwreck 

Postal  authorities  in  the  small 
Mediterranean  island  of  Malta  have 
issued  a  set  of  six  postage  stamps 
to  commemorate  the  19th  centenary 
of  the  wreck  of  the  Apostle  Paul 
on  that  island  in  A.D.  60.  The 
episode  of  the  shipwreck  is  narrated 
in  Chapter  28  of  St.  Luke's  Acts  of 
the  Apostles.    The  denominations  of 


the  stamps  which  will  be  on  sale 
up  to  July  31  are  in  the  British 
equivalents  of  2c,  4c,  7c,  9c,  14c 
and  35c. 

Biblical  Plaques  for 
National  Zoo 

Jerusalem's  Biblical  Zoo  will  soon 
have  a  counterpart  at  Washington's 
National  Zoological  Park.  The  Is- 
raeli embassy  has  prepared  more 
than  fifty  plaques  identifying  crea- 
tures mentioned  in  the  Bible  for 
temporary  display  at  the  Washing- 
ton Zoo. 

Like  the  signs  used  in  Jerusalem, 
the  plaques  will  be  placed  on  the 
cages  and  dens  of  birds  and  beasts 
known  in  Biblical  times.  After  the 
plaques  have  been  shown  at  the 
Washington  Zoo  the  Israeli  embassy 
plans  to  send  them  to  other  inter- 
ested zoos  in  the  United  States. 

Israeli  Cave  Yields  Two 
Biblical  Scroll  Fragments 

Israeli  archaeologists  have  an- 
nounced the  discovery  of  two  frag- 
ments of  ancient  Biblical  scrolls  in 
caves  overlooking  the  Dead  Sea.  Dr. 
Yohanan  Aharoni,  a  lecturer  at  Je- 
rusalem's Hebrew  University,  who 
led  the  expedition,  said  he  believes 
there  are  more  such  writings  nearby. 

The  fragments,  which  are  said  to 
be  from  about  the  same  time  as 
the  Dead  Sea  Scrolls  found  thirteen 
years  ago  in  what  is  now  Jordanian 
territory,  are  the  first  ones  discov- 
ered in  Israel's  Dead  Sea  region. 
The  two  fragments,  containing  six- 
teen verses  from  the  thirteenth 
Chapter  of  Exodus,  were  part  of 
Jewish  phylacteries  used  in  rituals. 
Each  has  eleven  rows  of  Hebrew 
script  in  the  same  style  as  that  in 
the  Dead  Sea  Scrolls. 


22 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Religious  Groups  Get  New 
Bulk  Mailing  Rates 

A  one  and  one-fourth  cent 
stamped  envelope  will  be  issued  on 
June  25  for  the  use  of  religious 
and  other  nonprofit  groups,  accord- 
ing to  an  announcement  by  the  Post 
Office  Department.  The  rate  for 
bulk  mailings  by  religious  and  char- 
itable groups  will  be  advanced  from 
the  present  one  cent  to  one  and 
one-fourth  cents  July  1. 

Religious  agencies  using  one-cent 
precancelled  envelopes  under  the 
present  nonprofit  rate  will  have  to 
shift  to  the  higher  denomination  en- 
velopes for  mailings  after  that  date. 
The  Post  Office  Department  is  still 
uncertain  as  to  the  design  and  meth- 
od of  printing  the  new  envelope. 

It  will  be  the  first  U.S.  stamped 
envelope  to  be  produced  by  ordinary 
printing  rather  than  by  embossed 
dies,  if  present  printing  experiments 
are  successful.  A  postage  stamp  of 
one  and  one-fourth-cent  denomina- 
tion will  be  placed  on  sale  by  the 
Post  Office  Department  on  June  17. 


Quotes  in  the  News 

Lutheran  Bishop  Harms  Lilje, 
president  of  the  United  Evangelical 
Church  of  Germany:  "The  church 
always  defines  its  status  over  worldly 
power.  If  we  live  under  God,  we 
may  live  under  a  totalitarian  govern- 
ment without  giving  our  souls  up  to 
it." 

Methodist  Bishop  F.  Gerald  En- 
sley:  "History  knows  no  revival  of 
morals  apart  from  religion.  The  most 
effective  force  in  generating  re- 
sponsible moral  attributes  has  been 
the  belief  that  the  ultimate  power 
of  the  universe  —  God  —  is  behind 
goodness.  But  modern  education 
eschews  religion.  It  believes  you 
can  have  honesty  and  goodwill  with- 
out appeal  to  the  supernatural." 

Father  John  LaFarge,  Jesuit 
priest:  "I  do  not  think  that  Cath- 
olics, as  Catholics,  can  accomplish 
very    much    in    influencing    public 


Dr.  Reginald  H.  Helfferich,  executive  secretary  of  the 
Evangelical  and  Reformed  Church's  commission  on 
world  service  (second  right),  receives  congratulations  up- 
on his  election  by  the  board  of  managers  of  Church 
World  Service  as  chairman  of  its  executive  committee. 
Left  to  right:  Dr.  R.  Norris  Wilson,  CWS  executive  di- 
rector; Dr.  Paul  B.  Freeland,  secretary  of  overseas  relief 
and  interchurch  aid,  retiring  CWS  chairman;  Dr.  Helf- 
ferich; and  Dr.  Russell  Stevenson,  CWS  associate  execu- 
tive director 

Religious  News  Service 


opinion,  and  the  same  applies  to 
Protestants  and  Jews.  This  must  be 
done  by  joint  action.  It  is  only  when 
the  different  faiths  unite  on  some 
moral  issue  that  they  can  exert  a 


real  impact  on  the  thinking  of  the 
nation.  They  can  do  so  to  a  tre- 
mendous extent,  even  if  the  ultimate 
bases  of  action  are  somewhat  vari- 
ously  expressed." 


Overseas  Report  ..•from  West  Africa 


H.  Stover  Kulp 


Religion 

The  Billy  Graham  evangelistic 
campaign  in  West  Africa  opened  at 
Monrovia  in  Liberia  on  Jan.  13  and 
closed  in  Jos  on  Feb.  12.  Meetings 
were  held  at  each  place  from  five 
days  to  a  week.  Most  of  the  preach- 
ing was  done  by  associate  evange- 
lists. Dr.  Graham  preached  twice  at 
each  place,  except  Jos,  where  he 
preached  but  once  at  the  large  pub- 
he  meeting.  Schools  and  other 
places  were  visited. 

Meetings  were  well  attended.  It 
was  estimated  that  12,000  were  at 
the  final  meeting  in  Jos.  There  were 
several  thousand  confessions.  An 
outstanding  result  of  the  campaign 
j  was  that  it  brought  the  churches  and 
missions  together  in  spirit  and  in 
witness. 

Dr.  Graham  is  a  member  of  the 
mission  board  of  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Church.  This  church  has  one 
of  the  oldest  missions  in  Nigeria. 
They  sent  their  first  missionaries  to 
Nigeria  in  the  1840's.  The  Nigerian 
Baptist  Convention  is  now  a  strong 
indigenous  organization.  One  of  its 
leading  Nigerian  ministers,  Dr. 
Ayorinde,  is  chairman  of  the  Ni- 
gerian Broadcasting  Corporation  and 
a  vice-president  of  the  Baptist  World 
Alliance.  He  took  a  leading  part  in 
the  evangelistic  campaign. 

The  Tarayya  (Fellowship)  of 
Churches  of  Christ  in  the  Sudan, 
which  is  made  up  of  seven  church 
bodies  in  Northern  Nigeria,  held 
its  annual  meeting  at  Panyam, 
near  Jos,  Jan.  6-10.  The  combined 
membership  of  the  churches  in  this 
fellowship  is  now  about  28,000. 
Over  5,000  members  were  added  in 
1959. 


Politics 

This  is  the  closing  year  (1960)  of 
what  one  press  report  calls  "Africa's 
Decisive  Decade."  In  1940,  Liberia 
was  the  only  independent  state  in 
Africa.  Even  ten  years  ago  the  only 
change  was  that  Ethiopia  had  re- 
gained   her    independence.      Since 


1950  Sudan,  Ghana,  Guinea,  and 
all  the  North  African  states  except 
Algeria  have  become  independent. 
The  year  1960  has  been  acclaimed 
Africa's  year  and  "independence"  is 
the  watch  word. 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1960,  the 
French  Camerouns,  which  had  been 
UN  Trust  Territory,  became  inde- 
pendent. Mr.  Hammarskjold,  Secre- 
tary General  of  the  United  Nations, 
and  representatives  of  many  other 
nations  attended  the  celebrations. 
Mr.  Cabot  Lodge  attended  as  Pres- 
ident Eisenhower's  personal  repre- 
sentative. M.  Ahidjo,  a  Garoua-born 
Fulani,  is  the  prime  minister  of  the 
new  Cameroun  Republic. 

There  have  been  disturbances,  in- 
stigated, it  is  believed,  by  a  rival 
political  group.  Since  July  1959  an 
estimated  average  of  fifty  people 
have  been  killed  each  month  by  ter- 
rorists alone  and  many  more  by  po- 
lice in  attempts  to  put  down  the 
disturbances.  Less  than  twenty-four 
hours  before  the  Camerouns  as- 
sumed independence,  terrorists  made 
attacks  on  public  buildings  in 
Douala  and  in  the  capital,  Yaounde. 
Much  damage  was  done  and  forty 
people  were  killed,  including  three 
Europeans. 

Federal  elections  in  Nigeria,  on 
the  other  hand,  went  off  quite 
smoothly  on  Dec.  12,  1959.  None 
of  the  three  main  parties  obtained  a 
majority  for  the  new  Federal  House 
of  Assembly.  A  coalition  govern- 
ment of  the  Northern  Peoples  Con- 
gress and  the  National  Congress  of 
Nigeria  and  the  Camerouns  has  been 
formed  under  Prime  Minister  Alhaji 
Sir  Akubakir  Tafawa  Belawa.  Dr. 
Azikwe  (Zik),  the  outstanding  na- 
tionalist and  leader  of  the  N.C.N.C. 
and  former  premier  of  the  Eastern 
Region  has  been  elected  president 
of  the  senate.  This  new  house  is 
called  the  Independence  House.  It 
is  elected  for  five  years.  It  will  take 
over  the  independent  Nigeria  on 
Oct.  1,  1960.  When  that  occurs 
more  than  a  majority  of  Africans 
will  live  in  independent  states. 


Education 

Prof.  Kenneth  Dike,  a  forty-two- 
year-old  Nigerian,  has  been  chosen 
principal  of  University  College, 
Ibadan,  to  take  effect  Oct.  1,  1960. 
He  is  the  first  African  to  head  a 
university  south  of  the  Sahara. 
Dakar  University  was  officially 
opened  on  Dec.  9,  1959,  by  the 
French  minister  of  education.  It  was 
set  up  as  a  University  College  in 
1948  and  has  had  full  university 
status  since  1957.  At  present  it  has 
over  1,300  students. 

Economics 

The  Ghana  government  has  be- 
come sole  owner  of  the  Black  Star 
Line.  With  the  purchase  of  eight 
new  ships,  fleet  strength  will  be 
brought  up  to  twelve. 

By  end  of  1960  Nigeria  will  be 
exporting  30,000  barrels  of  oil  a  day. 
By  1965  it  should  be  90,000  barrels 
a  day  and  should  eventually  reach 
1,000,000.  In  the  next  ten  years 
it  may  become  Nigeria's  most  valu- 
able export,  beating  cocoa  and 
groundnuts  (peanuts). 

Motor  trade  in  West  Africa  is 
rapidly  expanding  and  may  become 
one  of  the  most  promising  areas  for 
that  trade.  However,  in  Nigeria 
there  is  now  only  one  passenger  car 
to  every  fifteen  hundred  of  the  popu- 
lation as  compared  with  one  to  three 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Miscellaneous 

Explosion  of  the  atom  bomb  by 
France  in  the  Sahara  Desert  took 
place  on  Saturday  morning,  Feb.  13, 
at  6:00  a.m.  This  was  carried  out 
by  France  against  the  united  protests 
of  nearly  ah1  African  peoples.  Re- 
percussions have  already  set  in.  Dr. 
Nkrumah,  prime  minister  of  Ghana, 
has  announced  that  all  French  assets 
in  Ghana  would  be  frozen  until  such 
time  as  effects  on  the  population 
become   known." 

The  Bible  Society  is  circulating  an 
additional  million  gospels  in  Africa 
in  1960.  Over  half  will  be  printed 
in  the  United  Kingdom  in  thirty-nine 
African  languages  and  the  remainder 
in  Africa  in  fourteen  languages. 

International  Co-operation  Ad- 
ministration appointees  who  have 
had  concentrated  training  in  Africa 
studies  at  Boston  University  were 
sent  to  selected  areas  in  West  Africa 
to  complete  their  course.  There  are 
eighteen  men  and  two  women  in 
the  group.  Four  of  the  men  are 
Negroes. 


MARCH  26,   1960 


23 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 


Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (•).  —  Editor. 


°In  His  Likeness.  G.  McLeod 
Bryan.  John  Knox,  1959.  191  pages. 
$3.00. 

One  of  the  characteristic  emphases 
of  the  earliest  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is  described 
by  the  words  "the  imitation  of  Jesus." 
These  words  also  describe  the  basic 
concerns  of  the  above  book.  The 
author  has  collected  from  various  and 
unexpected  authors  selections  which 
reveal  Christianity's  conviction  that 
Christ  did  set  an  example  for  re- 
deemed man  to  follow.  In  a  most 
interesting  and  challenging  manner 
Dr.  Bryan  has  prefaced  each  author's 
material  with  his  own  commentary 
and  helps  us  understand  the  relation- 
ship of  "grace"  to  the  "imitation  of 
Christ."  "Certainly  the  full  gospel 
has  always  insisted  on  both  sacra- 
mentum  et  exemplum  —  Christ  both 
the  gift  of  grace  and  the  perfect 
example  of  redeemed  nature,"  he 
states.  Although  this  is  an  anthology, 
certainly  no  Church  of  the  Brethren 
minister  will  want  to  be  without  it, 
for  it  is  a  valuable  volume.  "The 
true  imitation  is  not  produced  by 
preaching  on  the  theme,  Thou  Shalt 
Imitate  Christ,  but  as  a  result  of 
preaching  about  how  much  Christ 
has  done  for  me.  If  a  man  grasps 
and  feels  that  truly  and  profoundly 
then  the  imitation  will  follow  natural- 
ly." This  quote  from  Soren  Kierke- 
gaard alone  makes  the  book  worthy 
of  ownership.  —  Floyd  E.  Bantz,  Mc- 
Pherson,  Kansas. 

"The  Letter  to  the  Romans.  Emil 
Brunner.  Westminster,  1959.  168 
pages.    $3.50. 

When  one  of  the  world's  greatest 
living  theologians  writes  an  exposi- 
tion of  Paul's  most  profound  epistle, 
there  is  sure  to  result  a  book  of 
unusual  worth.  This  is  exacdy  what 
is  offered  the  reader  of  this  English 
translation  of  a  recent  German  edi- 
tion of  Emil  Brunner's  classic  work 
first  published  in  1938. 

Dr.  Brunner  undertakes  the  diffi- 
cult but  rewarding  dual  task  of  por- 
traying both  what  Paul  wanted  to 
say  to  the  Christians  of  his  day  and 
what  God  wants  to  say  to  us  today 
through  Paul. 

Especially  strong  is  the  author's 


treatment  of  the  antithesis  between 
law  and  faith,  his  able  handling  of 
the  trenchant  but  difficult  Chapter 
7,  his  helpful  wrestling  with  the  vex- 
ing problem  of  predestination  and 
freedom  and  his  understanding  of 
faith  as  issuing  in  love  which  be- 
comes the  basis  for  the  great  ethical 
section  of  chapters  12-15. 

Brethren  readers  will  regret  that 
the  treatment  of  the  rich  chapter  12 
is  so  brief  but  they  can  rejoice  that 
Dr.  Brunner  has  so  helpfully  ex- 
pounded the  first  eleven  chapters,  on 
which  most  Brethren  need  the  great- 
er help.  —  Chalmer  E.  Faw,  Chicago, 
IU. 


"Major  Religions   of  the  World. 

Marcus  Bach.  Abingdon,  1959.   128 
pages.    $1.00. 

The  entire  world  is  now  a  neigh- 
borhood and  we  need  to  understand 
the  faiths  by  which  our  neighbors 
live.  This  book  views  the  religions 
of  the  world  as  "different  dialects  by 
which  man  speaks  to  God  —  and  God 
to  man."  The  position  is  similar  to 
that  of  St.  Paul,  who  recognized  the 
witness  God  had  given  to  the  Gentile 
world  in  such  passages  as  Rom. 
1:18-32  and  Acts  14:16-17. 

This  viewpoint  is  not  one  of  shal- 
low syncretism.  The  book  under  re- 
view is  deeply  evangelical  in  its 
spirit  and  message.  The  author  well 
says  that  "the  deeper  we  sink  our 
roots  into  the  faith  we  love  the  great- 
er will  be  our  appreciation  of  the 
quest  of  all  people."  Parallel  with 
a  deepening  respect  for  the  faith 
of  others  is  a  deepening  conviction 
that  "our  greatest  treasure  is  hidden 
in  our  own  faith." 

This  book  is  a  very  brief  treatise 
of  a  very  large  subject.  Its  spirit, 
faith,  and  challenge  make  it  a  very 
acceptable  introductory  study  for 
both  youth  and  adults.  -  Chalmer  G. 
Shull,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


"How  to  Serve  God  in  a  Marxist 
Land.  Karl  Barth  and  Johannes 
Hamel.  Association  Press,  1959.  126 
pages.    $2.50. 

Facing  problems  that  we  do  not 
face,  the  authors  of  this  book  try 
to  determine  God's  will  for  the  Chris- 
tian behind  the  Iron  Curtain.  One 
Johannes  Hamel  writes  from  behind 


the  Iron  Curtain  under  the  stress  of 
experience  and  deep  meditation. 
The  other,  Karl  Barth,  writes  from 
the  freedom  of  Switzerland,  but  also 
after  much  thought  and  meditation. 

While  the  book  does  not  deal  with 
our  situation,  it  does  point  out  the 
problems  we  face  in  serving  God  in 
America.  Frequendy  we  are  un- 
aware of  these  problems.  The  book 
should  stab  us  wide  awake. 

According  to  this  correspondence, 
Marxists  are  unconsciously  servants 
of  God.  He  is  using  them  as  his 
instruments  to  discipline  the  children 
of  God,  both  East  and  West. 

The  book  is  both  a  deep  and  a 
strong  tonic.  If  you  are  thin-skinned 
and  unwilling  to  repent,  do  not  read 
this  book.  It  will  demand  hard  think- 
ing. Reading  it  could  lead  to  wider 
knowledge,  deeper  faith,  greater 
optimism,  and  greater  devotion  to 
the  Christian  life.  —  Ora  Huston. 

Ministry  and  Priesthood  —  Christ's 
and  Ours.  T.  W.  Manson.  John 
Knox,  1959.   76  pages.    $1.50. 

An  eminent  churchman  examines 
three  aspects  of  the  ministry  of : 
Christ  and  his  church  —  Christ,  the 
Teacher;  Christ,  the  Conqueror; 
Christ,  the  Sacrifice.  Then  he  relates 
this  to  the  concept  of  the  priesthood 
of  all  believers  and  throws  new  fight 
on  the  role  of  the  contemporary  Prot- 
estant church.  His  conclusions  are 
sound  and  satisfying,  as  he  defines 
the  priesthood  of  believers  for  both 
clergy  and  laity.  —  Dean  Frantz,  Chi- 
cago, III. 

"Sex  and  the  Adolescent.  Maxine 
Davis.  Dial,  1958.  317  pages. 
$5.00. 

Here  is  a  book  parents  and  youth 
will  want  to  read.  Any  adolescent 
would  wish  to  have  his  parents  read 
this  book  with  him.  Though  not 
written  in  a  Christian  context,  the 
information  in  this  book  rings  true 
to  the  Christian  faith  and  helps  both 
parents  and  youth  to  recognize  sex 
as  a  beautiful,  meaningful,  and 
happy  drive  of  life. 

Its  simple  outline  makes  it  a  very 
useful  reference  book.  Its  vocabu- 
lary is  simple  but  accurate;  its  Ian-, 
guage  plain  but  dignified.  Any 
parent  or  adolescent  would  return 
to  it  often  for  help. 

The  book  begins  with  a  discussion 
of  the  earliest  sexual  urge  and  fol- 
lows it  through  to  its  fulfillment  in 
the  marriage  relationship.  The  great- 
est contribution  the  book  makes  is 
in  the  area  of  expelling  false  folklore 
and  prevalent  misconceptions  about 


various  aspects  of  sex.  In  very  plain 
and  simple  language,  the  book  un- 
emotionally attempts  to  help  parents 
understand  the  questions  and  prob- 
lems of  adolescent  sexual  adjustment. 
There  is  one  noticeable  weakness 
in  the  book.  In  her  discussion  of 
petting,  the  author  does  not  give 
suggestions  to  help  adolescents  dis- 
cover creative  oudets  for  the  sexual 
urge  so  that  petting  would  not  need 
to  be  practiced.  It  is  at  this  point 
that  the  adolescent  needs  the  great- 
est amount  of  help.  —  Robert  G. 
Mock,  New  Windsor,  Md. 

"My  Heart  an  Altar.  Margaret 
Hoyt,  Eleanor  Hoyt  Dabney.  John 
Knox,  1959.    189  pages.    $3.50. 

Resources  for  Worship  is  an  ideal 
subtide  for  this  book.  The  authors 
have  assembled  poems,  prayers, 
scripture  selections,  stories,  and 
hymns  under  some  forty  worship 
themes.  Selections  appropriate  to 
stewardship,  missions,  brotherhood, 
and  citizenship,  as  well  as  seasonal 
gems  for  Christmas,  Easter,  and 
Thanksgiving  are  included  in  this 
inspirational  book. 

These  devotional  materials,  while 
they  do  not  form  a  complete  worship 
service,  serve  to  give  many  helpful 
ingredients  for  building  a  worship 
service.  The  book  will  be  especially 
helpful  to  ministers  and  teachers,  but 
will  also  be  very  effective  for  plan- 
ning family  worship  and  for  individ- 
ual personal  devotions.  —  Mildred  A. 
Long,  Elgin,  III. 

"Isaiah  Speaks.   S.  Paul  Schilling. 
Crowell,    1959.     148   pages.    $3.00. 
Considering  both  the  historical  set- 
ting and  our  contemporary  situation, 
Dr.    Schilling    interprets    to   us    the 
jjjmessage  of  Isaiah.  Archeological  and 
ificritical  material  is  brought  into  the 
jflstudy.    The  Messianic  passages  and 
Jthe  Servant  Songs  are  discussed  in 
^Christian    perspective.     The    author 
Ikeeps   in   mind   the   significance   of 
'the  book  for  today  and  the  impact 
'that  Isaiah  has  had  upon  the  church 
j  jthroughout  its  history. 
)•;  j    This  book  is  a  revision  of  an  earlier 
ijstudy  volume  (paperback)  used  by 
ii  the  Women's  Societies  of  Christian 
j  Service  of  the  Methodist  Church.   It 
will  be  welcomed  by  other  denomi- 
i  nations,  and  Brethren  should  find  it 
j  Useful  both  for  individual  and  group 
ii  study.  Although  we  accept  the  New 
it  Testament  as  our  ultimate  rule  of 
i  :aith  and  practice,  books  such  as  this 
how  the  indispensable  nature  of  the 
31d  Testament  for  the  understanding 


of  the  New,  as  well  as  richly  deepen- 
ing our  understanding  of  God  and 
his  work  in  history.  —  Robert  McFad- 
den,  Roston,  Mass. 

Woman  in  the  Church.  Russell 
C.  Prohl,  Eerdmans,  1957.  86  pages. 
$2.00. 

This  book  covers  quite  thoroughly 
Old  and  New  Testament  injunctions 
concerning  woman's  status  in  public 
life,  particularly  in  the  church,  and 
is  a  good  book  for  Brethren  to  read. 
After  much  study,  Reverend  Prohl 
has  found  that  in  all  Biblical  refer- 
ences where  woman  was  commanded 
to  keep  quiet  or  keep  her  head  cov- 
ered, these  commands  were  given  to 
wives  and  were  necessary  in  order 
to  preserve  a  good  marriage. 

Nowhere  is  there  a  law  making 
woman  as  a  sex  subordinate  to  man 
as  a  sex.  Jesus  held  woman  in  high 
esteem  and  never  once  did  he  utter 
a  word  restricting  her  activities.  The 
early  church  had  many  outstanding 
Christian  leaders  among  the  women. 
Dr.  Prohl  feels  that  the  present-day 
church  has  a  vast  reservoir  of  talent 
in  her  devoted  and  qualified  women. 
It  is  time  for  the  church  to  put 
to  full  use  the  mission  potential 
she  has  in  her  women,  thus  giv- 
ing them  an  opportunity  to  serve 
in  any  official  capacity  within  the 
church.  —  Ruth  Lehman,  McPherson, 
Kansas. 

Spiritual  Renewal  Through  Per- 
sonal Groups.  John  L.  Casteel.  As- 
sociation Press,  1959.  220  pages. 
$3.50. 

The  small  group  of  persons  who 
come  to  share  intimately  their 
thoughts  and  feelings  is  becoming 
more  and  more  a  part  of  our  church 
life.  This  book  by  Dr.  Casteel  is 
very  helpful  in  that  it  reports  the 
experiences  of  ten  churches  in  the 
way  these  groups  start  and  how  they 
function  and  the  results  discovered. 

And  it  is  an  inspiring  book  to 
read.  One  feels  that  here  is  some- 
thing vital  that  has  been  missing 
from  our  churches,  though  through 
the  years  functioning  in  various  ways 
since  the  earliest  Christian  history. 
Anyone  interested  in  exploring  these 
small  "personal  groups"  and  their 
function  in  the  life  of  a  congregation 
will  find  this  book  quite  helpful.  — 
W.  Glenn  McFadden,  Elgin,  III. 

In  the  Evening.  Carol  Cochrane. 
Revell,  1959.   63  pages.   65c. 

A  pocket-sized  devotional  booklet 
in  limp  imitation  leather,  printed  in 
Great   Britain.    A   verse   or   two   or 


three  from  the  scriptures,  a  medita- 
tion, and  a  prayer  on  each  two  pages 
are  arranged  for  daily  use  for  thirty- 
one  days.  The  content  of  the  medi- 
tations is  searching  but  simply  stated 
in  language  that  is  sometimes  graph- 
ic and  always  appealing.  An  attrac- 
tive gift  booklet  that  can  be  carried 
in  the  purse  or  pocket.  A  companion 
booklet  to  In  the  Morning.  —  Edith 
Rarnes,  Elgin,  III. 

Her  Heart  and  Home.  Ruth 
Brunk  Stoltzfus.  Moody  Press,  1959. 
160  pages.    $3.00. 

For  the  many  mothers  (and  fa- 
thers) who  believe  that  a  positive 
approach  will  solve  many  of  the 
questions  and  problems  of  juvenile 
delinquency,  Her  Heart  and  Home 
presents  much  concrete,  practical 
material.  "Our  children  deserve  to 
know  that  it  is  a  beautiful  and  sacred 
and  noble  thing  for  a  man  and  wom- 
an to  love  each  other  and  to  live 
together  in  marriage."  The  author 
uses  a  practical,  everyday  approach 
to  problems  and  joys  in  the  home. 
There  is  inspiration,  devotion  and 
challenge;  there  are  recipes  for  a 
happy  home,  housecleaning  of  the 
mind,  learning  of  calmness  and 
courtesy.  There  is  a  wholesome  atti- 
tude toward  the  need  and  function 
of  both  father  and  mother  as  parents 
and  not  an  overplay  of  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  mother.  —  Mrs.  D.  W. 
Rittinger,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

Parents  of  Many.  Victor  E. 
Swenson.  Augustana,  1959.  348 
pages.   $3.75. 

This  is  a  personal  narrative  written 
by  Victor  E.  Swenson  who  was  a 
missionary  in  China  for  forty-five 
years.  He  and  his  wife  labored  in 
old  and  new  China,  living  most  of 
these  long  years  in  Honan  Province 
and  then  later  in  divided  China, 
when  they  were  on  the  island  of 
Taiwan.  They  served  for  the  Augus- 
tana Lutheran  Church. 

The  book  gets  its  tide  from  friends 
of  the  Swensons,  who  felt  that  these 
missionaries  had  been  like  parents 
to  hundreds  of  the  Chinese  people. 

Many  details  of  missionary  life  are 
given  in  this  interesting  book.  Often 
the  events  are  exciting,  at  times  they 
are  most  encouraging  and  joyful,  and 
often  they  are  distressing.  The  read- 
er sees  an  intimate  picture  of  the 
daily  life  of  devoted  Christian  mis- 
sionaries. The  book  presents  a  great 
challenge  and  a  call  to  five  a  com- 
parable life  of  service  for  Christ.  — 
Anetta  C.  Mow,  Elgin,  III. 


MARCH  26,   1960 


25 


Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiram  N.  Abe  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Dec.  22,  1959,  with  open  house. 
They  are  members  of  the  Old  Furnace 
church,  Ridgeley,  W.  Va.  They  have 
three  children,  twelve  grandchildren, 
and  nine  great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs. 
Edith  Ellifritz,  Ridgeley,  W.  Va. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Courtney  Baker  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Dec.  28,  1959.  -  Eulalia  L. 
Miller,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lan  Berkey  celebrated 
their  fifty-fourth  wedding  anniversary 
on  Christmas  Day.  —  Mrs.  Irene  Pip- 
penger,  Nappanee,  Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  I.  Bowman 
observed  their  fifty-fifth  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Jan.  5,  1960.  —  Eulalia  L. 
Miller,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Hansford,  Sr., 
celebrated  their  fifty-first  wedding  an- 
niversary on  July  1,  1959.  —  Mrs.  Fred 
Herren,  Batavia,  111. 

Brother  and  Sister  Harvey  Keller  of 
Sebring,  Fla.,  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary  on  Sept.  9,  1959, 
with  open  house.  Brother  Keller  served 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary  and  was 
field  representative  for  Mt.  Morris  Col- 
lege. They  have  three  children  and 
three  grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Joseph  Eck- 
stadt,  Sebring,  Fla. 

Brother  and  Sister  Charles  Kurtz  of 
Akron,  Ohio,  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary  on  Dec.  26,  1959, 
with  open  house  and  a  reception.  They 
have  three  daughters  and  three  grand- 
daughters. —  Lizzie  E.  Ingold,  Moga- 
dore,  Ohio. 

Brother  and  Sister  Milton  Kurtz  of 
Mogadore,  Ohio,  celebrated  their  gold- 
en wedding  anniversary  on  Jan.  10, 
1960,  with  open  house  and  a  reception 
at  the  church.  They  have  ten  children, 
sixteen  grandchildren,  and  four  great- 
grandchildren. Lizzie  E.  Ingold,  Moga- 
dore, Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  Lehman  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Oct.  10,  1959.  —  Mrs.  Irene 
Pippenger,  Nappanee,  Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  August  Maves  cele- 
brated their  fifty-third  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Oct.  1,  1959.  —  Mrs.  Fred 
Herren,  Batavia,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  C.  Mosholder  cele- 
brated their  sixty-fourth  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  25,  1959.  They  have 
eight  children,  twenty-four  grandchil- 
dren, and  fifteen  great-grandchildren. 
—  Mrs.  Ralph  Kniss,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Brother  and  Sister  Frank  Peters  of 
Peru,  Ind.,  celebrated  their  fifty-seventh 
wedding  anniversary  on  Feb.  10,  1960. 
Mrs.  Peters  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Peru  church.  They  have  six  children, 
eleven  grandchildren,  and  ten  great- 
grandchildren. —  Mrs.  Orville  Sonafrank, 
Peru,  Ind. 

Brother  and  Sister  Samuel  R.  Wey- 
bright  of  Detour,  Md.,  were  surprised 
on  their  sixtieth  wedding  anniversarv  on 
Dec.  20,  1959,  at  the  Rocky  Ridge 
church,  where  guests  had  assembled  to 
celebrate  the  occasion.  Brother  Wev- 
bright  is  still  active  in  the  ministerial 
work  of  his  church.  They  have  two 
children,   three   grandchildren,   and   six 


great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Denda  Ren- 
ner,  New  Midway,  Md. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashby  Wilberger  cele- 
brated their  sixty-third  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  23,  1959.  —  Eulalia  L. 
Miller,  Port  Republic,  Va. 


Obituaries 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Arnold,  Julius  Elmer,  son  of  Albert 
S.  and  Elizabeth  Fike  Arnold,  was  born 
Oct.  28,  1887,  at  Eglon,  W.  Va.,  and 
died  Dec.  7,  1959,  at  Oakland,  Md.  He 
was  a  deacon  of  the  Maple  Spring 
church,  W.  Va.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Arizona  Auvil,  who  preceded 
him  in  death.  Surviving  are  four  sons, 
one  daughter,  twelve  grandchildren, 
five  great-grandchildren,  two  brothers, 
and  three  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  in  the  Maple  Spring 
church  by  Bro.  Galen  Fike.  Interment 
was  in  the  Eglon  cemetery.  —  Chas.  E. 
Arnold.  Eglon,  W.  Va. 

Aulthouse,  Vada  Mae,  daughter  of 
Sylvester  and  Anna  Piper  Stump,  was 
born  in  Indiana  County,  Pa.,  Sept.  26, 
1901,  and  died  Nov.  26,  1959,  in  Al- 
toona,  Pa.  On  May  1,  1923,  she  was 
married  to  John  R.  Aulthouse.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Twenty-Eighth  Street 
church,  Altoona.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  three  children,  six  grandchil- 
dren, and  five  brothers  and  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  at  the 
Replogle  funeral  home  by  Bro.  Don- 
ald Fogelsanger.  Interment  was  in 
the  Rose  Hill  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Mary 
Covert,  Altoona,  Pa. 

Azias,  Edwin,  was  born  in  Preble 
County,  Ohio,  Jan.  7,  1871,  and  died 
Jan.  8,  1960.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
three  daughters,  one  son,  two  brothers, 
one  sister,  six  grandchildren,  and  eleven 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Barnes  funeral 
home,  with  Bro.  Ellis  Guthrie  in  charge. 
Interment  was  in  the  Sugar  Grove  cem- 
etery. —  Mrs.  Cyrus  Kiracofe,  Eaton, 
Ohio. 

Baker,  Russell,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Amsa  Baker,  was  born  in  Elkhart  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  March  1,  1901,  and  died  Jan. 
7,  1960.  On  March  24,  1927,  he  was 
married  to  Mabel  Mast.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  one  brother,  and  two  half- 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  West  Goshen  church  by  Brethren 
Paul  Lantis  and  M.  D.  Stutsman.  In- 
terment was  in  the  church  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Edith  Huber,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Batdorf,  Henry  Franklin,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Rachel  Donnier  Batdorf, 
was  born  Feb.  17,  1877,  and  died  Tan. 
23,  1960.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Minnie  Swartz  on  Nov.  9,  1904. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  one  son,  one 
brother,  two  sisters,  six  grandchildren, 
and  one  great- err andchild.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Barnes  funeral 
home,  with  Bro.  Ellis  Guthrie  in  charge. 
Interment  was  in  the  Mound  Hill  cem- 
etery. —  Mrs.    Cvrus    Kiracofe,    Eaton, 

Beshore,  Nellie,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Lvdia  Miller  Wine,  was  born  near 
Nevada,  Mo.,  on  Sept.  5,  1885,  and 
died  in  Kansas  Citv,  Mo.,  Feb.  13,  1960. 
On  Aug.  31,  1919,  sne  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Milton  K.  Beshore,  who 
preceded  her  in  death.  She  is  survived 
bv  two  sons,  two  grandchildren,  and 
one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Messiah  Church  of  the  Brethren 
by  Bro.  Ira.  W.  Gibble.    Interment  was 


in  the  Brooking  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ger- 
trude Gaba,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Boron,  Ray  E.,  son  of  William  and 
Bertha  Domino  Boron,  was  born  near 
North  Georgetown,  Ohio,  Nov.  27, 
1914,  and  died  Jan.  30,  1960.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Reading  church,  Ohio. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  two  sons, 
and  one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  the  undersigned  at  the 
Cassaday  and  Turkle  funeral  home.  In- 
terment was  in  the  North  Georgetown 
cemetery.  —  J.  D.  Zigler,  Alliance,  Ohio. 

Brenner,  Ola,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Christina  Troutwine,  was  born  Nov.  17, 
1873,  in  Darke  County,  Ohio,  and  died 
on  Jan.  1,  1960.  In  1895,  she  was' 
married  to  Ira  Brenner.  She  was  bap- 
tized at  the  Pitsburg  church  in  1905. 
She  and  her  husband  served  in  the 
office  of  deacon.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  one  daughter,  one  son,  five 
grandchildren,  and  eleven  great-grand- 
children. —  Mrs.  W.  Russell  Miller, 
Brookville,  Ohio. 

Bridges,  Laura,   was  born  Aug.    15, 
1886,  in  Rockingham  County,  Va.,  and 
died  near  Lima,  Ohio,   Jan.    10,    1960. 
She  was  married  to  William  C.  Bridges 
on  Feb.  24,  1907.    She  is  survived  by 
her  husband,  ten  children,  twenty-eight . 
grandchildren,    seven    great-grandchil- 
dren,   and   three    sisters.     The    funeral  i 
service  was  held  at  the  Pleasant  View 
church  by   Brethren  Edgar   Petry   and  I 
David  Wampler.    Interment  was  in  the  I 
cemetery  nearby.  —  Mrs.  Paul  Rusmisel,  , 
Columbus  Grove,  Ohio. 

Burroughs,     Loretta     Faye,     invalid  1 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dewey  Bur- 
roughs, died  Jan.   1,   1960,  at  the  age 
of   eighteen   years.     Surviving   are   her 
parents  and  one  brother.    The  funeral 
service   was  held   at   the   Fair   funeral  :i 
home  by  Brethren  Homer  J.  Miller  and' 
H.  W.  Peters  and  Rev.  Warwick  Aiken. 
Interment  was  in  the  Overlook  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Sam  B.  Thomas,  Leaksville, 
N.  C. 

Cable,  Charles,  son  of  Robert  and 
Erva  Cable,  was  born  July  16,  1902. 
and  died  Dec.  16,  1959.  He  was  united I 
in  marriage  to  Eha  Shaffer  on  June  4, 
1924.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Shade 
Creek  church,  Pa.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife  and  two  daughters.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  in  Hooversville  by 
Bro.  Clayton  H.  Gehman,  assisted  by 
Bro.  Millard  Weaver.  Interment  was  in 
the  P.O.S.  of  A.  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Jack1 
Walter,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Canby,  William  Guy,  son  of  Samuel 
M.  and  Martha  J.  Snyder  Canby,  was 
born  Feb.  10,  1893,  and  died  Jan.  3, 
1960.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Mar- 
tinsburg  church,  W.  Va.  Surviving  are 
eight  children,  twenty- two  grandchil- 
dren, eight  great-grandchildren,  five' 
brothers,  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Brown  funer- 
al home  by  Brethren  C.  N.  Grubb 
and  Byron  Berkey.  Interment  was 
in  the  Tuscarora  cemetery.  —  Blanche 
Sponaugle,  Martinsburg,  W.  Va. 

Cassel,  Lizzie  A.,  wife  of  David  H 
Cassel,  was  born  Sept.  16,  1886,  anc 
died  Nov.  16,  1959.  She  is  survived  bj 
her  husband,  two  sons,  and  three  daugh 
ters.  The  funeral  service  was  held  a 
the  Indian  Creek  church  by  Brethrei 
Joseph  Moyer  and  John  Moyer.  Inter 
ment  was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  - 
L.  G.  Nyce,  Vernfield.  Pa. 

Channey,  Annie  Clark,  daughter  o 
Joseph   and   Susan   Oakley   Clark,   wa 


be 


I  born  May  16,  1886,  in  Patrick  County, 
jVa.,  and  died  Jan.  19,  1960.  She  was 
Ithe  widow  of  Matt  Channey.  Surviv- 
Bing  are  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 
mThe  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
Ithe  Spray  church,  N.  C,  of  which  she 
[was  a  member  by  Brethren  Homer  J. 
■  Miller  and  H.  W.  Peters.  Interment 
nwas  in  the  Concord  Methodist  church 
Icemetery.  —  Mrs.  Sam  B.  Thomas, 
l  Leaksville,  N.  C. 

Chaplin,  Hazel  G.,  daughter  of 
■William  and  Martha  Fishburn,  was 
{born  Oct.  10,  1894,  and  died  in  Denver, 
■Ind.,  Dec.  2,  1959.  She  was  married 
•  to  Joseph  Chaplin  on  Sept.  15,  1932. 
■She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  a  sister, 
land  a  brother.  The  funeral  was  held 
llfrom  the  Mexico  church  by  Bro.  Donald 
.iRitchey.  Interment  was  in  the  Green- 
jflawn  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Vernon  Sites, 
MMexico,  Ind. 

Ciotti,  Nunzio,  was  born  March  1876, 
in  Italy,  and  died  Dec.  16,  1959,  at  the 
Somerset  old  folks  home.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Windber  church.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  Jennie,  eight 
children,  and  five  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Meek 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  Clayton  H.  Geh- 
man.  Interment  was  held  in  the  Rich- 
.|land  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Jack  Walter, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Clark,  Fred  E.,  son  of  James  E.  and 
Caroline  Peterson  Clark,  was  born  in 
Hanna  City,  111.,  April  1,  1887.  He  was 
married  to  Blanche  Elnora  Finfrock  on 
Aug.  5,  1909.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
Four  daughters,  seven  grandchildren, 
gight  great-grandchildren,  and  two  sis- 
ters. The  funeral  service  was  held  in 
■he  Murphy  Memorial  home  by  Bro. 
aul  Thompson.  Interment  was  in  the 
-Jreenwood  cemetery.— Mrs.  Anna  Mae 
Dare,  Canton,  111. 

Collier,  Anna  Margaret,  daughter  of 
fames  and  Margaret  Steele  Bacon,  was 
jorn  Dec.  6,  1901,  in  Beaver  Township. 
Ohio,  and  died  in  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
fan.  13,  1960.  She  was  married  to 
Alfred  Collier  on  Aug.  18,  1923.  She 
is  survived  by  her  husband,  her  mother, 
jne  brother,  one  son,  and  two  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
lucted  at  the  Woodworth  church,  Ohio, 
Dy  the  undersigned.  Interment  was  in 
he  North  Lima  cemetery.  —  Alvin  C. 
Cook,  Poland,  Ohio. 

Coltabaugh,  Harry  M.,  son  of  Ben- 
amin  and  Emma  Turnbaugh  Colta- 
augh,  was  born  Nov.  13,  1888,  at 
"ross  Keys,  Pa.,  and  died  in  Altoona, 
a.,  Dec.  10,  1959.  He  was  married  to 
essa  Shiffler  in  1914.  He  was  a  mem- 
er  of  the  Twenty-Eighth  Street  church, 
Jtoona.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  one 
aughter,  one  grandson,  and  four  sis- 
:ers.  The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
.'.Ithe  Laughlin  funeral  home  by  Bro. 
;.||Donald  Fogelsanger.  Interment  was  in 
/{'the  Carson  Valley  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
JjMary  Covert,  Altoona,  Pa. 
J|  Crickenberger,  Nancy  Rebecca, 
{daughter  of  Frederick  and  Anna  Garber 
j  fljSherfv,  was  born  on  Oct.  6,  1882,  at 
JjTopeka,  Kansas,  and  died  Jan.  8,  1960. 
ujBhe  was  united  in  marriage  to  Peter 
.ji  M.  Crickenberger  on  April  4,  1903.  She 
iiijioined  the  Oakton  church,  Va.,  in  1928. 
i,t  She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  one 
l';,f  son,  three  daughters,  ten  grandchildren, 
•;;".  and  eight  great-grandchildren.  The 
ifuneral  service  was  held  in  the  Oakton 
,  Jichurch  by  Bro.  David  L.  Rogers.  In- 
terment  was   in   the    Flint   Hill    ceme- 


tery. —  Mrs.  Michael  Southerly,  Falls 
Church,  Va. 

Cross,  Polly  Virginia,  was  born  Dec. 
12,  1885,  in  Ft.  Ogden,  Fla.,  and  died 
at  Arcadia,  Fla.,  Jan.  14,  1960.  She 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  Arcadia  for  forty  years. 
She  is  survived  by  one  son,  one  daugh- 
ter, one  brother,  and  two  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
church  by  the  undersigned  and  Rev. 
Floyd  N.  Bradley,  pastor  of  the  Naza- 
rene  church.  Interment  was  in  the 
Joshua  Creek  cemetery.  —  Marion  Nor- 
ris,  Arcadia,  Fla. 

Custer,  Pearl  R.,  daughter  of  Milton 
and  Ruth  Troutman  Storer,  was  born 
Feb.  23,  1878,  and  died  Jan.  17,  1960, 
at  Hillsboro,  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
she  was  baptized  at  the  Marble  Fur- 
nace church,  Ohio.  On  July  22,  1894, 
she  was  married  to  Frank  C.  Custer, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  Surviving 
are  nine  children.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  New  Market  Baptist 
church  by  Bro.  Dan  L.  Blickenstaff  and 
Rev.  C.  H.  Johnson,  Baptist  pastor.  — 
Mrs.  Carl  McGowan,  Peebles,  Ohio. 

Dague,  John  G.  J.,  son  of  Harvey 
and  Minnie  Dague,  was  born  Feb.  18, 
1894,  in  Scott  County,  Kansas,  and 
died  May  27,  1959.  On  Nov.  9,  1927, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Etta 
Morgan.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
three  daughters,  two  sons,  two  grand- 
children, his  mother,  four  sisters,  and 
two  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Prairie  View  church,  Kansas, 
by  Bro.  Charles  Dumond.  Interment 
was  in  the  Prairie  View  cemetery  — 
Mrs.  Raymond  Daniels,  Modoc,  Kansas. 

Davis,  Lizzie  Bowman,  was  born 
June  16,  1878,  and  died  at  McFarland, 
Calif.,  Jan.  28,  1960.  She  is  survived 
by  her  husband,  Walter,  four  sons,  two 
daughters,  fifteen  grandchildren,  eight- 
een great-grandchildren,  two  brothers, 
and  four  sisters.  Memorial  services 
were  held  at  the  McFarland  church, 
Calif.,  at  the  regular  Sunday  morning 
worship;  graveside  services  for  the 
family  were  held  at  the  Delano-Mc- 
Farland  cemetery.  —  J.  R.  Jennings, 
McFarland,  Calif. 

Deafenbaugh,  Chester,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Deafenbaugh,  was 
born  in  Kosciusko  County,  Ind.,  May 
18,  1886,  and  died  in  Mango,  Fla.,  Jan. 
15,  1960.  On  March  4,  1908,  he  was 
married  to  Emma  Ulery.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  three  sons,  three 
daughters,  and  twenty-one  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Hoover-Miner  funeral  home,  Wa- 
bash, Ind.,  with  Bro.  Carroll  Petry  offi- 
ciating. Interment  was  in  the  Eel  River 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ray  Ulery,  Wabash, 
Ind. 

Dove,  George  A.,  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  Mangold  Dove,  was  born  Jan. 
5,  1867,  in  Hardv,  W.  Va.,  and  died 
Jan.  20,  1960,  in  Delta,  Colo.  He  was 
married  to  Ida  Nazelrod,  who  preceded 
him  in  death.  He  was  a  retired  elder 
and  minister  in  First  Grand  Valley 
church  at  Grand  Junction,  Colo.  Sur- 
viving are  one  son,  one  sister,  two 
grandchildren,  and  three  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Taylor  mortuary  with  Bro. 
Robert  Crawford  in  charge.  —  Mrs. 
Berma  V.  Kelley,  Grand  Junction,  Colo. 

Driver,  Maude  S.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Margaret  Seddon,  died  Jan.  7,  1960, 


at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Skippack  church,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  a  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Dotts  funeral 
home,  with  Brethren  Jesse  Hoffman  and 
Joseph  Cassel  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  Mount  Moriah  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Elmer  Haldeman,  Eagleville,  Pa. 

Dubble,  William  R.,  was  born  March 
23,  1892,  and  died  Jan.  16,  1960.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Heidelberg 
church,  Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Estella  Crouse  Dubble,  one 
daughter,  four  sons,  and  thirteen  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Heidelberg  church,  with  Breth- 
ren Peter  Heisey  and  Alton  Bucher 
officiating.  Interment  was  in  the  Heidel- 
berg cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Alton  Bucher, 
Myerstown,  Pa. 

Eisenhour,  Jesse  A.,  son  of  Martin 
and  Sarah  Eisenhour,  was  born  near 
Plymouth,  Ind.,  Oct.  19,  1880,  and 
died  in  Goshen,  Ind.,  Jan.  16,  1960.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mertie  Bell 
Hartsough  on  Nov.  16,  1901.  He  was 
a  deacon  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
for  fifty  years  and  active  in  the  local 
Brethren  service  committee.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  two  daughters,  one  son, 
nine  grandchildren,  and  two  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Bethany  church  by  Brethren 
Israel  Gorden  and  Leo  Miller.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Union  Center  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Marion  Deeter,  Milford, 
Ind. 

Eisenhower,  Maizie,  daughter  of 
Frank  and  Ida  Heise  Farringer,  was 
born  Oct.  30,  1890,  and  died  Jan.  31, 
1960.  On  Dec.  15,  1913,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  William  Eisenhower.  She  was 
a  long-time  member  of  the  Lena 
church,  111.  Surviving  are  her  husband 
and  two  brothers.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  the  undersigned  in 
the  Leamon  funeral  chapel,  Lena.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Chapel  Hill  ceme- 
tery. —  Paul  Thompson,  Canton,  111. 

Evers,  Jesse  Lee,  was  born  in  Pea- 
body,  Kansas,  in  December  1890,  and 
died  at  La  Junta,  Colo.,  Jan.  26,  1960. 
He  was  married  to  Rosie  Plank  on  Jan. 
13,  1935.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Rocky  Ford  church,  Colo.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  four  sons,  and  one 
grandson.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Wilbur  Hoover,  assisted 
by  Rev.  Clifford  King  at  the  East  Hol- 
brook  Mennonite  church.  Interment 
was  in  the  East  Holbrook  church  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  O.  C.  Frantz,  Rocky  Ford, 
Colo. 

Fitzwater,  Addie  Kaylor,  was  born 
in  Logan  County,  Ohio,  in  July  1871, 
and  died  Jan.  28,  1960,  in  Evanston,  111. 
In  July  1898,  she  was  married  to  Perry 
B.  Fitzwater,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  Surviving  are  two  sons  and  one 
brother.  Interment  was  in  the  Memo- 
rial park.  —  John  I.  Kaylor,  Ozark,  Ark. 

Gaerte,  Elsie  Gertrude,  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Blue  River  church, 
Ind.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  Win- 
field,  five  sons,  three  daughters,  thirty- 
one  grandchildren,  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Blue  River  church.  —  Esther  Shearer, 
Columbia  City,  Ind. 

Gibboney,  Lydia  C,  daughter  of 
John    and    Mary    Gibboney    Hardman, 

MARCH  26,   1960  27 


Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiram  N.  Abe  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Dec.  22,  1959,  with  open  house. 
They  are  members  of  the  Old  Furnace 
church,  Ridgeley,  W.  Va.  They  have 
three  children,  twelve  grandchildren, 
and  nine  great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs. 
Edith  Ellifritz,  Ridgeley,  W.  Va. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Courtney  Baker  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Dec.  28,  1959.  -  Eulalia  L. 
Miiler,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lan  Berkey  celebrated 
their  fifty-fourth  wedding  anniversary 
on  Christmas  Day.  —  Mrs.  Irene  Pip- 
penger,  Nappanee,  Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  I.  Bowman 
observed  their  fifty-fifth  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Jan.  5,  1960.  —  Eulalia  L. 
Miller,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Hansford,  Sr., 
celebrated  their  fifty-first  wedding  an- 
niversary on  July  1,  1959.  —  Mrs.  Fred 
Herren,  Batavia,  111. 

Brother  and  Sister  Harvey  Keller  of 
Sebring,  Fla.,  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary  on  Sept.  9,  1959, 
with  open  house.  Brother  Keller  served 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary  and  was 
field  representative  for  Mt.  Morris  Col- 
lege. They  have  three  children  and 
three  grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Joseph  Eck- 
stadt,  Sebring,  Fla. 

Brother  and  Sister  Charles  Kurtz  of 
Akron,  Ohio,  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary  on  Dec.  26,  1959, 
with  open  house  and  a  reception.  They 
have  three  daughters  and  three  grand- 
daughters. —  Lizzie  E.  Ingold,  Moga- 
dore,  Ohio. 

Brother  and  Sister  Milton  Kurtz  of 
Mogadore,  Ohio,  celebrated  their  gold- 
en wedding  anniversary  on  Jan.  10, 
1960,  with  open  house  and  a  reception 
at  the  church.  They  have  ten  children, 
sixteen  grandchildren,  and  four  great- 
grandchildren. Lizzie  E.  Ingold,  Moga- 
dore, Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  Lehman  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  Oct.  10,  1959.  —  Mrs.  Irene 
Pippenger,  Nappanee,  Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  August  Maves  cele- 
brated their  fifty-third  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Oct.  1,  1959.  —  Mrs.  Fred 
Herren,  Batavia,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  C.  Mosholder  cele- 
brated their  sixty-fourth  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  25,  1959.  They  have 
eight  children,  twenty-four  grandchil- 
dren, and  fifteen  great-grandchildren. 
—  Mrs.  Ralph  Kniss,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Brother  and  Sister  Frank  Peters  of 
Peru,  Ind.,  celebrated  their  fifty-seventh 
wedding  anniversary  on  Feb.  10,  1960. 
Mrs.  Peters  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Peru  church.  They  have  six  children, 
eleven  grandchildren,  and  ten  great- 
grandchildren.—Mrs.  Orville  Sonafrank, 
Peru,  Ind. 

Brother  and  Sister  Samuel  R.  Wey- 
bright  of  Detour,  Md.,  were  surprised 
on  their  sixtieth  wedding  anniversarv  on 
Dec.  20,  1959,  at  the  Rocky  Ridge 
church,  where  guests  had  assembled  to 
celebrate  the  occasion.  Brother  Wev- 
bright  is  still  active  in  the  ministerial 
work  of  his  church.  They  have  two 
children,   three   grandchildren,   and   six 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Denda  Ren- 
ner,  New  Midway,  Md. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashby  Wilberger  cele- 
brated their  sixty-third  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  23,  1959.  —  Eulalia  L. 
Miller,  Port  Republic,  Va. 


Obituaries 

Arnold,  Julius  Elmer,  son  of  Albert 
S.  and  Elizabeth  Fike  Arnold,  was  born 
Oct.  28,  1887,  at  Eglon,  W.  Va.,  and 
died  Dec.  7,  1959,  at  Oakland,  Md.  He 
was  a  deacon  of  the  Maple  Spring 
church,  W.  Va.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Arizona  Auvil,  who  preceded 
him  in  death.  Surviving  are  four  sons, 
one  daughter,  twelve  grandchildren, 
five  great-grandchildren,  two  brothers, 
and  three  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  in  the  Maple  Spring 
church  by  Bro.  Galen  Fike.  Interment 
was  in  the  Eglon  cemetery.  —  Chas.  E. 
Arnold,  Eglon,  W.  Va. 

Aulthouse,  Vada  Mae,  daughter  of 
Sylvester  and  Anna  Piper  Stump,  was 
born  in  Indiana  County,  Pa.,  Sept.  26, 
1901,  and  died  Nov.  26,  1959,  in  Al- 
toona,  Pa.  On  May  1,  1923,  she  was 
married  to  John  R.  Aulthouse.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Twenty-Eighth  Street 
church,  Altoona.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  three  children,  six  grandchil- 
dren, and  five  brothers  and  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  at  the 
Replogle  funeral  home  by  Bro.  Don- 
ald Fogelsanger.  Interment  was  in 
the  Rose  Hill  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Mary 
Covert,  Altoona,  Pa. 

Azias,  Edwin,  was  born  in  Preble 
County,  Ohio,  Jan.  7,  1871,  and  died 
Jan.  8,  1960.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
three  daughters,  one  son,  two  brothers, 
one  sister,  six  grandchildren,  and  eleven 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Barnes  funeral 
home,  with  Bro.  Ellis  Guthrie  in  charge. 
Interment  was  in  the  Sugar  Grove  cem- 
etery. —  Mrs.  Cyrus  Kiracofe,  Eaton, 
Ohio. 

Baker,  Russell,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Amsa  Baker,  was  born  in  Elkhart  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  March  1,  1901,  and  died  Jan. 
7,  1960.  On  March  24,  1927,  he  was 
married  to  Mabel  Mast.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  one  brother,  and  two  half- 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  West  Goshen  church  by  Brethren 
Paul  Lantis  and  M.  D.  Stutsman.  In- 
terment was  in  the  church  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Edith  Huber,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Batdorf,  Henry  Franklin,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Rachel  Donnier  Batdorf, 
was  born  Feb.  17,  1877,  and  died  Jan. 
23,  1960.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Minnie  Swartz  on  Nov.  9,  1904. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  one  son,  one 
brother,  two  sisters,  six  grandchildren, 
and  one  great-grandchild.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Barnes  funeral 
home,  with  Bro.  Ellis  Guthrie  in  charge. 
Interment  was  in  the  Mound  Hill  cem- 
etery. —  Mrs.    Cvrus    Kiracofe,    Eaton, 

Beshore,  Nellie,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Lvdia  Miller  Wine,  was  born  near 
Nevada,  Mo.,  on  Sept.  5,  1885,  and 
died  in  Kansas  Citv,  Mo.,  Feb.  13,  1960. 
On  Aug.  31,  1919,  she  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Milton  K.  Beshore,  who 
nreceded  her  in  death.  She  is  survived 
bv  two  sons,  two  grandchildren,  and 
one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Messiah  Church  of  the  Brethren 
by  Bro.  Ira.  W.  Gibble.    Interment  was 


in  the  Brooking  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ger- 
trude Gaba,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Boron,  Ray  E.,  son  of  William  and 
Bertha  Domino  Boron,  was  born  near  : 
North  Georgetown,  Ohio,  Nov.  27, 
1914,  and  died  Jan.  30,  1960.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Reading  church,  Ohio. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  two  sons, 
and  one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  the  undersigned  at  the 
Cassaday  and  Turkle  funeral  home.  In- 
terment was  in  the  North  Georgetown 
cemetery.  —  J.  D.  Zigler,  Alliance,  Ohio. 

Brenner,  Ola,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Christina  Troutwine,  was  born  Nov.  17, 
1873,  in  Darke  County,  Ohio,  and  died 
on  Jan.  1,  1960.  In  1895,  she  was 
married  to  Ira  Brenner.  She  was  bap- 
tized at  the  Pitsburg  church  in  1905. 
She  and  her  husband  served  in  the 
office  of  deacon.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  one  daughter,  one  son,  five 
grandchildren,  and  eleven  great-grand- 
children. —  Mrs.  W.  Russell  Miller, 
Brookville,  Ohio. 

Bridges,  Laura,  was  born  Aug.  15, 
1886,  in  Rockingham  County,  Va.,  and 
died  near  Lima,  Ohio,  Jan.  10,  1960. 
She  was  married  to  William  C.  Bridges 
on  Feb.  24,  1907.  She  is  survived  by 
her  husband,  ten  children,  twenty-eight 

Srandchildren,  seven  great-grandchil- 
ren,  and  three  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Pleasant  View 
church  by  Brethren  Edgar  Petry  and 
David  Wampler.  Interment  was  in  the 
cemetery  nearby.  —  Mrs.  Paul  Rusmisel, 
Columbus  Grove,  Ohio. 

Burroughs,  Loretta  Faye,  invalid 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dewey  Bur- 
roughs, died  Jan.  1,  1960,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years.  Surviving  are  her 
parents  and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Fair  funeral 
home  by  Brethren  Homer  J.  Miller  and 
H.  W.  Peters  and  Rev.  Warwick  Aiken. 
Interment  was  in  the  Overlook  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Sam  B.  Thomas,  Leaksville, 
N.  C. 

Cable,  Charles,  son  of  Robert  and 
Erva  Cable,  was  born  July  16,  1902, 
and  died  Dec.  16,  1959.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Ella  Shaffer  on  June  4, 
1924.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Shade 
Creek  church,  Pa.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife  and  two  daughters.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  in  Hooversville  by 
Bro.  Clayton  H.  Gehman,  assisted  by 
Bro.  Millard  Weaver.  Interment  was  in 
the  P.O.S.  of  A.  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Jack 
Walter,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Canby,  William  Guy,  son  of  Samuel 
M.  and  Martha  J.  Snyder  Canby,  was 
born  Feb.  10,  1893,  and  died  Jan.  3, 
1960.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Mar- 
tinsburg  church,  W.  Va.  Surviving  are 
eight  children,  twenty-two  grandchil- 
dren, eight  great-grandchildren,  five 
brothers,  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Brown  funer- 
al home  by  Brethren  C.  N.  Grubb 
and  Byron  Berkey.  Interment  was 
in  the  Tuscarora  cemetery.  —  Blanche 
Sponaugle,  Martinsburg,  W.  Va. 

Cassel,  Lizzie  A.,  wife  of  David  H 
Cassel,  was  born  Sept.  16,  1886,  and 
died  Nov.  16,  1959.  She  is  survived  by 
her  husband,  two  sons,  and  three  daugh 
ters.  The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Indian  Creek  church  by  Brethrer 
Joseph  Moyer  and  Tohn  Moyer.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  - 
L.  G.  Nyce,  Vernfield.  Pa. 

Channey,  Annie  Clark,  daughter  oi 
Joseph   and   Susan   Oakley   Clark,   wai 


k 


born  May  16,  1886,  in  Patrick  County, 
Va.,  and  died  Jan.  19,  1960.  She  was 
the  widow  of  Matt  Channey.  Surviv- 
ing are  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  Spray  church,  N.  C,  of  which  she 
was  a  member  by  Brethren  Homer  J. 
Miller  and  H.  W.  Peters.  Interment 
was  in  the  Concord  Methodist  church 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Sam  B.  Thomas, 
Leaksville,  N.  C. 

Chaplin,  Hazel  C,  daughter  of 
I]  William  and  Martha  Fishburn,  was 
llborn  Oct.  10,  1894,  and  died  in  Denver, 
it  Ind.,  Dec.  2,  1959.  She  was  married 
I  to  Joseph  Chaplin  on  Sept.  15,  1932. 
n  She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  a  sister, 
band  a  brother.  The  funeral  was  held 
■  from  the  Mexico  church  by  Bro.  Donald 
BRitchey.  Interment  was  in  the  Green- 
plawn  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Vernon  Sites, 
I  Mexico,  Irid. 

Ciotti,  Nunzio,  was  born  March  1876, 
Rin  Italy,  and  died  Dec.  16,  1959,  at  the 
I  Somerset  old  folks  home.  He  was  a 
Hmember  of  the  Windber  church.  He 
lis  survived  by  his  wife,  Jennie,  eight 
■children,  and  five  grandchildren.  The 
jjfuneral  service  was  held  at  the  Meek 
((funeral  home  by  Bro.  Clayton  H.  Geh- 
ijman.  Interment  was  held  in  the  Rich- 
itland  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Jack  Walter, 
iPittsburgh,  Pa. 

Clark,  Fred  E.,  son  of  James  E.  and 
iCaroline  Peterson  Clark,  was  born  in 
■Hanna  City,  111.,  April  1,  1887.  He  was 
■married  to  Blanche  Elnora  Finfrock  on 
IjAug.  5,  1909.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
■four  daughters,  seven  grandchildren, 
■eight  great-grandchildren,  and  two  sis- 
Iters.  The  funeral  service  was  held  in 
■the  Murphy  Memorial  home  by  Bro. 
IjPaul  Thompson.  Interment  was  in  the 
■Greenwood  cemetery.— Mrs.  Anna  Mae 
iDare,  Canton,  111. 

Collier,  Anna  Margaret,  daughter  of 
■Tames  and  Margaret  Steele  Bacon,  was 
fcborn  Dec.  6,  1901,  in  Beaver  Township. 
■Ohio,  and  died  in  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
■Jan.  13,  1960.  She  was  married  to 
flAlfred  Collier  on  Aug.  18,  1923.  She 
■is  survived  by  her  husband,  her  mother, 
Bone  brother,  one  son,  and  two  grand- 
Bchildren.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
llducted  at  the  Woodworth  church,  Ohio, 
J  by  the  undersigned.  Interment  was  in 
I  the  North  Lima  cemetery.  —  Alvin  C. 
I  Cook,  Poland,  Ohio. 

Coltabaugh,  Harry  M.,  son  of  Ben- 
«jamin    and    Emma    Turnbaugh    Colta- 
Lbaugh,    was   born    Nov.    13,    1888,    at 
I (Cross  Keys,  Pa.,  and  died  in  Altoona, 
Pa.,  Dec.  10,  1959.    He  was  married  to 
LDessa  Shifner  in  1914.   He  was  a  mem- 
j  .ber  of  the  Twenty-Eighth  Street  church, 
I  Altoona.     Surviving   are   his   wife,   one 
I  daughter,  one  grandson,  and  four  sis- 
ters.   The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
i  the    Laughlin    funeral    home    by    Bro. 
tjDonald  Fogelsanger.    Interment  was  in 
i  ithe    Carson    Valley    cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
i  Mary  Covert,  Altoona,  Pa. 
\t    Crickenberger,    Nancy    Rebecca, 
'.  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Anna  Garber 
1  Sherfv,  was  born  on  Oct.  6,   1882,  at 
Topeka,  Kansas,  and  died  Jan.  8,  1960. 
She  was  united   in  marriage   to   Peter 
j  M.  Crickenberger  on  April  4,  1903.   She 
joined  the  Oakton  church,  Va.,  in  1928. 
,    She  is  survived   by  her  husband,   one 
son,  three  daughters,  ten  grandchildren, 
iand     eight     great-grandchildren.      The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Oakton 
.'  church  by  Bro.  David  L.   Rogers.    In- 
terment  was   in   the    Flint   Hill    ceme- 


tery. —  Mrs.  Michael  Southerly,  Falls 
Church,  Va. 

Cross,  Polly  Virginia,  was  born  Dec. 
12,  1885,  in  Ft.  Ogden,  Fla.,  and  died 
at  Arcadia,  Fla.,  Jan.  14,  1960.  She 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  Arcadia  for  forty  years. 
She  is  survived  by  one  son,  one  daugh- 
ter, one  brother,  and  two  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
church  by  the  undersigned  and  Rev. 
Floyd  N.  Bradley,  pastor  of  the  Naza- 
rene  church.  Interment  was  in  the 
Joshua  Creek  cemetery.  —  Marion  Nor- 
ris,  Arcadia,  Fla. 

Custer,  Pearl  R.,  daughter  of  Milton 
and  Ruth  Troutman  Storer,  was  born 
Feb.  23,  1878,  and  died  Jan.  17,  1960, 
at  Hillsboro,  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
she  was  baptized  at  the  Marble  Fur- 
nace church,  Ohio.  On  July  22,  1894, 
she  was  married  to  Frank  C.  Custer, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  Surviving 
are  nine  children.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  New  Market  Baptist 
church  by  Bro.  Dan  L.  Blickenstaff  and 
Rev.  C.  H.  Johnson,  Baptist  pastor.  — 
Mrs.  Carl  McGowan,  Peebles,  Ohio. 

Dague,  John  G.  J.,  son  of  Harvey 
and  Minnie  Dague,  was  born  Feb.  18, 
1894,  in  Scott  County,  Kansas,  and 
died  May  27,  1959.  On  Nov.  9,  1927, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Etta 
Morgan.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
three  daughters,  two  sons,  two  grand- 
children, his  mother,  four  sisters,  and 
two  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Prairie  View  church,  Kansas, 
by  Bro.  Charles  Dumond.  Interment 
was  in  the  Prairie  View  cemetery  — 
Mrs.  Raymond  Daniels,  Modoc,  Kansas. 

Davis,  Lizzie  Bowman,  was  born 
June  16,  1878,  and  died  at  McFarland, 
Calif.,  Jan.  28,  1960.  She  is  survived 
by  her  husband,  Walter,  four  sons,  two 
daughters,  fifteen  grandchildren,  eight- 
een great-grandchildren,  two  brothers, 
and  four  sisters.  Memorial  services 
were  held  at  the  McFarland  church, 
Calif.,  at  the  regular  Sunday  morning 
worship;  graveside  services  for  the 
family  were  held  at  the  Delano-Mc- 
Farland  cemetery.  —  J.  R.  Jennings, 
McFarland,  Calif. 

Deafenbaugh,  Chester,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Deafenbaugh,  was 
born  in  Kosciusko  County,  Ind.,  May 
18,  1886,  and  died  in  Mango,  Fla.,  Jan. 
15,  1960.  On  March  4,  1908,  he  was 
married  to  Emma  Ulery.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  three  sons,  three 
daughters,  and  twenty-one  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Hoover-Miner  funeral  home,  Wa- 
bash, Ind.,  with  Bro.  Carroll  Petry  offi- 
ciating. Interment  was  in  the  Eel  River 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ray  Ulery,  Wabash, 
Ind. 

Dove,  George  A.,  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  Mangold  Dove,  was  born  Jan. 
5,  1867,  in  Hardv,  W.  Va.,  and  died 
Jan.  20,  1960,  in  Delta,  Colo.  He  was 
married  to  Ida  Nazelrod,  who  preceded 
him  in  death.  He  was  a  retired  elder 
and  minister  in  First  Grand  Valley 
church  at  Grand  Junction,  Colo.  Sur- 
viving are  one  son,  one  sister,  two 
grandchildren,  and  three  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Taylor  mortuary  with  Bro. 
Robert  Crawford  in  charge.  —  Mrs. 
Berma  V.  Kelley,  Grand  Junction,  Colo. 

Driver,  Maude  S.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Margaret  Seddon,  died  Jan.  7,  1960, 


at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Skippack  church,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  a  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Dotts  funeral 
home,  with  Brethren  Jesse  Hoffman  and 
Joseph  Cassel  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  Mount  Moriah  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Elmer  Haldeman,  Eagleville,  Pa. 

Dubble,  William  R.,  was  born  March 
23,  1892,  and  died  Jan.  16,  1960.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Heidelberg 
church,  Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Estella  Crouse  Dubble,  one 
daughter,  four  sons,  and  thirteen  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Heidelberg  church,  with  Breth- 
ren Peter  Heisey  and  Alton  Bucher 
officiating.  Interment  was  in  the  Heidel- 
berg cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Alton  Bucher, 
Myerstown,  Pa. 

Eisenhour,  Jesse  A.,  son  of  Martin 
and  Sarah  Eisenhour,  was  born  near 
Plymouth,  Ind.,  Oct.  19,  1880,  and 
died  in  Goshen,  Ind.,  Jan.  16,  1960.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mertie  Bell 
Hartsough  on  Nov.  16,  1901.  He  was 
a  deacon  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
for  fifty  years  and  active  in  the  local 
Brethren  service  committee.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  two  daughters,  one  son, 
nine  grandchildren,  and  two  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Bethany  church  by  Brethren 
Israel  Gorden  and  Leo  Miller.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Union  Center  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Marion  Deeter,  Milford, 
Ind. 

Eisenhower,  Maizie,  daughter  of 
Frank  and  Ida  Heise  Farringer,  was 
born  Oct.  30,  1890,  and  died  Jan.  31, 
1960.  On  Dec.  15,  1913,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  William  Eisenhower.  She  was 
a  long-time  member  of  the  Lena 
church,  111.  Surviving  are  her  husband 
and  two  brothers.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  the  undersigned  in 
the  Leamon  funeral  chapel,  Lena.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Chapel  Hill  ceme- 
tery. —  Paul  Thompson,  Canton,  111. 

Evers,  Jesse  Lee,  was  born  in  Pea- 
body,  Kansas,  in  December  1890,  and 
died  at  La  Junta,  Colo.,  Jan.  26,  1960. 
He  was  married  to  Rosie  Plank  on  Jan. 
13,  1935.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Rocky  Ford  church,  Colo.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  four  sons,  and  one 
grandson.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Wilbur  Hoover,  assisted 
by  Rev.  Clifford  King  at  the  East  Hol- 
brook  Mennonite  church.  Interment 
was  in  the  East  Holbrook  church  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  O.  C.  Frantz,  Rocky  Ford, 
Colo. 

Fitzwater,  Addie  Kaylor,  was  born 
in  Logan  County,  Ohio,  in  July  1871, 
and  died  Jan.  28,  1960,  in  Evanston,  111. 
In  July  1898,  she  was  married  to  Perry 
B.  Fitzwater,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  Surviving  are  two  sons  and  one 
brother.  Interment  was  in  the  Memo- 
rial park.  —  John  I.  Kaylor,  Ozark,  Ark. 

Gaerte,  Elsie  Gertrude,  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Blue  River  church, 
Ind.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  Win- 
field,  five  sons,  three  daughters,  thirty- 
one  grandchildren,  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Blue  River  church.  —  Esther  Shearer, 
Columbia  City,  Ind. 

Gibboney,  Lydia  C,  daughter  of 
John    and    Mary    Gibboney    Hardman, 


MARCH  26.   1960 


27 


THE 

DEVILS 

REPERTOIRE 


VICTOR  GOLLANCZ 

This  passionate,  eloquent 
plea  for  nuclear  disarma- 
ment —  with  or  without  Rus- 
sian participation  —  has  had 
a  tremendous  impact  in 
England.  It  is  not  a  book 
about  political  or  military 
strategy.  It  is  a  moving  and 
powerful  declaration  of  hu- 
manity, a  book  calling  upon 
those  fundamental  emotions 
which  distinguish  (or  ought 
to  distinguish)  men  from 
animals.  Victor  Gollancz 
presents  here,  with  terrify- 
ing logic,  his  three  reasons 
why  nuclear  warfare  or  even 
its  contemplation  would  be 
mankind's  "final  and  most 
abominable  iniquity."  His 
arguments,  supplemented  by 
quotations  from  letters  writ- 
ten by  Hiroshima  survivors, 
are  irrefutable  in  their  sim- 
plicity and  urgency.  And 
his  answers  to  those  who 
favor  nuclear  testing,  stock- 

Eiling,   and   the   use   of   the 
omb,  are  devastatingly  ef- 
fective.  The  author  is  one  of 
England's  most  distinguished 
and   courageous  publishers. 
$2.50 

Church   of   Ihe   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


was  born  March  2,  1886,  in  Indiana, 
and  died  Nov.  3,  1959,  in  Hamilton, 
Ohio.  Her  first  husband,  Harry  Porter 
Hay,  preceded  her  in  death.  On  Dec. 
22,  1940,  she  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Albert  J.  Gibboney.  She  is  survived 
by  her  husband,  five  children,  three 
stepdaughters,  nineteen  grandchildren, 
and  six  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  the  Bradford 
church,  Ohio,  with  Brethren  Frank 
Nies  and  Howard  Erbaugh  officiating. 
Interment    was    in    the    Harris    Creek 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


cemetery.  —  Mrs.  D.  L.  Frolke,  Brad- 
ford, Ohio. 

Gilbert,  William  M.,  son  of  William 
B.  and  Cathrine  Lape  Gilbert,  died  Jan. 
28,  1960,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Roxbury  church, 
Johnstown,  Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Mary,  one  brother,  and  four  sis- 
ters. The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  H.  M.  Picking  Sons  mortuary  by 
Bro.  Levi  K.  Ziegler.  Interment  was 
in  the  Grandview  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Ralph  Kniss,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Graybill,  Michael  Scott,  son  of  Irvin 
G.  and  Grace  Summy  Graybill,  died 
Jan.  10,  1960,  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
months.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
cradle  roll  department  of  Mohlers 
church,  Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  par- 
ents, a  sister,  his  paternal  grandpar- 
ents, and  his  maternal  grandparents. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  Roseboro  funeral  home,  with  Bro. 
John  L.  Myer  officiating.  Interment 
was  in  Mohlers  cemetery.  —  Lorraine 
Heffley,  Stevens,  Pa. 

Hall,  Rosa  M.,  died  Jan.  21,  1960,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Rapids  church, 
Mich.  Surviving  are  two  daughters, 
seven  grandchildren,  nine  great-grand- 
children, and  three  great-great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Kuiper  funeral  home,  with  Bro. 
Samuel  E.  Keller  officiating.  Interment 
was  in  the  Wyoming  cemetery.  —  Floyd 
Hilliker,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 


Church  News 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 

Glendale,  First  —  Twenty-seven  from 
our  church  attended  district  conference 
at  Forest  Home.  We  had  a  representa- 
tive of  the  Narcotics  Educational  Foun- 
dation speak  and  show  slides  at  our 
regular  Sunday  school  session  on  Jan. 
24.  Our  pastor,  Matthew  M.  Meyer, 
spoke  over  our  local  radio  station  each 
morning  for  a  week  in  January.  The 
pastors  of  our  district  held  a  luncheon 
meeting  at  our  church.  We  have 
started  a  youth  club  which  meets  after 
school.  The  program  consists  of  music, 
crafts,  dinner,  and  Bible  study.  The 
goal  is  to  reach  the  children  of  the 
community.  Brother  Meyer  is  director 
and  teacher.  —  Ena  I.  White,  Glendale, 
Calif. 

La  Verne  —  Our  pastor,  Harry  K. 
Zeller,  Jr.,  conducted  a  consecration 
service  for  nineteen  babies  and  their 
parents.  We  had  a  school  of  missions 
during  the  month  of  January,  with  I.  V. 
Funderburgh  acting  as  dean.  The 
speakers  were  Galen  B.  Ogden,  our 
former  pastor  and  executive  secretary 
of  the  Ministry  and  Home  Missions 
Commission  of  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board,  Max  and  Loretta  Baugh- 
man,  formerly  of  the  Nigerian  mission 
field,  Mary  Blickenstaff,  Charlotte 
Cluff,  and  Charles  Rose.  A  new  pulpit 
Bible,  in  memory  of  a  former  pastor, 
Edgar  Rothrock,  was  presented  to  our 
church  by  Sister  Rothrock  and  her  fam- 
ily. The  Ben  Flora  family  presented 
the  Interpreter's  Bible  in  memory  of 
Sister  Ben  Flora.  During  the  pulpit 
exhange  of  the  district  Bro.  R.  H. 
Miller,  interim  pastor  of  the  Ladera 
church,   Los  Angeles,   and  our  pastor 


exchanged  pulpits.  —  H.   M.   Brubaker, 
La  Verne,  Calif. 

Oregon 

Grants  Pass  —  We  enjoyed  the  con- 
cert by  the  La  Verne  College  choir. 
Our  pastor,  W.  B.  Damron,  and  his 
family  attended  the  ministers'  retreat 
at  Sunset  Beach.  Bro.  Willis  Neff 
preached  for  us  while  our  pastor  was 
absent.  This  past  year  we  elected  our 
officers  for  the  coming  year  at  our  June 
council  instead  of  at  the  August  meet- 
ing. We  viewed  the  motion  picture, 
Alternatives,  in  the  fall.  We  have  sent 
over  two  hundred  pounds  of  clothing  to 
Modesto.  We  met  at  the  church  for 
dinner  on  Thanksgiving  Day.  We  re- 
ceived seven  members  by  letter.  —  Mrs. 
Leo  G.  Allen,  Glendale,  Oregon. 

Myrtle  Point  — Bro.  Glen  Montz  is 
now  our  pastor,  having  been  installed 
in  October.  Our  former  pastor,  H.  D. 
Michael,  has  retired,  and  he  and  Mrs. 
Michael  are  visiting  their  son  and  his 
family  in  Nigeria.  Brother  and  Sister 
Francis  Barklow,  Brother  and  Sister 
Harley  Miller,  and  Brother  and  Sister 
Arthur  Glock  were  installed  in  the  of- 
fice of  deacon  on  Jan.  17.  In  January 
the  pastor  conducted  a  school  of  mis- 
sions, the  theme  of  which  was  Nigeria. 
It  ended  with  a  program  and  a  filmstrip. 
—  Pearl  M.  Poland,  Myrtle  Point,  Ore- 
gon. 


Washington 

Tacoma  —  Our  fall  revival  meeting, 
held  by  Bro.  Bruce  Flora,  was  followed 
by  the  love  feast.  Our  pastor,  L.  W. 
Blackwell,  and  his  wife  attended  the 
district  conference  at  the  Ellisforde 
church  and  the  dedication  of  the  new 
sanctuary.  A  number  of  our  young 
people  attended  the  junior  and  senior 
high  camp.  Our  pastor  and  wife  were 
ordained  to  eldership  on  Jan.  10.  Bro. 
John  Longnecker  and  his  wife  shared 
with  the  congregation  pictures  taken 
on  their  tour  of  Europe  in  celebration 
of  the  250th  anniversary.  We  recently 
had  a  visit  from  Galen  Ogden  and  J. 
H.  Mathis.  We  are  planning  a  canvass 
guided  by  Dale  Hess  of  Elgin.  —  Mrs, 
Herbert  Bennett,  Tacoma,  Wash. 

Southern  Iowa 

Libertyville  —  Thanksgiving  Day  was 
observed  in  our  church  with  a  service 
of  worship.  The  offering  was  for  the 
world-wide  work  of  the  church.  Christ- 
mas observances  included  "good  news" 
sermons  for  the  two  Sundays  preceding 
the  day,  a  Christmas  program  given 
by  the  children  under  the  direction  of 
Mrs.  Floyd  Glotfelty  and  a  child  dedi 
cation  service.  The  Call  to  Discipleship 
is  taking  place  now.  —  Mrs.  Nellie  Og- 
den, Batavia,  Iowa. 

Northeastern  Kansas 

Morrill  —  A  subdistrict  rally  of  the 
women's  fellowship  was  held  at  our 
church.  Our  ladies  were  guests  of  the 
Rock  Creek  women's  fellowship  for  a 
meeting.  One  Sunday  during  our  pas- 
tor's absence,  the  Isaac  Grillo  family 
native  Nigerians,  showed  pictures  and 
gave  talks.  We  had  a  dinner  for  their 
at  the  church.  Delegates  to  distric' 
meeting  at  Navarre  were  Mrs.  Lloyt 
Meyers  and  Mrs.  Will  Divine.  We  hac 
a  farewell  supper  for  the  two  Fornej 
families  who  moved  to   Arizona.    Ou 


pastor  attended  regional  conference. 
Our  student  minister,  Bro.  Vernard 
Foley,  filled  the  pulpit  on  Nov.  29.  The 
choirs  gave  a  cantata  at  Christmas. 
We  hold  two  love  feasts  and  two  com- 
munions each  year.  —  Mrs.  Will  Divine, 
Hamlin,  Kansas. 

Western  Kansas 

Eden  Valley  —  We  observed  harvest 
home  Sunday  and  rally  day  by  having 
a  basket  dinner  at  noon  and  a  program 
and  a  speaker  in  the  afternoon.  Cleo 
Bartlett,  a  teacher,  spoke  to  the  youth 
on  choosing  a  vocation.  Several  from 
our  church  attended  the  district  meet- 
ing at  Garden  City  and  the  regional 
conference  in  McPherson.  Bro.  James 
Beahm  was  the  speaker  for  our  revival 
meeting.  Pictures  of  his  foreign  tour 
were  enjoyed  by  the  congregation  after 
his  sermons.  Bro.  Harold  Royer,  mis- 
sionary to  Nigeria,  West  Africa,  showed 
a  film  on  his  work  in  Africa.  The 
CBYF  brought  home  the  district  flag 
again  for  having  the  best  percentage  of 
attendance  at  the  district  meeting.  We 
had  an  all-family  Christmas  basket  sup- 
per with  a  program  following.  Christ- 
mas cards  were  donated  to  the  Larned 
state  hospital  for  the  patients  there 
to  send.  The  white  gift  offering  at  the 
Christmas  program  was  sent  to  the 
Cedars,  home  for  the  aging.  The  men 
of  our  church  entertained  the  ladies  to 
a  sweetheart  supper.  Pictures  were 
shown  of  the  Holy  Land  by  Bro.  Ed 
Fatzer.  —  Mrs.  Owen  Crissman,  St. 
John,  Kansas. 

McPherson  —  In  the  absence  of  a 
pastor,  the  pastoral  tasks  have  been 
divided  among  five  of  the  resident  min- 
isters. An  undershepherd  plan  has  been 
started.  This  was  started  principally 
by  the  deacons  but  ministers  are  also 
helping.  The  groups  meet  occasion- 
ally in  the  homes  of  their  leaders  for 
social  and  religious  leadership.  Seven 
members  from  the  various  departments 
of  the  church  represented  us  at  the 
district  conference  at  Garden  City. 
Four  choirs  of  the  college  and  the 
church  presented  the  Christmas  orato- 
rio. The  children's  Christmas  program 
was  given  on  Dec.  20.  The  school  of 
missions  was  held  four  Sunday  nights 
in  January.  Bro.  M.  R.  Zigler  will  be 
here  for  a  week  in  connection  with  the 
youth  conference  in  March.  We  are 
looking  forward  with  much  anticipation 
to  the  coming  in  August  of  our  pastor, 
Harold  Z.  Bomberger.  —  Mary  E.  Sher- 
fy,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

Pleasant  View  —  Dick  Landrum,  Mc- 
Pherson College  student,  filled  our  pul- 
pit several  times  during  the  absence  of 
our  pastor.  Our  church  was  represented 
at  district  conference  by  Brother  and 
Sister  Glen  Finfrock.  Bro.  Harley 
Stump,  our  pastor,  is  also  elder  for  the 
coming  year.  Brother  and  Sister  Harold 
Royer,  returned  missionaries,  showed 
films  of  their  work  in  Africa.  At  our 
annual  Christmas  party  we  were  enter- 
tained by  the  McPherson  College  mixed 
quartet  and  the  Graber  children  of 
Pretty  Prairie.  The  women's  fellowship 
is  making  bedding  and  gathering  ma- 
terials for  sewing  kits  for  relief.  —  Mrs. 
Melvin  Hornbaker,  Hutchinson,  Kansas. 

Prairie  View  —  We  were  without  pas- 
toral leadership  for  one  year  following 
the  resignation  of  Bro.  Lawrence  Leh- 
man. We  carried  on  under  the  able 
leadership  of  our  moderator,  Bro.  A.  L. 


FOR  YOUTti 


JACKKNIFE  SUMMER 

OTA  LEE  RUSSELL 

In  this  her  second  book,  the  author  of 
Wilderness  Boy  has  upheld  and  advanced  the 
high  standard  of  storytelling  which  characterized 
her  first  book.  Again  the  westward  migrations  of 
the  Brethren  form  the  background  and  the  im- 
mediate setting  of  her  story.  Again  the  times,  the 
place,  and  the  living  conditions  are  carefully  and 
accurately  reflected. 

Excitement  and  suspense  are  normal  parts 
of  his  experience  as  Jonathan  Hughes,  an  orphan, 
becomes  a  resident  of  the  Brethren  settlement  in 
what  is  now  Union  County,  Illinois,  in  1817.  His 
friendship  with  Elder  George  Wolfe,  Jr.,  and 
his  ability  to  use  a  jackknife  are  big  factors  in  his 
first  summer  in  the  settlement.  Written  particu- 
larly for  older  junior  and  junior  high  readers,  but 
will  be  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  entire  family  as 
well.  $2.25 


WILDERNESS  BOY 


Adventures  of  a  fourteen-year-old  Brethren  boy 
and  his  family  migrating  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Kentucky  in  the  early  nineteenth  century.       $2.00 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


.*SS>8*,l!*i.  ««»CT" 


THE 

CREATIVE 
YEARS 


REUEL  L.  HOWE 

In  this  book,  the  author  has  scored 
again  as  he  did  in  his  earlier  volume, 
Man's  Need  and  God's  Action.  Directed 
primarily  to  middle-age  adults  with 
families  who  are  buffeted  by  the  pres- 
sures of  modern  life,  one  should  find 
excellent  reading  here.  Many  adults 
will  come  to  see  themselves  in  the 
mirror  of  this  book.  It  brings  together 
the  insights  of  the  gospel.  $3.50 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


MARCH  26.  1960 


29 


Catalog! 

BOOKS  FOR 
CHILDREN 

WRITE  FOR  YOUR 
FREE  COPY 


Church  of  ihe  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Lloyd  C.  Wicke 


IN 
MY  LIFE 


An  exploration  into  the  inner 
life  of  a  Christian  including 
discussions  of  such  personal 
concerns  as  the  meaning  of  ex- 
istence and  the  significance  of 
faith,  prayer,  and  the  Bible. 
The  author  also  examines  the 
Christian's  relationship  to  the 
church  and  the  community. 
After  considering  the  idea  of 
Christian  perfection,  he  con- 
cludes with  a  stirring  assurance 
of  the  Christian  hope  of  im- 
mortality. $1.00 

Church  of  Ihe  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Elrod,  and  the  advice  and  part-time 
ministerial  leadership  of  Bro.  R.  E. 
Mohler.  Our  local  laymen  did  most  of 
the  speaking  for  this  period  with  the 
exception  of  this  past  summer  when 
A.  F.  Wiebe,  a  Mennonite  layman,  acted 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


as  our  summer  pastor.  On  Sept.  1. 
1959,  Bro.  Mark  Emswiler  became  our 
pastor  and  with  his  wife  and  daughter, 
moved  into  the  parsonage.  We  are  en- 
gaged in  the  school  of  missions.  We 
will  be  holding  evangelistic  meetings 
in  April  with  Bro.  C.  Ernest  Davis  as 
the  minister.  —  Mrs.  Raymond  Daniels, 
Modoc,  Kansas. 

Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 

Sterling  —  The  men  of  our  church 
have  painted  and  redecorated  the  in- 
terior of  the  parsonage.  The  pastor  and 
family  held  open  house  recently.  Our 
pastor,  Bro.  Elmer  Dadisman,  recently 
led  the  devotions  for  a  week  over  radio 
station  WSDR.  He  has  also  finished  a 
series  of  sermons  on  the  life  of  Jacob. 
We  received  two  members  by  letter. 
Our  school  of  missions  has  been  on 
Africa.  Our  women's  fellowship  has 
been  making  quilts  and  sewing  for  re- 
lief, and  recently  sponsored  the  annual 
birthday  party.  —  Mrs.  Katherine  A. 
Miller,  Sterling,  111. 

Southern  Illinois 

Hurricane  Creek  —  At  our  council 
meeting,  two  new  members  were  re- 
ceived by  letter.  The  film  The  Child 
of  Bethlehem  was  shown  at  our  Christ- 
mas program.  We  have  a  100%  Gospel 
Messenger  club  this  year.  We  partici- 
pated in  the  blanket  drive  for  refugees. 
Thirteen  persons  from  our  church  at- 
tended the  sectional  meeting  at  the 
Romine  church.  —  Pearl  Parker,  Smith- 
boro,  111. 

Walnut  Grove  —  We  held  our  regu- 
lar quarterly  council  in  February.  Our 
church  donated  ten  new  blankets  for 
relief  work.  Brethren  Moyne  Landis 
and  R.  C.  Wenger,  the  district  ex- 
ecutive secretary,  conducted  a  district 
workshop.  Our  love  feast  is  to  be  on 
April  14.  -  Mrs.  D.  A.  Ridgely,  Park- 
ersburg,  111. 

Middle  Indiana 

Logansport  —  We  had  our  homecom- 
ing on  Nov.  22,  with  a  basket  dinner  at 
noon.  We  chartered  a  bus  to  hear  Billy 
Graham  at  Indianapolis.  Bro.  R.  C. 
Wenger  conducted  our  revival  meetings 
which  ended  with  a  communion  service. 
Our  women's  fellowship  meets  once  a 
month  for  an  all-day  meeting.  On  Dec. 
20  our  children  had  a  Christmas  pro- 
gram in  the  morning  and  the  CBYF 
in  the  evening.  Velma  Wolf  of  Peru, 
Ind.,  showed  slides  of  her  tour  of  Mexi- 
co last  summer.  Five  of  our  members 
attended  the  "School  for  Christ."  The 
council  of  church  women  met  at  our 
church.  Bro.  E.  Paul  Weaver  was  our 
speaker  on  Feb.  7.  The  relief  truck 
picked  up  548  blankets  at  our  parson- 
age. The  deputation  team  from  Man- 
chester College  was  with  us  on  Feb. 
21.  Bro.  Ralnh  Hoffman  is  our  minister. 
—  Florence  Stineman,  Logansport,  Ind. 

Loon  Creek  —  The  ladies  of  the  Loon 
Creek  church  have  two  guilds,  one  in 
the  evening  for  the  ladies  that  work  and 
mothers  with  small  children,  and  one 
during  the  dav  for  the  older  ladies. 
They  quilt,  embroider,  and  sew.  —  Mrs. 
Farrell  Miller,  Huntington,  Ind. 

Pleasant  View  —  The  church  in 
nuarterly  council  decided  to  sponsor  a 
displaced  familv  in  the  near  future. 
The  women's  fellowship  has  been  work- 
ing on  comforters  and  doing  other  re- 
lief work.   At  our  school  of  missions  the 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  HI. 

No.  439.  Needed:  Cottage  Parents 
for  teen-agers  in  a  new  child  care 
center  in  the  East;  middle-age  couples 
(30-50  years)  in  good  physical  and 
mental  health,  who  are  mature  and 
settled.  Must  be  people  who  have  a 
sincere  liking  for  children,  who  can 
take  deviant  behavior  and  yet  exert  a 
wholesome  influence.  They  should 
drive,  have  a  high  school  or  college 
education,  and  no  dependent  children. 
Position  offers  salary  plus  maintenance. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Illinois. 

No.  440.  Wanted:  Position  as  house- 
keeper or  companion  to  an  elderly  lady 
by  a  Brethren  woman  in  her  early  60's. 
Preferably  in  District  of  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania. Desires  a  good  home  in 
preference  to  high  wages.  Contact: 
Brethren  Placement  Service,  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin, 
111. 


film,  The  Golden  Door,  was  shown; 
Richard  Knarr  and  his  family  had  a 
discussion  on  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren work  in  Nigeria;  two  playlets,  The 
Displaced  Person  and  Were  You  There? 
were  given;  and  E.  Paul  Weaver  showed 
his  pictures  of  the  work  in  Nigeria  on 
the  closing  evening  after  a  family  sup- 
per. —  Mrs.  Amsa  Snell,  South  Whidey, 
Ind. 

Northern  Indiana 

Rock  Run  —  Our  church  decided  to 
continue  the  Call  program  again  this- 
year;  the  chairman  is  Bro.  Lamar  Liven- 
good.  A  loyalty  dinner  was  held  in  the 
Goshen  City  church.  During  the  month 
of  December  the  children's  classes  gave 
short  programs  each  Sunday  morning, 
The  school  of  missions  theme  was 
Africa.  One  of  our  young  people, 
Charles  Livengood,  attended  the  Breth- 
ren youth  seminar  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  New  York  City.  Our  pastor,  Mc- 
Kinley  Coffman,  and  his  wife,  tool 
their  son,  H.  McKinley,  and  his  family 
to  New   York   City,   where   the   lattei 


took  a  plane  for  Europe.  They  will 
spend  a  period  of  two  years  or  more  in 
Brethren  Service.  Mrs.  Lorraine  Weir 
showed  slides  of  the  Netherlands  and 
told  of  her  experiences  in  the  exchange 
agricultural  program.  The  congrega- 
tion responded  generously  to  the  blan- 
ket project.  —  Mrs.  Clarence  R.  Cripe, 
Goshen,  Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 

Buck  Creek  —  Our  women's  fellow- 
ship has  been  sewing  for  relief.  We 
united  with  the  other  churches  for  va- 
cation Bible  school.  Our  delegates  to 
district  meeting  were  Neva  Cross  and 
Catherine  Swinger.  Our  pastor  and  his 
wife  held  open  house  in  their  new 
home.  The  home-coming  service  was 
highlighted  by  the  installation  of  teach- 
ers, officers,  and  also  of  our  pastor  and 
wife  in  the  afternoon.  For  our  revival 
meeting  Brethren  Dolar  Ritchey,  Fred 
Hollenberg,  Byron  Miller,  and  Gerald 
Ringeisen  were  the  evangelists.  Three 
were  baptized.  We  have  been  study- 
ing the  Book  of  Revelations.  The  young 
people  presented  the  play,  Longing  for 
Christmas.  A  union  New  Year's  Eve 
service  was  held  at  the  North  Christian 
church.  Dallas  Oswalt,  former  mission- 
ary to  Nigeria,  showed  slides  and  spoke 
of  his  work  in  Africa.  —  Catherine 
Swinger,  Muncie,  Ind. 

Michigan 

Detroit,  Trinity  —  Bro.  Joel  Thomp- 
son spoke  for  five  nights  in  our  first  ex- 
perience of  Lenten  services.  Our  love 
feast  was  held  jointly  with  the  First 
church,  Detroit.  The  Yokemen  and 
their  families  attended  services  at  Beth 
Shalom  Synagogue  by  invitation.  The 
program  included  a  sermon  by  Rabbi 
Halpern,  a  tour  of  the  synagogue,  re- 
freshments, and  a  fellowship  period  for 
questions  and  answers.  Ten  have  been 
received  by   letter   and  five  reclaimed 

I  during  the  past  year.  —  Lawrence  Hole- 

■  man,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Shepherd  —  Harvest  for   God  is   our 
s  theme  for  the  next  eight  months.   Spirit- 
i  ual  harvest  for  God  was  our  October 
;  theme.    This   was   emphasized  with   a 
i  preaching  mission,  with  Bro.  Wm.  Kid- 
1  well  as  our  speaker.    He  was  with  us 
]  for  seven  days.  Harvest  of  the  land  was 
I  our    November    theme.      This    was    a 
3  month  of  special  thanksgiving  to  God. 
I  CROP  Sunday  was  the  first  Sunday  of 
j  the  month.    A  potluck  dinner  was  held 
1  at  the  church  followed  by  a  hymn  sing 
I  and  the  film,  A  Time  of  Reminiscing, 
i  The  youth  fellowship  was  host  to  ap- 
'  proximately    sixty    youth    from    other 
I  Michigan  churches.    Bro.  Gordon  Buch- 
er  was  the  guest  speaker.    A  Christmas 
program    was    given    by    the    children. 
j  January  was  mission  month.   The  youth 
j  met  in  a  sectional  rally  on  Jan.  23-24 
,  at  the  Crystal  church.    On  Jan.  31  we 
j  viewed   colored   slides  taken  in   Africa 
by  Lyle  Bennett  of  Central   Michigan 
University.  —  Idella  Phillips,  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, Mich. 

Middle  Maryland 

Martinsburg  —  Favors  and  apple  but- 
ter were  made  and  sent  to  the  Fahrney- 
Keedy  home  by  the  women's  fellowship. 
Visiting  ministers  are  filling  the  pulpit 
as  we  are  still  without  a  pastor.  Christ- 
mas   programs    were    given    by     the 


youth  fellowship  and  children  of  the 
church.  Baskets  were  sent  to  many  at 
Thanksgiving  and  Christmas.  —  Blanche 
Sponaugle,   Martinsburg,  W.  Va. 

Western  Maryland 

Frostburg  —  Our  church  choir  pre- 
sented special  music  at  the  Cumberland 
and  Wiley  Ford  churches  during  their 
revival  services.  Our  delegates  and  the 
pastor  attended  the  district  conference 
at  Western  Port.  The  children  pre- 
sented a  Christmas  program  during  the 
evening  service.  Rev.  John  Neisly  filled 
the  pulpit  in  our  pastor's  absence  dur- 
ing the  holidays.  —  Mrs.  Grace  Conner, 
Mt.  Savage,  Md. 

Eastern  Virginia 

Oakton  —  A  week-end  institute  on 
Christian  beliefs  was  conducted  by 
William  Willoughby  of  Bridgewater 
College.  Our  CBYF  presented  a  one- 
act  play  entitled  A  Stranger  in  Bethle- 
hem. The  theme  for  the  church  school 
Christmas  program  this  year  was 
Christmas  Around  the  World.  The 
three  choirs  of  our  church  united  to  give 
their  Christmas  program.  Several  mem- 
bers attended  the  district  Call  to  Dis- 
cipleship  conference  at  Manassas.  Since 
the  beginning  of  the  church  year,  our 
pastor  has  held  two  evangelistic  meet- 
ings, and  ten  new  members  have  been 
received  by  baptism  into  the  church. 
Church  council  approved  the  appeal  of 
the  Dranesville  church  to  become  an 
independent  congregation.  Africa  was 
the  subject  of  the  school  of  missions.  — 
Mrs.  Michael  Southerly,  Falls  Church, 
Va. 

Hopewell  —  During  the  holidays  a 
Christmas  play  and  fellowship  supper 
were  held.  Henri  Manikus  and  his 
family  arrived  on  Jan.  5.  This  is  the 
Indonesian  family  that  we  are  helping 
to  resettle.  There  was  a  meeting  and 
supper  for  all  laymen  and  ministers  of 
the  Tidewater  area.  The  men's  fellow- 
ship had  a  potluck  supper  and  business 
meeting  at  the  church.  Because  of  our 
growing  Sunday  school  we  have  planned 
to  add  more  classrooms  immediately.  — 
Mrs.  E.  D.  Green,  Hopewell,  Va. 

First  Virginia 

Troutville  —  Our  revival  services  were 
held  by  Bro.  Curtis  W.  Dubble.  Since 
our  last  report,  nine  persons  have  been 
received  by  baptism  and  three  by  let- 
ter. Our  community-wide  Thanksgiving 
Day  service  was  held  in  co-operation 
with  the  Troutville  Baptist  church.  The 
junior  highs  of  our  church  were  repre- 
sented at  an  area  Indian  dinner.  John 
Solanky,  a  member  of  the  Indian 
church  and  a  student  at  Virginia  Poly- 
technic Institute,  was  the  guest  speaker. 
Our  Christmas  program  consisted  of  a 
presentation  of  A  Promise  Fulfilled.  The 
New  Bethel  church  of  the  Troutville 
congregation  has  added  two  new  Sun- 
day school  rooms.  Our  evangelistic 
committee  has  set  aside  every  third 
Sunday  afternoon  for  visiting  the  in- 
active members,  the  sick,  and  the  new- 
comers to  our  community.  The  Call  to 
Discipleship  program  of  the  church  has 
been  well  accepted  by  our  fellowship. 
Bible  study  by  groups,  a  day  of  prayer 
on  Ash  Wednesday,  and  a  visitation  of 
all  members  are  planned  for  the  near 
future.  —  Mrs.  Minter  Prickett,  Trout- 
ville,  Va. 


LAYMEN 
Bear 
Witness 
to  their 
FAITH 


For  the  months  of  May  and  June,  The 
Upper  Room  publishes  its  annual  "Lay 
Witness  Number".  This  issue  is  written 
entirely  by  laymen  from  all  walks  of 
life,  whose  thoughts  and  experiences 
bear  witness  to  their  faith. 

Because  of  their  simplicity,  sincerity  and 
strength,  these  inspiring  devotions  are 
particularly  suited  to  family  and  group 
as  well  as  to  individual  use. 

If  your  church  does  not  have  a  standing 
order  for  The  Upper  Room,  order  now 
to  start  with  the  May-June  number.  Ten 
or  more  copies  to  one  address,  7<t  per 
copy.  Individual  yearly  subscriptions, 
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daily  devotional  guide 

37  Editions  —  31  Languages 

1908  Grand  Avenue     Nashville  5,  Tenn. 


MARCH   26,    1960 


31 


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Name    

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FURNITURE 

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P.  O Zone  State  Our  young  people  presented  the  Christ- 
Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in      ?}as   P*§y>    lhe_  Christmas    Stranger.  — 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


Nancy  Foster,  Bassett,  Va. 


Northern  Virginia 

Crab  Run  — The  pastor,  Max  Fisher, 
and  his  family  moved  into  our  new 
parsonage  the  first  of  September  to  be- 
gin a  joint  program  with  ours  and  the 
Damascus  congregation.  At  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  parsonage  Bro.  Owen  Stultz 
gave  the  dedicatory  message.  Each 
church  has  launched  an  every-member 
canvass.  The  joint  CBYF  gave  plays  at 
both  churches  for  Christmas  and  caroled 
two  nights.  The  Damascus  congrega- 
tion has  installed  new  light  fixtures  and 
Venetian  blinds  in  their  church.  —  Anna 
Belle  Fisher,  Bergton,  Va. 

Southern  Virginia 

Jones  Chapel  —  The  district  children's 
workers  meeting  was  held  at  our 
church  and  also,  the  women's  fellow- 
ship district  meeting.  Our  first  BVS'er, 
Kermon  Thomason,  is  working  at  the 
General  Offices  in  Elgin,  111.  We  have 
purchased  additional  ground  at  the  rear 
of  our  church  for  possible  future  ex- 
pansion. We  are  ready  to  begin  the 
Call  to  Discipleship  program.  Our 
evangelistic  meetings  will  be  held  April 
3-10  with  Bro.  William  Longenecker  as 
our  evangelist.  —  Mrs.  Doris  M.  David- 
son, Martinsville,  Va. 

Maple  Grove  —  On  World  Commun- 
ion Sunday  we  held  our  love  feast  at 
which  Robert  Jones,  Roy  Valencourt, 
and  the  pastor  officiated.  Prior  to  com- 
munion, four  were  baptized.  These 
members  attended  an  eight-week  class 
on  membership  conducted  by  the 
pastor.  On  Layman's  Sunday  the  men 
of  the  church  conducted  the  worship 
service  with  Call  chairman,  Roby 
Craver,  bringing  the  message  and 
launching  the  third  every-member  can- 
vass. On  missions  Sunday  for  Maple 
Grove  Bro.  Ira  S.  Petre  of  Nigeria,  West 
Africa,  spoke.  Following  a  fellowship 
meal,  a  hymn  sing  was  held  at  the 
home  of  Mary  Mock,  honoring  her  as 
the  oldest  member.  A  Christmas  pro- 
gram was  given  by  the  Sunday  school 
children.  The  youth  went  caroling. 
Bro.  Graham  B.  Sower  was  licensed  to 
the   ministry.     We   inaugurated   youth 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


week  with  all  youth  participating  in 
the  worship  services;  the  film,  The 
High  Room,  was  shown  in  the  evening. 
—  Mrs.  Walter  E.  Shank,  Lexington, 
N.  C. 

Mt.  Hermon  —  Our  young  people 
sponsored  a  turkey  dinner  during  the 
Thanksgiving  holidays.  One  of  our 
young  men,  Phillip  Stone,  was  licensed 
to  the  ministry.  At  the  same  service, 
Mrs.  Leland  Stone  was  received  and 
welcomed  into  the  church  fellowship. 
Bro.  L.  A.  Bowman  assisted  our  pastor, 
Harry  C.  Eller,  at  this  service.  Bro. 
Wilfred  Nolen  preached  at  one  of  our 
Sunday  morning  services  in  the  absence 
of  our  pastor.  The  evening  message 
was  delivered  by  Bro.  Wilmer  R.  Hurst. 


First  West  Virginia 
Old  Furnace  —  Our  evangelistic  meet- 
ing was  held  by  Bro.  Howard  Whitacre. 
Bro.  Earl  Woodward,  a  missionary  to 
Nigeria,  visited  in  our  church  and 
showed  slides  on  Nigeria.  Bro.  James 
Renz,  director  of  social  welfare,  and 
Bro.  Benton  Rhoades,  director  of  mis- 
sion education,  held  special  services  in 
our  church.  The  construction  of  a 
twelve-room  educational  building  is 
under  way.  Our  women  made  and  sent 
ten  comforters  and  clothing  to  New 
Windsor.  At  Christmas  our  church  pre- 
sented the  cantata,  Miracle  at  the  Inn. 
Our  children's  department  sent  two  1 
large  boxes  of  toys  and  clothing  for 
mission  work  in  Tennessee.  At  our 
council  meeting,  Bro.  Levi  Ziegler  was 
elected  moderator  for  the  coming  year. 
-  Mrs.  Edith  Ellifritz,  Ridgeley,  W.  Va. 


,s'Vri'n",.,;-,i 


THE  GESELL 
INSTITUTE 

PARTY  BOOK 


BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS 


%■ 


Here  is  a  practical  handbook  from  the  famous  Gesell  Institute  that 
shows  how  to  give  a  party  for  each  year  from  the  ages  three  to  fifteen. 
This  volume  is  not  intended  primarily  as  a  manual  of  games  but  rather 
its  primary  emphasis  is  on  the  kinds  of  behavior  which  may  be  expected 
of  children  of  different  ages  in  a  party  situation.  For  each  age  group 
there  is  guidance  as  to  the  keys  to  a  successful  party,  the  number  of 
guests,  number  of  adults,  the  schedule,  and  possible  expense.  The  de- 
lightful and  informative  photographs  add  significantly  to  the  value  of 
this  book.  $2.95 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin.  111. 


CAa/tcn erf cbsQtetn/ierts 

Gospel 


MESSENGER 


APRIL  2,  1960 


Theodor  Stundl 


Three  Lions 


The  Final  Pilgrimage 

THEODOR  STUNDL,  the  artist  responsible  for  this  graphic  portrayal  of  the  crushing  burden 

of  the  cross,  calls  it  The  Final  Pilgrimage.  His  head  already  needled  by  a  crown  of  thorns,  his  back 

already  bruised  with  lashes  from  a  whip,  his  strong  shoulders  bowed  down  by  the  weight  of  the  heavy 

|  beams  on  which  he  was  later  to  die,  Jesus  must  have  stumbled  often  along  the  road  to  Golgofha. 

But  his  physical  struggle  could  have  been  borne  far  more  easily  if  he  had  not  also  felt  so  terribly  alone 

in  his  humiliation,  his  friends  having  drav/n  aside  or  fearfully  hidden  for  their  own  safety.  A  stranger, 

;  a  passer-by,  might  be  conscripted  to  bear  his  cross  for  a  spell,  but  his  disciples  and  companions  were 

|  not  yet  ready  to  share  the  most  difficult  steps  of  his  pilgrimage.  In  due  time  many  of  them  discovered 

the  "fellowship  of  his  sufferings."  In  due  time  many  of  them  learned  how  to  shoulder  the  weight  of 

responsible  discipleship.  .  .  .  Christians  have  too  glibly  sung  about  carrying  their  cross  with  a  smile. 

They  ought  to  look  long  and  soberly  at  the  crushing  weight  with  which  their  Lord  contended  on  his 

way  to  Calvary.  Then  they  might  well  ask  how  seriously  they  consider  the  cost  of  being  a  true  disciple. 


Why  I  Chose   the  Ministry  —Three   Young  Ministers    Write 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE      -    -    ■     -    -      Editor 
ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS  WRITE 


to   the  editori 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and| 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 

Biblical  Basis 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailjag  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 

Ecumer'cal  Press  Service 

APRIL  2.  1960 
Volume     109  Number  14 

In  This  Number  .  .   . 

Editorial  — 

The  Final  Pilgrimage    1 

Which  Way  Is  Heaven?    5 

"It  Is  Essential  to  Be  Poor"    5 

A  Repentance  Church 5 

The  General  Forum  — 

The  Conscripted.    Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr.     3 
Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship:    Luther  and  Calvin.    Dale  W. 

Brown      6 

Why    I    Chose    the    Ministry.     Joseph 
Quesenberry,      Richard      Landrum, 

Robert    Blair    8 

The   Kingdom  Taken  by   Storm. 

John    Grimley     11 

The  Eternal  Need. 

Harriette   Simpson   Arrow    14 

Adults   Can   Be   Involved   in   the  Life 

and  Work  of  the  Church    16 

Kokcmo  Completes  New  Church  ....  18 
Ohio  School  Administrator  Honored  .  18 
BVS'er   Writes    His    Home   Church. 

Charles    Boyer    19 

Would  You  Want  Your  Daughter  .  .  .  ?  20 

Brethren  Want  to  Know    21 

Reviews  of  Recent  Bocks 21 

News  — 

Kingdom   Gleanings    17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World      22 

Lodging   at   Conference    24 

Church  News    29 

•  •  • 

Prime  Minister  Nehru:  "Atomic  war 
has  become  so  catastrophic  it  has  made 
peace  a  necessity.    It  may  be  a  blessing. 

1  think  the  world  has  reached  a  turning 
point.  It  has  reached  a  turning  point  in 
many  respects  —  in  human  relations,  in 
science,  and  in  regard  to  war." 

2  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Dean  Liston  Pope's  article  in  the 
Messenger  of  Feb.  13  was  one  of 
the  better  articles  I  have  read  on 
the  Biblical  basis  for  the  brotherhood 
of  man.  The  article  should  have  a 
much  wider  circulation  than  it  will 
receive  through  the  circulation  of  the 
Messenger. 

He  states  in  his  opening  sentence 
that  the  "usual  approaches  to  racial 
questions  have  been  political  or  soci- 
ological in  nature"  and  proceeds  to 
set  forth  a  thoroughly  religious  ap- 
proach which  deserves  a  wider 
hearing. 

I  do  not  know  whether  by  "politi- 
cal or  sociological"  he  meant  the 
anthropological  or  the  economic  ap- 
proaches. In  his  discussion  of  "The 
Christian  Mandate  on  Race  Rela- 
tions," he  elicits  sound  Biblical 
interpretation  which  is  also  sound 
anthropology.  Understandably,  both 
he  and  the  Bible  omit  the  economic 
problem. 

With  all  our  education,  most 
Americans  suffer  from  belief  in  cer- 
tain superstitions  about  property 
values  and  race.  And  with  all  of 
our  religious  teaching,  most  of  us 
are  the  victims  of  materialistic  de- 
terminism. We  "cannot  afford  de- 
mocracy"; our  "property  values  will 
vanish"  if  Negroes  move  into  our 
neighborhood;  the  economic  myth. 
And  there  is  the  perennial  question, 
"Would  you  want  your  daughter  to 
marry  a  Nego?"  addressed,  of  course 
to  a  white. 

Money  and  social  status! 
The  answer  to  economic  doubts 
is  at  hand.  Dr.  Luigi  Laurenti  has 
completed  an  outstanding  study  on 
Property  Values  and  Race  (Uni- 
versity of  California  Press,  Berkeley, 
$6.00). 

On  intermarriage:  if  we  are  to 
believe  the  biochemists,  the  anthro- 
pologists, and  the  Bible,  there  should 
be  no  problem.  But  who  does?  Or 
is  it  that  we  believe  these  less  than 
we  believe  the  myth  about  "mongrel 
offspring"?  Will  my  status  be  im- 
paired if  one  or  more  of  my  "white" 
children  marries  a  person  of  another 
race?  What  prompted  the  conduct 
of  the  dean  of  a  New  York  state 
integrated  college  and  his  wife  when 
their  daughter  wished  to  marry  one 
of  the  student  athletes  whose  skin 
was  congenitally  pigmented? 

Milton  Mayer,  in  the  September 
edition  of  The  Progressive,  has  an 


article,  The  Issue  Is  MiscegenationJ 
Our  Christian  faith  will  help  many! 
through  this  transition.  For  most] 
it  will  not  be  enough.  For  many] 
of  these  the  dissipation  of  a  fog  of] 
superstition  plus  their  religious  faithj 
will  help.  For  many,  I  fear,  only! 
death  will  part  them  from  the  con-; 
sequences  of  their  ignorance  and  fear;, 
and  hate.  -  Horner  M.  Eby,  580  S. 
Chase  Ave.,  Lombard,  111. 

We  Should  Protest 

On  several  occasions   I  have  ex-, 
pressed  appreciation  for  the  Messen-i 
ger,   but   I   was    disappointed   withl 
your  reporting  of  the  Darwin  Cen-f 
tennial  in  the  issue  for  Jan.  9. 

In  my  humble  opinion  it  was  un-; 
wise  to  publish  the  portraits  of  twol 
foes  of  Jesus  Christ,  namely  Charles! 
Darwin  and  Julian  Huxley.  Darwinj 
gradually  lost  his  faith  in  Christ,! 
and  Huxley  never  has  expressed! 
any.  .  .  . 

The  church  should  not  protest; 
against  science  but  against  the  ma-; 
terialistic  scientists.  This  does  not! 
include  all  of  the  scientists  by  any 
means.  There  are  some  who  believe 
the  Biblical  account  of  creation  and, 
disagree  with  the  evolutionists 
Christians  should  take  the  time  fc 
read  their  writings.  .  .  . 

We  need  not  start  a  war  against; 
materialistic  philosophy  but  surelyl 
we  should  protest  against  it.  . 
When  I  was  in  the  graduate  school 
of  one  of  our  largest  universities, 
I  was  surprised  that  no  more  ev> 
dences  for  evolution  were  presented 
than  I  had  already  met  in  college. 
Instead,  a  number  of  difficulties  were 
presented.  The  theory  of  evolution 
flourishes  on  glittering  generalities, 
but  is  tripped  by  the  detailed  facts 
of  science.  -  Wm.  J.  Tinkle,  2008  E. 
Fourth  St.,  Anderson,  Ind. 

Pray  for  Others 

I  want  to  thank  W.  Russell  Shull 
for  his  articles  in  the  Gospel 
Messenger. 

I  have  told  my  Sunday  school  class 
at  different  times  when  teaching  and 
not  teaching  that  whenever  a  per- 
son's name  comes  into  one's  mind 
and  persists  in  staying  there,  we 
should  pray  and  pray  earnestly  for 
him  or  her,  for  I  feel  it  is  the 
heavenly  Spirit  telling  us  that  that 
person  needs  our  prayers.  —  Ollie  F. 
Benjamin,  608  W.  Jefferson  St., 
Monticello,  Ind. 


Three  Lions 


Bramanti 

Simon  of  Cyrene  helps  Jesus  with  the  cross 


» Some  have  greatness  thrust  upon  them  — 


The 
Conscripted 


Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr. 


SOME  are  born  great."  By  the 
gifts  of  creation  a  few  people 
are  to  the  manner  born.  Occa- 
sionally even  a  family  seems  to  have 
the  strands  and  strengths  of  greatness 
in  it.  It  is  true  that  each  individual 
must  use  the  gifts  he  receives  and 
each  generation  must  measure  up  to 
the  tradition  which  it  inherits,  but 
some  have  such  a  running  start  that 
they  appear  to  be  born  with  greatness 
built  in. 

"Some  achieve  greatness."  In  the 
American  dream  greatness  is  not  a 
given  quality  with  which  some  men 
are  blessed  and  others  denied  by 
birth,  nor  is  it  an  exclusive  quality 
which  is  possessed  by  one  race  or 
group  and  not  another.  Greatness  is 
an  achievement  which  consists  in  the 
growth  of  character,  the  flowering  of 
personality  and  the  development  of 
God-given  abilities. 

The  circumstances  surrounding  the 
early  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  do  not 
augur  a  bright  future.  A  meager 
background  limited  opportunity  for 
education,  a  string-bean  physique, 
abominable  looks  and  —  except  for 
the  love  of  an  angel  foster-mother  — 
you  lack  many  ingredients  for  a  great 
life.  But  a  keen  mind  and  a  warm 
heart  sparked  such  greatness  of  soul 
;is  has  seldom  been  produced  on  the 
American  soil.  One  can  think  of 
Lincoln's  great  life  only  as  an  achieve- 
ment. 

"Some  have  greatness  thrust  upon 
them."  We  would  never  have  known 
of  the  existence  of  some  people  but 
for  a  quirk  of  circumstance,  an  acci- 
dent of  time,  or  a  flip  of  fate.  Simon 
of  Cyrene  was  such  a  man.  It  was 
a  quirk  of  circumstance  that  this 
black  man,  as  he  is  generally  held  to 
be,  who  lived  in  Cyrene,  a  North 
African  town  in  the  vicinity  of  what 
is  now  Tripoli,  was  1,200  miles  from 
home  in  Jerusalem  when  the  hand  of 
destiny  touched  him. 

It  was  an  accident  of  time  that  he 
was  standing  at  a  particular  place  and 
at  a  precise  moment  on  that  fateful 
day  when  the  procession  moved  to- 
ward Calvary.    It  was  a  flip  of  fate 

APRIL  2,  I960  3 


that,  when  Jesus  staggered 
under  the  weight  of  the  cross, 
a  Roman  soldier  looked  up  and 
recognized  him  as  a  foreigner 
and  then  commanded  him  to 
pick  up  the  burden  of  the  cross 
and  carry  it  the  rest  of  the  way 
to  Golgotha. 

No  other  person  lifted  so 
much  as  a  finger  to  be  of  any 
practical  help  to  Jesus  as  he 
made  his  way  to  the  cross.  The 
disciples  deserted.  Peter  de- 
nied. The  women  wept.  A 
soldier  offered  the  hyssop  which 
Jesus  refused.  Simon  only  of 
all  men  was  fated  to  have  the 
most  priceless  privilege  in  the 
crucifixion  sequence.  It  came 
to  him  out  of  the  blue,  as  un- 
planned as  a  meteor  flashing  in 
the  sky.  He  had  no  choice 
about  it  but  in  those  few 
moments  greatness  was  thrust 
upon  him. 

What  he  did  to  help  the 
Master  of  men  who  was  on  his 
road  to  become  the  savior  of 
the  world  made  it  possible  to 
say  of  him  as  Jesus  said  of 
another,  "Truly  I  say  to  you, 
wherever  this  gospel  is  preach- 
ed in  the  whole  world,  what  he 
has  done  will  be  told  in  memory 
of  him." 

By  what  apparently  trivial 
incidents  and  accidents  a  fife 
is  pivoted  toward  destiny  or 
disaster!  Bruce  Barton  once 
wrote,  "Sometimes  when  I  con- 
sider what  tremendous  conse- 
quences come  from  little  things 
—  the  chance  word,  a  tap  on  the 
shoulder,  a  few  pennies  dropped 
on  a  newsstand  —  I  am  tempted 
to  think  that  there  are  no  little 
things."  In  the  bewildering 
network  of  interlaced  events 
which  make  up  life  who  can 
tell  when  a  moment  is  the 
moment,  when  a  deed  is  the 
deed? 

The  burdens  of  life  may  bring 
out  latent  greatness  in  human 
beings.    From  this  distance  we 

4  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


covet  the  role  of  Simon,  but 
when  the  soldier  summarily 
and  brutally  seized  Simon  for 
the  job,  he  probably  rebelled, 
"Why  pick  on  me?  What  have 
I  done?  Couldn't  somebody 
else  do  it?"  These  are  our  re- 
actions when  unexpected  bur- 
dens and  troubles  come  to  us. 
When  tragedy  and  disaster 
overtake  us,  we  often  rebel 
against  them  as  being  unfair. 

A  Helen  Keller  born  to 
silence  and  sightlessness  was 
bitter  about  it  as  a  child.  "She 
beat  against  the  prison  walls  of 
life  which  held  her  in,"  wrote 
Van  Wyck  Brooks,  but  under 
the  touch  of  a  gracious  teacher 
she  came  alive.  Helen  Keller 
was  so  sparklingly  alive  that 
when  she  was  seated  with  a 
group  of  dignitaries  on  a  con- 
ference platform,  Dr.  Richard 
Cabot  of  Harvard  remarked 
that  everyone  around  her  looked 
lifeless. 

When  Beethoven,  from  whose 
lyric  spirit  sprang  some  of  the 
sweetest  music  known  to  mor- 
tals, discovered  that  he  was 
going  deaf,  he  met  the  tragedy 
first  with  fear  and  trembling, 
then  with  despair  and  defiance, 
until  at  last  he  accepted  his 
fate  and  became  the  very  spirit 
of  music. 

There  are  some  burdens  we 
must  bear  through  no  choice  of 
our  own.  They  are  forced  upon 
us.  We  have  no  option.  We 
must  bow  the  neck,  bend  the 
knee,  and  pick  up  the  heavy 
load.  This  necessity  may  be 
a  burden  —  or  a  blessing! 

What  a  wonderful  thing  it  is 
to  be  able  to  help!  Bearing  the 
eighteen-foot-long  solid  wooden 
cross  must  have  been  a  rough 
experience  for  Simon,  but  time 
changed  all  that.  Surely  he 
looked  back  on  it  later  as  the 
greatest  joy  of  his  life  that  he 
was  able  to  help  Jesus. 

Flash  back  through  your  own 
memory  to  some  of  the  most 


' 


burdensome  interruptions  and 
difficult  chores  that  have  been; 
forced  upon  you.  You  may 
think  of  an  episode  with  a  flat 
tire  or  some  matter  of  greater 
moment,  or  even  an  unending 
duty.  What  seemed  an  agony 
in  passing  is  often  a  satisfying 
reflection. 

I  think  of  a  few  times  when 
the  responsibilities  which  werei 
imposed  upon  me  seemed  diffi-j 
cult  and  arduous.  I  passed: 
through  these  valleys  reluctant- 
ly and  they  seemed  endless, 
unnecessary,  and  even  unfair, 
but  looking  back  on  them  now,) 
I  realize  that  they  represent 
some  of  the  deeper  satisfactions 
of  my  work.  It  is  a  wonderful 
thing  to  be  able  to  help.  It 
does  something  to  one's  soul  to 
be  useful.  We  are  always  better 
for  having  served. 

Can  you  imagine  how  utterly 
barren  life  would  be  if  nobody 
needed  us,  if  no  one  was  de- 
pendent upon  us  and  if  every- 
one could  get  along  just  as  well 
without  us?  It  would  even 
take  the  romantic  shine  off  love.  I 
Love  is  an  exhilaration,  but 
never  forget  that  the  deeper 
foundation  on  which  love  is: 
built  is  the  abiding  awareness 
that  those  whom  we  love  need 
us. 

It  is  a  Simonlike  duty  which 
neither  is  chosen  nor  can  be 
avoided  when  a  mother  must 
watch  at  the  bed  of  a  fever- 
stricken  child,  reckoning  neither 
the  hours  she  must  give  nor  the 
health  which  she  may  sacrifice, 
and  yet,  what  mother  does  not 
treasure  the  experience  of  hav- 
ing been  able  to  help  her  child. 
Every  person  who  has  given  up; 
something  which  cannot  be  re- 
placed in  order  to  discharge  a 
duty  which  God  has  given  or 
to  carry  a  task  which  has  been 
imposed  is  eligible  for  the  great 
family  of  those  who,  like  Simon 
the  Cyrenian,  have  greatness 
thrust  upon  them. 


is  I 


R 


& 


EDITORIAL 


Which  Way  Is  Heaven? 

A     SK  any  child  in  which  direction  to  look 
r\     for  heaven  and  his  eyes  will  look  up- 
"^         ward.    But  this  same  child  lives  in  an 
age  when  men  soon  will  be  shooting  into  outer 
,;  space,  taking  off  in  the  direction  of  his  heaven. 
JAs  they  zoom  into  the  vast  reaches  of  distance 
c  jthat  surround  our  earth,  they  will  be  sending 
back  reports  that  will  describe  a  picture  far 
different  from  the  images  we  have  associated 
with  heaven.    A  child  is  not  many  years  ad- 
vanced  even   now   when   he   begins    to    per- 
ceive  that    directions    like    up    or    down    are 
relative  to  our  immediate  position  on  a  spinning 
globe.   How  much  more  confusing  it  will  be  in 
the  future  when  explorations  into  space  begin 
to  fill  in  tiny  bits  of  information  and  start  to 
map  the  universe  around  us.    Will  a  child  be 
as  confident  then  that  he  knows  which  way  is 
heaven? 

Only  those  persons  who  think  they  have 
located  a  heaven  in  some  remote  area  of  our 
physical  universe  will  be  disturbed  by  our  ex- 
panding space  age.  The  Christian  heaven,  if 
we  may  offer  an  affirmation  of  faith,  is  wherever 
God  is.  None  of  our  figures  of  speech  can  ever 
convey  what  it  must  mean  to  experience  full 
spiritual  fellowship  with  him,  and,  therefore, 
our  pictures  of  heaven,  however  sacred,  are 
always  inadequate  and  not  to  be  taken  as  literal 
pictures  of  a  place  somewhere  where  God  and 
his  people  dwell. 

Which  way  is  heaven?  The  space  traveler 
cannot  tell  us  even  if  he  returns  in  one  piece 
from  his  trip  to  photograph  the  other  side  of 
the  moon.  He  can  answer  many  questions  but 
not  this  one. 

Which  way  is  heaven?  If  heaven  is  wherever 
God  is,  we  have  the  offer  of  a  guide  who  can 
point  the  way  because  he  is  the  way.  Remem- 
ber what  Jesus  said,  "I  am  the  way,  and  the 
truth,  and  the  life;  no  one  comes  to  the  Father, 
but  by  me"?  God  has  not  left  us  earthbound 
mortals  without  a  witness  to  the  way.  —  k.m. 

"It  Is  Essential  to  Be  Poor" 

WILLIAM  STRINGFELLOW  is  a  young 
attorney  who  practices  law  in  East  Har- 
lem in  New  York  City.  Writing  recently 
in  the  Harvard  Law  School  Bulletin,  he  tells 
of  his  decision  in  1956,  after  graduation  from 
the  law  school,  to  live  in  East  Harlem,  to  prac- 
tice law  there  and  to  be  a  layman  in  the  church. 


Mr.  Stringfellow  believes  that  he  cannot 
serve  his  clients  unless  he  shares  their  poverty. 
He  lives  on  a  block  where  4,000  persons  live  in 
27  tenements.  In  order  to  fulfill  what  he  re- 
gards as  a  Christian  calling,  he  says,  "It  is 
essential  to  become  and  to  be  poor."  But  he 
does  not  see  this  as  a  burden.  Rather  it  is  in 
his  opinion  "a  use  of  the  freedom  for  which 
Christ  has  set  men  free." 

Few  Christians  are  so  inclined  to  use  their 
freedom.  We  want  to  help  —  but  at  a  distance. 
We  want  to  preach  or  teach  —  but  only  to  those 
who  will  come  to  us.  We  are  apparently  un- 
willing to  identify  ourselves  with  others  to  the 
extent  that  we  cast  our  lot  with  them.  But  this 
is  really  our  Christian  vocation.  And  this  is 
also  the  way  to  the  richest  possible  fellowship 
we  can  have  with  our  Lord.  When  we  deny 
ourselves,  when  we  forget  status  and  income 
and  reputation  and  put  ourselves  where  the 
need  is  greatest,  there  we  find  him  who  "emptied 
himself,  taking  the  form  of  a  servant."  Jesus 
also  believed  that  "it  is  essential  to  be  poor." 

—  K.M. 

A  Repentance  Church 

ROMAN  CATHOLICS  in  West  Germany 
are  planning  to  lay  the  foundation  this 
summer  of  a  church  at  Bergen,  near  the 
notorious  Nazi  concentration  camp  at  Bergen- 
Belsen,  which  they  are  calling  a  "repentance" 
church.  It  was  at  Belsen  that  30,000  persons, 
mostly  Jews,  were  killed,  and  it  is  there  that 
Anne  Frank  is  buried  in  a  mass  grave. 

Surely  it  is  important  for  all  Germans,  Prot- 
estant and  Catholic,  to  remember  what  inno- 
cent people  endured  under  Hitler  and  to 
repent  of  their  share  in  that  guilt.  But  should 
not  American  Christians  too  take  advantage  of 
opportunities  for  repentance?  We  developed 
the  bomb  that  dropped  on  Hiroshima's  inno- 
cent thousands.  We  stand  quietly  by  while 
horrible  means  of  chemical  and  germ  warfare 
are  being  developed. 

Repentance,  individually  and  en  masse, 
would  indeed  be  appropriate  wherever  we  seek 
to  build  a  church.  It  is  basic  to  the  spirit  in 
which  we  come  to  God,  asking  his  forgiveness, 
and  responding  to  that  forgiveness  by  the  way 
we  live  for  him  and  for  others.  Let's  have 
more  "repentance"  churches.  —  k.m. 

APRIL  2,  1960  5 


Men  who  heard 

the  call  to  discipleship-. 


LUTHER 

and 

CALVIN 


Dale  W.  Brown 


Luther  wrote  many  hymns  of  early  Protestantism,  the 
best  known  of  which  is  A  Mighty  Fortress  Is  Our  God. 
He    is    pictured   here   playing    hymns    for   his    family 


Schoenfeld  Collection  from  Three  Lions 


HISTORY  lives.  One  of 
the  amazing  things  in 
this  space  age  is  the  re- 
turn to  Christendom  of  the  two 
greatest  Reformers  from  the  six- 
teenth century.  Their  message 
of  the  majesty  and  grace  of 
God  is  being  sought  by  mid- 
twentieth  century  man  with  his 
fallen  hopes,  perplexing  prob- 
lems, and  loss  of  faith  in  his 
own  ability  to  solve  these  prob- 
lems. In  the  last  decade  the 
presses  have  turned  out  thou- 
sands of  volumes  written  about 
and  by  these  two  men.  Martin 
Luther  is  one  of  those  figures 
like  Augustine  into  whom  all 
things  flow  and  from  whom  all 
things  go.  John  Calvin's  great 
influence  has  flowed  to  many 
lands  and  to  millions  of  Chris- 
tians through  the  scores  of 
groups  who  claim  him  as  their 
spiritual  progenitor. 

In  a  brief  narrative  it  will  be 

6  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


impossible  to  do  justice  to  these 
complex  personalities.  Only  a 
few  famous  scenes  will  be  por- 
trayed, and  an  attempt  will  be 
made  to  capture  the  central  con- 
cept of  discipleship  of  each  one. 
This  can  be  done  while  at  the 
same  time  recognizing  that 
historical  heroes  like  Biblical 
characters  possess  failings  as 
well  as  virtues.  Even  though 
these  Reformers  persecuted 
those  who  would  reform  more, 
our  spiritual  ancestors,  the  Ana- 
baptists, grace  demands  we 
seek  to  discern  the  genius  of 
their  discipleship. 

MARTIN   LUTHER 

It  was  a  July  day  in  1505 
along  a  country  road.  A  violent 
thunderstorm  sent  out  a  streak 
of  lightning  to  strike  to  the 
ground  a  twenty-two-year-old 
university  student.  In  that  sud- 
den confrontation  with  death, 
Martin  Luther  did  what  many 
another  medieval  man  had 
done;  he  cried,  "St.  Anne,  help 


me,  I  will  become  a  monk."  And 
this  master  in  law  from  the 
University  of  Erfurt,  who  was 
preparing  for  the  civil  career 
his  father  had  planned,  became 
a  monk. 

The  real  scene  of  his  conver- 
sion was  a  small  room  some- 
where in  the  new  University 
at  Wittenberg.  The  professor 
monk  was  pouring  over  the 
Psalms  and  then  Romans  in 
preparation  for  his  lectures.  As 
a  monk  Luther  had  resolved  to 
lay  upon  himself  all  the  austeri- 
ties he  could  support.  He  en- 
gaged in  long  vigils,  he  fasted, 
he  cast  off  all  the  garments  that 
decency  would  permit.  "If  ever 
a  monk  gained  heaven  by  his 
monkery,"  he  wrote  later,  "I 
must  have  done  so." 

Because  of  his  unrest  they 
had  sent  him  to  Rome  only  to 
be    disillusioned    further,    and 


then  he  had  been  assigned  to 
!  teach  with  the  wish  that  this 
]  would  help  him.  It  did.  Rather, 
the  Bible  did.  For  here  it 
dawned  on  him  that  all  of  his 
previous  efforts  had  not  led  him 
to  get  right  with  God.  One  does 
not  justify  himself  by  good 
works.  One  is  made  right  with 
God  through  faith  and  trust  in 
the  grace  of  God. 

Thus  was  established  the 
central  pillar  of  the  Reforma- 
tion: justification  by  faith  alone. 
This  caused  Luther  to  question 
the  entire  penitential  system 
with  man's  effort  to  obtain  for- 
giveness and  the  pope's  promise 
to  give  pardon  through  the 
treasury  of  merits  which  had 
been  earned  by  the  saints  and 
which  were  sold  as  indulgences 
to  the  people.  These  doubts 
were  reflected  in  the  Ninety- 
five  Theses  submitted  for  de- 


bate which  Luther  nailed  on 
the  door  of  the  church  at  Wit- 
tenberg on  the  eve  of  all-saints 
day  in  1517.  This  was  the  spark 
which  kindled  the  flame  of  the 
Protestant  Reformation. 

The  scene  was  a  great  meet- 
ing to  which  had  come  the  Holy 
Roman  Emperor,  the  royalty  of 
Europe,  and  the  highest  officers 
of  church  and  state.  This  monk 
was  on  trial  at  the  Diet  of 
Worms,  1521.  The  prosecutor 
asked,  "Do  you  or  do  you  not 
repudiate  your  books  and  the 
errors  which  they  contain?" 
Luther  answered,  "Since  your 
majesty  and  your  lordships  de- 
sire a  simple  reply,  I  will  an- 
swer without  horns  and  without 
teeth.  Unless  I  am  convicted 
by  Scripture  and  plain  reason  — 
I  do  not  accept  the  authority 
of  popes  and  councils,  for  they 
have  contradicted  each  other  — 


my  conscience  is  captive  to  the 
Word  of  God;  I  cannot  and  I 
will  not  recant  anything,  for  to 
go  against  conscience  is  neither 
right  nor  safe.  God  help  me. 
Amen."  He  may  have  added, 
"Here  I  stand;  I  can  do  no 
other." 

After  the  posting  of  the 
theses,  a  debate  and  three 
pamphlets  he  wrote  caused  him 
to  be  excommunicated  and  now 
tried.  He  still  was  not  out  of 
trouble.  On  his  way  home  his 
friends  had  him  kidnapped  and 
took  him  to  the  castle  at  Wart- 
burg.  There  he  began  his 
famous  German  translation  of 
the  Bible.  He  later  boldly  came 
out  of  exile  to  organize  the 
Reformation  which  was  taking 
place,  to  marry  a  nun,  and  to 
have  a  family  of  six  children. 

DISCIPLESHIP   AS   THANKSGIVING. 

For  Luther  good  works  are 
not  a  way  to  faith;  they  are  the 
response  of  faith.  We  are  not 
naturally  good,  but  good  in  re- 
sponse to  God's  goodness.  "We 
love  because  he  first  loved  us." 
Moral  effort  is  more  successful 
when  it  ceases  to  be  the  means 
by  which  we  earn  God's  favor 
and  becomes  our  response  to 
it  as  a  free  gift. 

JOHN   CALVIN 

The  scene  was  a  little  city  at 
the  outlet  of  Lake  Geneva.  The 
year,  1536.  A  little  man  with  a 
big  voice  and  a  red  beard  was 
talking  to  a  young  thin  man 
who  had  come  to  Geneva  from 
Paris  by  way  of  Strasbourg. 
William  Farel,  the  leader  of 
this  city  in  the  throes  of  Refor- 
mation, said  to  John  Calvin, 
"We  need  you.  You  must  stay." 

This  young  man  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven  had  just  com- 
pleted the  classic  Institutes  of 
the  Christian  Religion,  which 
was  for  centuries  to  serve  a 
large  section  of  the  Protestant 
world  as  the  standard  statement 

APRIL  2.   1960  7 


of  Christian  belief.  He  had  a 
good  education  as  a  French- 
man, studying  the  classics  at 
the  University  of  Paris  and 
law  at  Orleans.  We  know 
little  about  his  "sudden  con- 
version," for  he  was  never  as 
introspective  as  the  tempera- 
mental Luther.  After  forced 
exile,  owing  to  the  writing  of 
a  Protestant  speech  given  by 
someone  else  in  a  Catholic 
institution,  he  would  have 
preferred  a  quiet  life  of  writ- 
ing in  Protestant  cities  such 
as  Strasbourg. 

Against  his  will  he  was 
persuaded  to  stay  in  Geneva, 
and  with  the  exception  of  one 
short  period  he  remained 
there  until  he  died  in  1565. 
He  never  accepted  political 
office  and,  of  course,  exer- 
cised no  military  authority. 
His  only  official  position  was 
that  of  an  ordained  minister. 
He  did  not  even  become  a 
citizen  until  1559.  Yet  few 
men  have  exercised  greater 
mastery  of  a  city. 

The  books  of  the  Bible  be- 
came the  law  books  of  the 
city  of  Geneva  with  Calvin  as 
the  interpreter.  Men  were 
punished  for  declaring  there 
was  no  devil  — and  for  tell- 
ing ministers  to  go  to  him. 
One  hardy  soul  was  tried  for 
writing  "all  nonsense"  in  one 
of  Calvin's  books.  Yet  all  of 
these  petty  rules  and  regula- 
tions must  not  obscure  the 
grand,  noble  design  to  estab- 
lish a  theocracy,  a  city  with 
God  as  ruler,  a  holy  common- 
wealth. And  refugees  flowing 
in  and  out  of  this  city  went 
to  the  far  corners  of  the  earth 
to  establish  the  same. 

DISCTPLESHIP   AS   ELECTION 

Both  Calvin  and  Luther 
had  an  overwhelming  sense 
of  the  majesty  of  God,  but 
whereas     for     Luther     this 

Continued  on  page  13 
8  GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


WHY  I  CHOS 


V 


JOSEPH  QUESENBERRY  says: 


Home  and  family  experiences 
have  played  a  major  role  in  my 
choice  of  the  ministry.  At  home 
I  received  understanding  and 
encouragement  to  follow  my 
interests  and  desires  in  choosing 
a  vocation.  Home  was  always 
a  place  where  God  was  known 
and  spoken  of  frequently  and 
where  one  was  encouraged  to 
seek  God's  guidance  in  deci- 
sions. 

Through  my  life  I  have  been 
influenced  by  many  Christian 
examples.  I  will  never  forget 
the  loving,  kind  manner  in 
which  a  beloved  and  respected 
elder  placed  me  upon  his  knee 
and  told  me  stories.  I  feel 
that  individual  Christians  have 
played  very  significant  roles  in 
my  choice  of  the  Christian  min- 
istry because  of  their  deeds  as 
well  as  by  their  words. 

In  youth  work  I  had  the  op- 
portunity to  work  quite  closely 
with  other  youth  concerning 
our  mutual  problems.  I  remem- 
ber, for  example,  the  evalua- 


Joseph  Quesenberry 


tions  of  our  year's  work  on  the 
regional  cabinet.  Here  we  were 
free  to  tell  one  another  in  Chris- 
tian love  our  personal  short- 
comings and  strengths.  In 
working  with  individual  youth 
groups  we  were  made  aware  of 
our  weakness  and  challenged  to 
be  creative.  Through  these  ex- 
periences I  was  further  chal- 
lenged to  accept  the  call  to 
full-time  Christian  service. 

Experiences  like  the  Appa- 
lachian Trail  hike,  youth  politi- 
cal seminars,  youth  conferences, 
Annual  Conference,  and  recrea- 
tion labs  have  been  mountain- 
top  experiences  for  me.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  discussion  dur- 
ing a  trail  hike  on  how  we  can 
live  in  this  busy  world  and  yet 
take  time  to  live. 

One  unique  factor  which 
helped  to  lead  me  to  the  min- 
istry was  the  opportunity  to 
fellowship  with  the  Brethren  at 
New  Windsor  (which  was  two 
and  one-half  miles  from  my 
home).  As  I  visited  the  center 
to  play  ping-pong,  enjoy  an 
evening  of  fellowship  with  a 
BVS  unit,  I  met  many  dedicated 
men  and  women  who  were  giv- 
ing a  portion  of  their  lives  to 
the  complete  service  of  others. 
I  saw  the  growth  of  individuals 
in  BVS.  I  also  saw  the  home- 
less. I  saw  those  who  had  been 
in  refugee  camps  take  on  new 
hope  as  the  way  opened  for  a 
new  life  in  America.  I  saw 
world  brotherhood  becoming  a 
reality. 

It  was  in  college  that  I  gained 
valuable  insights  into  the  total 
picture  of  human  life.  Through 
studies  I  became  aware  of  new 
avenues  which  a  man  could 
spend  a  lifetime  thinking  about. 


HE  MINISTRY 


Each  new  class  brought  a 
broadening  outlook  on  life 
because  of  my  necessity  to 
understand  people,  their  back- 
grounds, and  their  philosophy 
of  life. 

College  opened  opportuni- 
ties to  explore  the  use  of  my 
talents.  It  was  here  that  I  had 
the  opportunity  to  profess  and 
uphold  my  Christian  convic- 
tions. In  the  close  relationships 
of  daily  living  I  formed  lasting 
friendships  which  mean  much 
to  the  security  of  any  individ- 
ual. 

Before  June  1958  I  had  been 
considering  strongly  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  as  my  vocation. 
From  June  through  August  of 
that  summer  I  had  the  oppor- 


tunity to  serve  as  a  summer 
pastor  in  Maryland.  In  visiting 
people  I  learned  to  know  them 
personally,  their  needs  and  their 
desires.  In  preaching  I  found 
that  man  must  prepare  but  it 
is  God  who  must  speak.  That 
experience  in  the  pastorate 
amounted  to  a  small  taste  of 
what  lies  before  each  man  who 
will  accept  the  call  of  Christ 
and  the  church. 

As  I  look  at  the  ministry  I 
feel  that  I  will  be  happy  in  this 
vocation  because  I  enjoy  work- 
ing with  people.  The  ministry 
offers  new  problems  and  new 
challenges,  it  calls  for  the  best 
a  person  can  give,  and  it  offers 
one  an  opportunity  to  grow  in 
the  knowledge  of  God. 


RICHARD  LANDRUM  writes: 


As  I  look  back  over  the 
events  of  my  young  life  it  is 
difficult  to  point  to  one  instance 
as  being  the  cause  of  my  ac- 
cepting the  call  to  the  ministry. 
The  call  has  been  a  composite 
of  events  which  have  culmi- 
nated in  my  endeavoring  to 
tread  the  path  of  God's  chal- 
lenge with  the  indispensable 
living  guidance  of  his  Son,  Jesus 
Christ.  I  would  like  to  share 
some  of  my  thoughts  concern- 
ing this  call  of  God  to  the 
ministry  in  terms  of  my  own 
experience. 

First,  I  must  ask  myself  the 
question,  "Did  I  actually  choose 
the  ministry,  or  did  God  choose 
me?"  In  answering  this  ques- 
tion I  have  concluded  that  God 
calls  us  by  extending  his  hand 
of  grace  that  we  might  extend 
our  hands  to  those  who  also 
need  God;  God  chooses  us,  and 


we  must  respond  to  that  call 
by  grasping  his  hand  and  ex- 
tending ours  in  service.  I  have 
chosen  the  ministry  because 
God  chose  me.  Now  I  can  only 
say  in  praise  that  but  for  his 
grace  I  would  be  without  the 
joy  of  knowing  his  Son.  My  re- 
sponse is  to  share  this  wonder- 
ful Savior  with  others  through 
the  ministry. 

Several  things  have  contrib- 
uted to  my  response  to  God's 
call.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
helping,  challenging  words  of 
my  home  church  minister, 
Charles  Dumond,  Jr.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  confidence  and 
encouraging  words  of  many 
people  at  my  home  church,  of 
dedicated  professors  at  Mc- 
Pherson  College,  and  of  the 
members  of  the  parish  which  I 
now  serve. 


lar  high  point  which  occurred 
at  a  church  camp  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Colorado.  It  seemed  as 
if  the  very  voice  of  God  com- 
pelled me  to  his  ministry  as  he 
spoke  from  the  eternal  hills  and 
also  from  the  tears  of  young 
people  as  they  dedicated  their 
lives  to  Christ  at  this  camp.  To 
enumerate  further  events  would 
take  a  book  of  experiences,  all 
of  which  would  say  God  calls 
me  and  you  into  his  service 
through  his  Son  because  he 
loves  us. 

The  greatest  challenge  for  me 
in  the  ministry  is  to  get  people 
to  respond  to  God  in  such  a 
dynamic  way  that  the  impact  of 
Jesus  Christ  as  a  living  Savior 
is  felt  by  individuals  and  the 
entire  community  in  which  they 
live.  Certainly  many  people 
know  of  Christ,  but  how  many 
really  know  Christ  in  their 
hearts?  My  challenge  is  to  work 
that  people  might  know  this 
Jesus  in  the  intangible  and  won- 
derful way  which  can  never  be 
adequately  described  —  only  ex- 
perienced. If  a  man  answers 
this  call  he  will  surely  know 
true  joy,  and  the  world  will  be- 
come a  better  place. 

This  is  why  I  chose  the  min- 
istry: God  called  me  to  help 
make  the  world  a  better  place 
through  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ. 


Richard  Landrum 


I  remember  clearly  a  particu-     APRIL  2,  i960 


Why  I  Chose  the  Ministry 

ROBERT  BLAIR  reviews  his  life: 

"Different"  would  be  an  appropriate  term 
to  apply  to  my  choice  of  the  Christian  ministry 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  I  have  been  a 
member  of  the  church  for  only  four  years. 
Three  of  those  four  have  been  years  of  ministry 
preparation  at  Juniata  College.  The  circum- 
stances involved  in  this  choice  are  rather  pe- 
culiar and  probably  quite  different  from  the 
motivations  of  other  young  pre-ministerial  stu- 
dents. If  the  reader  is  expected  fully  to  under- 
stand and  appreciate  these  circumstances,  it  is 
necessary  for  me  to  present  a  drastically  con- 
densed case  history  of  my  life. 

Like  many  children  reared  in  our  American 
cities  I  was  among  those  existing  under  semi- 
slum  conditions.  As  I  examine  more  closely 
the  years  spent  in  that  environment  with  its 
many  vicarious  experiences  I  am  neither  re- 
gretful nor  grateful.  Bad  as  well  as  good  effects 
have  resulted  from  it.  I  view  my  past  as  being 
neither  unique  nor  different  from  the  present 
situation  many  American  youth  face  today.  The 
only  uniqueness  that  exists  in  my  case  is  that 
I  am  able  to  look  back  and  see  my  life  as  it 
used  to  be.  Unfortunately,  many  young  people 
can  not  do  this. 

In  the  following  few  paragraphs  I  will  share 
with  you  some  of  my  experiences  with  life.  As 
you  read  them  I  would  suggest  that  you  do  not 
think  of  Bob  Blair  but  think  of  the  youth  you 
read  about  in  the  newspapers  last  night  or  the 
youth  you  know  who  have  never  had  a  chance 
for  a  new  start  in  life. 

From  early  childhood  to  early  teens  I  was 
constantly  struggling  with  society.  When  you 
combine  a  broken  home  and  an  over-all  lack 
of  moral  training  with  a  rejected,  security- 
starved  youngster  between  the  ages  of  six  and 
thirteen  you  get  something  similar  to  a  violent 
chemical  reaction.  By  age  eleven  I  was  a  pro- 
ficient thief,  an  accomplished  prevaricator,  and 
a  juvenile  delinquent  with  the  brand  incorrigible 
stamped  on  me.  All  remedial  actions  were  of 
no  avail  and  the  seriousness  of  the  crime  in- 
creased with  the  age. 

Fortunately,  a  sudden  change  in  environ- 
ment abruptly  brought  to  a  close  my  budding 
career  in  crime.  However,  it  failed  to  change 
my  attitude  toward  society.  That  change  oc- 
curred when  I  met  several  Brethren  families. 
Then  one  day  I  was  introduced  to  a  local  pastor 
and  now  close  friend  who  became  the  instru- 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Robert  Blair 

ment  through  which  God  changed  my  life. 
This  was  shortly  before  graduation  from  high 
school. 

At  that  time  I  was  bitter  in  my  attitude 
against  the  course  life  served  me.  I  had  a 
martyr  complex  and  carried  around  with  me, 
waving  it  like  a  banner,  the  old  saying,  "My, 
kids  won't  suffer  as  I  had  to!"  I  was  hiding 
behind  the  veil  of  self-pity  and  had  no  clearly 
defined  goals  or  purpose  in  life.  I  will  never 
forget  the  talks  this  pastor  and  I  had  together. 
Here  was  a  man  who  accepted  me  for  what  I) 
was.  If  this  was  Christianity  I  wanted  to  know 
more  about  it.  Through  patient  guidance  and 
understanding  he  opened  the  way  to  a  better 
world  than  I  had  ever  imagined  could  exist. 

The  transition  from  an  old  world  of  bitter- 
ness to  a  new  world  of  hope  was  a  slow  and 
psychologically  painful  process  but  the  future 
has  never  looked  brighter.  Each  year  in  college 
I  grow  stronger  in  my  Christian  experience.  I 
expect  to  continue  my  education  at  Bethany 
Seminary  and  am  looking  forward  to  this  edu- 
cation with  great  expectations.  I  am  under  the 
impression  that  an  education  is  one  of  the 
essential  keys  to  a  successful  ministry. 

My  future  service?  You  may  have  guessed 
it  already.  My  life  is,  in  a  large  portion,  dedi- 
cated to  the  challenge  of  ministering  to  youth. 
I  know  from  experience  that  when  God  works 
through  men  such  as  he  did  through  my  pastor, 
there  is  still  hope  for  those  who  have  never  ex- 
perienced the  Christian  way  of  life.  Therefore,  I 
am  approaching  the  ministry  with  this  in  mind: 
"Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the 
least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it 
unto  me." 


The  Kingdom  Taken  by  Storm 


John  Grimley 


T 

M  HE  Sunday  services  were  late. 
Sunday  school  did  not  begin  until  almost 
eleven.  The  worship  service  started 
J  about  noon,  and  the  leading  Christian 
did  not  arrive  until  half  an  hour  later! 
!  But  time  by  the  clock  was  not  im- 
portant. 

This  was  an  African  meeting  —  an 
African  church  with  time  regulated  by 
the  beat  of  the  heart.  Eager  worshipers 
had  been  gathering  since  early  morning. 
As  the  noon  hour  approached,  the  small 
thatched  church  overflowed  into  the 
mat  shelter  built  against  its  west  side. 
Those  who  came  early  waited  with  a 
patience  unknown  in  American  churches 
and  those  who  came  "late"  were  uncon- 
scious of  lateness. 

But  this  was  to  be  no  ordinary  serv- 
ice. The  usual  attendance  of  400  to  500 
had  swelled  to  625.  It  was  the  Sunday 
after  Christmas  and  there  were  plans 
for  a  market  preaching  service  to  be 
held  immediately  after  the  services  in 
the  church.  Then  there  would  be  bap- 
tism following  the  market  meeting. 

After  dismissal  of  the  service,  the 
great  throng  of  enthusiastic  Christians 
began  to  narrow  into  a  line  and  to  move 
three  abreast  out  of  the  church  toward 
the  market  place.  Knowing  that  it 
would  take  at  least  a  half  hour  before 


j> 


Stern 


Pastor  Karbam  and  John  Grimley  baptizing  together 

the  market  service  could  possibly  get  under  way,  I 
slipped  off  to  the  side  to  eat  the  sandwiches  I  had 
brought  for  my  Sunday  noon  meal. 

From  the  spot  I  chose,  I  could  look  out  across  the 
harvested  corn  fields  toward  the  path  upon  which  the 
Christians  were  moving  toward  the  Uvu  market.  To 
my  left  was  an  outcropping  of  dark  grey  with  dabs  of 
bright  green  here  and  there.  Beyond  these  rocks  was 
the  church,  and  snuggled  against  them  was  the  junior 
primary  school. 

To  my  right,  a  quarter  mile  away,  was  the  huge, 
tumbled,  bare  rock  mass  of  Uvu  Mountain  —  rearing  a 


APRIL  2,  I960 


11 


thousand  feet  and  frowning 
out  across  the  saddle  to  its 
bare,  black  counterpart,  Wamdi 
Mountain.  But  today  it  seemed 
as  though  the  "frown"  was 
troubled,  not  nearly  so  certain 
as  in  days  gone  by.  And  the 
stark  palisade  of  Wamdi  Moun- 
tain seemed  to  be  smiling! 

It  was  only  a  few  decades 
ago  that  the  villages  at  the 
base  of  each  of  these  mountains 
settled  their  disputes  in  warfare 
on  this  saddle.  But  now,  both 
church  and  school  stand  here 
drawing  the  two  together  in 
common  warfare  against  sin  and 
superstitious  ignorance. 

The  enmity  is  not  entirely 
dead,  but,  as  I  watched,  the 
two  mountains  were  joined  by 
the  throng  of  Christians  on  their 
way  to  the  Uvu  market  place. 
The  gay  head  scarfs  and  wrap- 
around skirts  of  the  women  and 
the  white  robes  and  shirts  and 
colorful  hats  of  the  men  were 
brilliantly  highlighted  by  the 
tropical  noonday  sun. 

Glinting  chrome  betrayed  the 
presence  of  numerous  bicycles 
ridden  by  the  more  prosperous. 
Several  white  flags  with  large 
red  crosses,  proudly  displayed 
on  fifteen-foot  poles,  accented 
the  march  to  the  eye.  And  to 
the  ear,  the  sharp  thump  of 
drums  and  the  shrill  laughter  of 
girls  gave  accent  and  a  quick 
heightening  of  the  pulse  beat. 

Here  were  people  —  people 
only  recently  held  in  the  bond- 
age of  fatalism  and  fear,  people 
for  whom  devoted  Christians  in 
America  had  prayed  and  had 
given,  people  for  whom  Christ 
died,  people  stepping  out  into 
the  light  and  joy  of  a  new  life. 

The  elders  of  the  villages  — 
still  in  bondage  to  the  "powers 
of  darkness"  and  political  Mos- 
lem overlordship  —  stood  by 
and  saw  the  passing  throng.  As 
they  shook  their  heads  in  won- 
der, I  looked  for  a  spark  of  hope 


in  their  aging  eyes  but  saw 
none.  And  yet,  in  the  company 
itself,  two  old  men  with  Weari- 
ness gone  from  their  eyes  and 
with  broad  smiles  on  their  faces 
hurried  along  in  joy,  for  one  of 
them  was  to  be  baptized  that 
day. 

My  lunch  finished,  washed 
down  with  the  tepid  water  from 
a  canteen,  I  rode  my  motor- 
cycle past  the  stragglers  and 
picked  up  EH  Karbam,  minister 
and  pastor  of  the  Lassa  congre- 
gation; together  we  arrived  at 
the  market  place  just  as  the 
drum  for  the  folk  games  ceased 
its  beat  and  the  circle  closed  in 


T, 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


he  kingdom  of  heaven 
has  been  taken  by  storm 
and  eager  men  are  forcing 
their  way  into  it." 

Matthew  11: 12,  Phillips 


upon  the  several  preachers  of 
the  hour.  The  preachers  in  turn 
stood  upon  a  rickety,  locally 
made  folding  chair  and  shouted 
out  the  gospel  of  God's  love. 

The  message  went  out  over 
the  heads  of  the  Christians  who 
formed  the  circle  around  them. 
The  pagan  populace  busied  it- 
self in  market  dealings:  three 
shillings  for  a  goatskin;  corn  in 
exchange  for  a  clay  pot;  dried 
fish,  pepper,  rock  salt  to  be 
bought.  But  many  paused  in 
their  chatter  to  hear  a  wind- 
blown word,  hkely  totally  with- 
out meaning  to  the  hearer,  but 
in  its  context  of  flags,  drums, 
and  the  lively  crowd  of  clean, 
happy,  nonsmoking,  nondrink- 
ing  people  of  the  church,  it 
packed  a  wallop  of  life-chang- 
ing significance. 

Then  we  passed  on  beyond 
the  noise  and  odors  of  the  mar- 
ket, down  to  the  quiet  of  a 
marsh  overgrown  with  heavy- 


trunked,  thick-leaved  trees.  As 
the  crowd  approached,  the 
white  cattle  herons  flew  silently 
away  and  a  flock  of  long-haired 
sheep  hurried  off  to  higher 
ground. 

The  pool  of  open  water  was 
small  and  rimmed  with  a  float- 
ing cover  of  light-green  water 
cabbages.  Two  large  trees,  long 
ago  fallen  across  the  pool,  had 
been  stripped  of  bark  and 
branches  and  now  lay  half  sub- 
merged, restricting  the  area 
available  for  baptism.  Both 
were  immediately  climbed  up- 
on by  noisy  children  vying  with 
one  another  for  the  best  vantage 
points.  Above  us  the  sun  shone 
through  the  variegated  foliage. 
Behind  the  pool,  we  were 
closed  in  by  a  backdrop  of  tall 
reeds  and  swamp  shrubs.  And 
on  the  bank,  the  Christians 
crowded  together,  leaving  a 
semicircular  space  for  those  to 
be  baptized. 

Just  preceding  the  baptismal 
service,  128  persons  who  had 
been  in  classes  studying  the 
meaning  of  the  Christian  mes- 
sage, stepped  forward  to  make 
their  first  public  profession  of 
Christ,  making  a  covenant  to 
follow  him  and  to  prepare 
through  further  classes  for  bap- 
tism and  full  church  member- 
ship. Pastor  Karbam  received 
this  covenant  from  them  and 
then  turned  to  those  to  be  bap- 
tized. 

This  group  had  faithfully  at- 
tended regular  church  member- 
ship classes  and  had  passed  an 
examination  of  their  faith  and 
knowledge  of  the  Christian 
way.  Their  names  were  called: 
Bzigu  Jangildi,  Luka  Y.  Wam- 
bungurda,  Ahungguryagwa  Ay- 
uhang,  Gwambi  Huci,  Nomi 
Adarkirama  . .  .  for  half  an  hour 
the  names  were  called  and  with 
each  name  there  stepped  forth 
out  of  the  crowd  a  person  —  a 
person  with  hopes  and  fears 
similar  to  those  of  people  the 
whole  world  around,  but,  at  the 


same  time,  in  a  most  mysteri- 
ous way,  a  person  of  individual 
cut;  a  person  who  had  never 
come  this  way  before  and  who 
would  never  come  again;  a  per- 
son the  like  of  which  there  is 
no  other  in  existence,  who  looks 
out  from  his  eyes,  conscious  of 
self,  just  as  you  and  I  look  out 
from  ours. 

Ninety-eight  such  persons 
stepped  forward  quietly,  each 
with  his  own  thoughts.  But 
suddenly  there  was  a  commo- 
tion. Some  names  had  not  been 
called.  Eager  young  people 
were  forcing  the  gates  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  determined 
to  take  it  by  storm!  Nine  names 
were  added  to  the  list. 

Thirty-seven  others  who  had 
attended  classes  were  pressing 
for  inclusion,  but  they  had  been 
absent  on  the  day  of  testing. 
Pastor  Karbam,  the  local  church 
leaders,  and  I  asked  them  to  be 
patient,  for  surely  God  would 
bring  them  to  another  baptis- 
mal day  after  they  had  been 
tested.  One  young  woman 
turned  away  with  the  ends 
of  her  beautiful  head  cloth 
punched  hard  into  her  eyes  to 
keep  the  tears  from  streaming 
down,  and  a  small  lad  went  off 
unabashedly  weeping  in  disap- 
pointment. Many  eyes  glistened 
and  blinked  as  the  tears  were 
successfully  held;  the  eager 
ones  melted  back  into  the 
anonymous  crowd. 

The  sun  was  beginning  to 
sink  lower  in  the  heavens  and 
Pastor  Karbam  and  I  had  107 
baptisms  ahead  of  us.  Only  by 
carefully  organizing  the  group 
could  the  service  be  completed 
in  a  reasonable  length  of  time. 

Pastor  and  I  waded  out  into 
the  pool.  I  pushed  several  water 
cabbages  off  to  the  side.  The 
little  girls  on  the  fallen  tree  be- 
hind me  snickered  happily. 
Pastor  received  the  one  old  man 
and  prepared  to  baptize  him, 
while  I  received  one  of  the 
older  women.    Between  Pastor 


and  the  bank  three  men  stood 
in  line  waiting  in  the  water  and 
a  fourth  stood  on  the  bank. 
Likewise,  between  me  and  the 
bank  three  women  were  waiting 
in  the  water  and  another  was 
standing  on  the  bank.  Pastor 
began  by  reciting  the  formula 
for  baptism,  "Ar  kira  alkawal 
ku  .  .  .  Upon  this  covenant  of 
faith  which  you  have  made  be- 
fore God  and  these  witnesses 

As  he  immersed  his  first  ap- 
plicant, I  also  dipped  mine.  To- 
gether, "In  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Spirit."  And  then  as 
we  placed  our  hands  upon  the 
heads  of  our  respective  appli- 
cants, I  prayed  for  the  coming 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  growth 
in  grace.  And  so,  as  these  two 
left  the  water  between  the  wait- 
ing lines,  two  others  silently 
knelt  in  the  cool,  but  now 
disturbed  and  soon  muddied, 
water.  No  flowing  stream  was 
available  within  twelve  miles, 
and  no  cemented  pools  are 
likely  soon  to  be  constructed! 

In  baptizing  so  many,  the 
formula  may  become  mechani- 
cal, but  there  was  nothing  me- 
chanical about  it  to  each  person 
who  knelt  before  the  Lord  Jesus 
in  that  swamp  pool.  A  few 
struggled,  fearing  the  water.  A 
few  knelt  in  such  a  way  that 
it  was  practically  impossible 
completely  to  immerse  them. 
But  all  came  sincerely,  I  be- 
lieve, to  leave  the  "old  man" 
down  in  the  mud  and  to  rise  in 
newnes  of  life. 

Pastor  and  I  were  greatly 
sobered,  even  as  with  broad 
smiles  we  shook  hands  warmly 
while  the  last  applicant  made 
his  way  to  the  bank,  leaving  us 
tired  and  dripping  in  the  rest- 
less water.  We  were  sobered  in 
our  thoughts  about  the  need  for 
leadership  and  growth  "in  the 
grace  and  knowledge  of  our 
Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ," 
for  we  felt  ourselves  on  the  crest 


of  a  great  wave  of  thousands  of 
eager  persons  about  to  break 
and  flow  over  and  into  the 
church.  A  tremendous  and  dif- 
ficult task  is  upon  us  to  supply 
the  leadership  and  teaching 
which  this  tumultuously  grow- 
ing young  church  demands. 

Luther  and  Calvin 

Continued  from  page  8 

served  to  point  up  the  miracle 
of  forgiveness  for  Calvin  it  gave 
rather  the  assurance  of  the  cer- 
tainty of  God's  purpose.  God  is 
sovereign.  He  rules.  He  has 
chosen  a  covenant  people, 
first  Israel,  now  the  Christian 
church,  to  be  his  agents  in 
building  the  holy  common- 
wealth. He  had  chosen  them 
not  to  be  favorites  and  coddled, 
but  for  responsibility.  And  one 
could  demonstrate  his  election 
by  an  upright  fife,  a  disciplined 
church,  and  an  activism  found 
in  few  other  places  in  Christen- 
dom. 

Whereas  we  may  proclaim 
both  Luther  and  Calvin  defi- 
cient in  proclaiming  the  Berna- 
dine-Franciscan  call  to  be  like 
Jesus  and  to  follow  his  way  of 
love,  discipleship  must  start 
with  the  recognition  of  one's 
need  for  God  and  his  grace,  a 
total  response  in  commitment 
and  trust  to  this  grace  as  given 
in  Christ,  and  a  recognition  of 
God's  sovereignty  over  and 
plan  for  the  world  and  each  one 
of  us. 

Spring 

ESTHER  GOSNELL 

The  feathered  choir  their  carols 

sing 
To  tell  us  it  is  once  more  spring. 
The    cold   north   wind   and    the 

lovely  snow 
Have  had  their   day   and  they 

must  go. 
We  now  rejoice  with  birds  on 

wing. 
And  in  our  hearts  we  too  can 

sing. 


APRIL  2,  1960 


13 


The 

Eternal 

Need 

Harriette  Simpson  Arnow 

Drawings  courtesy  of  National  Library  Week 


ONE  of  my  favorite  bits 
of  reading  matter  is 
a  yellowed  document 
acquired  by  the  Tennessee  His- 
torical Society  and  now  pre- 
served in  the  state  archives  at 
Nashville.  Written  in  Philadel- 
phia 163  years  ago  on  two 
sheets  of  foolscap,  it  is  a  bill 
for  books  and  educational  ma- 
terials bought  by  General  James 
Winchester  and  stocked  in  his 
store  near  Castalian  Springs  in 
Middle  Tennessee,  the  far  west 
of  1797. 

The  list  includes  slates,  slate 
pencils,  foolscap,  note,  blotting, 
and  writing  papers,  ink  powder, 
sealing  wafers,  and  ivory  fold- 
ers, but  most  of  the  items  are 
books,  the  works  that  could  in 


1797  be  had  in  Philadelphia, 
the  intellectual  center  of  the 
young  United  States.  There 
were  hundreds  of  volumes  with 
dozens  of  titles,  ranging  from 
the  best  in  translations  such  as 
the  works  of  Voltaire  and  Cer- 
vantes to  almanacs  and  small 
representations  of  the  then 
rather  new  spelling  book  and 
dictionary  of  Webster.  The 
overwhelming  majority  of  the 
titles  was  of  course  British  in 
origin,  for  the  United  States 
was  yet  too  young  to  have  done 
much  toward  shaping  her  own 


Author  of  two  best  sellers,  The  Dollmaker 
and  Huntei's  Horn,  and  of  a  nonfiction 
work,  Seedtime  on  the  Cumberland,  to 
be  published  in  June  by  Macmillan 


14 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Gendreau 


intellectual  and  cultural  life. 

General  Winchester's  store, 
near  his  stone  home,  Cragfont, 
that  can  still  be  seen,  was  liter- 
ally on  the  frontier.  Indian 
lands  surrounded  Middle  Ten- 
nessee on  three  sides,  and  it 
was  less  than  two  years  since 
the  Creeks  had  made  their  last 
raid  in  the  neighborhood.  There 
was  in  all  of  Middle  Tennessee 
less  than  twenty  thousand  peo- 
ple, and  only  a  fraction  of  these 
served  by  the  general's  store, 
for  he  was  only  one  of  many 
merchants  stocking  books. 

Not  many  miles  over  the 
river  in  Nashville,  merchant 
John  Rice,  already  dead  of 
Indians  by  1792,  sold  most  of 
what  was  then  considered 
best  in  English  literature  —  the 
works  of  Shakespeare  to  The 
Rambler;  another  early  mer- 
chant, Lardner  Clark,  special- 
ized in  Greek  and  Latin  authors. 


Books  were  by  then  an  old 
story  in  all  the  United  States 
and  had  by  1797  been  published 
[for  many  years  in  Kentucky. 
They  had  traveled  with  the 
long  hunters  and  continued  to 
cross  the  mountains  by  pack 
horse  and  came  down  the  rivers 
by  flatboat. 

Why?  Books  were  of  no  help 
in  fighting  Indians  and  clearing 
fields,  and  they  were  by  today's 
standards  extremely  expensive. 
In  Nashville  of  1793,  the  book, 
Tom  Jones,  for  example  sold  for 
one  pound  twelve  shillings 
though  the  average  daily  wage 
for  common  labor  was  only 
three  shillings;  Hume's  History 
of  England,  also  stocked  by 
General  Winchester,  sold  for 
$18  or  the  equivalent  of  600 
pounds  of  cured  beef  at  the  cur- 
rent price  of  3c  a  pound. 

Looking  at  the  Winchester 
list  of  books,  it  may  at  first 
seem  strange  that  such  was  the 
frontier's  demand  for  Lord 
Chesterfield's  Advice,  that  one 
small  store  stocked  a  dozen 
copies,  or  that  the  works  of 
the  Englishman,  Thomas  Paine, 
were,  twenty  years  after  publi- 
cation, represented  by  dozens 
of  volumes.  Stranger  still  might 
seem  to  some  the  numerous 
Bibles,  hymnbooks,  Testaments, 
and  theological  works  destined 
for  sale  in  a  community  that 
three  years  later  when  Rever- 
end Asbury  visited  had  no  com- 
pleted church  building. 


OPEN 

Wonderful 
new  worlds... 

WAKE  UP  AND 

READ! 


NATIONAL  LIBRARY   WEEK    •    APRIL  3-9 


The  answers  are  I  think  that 
in  those  days  the  individual 
came  first  and  next  the  institu- 
tion. The  United  States  of  that 
day  was  overwhelmingly  Prot- 
estant and  British  in  origin,  and 
the  British  were  the  most  liter- 
ate people  in  the  world.  This 
literacy  was  fostered  all  through 
colonial  days,  for  Protestant 
America  believed  that  all  who 
would  worship  God  must  learn 
to  read  the  Bible,  and  in  all 
sections  we  find  the  articles  of 
binding  for  even  indigent  chil- 
dren stipulating  they  must  be 
educated  at  least  enough  to 
read  the  Bible.  The  old  ones 
knew  that,  given  Bibles  and 
men  and  women  able  to  read, 
a  church  would  be  the  result. 

And  so  it  was  with  other  insti- 
tutions. Mr.  Gubbins,  a  young 
lawyer  settling  in  Nashville  in 
1785,  dead  of  Indians  a  year 
later,  had  to  practice  without 
benefit  of  a  law  library  or  col- 
lege of  law,  and  so  he  brought 
Blackstone  and  Montesquieu 
along  with  other  books. 

Books  have  long  been  many 
things  to  many  people,  but  they 
were  ever  for  the  American, 
settling  first  along  the  seas  and 
then  pushing  west,  the  cultural, 
intellectual,  and  spiritual  links 
with  all  things  left  behind  in 
place  and  time. 

And  what  has  all  this  to  do 
with  readers  today?  Nothing, 
looking  at  it  one  way.  James 
Winchester  never  used  the 
phrase  young  adults;  they  were 
just  people,  with  less  experi- 
ence than  their  elders  and 
hence  more  in  need  of  books. 
It  was  the  golden  age  of  the 


individual,  and  most  individuals 
were  part  of  a  family.  Still,  I 
think  the  general's  list  of  books 
could  serve  as  a  guide  today  for 
most  readers,  not  volume  by 
volume,  though  many  like  his 
Don  Quixote  are  timeless,  but 
the  over-all  pattern.  Today  the 
fist  would  include  some  best 
sellers  of  America,  the  old 
classics  in  fiction,  current  poli- 
tics, history,  manners,  biogra- 
phy, authors  whose  points  of 
view  are  different  from  that  of 
the  reader,  philosophy,  religion, 
and  the  Bible. 

Many  in  the  United  States  of 
that  day  were  less  interested  in 
their  form  of  government  than 
the  quality  of  the  individuals 
who  formed  that  government, 


and  so  they  gave  their  young 
ones  books,  hoping  thereby  to 
lead  knowledge  into  wisdom 
and  so  produce  individuals  with 
cultivated  minds  capable  of 
wise  decisions. 


Dr.  Douglas  Horton:  "If  you  con- 
ceive of  the  edifice  of  the  church 
as  being  an  inviolable  whole,  there 
is  only  one  way  of  achieving  union 
with  it.  You  enter  it  or  you  stay 
out.  There  is  no  compromise.  So 
Rome  seems  to  say  to  us  Protestants, 
'We  believe  devoutly  in  union.  Come 
to  us  and  be  one.'  But  there  are 
no  Protestants  that  I  know  who  want 
union  on  those  terms.  Their  hope 
for  unity  generally  rests  upon  the 
idea  that  as  long  as  all  are  agreed 
that  the  essence  of  the  church  is 
Christ,  the  differences  in  forms  of 
worship  or  government  or  detailed 
belief  can  somehow,  someday,  be 
worked  out." 


APRIL  2,  1960 


15 


Adults  —  both  men  and  women  —  can  be 


Involved  in  the  Life  and  Work  of  the  Church 


ORGANIZATIONAL  divisions 
were  forgotten  when  the 
members  of  the  Men's  Fel- 
lowship and  Women's  Fellowship  sat 
down  together  to  talk  about  concerns 
which  are  more  vital  than  any  or- 
ganizational groupings.  The  date 
was  Jan.  22  when  die  women  were 
concluding  their  annual  sessions  and 
the  men  were  getting  into  their 
discussions. 

Two  lay  persons,  one  a  man  and 
one  a  woman,  shared  their  experi- 
ences on  how  adults  are  involved 
in  the  life  and  work  of  the  church. 
Mary  Smeltzer  oudined  a  study, 
service,  and  social  action  program 
for  adults,  one  in  which  she  has 
shared  personally.  She  pointed  out 
that  in  the  area  of  Christian  educa- 
tion adults  are  directly  involved. 
They  have  a  responsibility  to  make 
the  curriculum  fit  the  needs  of  every 
learner. 

There  are  the  young  adults  who 
have  concerns  in  the  area  of  choosing 
their  mates  and  their  vocations;  the 
young  married  adults  who  have  fam- 
ily responsibilities;  older  adults  who 
become  involved  in  the  needs  of  the 
community  and  the  world;  and  sen- 
ior adults  who  feel  some  independ- 
ence in  the  choice  of  what  they  will 
study  and  at  the  same  time  crave 
recognition  in  the  church  family. 

Too  long  adults  have  sat  in  class 
groups  in  the  church  school  without 
anything  happening  to  improve  them 
or  their  environment.  Are  there  bet- 
ter methods  that  could  be  tried  to 
involve  persons  more  deeply  and  ac- 


Mary  Smeltzer,  adult  director,  Elgin 
Church    of    the    Brethren,    Illinois 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Edith  Barnes 

tively?  Mrs.  Smeltzer  suggested  the 
use  of  smaller  group  participation, 
popularly  called  buzz  sessions,  the 
panel  method  of  presentation,  the 
use  of  especially  experienced  persons 
from  the  community  as  resource 
leaders.  She  called  attention  to  the 
arrangement  of  chairs  and  tables  in 
a  room  as  a  way  to  solicit  participa- 
tion; informal  grouping  sometimes 
induces  freer  expression.  Occasion- 
ally, it  may  be  helpful  to  combine 
efforts  with  a  group  in  another 
church. 

In  addition  to  the  Sunday  morning 
church  school,  there  is  the  Sunday 
evening  program  which  involves 
many  persons,  men  and  women. 
Some  like  to  work  in  the  kitchen; 
others  enjoy  caring  for  children;  cer- 
tain ones  are  effective  in  directing 
recreational  activities;  and  a  great 
deal  is  required  of  those  who  can 
lead  study  groups  in  family  life,  mis- 
sions, peace,  stewardship,  etc. 

Reaching  out  to  serve  others, 
adults  can  serve  on  the  committee 
that  plans  for  the  coming  and  hous- 
ing of  the  refugee  families.  Collect- 
ing relief  clothing,  planning  for  an 
exchange  student,  work  camp  par- 
ticipation, volunteer  service  oppor- 
tunities, housing  for  minority  groups, 
and  attendance  at  camp  for  all  ages 
call  for  wide  involvement  of  devoted 
men  and  women.  Club  programs  for 
boys  and  girls  demand  constant, 
faithful,  and  patient  leadership. 

Most  important  of  all  is  the  daily 
witness  to  Christian  principles  by 
men  and  women  who  face  the  con- 
founding issues  of  the  day  in  busi- 
ness, politics,  social  practices.  There 
is  the  searching  question  of  how  to 
communicate  to  men  and  women 
who  feel  no  need  of  the  church  and 
profess  to  live  without  faith  in  God. 

Clinton  Heckert  affirmed  that 
there  is  something  in  the  church 
for  everybody.  Good  leaders  need 
good  followers.  And  in  turn  good 
followers  may  become  good  leaders. 
In  the  church  in  which  he  works 
there  is  a  rule  of  tenure  for  officers, 
chairmen,  committee  members.  No 
one  stays  in  a  particular  place  long 
enough  to  dominate  policies  or  keep 
another  from  having  a  chance  to 
learn  to  serve  in  a  position  for  which 
he  has  capacity.  Talent  may  be  dis- 
covered in  committee  work,  in  plan- 


Clinton  Heckert,  chairman  of  the 
men's  fellowship  district  cabinet, 
Northern     Illinois     and     Wisconsin 


ning  group  worship,  in  leading  group 
games.  Usefulness  may  be  uncov- 
ered and  enhanced  if  one  continues 
to  be  involved  and  keeps  on  trying. 

"The  center  of  the  church  pro- 
gram is  worship,"  stated  Mr.  Heck- 
ert. In  quiet  meditation,  congrega- 
tional singing,  the  anthem,  the  pas- 
toral prayer,  the  sermon,  the  reading 
of  the  Scripture  nearly  everyone 
finds  one  or  more  ways  to  respond 
to  the  promptings  of  the  Spirit.  If 
he  has  truly  worshiped  the  man  of 
God  will  not  go  home  from  the 
service  unmindful  of  men,  women, 
and  children  who  do  not  find  joy 
in  worshiping  and  serving  God. 

Evangelism  is  an  urgency  of  the 
lay  church  member.  Men  and  wom- 
en should  consider  evangelism  high 
in  their  interests  and  desire  to  wit- 
ness. Adults  in  their  daily  work  find 
many  opportunities  for  talking  with 
others  about  the  Christian  faith. 

Some  disheartening  experience 
with  teaching  adults  in  the  average 
church  school  class  led  to  the  ques- 
tion, Is  there  any  hope  in  teaching 
adults?  That  was  quickly  and  de- 
cisively answered  by  citing  the  adult 
education  movement  in  our  country. 

How  develop  teachers?  The  an- 
swer to  this  was  not  so  quickly  or 
so  decisively  answered.  Some  sug- 
gestions here  were  to  give  more  than 
one  person  a  chance  at  teaching  a 
group.  An  assistant  teacher  may  be- 
come the  teacher;  two  or  more  per- 
sons may  be  co-teachers.  More 
study  in  preparation  by  members  of 
the  class,  perhaps  by  assignment,  re- 
sults in  wider  participation.  The  use 
of  electives,  concentrating  on  areas 
Continued  on  page  18 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Brotherhood  Fund  Receipts 
Oct.  1, 1959,  to  March  16, 1960  .  .  $619,707.20 
Oct.  1, 1958,  to  March  16, 1959  .  .  $624,712.00 
Budgeted  obligations,  Oct.  1,  1959  — 

March  16,  1960 $763,000.00 


Venturing  Beyond  Violence,  a  filmstrip  featuring 
color  cartoons  by  William  Schuhle,  shows  how  to  meet 
the  threat  of  violence  and  points  up  the  psychological 
basis  of  nonviolence.  This  fifty-eight-frame  filmstrip 
with  a  tape  recording  is  available  from  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  at  $7.50  sale  or 
$2.50  rental. 

For  some  years  a  committee  of  the  National  Council 
of  Churches  has  been  studying  the  relationship  of  reli- 
gion to  public  education.  This  committee's  report  was 
approved  at  the  meeting  of  the  National  Council's  Di- 
vision of  Christian  Education  in  February;  it  will  now 
be  sent  to  the  council's  constituent  denominations  for 
consideration  before  it  becomes  an  official  statement  of 
the  council.  Copies  of  the  report  are  available  for  ten 
cents  each  from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Standing  Committee  Delegates 

First  India:   Harlan  J.  Brooks,  Earl  M.  Zigler. 


Naomi  Kulp,  the  next  to  the  youngest  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Philip  and  Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp,  died  March 
15  after  a  few  hours'  illness,  according  to  a  cable  mes- 
sage to  the  mission  office.  The  Kulps  are  at  the  Waka 
Training  Center  in  Nigeria,  Africa,  where  Philip 
teaches  and  Mary  Ann  helps  in  the  clinic. 

The  Church  Calendar 
April  3 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Jesus,  the  Master  Teacher.  Matt. 
4:23-7:29;  9:14-17;  Mark  4:1-2,  10-13,  33-34.  Memory 
Selection:  He  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their 
synagogues  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom. 
Matt.  4:23  (R.S.V.) 

April  10  Palm  Sunday 

April  12  Northern  Indiana  Women's  Fellowship  spring 
rally,  Goshen  College,  Goshen 

April  15  Good  Friday 

April  17  Easter 

April  18-22  Regional  interdenominational  camp  leaders' 
conference,  Camp  Hanover,  Richmond,  Va. 

April  22-24  Eastern  Region  conference,  Coventry 

April  23  Southeastern  Region  district  executive  secre- 
taries' meeting,  Bridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  23-24  Southeastern  Region  youth  round  table, 
Bridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  24  Christian  College  Day 

April  24-30  National  Mental  Health  Week 


Summer  Pastoral  Program 

Churches  desiring  the  services  of  a  summer  pastor 
should  apply  to  the  Office  of  Ministry,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  at  the  earliest 
possible  date.  Seminary  students  who  will  serve  as 
summer  pastors  will  be  assigned  by  May  1.  Application 
forms  can  be  secured  from  district  executive  secre- 
taries, or  by  writing  the  director  of  ministry  at  the 
General  Offices. 

More  About  Annual  Conference 

On  pages  24-26,  detailed  information  is  given  on 
the  accommodations  for  the  1960  Annual  Conference. 
In  the  residence  halls  on  campus,  children  under  two 
may  be  lodged  free  of  charge  if  parents  provide  their 
beds  and  other  sleeping  equipment.  (This  fact  is  not 
indicated  on  the  registration  form.) 

Sessions  are  planned  for  preschool,  primary,  and 
junior  children  during  the  week.  The  preschool  sessions 
are  daily  Wednesday  through  Sunday,  9:00  a.m.  to 
12  noon,  and  1:00  to  4:30  p.m.  The  fee  is  $1.50  per 
day  per  child. 

Primaries  and  juniors  meet  Wednesday  through 
Saturday,  9:00  a.m.  to  12  noon.  The  fee  is  50c  per 
child  per  session.  Sunday  church  school  session  is  9:00 
to  10:00  a.m.    No  fee  for  this  session. 

Registration  forms  for  the  children  should  be  filled 
out  and  sent  in  by  April  30.  See  forms  on  page  25,  or 
secure  a  form  from  the  minister  of  your  church.  The 
total  fees  are  to  be  paid  when  the  child  attends  his  first 
session. 


With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Mark  W.  Wolfe  of  Copper  Hill,  Va.,  in  the  Hollins 
Road  church,  Roanoke,  Va.,  April  3-10;  in  the  Copper  Hill 
church,  Va.,  April  11-17. 

Bro.  J.  Calvin  Bright  of  Richmond,  Ind.,  in  the  Kokomo 
church,  Ind.,  April  4-10. 

Bro.  Robert  K.  Lenker  of  Painter  Creek,  Ohio,  in  the 
Poplar  Grove  church,  Ohio,  April  4-10. 

Bro.  Owen  Preston  of  Burlington,  W.  Va.,  in  the  Pleasant 
Hill  church,  Tenn.,  April  4-10. 

Bro.  John  M.  Geary  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa.,  in  the  East 
Berlin  house,  Upper  Conewago  congregation,  Pa.,  April 
4-17;  in  the  Mount  Joy  church,  Pa.,  April  18-24. 

Bro.  Earl  H.  Kurtz  of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  in  the  New 
Paris  church,  Ind.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  Floyd  E.  Mallott  of  Chicago,  111.,  in  the  Pleasant 
Dale  church,  Ind.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  William  M.  Beahm  of  Villa  Park,  111.,  in  the  First 
church,  York,  Pa.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  Kenneth  I.  Morse  of  Elgin,  111.,  in  the  Diehl's 
Cross  Roads  church,  Clover  Creek  congregation,  Pa.,  April 
10-17. 

Bro.  George  W.  Keeny  of  Red  Lion,  Pa.,  in  the  Cocalico 
church,  Pa.,  April  10-17. 

Bro.  M.  G.  Wilson  of  Lansing,  Mich.,  in  the  Marilla 
church,  Mich.,  April  11-16. 

Bro.  Edward  L.  Murray  of  Roanoke,  La.,  in  the  In- 
dependence church,  Kansas,  April  24  —  May  1. 

Bro.  Kenneth  E.  McDowell  of  Elgin,  111.,  in  the  Snake 
Spring  Valley  church,  Pa.,  April  25  —  May  1. 

Bro.  Bobert  Blair  of  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  in  the  Stoners- 
town  church,  Pa.,  May  5-8. 

Bro.  Galen  B.  Ogden  of  Elgin,  111.,  in  die  First  church, 
Wichita,  Kansas,  April  10-15. 


APRIL  2.  1980 


17 


Agadir:  rrLi/e  Amidst  Death 


95 


Geneva,  March  8  —  As  primitive 
tent  towns  begin  to  mushroom 
around  the  earthquake-devastated 
city  of  Agadir,  Morocco  —  25,000 
people  are  homeless  at  the  roadside 
and  in  the  fields. 

In  response  to  a  call  by  the  World 
Council  of  Churches,  church  agen- 
cies in  over  a  dozen  different  coun- 
tries are  directing  gifts,  including 
bedding  and  tents,  direct  to  the 
EIRENE  team  working  among  the 
victims.  Tent  towns,  with  feeding 
and  first-aid  centers,  are  being  set 
up  to  accommodate  2,500  each. 

Co-ordinated  relief  action  by  the 
churches  entered  its  second  phase 
today  after  Kurtis  F.  Naylor,  director 
of  the  Brethren  Service  Commis- 
sion's European  program,  based  in 
Geneva,  flew  back  to  Switzerland 
from  the  "dead  city"  for  policy  talks. 
He  has  been  directing  church  sup- 
plies since  flying  to  Agadir  shortly 
after  the  earthquake. 

Naylor,  looking  pale  after  four 
days  in  the  stricken  area,  told  Leslie 
Cooke,  director  of  the  Division  of 
Inter-Church  Aid  and  Service  to 
Refugees  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches:  "It  is  not  a  pretty  thing 
to  see  a  city  die.  Agadir  (I  guess 
very  few  had  ever  heard  of  the  place 
before  March  1)  is  in  shambles.  Of 
the  population  of  more  than  50,000, 
at  least  10,000  are  dead. 

"About  5,000  have  already  been 
buried.  There  were  1,400  in  one 
grave.  It  was  bulldozed  five  feet 
deep  to  take  the  bodies.  It  is  any- 
one's guess  how  many  people  are 
left  in  the  city. 

"There  is  a  stifling  stench  at  times. 


The  day  temperature  is  ninety-five 
degrees,  and  this  creates  a  real 
health  problem. 

"Yet  in  the  midst  of  death  there 
is  life.  The  amount  of  relief  that 
has  come  from  all  over  the  world 
is  startling.  The  mobilization  is 
amazing.  Planes  of  the  German, 
American,  Dutch,  French,  Nor- 
wegian, and  Russian  air  forces  have 
brought  help,  and  then  flown  out 
with  the  injured  and  homeless. 

"It  would  seem  as  if  the  earth- 
quake was  almost  spot-beamed  at 
the  center  of  the  town.  The  fringe 
air  base,  only  about  ten  kilometers 
away,  is  untouched." 

Headquarters  of  the  EIRENE 
team  were  set  up  in  a  room  at  the 
Marhaba  Hotel,  Casablanca.  These 
have  now  been  transferred  to  a  de- 
serted, seafront  tourists'  center  about 
fifteen  kilometers  outside  the  sealed- 
off  city  and  port. 

It  is  from  here,  as  Agadir  is  closed 
to  all  but  medical  and  demolition 
men,  that  team  members  are  now 
engaged  in  their  rehabilitation  work. 
First,  tent  accommodation  (the 
Mediterranean  winds  still  blow  cold 
at  night),  clothes,  basic  food,  disin- 
fectants, and  vitamins,  must  be  dis- 
tributed to  the  victims.  Then  will 
follow  the  provision  of  temporary 
tent  schools,  medical  centers,  and 
other  permanent  features. 

The  EIRENE  team  members  are 
Daryl  E.  Brandt,  a  Brethren,  of  Cal- 
ifornia, who  is  the  director;  John 
Glick,  Margaret  Wampler,  Caron 
Boyce,  and  Ronald  Studebaker,  all 
Brethren  from  America;  Don  Oesch, 
Harvey   Martin,    Bill   Babcock,   and 


Wide  World 


"It  is  not  a  pretty  thing  to  see  a  city  die" 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Gabe  Ebersole,  American  Mennon- 
ites;  Annemarie  Greub,  Swiss;  and 
Immanuel  Munz,  German. 

The  team,  sponsored  by  the 
Brethren  Service  Commission  and 
the  Mennonite  Central  Committee, 
was  formed  in  August  1957.  It  aims 
at  providing  a  channel  through 
which  young  men  from  various 
countries  can  render  a  voluntary 
service  as  Christian  pacifists  in 
places  of  need  and  national  tension. 

International  Christian  relief 
channeled  through  the  World  Coun- 
cil of  Churches  headquarters  to  the 
stricken  area  has  come  from  Ger- 
many, Holland,  the  United  States, 
Italy,  Japan,  Sweden,  Great  Britain, 
Canada,  Norway,  Denmark,  and 
France.  Brethren  are  contributing 
to  the  relief  and  rehabilitation  work 
through  their  Brotherhood  Fund 
support  of  the  EIRENE  team  and 
Church  World  Service. 

A  telegram  on  March  7  from 
W.  A.  Visser  't  Hooft,  general  secre- 
tary of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches,  to  Crown  Prince  Moulay 
Hassan,  expressed  the  World  Coun- 
cil's appreciation  of  the  welcome 
and  co-operation  given  to  the 
EIRENE  team,  and  the  opportuntiy 
for  "practical  expression  of  sym- 
pathy" for  the  "stricken  people  of 
Agadir." 


Involved  in  Life  and  Work 

Continued  from  page  16 

of  special  interest,  should  involve 
more  people.  Sometimes  the  remov- 
al of  age  group  fines  means  greater 
facility  in  study;  youth  and  older 
people  may  well  think  together  on 
occasions. 

Discussion  on  the  involvement  of 
men  and  women  in  the  program  of 
the  church  was  focused  and  con- 
cluded by  S.  Loren  Bowman.  As 
individuals,  as  groups,  we  have  re- 
sponsibility to  make  effective  the 
gospel  which  we  have  in  Christ.  Are 
all  the  things  we  do  direcdy  related 
to  the  life  and  work  of  the  church? 
How  do  we  keep  study,  service,  ac- 
tion in  balance?  How  as  individuals 
and  groups  do  we  meet  our  responsi- 
bility in  the  church?  Let's  make  our 
involvement  more  vital! 

In  a  number  of  places  throughout 
our  Brotherhood  we  are  currendy  as- 
sembling in  fireside  groups,  men  and 
women,  minister  and  layman,  so  that 
we  may  become  more  vitally  in- 
volved in  making  the  gospel  of 
Christ  effective  in  places  where  it 
is  not  now  changing  fives. 


BVS'er  Writes  His  Home  Church 

The  following  letter  was  written  at  the  request  of  the  Department  of 
Christian  Service  of  the  West  Manchester  Church  in  Indiana  and  was  read 
to  the  congregation,  on  their  BVS  Sunday. 

Berlin,  Germany,  January,  1960 
DEAR  CO-WORKERS, 

Many  of  you  may  have  heard  already  that  I  have  been  called  by 
Brethren  Service  to  Kassel  as  of  Feb.  1  and  will  be  working  in  the 
international  work  camp  office.  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  my  new 
assignment. 

Work  camps  are  no  specialty  of  the  Brethren  as  the  World  Council 
of  Churches  and  the  United  Nations  are  both  very  active  in  this  program 
as  a  deterrent  to  strife  and  misunderstanding.  The  Brethren  hold  approxi- 
mately seven  work  camps  in  Europe  each  summer  with  the  average  length 
of  each  camp  being  five  weeks.  Around  twenty  young  people  are  in  each 
camp  and  the  camp  site  is  always  an  area  of  physical  need.  The  project 
may  be  a  water  line  for  an  isolated  village  in  Italy,  a  sewer  for  a  disease- 
infected  village  in  Greece,  a  recreation  field  for  a  refugee  camp  in  Berlin, 
etc.  When  young  people  from  all  over  the  globe  participate  in  a  project 
such  as  this  and  learn  to  see  how  other  people  do  physical  labor  and  sweat, 
they  realize  the  major  differences  in  people  exist  more  often  only  in  the 
imagination  than  in  reality. 

In  a  way  I  regret  leaving  Berlin  since  it  is  such  a  fabulous  city  with 
so  many  opportunities  to  enjoy  culture  and  study  the  East-West  problem 
firsthand.  And  despite  the  appalling  situation  in  Camp  Diippel,  where 
I  have  worked  for  the  past  four  months,  I  hate  to  leave  it  too,  since  I  haven't 
done  as  much  good  here  as  I  had  hoped  to.  If  there  is  one  thing  I  have 
learned  so  far  in  BVS  it  is  that  good  intentions,  although  very  important, 
aren't  everything  the  Christian  needs.  I  came  to  this  camp  with  all  kinds 
of  good  intentions,  but  with  no  training  for  working  with  such  hardened 
people  and  with  no  ideas  on  how  to  set  up  a  program  if  the  other  personnel 
failed  to  do  so.  Consequently,  I  leave  with  the  feeling  that  my  effectiveness 
was  limited. 

All  was  not  fruitless  here,  however.  We  have  a  church  in  the  camp 
and  with  them  I  was  able  to  do  some  good  through  visitation  in  the  dwellings 
and  worshiping  with  them  each  Sunday  and  Wednesday  evening.    I  also 


"Remember  them  that  are  in  bonds  as  bound  with  them;  and  them  which 
suffer  adversity,  as  being  yourselves  also  in  the  body"  (Heb.  13:3.)  Here 
Doris  Hoover,  a  Brethren  volunteer  working  in  a  Berlin  camp,  teaches  a  new  game 
to   children   who   suffer   the   adversity   of  being   homeless,    unwanted   refugees 


sang  in  the  choir  and  have  learned 
to  appreciate  the  church  music  in 
the  Bach  style,  of  which  we  have 
such  a  scarcity  in  the  States. 

Sometimes  you  and  I  think  we 
have  a  hard  job  creating  interest  in 
our  church  because  everybody  has 
so  much  in  America  and  is  so  com- 
placent. Here  in  Diippel  one  has 
trouble  stirring  up  interest  because 
everybody  has  practically  nothing 
and  see  no  sense  to  worshiping  a 
God  who  allowed  such  chaos  to  reign 
as  they  saw  during  the  past  world 
war.  Christ  never  guaranteed  that 
his  work  would  be  easy,  and  you 
and  I  know  it  isn't. 

BVS  Purposes 

BVS  was  established  by  the  An- 
nual Conference  of  1948  held  at  Col- 
orado Springs.  It  was  an  attempt  to 
provide  a  constructive  alternative  for 
those  young  men  opposed  to  military 
service  and  a  chance  for  all  youth 
of  the  church  to  give  one  or  two 
years  as  volunteer  workers  in  proj- 
ects calculated  by  the  Brotherhood 
to  be  areas  of  need  which  we  could 
help  relieve.  The  first  training  unit 
met  in  September  1948  at  New 
Windsor  and  through  the  forty-third 
unit,  of  which  I  was  a  member, 
1,297  young  people  have  partici- 
pated in  the  program.  Of  this  num- 
ber 614  had  been  women,  683  men, 
and  all  but  125  had  been  Brethren. 

Something  we  really  need  to  think 
about  is  that  despite  the  persistent 
claim  that  we  believe  in  the  way  of 
love  as  opposed  to  force,  only  one 
out  of  every  eighteen  young  men  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  sees  fit 
to  renounce  the  military  program 
of  our  government  as  a  means  of 
force.  I  challenge  any  of  you  to 
show  me  any  program  with  less  love 
in  it  than  the  military  extravaganza 
revolving  around  our  "Pentagon." 

I  have  heard  it  often  in  West  Ber- 
lin, "We  hate  the  French  forces  here, 
the  British  are  a  littie  better,  and 
as  armies  go  the  Americans  are  good; 
but  we  wish  the  whole  bunch  would 
get  out  and  let  us  defend  ourselves." 
You  may  believe  we  win  friends  for 
our  country  through  our  military  pol- 
icies, but  in  my  opinion  we  lose  two 
for  every  one  we  gain.  Think  how 
much  you  would  enjoy  seeing  foreign 
soldiers  riding  all  around  our  cities 
every  day  in  bigger  and  better  cars 
than  we  have,  making  no  attempt 
to  learn  our  language  in  ninety-nine 
per  cent  of  the  cases,  and  showing 
contempt  for  our  culture. 


APRIL  2,  1960 


19 


New  Directions 

I  got  to  Europe  at  a  crucial  time 
as  far  as  Brethren  Service  work  here 
is  concerned.  The  material-aid  phase 
of  the  program  in  Western  Europe 
is  drawing  to  a  close.  The  Heifer 
Project  office  in  Kassel  is  receiving 
both  cattle  and  money  from  German 
organizations  to  ship  cattle  into  Af- 
rica. Here  is  a  tremendous  example 
of  a  program  which  was  founded  in 
love  and  its  results  are  easy  to  see. 
After  receiving  shipment  after  ship- 
ment of  cattle  the  German  people 
are  now  giving  them  themselves  to 
those  who  are  more  needy.  The  tre- 
mendous physical  recovery  of  West 
Germany  demands  one  of  two 
things: 

1.  That  the  Brethren  Service 
Commission  send  its  material  aid  to 
other  areas  and  place  its  emphasis 
in  Western  Europe  on  pacifism  and 
service. 

2.  That  Brethren  Service  get  out 
and  go  with  its  program  to  Greece, 
Africa,  Asia,  or  other  areas  of  physi- 
cal need. 

The  church  has  seen  fit  to  accept, 
at  least  on  a  trial  basis,  the  first 
alternative,  which  I  believe  is  the 
correct  one.  This  change  of  program 
and  philosophy  is  not  easy  to  estab- 
lish. It  will  tax  us  to  the  limit  or 
we  will  soon  find  ourselves  complete- 
ly out  of  work  and  helpers  in  this 
particular  part  of  the  world. 

Earlier  it  was  not  so  important 
who  was  sent  to  Europe  so  long  as 
he  could  smile  and  hand  out  cloth- 
ing, food,  and  other  essentials  of  life 
to  the  needy  and  refugees.  If  he 
learned  German  it  helped,  but  as 
long  as  he  was  willing  to  get  his 
hands  dirty  that  was  about  all  that 
was  required  of  him.  It  made  no 
difference  whether  he  was  a  college 
grad,  a  farmer,  a  secretary,  or  a 
ditch-digger  in  the  States  before 
coming  over  here.  With  the  change 
in  our  program  those  days  are  past. 

German  theologians  and  church 
men  are  brilliant  personalities,  and 
they  know  what  they  believe.  If 
we  are  to  present  our  ideas  on  paci- 
fism, the  simple  life,  service,  and 
social  order  we  are  going  to  need 
brilliant  personalities  to  do  it.  The 
desire  to  serve  and  the  good  inten- 
tions with  which  I  came  aren't 
enough  any  more  for  Germany.  We 
must  get  people  who  better  under- 
stand and  speak  German,  who  have 
some  theological  background,  and 
who  understand  our  ways  of  working 
and   can   adapt   them   to   European 


Would  You  Want  Your  Daughter 


On  few  issues  is  there  so  much 
heat  and  so  little  light  as  on  racial 
intermarriage.  The  problem  nearly 
always  comes  up  when  desegregation 
is  discussed,  and,  even  if  the  ques- 
tion is  not  actually  raised,  it  lurks 
unspoken  in  the  minds  and  hearts 
of  many  persons  present. 

Few  would  be  so  naive  as  to  be- 
lieve that  by  clearing  up  the  issue 
of  racial  intermarriage  all  the 
problems  of  segregation  and  discrim- 
ination would  automatically  be  dis- 
solved. Still,  a  little  more  straight 
thinking  on  the  subject  could  ease 
many  of  the  conflicts  that  are  arising 
out  of  the  sincere  attempts  to  make 
"liberty  and  justice  for  all"  apply 
to  the  nonwhite  as  well  as  the  white 
person  in  our  country. 

In  answer  to  this  need  for  Chris- 
tians to  think  clearly  on  this  subject, 
the  February  1960  issue  of  Social 
Progress  presents  a  symposium  on 
racial  intermarriage.  In  its  pages  a 
dozen  men  and  women  from  both 


the  Negro  and  white  communities, 
all  Christians  who  have  practical  ex- 
perience in  human  relations,  answer; 
the  following  imaginary  letter 
"Isn't  it  true  that  if  this  movement: 
toward  desegregation  continues  un- 
abated in  our  country  there  will  be; 
a  large  number  of  mixed  marriages 
at  best  and  illegitimate  interracial 
liaisons  at  worst?  Be  honest  now, 
would  you  want  your  daughter  to 
marry  a  Negro  (or  a  white  man,  as 
the  case  may  be)?" 

Christians  who  are  honesdy  per- 
plexed on  this  issue  will  find  the 
frank  answers  given  in  this  symposi- 
um very  helpful.  Also  persons  who 
feel  that  they  have  found  a  Christian 
answer  will  find  their  thinking 
further  stimulated  and  may  be  given 
help  in  explaining  their  convictions 
to  others.  Copies  of  Racial  Inter- 
marriage —  A  Symposium  may  be 
obtained  from  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111., 
at  25  cents  each. 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


means  and  procedures.  We  are  still 
welcome  and  are  very  cordially  re- 
ceived in  most  circles  here,  but  a 
great  challenge  lies  ahead:  "Can 
BVS  find  something  worth  doing  in 
Germany  and  Austria,  and  if  so,  can 
she  find  the  personnel  to  do  it?" 

But  Brethren  Service  is  also  mov- 
ing south  and  east.  We  will  have 
four  BVS'ers  and  a  director  and  his 
family  in  Morocco  by  the  time  this 
letter  reaches  you.  The  work  being 
done  there  is  connected  with  agri- 
culture and  home  economics  and  is 
intended  to  give  a  higher  standard 
of  living  to  the  villages  with  which 
we  come  in  contact.  Three  volun- 
teers are  now  serving  in  Jordan.  In 
this  southern  movement  Italy  is  also 
receiving  more  attention  in  agricul- 
ture and  village  improvement.  Also 
in  Greece  it  is  the  hope  that  in  the 
near  future  we  can  find  a  long-term 
project  such  as  the  rebuilding  of  the 
Karlsschule  in  Vienna,  Austria,  has 
been.  At  present  Heifer  Project  is 
very  active  in  Greece  and  BVS  per- 
sonnel there  are  also  working  in  agri- 
culture and  related  fields. 

The  eastward  movement  to  the 
area  behind  the  "iron  curtain"  is  in- 
volving Polish  and  American  agricul- 
turalists in  a  two-way  exchange 
program.  Our  international  work 
camp  office  has  planned  for  the  work 
camp  tour  to  include  Poland  this 
summer.  The  going  is  slow  in  this 
area,  and  some  areas  of  great  need 


in  the  satellite  countries  are  entirely 
unaccessible  to  any  phase  of  our 
program. 

I  hope  we  can  also  move  more 
and  more  into  the  areas  of  Asia  that 
are  still  open  to  us,  since  there  is 
no  question  of  the  need  there. 

How  Much  Good? 

It  is  rather  amazing  to  see  how 
much  good  has  been  done  here  in 
Europe  by  American  young  people 
in  this  program.  There  is  a  real  con- 
tact between  these  people  and  the 
typical  American.  To  all  of  Europe 
the  typical  American  is  either  the 
soldier  or  the  tourist,  and  neither 
tends  to  impress  very  favorably.  I 
would  like  to  ask  you  who  is  the 
typical  representative  of  our  cul- 
ture —  the  BVS'er  or  the  other? 

General  Lewis  Hershey  was  in 
Kassel  this  fall.  The  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  well  known  to  him  since, 
as  the  National  Director  of  Selective 
Service,  he  is  also  responsible  for 
the  conscientious  objectors  in  the  al- 
ternative service  program.  He  spent 
about  half  a  day  in  the  house  in 
Kassel  talking  to  the  personnel  there 
and  visited  several  of  our  projects 
scattered  over  Europe.  I  got  a  per- 
sonal letter  from  him,  thanking  me 
for  my  witness  in  Berlin.  He  stated 
in  this  letter  that  he  was  surprised 
at  the  amount  of  good  BVS'ers  were 
doing  here.  This  letter  came  from  a 
professional  army  man,  but  it  meant 


a  lot  to  me  since  I  knew  we  had  a 
i  friend  who  would  be  the  kind  of 
I  friend  one  seldom  finds. 

This  same  gentleman  once  asked 
!  a  group  of  peace  church  representa- 
'  tives  why  in   the  world   we   didn't 
get  evangelistic  with  our  peace  mes- 
sage so  that  people  like  him  wouldn't 
I  have  to  give  their  lives  to  defending 
us  within  the  army.    "We've  a  story 
to  tell  to  the  nations"  and  BVS'ers 
I  are  doing  a  big  share  of  the  telling. 
I   once   heard   it   said   that   BVS 
started  in  the  Upper  Room  with  the 
feet  washing  and  that  BVS'ers  are 
I  now  helping  to  wash  the  feet  of  the 
I  world.    I  like  this  comparison  very 
much  and  hope  it  is  true  in  most  of 
I  our  work.    You  people  are  also  very 
much  responsible  for  the  work  here 
and    the    total    Brethren    Volunteer 
;j  Service  program.  I  would  like  to  see 
!  a  thousand  BVS'ers  a  year  instead 
of  the  usual  150  we  have.    Think 
1  of  the  witness   these   people   could 
J  make,  but  also  think  of  the  money 
f  it  would  cost.   It's  hard  to  find  funds 
to  train  the  present  number,  and  six 
i  times  as  many  BVS'ers  —  well,  you 
decide  what  direction  to  take. 

People  in  Diippel  couldn't  get 
over  the  amount  of  mail  and  pack- 
ages I  received  from  you  during  the 
Christmas  season.  When  I  told  them 
that  a  large  share  of  these  things 
came  from  my  church  they  often 
said,  "What  nice  people  they  must 
be  to  remember  you  so  well."  You 
are  giving  BVS  a  boost  by  your 
kindness  to  me.  People  saw  your 
sharing,  loyalty,  and  thoughtfulness 
and  consequently  began  to  ask  at 
least  a  few  questions  about  what 
kind  of  people  these  Brethren  are 
and  what  they  are  doing  here. 

Heb.  13:1-3  reads:  "Let  brotherly 
love  continue.  Be  not  forgetful  to 
entertain  strangers  for  thereby  some 
have  entertained  angels  unawares. 
Remember  them  that  are  in  bonds 
as  bound  with  them;  and  them 
which  suffer  adversity,  as  being 
yourselves  also  in  the  body."  There 
it  is  — BVS  philosophy.  You,  too, 
can  be  a  Brethren  Service  worker 
and  help  in  the  job  of  washing  the 
feet  of  the  world  as  you  support 
the  total  church  program  and  the 
full-time  worker. 

Many  thanks  for  your  many  cards 
and  letters  and  especially  thanks  for 
the  gift  from  the  ladies.  I  am  pray- 
ing for  your  work  as  I  am  sure  you 
are  for  mine.  May  we  together  bring 
about  at  least  a  little  more  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  here  on  earth. 

Sincerely, 
Charles    Boyer 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Should  the  college  alumni  he  organ- 
ized in  local  churches  to  promote 
higher  education? 
The  local  church  needs  to  answer 
this   one!     Obviously   those  with   a 
college    education    should    be    pro- 
ponents of  higher  education.   If  they 
can  be  organized  without  develop- 
ing   into    a    "special    group,"    and 
without  reducing   the  sense  of  re- 
sponsibility   in    the    church    as    a 
whole,     such    a     group     could    be 
helpful. 

It  seems  to  me  that  part  of  our 
lack  of  support  is  traceable  to  our 
dependence  upon   "special   groups" 


to  carry  the  ball  for  Christian  higher 
education:  alumni,  college  presi- 
dents, public  relations  directors, 
youth  counselors. 

Church  families  and  local  congre- 
gations need  to  assume  direct  re- 
sponsibility for  interpreting  the 
church-related  college,  for  securing 
financial  support,  and  for  recruiting 
students  within  their  respective  cir- 
cles. This  kind  of  support  is  the 
responsibility  of  the  whole  church. 
The  ways  to  fulfill  this  duty  should 
be  developed  in  light  of  the  persons 
and  resources  available  in  a  particu- 
lar church.  —  S.  Loren  Bowman. 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  Ihe  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


Revieivs  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


*She-Manners.  Robert  H.  Loeb, 
Jr.  Association  Press,  1959.  188 
pages.    $3.50. 

This  is  a  fresh  approach  to  teen- 
age etiquette  for  girls.  The  stereo- 
typed rules  of  etiquette  are  not  the 
all  important  thrust,  but  the  "why" 
of  good  manners  are  brought  to  cen- 
tral focus.  The  question  is  not  which 
fork  to  use  or  is  a  hat  appropriate, 
but  what  inner  attitudes  are  neces- 
sary for  a  ladylike  attractiveness  and 
poise.  An  acceptance  of  self,  in  abil- 
ities and  limitations,  and  concern  for 
others  are  at  the  heart  of  good  man- 
ners, with  the  guiding  principles  in 
outward  conduct  secondary. 

The  book  is  written  on  a  level 
that  is  understandable  by,  yet  chal- 
lenging to,  the  teen-age  high  school 
girl.  Thus  the  ideas  presented  are 
dealt  with  briefly  (often  in  a  surface 
way),  but  they  can  serve  as  intro- 
duction for  deeper  exploration  and 
thought  development  as  the  mind 
matures. 

The  young  miss  needs  to  first  rec- 
ognize that  the  concern,  understand- 
ing, and  acceptance  of  others  is  in 
direct  proportion  to  the  concern,  un- 
derstanding, and  acceptance  of  self, 
personal  behaviorism,  and  peculiar- 
ities. All  the  answers  to  personality 
problems,  prejudices,  family,  racial, 
religious,  and  national  relationships 


are  not  as  simple  as  this  book  might 
indicate,  but  it  does  offer  a  starter. 
The  art  of  "shemanship"  such  as 
manners  with  men,  dressing  table 
and  dressing  manners,  talking,  table 
manners,  entertaining,  letter  writing, 
and  job  manners  are  presented  ap- 
propriately for  the  teen-age  girl. 
Any  mother  or  teacher  would  be 
wise  to  place  She-Manners  in  the 
hands  of  the  teen-age  girl,  and  wiser 
to  supplement  the  book  with  sharing 
and  discussing  the  deeper  implica- 
tions involved  in  being  a  lady.  —  S. 
Anne  Haynes,  New  Windsor,  Md. 

Meditations  on  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
Herbert  V.  Prochnow.  Wilde,  1959. 
60  pages.  $1.50. 

Books  on  the  Lord's  Prayer  are 
many.  Here  is  one  by  an  alert  and 
spiritually  sensitive  layman  whose 
life  is  deeply  involved  in  the  business 
world.  The  book  is  a  call  to  relate 
the  prayer  of  our  Master  to  the 
whole  of  life:  that  his  prayer  is  a 
prayer  to  be  prayed,  but  most  of 
all  a  prayer  to  be  lived.  It  is  well 
written  and  is  a  small  commentary 
on  many  of  the  meanings  of  Chris- 
tian discipleship.  It  is  a  good  book 
for  laymen  and  youth.  —  Glen  Wei- 
mer,  Arlington,  Va. 


APRIL  2.  1960 


21 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  WorL 


Lutherans  Ask  Federal 
Action  on  Immigration 

Federal  action  on  both  regular 
and  refugee  immigration  was  called 
for  by  the  National  Lutheran  Coun- 
cil at  its  forty-second  annual  meet- 
ing. In  one  resolution  the  council 
advocated  the  appointment  of  a  Na- 
tional Commission  on  U.  S.  Immigra- 
tion Policy.  In  another  it  urged 
complete  participation  by  the  United 
States  in  the  current  World  Refugee 
Year. 

The  National  Lutheran  Council's 
annual  financial  appeal  to  support 
a  global  program  of  emergency  ac- 
tivities topped  its  goal  by  raising 
$3,906,000  in  1959.  It  is  expected 
that  $175,000  of  this  sum  will  be 
available  for  special  projects  related 
to  the  current  World  Refugee  Year. 

Four  theologians  have  been 
named  by  the  council  to  prepare  a 
study  on  the  doctrinal  basis  of  Lu- 
theran co-operation  and  its  implica- 
tions for  present  and  future  joint 
activities.  The  study  is  being  made 
for  use  in  talks  next  summer  between 
the  executive  committee  of  the  coun- 
cil and  members  of  the  committee 
on  doctrinal  unity  of  the  Lutheran 
Church-Missouri  Synod.  The  latter 
is  expected  to  draft  a  similar  state- 
ment on  the  theological  questions 
involved  in  co-operative  efforts.  The 
two  groups  agreed  last  November 
to  hold  informal  discussions  of  inter- 
Lutheran  relations. 

Bernard  A.  Confer,  executive  sec- 
retary of  Lutheran  World  Relief, 
raised  with  the  council  the  question 
of  how  far  a  church  voluntary 
agency  can  go  in  accepting  govern- 
ment subsidies  in  both  supplies  and 
money.  Mr.  Confer  reported  that  a 
policy  committee  has  been  appointed 
to  study  these  questions  and  make 
recommendations    concerning   them. 

In  other  actions  the  council  urged 
governments  to  face  up  to  the  prob- 
lem of  an  expanding  population  and 
"give  due  consideration  to  questions 
affecting  the  birth  rate."  In  discuss- 
ing population  growth,  the  council 
criticized  the  U.  S.  government  for 
not  offering  to  provide  birth  control 
information  to  overseas  nations.  It 
warned  that  a  population  boom  may 
"negate  the  constructive  effects  of 
economic  aid  programs." 

The  council  also  went  on  record 
as  opposing  any  attempt  by  Con- 
gress to  authorize  federal  loans  for 


Fifty  ministers  and  potential  ministers  of  Northern  Virginia  heard  Merlin  E. 
Garber,  pastor  of  the  Central  church,  Roanoke,  Virginia,  on  the  Challenge  of 
the  Ministry.  The  occasion  was  the  ministerial  recruitment  dinner  held  this 
year  at  the  Harrisonburg  church.  Others  who  spoke  briefly  were  Warren  D. 
Bowman,  president  of  Bridgewater  College;  Samuel  Harley,  Southeastern  re- 
gional executive;  Paul  H.  Bowman,  who  proposed  a  new  method  for  licensing 
ministers;  and  Stanley  Wampler,  district  executive  secretary.  The  director  of 
district  ministerial  recruitment,  James  S.  Flora,  was  master  of  ceremonies  for 
the  occasion.  Shown  above,  from  left,  are  Harley,  Flora,  Garber,  Warren 
Bowman,  and  Wampler 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the  construction  of  private  or  pa- 
rochial elementary  and  secondary 
schools.  The  council  said  such  gov- 
ernment aid  is  "purely  a  form  of 
tax  support  for  sectarian  instruction." 

United  Church  Group  Backs 
Birth  Control  Aid 

Birth  control  assistance  to  over- 
seas countries  desiring  it  should  be 
provided  by  the  federal  government 
through  its  technical  aid  program, 
according  to  an  action  taken  by  the 
United  Church  of  Christ's  Council 
for  Christian  Social  Action. 

The  council  emphasized  that  re- 
sponsible family  planning  is  a  clear 
moral  duty  and  that  public  law  and 
institutions  should  sanction  the  dis- 
tribution of  reliable  information 
through  authorized  channels. 

Humanists  Decry  "Sectarian 
Horse  Trading"  in  Politics 

A  warning  against  "sectarian 
horse  trading"  in  choosing  presiden- 
tial or  vice-presidential  candidates  in 
the  coming  election  was  sounded  by 
the  American  Humanist  Association 
through  its  committee  on  church  and 
state. 

The  committee  declared  in  a  state- 
ment that  "no  Catholic,  Methodist, 
or  Humanist  candidate  should  be 
put  on  any  ticket  or  excluded  from 
any  ticket  merely  because  of  his 
religious  affiliation  or  lack  of  it." 
The  fourteen-member  group  empha- 


sized that  "nonbelievers  have  the 
same  right  to  public  office  as  believ- 
ers," saying,  "If  Jefferson  and  Lin- 
coln were  alive  today,  they  might 
be  rejected  by  both  leading  political 
parties  as  too  unorthodox  to  be 
president." 


Bishop  Dibelius  to 
Resign  Church  Posts 

Bishop  Otto  Dibelius,  head  of  the 
Evangelical  Church  in  Germany,  has 
announced  that  he  will  resign  from 
all  church  posts  at  the  end  of  1961. 
The  bishop,  who  is  now  seventy- 
nine,  has  been  a  long-time  target 
of  Communist  attack  because  of  his 
outspoken  criticism  of  East  Ger- 
many's antireligious  policies. 

His  resignation  as  chairman  of  the 
Council  of  the  Evangelical  Church 
in  Germany  will  become  effective 
immediately  after  the  World  Coun- 
cil's third  assembly  in  December 
1961.  At  present  Bishop  Dibelius 
is  one  of  the  co-presidents  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches. 

The  bishop  has  made  public  what 
he  calls  his  "clerical  last  will."  In 
it  he  stresses  that  the  church  "must 
never  surrender  to  worldly  powers 
and  must  continuously  resist  the  in- 
filtration into  its  midst  of  the  spirit 
of  agitation  and  propaganda." 

The  bishop  has  received  wide- 
spread criticism  throughout  the  Sovi- 
et Zone  because  of  a  recent 
controversial  booklet,   in  which  he 


charged  that  neither  the  Soviet  Zone 
regime  or  any  other  totalitarian  state 
constitutes  a  "supreme  authority,"  to 
which  Christians  owe  allegiance  in 
any  Biblical  sense. 

The  bishop  said,  "When  under  the 
Nazis,  euthanasia,  crimes,  and  the 
killings  of  Jews  became  known,  I 
realized  that  the  conventional  in- 
terpretation of  St.  Paul's  Epistle  to 
the  Romans  concerning  the  supreme 
authority  of  the  state  could  not  be 
applied  to  a  state  which  wants  to 
decide  itself  what  is  good  and  bad." 
|  The  bishop  believes  that  a  similar 
[  situation  now  exists  in  the  German 
Democratic  Republic. 

The  bishop  was  given  a  resound- 
ing vote  of  confidence  at  the  close 
of  a  church  synod  meeting  in  Berlin. 
Recognizing  that  the  bishop's  state- 
ment concerning  supreme  authority 
was  one  about  which  Christians  dis- 
agreed, the  synod  said  that  it 
thanked  the  bishop  for  standing  up 
through  his  whole  life  for  the  gospel 
and  for  the  whole  church. 

Upper  Room  Reaches 
Three  and  One  Quarter 
Million  Circulation 

The  Upper  Room,  Methodist  de- 
votional guide  published  in  30  lan- 
guages and  37  editions,  began  its 
25th  anniversary  year  with  a  record 
circulation  of  3,250,000.  The  pocket- 
size  guide  has  a  total  readership  of 
more  than  10,000,000. 

The  Upper  Room  is  published  on 
every  continent  except  Africa  and 
thousands  of  copies  in  as  many  as 
six  languages  go  into  Africa  regu- 
larly.   The  booklet,   which  is  pub- 


lished by  the  Methodist  General 
Board  of  Evangelism,  is  international, 
interdenominational,  and  interracial. 
Many  denominations  co-operate  in 
its  sponsorship,  publication,  and 
use.  Aside  from  its  primary  use 
as  a  devotional  guide,  The  Upper 
Room  in  various  editions  is  used  by 
language  students. 

Seventeen  Women's  Groups 
Unite  for  Drive 
on  Segregation 

Religious  groups  are  among  the 
17  national  women's  organizations 
with  some  14,000,000  members  who 
have  joined  forces  to  combat  segre- 
gation in  the  country's  public 
schools.  The  women  have  formed 
a  co-ordinating  council  called  Na- 
tional Organization  of  Women  for 
Equality  in  Education. 

Church  groups  represented  in- 
clude the  National  Council  of 
Churches'  United  Church  Women, 
the  United  Synagogue  of  America's 
National  Women's  League,  and 
other  church  related  women's 
organizations. 

Teen-Agers  Less  Concerned 
Than  Adults  Over 
Candidate's  Religion 

American  teen-agers  are  appar- 
ently less  concerned  than  adults 
about  the  religious  affiliations  of  pos- 
sible presidential  candidates,  accord- 
ing to  a  comparison  of  results 
between  a  poll  of  students  conducted 
by  the  Institute  of  Student  Opinion 
and  a  Gallup  poll  of  adults. 

Scholastic  Magazine,  which  polled 


Some  of  the  men  in  the  Hope  church,  Michigan,  who  helped  to  cultivate  ten 
acres  of  corn  as  a  gift  to  the  hungry  through  the  Christian  Rural  Overseas 
Program,  stand  with  their  pastor.  Dedication  services  were  held  in  the 
churchyard  near  the  field.  The  Hope  church  is  one  of  many  Brethren  church- 
es supporting  and  participating  in  the  Christian  Rural  Overseas  Program 


the  students  said  its  survey  covered 
10,763  secondary  school  students  in 
48  states.  Some  12.8  per  cent  of 
all  students  said  they  would  oppose 
the  election  of  a  Catholic  for  Presi- 
dent; 16.7  per  cent  would  oppose 
the  election  of  a  Jew;  and  38.5 
per  cent  would  oppose  the  election 
of  a  man  who  was  "not  a  member 
of  any  established  religious  faith." 

Tax  Credits  Urged  for  Housing 
Exchange  Students 

Legislation  to  permit  Americans 
who  entertain  a  foreign  high  school 
student  for  a  year  in  their  homes 
to  have  an  extra  income  tax  deduc- 
tion has  been  introduced  in  the  Sen- 
ate. Last  session  nine  members  of 
the  House  sponsored  such  an  amend- 
ment to  income  tax  laws,  to  provide 
credit  for  an  extra  dependent  but 
the  bills  have  been  bottled  up  in 
the  House  Ways  and  Means  Com- 
mittee, due  to  opposition  by  the 
Treasury  Department. 

The  new  bill,  introduced  by  Sen- 
ator John  J.  Williams,  is  the  first 
such  measure  in  the  Senate.  The 
Delaware  senator  is  the  ranking  Re- 
publican member  of  the  Senate  Fi- 
nance Committee  and  will  be  in  a 
position  to  offer  it  as  an  amendment 
to  any  Internal  Revenue  measure 
which  reaches  the  Senate.  Under 
the  Constitution,  all  tax  legislation 
must  originate  in  the  House. 

Japanese  Theological  Students 
Protest  Treaty  With  U.S. 

A  proposed  amendment  to  the  Se- 
curity Treaty  between  Japan  and  the 
United  States  has  brought  strong 
protests  from  students  at  Tokyo  Un- 
ion Theological  Seminary.  They 
have  been  joined  in  similar  state- 
ments by  the  Institute  of  the  Mission 
of  the  Church  of  the  United  Church 
of  Christ  in  Japan. 

Action  on  the  amendment  was 
scheduled  to  begin  in  Congress  on 
Jan.  19.  At  a  special  assembly  the 
Tokyo  students  declared  themselves 
"opposed  to  the  proposed  amend- 
ment inasmuch  as  it  will  promote  the 
armament  of  Japan  with  nuclear 
weapons  and  will  establish  a  military 
alliance  between  the  United  States 
and  Japan." 

The  statement  continues:  "We  be- 
lieve the  proposed  amendment  will 
reverse  the  present  international 
trend  toward  peace  and  will  disturb 
friendly  relationships  with  other 
Asian  countries." 


APRIL  2,  1960 


23 


'On  campus"  facilities  at  the  University  of  Illinois  will  house  4,000  conferees 


Lodging  at  Conference 

T 


Dorm   and  dining  accommodations  pictured  here  are 
within  a  block  of  the  main  Conference  proceedings. 


Such    facilities     are     available    through     a    package 
plan    which    calls    for    preregistration    by    April    30 


Hr — Ims 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


WO  types  of  accommodations  —  "on  cam- 
pus" and  "off  campus"  —  will  be  available  at 
Annual  Conference  at  the  University  of  Illinois, 
Champaign-Urbana,  June  14-19. 

Persons  using  the  "on  campus"  accommoda- 
tions will  room  in  a  university  residence  hall  and 
board  in  its  dining  hall.  The  combination  of 
lodging  and  boarding  "on  campus"  is  referred 
to  as  a  package  plan.  The  package  plan  for 
double  or  triple  rooms  is  $6.50  a  day  per  person 
over  twelve;  for  single  rooms,  $7.50;  and  for 
children  under  twelve,  $3.50. 

Linens  and  towels  will  be  furnished  by  the 
university.  Maid  service  will  be  provided  once 
or  twice  during  the  week. 

All  requests  for  campus  accommodations 
should  be  sent  to  S.  Loren  Bowman,  1451 
Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.,  by  April  30.  The 
university  will  make  the  room  assignments. 
Requests  for  special  consideration  will  be  hon- 
ored so  far  as  possible. 

Instructions  for  reserving  "off  campus"  ac- 
commodations appear  on  page  26. 

This  year  there  will  be  no  luncheon  or  dinner 
meetings  at  Annual  Conference.  It  is  advan- 
tageous to  use  the  package  plan.  To  those  not 
following  this  plan,  provision  will  be  made  to 
serve  meals  in  the  dining  halls  at  the  following 
rates:  breakfast,  $1.00;  lunch,  $1.75;  and  dinner, 
$2.00. 

Registration  forms  for  "on  campus"  accom- 
modations are  available  from  pastors.  Addi- 
tional copies  may  be  secured  upon  request.  The 
form  printed  on  the  adjacent  page  may  be  used. 


REQUEST    FOR    ACCOMMODATIONS 
1960  Church  of  the  Brethren  Annual  Conference,  June  14-19 

University  of  Illinois,  Champaign-Urbana,  Illinois 


Name 


Last 


Address 


Street 


First 


Middle 


City 


Accommodations  required: 

Double  . Triple 

Arrival  Date 


State 

Please   check   if   included   □   Wife 

Number  of  children  under  12 

requiring  a  regular  bed 

.  Number  of  children  12  and  over 


Single 


Check  Out  Date 


Time 


Registration  Form  for  Preschool  Children 

Enroll  my  child  (or  children)  for  the  following  days  at  Annual  Conference: 

Wednesday,    Thursday,     Friday,     Saturday, 

Sunday. 

Name  of  Parent 


Address 


Names  of  Children 


age 
age 


Note:     Preschool   children   include   those   ages   2   through   5,   plus   those 

6-year-olds  who  have  not  attended  1st  grade. 
Fee:    $1.50  per  day  per  child.    Hours:    9  a.m.  to  12  noon;  1-4:30  p.m. 


Registration  Form  for  School  Age  Children  (6-11) 

Enroll  my  child  (or  children)  for  the  following  days  at  Annual  Conference: 
Wednesday,     _ .Thursday,     . Friday,     Saturday. 


Name  of  Parent 


Address 


Names  of  Children 


age 


age 


age 


Fee:  $.50  per  session  per  child,  Wednesday,  Thursday,  Friday,  and  Saturday. 
Hours:   9  a.m.  to  12  noon. 


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Listing  of 

Hotels,  Motels,  Trailer  Parks 


Hotels,  motels,  and  trailer  courts  will  comprise  the  "off  campus"  accommo- 
dations for  Annual  Conference  at  the  University  of  Illinois.  Persons  desiring 
these  housing  facilities  must  make  their  own  reservations  by  writing  directly 
to  the  place  of  their  interest.  Names,  addresses,  and  rates  for  these  accommoda- 
tions appear  below. 

No  preregistration  for  "off  campus"  accommodations  should  be  mailed  to 
Loren  Bowman.  Preregistration  applies  only  to  those  planning  to  use  the  "on 
campus"  accommodations.    See  the  previous  two  pages. 


fid 

O 


HOTELS 

HAMILTON  HOTEL 

110   West  Park  Ave.,    Champaign,   Tel.    FL 
2-5221 

Single  without  bath    $  3.00-$  3.75 

Single  with  bath 4.25-     5.00 

Double  without  bath    4.50-     4.75 

Double  with  bath 5.50-     6.50 

Twin  beds  without  bath     5.00 

Twin  beds  with  bath    7.00 

HOTEL  TILDEN-HALL 

401  N.  Neil  St.,  Champaign,  Tel.  FL  2-5277 

Single  without  bath    $  3.00 

Single  with  bath 5.00-$  6.00 

Double  without  bath    4.00 

Double  with  bath 6.50-     7.50 

Twin  beds  with  bath    8.00 

1NMAN  HOTEL 

41   E.  University  Ave.,  Champaign,  Tel.  FL 
2-4211 

Single  without  bath    $  3.50-$  4.00 

Single  with  bath 5.00-     7.00 

Double  with  bath 8.50-  15.00 

Twin  beds  with  bath    9.80-  15.00 

Three  beds  with  bath  or  shower  15.75 
Air-conditioning-$  1 .00 

URBANA-LINCOLN  HOTEL 

209  S.   Broadway,  Urbana,  Tel.   EM  7-1101 

Single  with  bath $  7.00-$  7.50 

Double  with  bath  . 10.50-  12.00 

Twin  beds  with  bath    12.00-  15.00 

MOTELS 

JOHN'S  MOTEL 

Savoy,  111.,  Tel.  FL  6-7820 

Single  with  bath     $  5.50 

Double  with  bath     6.50 

Twin  beds  with  bath    7.50 

LINCOLN  LODGE  MOTEL 

406  W.    University   Ave.,   Urbana,   Tel.    EM 

7-1111 
Twin  double  beds  with  bath  (2 

persons)    $12.00 

Family  rate    13.00-$15.00 


MOTEL  MERCER 

Danville  Rd.,  Urbana,  Tel.  EM  7-8038 

Single  with  bath $  5.00-$  6.00 

Double  with  bath 6.00 

Twin  beds  with  bath    7.00 

Two  double  beds  with  bath 8.00-     9.00 

Two  room  unit  with  bath 10.00-  12.00 

NEW  PARADISE  INN  MOTEL 
R.  2,  Champaign,  Tel.  FL  6-1824 

Single  with  bath $  7.00 

Double  with  bath 8.50 

Twin  beds  with  bath    9.50 

Two  double  beds  for  2  people  . .    10.50 

(Additional  persons  $2.00  each) 
Large  studio  rooms  for  4  people  17.00 
"Rollaway  beds  in  any  room  ($2.50) 

PENNY'S  MOTEL 

Bloomington  Road,  Champaign,  Tel.  FL  6-6873 

Single  with  bath $  5.00 

Double  with  bath 7.00 

Twin  beds  with  bath    8.50 

TRAILER  PARES 

A-B  Trailer  Park 
1208  N.  Goodwin 
Urbana,  111. 
EMpire  7-1441 

Illini  Mobile  Homes  Park 
1601  S.  Neil 
Champaign,  111. 
FLeetwood  6-7878 

Lessaris  Mobile  Home  Park 
604  N.  Maple 
Urbana,  111. 
EMpire  7-7692 

Twin  City  Mobile  Home  Sales  &  Park 
1600  N.  Market  St. 
Champaign,  111. 
FLeetwood  6-4170 

Wainscott  Trailer  Court 
110  Kirby 
Champaign,  111. 
FLeetwood  6-3018 


Obituaries 

Hallett,  George,  was  born  Sept.  28, 
1884,  at  Roanoke,  Va.,  and  died  Dec. 
16,  1959,  in  Pineville,  La.  He  was  a 
retired  minister  and  elder  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren;  he  served 
churches  in  Arkansas,  Missouri,  Penn- 
sylvania, New  Mexico,  Texas,  and  Lou- 
isiana. He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
three  sons,  four  daughters,  twenty-six 
grandchildren,  and  eighteen  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  Hixson's  chapel  by  Bro.  L.  L. 
McWhorter.  Interment  was  in  the 
Beauregard  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Viola  Mc- 
Whorter, Rosepine,  La. 

Harsh,  John  Milton,  son  of  Lloyd  E. 
and  Rachael  Conn  Harsh,  was  born 
Nov.  7,  1893,  at  Eglon,  W.  Va.,  and 
died  Dec.  7,  1959,  at  Kingwood,  W. 
Va.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Maple 
Spring  church,  W.  Va.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  Edith  Biser  Harsh,  one  son, 
three  daughters,  ten  grandchildren,  four 
brothers,  and  three  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  Maple 
Spring  church  by  Bro.  Allen  D.  Pugh. 
Interment  was  in  the  Eglon  cemetery.— 
Chas.  E.  Arnold,  Eglon,  W.  Va. 

Hartman,  Alma  F.,  daughter  of 
Homer  C.  and  Elsie  Rock  Hoover,  was 
born  at  Roaring  Spring,  Pa.,  Dec.  26, 
1905,  and  died  Jan.  22,  1960.  She  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Floyd  R.  Hart- 
man  on  Jan.  10,  1924.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Hollidaysburg  church,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  seven 
children,  twelve  grandchildren,  two 
brothers,  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  Holli- 
daysburg church  by  Bro.  Ivan  Fetter- 
man.  Interment  was  in  the  Holsinger 
cemetery.  —  Elmer  J.  Brubaker,  Holli- 
daysburg,  Pa. 

Hawkins,  Ida,  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  George  Stephens,  was  born  Oct. 
12,  1883,  and  died  at  Syracuse,  Ind., 
Feb.  1,  1960.  Her  first  husband  was 
Mark  Garrison.  After  his  death  she 
was  married  to  Virgil  Hawkins  on 
Nov.  18,  1956.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Syracuse  church.  She  is  survived 
by  her  husband,  four  daughters,  one 
son,  one  stepdaughter,  three  sisters,  ten 
grandchildren,  and  eighteen  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  from  the  Syracuse  funeral 
home,  with  Rev.  George  Norris  and 
the  undersigned  officiating.  Interment 
was  made  in  the  Syracuse  cemetery.  — 
W.  Harlan  Smith,  Milford,  Ind. 

Herr,  Viola,  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  David  Lannerd,  was  born  May  21, 
1874,  in  Millville,  Ind.,  and  died  Jan. 
2,  1960.  In  July  1903,  she  was  united 
in  marriage  to  John  R.  Herr,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Locust  Grove  church,  Ind.  Sur- 
viving are  two  sons,  one  daughter,  six 
grandchildren,  and  six  great-grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held  in 
the  Locust  Grove  church,  with  Bro. 
Estle  McCullough  officiating.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Nettle  Creek  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Omer  Gillam,  Cambridge 
City,  Ind. 

Hile,  John  William,  son  of  Samuel 
Lee  and  Elizabeth  Knotts  Hile,  was 
born  Nov.  19,  1885,  at  Leadmine,  W. 
Va.,  and  died  Dec.  4,  1959.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Minnie  Fike  in 
February  1907.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Eglon  congregation,  W.  Va.    Sur- 


viving are  his  wife,  one  daughter,  his 
stepmother,  two  half  brothers,  and 
three  half  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  Maple  Spring  church 
by  Bro.  Allen  D.  Pugh.  Interment  was 
in  the  Eglon  cemetery.  —  Chas.  E.  Ar- 
nold, Eglon,  W.  Va. 

Hollar,  Mrs.  George,  died  Oct.  1, 
1959.  She  is  survived  by  her  husband, 
four  sons,  four  daughters,  eighteen 
grandchildren,  and  two  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Union  Center  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Irene  Pippenger,  Nap- 
panee,  Ind. 

Hoover,  Pauline  Stairs,  died  Dec.  21, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
Her  husband,  William  G.  Hoover,  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Greensburg  church,  Pa. 
Surviving  are  three  daughters,  two 
sons,  thirteen  grandchildren,  eleven 
great-grandchildren,  two  sisters,  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Gaut  funeral  home  by 
Bro.  Wilfred  N.  Staufer.  Interment  was 
in  the  Bethel  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Galen 
Bittner,   Greensburg,   Pa. 

Hudson,  Sam  Henry,  was  born  May 
5,  1894,  in  Chatham,  Va.,  and  died 
Nov.  7,  1959,  in  Spray,  N.  C.  He 
united  with  the  church  in  September 
1933.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  Ruth 
Gilley  Hudson,  and  four  children.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
Brethren  Homer  J.  Miller  and  H.  W. 
Peters.  Interment  was  in  the  Over- 
look cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Sam  B.  Thomas, 
Leaksville,  N.  C. 

Huff,  Paul,  son  of  Jacob  and  Martha 
Kurtz  Huff,  was  born  in  Middlebranch, 
Ohio,  Sept.  28,  1892,  and  died  in  Moga- 
dore,  Ohio,  Oct.  28,  1959.  On  Aug.  5, 
1913,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Minnie  Yarger.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
five  daughters,  one  son,  thirteen  grand- 
children, two  great-grandchildren  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Springfield  church,  Akron, 
by  Bro.  Jacob  T.  Dick.  Interment  was 
in  the  Hillside  Memorial  park  ceme- 
tery. —  Lizzie  E.  Ingold,  Mogadore, 
Ohio. 

Jamison,  Frank  Arthur,  was  born 
Sept.  12,  1881,  in  Mosgrove,  Pa.,  and 
died  July  6,  1959.  He  was  a  teacher 
for  thirty-five  years,  and  after  retire- 
ment taught  the  deaf  and  blind  veter- 
ans. Although  he  was  not  a  member 
of  our  Pittsburgh  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, he  attended  regularly.  —  Mrs.  Jack 
Walter,  Pittsburgh,   Pa. 

Johnsonbaugh,  Martha,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Mary  Hendricks  Leckrone, 
was  born  Jan.  29,  1877,  at  North  Man- 
chester, Ind.,  and  died  Feb.  4,  1960, 
in  Argos,  Ind.  On  Oct.  17,  1908,  she 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Noah  John- 
sonbaugh, who  preceded  her  in  death. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Plymouth 
church,  Ind.  She  is  survived  by  one 
daughter,  one  son,  one  grandson,  one 
sister,  and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  in  the  Walnut 
church  by  Brethren  Homer  Kiracofe 
and  Eldon  Evans.  Interment  was  in 
the  Walnut  church  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Ravmond  Ullery,  Plymouth,  Ind. 

Kirkdorffer,  Vern,  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jacob  Kirkdorffer,  was  born  in 
Elkhart  County,  Ind.,  Jan.  29,  1886, 
and  died  Jan.  22,  1960.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Jennie  Mishler  in  De- 
cember  1907.    He  was   a  member  of 


the  Bethany  church,  Ind.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  five  sons,  four  daughters, 
twenty-two  grandchildren,  eight  great- 
grandchildren, three  sisters,  and  one 
brother.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Bethany  church  by  Brethren 
Eldon  Evans  and  Israel  Gorden.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Union  Center  cem- 
etery. —  Mrs.  Marion  Deeter,  Milford, 
Ind. 

Krampf,  George,  was  born  Feb.  14, 
1890,  and  died  Sept.  23,  1913.  Sur- 
viving are  his  wife,  three  children,  and 
five  grandchildren.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  Forsaith  funeral  home 
by  Bro.  Stanley  Fadley.  —  Mrs.  Jack 
Walter,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Kretzer,  Otha  G.,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Melvin  and  Sarah  E.  Krim  Jones, 
was  born  in  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va., 
July  8,  1865,  and  died  in  Martinsburg, 
W.  Va.,  Oct.  26,  1959.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Martinsburg  church, 
W.  Va.  She  is  survived  by  one  son, 
one  daughter,  fifteen  grandchildren, 
twenty-four  great-grandchildren,  and 
two  great-great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Arthur  Scrogum  at  the  Brown  funeral 
home.  Interment  was  in  the  Mountain 
View  cemetery.  —  Blanche  Sponaugle, 
Martinsburg,  W.   Va. 

Lane,  Pearl  May,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Letitia  Coonly  Swain,  was 
born  Aug.  31,  1876,  in  Carroll  County, 
Ind.,  and  died  Jan.  12,  1960.  Surviv- 
ing are  one  grandson  and  four  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Dolar  Ritchey  at 
the  Carter  funeral  home.  Interment 
was  in  the  Colburn  cemetery.  —  Edna 
Allbaugh,  Bringhurst,  Ind. 

Lavy,  Charles  E.,  was  born  on  April 

28,  1882,  and  died  Jan.  12,  1960.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Schlach- 
ty,  who  preceded  him  in  death.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Harris  Creek 
church.  He  is  survived  by  one  son, 
four  grandchildren,  and  eleven  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  John  Martin  at  the 
Harris  Creek  church.  Interment  was 
in  the  Harris  Creek  cemetery.  —  Vineta 
Sargent,  Bradford,  Ohio. 

Leftwich,  Gabriel  Nicodemus,  son  of 
James  and  Elizabeth  Easter  Leftwich, 
was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Va.,  June 

29,  1871,  and  died  Feb.  11,  1960.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Carolina 
Reynolds,  who  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  St.  Paul 
church,  N.  C.  Surviving  are  five  sons, 
four  daughters,  forty-three  grandchil- 
dren, sixty-two  great-grandchildren,  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  St.  Paul  church  by 
Bro.  D.  B.  Osborne  and  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  church 
cemetery.  —  G.  L.  Baker,  Hillsville,  Va. 

Lewis,  Mary  D.,  was  born  in  Gray- 
son County,  Va.,  Nov.  11,  1872,  and 
died  Dec.  14,  1959.  She  was  married 
to  William  R.  Lewis.  She  united  with 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  at  an  early 
age.  Surviving  are  four  children.  The 
funeral  was  conducted  by  Brethren 
Homer  J.  Miller  and  H.  W.  Peters.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Dan  View  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Sam  B.  Thomas,  Leaksville, 
N.  C. 

Longenecker,  Cathy  Jo,  infant  daugh- 
ter of  Paul  D.  and  Edna  Lehman 
Longenecker,  was  born  Dec.  20,  1959, 


APRIL  2.  1960 


27 


Sex  and  Love 


in  the  Bible 


WILLIAM    GRAHAM    COLE 

A  revealing  examination  of  all  of  the  prac- 
tices and  teachings  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  .  .  .  what  they  say  to  us  today. 

This  is  a  book  which  seeks  to  do  two 
things.  In  the  first  instance  it  serves  as  a 
guide  to  understanding  what  the  Bible  says 
about  sex  and  love  in  the  light  of  the  total 
historical  background.  The  second  concern 
is  practical.  The  approach  is  not  merely  anti- 
quarian, looking  at  the  past  as  an  interesting 
curiosity.  The  Biblical  material  is  assessed  from  the  standpoint  of 
our  present  problems  in  the  realm  of  sexual  morality,  asking  what 
the  Bible  has  to  say  to  us. 

Sex  and  Love  in  the  Bible  begins  with  a  survey  of  the  meaning 
of  love,  both  divine  and  human,  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments 
and  then  moves  on  to  examine  the  relationship  between  sex  and 
love  as  the  Bible  sees  it.  Subsequent  chapters  discuss  sex  before 
and  in  marriage,  prostitution  and  adultery,  homosexuality  and  some 
of  the  other  perversions.  A  final  chapter  summarizes  the  findings 
and  relates  them  to  the  world  of  doctors  Freud  and  Kinsey. 

This  book  is  serious  rather  than  sensational.  The  facts  of  life 
are  faced  openly  and  frankly,  but  with  devoutness  and  dignity. 

$6.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


and  died  Jan.  15,  1960.  Surviving  are 
the  parents  and  grandparents.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Miller 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  Roy  S.  Forney. 
Interment  was  in  the  Spring  Hope 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  C.  O.  Beery,  Martins- 
burg,  Pa. 

McFadden,  Chester,  was  born  March 
2,  1886,  and  died  Aug.  23,  1959.  On 
Jan.  6,  1909,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Emma  Klinzman.  He  joined  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Clendale  in 
1953.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  one 
son,  one  daughter,  two  grandchildren, 
and  one  sister.  —  Ena  I.  White,  Glen- 
dale, Calif. 

Martz,  Myrtle,  was  born  Jan.  31, 
1906,  and  died  Jan.  26,  1960.  Surviving 
are  her  husband,  Burel,  two  sons,  and 
four  grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Irene  Pip- 
penger,  Nappanee,  Ind. 

Mathias,  Ollie,  son  of  Mary  E.  and 
and  John  Mathias,  was  born  Aug.  8, 
1878,  at  Van  Buren,  Ind.,  and  died  Oct. 
11,  1959.  His  second  wife  was  Marie 
Rush,  to  whom  he  was  married  on  July 
21,  1956.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the 
church  and  also  served  on  the  trustee 
board.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  three 
daughters,  a  son,  two  brothers,  three 
sisters,  twenty-four  grandchildren,  and 
forty  great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  church  by 
Brethren  Charles  Oberlin  and  Donald 
Ritchey.  Interment  was  in  the  Grant 
Memorial  cemetery.  — Mrs.  Verlon  Sites, 
Mexico,  Ind. 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Mealer,  Harold  Stuart,  Jr.,  son  of 
Harold  Stuart  and  Anna  Smith  Mealer, 
was  born  at  South  Boston,  Va,  July  4, 
1937,  and  died  Oct.  2,  1959.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Grottoes  church,  Va. 
He  is  survived  by  his  parents,  maternal 
grandparents,  and  paternal  grand- 
mother. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted from  the  Lindsey  funeral  chapel 
by  Bro.  W.  F.  Garber,  assisted  by  Bro. 
J.  Willard  Bowman.  Interment  was  in 
the  Garden  of  Devotion,  East  Lawn 
Memorial  Gardens.  —  Mrs.  Leon  W. 
Smith,  Grottoes,  Va. 

Megarity,  Samuel,  son  of  Oliver  and 
Rebecca  Deeter  Megarity,  was  born  in 
Bradford,  Ohio,  Jan.  31,  1870,  and  died 
Jan.  27,  1960.  His  wife,  Marietta  Dan- 
ford  Megarity,  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  was  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Bradford  church.  He  is  survived  by 
three  daughters,  seven  grandchildren, 
thirteen  great-grandchildren,  one  great- 
great-grandchild,  and  one  sister.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Brad- 
ford church  by  Bro.  Frank  Nies.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Harris  Creek  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  D.  L.  Frolka,  Bradford,  Ohio. 

Meyers,  Mrs.  Harvey  Allen,  daughter 
of  George  and  Susie  Gordon  Smeltzer, 
was  born  May  23,  1882,  and  died  Oct. 
28,  1959.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Martinsburg  church,  W.  Va.  Surviving 
are  one  son,  nine  daughters,  twenty- 
eight  grandchildren,  seventeen  great- 
grandchildren, and  one  brother.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Brown 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  C.  N.  Grubb. 
Interment  was  in  the  Tuscarora  Presby- 


terian cemetery.  —  Blanche  Sponaugle,  | 
Martinsburg,  W.  Va. 

Miller,  Margaret  A.,  was  born  July 
13,  1887,  and  died  at  Blain,  Pa.,  Jan.  11, 
1960.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Three 
Springs  church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by 
two  daughters,  one  son,  and  four  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Three  Springs  church,  with  Bro. 
Robert  L.  Ditmer  and  the  undersigned 
officiating.  Interment  was  in  the  ad- 
joining cemetery.  —  Glenn  L.  Gingrich, 
Blain,  Pa. 

Moyer,  Kathryn,  daughter  of  Isaiah 
and  Elizabeth  Moyer,  was  born  July  26, 
1874,  and  died  Dec.  12,  1959.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Norristown  church, 
Pa.  She  is  survived  by  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
Bro,  Harold  Keppen.  Interment  was 
in  the  Mingo  cemetery.  —  Sara  E. 
Grimley,  Norristown,  Pa. 

Mumpower,  James  E.,  son  of  William 
and  Ellen  Ratcliff  Mumpower,  was 
born  in  Washington  County,  Va.,  April 

9,  1885,  and  died  Nov.  24,  1959,  at 
Danville,  Va.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Danville  church.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  five  daughters,  one  son,  three 
sisters,  two  brothers,  eleven  grand- 
children, and  five  great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
church.  Interment  was  in  the  School- 
field  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Orva  Shaw,  Dan- 
ville, Va. 

Neiderhiser,  Laura,  daughter  of 
Norman  E.  and  Keturah  Neiderhiser, 
was  born  March  1,  1894,  and  died 
Nov.  13,  1959.  She  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Greensburg  church,  Pa.  She 
is  survived  by  eight  sisters  and  three 
brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Seeman  funeral  home 
by  Bro.  Wilfred  N.  Staufer.  Interment 
was  in  the  Mt.  Joy  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Galen  Bittner,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Nevin,  Queenie  Viola,  widow  of 
William  E.  Nevin,  died  April  13,  1959, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  First  church,  York,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  two  sons,  two 
daughters,  seven  grandchildren,  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Brethren  M.  Guy  West 
and  Guy  Wampler,  Jr.,  at  the  Baumeist- 
er  Colonial  mortuary.  Interment  was 
in  the  Mt.  Rose  cemetery.  —  Mary  A. 
Lehman,  York,  Pa. 

Oyler,  Bertha  E.,  daughter  of  William 
and  Mary  Gardner,  was  bom  in  Johns- 
town, Pa.,  Dec.  5,  1898,  and  died  Nov. 

10,  1959.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Westmont  church.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  Frank  Oyler,  one  daughter, 
three  sons,  five  grandchildren,  two 
brothers,  and  three  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  John  Henderson 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  W.  Clemens 
Rosenberger.  Interment  was  in  Grand- 
view  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Edward  Dunkle, 
Johnstown,  Pa. 

Rodeffer,  Marvin  Benjamin,  was  born 
Aug.  1,  1893,  near  Harrisonburg,  Va., 
and  died  Sept.  6,  1959.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Winter  Park  church,  Fla.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  Nanny  Noblette 
Rodeffer,  two  brothers,  and  one  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Cox-Parker  chapel  by  Brethren  Russell 
K.  Showalter  and  C.  E.  Bower.  A 
second  service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Duane  Ramsey  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
Interment  was  at  Arlington,  Va.  — 
Mrs.  Olive  Brallier,  Orlando,  Fla. 


Church  News 


Southern  Illinois 

Woodland  -  Bro.  A.  P.  Becker  held 
revival  meetings  at  our  church.  We 
had  an  all-day  communion  service  at 
the  church  on  Oct.  31.  R.  C.  Wenger 
installed  our  pastor  and  his  wife,  E. 
Gifford  and  Eleanor  Ammermann.  Bro. 
Harold  Royer  was  at  our  church  for  our 
harvest  missionary  meeting;  the  Astoria 
church  joined  us.  Christmas  observ- 
ances consisted  of  a  family  night,  a 
I  children's  Christmas  party,  and  carol- 
ing and  a  program  by  the  CBYF. 
Clinton  Kessier  and  Ralph  Johnson 
brought  us  our  morning  and  evening 
message  in  our  pastor's  absence  on 
Dec.  27.  A  guest  register  was  pre- 
sented to  our  church  in  memory  of 
C.  G.  Bucher.  —  Miss  Emilee  Kessler, 
Astoria,  111. 

Northern  Indiana 

Bethany  —  Sister  Lucile  Strayer  led 
us  in  study  of  some  of  the  Psalms.  Our 
new  pastor,  Bro.  Israel  Gorden,  and 
his  family  moved  into  the  parsonage 
the  first  of  November.  Some  of  our 
members  attended  the  leadership  train- 
ing school  at  North  Manchester.  Bro. 
Berkey  Knavel  was  the  evangelist  for 
our  revival  meetings.  Our  CBYF  spent 
a  day  and  a  night  at  the  West  Side 
Parish  in  Chicago  helping  with  some 
work.  A  Christmas  program  was  given 
by  the  children  and  on  Dec.  27  a 
Christmas  cantata.  We  co-operated 
with  other  churches  of  the  township  in 
observing  the  Week  of  Prayer.  Our 
women's  fellowship  gave  a  party  for 
the  residents  of  the  Mexico  Home.  — 
Mrs.  Marion  Deeter,  Milford,  Ind. 

Nappanee  —  We  have  given  sixty 
blankets  for  the  emergency  need.  The 
women's  fellowship  of  the  church  pur- 
chased two  electric  stoves  for  our  new 
church.  We  expected  to  be  in  our  new 
church  by  March  1.  Our  attendance  at 
both  Sunday  school  and  church  shows 
an  increase  over  that  of  last  year.  — 
Mrs.  Irene  Pippenger,  Nappanee,  Ind. 

Pine  Creek  —  Newly  elected  deacons, 
Bro.  Paul  Stump  and  Bro.  Elmer  Halt, 
were  installed.  Bro.  Oscar  Fike  was  in 
charge  of  the  service.  Bro.  Burton 
Metzler  will  be  the  speaker  for  our 
pre-Easter  service,  April  10-14.  We 
will  close  with  the  love  feast  and  com- 
munion. On  May  15  Bro.  Allen  Weldy 
will  speak  of  his  experience  at  Kassel 
House,  Germany,  in  the  morning  and 
show  pictures  at  the  evening  service. 
Our  Bible  school  will  run  from  June 
20  -  July  1.  —  Mrs.  D.  Stanley  Houser, 
North  Liberty,  Ind. 

South  Bend,  First  —  We  have  been 
steadily  moving  along  under  the  leader- 
ship of  our  pastor,  Robert  Knechel. 
Our  women  are  busy  making  comfort- 
ers and  layettes  and  collecting  used 
clothing  for  relief.  Bro.  Robert  Swank, 
a  returned  missionary  to  Africa,  talked 
to  us  about  his  work  there.  An  ex- 
change teacher  from  Hawaii,  Mr.  Soon 
Nahr  Aha,  showed  pictures  and  talked 
about  Hawaii  at  a  family  night  service. 
Three  have  been  received  by  letter  and 
two  children  dedicated.  —  Mrs.  Edna 
Edson,  South  Bend,  Ind. 

Union  Center  —  The  Manchester  Col- 
lege a  cappella  choir  gave  a  sacred 
music  program  at  a  Sunday  morning 
worship;  in  the  afternoon  there  was  a 


A  Church  Annuity  for  Me 


Investing  is  uncertain  but  I  have  a  Board  Annuity! 


•  The  investment  return  is  good 

•  It  is  assured  for  life 

•  My  check  always  comes  promptly 

•  My  investment  benefits  people  —  boys,  girls,  men  and  women 

•  And  I  have  satisfaction  in  my  heart 

Do  you  know  about   the  tax  deduction   afforded  by   a   gift   on   the    annuity   plan? 
Why  not  send  today  for  information?    You  will  incur  no  obligation  whatever. 


GENERAL    BROTHERHOOD    BOARD 
145  1     Dundee    Avenue    ..    Elgin,    Illinois 


Please  send  me  free,  the  leaflet,  "A  Church  Annuity  Yields 
Triple  Benefits,"  quoting  rates  up  to  7.4%.  Tell  me  what 
percent  income  I  would  receive  for  birth  dates  as  follows: 

MYSELF   


Month 


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MY  NAME 
ST.;  RFD  .... 


CITY STATE 


(Clip  and  mail  to  Harl  L.  Russell,  Director  of  Special  Gifts,  at  the  above  address. 
Your  inquiry  will  be  considered  confidential.) 


Call  to  Discipleship  meeting.  On  Wed- 
nesday evening  our  pastor  teaches  the 
Sunday  school  lesson  to  the  teachers 
that  work  in  the  primary  department 
who  have  no  chance  to  be  in  their 
adult  classes.  We  had  a  school  of  mis- 
sions for  our  Sunday  evening  services  in 
the  month  of  January.  —  Mrs.  Maud 
Frederick,  Nappanee,  Ind. 

West  Goshen  —  Our  church  celebrat- 
ed the  centennial  of  the  establishment 
of  the  church  at  its  present  location.  In 
the  same  evening,  Brother  and  Sister 
M.  D.  Stutsman  were  honored  at  open 
house  in  the  fellowship  hall,  the  occa- 
sion being  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
their  ministry.  Bro.  James  Tomlonson 
has  been  relicensed  to  the  ministry  for 
another  year.  Doris  Immel  and  Mrs. 
Richard  Burger,  former  missionaries  in 
Africa,  and  Dr.  J.  E.  Hartzler,  were  the 
speakers  at  the  school  of  missions  in 


January.  A  book  review,  The  Way  in 
Africa,  was  also  given.  Pre-Easter  serv- 
ices will  begin  on  Palm  Sunday  and 
continue  each  evening  through  the 
following  Thursday.  Bro.  Richard 
Burger  will  be  the  guest  speaker.  On 
May  15,  the  Manchester  College  a  cap- 
pella choir  will  give  a  music  program 
at  our  church.  At  the  spring  rally  of 
the  women's  fellowship  of  Northern 
Indiana  in  the  Goshen  College  audi- 
torium on  April  12,  Rosa  Page  Welch 
will  be  the  guest  soloist  and  speaker.  — 
Mrs.  Edith  Huber,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 

Kokomo  —  Services    for     laying     the 
cornerstone    of   our   new   church   were 


APRIL  2,  1960 


29 


VAanddwiqAte/iA 
INCLENOOK 
COOKBOOK 


Q^iatiddaufUte^k 


$2.00 

Over  fifteen  hundred  fa- 
vorite recipes  contributed 
by  Brethren  cooks.  Includes 
sections  on  invalid  cookery, 
outdoor  meals,  group  cook- 
ery, school  lunches,  interna- 
tional cookery,  as  well  as 
food  charts  and  useful 
household  information. 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Yearbook 

I960 

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Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


held  on  Sept.  20.  We  hope  to  be  in 
the  new  building  by  June  of  this  year. 
We  had  dedication  services  for  babies 
and  their  parents.  The  young  people 
visited  the  sick  and  held  worship  serv- 
ices for  them.  Linda  Shumaker  and 
Shirley  Smith  recently  shared  an  ac- 
count of  their  BVS  experiences  at  a 
meeting  of  the  women's  fellowship.  The 
women  had  a  program  for  a  group  of 
welfare  children  at  Christmas  time, 
with  gifts  of  clothing,  toys,  and  candy 
for  each  child.  The  women  are  making 
comforters  for  relief  and  pads  for  a 
local  nursing  home.  We  participated  in 
the  state-wide  campaign  for  blankets 
for  refugees  overseas.  Religious  week- 
day school  classes  are  held  at  our 
church  each  Monday.  —  Mrs.  Arthur 
Green,  Kokomo,  Ind. 

Union  Grove  —  A  number  of  our 
members  attended  the  Billy  Graham 
evangelistic  meetings  in  Indianapolis. 
Several  women  visited  the  relief  center 
at  Nappanee  to  learn  more  about  our 
relief  work.  The  women's  fellowship 
made  Christmas  candy  and  cookies  for 
older  people  of  the  church  and  com- 
munity. They  are  now  making  layettes 
for  the  Flat  Creek  mission,  Ky.  The 
high  school  youth  and  junior  high 
classes  sang  Christmas  carols  for  the 
sick  and  shut-ins.  After  an  all-church 
fellowship  meal  the  film,  Second 
Chance,  was  shown.  Bro.  Charles 
Oberlin,  Peru,  Ind.,  conducted  our 
evangelistic  services.  The  young  people 
had  charge  of  the  morning  worship  on 
Feb.  7.  —  Lula  R.  Tinkle,  Anderson, 
Ind. 

Northeastern  Ohio 

Akron,  Springfield— During  the  morn- 
ing service  on  Oct.  4  we  had  promotion 
day  exercises  for  the  Sunday  school 
children.  Bro.  J.  Calvin  Bright  held  a 
week  of  evangelistic  meetings.  We  ob- 
served Layman's  Sunday  with  six  of 
our  laymen  participating  in  the  morn- 
ing service.  On  Nov.  1,  in  the  absence 
of  our  pastor,  Bro.  Russell  Bollinger 
filled  the  pulpit.  We  joined  with  the 
Christian  and  Methodist  churches  in  a 
service  in  our  church  on  Thanksgiving 
morning.  Our  women's  fellowship 
group  gave  a  Christmas  program  at 
which  the  Hartville  women  were  guests. 
At  this  time  an  offering  was  taken  to 
secure  clothing  for  the  children's  home 
in  Akron.  Other  Christmas  programs 
given  in  the  church  were  a  musical  by 
the  four  choirs  of  our  church,  and  a 
play  by  the  young  people  directed  by 
Bro.  Ian  Lorah.  Ten  have  been  re- 
ceived by  baptism  and  four  by  letter.  — 
Lizzie  E.  Ingold,  Mogadore,  Ohio. 

Northwestern  Ohio 

County  Line  —  We  had  a  farewell 
party  for  our  former  pastor,  J.  O. 
Dearing,  and  his  family  before  they 
left  for  their  new  field  of  service,  and 
a  welcoming  reception  for  the  new 
pastor,  C.  C.  Sollenberger,  and  his  wife. 
Brother  Sollenberger  was  installed  by 
the  district  secretary,  A.  P.  Musselman. 
Dr.  Eldon  Burke  was  the  guest  min- 
ister for  the  love  feast  service  and  the 
home-coming  on  the  following  day. 
Bro.  Leonard  Carlisle  of  Troy  con- 
ducted our  evangelistic  meetings.  The 
children's  department  made  a  mitten 
tree  for  Christmas.  The  Christmas 
program  was  presented  on  the  evening 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  HI. 

No.  439.  Needed:  Cottage  Parents 
for  teen-agers  in  a  new  child  care 
center  in  the  East;  middle-age  couples 
(30-50  years)  in  good  physical  and 
mental  health,  who  are  mature  and 
settled.  Must  be  people  who  have  a 
sincere  liking  for  children,  who  can 
take  deviant  behavior  and  yet  exert  a 
wholesome  influence.  They  should 
drive,  have  a  high  school  or  college 
education,  and  no  dependent  children. 
Position  offers  salary  plus  maintenance. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Illinois. 

No.  440.  Wanted:  Position  as  house- 
keeper or  companion  to  an  elderly  lady 
by  a  Brethren  woman  in  her  early  60's. 
Preferably  in  District  of  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania. Desires  a  good  home  in 
preference  to  high  wages.  Contact: 
Brethren  Placement  Service,  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin, 
111. 

No.  441.  Wanted:  A  man  in  his 
early  fifties  would  like  the  opportunity 
to  work  and  five  with  an  elderly 
gentleman,  or  employment  as  a  janitor  s 
assistant  in  a  church  or  welfare  in- 
stitution. Contact:  Brethren  Placement 
Service,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

No.  442.  Wanted:  General  medical 
doctor  to  locate  in  a  growing  com- 
munity near  an  expanding  city  of  over 
40,000  in  the  Middle  West.  There  is 
no  doctor  located  there  at  present. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  443.  Wanted:  Experienced  dairy 
farmer  to  work  on  small,  fully  equipped 
farm  in  central  Pennsylvania.  Housing 
limited  to  2-bedroom  house  trailer. 
Located  near  a  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Contact:  Mr.  O.  H.  Ormsley,  R.  4, 
Tyrone,  Pa. 


of  Dec.  20,  with  children  and  youth 
taking  part.  A  study  of  the  church 
program  was  led  by  the  pastor  on  the 
Sunday  evenings  of  December.  Family 
and  home  life  were  studied  in  January 
and  February.  The  womn's  fellowship 
sent  clothing  to  an  orphanage  in  Korea 
and  helped  a  burned-out  family  with 
bedding  and  clothing.  Rev.  Robert 
Ramseyer  talked  and  showed  slides  of 
mission  work  in  Japan.  —  Mrs.  Phillip 
Long,  Ada,  Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

Beavercreek  —  The  missions  and  serv- 
ice commission  sponsored  a  school  of 
missions  each  Sunday  evening  during 
the  month  of  February.  Exchange  stu- 
dents from  Africa  who  are  attending 
Central  States  College  in  Xenia,  Ohio, 
took  part.  Our  church  will  again  par- 
ticipate in  a  choir  program  given  by 
the  churches  in  the  community.  On 
Good  Friday  night  they  will  sing,  The 
Seven  Last  Words.  Many  of  our  choir 
members  are  participating  in  the 
Southern  Ohio  choral  society.  We  have 
prepared  our  own  prayer  and  devo- 
tional guide  for  use  during  the  Lenten 
season.  Fireside  meetings  have  been 
planned  for  twenty  homes.  A  program 
of  visitation  is  also  under  way.  A  day 
of  prayer,  using  several  rooms  in  the 
church,  and  an  informal  communion 
are  also  planned.  Eleven  have  been 
received  by  baptism  and  seven  by  let- 
ter. Bro.  Edgar  Petry  is  our  new 
moderator.  The  men's  fellowship  group 
sponsors  the  Boy  Scout  troop.  —  Mrs. 
Raymond  Huston,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Bradford  —  Three  were  baptized  and 
one  was  received  by  confession  of  faith 
and  previous  baptism.  Bro.  Howard 
Erbaugh  held  our  revival  services. 
Delegates  representing  the  Bradford 
church  at  district  meeting  were  Wilbur 
Erbaugh,  Guy  Frolke  and  Earl  Landis. 
Five  of  our  women  attended  the  work- 
shop at  the  Bear  Creek  church.  The 
women  of  the  church  have  been  making 
layettes  and  comforters  for  relief.  A 
Christmas  party  was  given  for  the  chil- 
dren, to  which  the  children  brought 
soap,  washcloths,  and  towels  for  re- 
lief. On  Dec.  20  the  children's  depart- 
ment presented  a  Christmas  program 
in  the  morning,  and  the  play  The  Key 
to  Christmas  was  given  in  the  evening. 
Ten  received  perfect  attendance  awards 
for  the  year.  A  new  slide  projector  was 
purchased  by  the  Pioneer  Sundav 
school  class.  Two  classes  on  church 
doctrine  are  being  held  under  the  di- 
rection of  our  pastor,  Bro.  Frank  Nies, 
—  Mrs.  Darrell  L.  Frolke,  Bradford, 
Ohio. 

Eaton  —  We  have  received  one  by 
baptism  and  one  by  letter.  Four  at- 
tended the  Quaker  Hill  retreat.  Our 
pastor  conducted  services  at  the  Green- 
ville Home  one  Sunday.  A  large  group 
attended  district  meeting  at  the  Trot- 
wood  church.  The  young  people  had 
a  sectional  youth  rally.  A  new  Sunday 
school  class  has  been  organized,  Path- 
finder class.  Bro.  Dale  Aukerman 
brought  a  morning  message  before  he 
left  for  his  new  work  in  Europe.  Ann 
Aukerman,  home  from  Europe,  showed 
slides  of  her  work  camp  experience. 
Sonya  Cochran  won  the  Prince  of 
Peace  speech  contest.  The  children 
gave  a  Christmas  program  and  brought 
gifts  to  be  dedicated.  Guest  speakers 
have  been  Glenn  Rust  and  Bob  Baker, 


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Building  and  Delivering  the  Sermon 
G.     RAY    JORDAN 


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edited    by    ROBERT    TOBIAS 

Sermons  on  unity  by  a  dozen  famed  Christian  leaders  highlight 
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GEORGE    A.    BUTTRICK 

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who  also  showed  slides  of  Africa.  Mrs. 
Elsie  Olt  was  in  charge  of  school  of 
missions,  which  featured  special  music, 
guest  speakers,  and  films.  The  women's 
fellowship  rolls  bandages,  makes  com- 
forters, sews  for  Bethany  Hospital,  and 
knits  bandages  for  leper  colonies.  Our 
pastor  attended  the  Ohio  pastor's  con- 
vention held  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  Our 
evangelistic  services  in  April  will  be 
in  charge  of  Byron  Miller.  —  Mrs.  Cyrus 
Kiracofe,  Eaton,  Ohio. 

Ft.  McKinley  —  During  the  past  sum- 
mer our  pastor  and  his  wife  spent  a 
couple  of  weeks  on  the  mission  field 
in  Africa  and  six  weeks  in  Sardinia, 
Italy,  directing  an  international  work 
camp.  Several  of  our  teachers  attended 
the  children's  work  conference  at  the 
Mack  Memorial  church.  The  church 
gave  recognition  to  thirty-three  persons 


who  were  received  into  fellowship  dur- 
ing the  past  year.  Several  of  our  people 
attended  the  Church  Federation  race 
relations  institute  at  which  Dr.  Clarence 
Jordan  was  the  guest  speaker.  Mem- 
bers of  the  three  junior  classes  and 
some  of  the  junior  highs  collected  $49 
for  Share  Our  Surplus.  Community 
Thanksgiving  services  had  Rev.  Del 
Poling  of  the  Northmoor  Presbyterian 
church  as  the  speaker.  We  observed 
the  Advent  season  by  using  the  old 
German  custom  of  the  Advent  wreath. 
On  the  fourth  Sunday  of  Advent  the 
children  presented  a  white  gift  offering 
as  a  part  of  the  worship  service.  A 
special  family  Christmas  tree  festival 
was  held  in  the  fellowship  hall  featur- 


APRIL  2,  1960 


31 


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MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  .  .  . 


HOW  TO  SPEAK  AND  WRIT 

LIKE  A  COLLEGE  GRADUA' 

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had  college  training  in  English  to  become  effective  speak. 
writers,  and  conversationalists.  With  my  new  C.  I.  METHC 
R     D      Or    St  yOU  jcan  8tOD   makinK   mistakes,    build   up   your  vocabula 

speed  up  your  reading,  develop  writing  skill,  learn  the  "secre 

P.  O Zone  State  

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ing  music  by  the  three  choirs.  Our 
young  people  attended  the  winter  youth 
conference  at  the  Eversole  church.  — 
Mrs.  Esther  Shephard,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Hamilton  —  We  had  a  night  vacation 
Bible  school.  Sister  Kathryn  Kiracofe, 
missionary  to  India,  was  with  us  one 
Sunday  evening  for  family  night  supper. 
We  followed  the  Call  program  this 
fall  with  a  dinner.  Three  have  been 
baptized  and  one  has  been  received  by 
letter.  We  fixed  baskets  for  the  Salva- 
tion Army.  The  young  married  women 
have  started  an  evening  circle  with 
helping  a  Kentucky  mission  as  one  of 
their  projects.  They  are  also  sewing 
layettes.  Our  church  was  hostess  at  a 
tea  for  the  Hamilton  women's  council. 
The  architect  is  working  on  final  plans 
for  the  building  of  five  classrooms  on 
the  back  of  our  church  and  for  remodel- 
ing the  sanctuary.  A  junior  choir  has 
been  formed.  Our  teachers,  along  with 
Bro.  Howard  Erbaugh,  are  attending 
training  classes  at  Bear  Creek.  We  will 
have  a  mother-daughter  banquet  in 
May.  —  Mrs.  Harry  Spaulding,  Hamil- 
ton, Ohio. 

Harris  Creek  —  Bro.  John  C.  Hurst 
conducted  our  evangelistic  services;  he 
also  assisted  with  our  communion.  We 
are  now  conducting  membership  classes 
for  adults  and  juniors.  Our  women's 
fellowship  has  been  collecting  and 
making  clothing  for  needy  families  and 
mending  for  the  children's  home.  They 
cooked  and  served  the  meal  for  the 
father-son  banquet.  Bro.  Roscoe  Rhodes 
recently  showed  pictures  taken  during 
his  stay  at  a  mission  in  Mexico.  — 
Vineta  Sargent,  Bradford,  Ohio. 

Pitsburg  —  We  met  in  council  with 
Bro.  Fred  Hollingshead,  our  elder,  pre- 
siding. New  officers  were  elected  for 
the  church  and  Sunday  school.  Four 
have  been  baptized  and  one  has  been 
received  by  letter.  The  CBYF  gave  a 
very  interesting  play  at  Christmas  time. 
They  are  sponsoring  the  installation  of 
a  public  address  system  in  the  church. 
Several    of    our    youth    attended    the 


youth  conference  at  Eversole.  Our  an- 
nual school  of  missions  was  held  in 
January;  the  theme  was  The  Town  and 
Country  Church.  The  last  evening  we 
had  a  carry-in  lunch,  and  some  of  the 
women  gave  the  play,  Dirt  Under 
Their  Feet.  Our  delegates  to  Annual 
Conference  are  Brother  and  Sister 
Crumrine  and  our  pastor  and  his  wife. 
Some  of  our  folks  have  been  attending 
a  school  of  Christian  living  at  the  Bear 
Creek  church.  Several  attended  the 
mission  rally  on  Feb.  7.  Our  evangelistic 
meetings  in  March  were  held  by  Bro. 
Frank  S.  Carper.  —  Ruth  M.  Swinger, 
Pitsburg,   Ohio. 


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Eastern  Pennsylvania 
Spring  Grove  —  Bro.  Kenneth  Her- 
shey  preached  at  our  harvest  meeting. 
Visiting  Brethren  for  our  fall  love  feast 
were  Brethren  Ralph  E.  Schildt  and 
Jere  Cassel.  Our  fall  revival  was  held 
by  Bro.  Henry  Wenger.  Five  were 
baptized.  Our  Thanksgiving  Day  service 
was  conducted  by  Bro.  Harry  Wolge- 
muth.  Bro.  Harold  Martin  preached  at 
our  week-end  youth  Bible  conference. 
We  held  a  series  of  seven  prayer  meet- 
ings on  evangelism.  The  new  Kempers 
church  is  under  roof.  —  Clarence  B. 
Horst,  Ephrata,  Pa. 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


WOMAN 

TO 

WOMAN 

Eugenia  Price 


Beginning  with  a  stimulating  discussion  of  "The  Differ- 
ence It  Makes  When  a  Woman's  Personality  Is  Christ- 
Controlled,"  the  author  considers  the  difference  it  makes  in 
her  disposition,  in  her  work  and  appearance,  in  her  marital 
relationships,  in  her  home  and  her  children's  lives,  in  her 
church  life  and  spiritual  life,  in  the  way  she  meets  life,  and 
other  specific  areas  in  her  life  in  which  she  is  free  to  choose 
whether  she  will  be  herself  or  let  Christ  be  himself  In  her. 

$2.95 
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CAa/lcA,  erf fib  <&M&cft/ien<' 

Gospel 


MESSENGER 


APRIL  9.  1960 


Mark  Allen  Fisher 


Three  Lions 


Hosanna,  loud  hosanna  the  little  children  sang; 
Through  pillared  court  and  temple  the  lovely  anthems  rang; 
To  Jesus  who  had  blessed  them  close  folded  to  his  breast, 
The  children  sang  their  praises,  the  simplest  and  the  best. 


From  Olivet  they  followed  'mid  an  exultant  crowd, 

The  victor  palm  branch  waving,  and  chanting  clear  and  loud; 

The  Lord  of  men  and  angels  rode  on  in  lowly  state, 

Nor  scorned  that  little  children  should  on  his  bidding  wait. 

—  Jeannette  Threfall 


Gospel  Messenger 
"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  art  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
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Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
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authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 


APRIL  9,  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  15 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Lunch  Counter  and  Lord's  Table  ....      3 
To  Redeem,  Not  to  Destroy 3 

The  General  Forum  — 

The  Edge  of  Mystery. 

Earle  W.  Fike,  Jr 4 

Spring  Exhibit  (verse). 

Mildred   Allen   Jeffery    7 

Christian  Citizens  Look  at 

Government.    Glenn  D.  Everett   ....      8 

The  Cross.    Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr 12 

The  Night  Is  Long  (verse). 

Harold  G.  Correll 13 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
Ship:    Fox  and  Wesley. 
Dale  W.  Brown 14 

The  Miracle  of  Forgiveness. 

Ellis  G.  Guthrie 16 

Independence  Advised  for  Homes  ....    18 

Mission  Co-operation  in  Business 

Affairs.    Amsey  F.  Bollinger   18 

Mission   of  the   Seventy    19 

Consolidated  Church  Under  Construc- 
tion  at  Brownsville    19 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books 20 

Brethren  Want  to  Know  21 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   17 

News  and  Comments  From  Around 

the  World 22 

Church  News 26 

Picture  on  page  4  by 
H.   Armstrong  Roberts 

•  •  • 

Dr.  Eugene  L.  Smith,  general  secre- 
tary, Methodist  Division  of  World 
Missions:  "The  Protestant  missionary 
force  is  strengthened  strategically  as  it 
becomes  increasingly  international  and 
interracial." 


READERS   WRITE  .  .  .   to   the  editor 

The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and! 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Memorials 

There  has  been  much  written 
about  the  profuse  gifts  of  flowers  — 
gifts  of  love  and  sympathy  at  funer- 
als. I  would  like  to  tell  our  experi- 
ence. When  my  husband  died,  we 
received  one  hundred  dollars  instead 
of  flowers  as  memorials.  This  we 
were  glad  to  give  to  Bethany 
Seminary. 

Also  two  beautiful  candlesticks 
were  given  for  the  church  sanctuary, 
as  a  memorial.  These  live  on  to  help 
and  cheer.  We  were  deeply  grateful 
for  the  few  baskets  of  flowers  given 
in  loving  sympathy. 

I  want  to  voice  my  appreciation 
of  Elder  John  Heckman's  timely  let- 
ter, "Rule  of  Faith  and  Practice," 
given  in  Readers  Write  (Dec.  26).  — 
Mrs.  J.  S.  Flory,  Garrett,  Ind. 
Something  to  Say 

I  would  like  to  recommend  to 
readers  the  article,  I'm  the  Child  of 
a  King,  by  Dorothy  Thompson,  in 
the  February  1960  Reader's  Digest. 
In  view  of  much  of  the  discussion 
and  recent  writings  on  the  salary 
of  the  professional  minister,  I  feel 
we  could  stand  a  dose  of  Dorothy. 
Far  be  it  from  me  to  allow  lazy 
Christians  to  use  the  excuse  that  the 
ministry  is  a  "calling,"  and  the  min- 
ister should  therefore  live  in  poverty, 
while  they  continue  pulling  in  big 
salaries  without  tithing.  However, 
this  article  definitely  has  something 
to  say  to  us.  —  Shirley  Fike,  Elgin, 
111. 

There  Is  Still  Time 

After  seeing  the  film,  On  the 
Beach,  the  full  impact  of  what  it 
meant  did  not  hit  me  for  several 
days.  Now  I'm  certain  that  a 
thermonuclear  war  could  be  started 
by  any  man,  regardless  of  rank  or 
position,  in  our  armed  forces  or  any 
nation's  armed  forces.  One  man 
panics,  makes  a  mistake  or  a  false 
statement,  and  the  world  is  on  its 
way  to  total  destruction.  There  will 
be  no  place  to  hide;  survival  will 
be  improbable. 

But  as  the  film  stated,  "There  is 
still  time,  brother."  —  Arvid  Warst- 
ler,  Durand,  Mich. 

Church  Sponsored  Scouting 

Our  sincere  appreciation  is  hereby 
expressed  to  Bro.  William  Craft  for 
the  article  entitled  "A  Service  to 
Boys"  in  the  Feb.  6  issue  of  the 
Gospel  Messenger.   The  analysis  and 


(i 


explanation  of  the  relationship  of  a 
Scout  troop  to  the  church  sponsor-i 
ing  it  was  excellent.  We  also  believei 
the  point  that  religion  is  the  "very],, 
heart   and    spirit   of   scouting"   was 
well  and  truly  put. 

We  do  see  the  many  ways  thai 
scouting  could  help  the  church  if 
it  were  really  incorporated  into  the 
church  program  and  heartily  ac* 
cepted  into  the  church  family.  At 
the  same  time  the  tremendous  help! 
given  to  each  boy  who  participates 
in  scouting  along  the  lines  of  learn- 
ing of  duty  to  God  and  country:, 
practicing  clean  living,  good  moral 
conduct,  helpfulness  and  service  tcl 
others,  developing  Christian  traits  oi] 
character,  and  receiving  future  lead- 
ership training  is  invaluable  to  the 
individual  boy  as  well  as  to  the 
community. 

We  hope  you  will  continue  tc 
have  more  articles  from  time  to  time 
on  the  accomplishments  and  pro 
gram  of  church-sponsored  Scon 
troops.  —  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Raymond  S 
Cheney,  Jr.,  5119  Scott  St.,  Tor; 
ranee,  Calif. 

Pray  for  the  President 

For  years  I  have  hoped  to  see  if 
the  Gospel  Messenger,  and  to  hea; 
on  the  lips  of  our  preachers,  prayer: 
for  our  President  and  his  cabinet,  fo: 
our  House  of  Representatives,  for  al 
our  lawmaking  body.  .  .  . 

My  husband  and  I  joined  tht 
Church  of  the  Brethren  forty-sevei 
years  ago,  when  it  was  still  referrec 
to  as  Dunkard,  or  German  Baptis 
Brethren.  By  way  of  radio  and  tele; 
vision  and  in  person  we  have  visite( 
with  many  of  the  different  denomina 
tions  in  their  worship  services.  T< 
our  shame  and  chagrin  we  discoverec 
that  our  own  church  was  the  mos 
lax  in  prayers  for  our  President 
We  should  pray  for  him  that  h 
might  be  led  aright  just  the  same  a 
we  pray  for  our  beloved  friends 
our  pastors,  and  ourselves.   .  . 

How  could  any  mere  man,  how 
ever  capable,  go  through  the  sties 
and  strain  necessarily  attendant  t 
the  job  in  the  White  House  withou 
prayers?  Our  government  is  only  a 
efficient  as  we  the  people,  the  layme 
of  America,  want  it  to  be.  Siler 
prayers  are  good.  Let  us  add  th 
vocal  ones  also.  —  Anna  Everitt,  R.  3 
Bristolville,  Ohio. 


.':. 


U 


:; 


EDITORIAL 


Lunch  Counter  and  Lord's  Table 

IF  YOUR  skin  is  not  the  right  color  you 
may  not  be  permitted  to  sit  at  certain 
lunch  counters.  Or  if  you  do  sit  down  you 
vill  not  be  served.  And  if  you  insist  on  waiting 
lor  service,  the  counter  may  be  closed.  This 
fjias  been  the  experience  of  Negro  customers 
recently  in  a  number  of  cities. 

Of  course,  if  minority  persons  desiring  to 
pat  are  willing  to  take  their  food  elsewhere  or 
utand  aside  or  sit  in  a  section  designated  for 
j'colored,"  their  money  is  welcome  —  in  fact, 
t  is  desired.  But  they  are  not  accepted  even 
jvhere  their  money  is  sought.  So  reads  the 
jmwritten  law  in  many  communities. 

Who  can  blame   the   Negro   students   and 
|ome    of    their    white    friends    for    protesting 
Against  this   kind  of  second-class   citizenship? 
As  one  Negro  student  expressed  it,  "I  have  no 
nalice,  no  jealousy,  no  hatred,  no  envy.    All  I 
|vant  is  to  come  in  and  place  my  order  and  be 
iserved  and  leave  a  tip  if  I  feel  like  it."    Yet 
|nany  of  the  protesters,  though  they  behave  like 
hristians,  though  they  refrain  from  violence, 
:hough  they  try  to  be  friendly  in  the  face  of 
criticism,  have  been  arrested  as  troublemakers. 
But  we  wonder  who,  really,  is  responsible 
:or  the  trouble?    Is  it  the  person  who  quietly 
out  persistently  asks  for  fair  play  or  is  it  the 
person  who  wants  no  change  in  the  arrange- 
ment that  gives  him  special  privileges? 

It   is   encouraging   to   note   how   Christian 

eaders  of  both  races  have  given  a  positive  and 

courageous  witness  in  the  areas  where  protests 

land  counter  demonstrations  have  taken  place. 

They  appeal  for  law  and  order  and  they  go  on 

jjrecord  as  favoring  equal  service  for  all.    They 

task  majority  and  minority  leaders  to  sit  down 

r.ogether  for  frank  discussion  of  their  mutual 

jponcerns. 

But  the  Christian  church,  we  are  sorry  to 

I'  >ay,  often  maintains  a  segregated  lunch  counter 
fbf  its  own.  The  Lord's  table,  though  it  is  the 
nost  sacred  of  all  ordinances,  is  frequently 
I  closed  off  to  some  worshipers.  Leaders  of 
,  churches  are  sometimes  highly  selective  in  ex- 
pending invitations  to  his  table. 

They  forget  whose  table  it  is.    Jesus   did 
{(lot  exclude  the   hated  publican,   the   revolu- 
tionary zealot,  the  son  of  thunder,  the  doubter 
-or  even  the  one  who  would  so  soon  betray 
Some  might  reject  his  invitation,   some 
night,  like  Judas,  exclude  themselves  by  their 


own  action,  but  the  Lord's  table  was  an  open 
table;  any  person  who  would  follow  and  obey 
was  welcome. 

So  should  his  table  be  now.  It  is  not  the 
property  of  any  one  church,  any  one  denomi- 
nation, any  one  race,  any  one  group.  Though 
we  gather  around  it  at  this  season,  we  have  no 
proprietary  interest  in  it  because  it  is  his  and 
not  ours.  Anyone  he  would  welcome  should 
be  accepted  by  those  who  take  his  name. 

Who  knows?  If  Christians  took  seriously 
their  calling  to  be  disciples,  if  they  followed 
their  Lord's  example  in  spirit  as  well  as  in 
formalities,  if  the  holy  table  were  as  unsegre- 
gated  as  he  intended  it  to  be,  we  might  run 
into  far  less  conflict  over  who  sits  where  in 
buses  and  schools,  and  at  lunch  counters.  —  k.m. 

To  Redeem,  Not  to  Destroy 

WHAT  better  time  could  there  be  to  put 
an  end  to  capital  punishment  than  at 
the  season  when  we  contemplate  the 
cross  of  Jesus  Christ?  It  should  not  take  pro- 
tests from  other  countries,  a  statement  from  the 
pope,  or  an  appeal  from  a  condemned  man  in 
California  to  tell  us  what  is  right  and  proper 
to  do. 

The  question,  of  course,  is  one  for  each 
state  to  decide.  And  several  states  have  already 
rejected  capital  punishment.  Others  keep  it  as 
a  policy  but  are  reluctant  to  use  it.  Only  sixteen 
states  carried  out  executions  last  year,  although 
forty-one  still  have  laws  that  permit  them. 
Apparently  Christians  have  not  yet  succeeded 
in  convincing  their  state  legislators  that  capital 
punishment  is  both  impractical  and  unchristian. 
The  arguments  opposing  it  were  set  forth  re- 
cently by  a  contributor  from  Pennsylvania. 

Some  persons  have  argued  that  in  accepting 
the  cross  Jesus  was  giving  silent  approval  to 
a  Roman  method  for  capital  punishment.  On 
the  contrary,  far  from  endorsing  such  a  bar- 
barous custom,  he  used  the  time  of  crucifixion 
as  an  occasion  to  speak  again  of  God's  forgive- 
ness —  even  to  his  own  murderers.  If  the  cross 
means  anything,  it  surely  means  that  God's 
way  of  dealing  with  evil  is  to  overcome  it  by 
love,  to  extend  the  offer  of  redemption  to  all,  to 
seek  —  at  the  cost  of  one's  own  life,  not  another's 
—  always  and  repeatedly  for  the  reconciliation 
of  each  man  to  his  Father.  —  k.m. 

APRIL  9,  I960  3 


SBSsBHBaraHHSHHHHHHl 

HHHIhBIIHHI 

■■■HhHHI 

ainiHHHii 


V, 


UUST  west  of  the  International  Date  Line 
on  October  4,  1959,  in  Fiji  and  Tonga, 
Christians  heard  an  invitation  in  their  own 
anguage.  "All  who  are  in  love  and  fellowship 
with  your  brethren,  who  do  truly  and  earnestly 
repent  of  your  sins,  who  humbly  put  your  trust 
in  Christ  and  desire  his  help  that  you  may  lead 
a  more  holy  life,  draw  nigh  to  God  and  receive 
these  emblems  to  your  comfort,  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord."  And  there  under  the  palms 
they  took  in  their  hand  bread  and  a  cup  and 
partook  of  them  in  solemn  remembrance. 

As  the  day  which  began  there  headed  west- 
ward and  wrapped  itself  around  the  world, 
Christians  in  the  Philippines,  Japan,  Hong 
Kong,  Indonesia,  Burma,  India,  the  Middle 
East,  Africa,  Europe,  and  the  New  World  par- 
ticipated in  a  like  drama.  Reverently  they  took 
part  in  symbols  which  dramatically  called  to 
mind  the  life,  the  death,  and  the  victory  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Now  as  we  approach  Holy  Week, 
we  again  make  preparations  for  this  service  of 
remembrance. 

True,  there  are  some  who  confess  to  the 
Lordship  of  Christ  who  will  not  be  at  his  table. 
Some  have  not  time;  some  feel  its  crass  senti- 
mentality; some  are  embarrassed  by  the  whole 
thing;  perhaps  most  who  will  not  be  there  are 
like  the  woman  four  years  ago  who  said,  "Don't 
expect  me.  I  won't  come  because  I  don't  under- 
stand it." 

I  wonder  if  anyone  does!  I  have  a  notion 
that  the  value  of  this  service  some  of  us  find 
so  helpful  is  not  dependent  upon  our  ability  to 
comprehend  intellectually  all  of  its  meaning. 
It  is  a  service  we  participate  in,  not  something 
we  dissect  until  the  whole  of  it  is  laid  out  on 
the  table  of  our  understanding.  It  is  one  of  the 
many  things  in  life  that  we  enjoy  .  .  .  but  do 
not  completely  comprehend. 

Some  time  back  the  New  Yorker  magazine's 
lead  editorial  dealt  with  a  TV  interview  Edward 
R.  Murrow  had  with  the  noted  physicist,  J. 
Robert  Oppenheimer.  The  editorial  concluded 
with  these  words:  "In  his  Columbia  University 
speech,  Mr.  Oppenheimer  used  a  phrase  that  is 
memorable.  He  said,  'We  live  on  the  edge  of 
mystery.' " 

It  is  true.  Mankind  always  stands  at  the 
threshold  of  the  unknown.  His  dissatisfaction 
with  not  knowing,  his  curiosity,  his  desire  for 
power  has  continually  led  him  to  take  the 
mystery  out  of  the  unknown,  but  when  he  does 
he  is  always  faced  with  still  another  mystery. 

Our  understanding  of  the  mysteries  of  life 
is  almost  frightening.  We  have  a  drug  which, 
when  injected  into  the  embryo,  can  control  the 


pigment  of  the  skin,  thus  controlling  the  color 
of  the  newborn  life.  Man  is  close,  very  close, 
to  creating  life  in  a  test  tube;  he  is  learning  how 
to  control  and  manipulate  the  genes  so  that 
someday  they  may  be  chosen  and  the  quality  of 
new  life  may  be  controlled. 

Man  is  dabbling  around  in  the  heavens, 
getting  ready  to  put  life  where  perhaps  it  has 
not  been  before.  We  stand  on  the  edge  of 
mystery.  But  each  new  open  door  to  under- 
standing leads  to  a  shut  door  where  compre- 
hending has  never  entered.  We  are  always  on 
the  edge  of  mystery. 

At  no  place  is  this  more  true  than  in  our 
understanding  of  God  or  of  his  Son  Jesus.  An 
unknown  poet  has  put  this  into  verse: 

We  place  thy  sacred  name  upon  our  brows: 
Our  cycles  from  thy  natal  day  we  score: 
Yet  spite  of  all  our  songs  and  all  our  vows, 
We  thirst  and  ever  thirst  to  know  thee  more. 
For  thou  art  Mystery  and  Question  still; 
Even  when  we  see  thee  lifted  as  a  sign 
Drawing  all  men  unto  that  hapless  hill 
With  the  resistless  power  of  love  divine 
Still  thou  art  Question  —  while  rings  in  our  ears 
Thine  outcry  to  a  world  discord-beset; 
"Have  I  been  with  thee  all  these  many  years, 
O  world  —  does  thou  not  know  me  even  yet?" 

Our  insatiable  curiosity  —  our  desire  to  under- 
stand leads  us  across  the  threshold  of  deep 
experiences  of  God,  of  Jesus,  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
But  however  much  we  come  to  know  of  them, 
we  never  completely  understand.  We  are  al- 
ways on  the  edge  of  mystery. 

The  words  of  the  psalmist  ring  true.  His 
wisdom  is  ageless.  As  he  stood  in  the  presence 
of  the  mystery  of  the  Almighty,  a  confession 
was  wrung  out  of  the  recesses  of  his  finiteness. 
Standing  before  God,  whom  he  knew  and  yet 
did  not  know  he  cried,  "Such  knowledge  is  too 
wonderful  for  me;  it  is  high,  I  cannot  attain 
unto  it." 

Think  on  this,  then,  as  you  prepare  to  take 
your  place  at  the  Lord's  table.  We  are  always 
on  the  edge  of  mystery,  understanding  some 
things  but  always  only  in  part.  One  does  not 
wait  until  he  understands  electricity  to  turn  on 
a  light.  One  does  not  wait  until  he  understands 
the  mystery  of  infection  before  taking  penicillin; 
one  does  not  need  to  understand  internal  com- 
bustion to  operate  a  car.  Life  is  lived  using 
mystery. 

And  what  is  true  in  the  physical  world  is 
true  in  the  spiritual  world.  We  do  not  need  to 
understand  something  in  order  to  experience 
the  truth  of  it.    The  blessings  of  being  at  the 

APRIL  9,  1960  5 


Lord's  table  come  only  to  those  who  participate  in  this 
experience  at  the  edge  of  divine  mystery.  It  is  not  in 
our  capacity  fully  to  understand  Christ;  it  is  in  our 
capacity  to  have  moments  of  truth  with  him. 

Zophar  the  Naamathite,  a  vigorous,  bombastic  visitor 
who  tried  to  explain  Job's  predicament,  said  much  that 
was  obvious,  but  he  touched  real  truth  when  he  asked, 
"Can  you  find  out  the  deep  things  of  God? 

Can  you  find  out  the  limit  of  the  Almighty? 
It  is  higher  than  heaven  —  what  can  you  do? 

Deeper  than  Sheol  —  what  can  you  know?"  (R.S.V. ) 
We  live  on  the  edge  of  mystery,  caught  between  what 
we  understand  and  what  is  so  far  beyond  us  as  to  be 
out  of  the  realm  of  comprehension.  And  at  no  time  is 
this  more  true  than  at  the  moment  we  are  seated  at  the 
Lord's  table  where  the  heart  of  the  gospel  is  caught  up 
in  dramatically  enacted  symbols. 

Consider  how  little  we  understand  of  what  took 
place.  Our  Lord  desired  to  eat  this  last  meal  with  his 
loved  ones.  Here  is  a  picture  of  twelve  men  and  Jesus 
seated  at  a  supper  destined  to  be  of  eternal  significance. 
But  before  the  event  could  come  into  proper  perspective, 
the  status-seeking,  self-concerned  disciples  had  to  be 
taught  a  serious  lesson  in  service.  And  "the  Word  be- 
came flesh"  girded  himself  with  a  towel  and  washed 
their  feet.  The  greatest  of  all  stooped  to  wash  the  feet 
of  those  who  were  even  at  that  moment  arguing  as  to 
who  would  be  the  greatest. 

Do  you  understand  all  that  that  act  means?  I  do  not. 
That  God  incarnate  should  find  it  necessary  is  abhorrent, 
that  he  should  be  willing  to  do  it  is  amazing,  and  what 
it  means  in  its  fullness  is  beyond  us.  We  are  on  the 
edge  of  mystery  as  the  custom  of  our  church  bids  us 
dramatically  relive  that  moment,  but  the  edge  of  mystery 
becomes  the  brink  of  blessing  as  we  seek  to  have  a 
fuller  understanding  of  it  and  practice  it  in  our  lives. 
But  do  we  understand  it  completely?  "Such  knowledge 
is  too  wonderful  for  me;  it  is  high,  I  cannot  attain 
unto  it." 

Or  consider  how  little  we  comprehend  the  meaning 
of  love.  "God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should 
not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life."  Can  you  think 
that  big?  Or  can  you  act  this  big?  "A  new  command- 
ment I  give  to  you,  that  you  love  one  another;  even  as 
I  have  loved  you." 

We  are  on  the  edge  of  mystery  as  we  share  the  feast  of 
love  that  symbolizes  the  brotherhood  of  man;  we  are  at 
the  brink  of  blessing  when  for  a  moment  we  grasp  a  part 
of  what  it  means  and  seek  to  make  it  come  alive  in  our 
lives.  But  who  would  dare  to  say  they  understand  it? 
"Such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  me;  it  is  high,  I 
cannot  attain  unto  it." 

Or  consider  how  inadequate   are   our  attempts   to 

6  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  love  feast  begins  at  home,  with  family 
devotions,  reading  from  the  Bible  the  back-  & 
ground  for  the  communion,  and  prayer 


"Then  he  poured  water  into  a  basin  and  began 
to  wash  the  disciples'  feet  .  .  ." 


"He  sat  at  table  and  the  apostles  with  him. 
And  he  said  to  them,  1  have  earnestly  desired 
to  eat  this  passover  with  you  before  I  suffer'  " 


Tl 


".  .  .  as  often  as  you  eat  this  bread  and 

the  cup,  you  proclaim  the  Lord's  death 

until  he  comes" 


PThe  bread  which  we  break  is  the  communion 
of  the  body  of  Christ" 


catch  in  words  or  understanding  the  meaning  of  the 
bread  and  the  cup.  The  bread:  "This  is  my  body,  which 
is  broken  for  you:  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me."  Or 
the  cup:  "Drink  of  it,  all  of  you,  for  this  is  my  blood 
of  the  covenant,  which  is  poured  out  for  many  for  the 
forgiveness  of  sins"  (R.S.V. ). 

Do  you  understand  it?  I  do  not.  "Such  knowledge 
is  too  wonderful  for  me;  it  is  high,  I  cannot  attain  unto 
it,"  but  I  can  enjoy  it.  I  can  experience  it.  The  early 
church  gave  the  bread  and  the  cup  a  name  —  not  a  name 
which  defined  or  indicated  a  complete  understanding  of 
it,  but  a  name  which  said  how  they  felt  on  the  edge 
of  mystery  when  experience  for  a  moment  rolled  back 
the  threshold  to  let  unexplainable  truth  touch  their 
lives.  They  called  it  the  Eucharist  —  the  thanksgiving. 
They  could  not  understand  it,  —  but  they  walked  on  the 
edge  of  it  and  reveled  in  it  and  gave  thanks  for  it. 

Do  you  remember  after  the  resurrection  the  question 
which  Jesus  asked  Peter,  "Lovest  thou  me?"  That  gets 
to  the  heart  of  the  matter.  He  did  not  sav,  "Under- 
standest  thou  me?  Do  you  have  me  theologically  pegged, 
ethically  located,  rationally  accounted  for?"  He  said 
simply,  "Lovest  thou  me?"  He  did  not  say,  "Do  this 
because  you  have  a  full  understanding  of  why  I  lived 
and  died,"  but  rather  he  said,  "Do  this  in  remembrance 
of  me." 

The  whole  point  is  this.  We  understand  some  of 
what  it  all  means.  That  is  what  makes  it  valid  for  us. 
But  that  very  understanding  dwells  on  the  edge  of 
mystery  so  grand  we  cannot  conceive  of  it.  But  the  edge 
of  mystery  becomes  the  brink  of  blessing  when  we 
participate  in  these  symbols  and  relive  them  in  such  a 
way  that  a  moment  of  truth  beyond  words  is  shared;  a 
moment  when  love  beyond  all  experience  touches  life; 
a  moment  when  forgiveness,  wholeness,  and  healing 
beyond  all  expectation  flow  through  our  sickness. 

The  invitation  to  be  at  the  Lord's  table  is  an  invita- 
tion to  the  edge  of  mystery,  where  we  know  some  of  it, 
experience  more  of  it,  but  never  understand  all  of  it. 
It  is  an  invitation  to  make  the  edge  of  mystery  the 
brink  of  blessing  as  the  remembrance  of  our  Lord  brings 
new  vitality  to  life. 

The  pictures  on  pages  6  and  7  are  by  Merlin  G.  Shull,  pastor  of  the 
East  Nimishillen  church,  Ohio,  who  had  used  them  in  his  own  church 
to  make  the  love  feast  service  more  meaningful  for  his  congregation 


Spring   Exhibit 

MILDRED  ALLEN  JEFFERY 

Nature  adds  sunshine  in  April  — 
Where  spring  places  lots  of  her  showers, 
Because  April  likes  big  rainbows  — 
They  feature  her  bright-colored  flowers! 


'This  cup  of  the  New  Testament  is  the 
communion  of  the  blood  of  Christ" 


APRIL  9,  1960 


Shields 


Glenn  D.  Everett 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  advantage  of  attending  the  Adult  Seminar  on  Christian 
Citizenship  is  the  opportunity  to  see  at  first  hand  how  the  United  States 
of  America  is  governed  and  the  role  individual  citizens  can  play  in 
decision  making. 

That  is  the  opinion  of  John  Fike,  who  with  his  wife,  June,  attended 
this  year's  three-day  seminar  session  in  Washington  and  came  away 
feeling  that  it  was  a  very  worthwhile  experience. 

"When  you  are  at  home,  the  things  that  are  done  in  Washington 


f 


eem  a  long  way  off,  rather  re- 

iote  from  your  own  life  and  con- 
cerns," said  John  Fike,  who  is 
treasurer  of  Juniata  College, 
Huntingdon,  Pa.  "But  when  you 
get  to  Washington  and  get  the 
feel  of  how  it  is  actually  done,  you 
see  how  important  it  is  that  every 
citizen  take  an  interest  in  the  is- 
sues and  make  his  influence  felt." 

"You  go  home,"  said  June  Fike, 
with  a  new  understanding  of 
how  you  can  participate  in  politi- 
cal affairs  and  how  important  it  is 
that  you  do  so." 

The  Fikes  are  typical  of  the  for- 
ty-two adult  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  who  at- 
tended this  year's  Washington 
seminar  sponsored  by  the  social 
education  department  of  the 
Brethren  Service  Commission  and 
the  adult  department  of  the  Chris- 
tian Education  Commission  of  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board. 

Some  members  of  the  seminar 
also  went  on  to  New  York,  where 
they  attended  sessions  of  the 
United  Nations  and  learned  how 
that  international  organization 
operates  through  its  many  related 
agencies. 

Purpose  of  the  Washington 
seminar  is  to  acquaint  members  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  with 
how  our  nation  is  governed  and 
the  role  that  concerned  Christian 
citizens  can  play  in  their  govern- 
ment. To  that  end,  members  of 
the  seminar  visit  the  capitol, 
watch  sessions  of  Congress  and 
congressional  committee  hearings, 
talk  with  members  of  the  House 
and  Senate,  visit  foreign  embas- 
sies and  the  U.  S.  State  Depart- 
ment, and  hear  talks,  by  newspa- 
permen, Washington  churchmen, 
and  representatives  of  private 
organizations,  such  as  the  AFL- 
CIO  and  the  National  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Colored 
People. 

It  makes  for  a  busy  and  inter- 
esting program  and  at  the  end  of 
each  day's  session,  the  members  of 
the  seminar  come  together  to 
evaluate  and  summarize  their  ex- 
periences of  the  day  under  the 
guidance  of  Balph  E.  Smeltzer, 
director  of  peace  and  social  edu- 
cation, who  serves  as  moderator 
of  the  seminar. 


The  first  day  of  this  year's 
Washington  seminar  was  devoted 
to  questions  of  foreign  policy,  fol- 
lowing a  challenging  introductory 
address  by  Rep.  John  Brademas 
(D.)  of  South  Bend,  Ind.,  an  able 
thirty-three-year-old  former  col- 
lege teacher  who  is  making  a 
name  for  himself  as  a  freshman 
legislator  on  Capitol  Hill. 

Members  of  the  seminar  visited 
the  State  Department,  where  they 
heard  an  explanation  of  How  the 
State  Department  Works,  by  An- 
thony F.  Merrill  of  the  depart- 
ment's Bureau  of  Public  Affairs. 

Mr.  Merrill  emphasized  how 
important  the  State  Department 
regards  it  to  have  the  support  of 
public  opinion,  as  did  William  T. 
Nunley,  United  Nations  adviser  of 
the  department's  Office  of  Euro- 
pean Affairs,  who  discussed  The 
Goals  and  Current  Problems  of 
American  Foreign  Policy. 

After  the  State  Department 
talks,  the  Fikes  visited  the  embas- 
sy of  the  United  Arab  Republic 
( Egypt  and  Syria )  and  the  Soviet 
embassy.  They  were  surprised  at 
how  plush  and  luxurious  is  the 
mansion  which  the  Soviet  prole- 
tarians maintain  in  Washington. 

Later,  at  an  evaluation  session, 
they  compared  notes  with  mem- 
bers of  the  seminar  who  had  gone 
to  the  Israel  embassy  and  agreed 
that  the  Arabs  and  the  Israelis 
seem  far  apart  on  every  issue  con- 
cerning the  Middle  East. 


"We  felt,"  said  John  Fike,  "that 
it  would  have  been  interesting  to 
go  to  both  the  Arab  and  the  Is- 
raeli embassies." 

That  evening  discussion  turned 
to  nuclear  weapons  and  how  to 
ban  them  before  human  civiliza- 
tion becomes  a  casualty  of  the 
arms  race.  Seminar  members  were 
deeply  impressed  with  the  sincer- 
ity and  conviction  of  Rep.  Byron 
L.  Johnson  (D.,  Colo.),  a  pacifist 
who  has  been  elected  to  Congress 
and  who  has  taken  an  uncompro- 
mising stand  on  many  controver- 
sial issues. 

The  following  day,  the  seminar 
split  into  small  groups  in  the 
morning  to  call  on  their  repre- 
sentatives to  Congress.  For  John 
and  June  Fike,  this  was  tinged 
with  a  little  sadness,  for  death  re- 
cently claimed  Rep.  Richard  M. 
Simpson  (R. ),  who  for  twenty- 
two  years  represented  the  Hunt- 
ingdon district  in  Congress  and 
who  was  a  close  personal  friend 
whom  they  greatly  respected. 
However,  they  had  the  unique  op- 
portunity to  secure  an  appoint- 
ment, along  with  other  members 
of  the  seminar  from  Pennyslvania, 
with  both  of  their  state's  United 
States  senators. 

A  group  of  social  workers  and 
settlement  house  directors  were 
also  in  Washington  that  day  and 
Senators  Joseph  S.  Clark  (D. )  and 
Hugh  D.  Scott,  Jr.  (R. ),  arranged 
to  come  off  the  floor  of  the  Senate, 


Muse 


June  and  John  Fike  with  E.  Franklin  Jackson,  director  of  the  Washington 
branch  of  the  National  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Colored  People 

APRIL  9.  1960  9 


Muse 


Seminar  group  hears  discussion  of  how  church  groups  can  influence 
Washington.  Seated  at  table  (from  left)  are  Duane  Ramsey,  pastor  of 
the  Washington  Church  of  the  Brethren;  E.  Raymond  Wilson,  Friends 
committee  on  National  Legislation;  Ellis  Shenk  of  the  National  Service 
Board  of  Religious  Objectors;  and  Dr.  Fred  S.  Buschmeyer,  director 
of   the    Washington   office    of   the    National    Council    of    Churches 


which  was  holding  a  record-break- 
ing filibuster  session  on  civil  rights 
to  answer  questions  in  an  informal 
half-hour  session. 

The  conference  was  an  amiable 
one  of  give  and  take  covering  a 
wide  range  of  political  issues  be- 
fore the  Senate  this  session.  At 
the  end,  Senator  Scott  jokingly  re- 
marked that,  despite  their  oppo- 
site political  affiliations,  "Joe  and 
I  didn't  get  into  one  of  our  usual 
political  arguments  which  we  both 
enjoy  so  much."  Senator  Clark 
smilingly  agreed.  The  Fikes  were 
surprised  to  learn  how  approach- 
able their  senators  are  and  how 
candidly  they  discuss  controver- 
sial issues. 

John  and  June  Fike  also  at- 
tended a  congressional  committee 
hearing.  From  a  list  of  more  than 
thirty  such  meetings  going  on  the 
same  morning,  they  selected  the 
Senate  Appropriations  Committee, 
where  they  found  Senator  Dennis 
Chavez  (D.,  N.Mex. )  presiding 
over  a  hearing  on  military  and 
civilian  communication  lines  to 
the  new  state  of  Alaska. 

An  official  of  the  Defense  De- 
partment, flanked  by  aides  with 
maps  and  colored  charts,  was  ex- 
plaining the  need  for  an  appropri- 
ation  of   $600,000   to   build   and 


maintain  new  telephone  and  tele- 
graph lines  to  Alaska,  with  its 
many  military  outposts. 

The  Fikes  were  impressed  with 
the  broad  array  of  such  problems 
that  confront  Congress.  The  Alas- 
kan communication  line  is  typical 
of  hundreds  of  small  and  medium- 
sized  problems  that  Congress  faces 
daily  along  with  the  big  national 
and  world  issues.  They  could  eas- 
ily understand  why  Congress  de- 


pends so  heavily  on  its  committed  f 
system  to  investigate  the  need  foil? 
various  legislative  bills  and  hovi 
much  congressional  committees 
in  turn,  must  depend  on  their  owii 
professional  staffs  and  on  the  ex> 
ecutive  departments. 

"The  senators  asked  a  few  ques- 
tions,"  the  Fikes  remarked,  "but  il 
is  still  a  matter  of  faith  and  trust 
on  the  part  of  Congress  as  tc 
whether  $600,000  represents  a 
proper  figure  for  economical  oper 
ation  of  this  service  or  not." 

The  Federal  government,  as 
they  could  see,  is  not  just  the  Con 
gress  and  the  President  and  his 
cabinet,  but  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  civil  servants  and  career 
officers  working  daily  on  all  the 
problems  that  can  come  up  in  con 
nection  with  governing  a  nation 
of  180,000,000  people  and  admin, 
istering  all  the  programs  the  gov- 
ernment is  involved  in. 

The  government  is  everything 
from  the  Weather  Bureau  predict- 
ing heavy  snow  for  that  night 
( and  how  right  they  were! )  to  the 
Fish  and  Wildlife  Service  de- 
termining  the  salmon  catch  last 
season  and  searching  for  means  of 
increasing  it.  The  government  is 
the  State  Department  sending 
note  of  protest  to  Cuba  and  ar- 
ranging a  visa  for  a  Pakistan  news- 
paper editor  to  visit  the  U.S.  It  is 


eu- 


at 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


John  (left)  and  June  Fike  chat  with  their  two  U.S. 
sylvania,   Joseph   S.   Clark   (second   from   left)    and 


Shields 


senators  from  Penn- 
Hugh   D.    Scott,   Jr. 


guidance  for  the  disarmament  ne- 
gotiations at  Geneva  and  a  deci- 
ion  on  how  much  larger  the  next 
ockets  fired  at  Cape  Canaveral 
nust  be. 

The  Federal  government,  in 
ihort,  is  a  very  complex  institu- 
ion,  with  grave  responsibilities, 
jut  at  its  very  heart  is  the  indi- 
/idual  citizen  with  his  election 
Dallot,  his  letter  to  a  congressman 
3r  a  public  official,  and  his  influ- 
snce  with  his  fellow  citizens. 

John  Fike  had  a  chance  to  see 
at  close  range  one  of  the  many 
troublesome    problems    that    dis- 
turbs government,  that  of  labor- 
management  relations.   He  served 
as  chairman  for  a  discussion  in 
which    a    spokesman    for    labor, 
Charles   Hutsler   of  the   Interna- 
jfdtional  Association  of  Bridge  and 
M  Structural  Iron  Workers  debated 
I  with  Eugene  A.  Kenney,  a  labor' 
I  relations    attorney    for    the    U.S. 
,  I  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Even  more  spirited  was  a  dis- 
I  cussion  on  civil  rights  which  fol- 
lowed at  which  E.  Franklin  Jack- 
3   son,  president  of  the  District  of 
I  Columbia  branch,  NAACP,  spoke. 
Then  the  seminar  members  had 
1  a  chance  to  hear  a   debate  be- 
J  tween  Rep.  Leonard  G.  Wolf  (D., 
.    Iowa )  and  Mr.  Robert  Carden,  a 
I  Republican  committee  staff  mem- 


John  Fike  (left) 
talks  with  the 
representatives  of 
labor  and  capital 
who  held  a 
discussion  on 
labor- 
management 
relations 


Muse 


ber,  on  the  merits  of  the  programs 
of  their  respective  parties. 

Representative  Wolf  is  Roman 
Catholic  and  the  Fikes,  admitting 
to  some  concern  about  the  pos- 
sibility of  a  Catholic  President  in 
the  White  House,  felt  that  he 
made  a  good  presentation  on  that 
issue.  They  felt  a  little  more  at 
ease  on  that  question  after  having 
a  chance  for  a  frank  talk  with 
a  Catholic  officeholder. 

Influence  of  church  groups  on 


Shields 


Washington  politics  was  discussed 
on  the  final  day  of  the  Washington 
seminar  with  such  leaders  as  Dr. 
Fred  S.  Buschmeyer  of  the  Wash- 
ington office  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  and  Edward 
F.  Snyder,  legislative  secretary  of 
the  Friends  (Quakers)  Commit- 
tee on  National  Legislation. 

The  seminar  concluded  with  a 
"press  conference"  at  which  the 
seminar  members  peppered  the 
Washington  correspondent  of  Re- 
ligious News  Service  with  the 
kind  of  questions  reporters  them- 
selves usually  ask  at  press  confer- 
ences, and  with  an  evaluation  ses- 
sion on  What  Surprised  Us?  led 
by  Ralph  Smeltzer. 

As  John  and  June  Fike  headed 
back  to  their  Pennsylvania  home, 
it  was  with  a  new  appreciation  of 
the  big  job  Congressmen  and 
other  public  officials  are  doing  in 
Washington,  a  new  understanding 
of  how  their  government  operates, 
and,  above  all,  a  clear  concept  of 
how  the  individual  citizen  can  and 
should  trv  to  influence  the  deci- 
sion  led  by  Ralph  Smeltzer. 

"Our  Christian  citizens  have  a 
job  to  do,"  said  John  Fike,  "and 
we  realize  that  job  must  begin 
right  at  home.  We  are  neglecting 
our  clear  responsibility  if  we  do 
not  take  an  active  part  in  political 
and  community  affairs." 


Members  of  the  Brethren  adult  seminar  pause  on  the  steps  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court  building  to  study  the  sculpturing  on  the  pediments 


APRIL  9,  1960 


11 


THE 
CROSS 


Woe  to  the  social  resister! 


Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr. 


c 


IHRIST  was  crucified  between  two  com- 
mon criminals.  Did  this  happen  through  sheer 
circumstance  or  by  design  of  symbolic  charac- 
ter? 

Social  groups  come  into  being  as  they  are 
drawn  together  around  various  needs,  joys, 
interests,  or  values.  The  smaller  the  group,  the 
more  specific  are  its  requirements  as  a  hobby 
club  which  is  "for  lapidarists  only."  The  more 
inclusive  the  group,  the  broader  are  its  lati- 
tudes as  in  a  democracy,  "Give  me  your  tired, 
your  poor,  your  huddled  masses  yearning  to  be 
free."  Each  group  evolves  its  own  mores  and 
requires  a  certain  degree  of  conformity. 

In  the  general  society  of  which  we  are  a 
part  most  people  accept,  with  some  variations, 
the  thought  and  conduct  patterns  approved  by 
the  group.  Even  so,  there  is  a  wide  range  of 
action  permitted  to  those  who  differ  from  the 
practices  acceptable  to  the  body  politic.  Event- 
ually the  "social  resister"  reaches  a  point  of 
variance  from  the  norm  which  cannot  longer 
be  tolerated.  Then  the  group  must  take  action 
against  the  offender.    Howard  Thurman  sug- 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Donatello 

gests  that  all  resisters  fall  into  two  general  cate 
gories. 

Some  resist,  even  rebel,  because  they  regard 
the  approved  standards  of  society  as  too  high. 
They  disturb  the  peace,  decry  perfection 
(though  society,  like  politics,  is  the  art  of 
compromise  and  often  settles  for  something  not 
much  above  the  lowest  common  denominator! ) , 
laugh  at  the  common  good,  and  slant  toward 
the  antisocial  or  the  outright  criminal.  They 
defy  the  laws,  corrupt  morals,  murder  innocent 
bystanders,  and  take  matters  in  their  own 
hands.  When  their  activities  become  so  heinous 
as  to  offend  the  commonweal,  the  outlaws  are 
tracked  down,  cornered,  caught,  and  eliminated 
—  so  to  the  Jesse  Jameses,  the  Al  Capones,  the 
John  Dillingers  and  the  Lucky  Lucianos!  So- 
ciety cracks  down  on  those  who  fall  far  below 
the  standards  determined  by  the  group. 

A  few  resist,  even  rebel,  because  they  regard 
the  approved  standards  of  society  as  too  low. 
They  insist  that  the  requirements  of  common 
conduct  are  unworthy  of  citizens  and  Christians. 
They  also  disturb  the  peace.  They  flout  the 
status  quo.    They  insist  on  perfection.    They 


prod  the  common  good  up  to  better  and  stretch 
toward  the  noble,  even  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
They  are  given  some  latitude,  but  if  they  per- 
sist in  their  insistence  that  right  must  always 
overcome  wrong  and  good  supplant  iniquity, 
then  they  too  must  be  quieted,  ostracized,  and 
contained.  If  they  will  not  then  cease  and  de- 
sist, they  too  must  be  liquidated. 

The  ancient  prophet  was  determined  that 
life  around  him  must  reach  the  perfection  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  Because  he  would  not 
settle  for  less  or  keep  quiet  about  it,  society 
had  to  do  something  drastic  with  him.  So 
Daniel  was  thrown  to  the  lions,  Socrates  given 
the  hemlock,  Amos  tossed  out  of  the  king's 
chapel,  Jeremiah  lowered  into  the  pit  of  lamen- 
tation, John  the  Baptist  beheaded,  Paul  mar- 
tyred, and  Christ  nailed  to  the  cross. 

Perhaps  we  ought  to  take  a  second  look  at 
those  who  jar  our  society  with  the  harshness 
of  their  protest  that  the  life  we  prize  is  not 
all  it  is  cracked  up  to  be  when  measured  by  the 
standards   of   the   kingdom   of   God.     Part    of 
Albert  Schweitzer's  hypnotic  hold  on  the  world 
has  come  through  his  turning  from  the  world. 
"Then  one  brilliant  summer  morning  at  Guns- 
bach  I  settled  with  myself  that  I  would  consider 
justified  in  riving  till  I  was  thirty  for  science 
and  art  in  order  to  devote  myself  from  that 
time  forward  to  the  direct  service  of  humanity." 
His  colleagues  regarded  it  as  madness.   His 
intellectual  and  artistic  genius  would  reap  for 
him  success  and  fortune.   As  a  weary  opponent 
Schweitzer    had    many    "verbal    duels"    with 
Christians  who  could  not  perceive  the  love  of 
Jesus  sweeping  a  man  into  such  a  course  of 
action.   Missionary  societies  were  suspicious  of 
his  motives  and  rejected  him.   Now,  fifty  years 
late,  he  is  vindicated. 

War -hot  or  cold -is  the  major  business 
of  civilized  nations.  It  is  now  accepted  as 
a  part  of  our  way  of  life.  To  some  people 
such  a  condition  of  national  conduct  is  un- 
worthy of  us  as  children  of  God.  A  few 
resist,  refusing  to  accept  for  themselves  what 
society  approves.  With  Edith  Cavell  they 
insist,  "Patriotism  is  not  enough."  They  decline 
to  salute,  refrain  from  wearing  the  uniform  and 
refuse  to  kill.  A  few  will  not  even  pay  that 
portion  of  their  income  tax  which  is  used  for 
military  purposes. 

They  have  undertaken  the  most  important 
practical  task  facing  the  world  — the  honest 
effort  of  simple  people  to  eliminate  war,  the 
Public  Enemy  No.  1  of  humanity.  Provision 
can  be  made  for  conscientious  objection  and 
its  parallel  provided  in  alternative  service,  but 


to  refuse  to  pay  taxes  -  this  no  civilized  society 
can  permit!  Society  cannot  tolerate  these  social 
resisters  either.  If  they  persist,  they  must  be 
punished  or  imprisoned  or  eliminated. 

Perhaps  every  society  must  have  three 
crosses  on  its  Calvary.  Two  of  these  crosses 
are  reserved  for  derelicts  who  brush  aside  the 
accepted  pattern  of  society  as  they  reach  new 
"lows"  in  human  conduct.  The  one  cross  is 
for  the  great  soul  (and  happily,  every  society 
has  a  few  great  souls)  who  rises  far  above  the 
approved  social  code.  He  disturbs  the  peace, 
he  disquiets  the  status  quo,  he  winds  up  on  a 
cross.  "O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  killing  the 
prophets  and  stoning  those  who  are  sent  to 
you!  How  often  would  I  have  gathered  your 
children  together  as  a  hen  gathers  her  brood 
under  her  wings,  and  you  would  not!" 


THE  NIGHT  IS  LONG 

HAROLD  G.  CORRELL 

The  night  is  long;  no  one  can  know; 
What  lies  ahead  is  hidden  so. 
But  dread  the  endless  moments  bring 
Because  I  fear  the  hidden  thing. 

The  night  was  long  when  Jesus  prayed 
That  somehow  there  his  cross  be  stayed. 
The  night  was  long;  his  answer  came: 
The  cross  was  his  —  with  grief  and  shame. 

The  night  grew  long,  long  grew  the  day. 
Then  in  a  tomb  the  Christ  they  lay. 
The  night  was  long,  but  with  the  dawn 
From  death  he  rose,  life's  victory  won. 

The  night  is  long,  and  moments  fill 
With  crosses  that  to  me  are  ill. 
The  night  is  long,  but  with  him  there 
The  Christ  and  I  my  cross  do  share. 


APRIL  9.  1960 


13 


Men  who   heard 

the   call  to   discipleship : 


Fox 

and 

Wesley 


Dale  W.  Brown 


Devaney 
Portrait  of  John  Wesley,  leader  of  Methodism 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


THE  Protestant  Reformation  of  the  sixj 
teenth  century  was  not  as  radical  ■iip 
England  as  on  the  continent.  It  remainec; 
for  Puritanism  and  then  Quakerism  in  the  sevens 
teenth  and  for  Methodism  in  the  eighteenth  tc 
effect  more  thorough  changes.  Leading  the 
last  two  of  these  revivals  were  two  of  the  most 
interesting  and  zealous  disciples  in  the  annal: 
of  Christendom. 
Discipleship  as  Fruits  of  the  Spirit 

Quakerism  and  Methodism  were  both  re 
vivals  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  For 
George  Fox  the  Spirit  was  the  Inner  Light  or 
Inner  Voice  based  upon  the  description  of  John 
1:9,  "The  true  light,  which  lighteth  every  man 
that  cometh  into  the  world." 

At  this  time  there  were  people  called 
Seekers  who  were  striving  for  a  fuller  personal 
experience  of  faith  that  would  bring  God  closer. 
One  was  the  son  of  a  weaver,  a  tall,  powerfully 
built  man  of  striking  appearance,  named  George 
Fox.  He  went  about  seeking  help  for  his  con- 
dition. All  advice  and  preaching  did  not  satisfy 
him.  He  walked  in  the  beautiful  English  coun- 
tryside, and  in  1646,  when  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  he  had  his  initial  conversion  experience. 
"When  all  my  hopes  of  churches  and  church- 
men were  gone  .  .  .  then  I  heard  a  voice  which 
said,  'There  is  one,  even  Jesus  Christ,  that  can 
speak  to  thy  condition.'  And  when  I  heard  it," 
he  wrote,  "my  heart  did  leap  for  joy." 

Once  he  interrupted  a  church  service  by 
saying,  "Oh,  no,  it  is  not  the  Scriptures.  But 
I  told  them  what  it  was,  namely,  the  Holy 
Spirit,  by  which  the  holy  men  of  God  gave 
forth  the  Scriptures,  whereby  opinions,  re- 
ligions, and  judgments  were  to  be  tried." 

There  are  two  stories  as  to  the  origin  of 
the  name  Quaker.  One  is  that  Fox  told  the 
judge  that  he  should  quake  before  God  in  fear 
and  the  judge  in  turn  called  him  a  Quaker.  > 
Another  is  that  the  emotion  was  such  that  they 
did  quake  and  tremble  in  silent  meetings. 

Following  the  Quaker  revival,  Deism  nearly 
won  the  day  in  early  eighteenth  century  Eng- 
land. With  God  removed  from  the  scene,  reason 
became  God.  God's  creation  became  the  ma- 
chine of  Newton's  physics. 

Nature  and  Nature's  laws  lay  hid  in  night. 
God  said,  Let  Newton  be,  and  all  was  light. 

Methodism  was  a  reaction  of  the  heart 
against  a  religion  of  the  mind.  No  better  il- 
lustration is  to  be  found  than  John  Wesley's 
conversion  experience  on  Aldersgate  Street  in 
London,  May  24,  1738:  "About  a  quarter  before 
nine,  while  he  was  describing  the  change  which 
God  works  in  the  heart  through  faith  in  Christ, 


b 


i 


T 

HE  Lord  God  opened  to  me  by  his  invisible  power,  how  every 
man  was  enlightened  by  the  divine  light  of  Christ.  I  saw  it  shine 
through  all,  and  they  that  believed  in  it  came  out  of  condemnation 
to  the  light  of  life,  and  became  the  children  of  it;  but  they  that 
hated  it,  and  did  not  believe  in  it,  were  condemned  by  it,  though 
they  made  a  profession  of  Christ. 

—  George  Fox 


I     felt     my     heart     strangely 
warmed.    I  felt  I  did  trust  in 
Christ,  Christ  alone,  for  salva- 
tion. .  .  ."    One  is  justified  by 
ti  faith  through  the  experience  of 
li'  conversion.  F.  A.  Norwood  has 
cisaid  of  early  Methodism,  "At 
ill  the   center   of  the   movement 
ti  was  not  a  changed  organization 
I  or  a  changed  service  of  wor- 
I  ship,  but  a  changed  person." 

John  Wesley  had  not  come 
I  to  this  easily.  Born  the  fifteenth 
|  of  seventeen  children  of  Samuel 
;  and  Suzanna  Wesley,  he  had 
{  been  brought  up  in  the  strict 
:  tradition  of  a  pious  clerical 
I  household.  His  systematic  and 
I  disciplined  character  manifest- 
;  ed  itself  in  the  "Holy  Club"  at 
Oxford,  where  he  and  his 
I  friends  were  called  methodists 
1  because  they  mapped  out  every 
;  minute  of  the  day  with  so  much 
i  method. 

Like  Luther  he  was  striving 
for    perfection,    but    was    not 
satisfied  with  the  results.    He 
!  took   a   trip   to   Georgia   as   a 
young    priest    to    convert    the 
Indians.    On  the  boat  he  met 
|  some  Moravians  who  impressed 
him  very  much.    After  his  re- 
turn   to    England,    it    was    a 
\  Moravian,    Peter   Bohler,    who 
had  a  lot  to  do  with  Wesley's 
conversion.      Bohler     advised, 
"Preach  faith  until   you   have 
it,  and  then  when  you  have  it, 
you  will  preach  faith." 

Discipleship  as  Protest 

Fox  was  antichurch,  antif  orm, 
anti-institutional.  He  would 
walk  into  church,  refuse  to  take 
off  his  hat,  and  often  interrupt 


the  preacher  in  the  middle  of 
the  sermon.  If  thrown  out, 
he  would  mount  a  tombstone 
in  the  church  cemetery  and 
preach  there  until  taken  to  the 
local  jail.  He  refused  to  take 
off  his  hat  or  bow  to  any  in 
authority  as  was  the  custom  of 
his  day.  A  Brethren  Service 
worker  who  saw  three  Quakers 
bow  in  their  audience  with  the 
pope  remarked  that  George  Fox 
must  have  turned  over  in  his 
grave  two  or  three  times. 

He  wanted  to  get  rid  of 
everything  that  had  been  added 
to  the  Bible  by  the  Catholics. 
He  would  not  speak  of  March, 
which  comes  from  Mars,  the 
god  of  war,  or  about  the  other 
names  of  our  days  and  months. 
The  Quakers  say  simply,  "First 
day,  second  month."  The 
Quakers  gave  up  baptism,  the 
Lord's  Supper,  pulpits,  ritual, 
creeds,  and  ministers.  "We 
need  nothing  outward  to  bring 
us  to  God." 

When  the  doors  of  his  own 
church  were  closed  to  him, 
Wesley,  like  Fox,  began  the 
scandalous  practice  of  outdoor 
preaching.  He  preached  any- 
where, everywhere,  and  most 
of  the  time.  In  England  he 
traveled  on  his  horse  an  equiva- 
lent to  a  distance  ten  times 
around  the  world.  In  one  fif- 
teen-year period  he  preached 
40,000  sermons.  If  alive  today 
and  following  the  same  pattern, 
he  would  not  be  content  just  to 
ride  on  a  train,  he  would  prob- 
ably be  preaching  in  the  aisle. 

He  rode  his  horse  with  a 
loose  rein,  and  as  he  rode,  he 


read  history,  poetry,  philoso- 
phy, in  English,  in  Latin,  and 
in  Greek.  The  common  people, 
who  had  been  outside  the 
church,  heard  him  gladly,  even 
though  on  occasion  he  was 
bombarded  with  rotten  eggs. 

After  conversion  the  people 
joined  societies  and  classes.  The 
class  meeting  was  composed  of 
twelve  people,  over  whom  pre- 
sided a  leader.  This  was  a  dis- 
ciplined group.  Each  member 
was  given  a  ticket.  Wesley 
wrote  to  one  class  leader:  "Our 
rule  is  to  meet  a  class  once  a 
week,  not  once  in  two  or  three. 
I  now  give  you  warning:  I  will 
give  tickets  to  none  in  February 
but  those  that  have  done  this." 
This  disciplined  group  within 
the  church  eventually  became  a 
church,  contrary  to  the  wishes 
of  Wesley,  who  remained  an 
Anglican  priest  all  of  his  life. 
He  had  wanted  to  revive  the 
Church  of  England,  not  divide 
it. 

When  the  church  is  anemic 
and  corrupt,  discipleship  might 
mean  protest  as  it  did  for  Fox 
and  to  a  lesser  degree  to  Wes- 
ley. This  truth  is  stated  very 
clearly  by  Robert  Calhoun  in 
his  address  to  the  Oberlin  Con- 
ference on  Church  and  Order: 
"Even  our  divisions  and  dissen- 
sions .  .  .  bear  witness  —  some- 
times in  tortured  ways  —  to 
God's  demands  for  devotion  to 
truth,  as  well  as  to  man's  fre- 
quent confusion  as  to  what  is 
true." 

Discipleship  as  Sanctification 

As  in  the  case  of  the  Pietists, 
Fox  and  Wesley  emphasized 
ethical  living.  In  spite  of  his 
extreme  nonconformity,  Fox 
was  a  radiant,  loving  spirit.  The 
Quakers  soon  interested  them- 
selves in  admirable  programs  of 
social  service,  including  an 
emphasis  on  peacemaking  as 
they  were  pacifists,  antislavery 


APRIL  9,   1960 


15 


_fjY  Christian  perfection  I  mean  (1)  loving  God  with  all  our 
heart;  (2)  a  heart  and  life  all  devoted  to  God;  (3)  regaining  the 
whole  image  of  God;  (4)  having  all  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ; 
(5)  walking  uniformly  as  Christ  walked. 

—  John  Wesley 


teaching,  work  in  prisons  and 
asylums,  and  industrial  welfare. 
Even  the  cynical  Voltaire  was 
forced  to  grudging  admiration 
of  these  devoted  seekers. 

In  addition  to  an  emphasis 
on  the  experience  of  justifica- 
tion, Wesley  taught  the  experi- 
ence of  sanctification.  This  led 
to  his  controversial  doctrine  of 
perfection.  He  never  claimed 
this  for  himself.  He  never 
maintained  that  it  was  a  state 
from  which  one  could  not  fall. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  would 
not  doubt  the  testimony  of 
those  who  claimed  this  state  of 
being  in  perfect  love. 

This  doctrine  bequeathed  to 
Methodism    a    radical    ethical 


emphasis.  As  a  proof  of  his 
preaching,  he  said,  "I  will  show 
you  him  that  was  a  lion  till 
then,  and  is  now  a  lamb;  him 
that  was  a  drunkard  and  is  now 
sober."  Someone  put  it  well 
when  he  said  that  Wesley  pro- 
vided a  vital  synthesis  in  com- 
bining the  Reformers'  pessi- 
mism regarding  man  with  an 
unqualified  optimism  in  the 
possibilities  of  grace. 

Coming  out  of  the  same 
historical  period  the  Brethren 
have  felt  akin  in  many  ways  to 
the  followers  of  George  Fox 
and  John  Wesley,  and  we  can 
appreciate  with  them  the  zeal, 
the  courage,  and  the  holiness  of 
these  men  of  faith. 


The  Miracle  of  Forgiveness 


WE  CALL  the  day  Good  Fri- 
day but  it  was  not  good.  It 
was  a  bad  Black  Friday.  An 
execution  had  taken  place.  The 
wicked,  the  executioners,  and  the 
idle  centered  their  attention  on  the 
once  splendid  figure  that  was  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.  Suddenly  there  burst 
forth  from  his  lips  the  cry:  "Father, 
forgive  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do."  It  was  like  an  Easter 
lily  blooming  in  a  garbage  heap. 

Here  was  a  breath  of  purity  in  an 
atmosphere  saturated  with  evil.  The 
Son  of  God  was  asking  forgive- 
ness for  his  tormentors,  for  his  mur- 
derers. 

It  was  a  noble  and  a  magnificent 
thing  to  do,  but  it  seemed  so  fool- 
hardy. For  who  among  that  throng 
found  forgiveness  save  the  repentant 
thief? 

There  was  one  who  was  not  pres- 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Ellis  G.  Guthrie 

ent  who  needed  forgiveness  des- 
perately. He  had  been  convinced  of 
Jesus'  innocence.  He  had  no  ill  will 
against  him.  Yet  in  order  to  preserve 
the  status  quo  of  his  own  life  —  a 
status  quo  that  was  the  result  of 
vainglory  and  selfish  ambition  —  he, 
Pontius  Pilate,  consented  to  the 
death  of  the  innocent.  He  received 
no  forgiveness  because  he  did  not 
seek  it.  Instead  he  went  his  own 
cowardly  way.  And  while  some  tra- 
dition speaks  favorably  of  him,  the 
greater  part  has  him  dying  a  death 
of  the  unforgiven. 

Herod  Antipas  also  needed  for- 
giveness. He  sought  to  amuse  him- 
self with  Jesus.  And  when  his 
amusement  was  not  satisfied  he 
turned  his  back  on  the  Son  of  God, 
never  thinking  that  he  might  do 
something  for  him.  He  received  no 
forgiveness,  for  in  his  depravity  he 


was  not  capable  of  feeling  his  need 
for  forgiveness. 

Annas  and  Caiaphas  needed  for- 
giveness above  all  men.  They  had, 
plotted  and  schemed  and  lied  and! 
bribed  to  put  to  death  the  One  who 
was  above  such  treachery.  But  they; 
received  no  forgiveness  because  they', 
believed  they  were  above  the  need 
of  forgiveness.  In  their  self -induced 
blindness  they  had  declared  them- 
selves God  in  their  attempt  to  judge 
and  to  kill  one  who  by  word  and 
deed  had  shown  he  was  God. 

Nor  is  there  any  record  that  the 
soldiers  received  forgiveness.  They 
did  not  even  know  their  deed  re- 
quired it.  They  had,  like  puppets, 
carried  out  their  orders  not  consid-  . 
ering  that  at  the  last  it  is  to  God,  I 
not  to  men,  not  to  government,  not 
to  the  state,  that  one  must  give  a 
final  accounting.  As  they  marched 
Jesus  to  his  death,  so  they  marched 
into  infamy  and  oblivion.  And  there 
is  no  evidence  that  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees  received  forgiveness.  In  . 
their  fanaticism  and  religious  bigotry 
they  did  not  know  what  forgiveness 
was. 

Why  then  did  Jesus  make  his  plea 
to  God?  Could  it  be  that  there  were 
yet  to  come  those  who  would  crucify 
him?  There  are  those  of  us  today 
who  are  willing  to  sacrifice  the  spir- 
itual in  order  to  maintain  our  present 
prestige  or  who  love  sinful  pleasure 
so  much  we  neglect  the  good,  the 
beautiful,  and  the  true,  or  perhaps 
we  are  so  blindly  ambitious  that  we 
let  nothing,  not  even  our  religion 
divert  us  from  our  greedy  goals.  Can 
it  be  that  we  are  religious  like  the 
temple  priests  and  thus  thoughdessly 
continue  in  sin,  or  do  we  like  the 
soldiers  put  the  commandments  of 
men  as  supreme  and  crucify  again 
the  Son  of  God? 

If  so,  we  are  in  great  need  of 
forgiveness,  and  as  yet  it  is  not  too 
late  for  us.  The  plea  of  Jesus,  "Fa- 
ther forgive  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do,"  shall  continue  to 
come  forth  from  his  lips  until  he 
shall  come  forth  as  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords. 

Not  many  received  Christ's  for- 
giveness in  the  day  of  his  death. 
Judas  was  past  forgiveness  for  he 
had  taken  his  own  life.  Pilate,  Her- 
od, Annas,  Caiaphas  and  the  rest 
never  opened  their  hearts  to  receive 
it.  Still  the  repentant  thief  found 
it.  And  Peter  found  it.  If  we  are 
willing  to  humble  ourselves  and  truly 
seek  the  face  of  Christ  we  too  may 
receive  his  forgiveness  and  enter  into 
the  life  divine. 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Material  for  the  Annual  Conference  Booklet  should 
be  sent  to:  Annual  Conference  Secretary,  A.  Stauffer 
Curry,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin, 
111.,  no  later  than  April  15,  in  order  to  get  the  booklet 
into  the  hands  of  district  delegates  at  an  early  date. 

The  La  Verne  community  chorus,  directed  by  Doug- 
las McEwen,  assistant  professor  of  music  at  La  Verne 
College,  has  scheduled  its  spring  concert  for  Sunday, 
May  1,  at  the  La  Verne  Church  of  the  Brethren.  The 
repertoire  this  year  will  include  outstanding  anthems, 
hymn  tune  arrangements,  and  spirituals. 

The  March  BVS  training  unit  participated  on  March 
8  in  the  vigil  at  Fort  Detrick,  Md.,  which  is  protesting 
the  preparation  for  chemical  and  bacteriological  war- 
fare. They  also  met  with  Albert  Bigelow,  the  skipper 
of  the  Golden  Rule,  which  attempted  to  sail  into  nu- 
clear testing  waters.  This  trip  was  a  part  of  the  week's 
course  on  pacifism  conducted  by  Ora  Huston. 

Outstanding  debts  of  between  five  and  ten  per  cent 
and  administrative  expenses  of  between  ten  and  fifteen 
per  cent  were  the  average  for  2,700  estates  of  $10,000 
value  which  were  analyzed  to  determine  the  exact  cost 
of  settlement.  In  supplying  this  information  in  a  Febru- 
ary 1960  release  the  Institute  of  Life  Insurance  men- 
tions the  necessity  of  drawing  up  a  will  and  of  planning 
ahead  to  make  sure  an  estate  will  be  as  nearly  intact 
as  possible. 

The  Saturday  Evening  Post  for  March  26  contains 
an  article,  They  Volunteer  to  Suffer,  which  tells  the 
work  of  the  Brethren  and  Mennonite  volunteers  serving 
as  normal  control  patients  at  the  National  Institutes  of 
Health,  Bethesda,  Md.  Persons  wishing  additional  in- 
formation on  this  type  of  service  may  write  to  the 
Brethren  Service  Commission,  General  Brotherhood 
Board,  Elgin,  111.  Look  magazine  is  also  planning  to 
feature  the  NIH  program  with  normal  control  patients 
in  an  April  or  May  issue. 

The  Western  Region  will  participate  in  a  series  of 
Brethren  Service  training  conferences  during  May. 
The  following  churches  will  be  hosts  to  the  conferences: 
Pueblo,  Colo.,  May  10;  Oklahoma  City,  Okla.,  May  11; 
Newton,  Kansas,  May, 12;  Cherokee  Hills,  Kansas  City, 
Kansas,  May  14;  Lincoln,  Nebr.,  May  14;  and  Panther 
Creek,  Adel,  Iowa,  May  15.  Brotherhood  staff  mem- 
bers leading  the  series  will  be  W.  Harold  Row,  Ralph 
Smeltzer,  Ora  Huston,  James  Renz,  and  a  member  of 
the  New  Windsor  staff.  Similar  conferences  have  re- 
cently been  held  in  the  Eastern,  Southeastern,  and 
Central  regions. 

Special  Easter  Broadcast 

During  Holy  Week  and  on  Easter  the  Power  of  the 
Resurrection,  a  drama  written  by  Henry  Denker,  will  be 
|  shown  on  television  screens  across  the  nation.  Henry 
Denker  is  the  author  of  the  religious  drama  series,  the 
Greatest  Story  Ever  Told.  The  Power  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion tells  the  story  of  Easter  and  Pentecost  through  the 
eyes  of  Peter.  Watch  your  local  TV  listings  for  the  time 
when  it  will  be  shown. 


A  Bethany  Seminary  student  is  eager  to  obtain 
a  copy  of  Gladdys  Muir's  Settlement  of  the  Brethren  on 
the  Pacific  Coast.  Direct  information  concerning  avail- 
able copies  to  Howard  Kaucher,  3435  W.  Van  Buren, 
Chicago  24,  111. 

Dedication 

Stony  Creek  church,  Northwestern  Ohio,  will  dedi- 
cate the  new  educational  wing  on  Sunday,  May  1,  at 
2:00  p.m.  Harper  Will,  pastor  of  the  Lincolnshire 
church,  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind.,  will  speak  at  the  morning 
worship  hour  and  deliver  the  dedicatory  address  in  the 
afternoon.    The  congregation  was  organized  in  1827. 


The  Church  Calendar 
April  10 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Humility  in  the  Kingdom.  Matt. 
5:3-5;  Luke  14:7-14;  16:19-31.  Memory  Selection: 
Everyone  who  exalts  himself  will  be  humbled,  and  he 
who  humbles  himself  will  be  exalted.  Luke  14:11 
(R.S.V.) 

Palm  Sunday 

April  12  Northern  Indiana  Women's  Fellowship  spring 
rally,  Goshen  College,  Goshen 

April  15  Good  Friday 

April  17  Easter 

April  18-22  Regional  interdenominational  camp  leaders' 
conference,  Camp  Hanover,  Richmond,  Va. 

April  22-24  Eastern  Region  conference,  Coventry 

April  23  Southeastern  Region  district  executive  secre- 
taries' meeting,  Bridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  23-24  Southeastern  Region  youth  round  table, 
Bridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  24  Christian  College  Day 

April  24-30  National  Mental  Health  Week 

May  1-8  National  Family  Week 

May  6  May  Fellowship  Day 

May  8  Mother's  Day 

May  13-15  Mardela  and  Eastern  Maryland  recreation 


With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 

Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Israel  Gorden  of  New  Paris,  Ind.,  in  the  Wawaka 
church,  Ind.,  April  10-13. 

Bro.  X.  L.  Coppock  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  in  the  Water- 
loo church,  Iowa,  April   10-17. 

Bro.  Jesse  W.  Whitacre  of  Keyser,  W.  Va.,  in  the 
Bunkertown  church,  Pa.,  April  11-24;  in  the  Mingo  church, 
Pa.,  May  8-15. 

Bro.  Oscar  R.  Fike  of  Goshen,  Ind.,  in  the  East  Peters- 
burg church,  Pa.,  April  11-17. 

Bro.  Wilmer  Hurst  of  Collinsville,  Va.,  in  the  Fraternity 
church,  N.  C,  April  11-14. 

Bro.  Owen  Preston  of  Burlington,  W.  Va.,  in  the  White 
Pine  church,  Purgitsville,  W.  Va.,  April  25  —  May  8. 

Bro.  H.  James  Pearson  of  Everett,  Pa.,  in  the  Amaranth 
church,  May  8-15. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Green- 
mount  church,  Va.,  May  10-22. 


APRIL  9,  1960 


17 


James  Renz,  third  from  left,  with  guest  leaders  at  the  Brethren  Homes  Conference, 
from  left:    Clark  Tibbits,  Wilma  Donahue,  E.  Everett  Ashley  III 


INDEPENDENCE  ADVISED  FOR  HOMES 

♦  Recognition  of  aging  persons'  desire  for  independence  and  individuality 
was  urged  by  two  experts  on  the  care  of  the  aging  at  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Homes'  Conference  in  Columbus,  Ohio. 

Speaking  to  sixty-five  representatives  of  thirteen  Brethren  homes  in 
February  were  Dr.  Wilma  Donahue,  gerontologist  at  the  University  of 
Michigan,  and  Clark  Tibbits,  program-planning  chief  on  the  special  staff 
of  the  aging  for  the  U.S.  Department  of  Health,  Education,  and  Welfare. 

Miss  Donahue,  one  of  the  nation's  foremost  authorities  on  the  aging, 
said  the  homes  must  provide  the  aging,  first  of  all,  with  homes,  not  substi- 
tutes for  the  real  thing. 

"Happiness  is  not  built  by  brick  and  mortar  but  in  large  part  by  human 
relatedness,"  she  said.  Deploring  ward  arrangements  of  a  former  day  in 
which  the  elderly  were  "begrudgingly  given  minimal  quarters  and  custodial 
protection,"  Miss  Donahue  commended  institutions  which  do  not  force 
relatedness  but  which  foster  individuality,  privacy,  and  natural  opportunities 
for  companionship  among  residents. 

Mr.  Tibbits,  discussing  the  desires  and  abilities  of  today's  aging  popula- 
tion, noted  that  older  people,  besides  wishing  to  retain  "independence  and 
autonomy,"  want  to  "remain  in  the  stream  of  life."  Increasingly,  he  said, 
they  "have  capacities  for  independence  and  self-sufficiency." 

Earlier  John  Eller,  administrator  of  Bethany  Hospital  in  Chicago,  hit 
the  concept  that  a  church-related  social  welfare  institution  should  serve 
only  members  of  the  sponsoring  denomination.  This  policy  is  inconsistent 
with  the  motive  for  Christian  service,  he  contended,  adding  that  such  a 
view  has  not  characterized  Brethren  mission  and  service  programs  generally. 

James  Renz  of  Elgin,  111.,  Brotherhood  director  of  social  welfare, 
reported  that  about  one  third  of  the  more  than  eight  hundred  residents  of 
the  denomination's  homes  are  non-Brethren.  Urging  research  as  a  key 
to  planning  for  expansion  of  homes  for  the  aging  in  the  next  decade,  he 
emphasized  that  the  church  must  study  "the  scope  and  purposes  of  its 
ministry  as  well  as  the  needs  of  the  aging." 

The  administrators  and  trustees  of  the  Brethren  homes  voted  to  affiliate 
next  year  with  the  American  Protestant  Hospital  Association  and  hold  its 
meeting  simultaneously  with  the  APHA  Conference  in  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
Jan.  30  -  Feb.  2. 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Mission  Co-operation 

in 

Business  Affairs 

Amsey  F.  Bollinger 

♦  "Now,  Mr.  Crook,  when  will  you 
pay  back  this  loan?" 

The  speaker  was  Florence  Bol- 
linger, and  Mr.  Crook  was  a  British 
missionary  who  had  just  arrived 
from  England  by  ship  and  was  short 
of  money.  He  had  come  to  ask 
Amsey  Bollinger  for  a  loan,  but 
he  was  out.  So,  in  spite  of  a  not 
very  reassuring  name,  Florence  and 
two  guests  scraped  together  the 
equivalent  of  $100  to  help  this  mis- 
sionary family  out  of  a  tight  spot. 

Helping  missionaries  and  other 
Christian  workers  is  the  main  busi- 
ness of  the  Inter-Mission  Business 
Office  in  Bombay,  India.  It  is  a 
co-operative  venture  started  nearly 
twenty  years  ago  by  Lynn  Blicken- 
staff  and  the  India  treasurers  of  the 
Methodist  and  Congregational  mis- 
sions. There  are  now  four  co-operat- 
ing missions  that  are  responsible  for 
the  office.  Each  of  these  has  a 
missionary  manager  in  the  office 
who  is  the  treasurer  of  his  respective 
mission.  One  of  the  benefits  of  this 
arrangement  is  that  when  one  of 
the  missionaries  is  out  of  the  office, 
his  work  is  distributed  among  the 
others. 

Besides  the  four  missions,  the 
office  serves  eighty  other  missions 
or  missionary  institutions  —  truly  an 
ecumenical  venture.  The  chief  types 
of  service  are:  arranging  for  ship, 
plane,  rail,  or  hotel  reservations; 
meeting  ships  and  helping  incoming 
missionaries  through  customs  for- 
malities; handling  their  foreign  ex- 
change; securing  import  permits  and 
arranging  for  clearing  freight  ship- 
ments; supplying  all  kinds  of  infor- 
mation verbally  or  by  letter;  and 
running  errands  for  missionaries  who 
are  located  far  away  from  city  shop- 
ping centers. 

Your  Brethren  treasurer  lives  in 
a  four-bedroom  flat  which  is  used 
as  a  guest  home  for  missionaries  and 
other  Christian  workers  passing 
through  the  city.  Florence  is  in 
charge  of  this  part  of  the  work. 
This  is  a  much  appreciated  service 
in  a  city  where  hotels  are  either 
substandard  or  else  beyond  the  fi- 
nancial reach  of  most  missionaries. 
An  indication  of  its  popularity  is  that 
many  people  write  for  reservations 
six  months  in  advance,  and  as  much 


as  ten  months!  Any  American  Breth- 
ren who  may  come  to  Bombay  will 
find  a  welcome  here. 

Living  in  this  home  brings  us  in 
I  contact  with  guests  from  Norway 
and  Tasmania,  California  and  Viet 
j  Nam,  and  nearly  every  country  be- 
I  tween.  Our  lives  are  enriched  by 
B  contacts  with  such  a  variety  of  peo- 
ple, and  it  is  encouraging  to  learn 
b  at  first  hand  that  there  are  many 
t  earnest  dedicated  Christian  people 
I  in  the  world  in  addition  to  the 
i   Brethren. 

In  each  guest  room  is  the  follow- 
I  ing  notice:  "This  home  is  a  con- 
r  tribution  by  the  Church  of  the 
I  Brethren  to  the  world-wide  work  of 
I  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  church 
I  pays  the  rent;  hence,  we  charge 
l  guests  only  enough  to  cover  running 
I  expenses.  We  welcome  missionaries 
I  and  other  Christian  workers  of  all 
I  denominations,  and  we  echo  Jesus' 
I  prayer  for  us  —  that  we  may  all  be 
one  in  him." 

That  is  the  aim  and  prayer  domi- 
nating this  office  and  home  —  that 
we  may  all  be  one.  Much  of  our 
work  is  routine  and  sometimes  tedi- 
ous, but  it  is  a  necessary  part  of 
the  total  mission  program.  When 
we  get  a  bit  tired  or  bored  with 
running  errands  or  answering  simple 
questions,  we  remind  ourselves  that 
we  are  saving  the  time  and  energy 
of  those  who  are  doing  the  primary 
work  of  missions  —  bringing  the 
good  news  of  the  gospel  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  world. 

Ecuador  Church  Council  Adopts 
Resolution  to  Tithe 

A  recent  council  meeting  of  the 
church  in  Ecuador  ended  with  a 
resolution  adopted  by  all  to  accept 
the  recommendation  that  all  mem- 
bers tithe  so  that  the  church  can 
be  adequate  as  to  facilities  for  its 
ministry  and  that  it  be  constructed 
rapidly.  The  chairman  of  the  build- 
ing committee  is  an  Indian  (Andres 
Guaman)  and  the  six-member  com- 
mittee has  three  other  Indians,  one 
white  and  a  missionary. 

Church  interest  and  attendance 
have  been  high.  This  can  be  attrib- 
uted to  several  factors,  among  which 
are  undoubtedly,  first,  greater  partic- 
ipation and  direction  of  church  work 
by  nationals  with  missionaries  only 
in  secondary  positions;  and,  second, 
that  the  church  has  purchased  prop- 
erty on  which  to  build  and  is  organ- 
izing its  forces  for  the  purpose  of 
having  its  own  plant  as  soon  as 
possible. 


MISSION    OF    THE    SEVENTY 

J.F  ANNUAL  CONFERENCE  is  the  highlight  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  year  in  the  States,  the  Nigerian  annual  conference  is  no  less  the 
high  point  for  missionaries  in  Africa. 

Especially  is  this  true  of  the  missionaries  in  Jos.  "We  are,  so  to  speak, 
on  an  island  more  than  400  miles  from  the  mainland  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  mission  area,"  pointed  out  W.  A.  Martin,  chaplain  of  Hillcrest 
School  which  is  located  in  the  highland  town  of  Jos.  "So,  it  is  with  joy 
that  we  anticipate  our  jaunt  to  what  is  commonly  called  the  'bush.'  " 

At  Garkida,  the  administrative  headquarters  of  the  mission,  the  mission- 
aries gathered  seventy  strong  for  a  week  of  fellowship,  business,  inspiration, 
prayer,  and  worship.  H.  Stover  Kulp  gave  the  opening  address  on  Jan.  20. 
Bob  Hess  presided  as  moderator.  Howard  Michael,  father  of  Herbert 
Michael,  who  with  his  wife  is  in  Garkida  on  an  extended  visit,  shared  with 
the  group  some  of  his  observations  and  reflections  on  the  missionary's 
relationship  to  the  home  church.  A  thought-provoking  discussion  on  the 
theme,  Fellowship  and  Identification  With  Our  Nigerian  Brethren,  continued 
into  the  second  day. 

Each  morning  the  early  devotional  period  was  led  by  Herbert  Michael. 
Special  numbers  in  music  were  presented  by  Elsie  Hall,  Mary  Anna  Peter- 
sime,  the  ladies'  trio  from  Lassa,  Ruth  Halladay  and  Larry  Diehl's  duet, 
Irven  Stern,  and  a  choir  group.  The  African  annual  conference,  like  its 
counterpart  in  America,  is  favored  with  capable,  accomplished  musicians, 
enabling  music  to  add  spiritual  spice  to  worship. 

The  periods  of  prayer  closing  the  evening  services  were  the  outstanding 
feature  of  the  whole  get-together,  many  missionaries  felt. 

Ivan  Eikenberry  led  the  final  session  of  conference  under  the  stars 
around  an  open  campfire.  "It  was  what  our  Anglican  brothers  might  call 
a  dry  communion  —  dry  in  that  we  did  not  actually  have  the  sacraments 
since  we  did  not  want  to  do  it  exclusive  of  African  brethren,"  Martin 
reported. 

Under  the  speaker's  direction  the  group  thought  through  the  major 
doctrines  and  through  the  love  feast  service.  Then  in  the  tradition  of  annual 
conference  wherever  it  is  held,  the  worshipers  reaffirmed  their  faith, 
reconsecrated  their  lives,  and  went  forth  to  carry  out  the  mission  of  their 
Lord. 

Consolidated  Church  Under  Construction  at  Brownsville 

♦  A  new  church  which  will  consolidate  the  three  churches  of  the  Brownsville 
congregation  in  Middle  Maryland  is  under  construction  at  a  site  one  mile 
south  of  Brownsville.  Work  started  with  the  excavation  on  Oct.  12  and 
the  structure  is  expected  to  be  ready  for  occupancy  by  later  summer. 

The  new  church  is  on  a  hill  overlooking  the  beautiful  Pleasant  Valley 
and  commands  a  view  of  most  of  the  territory  served  by  the  present  three 
churches,  as  well  as  points  of  scenic  and  historic  interest. 

Present  efforts  to  unite  the  three  churches  go  back  to  1951,  when  a 
study  group  was  appointed.  This  study  culminated  in  the  purchase  in 
December  1955  of  a  127-acre  farm  once  owned  by  Elder  Eli  Yourtee.  Since 
then  a  new  cemetery  has  been  established  on  the  farm,  a  residential  area 
of  about  20  building  lots  has  been  set  up  and  named  Brownsville  Heights, 
the  farmhouse  has  been  remodeled  and  made  into  a  comfortable  parsonage, 


APRIL  9,  1960 


19 


and  now  the  congregation  is  making  plans  for  a  complete  consolidation 
of  its  program  before  the  summer  is  over. 

An  improved  highway  is  being  built  through  the  valley  and  will  pass 
near  the  new  church,  while  one-half  mile  to  the  south  a  new  consolidated 
six-room  elementary  school  is  scheduled  to  be  built  this  year.  These  and 
other  social  and  economic  changes  have  made  the  consolidation  of  the 
churches  imperative. 

Plans  for  the  church,  drawn  up  by  Architect  Arthur  L.  Dean,  call  for 
a  first  unit  of  an  educational  building  129  by  36  feet  and  a  fellowship  hall 
80  by  36  feet.  The  second  unit  to  be  built  later  will  be  the  sanctuary.  The 
contractor  for  the  job  is  Scott  Barber  of  Hagerstown.  Building  committee 
chairman  is  Ralph  S.  Kaetzel.  —  Newton  L.  Poling,  pastor. 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


They  Teach  Us  to  Pray.  Reginald 
E.  O.  White.  Harper,  1958.  204 
pages.   $3.00. 

Reginald  White  approaches  prayer 
through  the  spiritual  experiences  of 
Biblical  characters.  Believing  that 
truth  is  best  communicated  through 
personality,  the  author  carefully  ex- 
amines the  prayer  life  of  sixteen 
Old  Testament  worthies  from  Abra- 
ham to  Nehemiah  and  of  Jesus,  who 
know  supremely  how  to  pray.  The 
variety  of  subjects  treated  through 
such  a  method  is  amazing.  Equally 
impressive  are  the  author's  spiritual 
insight  and  literary  power.  The  pen 
he  wields  is  facile,  concise,  per- 
suasive, and  often  brilliant. 

Depth  of  spiritual  insight  and  the 
self-authenticating  note  of  personal 
experience  and  conviction  will  make 
this  a  guidebook  to  the  higher  spir- 
itual life  for  those  who  pause  long 
enough  to  ponder  its  truths  and  to 
examine  their  own  heart  and  mo- 
tives. —  David  ].  Wieand,  Chicago, 
III. 

The  Measure  of  a  Man.  Martin 
Luther  King,  Jr.  Christian  Educa- 
tion Press,  1959.    34  pages.    $1.00. 

A  valuable  little  book  presenting 
in  two  brief  addresses  some  of  the 
author's  belief  in  the  fundamental 
truths  of  human  existence.  His  con- 
cern for  justice  and  brotherhood  and 
nonviolent  methods  in  human  rela- 
tionships are  based  on  his  serious 
commitment  to  the  Christian  faith. 
The  two  messages  were  given  at 
Purdue  University  in  1958  on  the 
occasion  of  the  first  National  Con- 
ference on  Christian  Education  in 
the  United  Church  of  Christ  and 
have  been  printed  in  the  book  form 
for  a  wider  distribution.  Martin 
Luther  King,  Jr.,  has  an  impressive 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


and  brilliant  way  of  bringing  vitality 
and  reverence  to  the  meaning  of  the 
gospel  for  our  day.  —  Edith  Barnes, 
Elgin,  III. 

Footprints  of  a  Dream.  Howard 
Thurman.  Harper,  1959.  157  pages. 
$3.00. 

This  is  the  dramatic  story  of  the 
Church  of  the  Fellowship  of  All 
Peoples  in  San  Francisco.  Dr. 
Thurman  was  a  co-founder.  He  tells 
the  details  of  the  story,  some  of  the 
obstacles  faced  and  surmounted, 
some  of  the  hopes  and  dreams,  and 
how  they  were  realized  through 
prayerful  struggle  toward  under- 
standing within  the  church  and  in 
the  community. 

The  chapter  entitled,  The  Letter 
and  the  Spirit,  is  most  helpful  in 
dealing  with  the  philosophy  of  wor- 
ship. Dr.  Thurman  gives  specific  il- 
lustrations, and  these  carry  some  of 
what  must  have  been  great  times 
of  inspiration  for  the  church  as  it 
met  in  worship  together. 

In  these  times  when  the  Christian 
church  especially  is  troubled  about 
its  segregation  even  within  the 
church,  this  book  is  highly  relevant 
and  helpful.  —  W.  Glenn  McFadden, 
Elgin,  III. 

'Conversion.  E.  Stanley  Jones. 
Abingdon,  1959.   253  pages.    $3.25. 

The  author  has  given  us  the  most 
helpful  book  on  conversion  that  I 
have  seen.  It  deserves  to  become  a 
classic.  He  discusses  the  urgent  need 
for  conversion,  documented  by  doc- 
tors, psychiatrists,  and  persons  in  all 
walks  and  conditions  of  life. 

His  description  of  the  nature  of 
conversion  is  given  in  clear,  simple 
language,  free  from  the  usual  the- 
ological verbiage,  which  may  be  dif- 
ficult for  the  average  layman.  Then 
he  discusses  most  helpfully  the  con- 


version of  "self,"  and  of  our  'love," 
again  doing  it  simply  and  document- 
ing with  actual  cases. 

There  is  a  long  chapter  on  Cases 
of  Conversion,  covering  modern 
people  of  all  kinds.  In  succeeding 
chapters,  he  points  up  the  "fruits 
of  conversion,"  the  "effect  of  con- 
version on  health,"  and  the  "con- 
version and  religious  education." 
Finally,  there  is  a  most  helpful  chap- 
ter on  the  "how  of  conversion." 

This  book  will  be  of  great  help 
to  those  seeking  Christ,  to  those 
seeking  a  richer,  fuller  Christian  life, 
and  to  all  ministers  and  Christian 
workers.  —  Charles  E.  Zunkel,  Port 
Republic,  Va. 

The     Upper    Room    Companion. 

Edited  by  Gerald  O.  McCulloh.  Up- 
per Room,  1959.  336  pages.  $1.00. 
Here  is  a  new  venture  in  devotion- 
al reading.  It  is  prepared  by  Chris- 
tian teachers  and  leaders  from  this 
country  and  abroad.  It  is  written 
for  theological  students,  theological 
teachers,  and  professional  church 
workers.  Each  writer  prepares  his 
meditations  on  a  basic  theme  for  a 
week.  And  it  spans  the  whole  year. 
It  is  intended  that  church  leaders 
using  this  devotional  book  will  also 
acquaint  themselves  with  the  Upper 
Room  booklet  for  laymen.  The 
jacket  provides  a  place  to  carry  a 
copy  of  The  Upper  Room.  So  the 
professional  leader  has  devotional 
materials  geared  to  his  life,  and  he 
may  at  the  same  time  keep  abreast 
of  the  devotional  nurture  of  his  lay- 
men. There  is  good  material  here 
for  ministers  also.  The  book  is  a 
worthy  venture  and  deserves  wide 
usage  among  leaders.  —  Glen  Wei- 
mer,  Arlington,  Va. 

The  Church  Plans  for  Kin- 
dergarten Children.  Kathrene  Mc- 
Landress  Tobey.  Westminster,  1959. 
192  pages.    $2.75. 

The  general  characteristics  of  the 
four-  and  five-year-old  child's  physi- 
cal, mental,  emotional,  and  social 
growth  are  given  and  the  relation- 
ship of  these  conditions  to  the 
techniques  of  Christian  nurture. 

The  last  chapter,  The  Adults  Chil- 
dren Need,  is  especially  helpful  in 
pointing  out  ways  adults  can  help 
children  and  the  challenge  that  four- 
and  five-year-olds  need  to  be  persons 
in  the  church,  persons  recognized 
and  wanted  by  adults,  helped  and 
understood  by  adults,  nurtured  in 
Christian  love  at  all  times  by  the 
adults  of  the  church.  A  delightful 
book!  —  Glee  Yoder,  McPherson, 
Kansas. 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
•  that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
i  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
I  address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


In  what  ways  and  to  what  extent  is 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  In- 
dia participating  in  the  proposed 
plan  of  church  union  in  North 
India? 

Before  I  attempt  to  answer  the 
question,  it  is  very  essential  to  give 
a  short  history  of  the  plan  of  church 
union  in  North  India. 

India  is  a  country  of  many  reli- 
gions and  castes.  In  considering  the 
population  of  the  country,  the  Chris- 
tians are  as  a  drop  in  the  ocean. 
The  Christians  number  barely  one 
in  fifty  of  the  whole  population. 
Moreover  the  Christians  are  divided 
into  many  denominations.  Christians 
claim  to  be  one  because  they  believe 
in  one  God,  one  baptism,  one  faith, 
and  one  Savior.  However,  in  reality, 
they  are  not  one.  And  somewhat 
due  to  the  divisions,  the  Christian 
witness  is  not  so  strong  and  effective 
as  it  ought  to  be.  If  the  church 
in  India  wants  to  be  a  strong  church, 
it  must  unite.  Christians  should  five 
and  work  together. 

So  it  is  that  the  church  in  India 
feels  that  those  who  belong  to  Christ 
openly  and  visibly  should  be  one 
family.  This  has  led  the  church  in 
North  India  to  seek  for  unity.  It 
was  felt  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
guiding  us  in  this  movement. 

The  origin  of  church  union  in 
North  India  lies  way  back  in  the 
first  decade  of  the  twentieth  century. 
The  churches  in  India  found  ex- 
pression in  the  Edinburgh  Confer- 
ence in  1910,  in  the  meeting  at 
Tranquebar  in  South  India  in  1919, 
and  in  the  appeal  of  the  Lambeth 
Conference  of  1920.  The  result  of 
this  was  a  Roundtable  Conference 
in  1929.  The  second  Roundtable 
Conference  met  in  1930,  when  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  sent  a  fra- 
ternal delegate.  A  continuation  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  carry  on 
its  work.  This  committee  prepared 
a  definite  "basis  of  negotiation," 
which  was  revised  and  accepted  at 
the  third  Roundtable  Conference  at 
Lucknow  in  1937. 

Since  then  the  work  was  contin- 
ued and  the  result  was  the  first 
meeting  of  a  definite  "negotiating 
committee,"  held  in  1951.  After 
several  meetings  of  the  negotiating 


committee  a  revised  edition  of  the 
plan  was  published  in  1954.  The 
plan  was  published  in  different  lan- 
guages for  the  members  of  all  the 
negotiating  churches  to  study  care- 
fully. Our  church  has  been  taking 
active  part  in  the  negotiating  com- 
mittee since  1954.  The  negotiating 
committee  met  again  in  1957  and 
approved  the  third  revised  edition 
of  the  plan.  Six  representatives  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  were 
present  in  this  meeting.  The  com- 
mittee again  met  in  the  month  of 
December,  1959. 

The  following  churches  are  repre- 
sented in  the  negotiating  committee: 
The  Council  of  the  Baptist  Churches 
in  North  India,  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  India,  the  Disciples  of 
Christ,  the  Church  of  India,  Pak- 
istan, Burma  and  Ceylon,  the  Meth- 
odist Church  (British  and  Australian 
Conference),  the  Methodist  Church 
in  Southern  Asia,  and  the  United 
Church  of  Northern  India  (the  un- 
ion of  twelve  different  Presbyterian 
churches ) . 

The  plan  of  union  has  been  sub- 
mitted to  the  negotiating  bodies 
with  hope  that  the  final  decision 
be  made  with  careful  study  and 
prayer.  The  plan  is  now  before  the 
district  meetings,  first  and  second 
districts,  for  the  final  decision  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  The 
district  meetings  may  pass  it  or  reject 
it.  I  hope  and  pray  that  the  plan 
will  be  accepted  by  our  church.  I 
personally  believe  in  the  union,  but 
it  is  up   to  the  districts  to   decide. 

I  would  like  to  draw  your  atten- 
tion to  some  of  the  controversial 
aspects  of  the  plan  on  which  con- 
siderable thinking  has  been  done. 
Those  are  the  unification  of  the  min- 
istry of  baptism  and  of  holy  com- 
munion. The  explanation  given  in 
the  plan  is  as  below: 

"The  ordained  ministry  of  the 
Church  of  North  India  and  Pakistan 
shall  consist  of  bishops,  presbyters 
and  deacons. 

"Baptism  shall  be  administered 
with  water  by  immersion  or  affusion, 
or  sprinkling  in  the  name  of  the 
Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

"Both  infant  baptism  and  believ- 
er's baptism  shall  be  accepted   al- 


ternative practices  in  the  Church  of 
North  India  and  Pakistan. 

"Any  form  of  holy  communion 
which  before  the  union  was  in  use 
in  any  of  the  uniting  churches  may 
be  used  in  the  Church  of  North 
India  and  Pakistan,  and  any  presby- 
ter and  congregation  shall  have  free- 
dom to  choose  the  form  of  service 
which  they  shall  use." 

I  personally  believe  that  by  unit- 
ing with  the  Church  of  North  India, 
the  Brethren  may  still  be  Brethren 
and  may  be  more  Brethren.  If  we 
are  really  Brethren  why  should  we 
fear  to  unite  with  other  Christians? 
If  we  have  the  Brethren  spirit  no 
one  on  earth  will  be  able  to  change 
our  faith.  In  doing  so  we  are  fulfill- 
ing the  prayer  of  our  Lord  and 
Savior:  "That  they  may  all  be  one. 
...  so  the  world  may  believe  that 
thou  has  sent  me."  I  am  sure  that 
your  prayers  and  advice  will  be  of 
great  help  to  the  church  in  India. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  greatest  con- 
tribution which  has  been  made  by 
the  churches  in  India  to  the  world- 
wide church  is  the  movement 
towards  church  union.  I  am  not  in 
a  position  to  advise  the  Brethren  in 
America,  but  it  is  true  that  the  time 
has  come  to  think  seriously  concern- 
ing one  world  and  one  church,  the 
universal  or  ecumenical  church. 

We  are  disciples  of  Christ.  He 
says  to  us,  "One  is  your  Master, 
even  Christ,  and  all  ye  are  brethren." 
It  means  to  me  that  all  the  believers 
of  Christ  are  brethren.  And  if  we 
are  brethren  we  should  try  to  mini- 
mize the  differences  and  barriers,  so 
we  may  be  one.  Let  us  all  pray 
that  his  church  may  be  one  and  his 
name  be  glorified  in  us  and  through 
us.  —  P.  G.  Bhagat,  Bulsar,  India. 


Brother  Bhagat  prays  for  union 
APRIL  9,  1960 


21 


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Washington's  Bible  Telecourse 
Gets  Wider  Audience 

Washington's  popular  television 
course  on  the  Bible  will  be  shown 
outside  the  national  capital  area  for 
the  first  time  during  the  present 
semester,  according  to  an  announce- 
ment by  American  University. 

The  course  on  the  Old  Testament 
which  has  already  attracted  hun- 
dreds of  registrants,  will  be  carried 
over  a  television  station  at  Harrison- 
burg, Va.  The  thirteen-week  series 
there  will  be  sponsored  by  the  Vir- 
ginia Council  of  Churches.  Ulti- 
mately, it  is  hoped  that  a  whole 
network  of  cities  in  the  East  will 
carry  the  program  if  it  proves  as 
popular  in  other  areas  as  it  has  in 
Washington. 

A  recent  television  poll  showed 
that  an  estimated  138,000  homes  in 
the  greater  Washington  area  were 
tuned  to  the  program  between 
eleven  and  twelve  o'clock  on  Satur- 
day morning.  From  the  outset,  the 
popularity  of  the  Bible  course  has 
amazed  and  dumbfounded  its  spon- 
sors. As  many  as  a  thousand  persons 
have  turned  up  to  take  the  field 
trips  announced  on  the  program. 

Hong  Kong  Refugees  Freed 
From  Money  Lenders 

Money  lenders  with  exorbitant  in- 
terest rates  are  now  finding  it  a  little 
harder  to  get  their  clutches  on 
refugees  and  other  needy  people  in 
Hong  Kong. 

The  reason  is  the  existence  of  a 
new  Loan  and  Savings  Association 
which  has  been  launched  on  one 
of  the  resettlement  estates  through 
the  leadership  of  a  representative  of 
the  Lutheran  World  Federation. 
Small  loans  to  help  people  remain 
self-supporting  have  already  been 
granted  to  more  than  fifty  applicants. 

Ecumenical  Scholarships 
Awarded  to  135  Students 

A  group  of  135  students  from  31 
countries  are  studying  this  year  in 
colleges,  universities,  and  seminaries 
in  11  countries  on  World  Council 
of  Churches  ecumenical  scholar- 
ships. The  group  represents  eighteen 
churches  or  confessions  and  includes 
six  refugee  students  —  five  from 
Hungary  and  one  from  Yugoslavia. 
In  all,  more  than  1,800  students  have 
participated  in  the  program  since  it 
was  started  in  1947. 


Special  Mail  Cancellation 
Adopted  in  Obscenity  Drive 

The  Post  Office  Department  is 
planning  slogan  cancellations  in  use 
in  thirteen  major  post  offices  in  an 
effort  to  persuade  the  public  to  co- 
operate with  its  enforcement  drive 
against  peddlers  of  smut.  To  be 
used  on  several  million  pieces  of 
mail  a  day,  the  slogan  cancellation 
reads,  "Report  Obscene  Mail  to 
Your  Postmaster." 

Postal  inspectors  are  particularly 
eager  to  secure  copies  of  mailings 
to  teen-agers  so  they  can  immedi- 
ately trace  and  stop  smut  peddlers 
who  use  mailing  lists  of  high  school 


REPORT  OBSCENE 

MAIL  TO 
YOUR  POSTMASTER 


or  prep  school  students.  Too  often, 
indignant  parents  who  discover  such 
mail,  burn  it  and  are  too  embar- 
rassed to  report  it  to  the  postmaster. 
Since  postal  inspectors  are  forbid- 
den to  open  first-class  mail,  their 
only  means  of  obtaining  evidence 
against  mail  order  dealers  is  that 
members  of  the  general  public  bring 
in  letters  or  circulars  which  are  ad- 
dressed to  them. 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Russians  Learn  About  Modern 
U.S.  Church  Architecture 

Russians  are  learning  about  mod- 
ern church  architecture  in  the 
United  States.  A  feature  story  in 
the  current  issue  of  Ameryka,  the 
Russian-language  picture  magazine 
which  the  United  States  is  permitted 
to  distribute  in  the  Soviet  Union 
carries  an  article  on  modern  struc- 
tures being  erected  by  U.  S. 
churches.  Photographs  of  five  new 
church  edifices  illustrate  the  article. 

The  magazine,  although  it  costs 
Russian  readers  the  equivalent  of 
$1.25,  finds  its  50,000-copy  edition 
sold  out  every  month  on  the  news- 
stands of  Moscow  and  other  major 
Russian  cities.  In  addition,  2,000 
copies  go  to  Soviet  schools  and  li- 
braries as  a  gift  from  the  American 
embassy.  In  exchange,  the  Soviet 
Union  is  given  the  privilege  of  dis- 
tributing monthly  in  the  United 
States  a  similar  illustrated  magazine 
called  USSR. 

White  House  Conference  Urged 
to  Lead  War  on  Obscenity 

Senator  Hugh  Scott  of  Pennsyl- 
vania has  introduced  a  joint  resolu- 
tion in  Congress  asking  the  President 
to  call  a  national  conference  of 
federal,  state,  and  local  officials, 
members  of  civic  and  religious  or- 
ganizations, and  the  general  public 
to  consider  the  growing  problem  of 
pornography  in  books,  motion  pic- 
tures, magazines,  and  other  aspects 
of  United  States  life. 

The  proposed  national  conference 
could  explore  methods  of  combatting 
obscene  materials  at  the  various  lev- 
els of  government  responsibility.  It 
could  consider  ways  and  means  of 
informing  the  public  and  obtaining 
public  support  for  greater  enforce- 


ment of  existing  laws.  It  could  enlist 
the  co-operation  of  legitimate  pub- 
lishers and  information  media  in  a 
clean-up  drive.  It  could  also  formu- 
late recommendations  for  action  to 
combat  the  spread  of  pornography. 

Religious  Leaders  Define 
Fair  Campaign  Standards 

Three  prominent  Protestant,  Ro- 
man Catholic,  and  Jewish  leaders 
joined  in  stressing  that  this  country's 
religious  teachings  and  democratic 
ideals  call  for  a  national  political 
campaign  this  year  without  discrimi- 
nation, prejudice,  or  unethical  prac- 
tices. They  were  Dr.  Edwin  T. 
Dahlberg,  president  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches;  Richard  Card- 
inal Cushing,  Archbishop  of  Boston; 
and  Rabbi  Max  D.  Davidson,  presi- 
dent of  the  Synagogue  Council  of 
America. 

In  messages  to  the  National  Con- 
ference of  Christians  and  Jews,  the 
three  defined  standards  for  decent 
political  campaigns.  Dr.  Dahlberg 
said,  "Every  thoughtful  Christian 
will  find  himself  under  double  obli- 
gation as  citizen  and  churchman  to 
resist  the  danger  of  discrimination 
or  dishonesty  in  elections.  This 
means,  among  other  things,  that  in- 
dividuals must  be  active  in  local, 
state,  and  national  caucuses  and  con- 
ventions to  support  candidates  of  in- 
tegrity and  positive  goals  in  accord 
with  our  spiritual  aspirations." 

German  Religious  Leaders 
Launch  New  Safety  Campaign 

Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic 
leaders  in  West  Germany  are  warn- 
ing their  flocks  that  Christians  are 
bound  by  conscience  to  observe  the 
greatest  possible  care  on  the  road, 
either     as     drivers,    pedestrians    or 


cyclists.  The  new  nationwide  traffic 
safety  campaign  cautions  especially 
against  driving  while  under  the  influ- 
ence of  alcohol. 

Religious  journals  have  pointed 
out  that  over  2,700  persons  are  killed 
annually  in  West  Germany  in  acci- 
dents attributed  to  drunkenness  of 
one  of  the  persons  involved. 

Russian  Scientist  Says 
Spacemen  Bombed  Sodom 

A  space-age  twist  to  the  ancient 
story  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  was 
seriously  set  forth  by  a  Russian  pro- 
fessor of  physico-mathematical  sci- 
ences. His  version  of  the  Biblical 
tale,  which  was  published  in  a  liter- 
ary gazette,  reads  like  a  science 
thriller. 

Instead  of  the  "fire  and  brimstone" 
of  the  Bible,  the  Soviet  professor 
suggests  that  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 
may  have  been  destroyed  by  a  nucle- 
ar explosion  set  off  by  visitors  from 
outer  space.  He  said  the  fire  and 
brimstone  might  really  have  been  a 
nuclear  fuel  dump  blown  up  delib- 
erately by  those  from  outer  space. 

Puerto  Rican  Evangelical 
Seminary  Plans  Expansion 

Long-range  expansion  plans  for 
the  Evangelical  Seminary  in  Puerto 
Rico,  the  island's  only  Protestant  the- 
ological school,  were  approved  by 
its  board  of  trustees.  New  facilities 
for  the  seminary  will  include  dormi- 
tories, auditorium,  library,  faculty 
homes,  and  a  dining  hall.  The  plans 
cannot  be  put  into  effect  until  en- 
dorsed by  the  seminary's  six  sponsor- 
ing denominations  in  the  United 
States. 

Study  Confirms  Less  Cancer, 
Heart  Disease  Among 
Adventists 

Medical  researchers  have  con- 
firmed that  Seventh-day  Adventists, 
whose  religion  requires  them  to  re- 
frain from  smoking  and  drinking, 
have  a  far  lower  incidence  of  lung 
cancer  and  heart  disease  than  those 
who  do  not  abstain  from  these 
practices. 

The  study  carried  on  by  the 
Sloan-Kettering  Institute  for  Cancer 
Research  suggests  that  cigarette 
smoking  may  have  a  deadly  relation- 
ship to  the  type  of  sudden  heart 
attacks  which  cut  down  many  mid- 
de-aged  men  in  their  prime.  These 
attacks  are  caused  by  blood  clots 
which  suddenly  form  in  narrowed 
coronary  arteries.  They  are  a  lead- 
ing cause  of  death  among  men  above 
forty. 

As    with    other    recent    scientific 


studies,  the  death  rate  from  lung 
cancer  is  found  to  be  phenomenally 
lower  among  nonsmokers  than 
among  those  who  use  a  pack  or  more 
of  cigarettes  daily.  In  fact,  the  only 
two  Adventist  members  who  have 
died  of  lung  cancer  since  the  study 
began  in  1957  were  men  who  be- 
came converts  in  middle  age  and 
had  smoked  heavily  before  giving  it 
up  to  join  the  denomination. 

Episcopal  Church  Announces 
New  Headquarters  Site 

An  East  Side  site  in  mid-town 
New  York  City  has  been  selected 
as  the  location  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church's  new  $3,500,000 
headquarters.  It  will  replace  the  de- 
nomination's present  headquarters 
on  New  York's  Park  Avenue.  The 
land  is  expected  to  cost  $1,000,000. 

The  building  to  be  erected  will 
be  twelve  to  fourteen  stories  high 
and  in  contemporary  design.  The 
edifice  will  house  various  Episcopal 
agencies  as  well  as  the  offices  of  the 
church's  national  council. 

News  Briefs 

The  American  movie,  Solomon 
and  Sheba,  has  been  criticized  by 
the  official  organ  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  of  Berlin  and  Brandenburg 
as  an  outrageous  offense  to  Christian 
believers.  The  paper  charges  that 
"the  traditional  violation  of  the  Old 
Testament  by  Hollywood  film  pro- 
ducers is  continued  with  this 
$6,000,000  Bible  circus  to  an  un- 
precedented tastelessness." 

Representatives  of  five  North 
American  Lutheran  churches  have 
recommended  the  publication  of  a 
six-volume  Spanish  edition  of  Martin 
Luther's  works  at  a  cost  of  about 
$600,000. 

The  Church  of  the  Nazarene  mem- 
bership increased  to  311,299  last 
year,  representing  a  net  gain  of  9,624 
over  the  previous  year.  Nazarenes 
started  159  new  churches  during  the 
year,  or  an  average  of  three  per 
week.  Per  capita  giving  rose  from 
$133.05  to  $135.51. 

After  a  twelve-hour  debate, 
marked  by  heated  anticlerical  pro- 
tests, the  French  National  Assembly 
approved  a  government-sponsored 
bill  providing  state  financial  aid  to 
the  nation's  hard-pressed  private 
schools,  most  of  which  are  Roman 
Catholic.  The  bill  in  one  year  alone 
will  grant  these  institutions  some 
$60,000,000  in  aid. 

Ecumenical  Patriarch  Athenagoras 
in  Istanbul,  top  spiritual  leader  of 
the  world's  more  than  250  million 
Eastern  Orthodox  believers,  has  an- 


nounced that  he  will  visit  Rome 
shortly  as  the  guest  of  Pope  John 
XXIII.  The  patriarch  disclosed  re- 
cently that  he  has  maintained  direct 
relations  with  Pope  John  for  many 
months. 

Special  Sunday  schools  of  atheistic 
knowledge  are  being  opened  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  USSR,  according  to 
the  Moscow  radio.  Courses  in  reli- 
gion and  atheism  will  be  conducted 
by  leading  scientists  from  the  Society 
for  the  Dissemination  of  Political  and 
Scientific  Knowledge. 

Hungary's  Protestant  and  Roman 
Catholic  press  joined  in  paying  warm 
tribute  to  Dr.  Albert  Schweitzer, 
Protestant  medical  missionary  on  his 
eighty-fifth  birthday.  Lutheran  and 
Reformed  publications  hailed  Dr. 
Schweitzer  as  a  great  man  whose 
works  as  well  as  words  help  to 
bridge  the  gaps  between  the  white 
and  colored  races. 

Quotes  From  the  News 

Albert  Vorspan,  an  official  of  the 
Union  of  American  Hebrew  Congre- 
gations: "The  best  answer  to  those 
who  desecrate  synagogues  is  for  Jews 
to  join  hands  with  their  Christian 
neighbors,  for  synagogues  and 
churches  to  work  together  in  vigor- 
ous action  groups  to  cleanse  their 
communities  of  all  forms  of  social 
evil.  The  episodes  of  recent  days 
should  not  deter  but  should  intensify 
the  social  action  programs  of  all 
faiths  by  which  houses  of  God  apply 
their  positive  ideals  to  the  life  of 
the  community." 

Colin  W.  Bell,  executive  secretary, 
American  Friends  Service  Commit- 
tee: "It  will  take  a  higher  standard 
of  life  rather  than  a  higher  standard 
of  living  to  meet  the  challenge  of 
a  world  that  is  in  the  midst  of  as- 
tonishing changes.  We  are  used  to 
the  idea  that  all  history  happens 
only  when  we  are  ready  for  it,  and 
also  to  the  assumption  that  we  are 
the  world's  first-class  citizens.  Now 
that  the  pace  of  change  demanded 
by  others  is  greater  than  that  desired 
by  the  West,  we  are  thrown  off 
balance  by  the  acceleration  of  his- 
tory. We  may  want  the  Four  Free- 
doms for  all  others  but  we  do  not 
want  to  face  the  social,  political,  and 
economic  consequences  which  would 
result.  The  facts  of  life  that  will 
confront  us  before  the  year  2,000 
include  a  population  explosion,  tech- 
nological advance,  and  an  industrial 
revolution,  which  will  be  global 
rather  than  Western." 


APRIL  9,  1960 


23 


r '    •"■". ' :" '•"  ,  m: — — ' — mi"    "" — j; """'""'"" 

Overseets  Report  . .  ♦   from  Latin  America 


. : _ 


iUii i. 


ii         •'  I  ;    '  ":      i:     '•    i»«i; 


Viewpoint  on  Cuban  Revolution 


Merle  Crouse 

One  of  the  most  talked-about  and 
carefully  watched  nations  in  Latin 
America  during  these  days  is  Cuba, 
a  beautiful  little  nation  in  the  heart 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea.  The  Ameri- 
can newspapers  have  tended  to  give 
a  negative  report  on  the  political 
movements  in  Cuba  and  have  cast 
a  shadow  of  little  confidence  in  her 
revolutionary  leader,  Fidel  Castro. 
Emphasis  has  been  given  to  his  un- 
sympathetic treatment  of  American 
interests  and  his  warm  reception  of 
Russian  overtures  of  friendship  and 
aid,  so  that  many  panicky  Americans 
have  seemed  to  label  the  Cuban  rev- 
olution in  their  minds  as  a  super- 
ficial, fly-by-night  political  upset 
being  maneuvered  by  Communists. 

From  the  perspective  of  Latin 
America  and  with  the  Christian  bias 
interpreting  what  we  see  in  Cuba, 
a  different  picture  appears.  First, 
we  see  many  years  of  immoderate 
treatment  of  the  Cuban  people  be- 
cause of  the  old  Spanish  feudal 
system,  the  entrance  of  greedy 
American  Wall  Street  financiers, 
and  the  manipulations  and  inhu- 
man methods  of  powerful  Cuban 
dictators. 

When  the  Spaniards  came  to  Lat- 
in America  centuries  ago,  they  trans- 
planted the  feudal  practice  of  a  few 
wealthy  families  owning  vast  acre- 
ages of  land  while  the  rest  of  the 
people  live  miserably  as  tenants  on 
the  large  farms.  These  large  land- 
owners have  traditionally  main- 
tained dictators,  supported  the  cor- 
rupt Roman  Catholic  Church  in  its 
enslavement  of  the  working  people, 
and  prevented  the  majority  of  Latin 
American  nations  from  ever  knowing 
the  real  meaning  of  democracy,  lib- 
erty, and  social  justice.  Cuba  has 
had  her  share  of  these  landowners 
exploiting  her  people  since  the  be- 
ginning of  Spanish  colonization. 

After  the  American  government 
forced  the  Spanish  powers  out  of 
Cuba  at  the  end  of  the  last  century, 
American  investors  began  to  pour 
money  in.  By  1925,  a  small  group 
of  American  businessmen  had  in- 
vested one  and  one-half  billions  of 
dollars    in    Cuban    industry,    which 


meant  that  they  controlled  more  of 
the  island's  wealth  than  the  entire 
native  population  did."  According 
to  reports  from  the  U.S.  Department 
of  Commerce,  one  and  one-half  per 
cent  of  the  number  of  farms  in  Cuba 
today  contain  half  of  the  land,  and 
most  of  these  farms  are  owned  by 
Cuban  families  of  the  old  Spanish 
stock  and  foreign  investors. 

A  number  of  Wall  Street  firms 
hold  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres 
which  are  used  mostly  for  sugar, 
often  with  much  of  the  land  not 
in  use  and  with  the  profits  going 
out  of  the  country.  This  takes  place 
while  the  majority  of  Cuban  food 
must  be  imported  at  prices  too  high 
for  many  to  pay.t 

The  brutal  dictatorship  of  Batista 
which  terminated  with  the  victory 
of  Castro's  rebels  was  supported  by 
the  American  government.  This 
fact,  along  with  the  fact  that  Amer- 
icans hold  huge  tracts  of  land  badly 
needed  by  the  Cubans,  has  put  the 
United  States  on  the  wrong  side  of 
the  conflict  as  far  as  Castro  is  con- 
cerned. The  businessmen  who  own 
Cuban  land  also  own  most  of  the 
newspapers  that  have  presented  the 
news  of  Cuba's  revolution  to  Amer- 
icans; so  Castro  has  deliberately 
been  made  to  look  foolish  in  the 
Stateside  press.  Little  was  said  of 
the  reign  of  fear  and  murder  that 
characterized  the  Batista  regime. 
Meager  have  been  the  reports  of 
the  economic  condition  of  the  typi- 
cal rural  Cuban  who  has  been 
fenced  off  the  large  estates. 

These  are  some  of  the  reasons 
why  bitter  Cubans  flailed  their  way 
out  of  enslavement  by  bloody  revo- 
lution, why  they  venerate  so  highly 
the  bearded  intellectual  who  guided 
their  movement,  why  they  felt  some 
justification  for  the  vengeance  ex- 
pressed in  numerous  executions  of 
former  Batista  supporters  after  only 
superficial  trials,  and  why  they  have 
turned  a  suspicious  shoulder  toward 
the  United  States. 

American  educators  and  mission- 
aries living  in  Cuba  feel  confident 
that  the  American   attitude  of  dis- 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


*  Crow,  John  A.,  The  Epic  of  Latin  Amer- 
ica, Doubleday,   1946,  p.   683 
t  Between  the  Lines,  Dec.  15,  1959 
X  Letter      from      Methodist      missionary, 
August   1959 


trust  of  Castro  and  the  New  Cuba 
may  result  in  tragedy  in  terms  of 
pushing  them  into  the  seductive 
arms  of  Russia  and  of  discrediting 
the  United  States  in  the  eyes  of 
much  of  Latin  America.  Religious 
leaders  in  Cuba  and  thoughtful  Lat- 
ins elsewhere  feel  that  Cuba  is  in 
the  midst  of  a  deep-rooted  revolu- 
tion which,  if  continued,  will  give 
her  a  new  character,  from  that  of 
Old  Cuba,  the  Spanish  colony,  to 
that  of  New  Cuba,  the  modern 
nation. 

The  old  feudal  system  with  its 
few  rich  and  its  legion  of  poor  along 
with  the  social  overtones  that  it 
represents  is  being  threatened  by 
Castro's  land  reform.  This  reform 
is  reducing  the  largest  of  estates  to 
a  maximum  size  of  1,000  acres  with 
the  land  being  distributed  to  those 
who  never  owned  land  before.  The 
21,000  acres  of  Castro's  own  family 
have  been  taken  over  in  this 
fashion,  t 

Everywhere  in  the  villages  and 
hamlets  of  the  country  one  can  see 
posters  calling  for  the  people  to 
learn  to  read  —  a  part  of  a  new 
literacy  program  of  the  government. 
The  character  of  the  government 
seems  to  be  austere  and  honest, 
though  certainly  inexperienced  and 
run  by  a  man  with  httle  background 
in  government.  %  However,  Castro 
seems  to  have  the  confidence  and 
support  of  a  large  majority  of  his 
people  including  the  Protestants! 
who  appreciate  the  freedom  which 
they  now  enjoy  and  who  are  ap- 
preciated because  of  their  concern 
for  the  betterment  of  the  life  of 
the  common  man. 

The  government  has  given  nation- 
al recognition  to  a  Methodist  co-op- 
erative dairy  and  is  using  it  as  a 
pattern  for  others.  A  Methodist  pas- 
tor has  recently  been  chosen  to  be 
director  of  Havana's  big  reforma- 
tory, while  a  Presbyterian  minister 
heads  up  the  government  literacy 
program.  The  Cuban  Council  of 
Protestant  Churches  is  giving  the 
Castro  government  its  full  support 
and  has  officially  refuted  any  insinu- 
ation that  the  government  is  caught 
up  in  the  Communist  web,  saying 
".  .  .  the  Cuban  revolution  is  openly 
against  all  totalitarianism,  whether 
it  be  of  the  right  or  of  the  left."t 

It  appears  that  Castro  is  like 
Nasser  of  Egypt  who  wishes  to  re- 
frain from  affiliation  with  either  Rus- 
sia or  the  United  States,  choosing 
instead  a  third  course  of  his  own 
charting,  designed  to  serve  his  own 
people  and  not  another  overbearing 


power.  When  these  men  get  poor 
co-operation  and  little  understand- 
ing from  the  United  States  they  shift 
toward  Russia  to  get  the  aid  that 
they  need  to  grow.  This  causes  half- 
blinded  American  eyes  to  see  "Red" 
and  hasty,  capitalist  tongues  to 
shout  "Communist!"  when  the  truth 
is  that  these  important  leaders  of 
young  nations  are  not  Communist, 
but  rather  desperate. 

It  seems  that  many  Latin  Amer- 
ican people  with  the  same  problems 
as  has  Cuba  have  their  eyes  on 
the  struggle  going  on  under  Castro. 
He  is  a  crucial  figure  who  needs 
American  sympathy  and  under- 
standing, which  may  make  the  dif- 
ference in  deciding  whether  Cuba 
becomes  a  threat  or  a  symbol  of 
hope  to  the  millions  "south  of  the 
border." 

A  nniversaries 

Brother  and  Sister  A.  J.  Beckner  of 

La  Verne,  Calif.,  celebrated  their  sixti- 
eth wedding  anniversary  on  Feb.  14, 
1960.  They  served  many  years  as 
deacons  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
They  have  three  children,  six  grand- 
children, and  four  great-grandchildren. 
■  H.  M.  Brubaker,  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Floyd  Broadwater  of 
Harmony,  Minn.,  celebrated  their  gold- 
en wedding  anniversary  on  Feb.  6, 
1960,  with  open  house.  They  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
They  have  one  daughter,  five  sons, 
nineteen  grandchildren,  and  one  great- 
grandchild. —  Mae  Fishbaugher,  Pres- 
ton, Minn. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aubrey  C.  Fisher  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary at  their  home  near  Claypool,  Ind., 
on  Feb.  10,  1960.  They  are  members 
of  the  Eel  River  church.  They  have 
eight  children,  twenty-seven  grand- 
children, and  one  great-grandchild.  — 
Mrs.  Glenn  Tridle,  Claypool,  Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  R.  Fowler  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  anniversary  on 
Jan.  24,  1960,  with  open  house.  They 
have  three  children  and  three  grand- 
children. —  Mrs.  Rose  Brower,  Portland, 
Oregon. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  Metzger  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  anniversary  with 
open  house  at  the  Eel  River  church  near 
Claypool,  Ind.,  on  Feb.  14,  1960.  They 
have  three  children  and  ten  grand- 
children. —  Mrs.  Glenn  Tridle,  Clay- 
pool, Ind. 


Obituaries 


Acker,  David  Charles,  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Isaac  Acker,  was  born  Oct.  11, 
1869,  and  died  Dec.  22,  1959.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Martha  Sellers. 
Surviving  are  three  sons.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Linville  Creek 
church,  Va.,  by  Brethren  Glenn  Garner 
and  Cecil  Hartman.  Interment  was  in 
the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Janet 
Dellinger,  Broadway,  Va. 

Aughinbaugh,  Gurney  W.,  son  of 
Frank  and  Sarah  Schultz  Aughinbaugh, 
■was  born  April  3,  1886,  and  died  Feb. 


16,  1960.  He  was  married  to  Elnora 
Frantz,  who  preceded  him  in  death  in 
1952.  On  Dec.  31,  1952,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Violet  Overcash.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  one  son,  two  grandsons,  three 
grandchildren  and  one  brother.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  at  the 
Eel  River  church  by  Bro.  Mervin  Cripe. 
Interment  was  in  the  church  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  Glenn  Tridle,  Claypool,  Ind. 

Bame,  Vertie  D.,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Sarah  Krabill  Newcomer,  was  born 
June  26,  1881,  in  Wood  County,  Ohio, 
and  died  Feb.  1,  1960,  at  Carey,  Ohio. 
On  Feb.  14,  1903,  she  was  married  to 
Sharon  Bame,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  She  is  survived  by  three  daugh- 
ters, one  son,  fourteen  grandchildren, 
three  great-grandchildren,  one  sister, 
and  three  brothers.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  at  the  Oak  Grove 
church,  Ohio,  by  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Hickory  Grove 
cemetery.  —  A.  G.  Freed,  Findlay,  Ohio. 

Bitner,  Mrs.  Howard,  daughter  of 
William  C.  and  Margaret  Gearhart,  was 
born  April  18,  1903,  in  McVeytown, 
Pa„  and  died  Jan.  23,  1960,  in  Thomp- 
sontown,  Pa.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Bunkertown  church,  Pa.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  husband,  three  sons,  two 
daughters,  four  brothers,  two  sisters, 
and  six  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Spring  Run 
church  by  Bro.  David  Markey,  Sr.,  as- 
sisted by  Rev.  Ellsworth  Campbell.  In- 
terment was  made  in  the  Spring  Run 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Esther  Smith,  Mc- 
Alisterville,  Pa. 

Boyd,  Walter,  was  born  in  Patrick 
County,  Va.,  and  died  Feb.  11,  1960, 
at  Leaksville,  N.  C,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Spray  church,  N.  C.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  Nannie  Harris  Boyd, 
and  one  son.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Fair  funeral  home  by 
Brethren  Homer  J.  Miller  and  H.  W. 
Peters.  Interment  was  in  the  Rose- 
lawn  Memorial  Gardens.  —  Mrs.  Sam 
B.  Thomas,  Leaksville,  N.  C. 

Brill,  Lizzie  H,  widow  of  Albert  R. 
Brill,  was  born  Nov.  20,  1869,  and  died 
at  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  Feb.  12,  1960. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  from 
the  Miller  funeral  home  by  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  Mount 
Tunnel  cemetery.  —  Nevin  H.  Zuck, 
Elizabethtown,  Pa. 

Coffey,  Mattie  Demastus,  widow  of 
Peter  W.  Coffey,  was  born  in  Nelson 
County,  Va.,  Dec.  25,  1878,  and  died 
Feb.  2,  1960.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Staunton  church,  Va.  Surviving  are 
two  sons  and  two  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Staunton 
church  by  Bro.  J.  C.  Garber.  —  Mrs. 
William  Elton  Cline,  Ft.  Defiance,  Va. 

Deeter,  Ella,  daughter  of  John  and 
Rebecca  Brooks,  was  born  Sept.  5,  1877, 
at  Ornsburg,  Mo.,  and  died  Nov.  24, 
1959,  at  Fresno,  Calif.  In  1898  she 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Simon  Deeter. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Surviving  are  her  hus- 
band, one  brother,  five  sisters,  four 
children,  seven  grandchildren,  and  four 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  by  Bro.  H.  F. 
Richards  and  the  undersigned.  Inter- 
ment was  at  the  Belmont  Memorial 
Park.  —  Dwight  Enberg,   Fresno,   Calif. 

Dykeman,  Richard,  was  born  in 
Greenbush,  N.  Y„  Aug.  2,  1863,  and 
died  at  Goshen,  Ind.,  in  1960,  at  the 
age   of  ninety-six   years.     On   July  27, 


1882,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Louise  Peters,  who  preceded  him  in 
death  on  Feb.  13,  1930.  He  then  was 
married  to  Clara  Etta  Cripe  Berkey  on 
Oct.  21,  1933.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
two  daughters,  one  son,  five  grand- 
children, eighteen  great-grandchildren, 
thirteen  great-great-grandchildren,  and 
one  great-great-great-grandchild.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Yoder- 
Culp  funeral  home  by  Bro.  John  Mc- 
Cormick.  Interment  was  in  the  Oak 
Hill  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Floyd  Stauffer, 
Goshen,  Ind. 

Ebersole,  Emma,  daughter  of  Adam 
and  Elizabeth  Stevens  Lingenfelter,  was 
born  Jan.  23,  1877,  and  died  Feb.  3, 
1960.  She  was  married  to  Emory  Eber- 
sole. She  was  a  member  of  the  Hol- 
singer  church.  Surviving  are  her  hus- 
band, five  daughters,  three  sons,  twenty- 
two  grandchildren,  and  twelve  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Holsinger  church  by  Bro. 
Earl  K.  Ziegler,  assisted  by  Rev. 
Robert  Huddle,  interment  was  in  the 
adjoining  cemetery.  —  Rena  R.  Stayer, 
Martin sburg,  Pa. 

Etter,  Louise  E.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Lavina  Leas  Gardner,  was  born 
July  6,  1875,  in  York  County,  Pa. 
On  Dec.  26,  1897,  she  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Abraham  Etter,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Astoria  church.  Surviving  are 
three  daughters,  one  son,  four  grand- 
children, and  two  sisters.  —  Lottie  S. 
Johnson,  Astoria,  111. 

Fair,  Fred,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  years.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
Larna  Morris  Fair,  five  children,  five 
sisters,  and  two  brothers.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  Beech  Grove 
by  Bro.  Raymond  LaRue.  —  Mrs.  Hazel 
Foust,  Ingalls,  Ind. 

Follis,  Edward  Martin,  son  of  John 
and  Martha  Mothorn  Follis,  was  born 
at  Lenox,  Iowa,  May  13,  1887  and  died 
at  Modesto,  Calif.,  Jan.  4,  1960.  On 
May  13,  1909,  he  was  married  to  Elma 
West.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  four 
children,  eight  grandchildren,  one  great- 
grandchild, and  one  sister.  —  Mrs.  Ralph 
Webber,  Modesto,  Calif. 

Fruth,  Emma  Grace,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Spitler  Blair, 
was  born  April  11,  1874,  in  Seneca 
County,  Ohio.  On  Nov.  22,  1895,  she 
was  married  to  John  A.  Fruth,  who  died 
in  1941.  Surviving  are  six  daughters, 
five  sons,  thirty-seven  grandchildren, 
and  forty  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Oak 
Grove  church,  Ohio,  by  A.  G.  Freed  and 
Ellis  Penrod.  Interment  was  in  the 
Hickory  Grove  cemetery.  —  A.  G.  Freed, 
Findlay,  Ohio. 

Hardin,  George  Edward,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  A.  Hardin,  was  born 
Nov.  1,  1885,  and  died  Jan.  14,  1960. 
He  was  a  deacon  of  the  Hyndman 
church.  Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
Mary  A.  Hardin,  and  seven  children. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  in 
the  Hyndman  church  by  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  Madlev 
cemetery.  —  Earl  Harper,  Flintstone, 
Md. 

Hesson,  Ethel  Irene,  daughter  of 
William  and  Grace  Englar  Hesson,  was 
born  Sept.  3,  1905,  in  Carroll  County, 
Md.,  and  died  Oct.  19,  1959.  She  is 
survived  by  three  brothers.    The  funer- 


APRIL  9,  19B0 


25 


al  service  was  held  in  the  Hartzler 
funeral  home  by  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Pipe  Creek  ceme- 
tery. —  H.  Austin  Cooper,  New  Wind- 
sor, Md. 

Kline,  Grant  Paul,  son  of  Andrew  F. 
and  Elsie  Holsinger  Kline,  was  born 
Jan.  22,  1909,  and  died  Oct.  30,  1959. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lucy 
Pdnker.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  step- 
mother, six  daughters,  one  son,  three 
half  sisters,  and  five  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  from  the 
Cedar  Run  church  by  Brethren  Glenn 
Garner  and  Cecil  Hartman.  Interment 
was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Janet  Dellinger,   Broadway,  Va. 

Kochendorfer,  Gilbert  T.,  son  of 
John  Z.  and  Mary  Teeter  Kochendorfer, 
was  born  June  22,  1879,  and  died  Feb. 
8,  1960.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Woodbury  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are 
two  sons,  five  grandchildren,  and  eight 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  K.  R.  Miller  funeral 
home  by  Earl  K.  Ziegler.  Interment  was 
in  the  Dry  Hill  cemetery.  —  Rena  R. 
Stayer,  Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Lam,  Lydia  R.,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Abigail  Shoemaker  Lam,  was  born 
July  7,  1898,  and  died  Dec.  9,  1959. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Linville 
Creek  church,  Va.  Surviving  are  one 
sister  and  two  brothers.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  from  the  Lin- 
ville Creek  church  by  Brethren  Glenn 
Garner,  William  Keller  and  Cecil 
Hartman.  Interment  was  in  the  Mt. 
Zion  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Janet  Dellinger, 
Broadway,  Va. 

Miller,  Frank  M.,  son  of  Charles  B. 
and  Catherine  Mvers  Miller,  was  born 
Oct.  24,  1904  and  died  Jan.  21,  1960. 
He  was  married  to  Gertrude  Cill  on 
July  23,  1936.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Roaring  Spring  church.  Surviving 
are  his  wife  and  four  brothers.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
Thompson  funeral  home  by  Bro. 
Berkey  Knavel.  Interment  was  in  the 
Fairview  cemetery.  —  Margaret  Guyer, 
Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 

Miller,  Tohn  H.,  was  born  in  Allen 
County,  Ohio,  April  18,  1877,  and  died 
Feb.  7,  1960.  His  wife,  Maude  B. 
Miller,  preceded  him  in  death.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Sugar  Creek  church, 
Ohio.  Surviving  are  two  sons,  a  daugh- 
ter, four  grandchildren,  and  four  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Bayliff  funeral  home  by 
Brethren  A.  P.  Musselman  and  Dean 
Farringer.  Interment  was  in  the  Sugar 
Creek  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  O.  C.  Anspach, 
Lafayette,  Ohio. 

Moore,  Ida  Lelia,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Julia  Peters,  was  born  Oct. 
30,  1878,  in  Augusta  County,  Va.,  and 
died  Oct.  12,  1959,  in  Waynesboro,  Va. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Middle  River 
church,  Va.  Her  husband,  Luther 
Hamilton  Moore,  preceded  her  in 
death.  Surviving  are  a  number  of  chil- 
dren, grandchildren,  and  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Middle  River  church 
by  Bro.  F.  Y.  Garber,  assisted  by  Rev. 
J.  Rudolnh  Wilkerson.  Interment  was 
in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ray- 
mond F.  Moore,  Sr..  Fort  Defiance,  Va. 

Murphy,  Lula,  daughter  of  M.  H. 
and  Mary  Bigelow,  was  born  in  Tasper 
County,  Iowa,  July  5,   1871,  and  died 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Feb.  5,  1960.  On  Sept.  4,  1896,  she 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Leslie  Mur- 
phy, who  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Mt.  Etna  church, 
Iowa.  She  is  survived  by  one  daughter, 
two  grandchildren,  and  five  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Mt.  Etna  church  by 
Bro.  Gerald  Rogers,  assisted  by  Bro. 
Stanley  Evans.  Interment  was  in  the 
Mt.  Etna  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Lula  Knee, 
Mt.  Etna,  Iowa. 

Myers,  Sadie  Sheets,  died  Dec.  26, 
1959.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Mount 
Joy  church,  Pa.,  for  over  sixty  years. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  Grimm  funeral  home  by  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  Mount 
Joy  cemetery.  —  John  M.  Geary,  Mount 
Pleasant,  Pa. 

Puterbaugh,  Mary  Mae,  daughter  of 
Amos  and  Magdelene  Ruse  Klepinger, 
was  born  Sept.  9,  1873,  and  died  Feb. 
3,  1960.  Her  husband,  Owen,  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  was  a  long- 
time member  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Surviving  are  three  sons,  two 
daughters,  and  a  number  of  grand- 
children and  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Rev. 
Ted  Landis,  pastor  of  the  Nashville 
Christian  church.  Interment  was  in  the 
Riverside  cemetery.  —  Edna  Wheelock, 
West  Milton,  Ohio. 

Replogle,  John  R.,  son  of  David  B. 
and  Olive  Bloom  Replogle,  was  bom 
Jan.  9,  1909,  and  died  Feb.  14,  1960. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Woodbury 
church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  two 
daughters,  five  grandchildren,  five 
brothers,  and  six  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Byer's  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Earl  K.  Ziegler.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Dry  Hill  cemetery.  — 
Rena  R.  Stayer,  Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Roney,  Carrie  A.,  was  born  Dec.  6, 
1869,  and  died  Feb.  1,  1960.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Mechanicsburg  church, 
Pa.  She  is  survived  by  her  husband, 
Warren  P.  Roney,  and  a  sister.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  by  Bro.  D. 
Luke  Bowser.  Interment  was  in  the 
Mt.  Zion  cemetery.  —  Edward  Burket, 
Grantham,  Pa. 

Roop,  Preston  Baile,  son  of  John  H. 
and  Annie  Devilbiss  Roop,  was  born 
Feb.  20,  1886,  in  Carroll  County,  Md., 
and  died  Feb.  9,  1960.  He  was  a 
deacon  of  the  Pipe  Creek  church.  Sur- 
viving are  his  wife,  Nettie  Brown  Roop, 
eight  children,  twelve  grandchildren, 
and  seven  brothers  and  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Hartzler 
funeral  home  by  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Pipe  Creek  ceme- 
tery. —  H.  Austin  Cooper,  New  Windsor, 
Md. 

Roop,  Roger  Pfoutz,  son  of  John  D. 
and  Edith  Pfoutz  Roop,  was  born  Nov. 
27,  1921,  and  died  Jan.  4,  1960.  During 
the  summer  of  1951,  he  worked  with 
Brethren  Service  in  a  European  work 
camp.  He  is  survived  by  his  parents, 
one  brother,  and  two  sisters.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  at  the  Pipe  Creek 
church  by  Brethren  Oren  Garner,  H. 
Austin  Cooper,  J.  W.  Prigel,  and  Arthur 
Rice.  —  Mrs.  Fannie  G.  Myers,  Taney- 
town,  Md. 

Savage,  Pauline,  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Mary  Keim,  was  born  in  Louis- 
ville, Ohio,  Jan.  8,  1902,  and  died  Jan. 
3,  1960.  She  united  with  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  early  in  life,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  Alliance  church.    She 


is  survived  by  four  daughters,  one  son, 
and  eleven  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  Cassady 
and  Turkle  funeral  home  by  the  under- 
signed and  Bro.  Richard  Overly.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Union  cemetery.  —  J. 
D.  Zigler,  Alliance,  Ohio. 

Shively,  Waity,  daughter  of  John 
and  Catharine  Isenbarger,  was  born 
Sept.  24,  1874,  and  died  at  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  Oct.  17,  1959.  In 
April  1894  she  was  married  to  George 
W.  Shively,  who  preceded  her  in  death. 
Surviving  are  one  son  and  one  daughter. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
North  Manchester  church  by  Bro.  Hu- 
bert Newcomer  and  the  undersigned.  — 
D.  G.  Berkebile,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 

Weinholdt,  Julius  Albert,  was  born 
May  19,  1887,  in  Ontario,  Canada,  and 
died  Jan.  15,  1960,  near  Beaverton, 
Mich.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife  and  one  stepsister.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  from  the  Miner 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  Carl  Hilbert.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Dale  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Charles  E.  Ward,  Beaverton, 
Mich. 


Church  News 

Northeastern  Ohio 

Canton,  First  —  One  Sunday  school 
class  elected  to  study  the  doctrines  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  for  a  period 
of  ten  weeks.  Several  of  our  members 
attended  the  district  conference.  Two 
members  were  received  by  letter  during 
the  past  quarter.  Several  of  our  men 
participated  in  the  morning  worship  on 
Layman's  Sunday.  Many  from  our 
church  were  in  attendance  when  over 
one  hundred  Canton  churches  united 
in  the  Festival  of  Faith,  which  was  the 
first  interdenominational  reformation 
service  in  the  Canton  area.  The  speak- 
er was  Dr.  Franklin  Clark  Fry,  world 
Christian  leader.  At  the  close  of  the 
morning  worship  on  commitment  Sun- 
day, members  presented  their  declara- 
tion of  intention  cards,  in  keeping  with 
the  every-member  canvass  program. 
Follow-up  visitations  were  made  in  the 
afternoon  to  those  who  had  not  pre- 
sented cards.  Our  church  united  with 
four  neighboring  churches  in  the  com- 
munity for  Thanksgiving  service.  At 
Christmas,  the  women  s  fellowship 
shared  gifts  to  the  aged  and  shut-ins 
of  the  community.  The  chapel  and 
cherub  choirs  presented  Christmas 
carols.  The  message  of  Christmas  was 
presented  in  word  and  song  by  the 
adult  choir.  —  Mrs.  Howard  Royer, 
Canton,  Ohio. 

Eden  —  Paul  Brumbaugh  and  Richard 
Kidwell  are  attending  Manchester  Col- 
lege in  preparation  for  the  ministry. 
Christian  education  training  sessions 
were  held  for  a  week  at  different 
churches.  Bro.  Howard  J.  Kreider  of 
Milford,  Ind.,  was  our  guest  minister 
for  one  week  The  pastor  the  EUB 
church  brought  the  message  at  the 
community  Thanksgiving  services,  and 
the  Eden  choir  sang  the  anthem.  Bro. 
George  Sheets  of  Ashland  preached 
while  our  pastor,  Bro.  C.  C.  Louder, 
was  hospitalized.  Our  senior  and  junior 
choirs  gave  the  Christmas  cantata, 
Wonderful.  —  Mrs.  Maud  Dayton,  Can- 
ton, Ohio. 


Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Akron  —  Since  our  last  news  the 
following  guest  speakers  have  served 
us.  Bro.  Carl  Zeigler  spoke  on  Chris- 
tian education,  Bro.  Elmer  Brubaker  on 
the  simple  life,  and  Elder  H.  S.  Dohner 
on  stewardship.  Bro.  Ralph  Schlosser 
showed  slides  of  his  trip  to  Europe  in 
the  anniversary  year.  Brethren  Paul 
Wenger  and  Benjamin  Stauffer  gave  us 
much  food  for  thought  at  the  examina- 
tion service  prior  to  our  love  feast. 
The  student  deputation  team  from 
Elizabethtown  College  presented  a  re- 
ligious drama.  Wednesday  night  be- 
fore Thanksgiving  we  had  a  community 
Thanksgiving  service  in  our  church,  at 
which  Rev.  J.  S.  Heim,  pastor  of 
the  Grace  Evangelical  Congregational 
church,  gave  the  message.  On  Thanks- 
giving Day  we  spent  the  hour  of  wor- 
ship in  voluntary  testimonals  and  pray- 
ers of  thanksgiving  and  song.  We 
followed  a  pattern  of  annual  visitation 
similar  to  that  used  last  year.  Sister 
Darle  Bomberger  showed  slides  of  her 
work  while  serving  in  BVS  in  the  West 
Side  Christian  Parish  in  Chicago.  The 
young  people  presented  the  play,  The 
Miracle.  The  children's  library,  in 
memory  of  Bruce  Sensenig,  was  pre- 
sented for  use.  Bro.  Robert  O.  Hess 
conducted  our  evangelistic  services. 
Sixteen  were  baptized.  —  Minerva  Rudy, 
Akron,  Pa. 

Annville  —  We  held  a  series  of 
evangelistic  services,  with  Bro.  Joseph 
Long  as  the  evangelist.  Ten  were  bap- 
tized. Bro.  Howard  Merkey  officiated  at 
the  love  feast.  At  our  council  meeting 
Brethren  R.  W.  Schlosser  and  Carl 
Zeigler  were  present.  Bro.  Caleb 
Kreider  was  ordained  to  the  ministry 
and  Brethren  Lloyd  Gingrich,  Simon 
Gingrich  and  Marlin  Light,  with  their 
wives,  were  elected  to  the  office  of 
deacon.  Bro.  M.  R.  Zigler  spoke  in 
the  interest  of  Brethren  Service.  Bro. 
Charles  Bieber  showed  pictures  and 
told  about  their  mission  work  in  Africa. 
On  Jan.  10,  we  held  a  mortgage-burn- 
ing service.  —  Sallie  Bucher,  Annville, 
Pa. 

Ephrata  —  Bro.  William  W.  Longe- 
necker  was  our  guest  evangelist.  Eleven 
were  baptized.  Our  church  joined  in 
the  union  Thanksgiving  and  Week  of 
Prayer  services.  Our  young  people 
participated  in  the  temperance  speech 
contest,  the  peace  speech  contest  of  the 
district,  and  assisted  in  the  worship 
service  during  Youth  Week.  Our  love 
feast  was  observed  on  World  Commun- 
ion Day  with  Bro.  Lester  Schreiber  of- 
ficiating. Our  annual  birthday  social 
was  well  attended  and  Brother  and 
Sister  Hackman  of  Manheim  gave  an 
interesting  program  of  slides.  The 
women's  fellowship  have  given  a  pair 
of  candelabra  for  the  sanctuary,  helped 
at  New  Windsor  and  the  Neffsville 
orphanage,  did  sewing  at  the  local 
hospital,  and  furnished  twenty-one  com- 
forters. At  our  school  of  missions  in 
January  a  number  of  African  materials 
were  on  display.  Peggy  Coulson  and 
Sally  Miller  spoke  of  their  experiences 
as  exchange  students  in  Germany.  Offer- 
ings on  harvest  home  day  were  given  to 
the  children's  home  at  Neffsville.  The 
Juniata  College  choir  gave  a  program.  A 
group  of  our  men  spent  a  day  at  the 
Neffsville  Home  doing  repair  work.  Dr. 
B.  E.  Ewing,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Tem- 
perance League,   spoke   to   us.     Other 


*  Those 
*  Later 

^  Years 

FRANCES  AVERY  FAUNCE 


Five  aging  women,  two  of  them  in  a  home  for  older  adults,  come 
together,  after  many  years  of  being  separated.  Through  conversational 
technique  the  author  (one  of  the  five)  leads  the  reader  through  the 
problems  and  concerns  faced  by  older  adults.  Much  emphasis  is  given 
to  the  proper  attitudes  and  development  of  a  sound  philosophy. 

This  book  is  excellent  reading  for  the  older  adult,  the  individual 
or  family  of  a  person  about  to  enter  a  home  for  the  aging,  for  families 
with  parents  and  grandparents  living  with  children,  or  others  who  work 
with  this  age  group.  $3.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


guest  speakers  have  been  Paul  M. 
Robinson,  Galen  Blough,  A.  C.  Baugher, 
Glen  Crago,  Galen  Kilhefner,  Olden 
Mitchell,  Walton  Moyer,  and  Mrs. 
Charles  Bieber,  missionary  to  Africa. 
The  final  payment  has  been  made  on 
our  educational  building.  —  Mabel  M. 
Myer,  Ephrata,  Pa. 

Florin  —  Bro.  Carl  Zeigler  officiated 
at  our  love  feast  assisted  by  Bro.  Daniel 
Kettering.  A  number  of  our  women 
attended  the  women's  fellowship  meet- 
ing at  the  Bareville  church.  Bro.  Jesse 
Whitacre  and  his  wife  of  Keyser,  W. 
Va.,  conducted  our  revival  meeting. 
Nine  decisions  for  Christ  were  made. 
Bro.  M.  R.  Zigler  was  the  speaker  for 
a  peace  seminar  held  in  our  church. 
Bro.  Glenn  Crago  brought  our  Thanks- 
giving message,  and  the  offering  was 
given  for  church  extension  in  our  dis- 
trict. Our  young  people  attended  the 
youth  fellowship  at  the  Ephrata  church. 
The  mixed  choir  presented  the  Christ- 
mas cantata,  Chimes  of  the  Night. 
Brethren  Abram  Eshelman  and  Carl 
Zeigler  were  present  at  the  special 
council  meeting  when  Bro.  Fred  Bern- 
hard  was  licensed  to  the  ministry  and 
Bro.  Roy  Longenecker  and  his  wife 
were  called  to  serve  in  the  office  of 
deacon.  —  Mae  E.  Greiner,  Columbia, 
Pa. 

Harrisburg  —  On  the  evening  before 
Thanksgiving,  the  families  of  the 
church  enjoyed  a  covered  dish  supper, 
followed  by  a  Thanksgiving  service. 
Bro.  Harold  Bomberger  delivered  the 
message.  Clothing  and  linens  were 
brought  to  share  with  flood  victims  of 
Japan.  Our  pastor  and  the  Christus 
choir  conducted  services  at  the  state 
hospital.  Following  the  church  service 
on  Dec.  6,  the  members  in  special 
council  voted  to  sell  the  lot  they  owned 
to  the  district,  making  possible  the 
starting    of    a    second    church,    and    to 


North   Manchester;   Indiana 

For  COMFORT  that  is 

posture    correct, 

for  QUALITY  that  is 

established, 

and  time  enduring  BEAUTY 

in  CHURCH  SEATING  and 

CHANCEL  FURNITURE. 

Write  or  phone  199 

North  Manchester,  Indiana, 

for  complete  suggestions 


APRIL  9,  1960 


27 


A  Church  Annuity  for  Me 


Investing  is  uncertain  but  /  have  a  Board  Annuity! 


•  The  Investment  return  is  good 

•  It  Is  assured  for  life 

•  My  check  always  comes  promptly 

•  My  Investment  benefits  people  —  boys,  girls,  men  and  women 

•  And  I  have  satisfaction  In  my  heart 

Do  you  know  about  the  tax  deduction   afforded  by   a   gift   on   the   annuity   plan? 
Why  not  send  today  for  information?   You  will  incur  no  obligation  whatever. 


GENERAL    BROTHERHOOD     BOARD 
1451     Dundee     Avenue     .     .     Elgin,     Illinois 


Please  send  me  tree,  the  leaflet.  "A  Church  Annuity  Yields 
Triple  Benefits."  quoting  rates  up  to  7.4%.  Tell  me  what 
percent  income  I  would  receive  for  birth  dates  as  follows: 


MYSELF 


Month 


A  CO-ANNUITANT 


Month 


Day 
Day 


Year 


Year 


MY  NAME  

ST.;  RFD CITY 


STATE 


(Clip  and  mall  to  Harl  L.  Russell,  Director  of  Special  Gifts,  at  the  above  address. 
Your  inquiry  will  be  considered  confidential.) 


remain  at  the  present  location  and 
begin  a  building  program.  The  cantata, 
The  Song  of  Christmas  was  presented 
by  the  combined  choirs  of  the  EUB 
church  and  our  church.  Jacqueline 
King  was  the  guest  violinist.  The  play, 
As  God  Has  Given  Me,  was  followed 
by  the  white  gift  service.  Adults  and 
children  gathered  at  the  church  for 
the  hanging  of  the  greens.  A  live 
nativity  scene  was  portrayed  by  the 
youth  group.  A  meditation  service  for 
families  followed  in  the  sanctuary.  Five 
new  members  were  received.  The 
women's  fellowship  filled  120  stockings 
for  the  state  hospital.  Mrs.  Anna  Engle 
and  Mrs.  John  Gruver  made  more  than 
100  comforters  for  relief.  The  church 
was  host  to  the  neighboring  churches 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


in  the  Week  of  Prayer  service.  Dr. 
Rasmussen  of  the  Gettysburg  seminary 
was  the  speaker.  Bro.  Wayne  Zunkel 
and  wife  were  ordained  to  the  elder- 
ship. Ten  couples  were  presented  for 
installation  as  life  deacons.  The  offici- 
ating elders  were  Brethren  Howard 
Merkey  and  Carl  Zeigler.  Our  pastor 
is  one  of  twelve  ministers  chosen  from 
the  central  Pennsylvania  area  to  record 
a  series  of  radio  messages  to  be  used 
by  station  WHGB.  -  Mrs.  John  A. 
Blough,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 

Aughwick  —  Fall  council  and  evan- 
gelistic services  were  held  in  the  Sugar 
Run  house.  Bro.  Elmer  Ebersole  was 
the  evangelist.  Seven  were  baptized 
and  one  was  received  by  letter.  Bro. 
Earl     Kay  lor     was     speaker     at     the 


Germany  Valley  home-coming.  Six  of 
our  members  attended  district  confer- 
ence. Installation  services  for  church 
and  Sunday  school  officers  were  held 
at  both  Germany  Valley  and  Sugar 
Run.  Our  pastor  attended  the  Bethany 
extension  school  at  Juniata,  and  also 
the  pastors'  conference  at  Harrisburg. 
Christmas  programs  were  presented  in 
both  houses.  Some  of  our  women  went 
to  the  women's  fellowship  rally  at 
Lewistown  and  four  from  our  congre- 
gation attended  the  missions  rally  at 
Hollidaysburg.  Our  pastor  and  his  wife 
were  at  the  district  workshop  on  the 
Call  to  Discipleship.  Bro.  Clarence 
Rosenberger  was  speaker  on  Juniata 
day,  and  showed  some  pictures  of  the 
campus  at  the  evening  service.  Our 
youth  helped  conduct  services  on  Youth 
Sunday.  Victor  Norris,  president  of  the 
Sugar  Run  CBYF,  brought  the  morning 
message.  Our  women  have  been  spend- 
ing one  evening  a  month  making  cancer 
dressings  for  the  local  Red  Cross.  A 
contribution  was  given  to  the  typhoon 
victims  of  Japan.  Guest  speakers  have 
been  Brethren  Raymond  Smith,  Fern 
Dunmire  and  Harold  Bomberger.  Our 
pastor  participates  in  the  morning  de- 
votional radio  programs.  —  Miss  Helen 
Garver,  Mount  Union,  Pa. 


Southern  Pennsylvania 

Huntsdale  —  Our  church  is  progress- 
ing under  the  leadership  of  our  pastor, 
Bro.  Kenneth  R.  Blough.  Last  summer 
during  our  pastor's  vacation,  the  pulpit 
was  filled  by  Bro.  Ralph  Bream,  Jr.,  a 
student  at  Bethany,  for  two  Sundays, 
one  Sunday  the  children  gave  a  pro- 
gram, and  one  Sunday  our  delegate  to 
Annual  Conference,  Bro.  Ralph  H. 
Clopper,  gave  his  report.  Last  year 
during  school  of  missions  we  studied 
the  near  East;  this  year  we  are  study- 
ing Africa.  We  joined  with  the  five 
other  churches  in  our  community  for 
our  Thankgiving  service  and  for  the 
Week  of  Prayer.  Last  year  we  adopted 
the  unified  budget  in  our  church.  We 
have  made  improvements  to  the  jani- 
tor's house,  church,  and  parsonage.  Two 
of  our  young  people  attended  the  semi- 
nar at  Washington,  D.C.  One  young 
man  is  in  BVS.  Bro.  Ralph  Schlosser 
of  Elizabethtown  was  with  us  in  a 
week-end  Bible  institute,  also  one  night 
a  week  for  six  weeks  in  a  Bible  study 
class.  Our  evangelistic  meeting  will  be 
held  in  April  by  Bro.  Kenneth  Franklin. 
Our  love  feast  will  be  on  May  1.  — 
Carolyn  Sheaffer,  Newville,  Pa. 

Mechanicsburg  —  Bro.  D.  Luke  Bow- 
ser assumed  the  pastorate  here  on 
Sept.  1,  1959.  Installation  services 
were  held  by  Bro.  J.  Vernon  Grimm. 
We  have  received  fifteen  new  members 
by  letter  and  two  by  baptism.  Bro.  W. 
M.  Stauffer  conducted  our  evangelistic 
meeting.  A  representative  from  the 
Pennsylvania  Temperance  League  spoke 
in  Sunday  school.  Bernice  Stoner 
showed  slides  and  told  of  her  work  in 
Puerto  Rico  after  spending  a  year  and 
a  half  in  BVS.  On  Dec.  2,  Bro.  M.  R. 
Zigler  spoke.  On  Jan.  31,  Bro.  Ralph 
W.  Schlosser  conducted  a  Bible  insti- 
tute. At  noon  we  had  a  carry-in  meal 
with  an  afternoon  service  following. 
On  Feb.  5,  Dr.  Roy  E.  Pfaltzgraff  spoke 
and  showed  slides  of  his  work  in  Africa 
in  the  leprosy  colony.  The  building 
committee  met  with  our  church  archi- 


tect  to  discuss  the  plans  for  our  new 
church.  —  Edward  R.  Burket,  Grantham, 
Pa. 

Western  Pennsylvania 
Greensburg  —  During  the  past  year 
the  women's  fellowship  organized  nine 
area  circles  for  fellowship,  study,  and 
service.  A  number  of  the  circles  are 
making  cancer  dressings.  Bro.  John 
Grimley  brought  a  missionary  address. 
An  increased  number  of  young  people 
attended  Camp  Harmony.  Our  church 
has  adopted  a  constitution  which  pro- 
vides eight  commissions  to  serve  better 
the  various  areas  and  needs  of  our 
church  and  church  school.  Our  church 
is  the  relief  collection  center  for  many 
churches  of  other  denominations.  Our 
women  made  seventy-two  comforters. 
The  new  church  year  was  preceded  by 
an  all-day  prayer  vigil.  Christmas  ob- 
servance included  an  evening  service  by 
the  Sunday  school  departments  and  the 
choir.  The  women's  fellowship  spon- 
sored a  Christmas  Eve  candlelight 
service.  —  Mrs.  Galen  Bittner,  Greens- 
burg, Pa. 

Indiana  —  The  pastor  conducted  lead- 
ership training  classes  for  those  inter- 
ested! The  women's  fellowship  made 
comforters  for  relief;  they  also  spon- 
sored making  candy  and  cookies  for 
the  aged  people  at  the  Indiana  county 
home  and  a  Christmas  carol  sing  and 
devotional  service  for  the  imnates  of 
the  Indiana  county  jail.  The  building 
committee  has  secured  option  on  the 
ground  for  the  new  church  building. 
The  children  of  our  church  presented 
the  Christmas  program,  The  Angels  Are 
Watching.  Bro.  Bill  McCoy  of  the 
Manor  congregation  conducted  our 
morning  worship  service  in  the  absence 
of  our  minister.  Several  neighboring 
churches  joined  with  our  church  in  a 
hymn  sing  conducted  by  Bro.  Jessie 
Finnell.  A  program  of  fun,  fellowship, 
food,  and  worship  was  enjoyed  by  ah 
at  our  New  Year's  Eve  watch  night 
service.  The  month  of  January  was 
used  for  the  school  of  missions  on 
Africa.  We  had  a  pulpit  exchange  on 
Race  Relations  Sunday.  Our  pastor 
started  a  class  for  new  members.  We 
are  now  engaged  in  the  Call  to  Dis- 
cipleship  program.  We  will  have  love 
feast  on  Palm  Sunday.  —  Mrs.  Robert 
Strong,  Indiana,  Pa. 

Johnstown,  Roxbury  —  We  had  a 
farewell  meeting  at  our  church  for  the 
pastor  and  his  family.  We  had  cottage 
prayer  meetings  prior  to  our  evangelistic 
meetings  at  which  Bro.  Edward  Ziegler 
was  the  evangelist.  The  meetings  end- 
ed with  a  love  feast  with  Bro.  Edward 
Ziegler  officiating.  Three  were  bap- 
tized. Some  of  the  women  of  our 
church  attended  the  district  women's 
rally  at  Somerset.  Twelve  from  our 
church  went  to  New  Windsor  to  help 
pack  clothing.  The  union  Thanksgiving 
services  in  the  Nazarene  church  had 
Reverend  Carter  of  the  EUB  church 
as  speaker.  The  choir  gave  the  Christ- 
mas cantata,  The  Infant  Jesus.  In  the 
evening  the  children  gave  a  program 
followed  by  a  social  hour.  We  had 
two  adopted  families  we  bought  gifts 
for.  We  are  most  fortunate  to  have 
secured  as  interim  pastor,  Brother  Levi 
K.  Ziegler  of  Portland,  Maine.  Bro. 
Ralph  Schlosser,  professor  of  English 
at  Elizabethtown  College,  was  with  us 
for  a  Bible  institute.  —  Mrs.  Ralph 
Kniss,  Johnstown,  Pa. 


SAINTS  in  APRONS 
and  OVERALLS 


FRIENDS  OF  PAUL 


William  P.  Barker 


Walking  with  the  friends  of  Paul  through  the 
pages  of  this  book,  the  reader  gradually  sees  them 
emerge  as  the  parishioners  of  any  church  today. 
They  re  all  here:  the  housewife  and  her  businessman- 
husband,  middle-aged  man,  teen-ager,  widow,  quiet 
worker,  a  man  under  tension,  the  faithful  minister 
to  a  small  church  in  a  big  city. 

These  are  short  character  studies  of  some  of  the 
"saints"  —  Christian  believers  and  church  members  — 
of  the  New  Testament.  William  Barker  shows  they 
were  real  people  with  real-life  problems.  They  wore 
"aprons  and  overalls."  They  were  common  people, 
but  with  a  plus  factor:  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  the 
One  who  made  them  saints. 

A  Brethren  pastor's  wife  says:  "This  book 
furnishes  splendid  preaching  ideas  for  our  present 
emphasis  on  the  Call  to  Discipleship.  Excellent  also 
as  recommended  reading  for  all  during  this  emphasis. 
I  would  like  to  see  it  in  every  church  library.  Ex- 
cellent in  every  way.  I  can't  recommend  it  too 
highly."  $2.00 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin.  III. 


Organizing  and  Directing  Children's  Choirs 

MADELINE  D.  INGRAM 

With  emphasis  on  using  the  right  psychology  with  the  right  age 
group,  the  author  gives  here  practical  help  on  methods  of  teaching 
rhythm,  pitch,  sight  reading,  and  dynamics  to  children.  She  discusses 
what  to  teach  at  what  age,  what  music  to  use,  how  to  keep  the  attention 
of  the  group,  and  many  other  problems  not  encountered  with  adult 
choirs  and  not  discussed  in  the  classroom.  Throughout  the  book  she 
tells  the  director  how  to  work  with  children  so  they  will  have  a  valuable 
musical  experience  in  the  church  choir.  $2.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


APRIL   9.    1960 


29 


MARY  STONER  WINE 

Poems   by  a 
Brethren  poet 

Over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
poems,  mostly  of  a  devotional 
nature,  by  one  of  the  best 
known  Brethren  poets.  This 
book  may  be  used  for  both 
private  and  group  devotions  as 
well  as  for  sheer  enjoyment. 
It  makes  a  nice  gift  for  that 
special  friend.  $2.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


PEWS,  PULPIT  &  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

*/  write  for  free  catalog 

AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

JRRedington&Co. 


DEPT.  211   SCRANTON  2.  PA. 


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BRETHREN  TOURS  — To  Europe 
June  17  — Aug.  17,  1960.  Includes 
Scotland,  Oberammergau,  Spain, 
and  six  other  countries.  By  ship 
across  the  Atlantic.  Two  spaces 
open. 

To  Europe  and  the  Holy  Lands, 
Sept.  15  — Nov.  7,  1960.  A  small 
party. 

America  the  Beautiful  Tour,  June 
8  —  July  13,  1961.  Includes  many  of 
the  beautiful  places  in  the  west  of 
our  country  and  Canada.  Four  full 
days  at  the  Long  Beach  Annual 
Conference.  An  air-conditioned  bus 
will  be  used.  For  information  and 
application  write:  L.  W.  Shultz, 
North  Manchester,  Ind. 


Maple  Spring  —  Installation  services 
were  held  for  our  new  pastor  and  his 
wife,  Brother  and  Sister  Howard  Whit- 
acre.  This  was  followed  by  a  reception. 
These  deacons  and  deaconesses  have 
been  installed:  Brother  and  Sister  Carl 
Thomas,  Brother  and  Sister  Clarence 
Brown  and  Brother  and  Sister  Marlin 
Mishler.  Bro.  John  Graham  was  our 
evangelist  for  our  revival.  Six  were 
baptized  and  one  was  received  by 
letter.  A  special  offering  was  lifted 
to  help  the  Japanese  people  who  were 
victims  of  the  flood  disaster.  Food  do- 
nations at  the  harvest  home  service 
were  dedicated  and  delivered  to  the 
home  for  the  aged  at  Scalp  Level.  The 
children  presented  a  Christmas  pro- 
gram and  the  young  people  a  can- 
tata. Africa  was  the  central  theme  for 
our  school  of  missions  this  year.  The 
offering  was  sent  to  Sister  Lora 
Mainard  who  is  serving  our  church  on 
the  African  field.  Robert  Horton,  a 
representative  of  the  Friends  Service 
Committee,  spoke  to  us  on  the  church's 
peace  program.  He  showed  a  film  of 
the  bombing  of  Hiroshima.  He  also 
showed  slides  of  Fort  Dietrick.  The 
men  and  women's  fellowship  met  for 
a  peace  and  race  relations  meeting  at 
which  the  youth  of  the  church  were 
given  opportunity  to  give  their  speeches 
on  World  Affairs  Are  My  Affairs.  — 
Mrs.  John  E.  Eash,  Sr.,  Hollsopple,  Pa. 

Pittsburgh  -  Bro.  R.  Russell  Bixler 
was  installed  as  pastor  of  our  church 
at  a  special  service  conducted  by  Bro. 
James  Boitnott.  A  continuing  series  of 
Sunday  evening  Bible  study  sessions 
has  been  initiated  by  the  pastor.  James 
Swarr,  Judi  Passmore,  and  Mary 
Wieand  were  the  members  of  a  depu- 
tation team  which  represented  Juniata 
College  on  Juniata  day.  The  men's  fel- 
lowship annual  Christmas  tree  project 
was  very  successful.  Members  and 
friends  of  the  church  enjoyed  open 
house  held  by  the  pastor  and  his  family 
at  the  newly  redecorated  parsonage. 
We  had  a  family  Christmas  tree  festi- 
val. The  Pittsburgh  church  was  well 
represented  at  the  district  fall  rally  at 
the  Somerset  church.  Bro.  Joel  Thomp- 
son, currently  serving  as  interim  direc- 
tor of  volunteer  service,  brought  the 
morning  message  on  Jan.  24.  A  birth- 
day dinner  was  held  in  the  church 
social  room  on  Feb.  20.  Following  the 
diner,  Mrs.  Margaret  Nue  presented 
an  illustrated  lecture  of  her  tour  of 
Russia.  —  Mrs.  Jack  Walter,  Verona,  Pa. 

Middle  Maryland 
Stone  Bridge  —  Bro.  S.  F.  Spitzer, 
who  has  served  as  elder  of  our  church 
for  the  past  eighteen  vears,  asked  to 
be  relieved  of  the  office  because  of 
ill-health  and  age.  The  church  elected 
Bro.  Stanley  Earhart  of  the  Broadford- 
ing  church  as  moderator.  A  letter  of 
appreciation  and  a  gift  of  money  was 
sent  to  Brother  Spitzer  and  his  name 
recorded  in  the  minutes  as  elder 
emeritus.  Bro.  Harold  Green  officiated 
at  our  love  feast.  The  women  of  the 
church  planned  and  conducted  a  devo- 
tional program  for  the  Thanksgiving 
service.  Bro.  Alvey  Mowen  was  the 
guest  speaker.  The  children  and  young 
people  presented  a  pageant  at  Christ- 
mas time  entitled  As  We  Forgive.  A 
remodeling  program   is   being  planned 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  440.  Wanted:  Position  as  house- 
keeper or  companion  to  an  elderly  lady 
by  a  Brethren  woman  in  her  early  60's. 
Preferably  in  District  of  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania. Desires  a  good  home  in 
preference  to  high  wages.  Contact: 
Brethren  Placement  Service,  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin, 
111. 

No.  441.  Wanted:  A  man  in  his 
early  fifties  would  like  the  opportunity 
to  work  and  live  with  an  elderly  gentle- 
man, or  employment  as  a  janitor's  as- 
sistant in  a  church  or  welfare  institution. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  442.  Wanted:  General  medical 
doctor  to  locate  in  a  growing  com- 
munity near  an  expanding  city  of  over 
40,000  in  the  Middle  West.  There  is 
no  doctor  located  there  at  present. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  443.  Wanted:  Experienced  dairy 
farmer  to  work  on  small,  fully  equipped 
farm  in  central  Pennsylvania.  Housing 
limited  to  2-bedroom  house  trailer. 
Located  near  a  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Contact:  Mr.  O.  H.  Ormsley,  R.  4, 
Tyrone,  Pa. 

No.  444.  BETHANY  HOSPITAL  is 
in  need  of  a  capable  woman  as  p.m. 
supervisor  in  the  dietary  department. 
This  requires  a  general  knowledge  of 
cooking  and  the  ability  to  direct  the 
activities  of  other  workers.  Please  con- 
tact: Miss  Olga  Bendsen,  Personnel; 
Bethany  Hospital,  3420  W.  Van  Buren 
St.,  Chicago  24,  Illinois. 


for  our  newly  purchased  house  and  lot. 
—  Mrs.  Harold  Winters,  Hancock,  Md. 

First  Virginia 

Peters  Creek —Bro.  Fenton  Platter 
officiated  at  our  communion.  Bro. 
David  Rogers  was  our  evangelist  for 


our  revival.  Five  were  received  by 
baptism  and  four  by  letter.  Our  pastor, 
Carroll  Ringgold,  delivered  our  Thanks- 
giving Day  message.  Our  Christmas 
program  included  a  cantata  presented 
by  the  chapel  and  chancel  choirs.  The 
Willing  Worker's  class  prepared  a 
manger  scene.  Bro.  Paris  Bain  and  Bro. 
Carroll  Ringgold  brought  messages  at 
the  Christmas  Day  service.  At  the 
present  we  are  participating  in  a 
school  of  Christian  life  and  leadership 
in  co-operation  with  First  church, 
Roanoke.  We  are  in  the  midst  of  a 
church-wide  visitation  program;  during 
March  and  April  we  are  also  having 
cottage  prayer  meetings.  —  Mrs.  Nor- 
man E.  Flora,  Salem,  Va. 

West  Richmond  —  Bro.  David  L. 
Holl,  our  new  pastor,  was  installed  by 
Bro.  H.  Lawrence  Rice,  district  execu- 
tive secretary.  A  visitation  evangelism 
group  has  been  active  in  visiting  in- 
active and  shut-in  members  and  homes 
near  the  church.  An  attractive  bro- 
chure describing  what  the  church  does 
and  will  do  has  created  much  interest 
in  the  church  community.  We  had 
union  Thanksgiving  services  with  the 
Methodist  and  Baptist  churches.  An 
older  youth  fellowship  has  been  formed. 
Bro.  Warren  D.  Bowman  was  our  pul- 
pit guest  on  Dec.  13.  The  Bridgewater 
College  deputation  team  brought  us 
a  family  night  program  of  games  and 
worship.  Dr.  Jesse  D.  Robertson  gave 
the  devotional  message  at  family  night 
on  Dec.  20.  A  Christmas  candlelight 
communion  service  was  observed  for 
the  first  time  in  our  church.  The 
women's  fellowship  sponsored  Christ- 
mas stockings  to  people  in  state 
institutions.  At  present  a  plan  of  re- 
organization is  under  way  which  will 
include  the  election  of  five  commissions. 
A  lighted  cross  automatically  con- 
trolled has  been  installed  on  the  front 
of  the  chapel.  Preliminary  building 
plans  are  under  study  and  it  is  hoped 
that  by  early  spring  the  first  unit  of 
our  church  will  be  under  way.  —  Ora 
M.  Flora,  Richmond,  Va. 

Northern  Virginia 
Mt.  Zion  —  Bro.  Paul  Bowman  spoke 
on  the  convocation  of  Brethren  in 
Germany.  Bro.  Ronald  Spire  of  Luray 
spoke  in  our  church  on  pulpit  exchange 
Sunday.  Some  of  our  women  and  young 
people  went  to  New  Windsor  for  a 
work  day.  On  Ash  Wednesday  we  had 
an  all-day  prayer  vigil  in  our  church 
and  a  prayer  service  for  everyone  that 
night.  Some  of  our  junior  high  group 
with  their  leader  attended  the  district 
camp  out  at  Mill  Creek  church  and  the 
rally  at  the  Valley  Pike  church.  Bro. 
C.  O.  Showalter  conducted  our  revival 
at  the  Mt.  Zion  church  and  Bro.  Ken- 
neth Fancher  at  the  Gouchenour's 
Chapel  church.  Five  were  baptized. 
The  Northern  District  women's  fellow- 
ship conference  was  held  in  the  Mt. 
Zion  church.  We  had  love  feast  on 
evening  of  world  communion  Sunday. 
The  women  have  been  making  cut 
garments  for  Africa  and  comforters.  At 
Christmas  time  the  young  people  pre- 
sented the  play,  The  Christmas  Guest. 
A  Christmas  Eve  service  was  held  at 
Gouchenour's  Chapel.  —  Mrs.  T.  C. 
Mover,  Luray,  Va. 

Second  Virginia 

Elk  Run  —  The  Spring  Creek  chorus 
presented  an  all  music  worship  service. 


1   ,  One   of   the   most   exciting 

archaeological  and   religious   discoveries 
l  1  of   our   time! 


1  1 


The  Gospel  According 
To  Thomas 


Here  is  the  first  publication  of  the  114  sayings  ascribed  to 
Jesus  which  were  entombed  and  preserved  in  the  dry  sands  of 
Egypt  for  16  centuries.  That  these  ancient  writings  were  preserved 
for  so  many  centuries  is  indeed  fortuitous.  Peasants  in  Upper 
Egypt  stumbled  upon  a  jar  in  one  of  the  old  tombs  containing 
bound  papyrus  books  and  ignorant  of  the  importance  of  their 
find,  sold  the  writings  to  various  merchants.  After  seemingly 
un.surmountable  difficulties,  the  collection  was  assembled  and  a 
team  of  learned  Hebrew  and  Coptic  scholars  reconstructed  the 
text  with  the  aid  of  infrared  photography.  In  this  book,  the 
Coptic  text  in  its  entirety  appears  on  left-hand  pages,  and  an 
easy-to-follow  literal  translation  in  English  faces  it.  Thus,  114 
sayings  of  Jesus,  many  heretofore  unknown,  have  been  trans- 
formed from  a  historic  document  in  an  extinct  language  into 
clear,  meaningful  English.  $2.00 

V    '"/    fittt't /h        "HI 


Church    of   ihe    Brethren    General    Offices,    Elgin,    Illinois 

uw.>^^^^\^^^^uMU^\^,^^>^^\^s\\^^\\^v^^^..■■■m|V|W^«,1(,  \y 


Evangelistic  services  were  held  by  Bro. 
Lee  A.  Weaver.  Bro.  John  F.  Locke, 
was  the  guest  speaker  for  the  family 
picnic,  which  was  in  the  church  social 
hall.  Our  love  feast  was  held  on  World 
Communion  Sunday.  Bro.  Clarence 
Bowman  brought  our  home-coming 
message.  Choral  hymns,  solos,  and 
group  ensembles  made  up  our  Christ- 
mas program.  Each  one  brought  a  gift 
for  foreign  missions  at  the  time  of  our 
all  church  Christmas  party.  —  Mrs.  S. 
H.  Snyder,  Churchville,  Va. 

Forest  Chapel  —  We  had  a  Christmas 
program  of  recitations  and  songs  and 
the  play,  The  Adopted  Son.  For  the 
first  four  Sunday  nights  in  January  our 
school  of  missions  considered  Nigeria. 
Bro.  Ernest  Wampler  of  Bridgewater, 
Va.,  was  the  adult  teacher.  Brother  Sim- 
mons, a  missionary  in  Nigeria,  showed 
slides.  —  Edna  Fulkerson,  Waynesboro, 
Va. 


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Southern  Virginia 
Christianburg  —  We  have  begun  the 
second  year  of  services  in  our  new 
church.  Four  have  been  baptized  and 
eight  received  by  letter.  Our  church 
was  host  to  the  annual  Christmas  song- 
fest,  for  which  choirs  of  four  churches 
united  under  the  direction  of  Miss 
Reynolds.  During  the  past  several 
weeks  our  commissions  have  been  mak- 
ing a  survey  of  their  work  under  the 
leadership  of  our  district  secretary.  We 
are  participating  in  the  school  of 
Christian  living  at  the  Pleasant  Valley 
church    with     our    pastor,     Edgar     S. 


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Martin,  along  with  Bro.  Joe  G.  Rieley 
and  Bro.  Ralph  M.  Spradling  serving 
on  the  teaching  staff.  We  are  looking 
forward  to  the  cantata,  He  Lives,  to  be 
presented  by  the  choir  on  Palm  Sunday. 
—  Mrs.  Alta  Loop,  Blacksburg,  Va. 


APRIL  9,   1960 


31 


174th  Summit  Meeting 


Approaching  its  174th  recorded  meeting,  Annual  Confer- 
ence is  as  truly  Brethren  as  scrapple  is  Pennsylvania 
Dutch,  as  baseball  is  American,  as  Pentecost  is  Christian. 
It  is  a  tradition  that  spans  the  turn  of  three  centuries 
and  brings  together  the  convictions  and  insights  of  a 
whole  Brotherhood.  Annual  Conference  is  a  summit 
experience  of  a  people  of  God.  □  Again  in  June, 
Annual  Conference  will  call  the  Brethren  family  to 
unite  in  singing,  prayer,  Bible  study,  fellowship,  eating, 
fun,  discussion,  planning.  Nearly  a  thousand  delegates 
and  as  many  others  who  wish  will  join  in  sharing 
together  out  of  a  common  heritage  and  looking  to- 
gether toward  a  common  future  in  Him  who  is  the 
future.  □  You  are  more  than  just  welcome  at  this  con- 
ference; you  are  needed.  Whether  you  have  attended  fifty 
or  five  or  none  of  the  previous  Conferences,  you  will 
feel  as  much  at  home  with  the  Brethren  on  the  campus 
of  the  University  of  Illinois,  Champaign- Urbana,  June 
14-19,  as  you  do  in  your  own  church  or  community. 
And  you  owe  it  to  yourself  and  your  church  to  be  there. 


Gospel 


MESSENGER 


APRIL  16,  1960 


»  .:--?. 


Painting  by  Borthwick 


THE  PRESENCE 


Colonial   Art   Company 


T, 


HE  goodness  of  God,  the  divine  love  for  man,  the  rich  truth  that 
was  in  Christ,  this  could  never  stay  shut  up  in  a  stifling  tomb!  It  is 
bound  to  live  forever.  Just  as  Jesus  sought  to  draw  near  to  men  in  his 
earthly  life,  so  will  his  spirit  draw  near  forever.  He  arises  from  any 
restricting  grave  of  doubt  and  despair.  Hope  will  roll  aside  the  stone, 
and  he  will  draw  near  to  men  who  commune  about  spiritual  things  and 
who  reason  constructively  on  any  Emmaus  road.  He  will  draw  near  and 
go  with  you  to  the  end  of  time.  That  is  the  wonderful  truth  for  an  Easter 
morning.  It  is  one  to  lay  hold  of  and  take  with  us  for  all  the  days  that 
lie  ahead. 

—  Lowell  Russell  Ditzen 

THE  NEARNESS  OF  CHRIST,  page  8 


Gospel  Messenger 
"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS   WRITE 


to    the   editor 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,   articles  and 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press   Service 


APRIL  16,  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  16 


In  This  Number  .   .  . 

Editorial  — 

Take  Part  in  the  Sunrise   3 

Sign  Up  for  the  Resurrection 3 

The  General  Forum  — 

The  Alluring  Forever.  Harry  K. 

Zeller,   Jr 4 

Vignette  of  Spring  (verse). 

Ora   W.   Garber    5 

Lord,  Is  It  I?    Poems  by 
Ernestine  Emrick 

Lord,  Is  It  I?   6 

So  Frail  the  Vessels 6 

Safe  But  Not  Saved   6 

Lord,  It  Was  I!    7 

More  Than  I  Asked   7 

Risen  As  He  Said    7 

Lord,  I  Believe    7 

The  Nearness  of  Christ. 

Lowell  Russell  Ditzen   8 

Easter  (verse).  William  Robert  Miller  10 
A  Difference   Over  Discipleship. 

Vernard   Eller    12 

In  Bible  Lands  Today: 

Easter  at  the  Garden  Tomb. 

David  J.  Wieand    14 

Christ  Is  Our  Hope. 

Harry  M.   Gardner    15 

The  Business  of  Being  Christian. 

Howard  H.   Keim    18 

The  Triumphant  Christ. 

Mildred   Allen  Jeffery    19 

Woman  Power  Unleashed   20 

Provocative  Thought.  Leonard  Gittings  20 
Primitive  Camping  Values  Cited  ....  21 
Kokomo  Completes  New  Church  ....  21 
Ohio  School  Administrator  Honored    .   21 

Brethren  Want  to  Know   22 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books   22 

News  — 

News  and  Comment  From  Around 

the  World 24 

Overseas  Report  From  South  Vietnam  26 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Change  the  Order 

I  am  very  much  in  accord  with  the 
suggestions  of  C.  Lowell  Edwards  in 
the  March  issue  of  the  Gospel  Mes- 
senger, in  regard  to  the  "Order  and 
Procedure  at  the  Love  Feast." 

A  closer  study  of  John  13  con- 
vinces me  that  we  have  been  con- 
ducting our  love  feasts  in  reverse.  It 
is  very  clear  that  Jesus  performed 
the  act  of  feet  washing  after  the  meal 
and  for  my  part  I  would  like  to  see 
the  order  changed.  —  O.  H.  Sollen- 
berger,  Fairbury,  Nebr. 

How  We  Keep  the  Feast 

Three  items  in  the  March  5  Mes- 
senger focus  to  impel  my  writing: 
viz.  the  letter  by  Lowell  Edwards, 
the  appeal  to  President  Eisenhower 
on  page  16,  and  the  statement  on 
page  31.  While  I  fervently  contend 
for  the  continuation  of  the  John  13 
love  feast  and  communion,  the  order 
of  service  is  to  me  not  a  point  of 
major  concern. 

I  am  writing  to  plead  for  an  im- 
mediate extension  of  the  spirit  of 
Christian  forgiveness,  love  express- 
ing itself  in  sacrifice  and  service,  all 
incorporated  in  the  John  13  symbols, 
into  an  area  of  international  action 
and  responsibility. 

The  month  of  June  will  bring  the 
World  Refugee  Year  formally  to  its 
close.  One  official  statement  has  re- 
minded us  that  the  numerical  share 
of  refugees  for  the  U.S.  would  be 
50,000  persons.  Apparently  the  en- 
abling legislation  for  their  admit- 
tance has  not  yet  been  written. 

The  love  feast  or  agape  has  been 
called  the  feast  of  goodwill,  divinely 
authorized.  The  diplomats  have 
toured  the  nations  and  their  oratory 
exalting  peace  and  goodwill  has  been 
exhaustively  welcomed  and  ap- 
plauded. Therefore,  all  of  us  who 
love  the  John  13  formula  for  peace 
and  goodwill  among  men  should 
write  to  President  Eisenhower,  Vice- 
President  Nixon,  Senator  Lyndon 
Johnson,  and  others  of  our  choice 
urging  that  our  nation  demonstrate 
the  goodwill  that  has  been  preached 
to  them  and  applauded  by  them,  by 
assuming  at  once  our  share  of  respon- 
sibility in  providing  new  homes  for 
the  homeless  who  are  still  waiting 
to  see  Christian  love  expressed  to- 
ward their  needs. 

As  Christian  citizens  we  should 
ask    for    a    chance    to    demonstrate 


goodwill.  In  the  John  13  feast  of 
goodwill  we  enroll  volunteers  to  do 
this.  The  previous  quotas  offering 
to  admit  200,000  or  250,000  were; 
not  filled  so  there  has  been  no  ex- 
treme immigration  through  expanded 
quotas.  Those  admitted  have  by  and 
large,  proved  themselves  well-quali- 
fied for  U.S.  citizenship.  The  five 
young  men,  refugees,  who  have  been 
temporary  members  of  our  family 
represent  hundreds  more  who  are 
equally  worthy  and  needy. 

"The  Holy  Supper  is  kept,  indeed, 

In  whatso   we   share  with   another's 
need;   .   .   . 

Who    gives    himself    with    his    alms 
feeds  three. 

Himself,  his  hungering  neighbor,  and 
Me." 

Our  Lord's  name  has  been  written 
in  50,000  variations  of  signature 
on  the  roll  of  political  prisoners.  If 
you  love  the  Lord's  feast  or  believe 
the  spirit  of  his  feast  should  be  pro- 
jected into  daily  life  situations  write 
our  national  heads  of  state  for  imme- 
diate action  on  enabling  legislation. 

Which  do  we  love  more  —  the 
feast  as  an  end  in  itself,  or  the  feast 
as  a  pattern  and  challenge  to  serve 
the  world's  need?  I  love  the  first 
and  want  it  continued  because  it 
helps  me  achieve  the  second.  I  urge 
you  to  write  your  letters  today.  — 
Galen  Barkdoll,  Copemish,  Mich. 

Cannot  Control  Morals 

In  the  Jan.  2  Messenger,  Orlin 
F.  Frey  asked  if  it  was  consistent 
to  make  the  cranberry  farmer  look 
like  a  desperate  criminal,  and  then 
do  nothing  about  other  cancer  mer- 
chants. 

That  indeed  is  a  perturbing  ques- 
tion, and  the  FDA  (Food  &  Drug 
Administration)  is  upset  about  a] 
number  of  practices  now  going  on. 
One  of  the  major  practices  is  the 
manner  of  operation  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  dairy  farmers.  About  a  year 
ago,  sixty  samples  of  milk  were  taken 
from  bulk  tanks  which  were  located 
in  a  city  of  nearly  a  quarter  million 
inhabitants.  Forty-five  per  cent  of 
the  samples  showed  the  presence  of 
either  toxic  pesticides  or  penicillin 
or  other  antibiotics.  Again,  the  FDA 
outlawed  a  number  of  coal-tar  dyes 
which  had  shown  toxic  affects.  One 
of  these  was  a  dye  used  by  citrus 
growers  to  color  oranges.  After  fail- 
ing to  get  the  FDA  to  revise  its  de- 
cision against  this  dye,  the  fruit  lob- 
Continued  on   page   15 


Take  Part  in  the  Sunrise 


F  CHRISTIANS  follow  the  suggestion  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  this  year,  they  will 
join  in  the  largest  Easter  sunrise  service 
ever  held.  They  are  asked  to  read  the  story  of 
the  resurrection  as  it  is  recorded  in  John's  gospel. 
s|In  order  to  make  this  early  morning  practice 
convenient  for  all,  the  society  has  distributed 
more  than  two  million  copies  of  a  small  booklet 
including  chapters  eighteen,  nineteen,  and  twen- 
ty from  John. 

Not  everyone  can  take  part  in  an  open-air 
sunrise  service  in  a  beautiful  natural  setting, 
and  sometimes  it  is  difficult  for  many  to  partici- 
pate in  an  early  morning  church  service.  But 
each  family  can  at  least  read  the  resurrection 
message  and  join  with  Christians  around  the 
world  in  shouts  of  victory  and  songs  of  praise, 
recalling  once  again  the  triumph  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  remembering  that  the  power 
of  his  resurrection  can  become  a  transforming 
power  in  every  Christian  life. 

But  Easter  morning,  which  comes  but  once 
a  year,  is  only  one  of  the  "first"  days  on  which 
Christians  should  celebrate  their  Lord's  resurrec- 
tion.   Each  Sunday  of  the  year  is  really  a  me- 


EDITORIALS 

morial  of  that  great  climax  of  God's  work  in 
Jesus  Christ.  If  Easter,  therefore,  is  to  have 
more  than  a  seasonal  value,  it  should  become  a 
means  by  which  every  Lord's  day  is  used  to  the 
fullest  throughout  the  year  for  worship  and  re- 
membrance and  praise.  By  limiting  its  recogni- 
tion of  the  resurrection  to  a  yearly  observance, 
the  church  has  become  partially  responsible  for 
producing  "Easter  Christians,"  and  for  the  em- 
barrassment of  welcoming  crowds  on  Easter 
morning  who  are  seldom  in  evidence  on  any 
other  Sunday. 

The  sunrise,  let  us  not  forget,  comes  every 
morning.  The  resurrection  is  not  only  a  fact  in 
history  but  also  a  recurring  personal  experience. 
The  church  of  the  risen  Lord  is  called  upon  to 
function  daily  and  to  come  together  in  periods 
of  worship  on  every  Lord's  day. 

By  all  means  let  us  take  part  in  sunrise  serv- 
ices, in  reading  again  the  Easter  story,  in  joining 
our  voices  to  the  joyful  strains  of  praises  to  our 
eternal  Lord  and  Savior.  But  not  for  just  a  day, 
not  for  just  a  season.  We  can  take  part  in  the 
sunrise  itself  —  and  it  comes  far  more  frequently 
than  once  a  year.  —  k.m. 


Sign  Up  for  the  Resurrection 


THE  boy  was  only  eighteen,  but  he  had 
heard  that  he  must  visit  his  local  draft 
board  and  give  them  the  vital  information 
they  requested.  The  news  account  we  read, 
however,  did  not  indicate  what  was  in  his  mind 
when  he  asked  a  member  of  the  board,  "Is  this 
the  place  you  sign  up  for  the  resurrection?" 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  what  reply 
he  received.  A  cynic  could  point  out  that  many 
of  the  young  men  who  are  drafted  into  military 
service  eventually  go  into  training  for  destruc- 
tion rather  than  resurrection.  But  if  the  young 
man  from  Texas  was  fortunate  in  learning  from 
his  pastor  or  youth  counselor  or  from  a  parent 
or  teacher  that  he  was  legally  entitled  to  choose 
alternative  service,  he  might  have  been  guided 
^toward  a  way  of  life  that  gives  more  promise  of 
resembling  a  resurrection. 

Young  men  who  choose  alternative  service 
Ihave  a  variety  of  opportunities  placed  before 
them  for  constructive  occupations  during  the 
two  years  they  are  obligated  to  their  country. 
A  few  have  served  in  foreign  countries  as  prac- 
tical helpers  to  mission  and  service  programs. 
Others  are  permitted  to  assist  in  agencies  that 
are  rendering  significant  aid  to  the  ill,  the  aging, 
or  the  needy  in  this  country.  With  such  alterna- 


tives available  it  is  indeed  surprising  that  so 
few  young  men  take  advantage  of  a  chance  for 
constructive  service. 

Yet  the  young  men  themselves  are  not  en- 
tirely to  blame.  Draft  boards,  trying  to  fill 
quotas  for  military  units  are  not  inclined  to  ad- 
vertise types  of  civilian  work.  Many  parents  and 
teachers  are  unaware  of  the  alternatives  avail- 
able. And,  strangely  enough,  some  ministers  and 
parents,  even  among  the  peace  churches,  are  re- 
luctant to  inform  their  youth  of  the  choices  avail- 
able to  them. 

We  hope  our  readers  have  followed  the  news 
reports  about  an  international  team  of  alterna- 
tive service  workers  in  Morocco.  Relief  and 
rehabilitation  work  of  gigantic  proportions  de- 
mand the  energies  of  the  eleven  workers  —  five 
of  whom  are  Brethren  —  who  were  rushed  to 
Agadir  following  the  tragic  earthquake  there. 
We  believe  that  many  such  mobile  teams  of 
conscientious  objectors  from  many  nations  will 
develop  as  more  and  more  young  people,  al- 
ready disillusioned  about  war,  discover  that 
there  is  another  way  to  serve. 

Continued  on  page   15 
APRIL   16,  1960  3 


Victor  Delhez 
Three  Lions 


Till 


A  LIFE-SIZE  canvas  depicting  Christ  on 
the  cross  was  being  viewed  at  a  public 
gallery.  The  artist  walked  in  the  crowd 
to  discover  the  effect  his  portrayal  of  the  dead 
Savior  was  having  on  the  people.  He  asked  a 
tow-headed  lad,  "Son,  what  is  the  meaning  of 
that  picture?"  The  boy  replied  almost  impa- 
tiently, "Well,  don't  you  know;  that's  Christ?  He 
died  for  us."  The  artist  milled  his  way  on  into 
the  crowd.  A  few  minutes  later  a  stern  tug 
pulled  him  to  a  stop.  Turning,  he  saw  again  the 
lad,  who  blurted  out,  "But,  mister,  that  ain't  all 
about  him.   He  didn't  stay  dead!" 

That  Christ  did  not  stay  dead  is  the  cardinal 
truth  of  Christianity.    That  he  rose  from  the 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr. 


grave  to  live  again  and  be  alive  forevermore  is 
the  foundation  of  our  faith  and  the  core  of  our 
Christian  life. 

Because  Jesus  did  not  stay  dead,  he  is  an 
eternal  presence  with  us  in  the  world.  He  is 
here!  He  is  here  now!  He  is  here  always!  We 
tend  to  believe  that  Jesus  came  back  from  death 
—  and  that  is  the  end  of  it.  We  know  that  he 
appeared  to  Mary  Magdalene,  the  other  Marys, 
to  Peter  and  John,  to  the  seven  disciples,  and  to 
others,  but  the  deeper  meaning  of  which  Easter 
speaks  to  us  is  that  he  is  still  here,  that  he  is  al- 
ways here,  and  that  he  will  never  be  absent 
from  us. 


A  brief  while  after  the  Easter  dawn  Jesus 
made  himself  known  to  Mary  as  she  wept  in  the 
garden.  Her  first  impulse  was  to  touch  Jesus  just 
to  have  tangible  evidence  that  it  really  was  he 
to  whom  she  spoke,  but  Jesus  told  her  not  to 
touch  him.  Why?  Would  he  vanish  into  thin 
air  because  he  had  not  yet  ascended  to  his  Fa- 
ther? Or  would  she  like  those  who  grasped  the 
ark  of  the  covenant  be  struck  down  with  im- 
mediate death?  No.  Rather,  the  time  was  at 
hand  when  those  who  loved  Jesus  must  no  long- 
er be  dependent  upon  the  childish  evidence  of 
sight  and  touch  to  know  that  he  was  here.  They 
must  now  perceive  his  being  among  them  with- 
out the  aid  of  eyes  and  hands. 

All  the  postresurrection  experiences  have 
this  mysterious  strangeness  and  similarity  about 
them  —  Emmaus,  the  eleven  in  the  upper  room, 
the  group  at  the  seashore  in  Galilee,  and  at 
Bethany  —  all  are  cast  over  the  same  plan.  Jesus 
comes  among  them  apparently  out  of  nowhere. 
At  first  he  is  unrecognized.  He  speaks  a  few 
words  which  warm  and  bum,  revealing  himself 
unto  them,  and  before  they  know  it,  he  is  gone. 

By  these  repeated  experiences  they  learned 
that  they  did  not  know  when  he  would  be  among 
them.  Perhaps  he  had  come  to  the  table  "be- 
twixt the  cup  and  the  lip"  and  was  eating  with 
them.  Slowly  the  truth  he  was  teaching  them 
began  to  dawn  upon  them.  He  was  with  them 
all  the  time.  "Blessed  are  those  who  have  not 
seen  me  and  yet  have  believed."  They  were  to 
understand  that  in  every  experience  of  life  Jesus 
was  with  them. 

Easter  asserts  that  the  principles  which  dom- 
inated the  life  of  Jesus  are  eternal  principles. 
There  is  little  purpose  in  granting  an  eternal 
presence  to  one  whose  principles  will  not  stand 
the  light  of  eternal  day.  Easter  means  that 
everything  for  which  Jesus  lived  and  died  and 
lived  again  lives  forever.  The  principles  on 
which  he  based  life  are  vindicated.  His  truth 
becomes  eternal. 

Jesus  came  proposing  a  drastic  reordering  of 
the  assumptions  undergirding  life.  He  declared 
in  short  that  an  entirely  new  manner  of  living 
which  was  alien  to  anything  known  at  that  time 
must  become  the  way  of  life.  His  proposals  were 
so  radical  that  men  said  he  was  beside  himself. 
When  he  died  on  the  cross,  men  were  likely  to 
say,  "We  told  you  so.  What  he  wanted  to  do 
just  would  not  work  in  our  kind  of  world."  But 
with  his  rising  again  his  life  principles  were 
vindicated.  Easter  means  that  everything  by 
which  he  lived  —  the  assumption  about  God,  the 
motive  for  living,  the  incentive  to  action 
resurrected. 


The  teachings  of  Jesus  have  an  appeal  all 
their  own,  but  they  are  cold  and  unapproachable 
apart  from  his  life.  When  he  is  in  the  tomb,  they 
seem  impossible  ideals.  Then  comes  Easter  Day 
with  its  reproof  of  death,  and  a  way  of  life  which 
seemed  dead  came  alive,  also.  Easter  asserts  that 
the  principles  which  undergirded  the  life  of 
Christ  are  the  life  principles  for  all  people. 

Easter  gives  as  the  eternal  perspective  of  life. 
The  Greeks  thought  of  the  soul  as  being  separate 
from  the  body.  Most  of  us  break  life  into  two 
pieces.  The  first  broken  part  we  call  earthly  life, 
the  second,  eternal  life.  It  is  the  Easter  message 
that  these  two  are  one.  Man  is  a  child  of  God, 
created  in  his  image.  God  has  endowed  his 
child  with  the  properties  of  eternal  life.  He  has 
given  him  for  temporary  use  a  physical  body. 
When  the  body  and  the  spirit  which  God  has 
given  man  are  permanently  separated  from  each 
other,  there  comes  to  the  personality  the  shock 
which  we  call  death,  but  that  shock  does  not 
alter  the  essential  spirit  of  the  man. 

He  lives  on.  The  spirit  goes  on  living  as  it 
lived  in  the  body.  The  principles  and  truths 
which  were  its  meat  and  drink  in  the  body  sus- 
tain it  when  the  body  is  no  more.  Every  process 
which  is  begun,  every  thought  which  is  sown, 
every  response  to  life  lives  on.  It  becomes  a  part 
and  parcel  of  the  real  being  which  a  man  is. 
This  is  the  permanence  of  personality. 

Even  in  death  a  man  is  what  he  has  always 
been.  E.  Stanley  Jones  has  aptly  said  that  if  a 
man  takes  heaven  out  of  this  life  when  he  leaves 
it,  he  will  have  it  with  him  when  he  gets  beyond 

Continued    on   page    15 


VIGNETTE  OF  SPRING 

ORA  W.  GARBER 

Soft  winds 
Across  the  fields; 
The  warmth  of  sunny 

hours  .  .  . 
New  life  in  flower,  tree, 

and  grass 
Pulsates. 

The  earth 

Responds  with  joy 

To  his  firm,  gentle  touch 

As  once  again  the  hand  of 

God 
Creates. 


IS 


Lord,  Is  It  I? 


No,  Master !    Surely  I  would  not  betray 
Thee  at  whose  call  I  left  my  faulty  nets 
And  followed  close,  to  catch  a  nobler  prey. 
Incredible,  those  words !   No  man  forgets 
One  at  whose  spring  he  drinks,  to  thirst  no  more, 
Whose  presence  stills  the  storms  of  heart  or  sea ; 
Who,  as  a  servant  kneeling  to  the  floor, 
Stoops  to  man's  need,  however  low  it  be. 

Betray  thee,  Lord,  whose  eyes  can  see  a  land 
Where  man  is  neighbor  unto  every  man 
And  love  is  unto  all,  and  hand  to  hand? 
Where  in  this  world  or  any  is  a  plan 
Like  unto  this?   Could  I  forsake  the  one 
Who  readies  me  a  mansion  with  a  view 
Across  eternity  —  Begotten  Son, 
Him  whom  to  touch  is  to  be  wholly  new? 

O  Christ  whom  I  so  love,  this  cannot  be! 
Lord,  is  it  I?   Could  I  be  false  to  thee? 


So  Frail  the  Vessels 


Are  you  my  chosen  ones  —  you,  nodding  there 

With  heavy  eyes?   You  who  have  lately  vied 

With  one  another  for  the  honor-chair? 

So  frail  the  vessels  on  so  fierce  a  tide! 

Can  you  be  those  who  shall  receive  such  power 

That  greater  deeds  than  mine  be  manifest, 

Who  could  not  even  watch  the  cross-brimmed  hour 

With  me  in  prayer?   Sleep  on  and  take  your  rest. 

Still,  when  Love  climbs  a  cross,  it  is  for  you. 

Father,  forgive  —  they  know  not  what  they  do ! 


Hofmann 


Three  Lions 


Safe  But  Not  Saved 


Call  me  no  more  a  man !   No  scoffer's  sneer 
Is  fit  enough  for  me!    From  henceforth  on, 
This  ill-timed  fowl,  my  feathered  conscience  here, 
Shall  cry  my  cowardice  to  each  new  dawn. 
The  one  for  whom  I  thought  I  would  have  died, 
Who  said,  "Deny  thyself,"  I  have  denied! 

6  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


O  lonely  Christ,  whose  own  have  not  the  will 
To  show  themselves  as  thine,  and  stand  the  cost ! 
"Who  would  preserve  his  life  shall  lose  it  still," 
Safe  but  not  saved,  continuing  but  lost. 
Lord,  where  is  he  whom  thou  hast  called  The 

Rock  — 
Judged  faint  of  heart  by  an  accusing  cock! 


Camera  Clix 


Lord,  It  Was  I! 


My  God !    What  work  of  evil  have  I  done  — 
That  in  one  monstrous  moment  I  should  smile 
Such  grossly  false  affection  for  that  one, 
The  prince  of  truth,  as  I  am  prince  of  lies! 
O  infamous  embrace  —  when  all  the  while 
Death  rattled  in  a  wretched  purse  held  tight 
Behind   my   back.     Christ  —  how   those   sad- 
dened eyes 
Condemned  me  with  their  love!    How  dark 

is  night 
When  one  has  killed  the  light!    So  let  me  die. 
Lord,  it  was  I!    How  could  it  have  been  I? 


More  Than  I  Asked 


With  thee  in  Paradise?  Today,  O  Christ? 
Eternal  Eden  for  a  scoundrel,  priced 
For  the  refuse  heap?   How  is  this  understood? 
He  gave  more  than  I  asked !    I  only  cared 
That  one,  at  least,  remember  me  for  good 
When  this  torment  is  done.    But  I  am  spared ! 
Now  life  and  evil  both  depart  from  me, 


Mingled  in  blood,  as  they  shall  ever  be. 
And  cold  they  run.    But  something  is  alive 
That  will  not  ooze  away  and  dry  on  wood. 
Now  do  I  know  the  damned  may  yet  survive ! 
Sick  of  my  sin,  I  offered  what  I  could : 
My  life's  one  final  tribute  —  utter  shame, 
My  first  and  only  good  —  to  call  his  name. 


Risen  As  He  Said 


Lord,  I  Believe 


Can  he  have  died  who  gave  my  life  to  me? 

How  could  his  own  lie  cold  within  this  tomb 

When  all  he  touched  took  on  eternity? 

And  still  he  draws  me  here  in  the  half-gloom. 

But  see  where  lies  the  stone!   O  blessed  dawn 

That  boasts  an  open  grave !    What  can  contain 
j    A  living  Lord?    His  mortal  part  is  gone, 

And  heaven's  brightness  sits  where  death  has  lain. 
I    He  is  not  here,  but  risen,  as  he  said  — 

And  seven  devils  that  were  mine  lie  dead ! 


My  Lord  and  God!    It  is  thy  pain-pierced  hands, 
Thy  side  I  touch,  thy  very  self  that  stands 
Before   me   now  —  and   faith   stabs   through    my 

doubt 
As  nails  these  hands  and  puts  despair  to  rout. 
Blest  Son  of  Mercy,  who  will  still  receive 
A  creature  who  must  see  thee  to  believe ! 

If  thou  dost  really  live,  there  is  no  grief. 
Lord,   I   believe  —  help   thou  my   unbelief! 


Poems  by  Ernestine  Emrick 


APRIL   16.  1960 


hrist  seeks  to  draw  near 
to  you  and  to  me  and 
to  go  with  us  in  our  way 


The   Nearness  of  Christ 


I  Two  disciples  were  going  down  from  Jeru- 
salem on  the  road  to  Emmaus.  It  was  Sunday, 
the  first  day  of  the  week.  It  must  have  been 
just  at  dawn.  Travelers  in  that  part  of  the  world 
always  began  their  journeys  as  night  gave  way 
to  day.  The  cool  of  the  morning  was  congenial 
to  walking  on  a  road. 

As  they  went  down  over  the  rocky  trail  from 
the  great  city,  they  must  have  seen  more  and 
more  of  the  lilies  beloved  by  the  Master.  In  the 
valleys,  still  shadowed  from  the  morning  light, 
they  saw  those  flowers,  diademed  with  the  dew 
of  the  night.  It  was  a  hushed  time.  There  were 
not  many  travelers  on  the  road.  Behind  the  two 
disciples  were  brutal  memories  of  Friday,  the 
day  of  the  crucifixion,  and  then  the  memory  of 
the  sad  and  so  empty  Saturday. 

What  a  hollow  time  that  day  Saturday  must 
have  been  for  all  the  disciples!  The  shouting 
mobs,  the  tumult,  and  the  crush  of  excitement 
were  gone.  Each  man  lived  alone,  wrapped  in 
his  own  stunned,  personal  realization  of  the 
Master's  death!  No  more  would  they  see  those 
penetrating  eyes.  No  longer  would  they  hear 
the  teaching  that  was  graced  with  the  simplicity 
of  the  sky  and  the  strength  of  the  mountains. 
How  great  was  their  loss!  One  by  one,  they 
must  have  been  thinking,  "With  the  bottom 
pulled  out,  on  what  can  I  stand?  Shall  I  go 
back  home?  Shall  I  take  up  taxgathering,  or 
fishing,  or  what-have-you,  once  again?" 

In  such  an  atmosphere  of  emptiness,  sorrow, 
and  perplexity,  two  of  them  were  walking  down 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Lowell  Russell  Ditzen 


the  road  to  Emmaus.  Although  silent  for  a  time, 
eventually  they  began  to  talk  to  each  other.  As 
they  "communed,"  their  solitariness  merged  into 
a  togetherness.  In  talking  and  sharing  their 
hearts,  they  came  closer  to  each  other. 

Notice  the  words,  "as  they  communed  and 
reasoned."  What  they  said,  we  do  not  know. 
One  might  very  well  have  said,  "I  think  the 
Master,  even  though  we  will  never  see  him 
again,  would  want  us  to  be  brave  and  helpful, 
especially  so  now.  Remember  how  he  tried  to 
teach  and  guide  us?  He  spoke  so  often  of  being 
brave  and  selfless  when  he  was  with  us.  He< 
surely  would  want  us  to  be  that  way  now." 

His  companion  might  well  have  replied, 
"Yes.  And  this  thought  occurred  to  me.  Be- 
cause we  were  so  close  to  him,  we  have  a  special 
responsibility  to  see  that  the  goodness  we  knew 
in  him  is  passed  on  to  others."  I  think  it  is 
logical  to  assume  that  there  was  less  despair, 
less  heaviness  of  spirit,  because  of  their  com- 
muning and  reasoning.  And  the  lovely  passage 
adds  that,  as  they  communed  together  and  rea- 
soned, "Jesus  himself  drew  near  and  went  with 
them." 

Here  is  a  beautiful  facet  to  the  Easter  story. 
What  is  it  saying? 

The  goodness  of  God,  the  divine  love  for 
man,  the  rich  truth  that  was  in  Christ,  this  could 
never  stay  shut  up  in  a  stifling  tomb!  It  is  bound 


Minister  of  the  Reformed  church.  Bronxville,  New  York 


3Q^RAinsT50RFP  Sfi&sy 


to  live  forever.  Just  as  Jesus  sought  to  draw 
near  to  men  in  his  earthly  life,  so  will  his  spirit 
draw  near  forever.  He  rises  from  any  restricting 
grave  of  doubt  and  despair.  Hope  will  roll  aside 
the  stone,  and  he  will  draw  near  to  men  who 
commune  about  spiritual  things  and  who  reason 
constructively  on  any  Emmaus  road.  He  will 
draw  near  and  go  with  you  to  the  end  of  time! 
That  is  a  wonderful  truth  for  an  Easter  morning. 
It  is  one  to  lay  hold  of  and  take  with  us  for  all 
the  days  that  lie  ahead. 

See  how  clearly  it  dovetails  into  what  is  uni- 
versal experience  for  us  in  our  daily  lives.  When 
we  meditate  and  reason  about  life's  possibilities, 
we  feel  the  continual  nearness  of  both  the 
heights  and  the  depths,  the  glories  and  the  de- 
spairs, the  triumphs  and  the  defeats  that  can 
be  ours. 

A  biographer  of  the  Prophet  Mohammed 
wrote  of  the  early  period  when  his  life  was 
being  sought.  Mohammed  lived  in  caves,  evad- 
ed discovery  by  disguise,  fled  hither  and  yon, 
and  often,  the  writer  went  on  to  say,  his  escape 
turned  on  a  straw.  Some  rider's  horse  took 
fright.  A  storm  or  the  indecision  of  a  pursuer 
—  on  the  turn  of  such  things,  Mohammed's  life 
was  saved.    Danger  and  death  were  ever  near. 

Is  it  not  so  for  us?  You  have  heard  friends 
of  yours  say,  and  perhaps  you  have  said  it  your- 
self, "How  close  I  was  to  physical  tragedy!  That 
plane  that  crashed  was  one  on  which  I  so  easily 
might  have  been  a  passenger."  Or,  "There  was 
a  horrible  accident  on  the  highway,  in  which, 
except  for  fortuitous  circumstances,  I  might 
have  been  the  victim."  Crippling  disease  strikes 
at  someone  close  to  you.  You  may  have  spoken 
the  words  many  have  asked:  "Why  wasn't  I 
the  one?" 

One  reason  we  are  so  moved  by  tragedies  is 
that  we  know  the  closeness  of  sorrow  and  trag- 
edy to  our  own  lives.  The  burdens  that  some 
man  must  bear  could  so  easily  be  upon  our  own 
shoulders.  But  for  some  hand  of  restraining  in- 
fluence, the  brutal  act  he  did  might  have  been 
done  by  us!  The  fateful  corner,  the  wrong  turn 
which  he  took  —  but  for  a  soft  guiding  we  might 
have  taken  that  turn,  too!  One  saintly  life,  look- 
ing on  a  drunk  sprawled  in  the  gutter,  put  it 
this  way,  "There  but  for  the  grace  of  God  am 
I."  How  near,  how  continually  near,  is  error  and 
tragedy  and  sin  and  despair! 

But  we  know,  too,  how  close  beauty  is  and 
goodness  and  peace  and  love.  You  may  have 
seen,  as  I  have,  the  setting  sun  through  the 
gnarled  trees  of  Monterey,  California.    Others 


Rubens 


Three   Lions 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


EASTER 

WILLIAM  ROBERT  MILLER 

0  Son  of  M an,  where  is  thy  pain? 
Thy  ravaged  limbs 
describe  all  agony. 

Yet  with  this  pain 

Thou  hast  smashed  through 

the  crust  of  death 

to  mount  the  pinnacle  of  joy. 

0  Son  of  God,  clasp  these  hands 

my  hands 

that  strove  to  nail  thee  against  heaven. 

Thy  pierced  hands,  0  Master, 
can  grip  me  into  life, 
can  mold  a  world  of  love, 
can  bind  brotherhood 
among  all  enemies. 

of  you  have  stood  in  awe  as  the  sun  threw  its 
robes  of  glory  over  simple  farmyards  and  majes- 
tic mountain  peaks  in  Switzerland  or  Bavaria. 
But  no  sunset  has  the  possibility  of  more  loveli- 
ness than  that  which  paints  the  sky  over  the 
village  where  you  live. 


How  near  is  beauty?  The  lilies  of  Bermuda 
can  be  unappreciated  by  the  hurried  tourist, 
while  you  can  find  all  of  the  loveliness  and  won- 
der of  creation  in  the  flower  that  is  on  your 
shoulder,  in  your  garden,  upon  the  altar  of  your 
church.  And  your  heart's  desire  —  like  the  man 
who  searched  for  diamonds  all  over  the  world, 
only  to  find  that  they  had  been  in  his  own  back 
yard  all  the  time  —  is  so  close,  too! 

The  Bible,  all  along  its  wide  and  varied 
course,  is  attempting  to  get  this  message  through 
to  you  and  to  me.  For  thousands  of  years,  God 
has  been  trying  to  send  his  message  to  you.  The 
22nd  Psalm  sees  plainly,  as  do  we,  that  "trouble 
is  near."  But  then  that  writer  of  the  Psalm 
pleads,  "O  God,  who  planted  hope  in  my  heart, 
even  when  I  was  in  my  mother's  womb,  be  not 
far  from  me."   God  can  be  as  close  as  trouble. 

Another  beautiful  Psalm,  the  139th,  seeks 
again  to  get  the  message  through  that  God  is 
near.  "Whither  shall  I  go  from  thy  spirit?  .  .  . 
If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven,  thou  art  there;  if  I 
make  my  bed  in  hell,  behold,  thou  art  there." 
God  is  near.  Are  you  letting  his  message  become 
truth  for  you? 

In  Easter  the  message  is  put  in  bold-faced 
letters  we  cannot  fail  to  see.  In  the  life  of  Christ 
and  in  his  living  presence,  God  is  trying  to  say, 
"Read  my  message  in  Jesus.  This  is  how  I  want 
to  come  near  and  go  with  you  down  the  plainest 
road,  leading  to  the  simplest  village,  to  the  hum- 
blest homes  and  hearts.  My  spirit  in  Christ 
would  draw  near  and  go  with  you."  Although 
the  dark  valleys  are  near,  we  can  go  calmly  into 
the  blackest,  for  we  are  not  alone.  Out  of  the 
depths  or  on  the  heights  it  can  be  our  own  voice 
speaking,  "I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with 


me. 


Will  you  take  this  shining  truth,  not  alone 
for  the  day,  but  for  the  year?  Christ  seeks  to 
draw  near  to  you  and  me  and  go  with  us  in  the 
way  that  is  ours. 

At  the  side  of  Trinity  Church  in  Boston,  the 
citizens  erected  a  statue  to  the  memory  of  the 
great  Phillips  Brooks.  It  portrays  the  beloved 
preacher  in  the  act  of  speaking.  He  is  using 
well  his  skill.  Standing  behind  him  is  the  figure 
of  Christ,  putting  his  hand  gently  on  the  shoul- 
der of  the  preacher.  I  believe  the  sculptor  was 
trying  to  say  that  the  experience  on  the  road  to 
Emmaus,  of  Jesus'  drawing  near  and  going  with 
man,  is  for  all  men  and  for  all  time. 

Where  is  your  Emmaus  road?  For  you  as  a 
woman,  it  is  in  the  home,  planning  menus,  keep- 
ing buttons  sewn  on,  holding  a  sick  child  in  your 
arms  in  the  long  night  hours  as  weariness  and 
fear  tear  at  your  energies  and  spirit.  Homebuild- 


er  and  mother,  do  you  at  times  wish  that  there 
might  be  some  mystic  power  of  God  that  could 
come  close  to  help  and  heal?  The  Easter  faith 
affirms  a  power  for  days  and  nights  like  that.  It 
says  Jesus  seeks  to  draw  near  you,  to  go  with 
you,  to  be  with  you,  in  the  tedious  and  troubled 
hours.  His  hand  will  touch  your  shoulder  there 
on  your  Emmaus  road. 

As  a  man,  you  may  be  in  the  hurly-burly  of 
competitive  business  life,  where  your  nerves  are 
stretched  taut,  where  important  decisions  clamor 
for  action,  where  the  tempo  mounts  to  a  deafen- 
ing pitch.  Have  you  not  known  times  when  you 
wish  for  peace  and  some  clear  guidance  that  you 
could  not  find  in  yourself?  Do  not  leave  out  of 
your  experience  the  reality  of  God's  guidance  in 
the  living  presence  of  Christ. 

How  often  young  people  feel  that  their  life 
is  insignificant.  Have  you  felt  or  maybe  even 
said,  "I'm  overlooked  by  the  adults  in  the  family. 
No  one  really  understands  me  or  seems  to  be 
much  concerned  for  me."  It  is  not  true. 

What  this  Easter  truth  is  trying  to  say  is  that 
religion  is  not  something  for  ministers  to  talk 
about  on  a  Sunday  morning.  It  is  a  living, 
cleansing,  calming  power.  It  is  the  spirit  of  the 
living  Christ,  seeking  to  be  with  you,  near  you, 
on  any  Emmaus  road  where  you  are  —  a  power 
to  touch  your  shoulder.  In  your  faith  in  him 
and  in  his  living  presence,  you  may  find  his 
strength  and  calm  for  any  occasion. 

In  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  London,  is  a  copy  of 
the  familiar  painting  based  on  the  verse,  "Be- 
hold, I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock."  The  door 
is  every  man's  soul.  The  Master  is  at  the  door 
knocking.  But  the  latch  is  on  the  inside.  Jesus 
does  not  batter  down  the  door.  He  cannot  turn 
the  knob,  for  there  is  no  key  on  the  outside.  The 
only  way  he  can  get  in  is  by  the  inward  opening. 
And  that  must  be  done  by  you. 

Turn  the  latch!  Those  disciples  began  to  do 
it.  As  they  went  down  from  Jerusalem  on  the 
road  to  Emmaus,  they  began  to  turn  the  knob  of 
humility,  of  fellow  awareness,  of  hope.  They 
lifted  the  latch  of  faith  in  tomorrow.  As  they 
opened  the  inward  door,  the  Master  was  there. 
When  they  communed  and  reasoned,  Jesus  drew 
near  and  went  with  them. 


Lord,  what  a  change  within  us  one  short  hour 
Spent  in  thy  presence  will  avail  to  make! 
What  heavenly  burdens  from  our  bosoms  take! 
What  parched  grounds  refresh  as  with  a  shower! 

We  kneel,  and  all  around  us  seems  to  lower; 
We  rise,  and  all,  the  distant  and  the  near, 
Stands    forth    in    sunny    outline,    brave    and    clear; 

We  kneel,  how  weak!  we  rise,  how  full  of  power! 


APRIL  16.  1960 


11 


s? 


<% 


tP&tr 


Alexander  Mack,  Sr.  (1679-1735) 


IS  AN  organized  church  the 
necessary  locale  and  con- 
text for  complete  and  ef- 
fective discipleship?  Alexander 
Mack  answered  this  question  in 
the  affirmative  and  in  that  an- 
swer became  the  founder  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  E.  C. 
Hochmann  answered  the  ques- 
tion in  the  negative  and  in 
his  answer  became  one  of  the 
strongest  critics  —  and  even  op- 
ponents —  of  the  fledgling  fra- 
ternity. (The  tendency  to  credit 
him  as  a  founder  is  an  error, 
as  the  following  should  make 
clear. ) 

The  confusion  regarding 
Hochmann's  role  arises  out  of 
the  complexity  of  the  religious 
situation  that  led  to  the  found- 
ing of  the  church.  The  inaugu- 
ral baptism  of  1708  was  the  end 
result  of  a  two-step  movement. 
As  regards  the  first  step,  break- 
ing away  from  the  state  church, 
Hochmann  was  instrumental; 
he  and  Mack  were  in  complete 
accord  that  true  discipleship 
necessitated  separation  from 
this  decadent  institution.  As 
regards  the  second  step,  the 
formation  of  a  new  institution, 
the  two  men  took  opposite  and 
irreconcilable  views.  How  this 
all  took  place  is  our  story. 

The  religious  situation  of  the 


12 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


Ernest  Christopher  Hochmann  von  Hochenau  (1670-1721) 


Vernard  Eller 

Germany  in  which  these  men 
lived  was  that  of  legally  estab- 
lished state-churchism;  in  any 
given  territory  one  church 
(either  Lutheran,  Reformed,  or 
Roman  Catholic)  was  declared 
official,  and  all  citizens  were  as 
a  matter  of  course  baptized  into 
it  as  babies  and  treated  as  con- 
stituents throughout  life.  This 
setup,  plus  the  demoralization 
resulting  from  religious  wars,  a 
creedalistic  emphasis  in  theol- 
ogy, and  other  factors,  under- 
standably led  to  a  dearth  of 
spirituality  and  vital  Christian- 
ity. 

In  response,  there  arose  a 
group  of  concerned  clergy  and 
laymen  who  tried  to  inject 
some  religion  into  the  church. 
They  worked  within  the  recog- 
nized channels  of  the  establish- 
ment, their  primary  method 
being  the  organization  of  "cell 
groups"  that  met  for  Bible 
study,  prayer,  and  discussion. 
These  people  were  known  as 
Pietists.  But  out  of  Pietism 
proper  came  a  more  extreme 
group,  now  known  as  the 
Radical  Pietists.  The  radicals 
were  convinced  that  the  church, 
because  of  the  nature  of  its 
affiliation  with  the  state,  was  be- 
yond redemption  and  that  true 
Christian  discipleship  therefore 


entailed    a    leave-taking    from 
the  institution.    This  move,  oft 
course,     made    these    radicals 
"outlaws"  in  the  eyes  of  both 
the  church  and  the  state. 

E.  C.  Hochmann  was  a  man 
of  noble  birth  (thus  the  "von 
Hochenau"  on  the  end  of  his 
name)  who,  while  in  Halle 
University  studying  law  in 
preparation  for  a  high  position 
in  government,  was  converted 
to  Radical  Pietism  and  so  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  as  an 
itinerant  preacher  and  evange- 
list —  as  highly  ranked  as  an 
outlaw  as  he  might  have  been 
as  an  official. 

One  of  the  many  "conver- 
sions" resulting  from  Hoch- 
mann's ministry  was  that  of  the 
young  Alexander  Mack.  Mack 
became  a  close  friend,  compan- 
ion, and  student  of  Hochmann, 
and  thus  much  of  the  "nega- 
tive" aspect  of  Mack's  religious 
thought  —  his  insight  into  the 
evils  of  state-churchism,  infant 
baptism,  creedalism,  formalism, 
scholasticism,  etc.  —  can  be  at- 
tributed directly  to  his  mentor. 
However,  as  regards  the  "posi- 
tive" alternative  to  churchism, 
Mack  came  to  a  position  in 
diametric  opposition  to  that 
of  Hochmann  and  the  Radical 
Pietists.  (The  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  then,  is  at  least  as 
much  a  protest  against  Pietism 


as  it  is  an  outgrowth  of  it.) 
Hochmann  —  and  Radical  Pi- 
etism as  a  school  of  thought 
—  stood  for  a  free-lance,  com- 
pletely internalized  and  spir- 
itualized practice  of  religion. 
In  reaction  against  the  formal- 
ism of  the  churches,  all  outward 
rites,  ceremonies,  and  organi- 
zations were  eliminated;  re- 
ligion became  exclusively  a 
matter  of  getting  one's  heart 
right  with  God,  letting  the  spirit 
of  Jesus  transform  and  direct 
one's  life. 

Mack  took  no  exception  to 
the  need  for  an  inner  experience 
of  faith  (herein  he  was  a  true 
Pietist),  but  he  could  not  ac- 
cept the  radicals'  conclusion  of 
a  purely  spiritual  religion.  For, 
Mack  maintained,  if  anyone  is 
truly  possessed  by  the  spirit  of 
Jesus  he  will  want  to  be  obedi- 
ent to  Jesus  (obedience  is  the 
key  term  of  Mack's  theology), 
and  a  reading  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament makes  it  plain  that  Jesus 
commanded  a  certain  amount 
of  outward  ritual  and  organiza- 
tion as  concomitant  to  the  life 
of  the  spirit. 

Baptism  became  the  specific 
bone  of  contention,  not  because 


of  a  particular  concern  about 
baptism  as  such,  but  because 
baptism,  being  an  initiatory  rite 
that  inevitably  raises  the  dis- 
tinction between  those  who 
have  received  it  and  those  who 
have  not,  symbolizes  and  pre- 
supposes the  doctrine  of  an  or- 
ganized and  identifiable  church. 
Both  Hochmann  and  Mack  ob- 
jected to  the  infant  baptism  of 
the  state  churches  on  the 
grounds  that  it  was  only  ritual, 
there  being  no  possibility  of  in- 
ner transformation  in  a  baby. 

Mack,  however,  pleaded  the 
necessity  of  adult  baptism  out 
of  obedience  to  the  clear  direc- 
tives of  Scripture  and  as  an  aid 
to  and  seal  of  the  inner  event 
(Mack  refused  to  compartmen- 
talize the  outward  from  the  in- 
ward aspects  of  man's  religious 
experience  as  Hochmann  want- 
ed to  do).  Hochmann  depre- 
cated any  outward  baptism, 
first,  because  it  could  so  easily 
become  simply  an  external,  and 
second,  because,  by  constituting 
a  qualification  of  membership, 
it  represented  exclusiveness  and 
sectarianism. 

Later,  when  the  growth  of 
the  Brethren  constituted  a  men- 


Painting  by  H 


Durkee 


An   artist's   conception   of   Mack   baptizing   in   the    River   Eder,    Germany, 
the  seven  who  with  himself  were  the  founders  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 


ace  to  his  own  following,  Hoch- 
mann carried  this  criticism  so 
far  as  to  reverse  his  earlier  posi- 
tion and  contend  that  since  any 
baptism  was  a  sheer  externality 
without  necessary  reference  to 
an  inner  experience,  infant  bap- 
tism was  as  good  as  any  other 
and  that  Mack  was  out  of  order 
with  his  rebaptizing. 

Hochmann's  concept  of  a 
purely  spiritual  discipleship 
that  could  sustain  and  perpetu- 
ate itself  without  the  support 
and  discipline  of  any  insti- 
tutionalization whatsoever  is 
probably  too  idealistic  for  man 
as  we  know  him  (and  as  Jesus 
apparently  knew  him ) ;  history, 
certainly,  has  confirmed  Mack 
as  against  Hochmann. 

On  the  other  hand,  Mack's 
concept  of  spiritual  discipleship 
within  the  context  of  the  mini- 
mal institution  defined  by  the 
New  Testament  will  always  run 
the  risk  of  sliding  back  into 
churchism  unless  Hochmann's 
concerns  are  kept  before  us:  ( 1) 
The  form  without  the  spirit  is 
dead;  so  seek  continually  the 
inner  and  truly  spiritual  experi- 
ence. And  (2)  our  "obedience" 
can  easily  become  a  source  of 
spiritual  pride  and  discrimina- 
tion against  those  who  do  not 
practice  in  quite  the  way  that 
we  do;  so  let  us  always  be  hum- 
ble, tolerant,  and  open-minded 
—  particularly  in  those  things  of 
which  we  are  most  convinced 
we  are  right. 

My   Prayer  As   I   Drive 

RUTH  FUNDERBURG 

God  be  in  my  hands, 
in  my  eyes, 
in  my  feet; 

God  be  in  my  mind, 

in  my  understanding, 
in  my  being; 

That  I  may  drive 

with  wisdom, 
with  courtesy, 
with  safety.    Amen 

APRIL  16,  1960  13 


Easter  at  the  Garden  Tomb 


David  J.  Wieand 

THE  sun  rose  bright  over  the  Judean  hills. 
We  awoke  later  than  we  had  hoped,  for 
on  Saturday  night  we  had  participated  in 
the  ancient  Ethiopian  pageant  called  "Searching 
for  the  Body  of  Christ."  We  dressed  quickly,  ate 
a  hasty  breakfast,  and  departed  with  eager  an- 
ticipation to  the  "Garden  Tomb."  It  was  hard 
to  believe  that  we  were  really  in  Jerusalem  on 
Easter!  A  jingling  of  the  bell  brought  a  porter 
who  admitted  us  to  a  small  well-kept  garden 
just  over  the  side  of  the  hill  from  Gordon's  Cal- 
vary. 'Tis  a  beautiful  garden!  Just  the  place  to 
worship  on  Easter  morning  in  Jerusalem. 

Today  we  were  pilgrims.  Today  it  mattered 
little  that  the  "place  of  the  skull"  above  us  was 
in  all  probability  the  result  of  road  building  op- 
erations just  outside  of  the  present  north  wall  of 
Jerusalem.  On  some  such  hill  not  too  far  distant 
Jesus  had  been  crucified.  Nor  did  it  matter  that 
the  empty  tomb  we  were  reverently  visiting  was 
most  likely  of  later,  Byzantine  construction  and 
use,  for  the  real  tomb  of  Jesus  and  site  of  his 
glorious  resurrection  would  not  have  been  far 
different  from  this.  Here  we  saw  a  rock-cut 
channel  for  a  round  stone  "door"  to  roll  in  and 
a  rock-hewn  tomb  with  burial  spaces  for  three. 
Today  we  were  pilgrims.  It  was  enough  to 
let  these  Palestinian  sites  and  this  memorable 
Easter  morn  in  all  its  brilliance  quicken  our 
imagination  and  warm  our  spirits.  We  see  Mary 
Magdalene  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  come 
to  anoint  Jesus  with  spices,  wondering  who  will 
roll  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepul- 
chre; then,  startled  to  find  the  stone  rolled  away, 
enter  with  haste.  An  angel  announces  the  unbe- 
lievable message,  "He  is  not  here.  He  is  risen! 
Come,  see  the  place  where  the  Lord  lay."  They 


soon  emerge  trembling,  amazement  written  all  J 
over  their  faces  and  depart  quickly  to  tell  Peter 
the  incredible,  glorious  news. 

Here  come  the  Beloved  Disciple  and  Peter 
running  as  they  had  never  run  before!  The  Be- 
loved Disciple  outruns  Peter,  stoops  down,  and 
looks  in  to  see  the  grave  clothes  lying  on  the 
rock-cut  floor.  Impetuous  Peter  rushes  past  and 
enters,  followed  quickly  by  the  other  disciple. 
They  come  out  slowly,  puzzlement  and  wonder 
written  over  their  faces.  Later  faith  replaces 
doubt,  their  hearts  beat  faster,  their  faces  glow, 
and  they  proclaim  to  the  world,  "He  is  risen! 
He  is  risen!    Christ  is  risen  indeed!" 

Our  thoughts  are  brought  back  to  this  Easter 
morn  in  the  twentieth  century  when  we  hear  a 
voice  from  in  front  of  the  tomb  ask,  "Are  there 
any  ministers  present?"  We  raise  our  hand  and 
are  invited  to  read  the  resurrection  story  and 
offer  prayer.  It  is  a  never-to-be-forgotten  experi- 
ence. Does  not  our  heart  burn  within  us  as  we 
read  the  old,  old  story  of  how  Jesus  burst  the 
bonds  of  death  and  rose  to  become  our  glorified 
Lord,  freed  from  the  bondage  of  mortal  flesh, 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


•'..:\:->v-  ^  -     i  ' 

Entrance  to  the  "Garden  Tomb"  at  Jerusalem 

let  loose  throughout  the  world,  yes  and  heaven 
itself! 

Our  part  is  done.  A  chorus  of  blind  girls 
arises  to  shout  to  all  creation  the  Easter  message. 
"Hallelujah!  Christ  is  risen!"  Our  pity  is  trans- 
muted to  joy.  Tears  of  thanksgiving  to  God  well 
up  in  our  eyes  as  we  realize  that  though  these 
girls  have  been  bound  with  chains  of  darkness 
by  blinded  eyes  their  hearts  have  been  set  free 
by  their  resurrected  Lord. 

The  service  is  over.  We  linger  in  the  garden 
meditating  with  thankful  and  joyful  heart  on  the 
glories  that  God  has  brought  to  men  through 
Easter. 

This  is  the  first  in  a  series  of  articles  relating  to  Bible 
lands  today 


Christ  Is  Our  Hope 

Harry  M.  Gardner 

WHERE  there  is  life,  there  is  hope,"  is  a  familiar  phrase,  yet 
ever  new.  On  Golgotha's  hill  men  severely  questioned  wheth- 
er their  Lord  and  ours  would  live  beyond  Good  Friday  and 
the  grave.  Trembling  with  fear  of  the  future,  they  were  losing  their 
hope.  Again  they  feared  they  must  draw  their  hope  from  the  un- 
known. In  darkness  and  despair  they  stood  between  Good  Friday  and 
Easter.  Although  their  position  was  difficult  they  did  not  entirely 
surrender  their  hope. 

Despite  their  desperation  in  those  dark  hours,  the  Christians  re- 
versed the  phrase,  crying,  'Where  there  is  hope,  there  must  be  life." 
Their  hope  was  in  God,  a  living  being.  Their  hope  was  eternal,  in  God 
eternal.  They  believed  there  must  be  eternal  life  in  their  hope,  life 
beyond  Good  Friday  and  the  grave.  Although  their  hope  in  Christ  was 
1  dimmed  at  the  cross,  it  could  not  be  conquered. 

Easter  morning  came.  Truth  broke  forth.  "Alleluia,  Christ  arose!" 
Their  hope  was  confirmed.  "He  is  not  here,  for  he  has  risen."  Jesus 
met  them  saying,  "Hail!  .  .  .  Do  not  be  afraid."  Their  fears  were 
vanquished.  Their  hope,  their  Christ  again  directed  their  day-by-day 
living.  Their  fate  was  now  framed  in  final  victory  over  death.  Hope 
filled  them  with  peace,  praise,  and  thanksgiving.  "Christ  the  Lord  is 
risen  today,  alleluia!"  In  abiding  faith,  down  through  the  ages,  men 
have  joined  in  the  chorus,  ".  .  .  because  he  lives,  we  too  shall  live  .  .  ." 

Christ  resurrected,  Christ  the  victor  over  the  final  enemy,  death, 
is  eternally  our  hope  and  is  our  hope  for  all  eternity.  With  Paul  we 
declare,  "O  death,  where  is  thy  victory?  .  .  .  thanks  be  to  God,  who 
gives  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Here  and  here- 
after, Christ  is  our  hope. 


The  Alluring  Forever 

Continued  from  page  5 

this  life.  But  if  he  takes  some- 
thing else  out  of  this  life  —  that 
is  the  hell  of  it! 

"This  is  life  eternal."  Under- 
score that  present  tense.  Eter- 
nal life  is  a  present  reality.  Such 
a  faith  imposes  commanding  re- 
sponsibilities on  every  one  of  us. 
It  is  too  easy  an  out  to  assume 
that  when  death  comes,  then 
God  will  separate  us  wholly 
from  our  past  and  give  us  such 
an  utterly  different  being  that 
even  our  best  friends  would  fail 
to  recognize  us  in  our  eternal 
guise. 

This  is  life  eternal.  It  is  some- 
thing which  we  have  now,  and 
we  shall  always  have  it.  The 
part  which  we  have  now  cannot 
be  separated  from  the  part  we 
are  to  have  in  the  future.   It  is 


true  that  the  highest  capabili- 
ties are  not  reached  in  this  life, 
but  we  must  begin  —  and  begin 
now  —  to  "go  on  to  perfection" 
because  the  life  which  is  eternal 
we  already  possess. 

This  is  a  second  truth  which 
Jesus  was  teaching  his  disciples 
in  the  postresurrection  appear- 
ances. In  the  resurrection  Jesus 
was  not  endeavoring  to  prove 
that  there  was  a  life  after  death. 
The  disciples  already  believed 
that.  The  Jewish  people  had  a 
strong  faith  in  immortality  — 
after  this  life  there  was  another 
life.  Jesus  used  the  resurrection 
to  teach  his  disciples  that  the 
life  which  is  to  come  is  not  an- 
other life,  but  the  one  they  al- 
ready had! 

Easter  is  the  eternal  season. 
It  witnesses  to  us  of  a  presence 
which  is  never  absent.    It  con- 


firms as  eternal  the  principles 
which  Jesus  lived.  It  opens  to 
us  the  deep  truth  that  we  are 
already  partakers  of  the  life 
which  is  without  end. 

Sign  Up  for  the 
Resurrection 

Continued  from  page  3 

Whether  it  takes  a  call  from 
a  draft  board  or  a  call  from  the 
church  to  force  a  decision, 
should  not  each  person  make 
sure  that  when  he  signs  up  for 
a  term  of  service,  he  does  in 
fact  "sign  up  for  the  resurrec- 
tion"? Thank  God  for  the  al- 
ternative to  death  itself  which 
came  to  lis  in  the  resurrection 
of  our  Lord.  Thank  God  for 
present-day  alternatives  to  de- 
struction and  to  training  for 
death.  May  we  have  the  cour- 
age always  to  choose  the  al- 
ternative that  sustains  and 
perpetuates  life.  —  k.m. 

Readers  Write 

Continued  from  page   2 

byists  rammed  a  law  through  Con- 
gress specifically  allowing  them  to 
use  it  on  citrus  fruit. 

But  the  situation  relating  to  to- 
bacco and  alcoholic  beverages  is 
somewhat  different.  In  the  first 
place,  the  FDA  is  prohibited  from 
interfering  with  the  sale  of  these 
items.  Secondly,  the  public  knows 
that  tobacco  and  alcohol  produce 
cancer  or  other  serious  maladies.  If 
they  persist  in  using  them,  along 
with  coffee  and  other  foods  which 
contain  undesirable  drugs,  they  at 
least  know  what  the  consequences 
might  be.  But  cranberries  were 
thought  to  be  harmless,  and,  when 
some  turned  out  to  be  otherwise,  it 
was  the  duty  of  the  FDA  to  sepa- 
rate the  good  from  the  bad.  If  all 
cranberries  contained  aminotriazole 
there  would  be  no  need  of  such  ac- 
tion. People  could  take  them  or 
leave  them,  just  as  they  wished. 

The  FDA  has  a  great  work,  but  it 
cannot  control  the  morals  of  people. 
That  is  where  we  as  individuals  or 
as  a  Christian  group  must  do  our 
part.  —  Glenn  S.  Strickler,  state  food 
and  drug  inspector,  Hays,  Kansas. 


APRIL  16.  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


The  end-of-service  conference  for  the  members  of 
the  June  1959  BVS  unit  who  are  completing  their  period 
of  service  this  spring  will  be  held  in  Elgin  on  June  2-3. 
The  date  for  the  next  end-of-service  conference  has 
been  set  for  Sept.  6-7. 

Northern  and  Second  Virginia's  new  camp  site  near 
Keezletown  has  been  named  Brethren  Woods.  A  junior 
high  camp  (Aug.  7-13)  and  a  junior  camp  (Aug.  14-20) 
will  be  held  this  summer.  Many  groups  are  co-operating 
in  getting  the  camp  site  ready  for  this  first  summer  of 
operation. 

Rising  operating  costs  have  caused  the  board  of 
trustees  of  Juniata  College  to  increase  the  charges  for 
the  academic  year  1960-61  from  $1,400  to  $1,525  for 
resident  students  and  from  $825  to  $925  for  non- 
resident students.  The  inclusive  fee  covers  a  normal 
program  of  studies  and  other  services  such  as  room  and 
board  for  resident  students. 

Dedication  ceremonies  for  the  new  community  hos- 
pital at  Castaner,  Puerto  Rico,  will  be  held  on  Sunday, 
May  22.  Dr.  Andrew  Cordier  and  Governor  Munoz 
Marin  will  be  guest  speakers.  W.  Harold  Row  will 
represent  the  Brethren  Service  Commission.  An  invita- 
tion is  extended  to  others  desiring  to  attend.  Such 
persons  should  notify  Ralph  Townsend,  Brethren  Serv- 
ice Project,  Castaner,  Puerto  Rico,  of  their  intention. 

A  truck  and  trailer  loaded  with  seeds  from  the  New 
Windsor  Brethren  Service  Center  and  twenty  heifers 
donated  by  the  Southern  District  of  Ohio  has  gone  to 
the  Prentiss  Institute,  Prentiss,  Miss.  This  Negro  edu- 
cational institution  has  undertaken  a  significant  agri- 
cultural program  among  the  low-income  residents  of  the 
area.  This  extension  service  is  directed  by  Mr.  Norman, 
the  county  agent,  who  has  visited  the  New  Windsor 
Center  on  several  occasions. 

As  a  part  of  the  joint  disarmament  campaign,  mem- 
bers of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board  and  regional 
executives  were  asked  at  the  March  board  meeting  to 
contact  others  to  send  letters  and  telegrams  to  President 
Eisenhower  before  his  Camp  David  talks  with  Prime 
Minister  Macmillan,  urging  him  to  agree  to  a  ban  on 
nuclear  tests  that  can  be  monitored  and  a  moratorium 
on  all  others.  Since  the  agreement  reached  there  favors 
this  plan,  letters  of  commendation  to  President 
Eisenhower  are  in  order. 

Dr.  Claude  D.  Nelson,  staff  consultant  and  acting 
executive  of  the  Department  of  Religious  Liberty  of 
the  National  Council  of  Churches,  will  lead  the  Seminar 
on  Christian  Responsibility  for  Freedom,  July  11-22, 
at  La  Verne  College,  La  Verne,  Calif.  The  seminar, 
jointly  sponsored  by  the  Brethren  Service  Commission 
and  La  Verne  College,  will  examine  the  close  practical 
connection  between  religious  and  civil  liberties  and 
their  connection  with  church-state  relations.  A  special 
ministers'  workshop  will  be  held  as  a  part  of  the  seminar 
on  July  18-19.  For  further  information  regarding  the 
seminar  write  to  Dr.  Herbert  Hogan,  La  Verne  College, 
La  Verne,  Calif. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  district  meeting  date  for  Southern  Missouri  and 
Arkansas  has  been  changed  from  Aug.  18-21  to  Aug. 
11-14.    The  place  remains  the  same,  Springfield. 

Change  of  Address 

Robert  L.  Byrd,  to  P.  O.  Box  727,  Buena  Vista,  Va., 
the  site  of  the  new  parsonage  of  the  Buena  Vista  church. 

C.  H.  Petry,  from  Ft.  Myers,  Fla.,  to  R.  4,  Mondovi, 
Wis.  Brother  Petry  recently  retired  from  the  pastoral 
ministry. 

Paul  H.  Bowman,  from  Timberville,  Va.,  to  East 
College  St.,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

The  Church  Calendar 
April  17 

Lesson  outline  based  on   International   Sunday   School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible   Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951   by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  \ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Children  of  the  Resurrection. 
Mark  16:1-8;  Col.  3:1-15.  Memory  Selection:  If  anyone 
is  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creation;  the  old  has  passed 
away,  behold,  the  new  has  come.    2  Cor.  5:17  (R.S.V.) 

Easter 

April  23  Southern  Pennsylvania  Men's  Fellowship  rally, 
Waynesboro 

April  18-22  Regional  interdenominational  camp  leaders' 
conference,  Camp  Hanover,  Richmond,  Va. 

April  22-24  Eastern  Region  conference,  Coventry 

April  23  Southeastern  Region  district  executive  secre- 
taries' meeting,  Bridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  23-24  Southeastern  Region  youth  round  table, 
Bridgewater  College,  Va. 

April  24  Christian  College  Day 

April  24-30  National  Mental  Health  Week 

May  1-8  National  Family  Week 

May  6  May  Fellowship  Day 

May  8  Mother's  Day 

May  13-15  Mardela  and  Eastern  Maryland  recreation 
leaders'  laboratory,  Camp  Mardela 

May  7  North  Atlantic  youth  work  camp,  Germantown 

May  22  Rural  Life  Sunday 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Six  baptized  and  eighteen  received  by  letter  in  the 
Modesto  church,  Calif.  Five  received  in  the  San  Diego 
church,  Calif.  Two  received  by  letter  in  the  Sunrise  Com- 
munity church,  Albany,  Oregon. 

Nine  baptized  and  five  received  by  letter  in  the  Ivester 
church,  Iowa.  One  baptized  and  one  reclaimed  in  the  South 
Keokuk  church,  Iowa.  Five  received  in  the  Oklahoma  City 
church,  Okla. 

One  baptized  in  the  Olivet  church,  Ohio.  One  received 
by  letter  in  the  Piqua  church,  Ohio.  Five  baptized  in  the 
Midland  church,  Mich.  One  baptized  in  the  Muncie  church, 
Ind.  Eight  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter  in  the 
Ashland  church,  Ohio. 

Seven  baptized,  five  received  by  letter,  and  two  rein- 
stated in  the  Broadfording  church,  Md.  Five  baptized  and 
four  received  by  letter  in  the  Peters  Creek  church,  Va.  Two 
received  by  letter  in  the  First  church,  Norfolk,  Va.  Sixteen 
baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  Mill  Creek 
church,  Va.  Twelve  baptized  in  the  Henry  Fork  church, 
Va.  Six  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  Collinsville 
church,  Va.  One  baptized  in  the  Sunnyside  church,  W.  Va. 
Five  baptized  in  the  Brick  church,  Greenland  congregation, 
W.  Va.  One  baptized  in  the  Oak  Dale  church,  Greenland 
congregation,  W.  Va.  Three  baptized  in  the  North  Fork 
church,  W.  Va. 


Information  on  Insurance  for  Conference 

Accident  insurance  will  again  be  provided  tor 
church  members  attending  Annual  Conference.  Cover- 
age will  be  effective  from  12:01  a.m.,  June  4,  I960, 
CDT,  until  12:01  a.m.,  CDT,  June  27,  1960.  Any  per- 
sonal injury  sustained  during  this  period  is  covered,  pro- 
vided the  injured  person  was  attending  Annual  Confer- 
ence or  was  on  the  way  to  or  from  the  Urbana 
Conference  when  the  injury  occurred.  Members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  their  small  children  not  yet 
church  members  are  covered. 

Benefits  payable  are:  $1,000  for  accidental  loss  of 
life  or  loss  of  any  two:  hands,  feet,  or  eyes;  $500  for 
loss  of  one  arm,  leg,  or  eye;  $500  reimbursement  for 
that  portion  of  expenses  actually  incurred  for  physician 
surgeon,  hospital,  ambulance,  X  ray,  and  nurse  (licensed 
or  graduate),  which  is  not  collectable  from  any  other 


insurance.  This  will  give  necessary  protection  for  the 
many  persons  who  do  not  have  hospital  or  other  insur- 
ance and  will  give  additional  coverage  to  those  persons 

Tms  insurance  is  automatic  for  the  period  and 
persons  stated  above;  it  is  not  necessary  to  register. 
The  coverage  is  for  accidental  injury  and  does  not  in- 
clude sickness  or  illness.  All  types  of  travel  are  covered 
except  nonscheduled  flights. 

Claims  shall  be  reported  immediately  to  the  Annual 
Conference  Treasurer,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111., 
or  at  the  Conference  office.  He  will  promptly  provide 
necessary  papers  and  instructions.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  contact  him  about  this  insurance,  except  to  report  a 
claim  Those  who  do  not  register  at  Conference  are 
invited  to  help  defray  the  cost  of  this  insurance  by 
participating  in  the  regular  Conference  offerings. 


Highlights   of  the   March  Meetings    of  the   General   Brotherhood  Board 


Conference  Queries 

The  board  has  been  involved  during  the  past  year 
in  an  unusually  large  number  of  Annual  Conference 
assignments.  In  this  meeting  it  processed  answers  to 
the  queries  on  (1)  College  Scholarship  Aid,  (2)  Church 
Membership  Materials,  (3)  The  Memorial  Service,  (4) 
Ministerial  Recruitment,  and  (5)  Guidance  Program 
for  Licensed  Ministers.  Copies  of  these  proposed  an- 
swers will  appear  in  the  Gospel  Messenger.  The  board 
will  be  asking  for  more  time  on  the  question  of  Installa- 
tion of  Deacons. 

Statement  on  Higher  Education 

A  statement  on  The  Church  and  Its  Colleges  has 
been  under  consideration  for  some  time  and  was  ap- 
proved at  this  meeting  for  recommendation  to  Annual 
Conference.  This  statement  is  similar  in  nature  to  oth- 
ers adopted  in  the  past  relating  to  foreign  missions, 
church  extension,  and  Brethren  service. 

Budget  and  Goal 

A  spending  budget  of  $1,658,645  was  adopted  for 
1960-61.  This  figure  represents  definitely  planned  pro- 
gram. At  the  same  time  the  board  is  taking  to  Annual 
Conference  a  recommendation  that  the  goal  adopted 
by  the  Annual  Conference  in  1955  ($2,600,000)  be 
retained  but  that  a  minimum  intermediate  goal  of 
$1,800,000  be  established  for  1960-61.  The  difference 
between  the  figures  represents  program  which  can  be 
implemented  as  funds  become  available. 

Financing  Bethany  Relocation 

As  a  result  of  joint  considerations  by  the  executive 
committees  of  the  Bethany  Board  of  Directors  and  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board,  the  board  had  before  it 
recommendations  on  procedures  in  the  financing  of  relo- 
cation. Essentially  the  plan  adopted  includes  the  fol- 
lowing steps:  (1)  A  capital  gifts  campaign  among 
individuals  conducted  by  the  seminary.  (2)  Beginning 
with  the  fiscal  year  1960-61  for  a  three-year  period,  an 
appeal  to  churches  for  special  gifts  from  congregations 
and/or  individuals.  Congregations  shall  decide  how  to 
respond  to  this  appeal,  whether  to  include  an  extra  item 
in  the  budget,  take  special  offerings,  or  solicit  selected 
individuals.  Gifts  received  in  response  to  this  appeal 
shall  be  regarded  as  budgetary  but  shall  receive  Broth- 
erhood Fund  credit,  thereby  increasing  the  Brotherhood 
budget  by  the  amount  received  for  this  purpose.     (3) 


Upon  completion  of  construction  amortize  through  the 
Brotherhood  budget  a  long-term  loan. 

Puerto  Rico  Program 

The  board,  and  particularly  the  Ministry  and  Home 
Mission  and  Brethren  Service  commissions,  heard  a 
report  from  a  deputation  to  Brethren  work  in  Puerto 
Rico  The  board  approved  extension  of  the  church  m 
Puerto  Rico  through  the  congregation  at  Castaner ^with 
the  thought  that  any  new  churches  established  should 
be  Puerto  Rican  in  size,  character,  and  program  with 
major  leadership  and  funds  from  the  Puerto  Rican 
church.  A  plan  adopted  in  1956  for  a  development 
program  whereby  in  ten  years  the  Castaner  hospital 
would  be  turned  over  completely  to  the  community 
was  reaffirmed.  The  response  of  Puerto  Ricans  to  the 
appeal  for  funds  for  the  building  of  the  new  hospital 
indicates  the  way  in  which  the  community  is  supporting 
the  hospital. 

Navajo  Indian  Work 

Future  directions  in  our  ministry  among  the  Navajo 
Indians  was  considered  but  no  action  was  taken.  Rec- 
ommendations are  to  be  brought  to  the  June  meeting 
of  the  board  on  the  best  ways  in  which  the  Brethren 
may  minister  to  this  group. 

The  Foreign  Mission  Commission  and  subsequently 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board  received  a  report  on 
directions  in  program  and  the  growth  of  the  church 
in  Ecuador  following  a  visit  there  by  J.  Henry  Long, 
executive  secretary  in  foreign  missions,  and  George 
Detweiler,  a  member  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Commis- 
sion. The  board  approved  opening  of  new  work  in  the 
Santo  Domingo  area. 

Nonviolence  in  Race  Relations 

The  board  adopted  a  statement  commending  those 
persons  who,  guided  by  conscience  and  conviction,  are 
seeking  by  nonviolent  methods  to  remove  practices  ot 
discrimination  and  injustice.  This  statement  will  receive 
rather  wide  publicity. 

Road  Signs 

A  new  baked  enamel  sign  similar  in  design  to  the 
older  one  was  adopted.  This  new  sign  should  prove 
much  more  durable  than  the  earlier  one. 


APRIL  16,  1960 


17 


WHAT  does  it  mean  to  be  a 
Christian?  What  is  involved 
in  answering  the  call  of 
Christ  when  he  says,  "Follow  me"? 
It  means  a  personal  acceptance  of 
Jesus  as  one's  Lord  and  Savior.  It 
means  following  the  example,  the 
life,  and  spirit  of  Jesus  as  revealed 
in  the  New  Testament.  It  means 
bringing  all  areas  of  life  into  sub- 
mission to  his  will. 

In  Jesus'  own  city  of  Capernaum, 
throbbing  with  its  prosperous  com- 
mercial activities,  the  Master  loved 
to  walk  the  familiar  streets,  greeting 
his  friends  and  frequently  stopping 
for  animated  conversation.  He  loved 
to  mingle  with  the  throngs  in  the 
market    place,    always    leaving    be- 


The  Business  of 
Being  Christian 


Howard  H.  Keim 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


hind  the  sparkle  of  his  wit  and  the 
challenge  of  his  moral  insights. 

One  day  as  Jesus  passed  the  tax 
office,  he  saw  his  good  friend  Mat- 
thew efficiently  receiving  the  taxes 
for  the  Roman  Empire.  It  was  near 
the  close  of  the  final  day  for  payment 
and  the  crowds  of  grumbling  citi- 
zens were  taking  out  their  hatred  of 
Rome  on  their  despised  fellow  citi- 
zen. He  took  their  abuse  good-na- 
turedly, along  with  the  tax  payments, 
returning  their  receipts  with  a  smile 
and  a  hearty  "Thank  you."  Because 
Matthew  was  working  for  Rome  he 
was  ostracized  by  his  own  people 
who  classed  him  along  with  robbers, 
murderers,  and  brigands.  His  evi- 
dence was  invalid  in  courts  of  law. 
His  money  could  not  be  accepted  as 
alms  by  the  local  synagogue. 

When  the  last  complainant  dis- 
appeared down  the  crooked  street, 
Jesus  quietly  said  to  Matthew,  "Fol- 
low me."  And  the  young  publican 
knowing  quite  well  what  Jesus 
meant,  arose,  and  followed  him. 
Answering  Christ's  Call 

Christ's  call  comes  to  every  one. 
It  is  not  restricted  by  any  class  con- 
sciousness. It  recognizes  no  barrier 
of    race,    nationality,    economic    or 


political  philosophy.  The  Master's 
call  is  a  call  to  activity.  Matthew 
had  been  an  active  person  so  that  the 
call  had  a  greater  appeal  to  him 
than  to  others.  He  was  challenged 
by  the  breadth  and  scope  of  the 
program  of  the  kingdom.  He  arose 
to  follow.  The  tax  office  could  not 
hold  him  any  longer.  His  response 
was  to  an  invitation  not  to  take  life 
easy,  but  to  accept  a  larger  responsi- 
bility. It  had  the  thrill  of  calculated 
risk. 

The  temptation  which  confronts 
us  today,  as  we  hear  the  call,  is  to 
transform  our  "tax  office"  into  a  way- 
side chapel  and  remain  seated.  So 
many  churches  take  the  attitude  of 
the  ordinary  tax  collector:  "Here 
we  are,  ready  to  serve  any  who 
come  to  us."  But  they  do  not  rise 
up  to  follow  Jesus  in  the  thrilling 
evangelism  of  the  community  and 
the  world. 

It  is  our  business  to  take  the 
church  to  the  people.  There  is  a 
growing  feeling  among  the  laboring 
people  of  the  world  that  the  church 
of  Christ  does  not  really  care  about 
their  daily  problems  of  work,  food, 
housing,  and  economic  justice.  We 
must  take  the  gospel  of  Christ  to 
people  where  they  are  and  earn  the 
right  to  speak  to  them  because  of 
our  personal  acquaintance  with  their 
problems. 

There  are  some  who  respond  to  the 
call  with  the  pious  resolution:  "As 
soon  as  I  make  my  million,  I'll  leave 
the  customs  office  and  follow."  But 
they  always  live  under  the  delusion 
that  they  are  going  to  find  security 
in  things.  It  never  happens.  The 
first  million  calls  for  another,  and 
then  another.  Christ  is  our  only  se- 
curity. We  find  our  only  true  happi- 
ness as  we  arise  and  follow  him. 

Tolstoy  wrote  a  little  essay,  How 
Much  Land  Does  a  Man  Need? 
which  tells  of  a  poor  Russian  peasant 
who  worked  hard  and  lived  frugally 
until  he  could  buy  a  little  acreage. 
He  continued  to  prosper  and  ex- 
changed his  small  holdings  for 
larger  ones  several  times.  Finally, 
he  learned  of  a  distant  frontier  where 
one  might  receive  free  land  by  mere- 
ly walking  around  it.  He  went  to 
investigate  and  found  it  to  be  true. 
He  could  have  a  deed  to  all  the  land 
he  was  able  to  walk  around  between 
sunrise  and  sunset. 

He  set  out  with  high  hopes  and 
great  ambition.  But  his  greed  got 
the  better  of  his  good  judgment  as 
he  tried  to  walk  around  more  and 
more  land.  He  finally  discarded  his 
heavy  boots  and  exerted  his  utmost 


i! 


energy  to  race  to  the  finish  line  be- 
fore the  sun  disappeared  below  the 
horizon.  As  he  arrived  he  dropped 
dead  and  the  officials  buried  him 
there.  All  the  land  he  needed  was 
two  by  six  feet. 

Jesus  assures  us  that  when  we  seek 
first  the  kingdom,  God  will  help  us 
with  the  daily  needs  of  life. 

Living  the  Gospel 

When  Matthew  accepted  the  call 
he  immediately  prepared  a  banquet 
and  invited  all  his  publican  friends 
to  come  and  meet  Jesus.  Christian 
evangelism  was  going  into  action. 
The  Pharisees  were  shocked  and  pro- 
tested such  scandalous  activity  on 
the  part  of  the  young  teacher.  Jesus 
responded,  "The  sick  are  the  ones 
who  need  the  physician.  The  lost  are 
the   ones  who   need   to   be   found." 

The  gospel  always  affects  people 
and  relationships.  It  changes  people, 
and  it  changes  society.  Having 
arisen  from  our  old  position  and  way 
of  life  we  need  to  begin  living  the 
gospel  as  Jesus  reveals  it,  no  matter 
what  people  may  think  or  say.  Chris- 
tianity is  more  than  a  series  of  philo- 
sophical principles.  It  is  a  way  of 
life.  It  becomes  effective  only  as 
related  to  life. 

The  Brethren  have  always  cher- 
ished the  good  life.  Christ  must 
be  incarnate  in  his  followers.  Hon- 
esty, purity,  truthfulness,  and  broth- 
erly love  should  become  native  to 
our  daily  living.  Christian  indi- 
viduals produce  Christian  homes 
and  a  more  Christian  social  order. 


The  nature  of  society  is  transformed 
as  the  spirit  of  Christ  prompts  people 
to  love  their  enemies,  overcome  evil 
with  good,  and  enter  into  the  suffer- 
ings of  a  needy  world  by  sharing 
God's  blessings. 

One  of  the  most  amazing  person- 
alities of  our  day  is  Albert  Schweit- 
zer, the  gifted  missionary  to  Africa. 
He  rejected  a  life  of  honor  and  use- 
fulness in  the  universities  and  church- 
es of  Europe  to  demonstrate  Christ's 
love  for  all  people.  His  life  works 
like  leaven  in  the  spiritual  renewal 
of  multiplied  thousands  around  the 
world. 

Christianity  is  not  just  a  Sunday 
religion  associated  with  the  one-hour 
experience  when  we  dress  up  and 
go  to  church  for  public  worship. 
It  must  become  effective  every  mo- 
ment of  our  lives  and  have  its  forma- 
tive bearing  on  every  activity  and 
relationship.  To  live  the  gospel  is 
to  live  Christ.  The  apostle  Paul  said, 
"For  me  to  live  is  Christ."  We  must 
strive  for  the  same  ideal. 

New  Forms  for  the  New  Spirit 

Human  nature  abhors  change. 
We  cling  to  the  old  familiar  ways  and 
traditions.  But  change  is  an  inev- 
itable part  of  life  and  growth. 
Jesus  and  his  disciples  broke  many 
of  .'the  ancient  traditions  of  the 
Jewish  people.  Some  were  offended 
because  of  this.  Jesus  did  not  follow 
this  procedure  merely  as  a  means  of 
hurting  people.  He  did  it  because 
the  new  spirit  which  he  brought 
into  the  world  demanded  new  forms, 


The   Triumphant   Christ 

MILDRED  ALLEN  JEFFERY 

Christ  knew  the  searing  look  of  men's  contempt. 
The  angry,  scowling  faces  of  the  mob; 

He  stood  as  one  disinterested,  exempt 

From  fear,  but  in  his  breast  he  crushed  a  sob. 

He  understood  men's  hearts  made  vile 
With  galling  jealousy  and  blackest  hate; 

He  understood  that  in  a  little  while 

His  death  for  them  would  open  heaven's  gate. 

His  calm,  pure  face  revealed  the  hidden  power 
That  lies  beyond  the  things  that  men  can  kilL 

And  three  days  later  at  earth's  darkest  hour 
Arose  as  victor  over  death  and  hell. 

And  shall  I  think  my  trial  more  severe 

Who  also  have  but  one  brief  life  to  give? 

In  God's  great  strength  I,  too,  will  persevere 
And  "in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God"  and  live. 


new  modes  of  expression.  He  gave 
two  homely  illustrations  to  demon- 
strate the  truth  involved.  "No  one 
cuts  up  a  new  garment  to  patch  an 
old  one.  No  one  puts  new  wine  into 
old  skins." 

The  gospel  like  new  wine  is  ex- 
plosive. It  can  be  contained  only 
in  elastic  new  forms.  The  old  gar- 
ment is  worth  patching.  But  it  is 
not  worth  enough  to  destroy  a  new 
garment  to  mend  the  old.  The  gospel 
is  alive,  growing,  expanding,  and  we 
must  provide  the  forms  that  are 
adaptable  for  its  use  in  our  day. 

We  used  to  sing  about  the  "Old 
Time  Religion."  The  theme  of  the 
gospel  song  suggested  that  what  was 
good  enough  for  mother  and  father 
is  good  enough  for  us.  But  it  is  not 
so.  Every  age  must  provide  a  vital, 
living  approach  to  the  gospel  evan- 
gel. Our  father's  methods  of  farm- 
ing or  doing  business  were  all  right 
in  their  day  but  not  good  enough 
for  this  day.  We  are  obligated  to 
create  the  forms  that  minister  to  the 
needs  of  the  times  in  which  we  live. 

The  Spirit  of  Christ  can  never  be 
held  for  long  in  any  form.  It  burst 
the  Roman  seal  upon  the  tomb  where 
they  thought  he  was  securely  buried. 
It  shattered  the  icons,  indulgences, 
and  immoralities  of  the  Holy  Roman 
Empire.  It  sundered  the  straight 
jacket  of  Puritan  prudery.  In  our 
day,  Jesus  would  lead  us  in  the  dis- 
covery of  the  new  forms  necessary  to 
carry   the   gospel   to   all  the   world. 

In  the  fall  of  1924  five  young  men 
found  exciting  adventure  in  travel- 
ing from  Nampa,  Idaho,  to  McPher- 
son  College,  Kansas,  in  a  model  T. 
They  visited  Yellowstone  Park  and 
the  Grand  Teton  Mountains  and 
crossed  the  wind-swept  prairie. 
They  slept  under  the  stars  and  pre- 
pared their  food  over  a  eampfire. 
None  of  them  would  care  to  repeat 
the  performance  today.  Every  day 
calls  for  new  forms. 

The  body  of  Christ  must  strive  to 
proclaim  the  good  news  in  the  spirit 
of  thrilling  adventure  with  which  it 
first  came  to  the  earth  in  the  person 
of  our  Lord.  Every  generation  must 
find  the  forms  that  convey  this  glori- 
ous gift  of  God  to  their  own  day. 
•  •  • 

Howard  E.  Butt,  Jr.,  chain  grocer 
of  Corpus  Christi,  Texas:  "What  we 
conform  to  becomes  our  God.  Soci- 
ety is  made  up  of  conformists, 
nonconformists,  and  Christian  indi- 
vidualists. Be  like  gyroscopes  and 
resist  the  pressures   of  the  crowd." 


APRIL  16,  1960 


19 


Woman  Power  Unleashed 

■  The  birth  of  an  organization  which  at  the  outset  claims  a 
membership  of  fourteen  million  women  "may  be  a  milestone 
marking  the  awakening  of  women,"  Mrs.  Eleanor  Roosevelt 
observed. 

The  group,  the  National  Organizations  of  Women  for  Equal- 
it}  in  Education,  called  NOW  for  Equality  for  short,  is  comprised 
of  seventeen  national  women's  organizations,  among  them 
United  Church  Women.  The  Church  of  the  Brethren  Women's 
Fellowship,  as  a  part  of  the  United  Church  Women,  was  repre- 
sented by  Mrs.  Clifton  Crouse,  Queen  Anne,  Md.,  at  the  initial 
conference  of  NOW  for  Equality  in  Washington,  D.  C,  in  Febru- 
ary. 

Mrs.  Roosevelt,  honorary  chairman  of  the  new  group,  told 
the  350  delegates  there  would  be  no  peace  in  the  world  "until 
we  set  our  own  house  in  order"  and  achieve  racial  equality. 

"You  cannot  have  true  disarmament  until  a  great  many  steps 
take  place.  It's  not  just  a  question  of  stopping  nuclear  tests  and 
cutting  down  on  armaments,"  she  said. 

"Goodwill,  real  peace,  will  never  come  until  the  world  prob- 
lems are  setded.  One  of  the  steps  is  achieving  genuine  equality." 
The  former  First  Lady  commented:  that  "women  are  just 
beginning  to  realize  that  segregation,  which  they  thought  of  as 
a  domestic  problem,  has  great  international  implications,  affect- 
ing the  peace  of  the  world  to  which  every  woman  is  dedicated." 
At  a  press  conference  she  lamented  the  fact  that  in  regard  to 
the  Supreme  Court  decision  outlawing  school  segregation,  the 
President  did  not  call  together  the  leaders  of  white  and  colored 
people  from  across  the  country.  "The  people  of  the  South,  par- 
ticularly, who  are  closer  to  this  problem,  might  have  had  some 
excellent  suggestions." 

While  NOW's  first  effort  is  to  fight  school  segregation,  the 
honorary  chairman  foresaw  the  group  eventually  tackling  other 
problems  —  some  "we  haven't  even  started  thinking  about  yet." 

Mrs.  Roosevelt  praised  women  today  who  are  "actually 
doing  work  as  well  as  talking,"  adding  that  women  had  power 
""if  they  use  it." 

James  A.  Pike,  Episcopalian  bishop  of  California,  told  the 
conference  that  integration,  to  be  successful,  must  deal  with  the 
whole  community,  as  well  as  with  education  and  specific  civil 
rights. 

He  said  that  many  churches  are  not  integrated  simply  be- 
cause of  the  "ghetto-ing  of  our  cities  and  towns."  He  plead  for 
overcoming  the  barriers  of  "closed  housing,"  pointing  out  that 
"a  church,  in  spite  of  its  best  intentions,  must  fail  of  its  ideals 
if  the   neighborhood   itself   is   segregated." 

Mrs.  William  Sale  Terrill,  president  of  United  Church  Wom- 
en, presented  to  Attorney  General  William  P.  Rogers  the  com- 
mendation of  her  group  for  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  civil  rights 
legislation. 

Mrs.  Crouse,  member  at  large  of  the  General  Council  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  Women's  Fellowship  in  reporting  on  the 
conference  quoted  one  speaker  as  saying,  "We  have  had  un- 
comfortable soul-searching  here." 

Mrs.  Crouse  commented  that,  in  sharing  with  labor  leaders, 
educators,  Negroes,  and  people  of  various  faiths,  "we  felt 
a  deep  need  to  grow  in  sensitive  understanding  of  each  other, 
in  becoming  committed  to  do  right,  in  meeting  another's  need 
because  of  his  need  of  love.  I  hope  to  use  this  experience  to 
work  positively  where  I  can,  beginning  with  myself." 

If  349  other  delegates  do  the  same,  and  get  the  14  million 
members  they  represent  to  follow  suit,  the  awakening  Mrs. 
Roosevelt  predicted  will  not  be  of  women  alone,  but  of  a  nation. 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


"Youth  need  the  responsibility  of  making  mistakes" 


Provocative   Thought 

Leonard  Gittings 

9  Among  those  concerned  with  world  mis- 
sions, both  vocabulary  and  strategy  are  under- 
going change.  Some  of  this  is  good,  and  long 
overdue.  Yet  there  is  always  the  danger  that 
old  rigidities  may  be  retained  under  new 
forms,  or  that  new  procedures  may  be  made  as 
rigid  as  the  old. 

One  example  in  the  realm  of  language  is 
the  desire  some  people  have  to  abandon  the 
word  missionary  in  favor  of  fraternal  worker. 
The  former  is  supposed  to  reflect  an  obsolete 
function  and  pattern.  I  have  no  quarrel  with 
the  proposed  new  term  as  such,  but  one  must 
avoid  the  connotation  that  the  worker  sent 
out  by  the  "home"  churches  is  a  kind  of  ec- 
clesiastical mechanic  who  is  primarily  to  help 
the  national  churches  run  their  new  machinery 
smoothly. 

Anyone  sent  out  by  American  churches 
should  be  an  evangelist.  His  evangelistic  spirit 
and  proved  evangelistic  skill  ought  to  be 
evaluated  as  carefully  as  his  emotional  stability, 
education,  and  technical  ability,  all  of  which, 
of  course,  are  important. 

And  on  the  field  he  should  be  made  to  feel 
not  only  that  he  is  a  "servant  of  the  churches" 
(he  ought  to  be  that),  but  that  he  is  free  to  be 
a  true  ambassador  for  Christ.  In  these  days 
when  only  so  many  can  be  sent  out,  and  when 
some  of  the  national  churches  are  becoming 
bogged  down,  the  missionary  needs  to  be 
encouraged  to  use,  not  less  initiative  in  the 
evangelistic  task,  but  more. 


PRIMITIVE  CAMPING  VALUES  CITED 


■  Every  American  boy  and  girl 
should  have  some  type  of  camping 
experience,  Episcopalian  Bishop 
James  A.  Pike  commented  recently 
on  his  own  television  program.. 

Life  in  the  city,  in  suburbia,  and 
even  in  exurbia  is  a  "removal  from 
the  basic  factors  of  life,"  away  from 
"'the  real  basic  beauty  of  life," 
Bishop  Pike  said.  Through  camp- 
ing the  church  can  "help  the  child  to 
become  more  religiously  perceptive" 
...  to  bring  about  "a  direct  response 
to  the  things  God  has  evolved  in 
this  world  ...  a  greater  respect  for 
the  mystery  of  things  ...  to  bust 
nature." 

Guest  on  the  bishop's  Sunday 
afternoon  program  was  Frederick 
Howell  Lewis,  executive  director  of 
the  New  York  Herald  Tribune  Fresh 
Air  Fund.  Lewis  advised  families  to 
buy  a  tent,  to  pack  the  car,  and  to 
start  camping. 


In  their  conversation  Bishop  Pike 
and  Lewis  indicated  that  many 
camp-sponsoring  agencies,  churches 
included,  have  forgotten  "the  orig- 
inal purposes  of  camping."  They 
cited  as  evidence  the  large  living 
units  and  modern  centralized  facili- 
ties which  have  been  developed  — 
"a  transplanting  of  the  city  into  the 
country." 

The  two  men  strongly  endorsed 
small  group,  decentralized  camping, 
in  which  the  individual  camper  has 
placed  upon  him  maximum  respon- 
sibility for  decisions,  including  "the 
responsibility  to  make  a  mistake, 
and  suffer  from  it,"  as  Bishop  Pike 
puts  it. 

"A  great  many  camps  are  a  mere 
repetition  of  city  life,"  Lewis  ob- 
served. Responsible  for  this,  he  felt, 
were  not  the  camp  directors  but 
"parents  unwilling  for  children  to  live 
in  a  more  primitive  type  of  life." 


~ - 


Kokomo   Completes   New   Church 


■  More  than  a  half  century  of  devo- 
tion and  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  the 
people  of  the  Kokomo  church,  Ind., 
has  opened  the  way  for  an  exciting 
and  fruitful  future  for  the  growing 
fellowship.  The  congregation  is 
completing  the  construction  of  a  new 
building  at  the  south  edge  of  a  rap- 
idly expanding  city. 

Initial  funds  were  contributed  in 
1949,  with  the  first  every-member 
canvass  taking  place  in  June  of  1955. 
The  successful  results  of  the  cam- 
paign led  to  a  council  decision  to 
purchase  a  4.63-acre  site  in  Novem- 
ber of  the  same  year  and  to  begin 
plans  for  the  new  house  of  worship. 

The  building  expresses  with  sim- 


plicity the  architectural  period  of  our 
times  in  the  soft  color  tones  of  sand- 
stone trimmed  with  Indiana  lime- 
stone. Residents  in  the  area  have 
been  generous  in  their  praise  of  the 
new  edifice,  the  first  public  building 
in  Kokomo  to  be  heated  electrically. 
The  unique  plan  locates  the  narthex 
between  the  sanctuary  and  the  fel- 
lowship hall  to  permit  doubling  the 
capacity    for   church    services. 

The  congregation  plans  to  move 
into  the  new  edifice  this  spring.  The 
total  cost  of  the  project,  including 
the  purchase  price  of  the  lot  and 
proposed  landscaping,  will  approach 
$200,000. 

To  finance  construction  costs,  the 


church  issued  $100,000  in  building 
bonds  to  supplement  contributed 
funds.  The  five  per  cent  bonds  are 
being  retired  over  a  scheduled  peri- 
od of  years.  A  second  professionally 
directed  canvass  was  conducted  in 
November  1959  to  underwrite  the 
budget  and  bond  retirement  program 
and  to  provide  additional  funds  for 
furnishing  and  exterior  needs. 


Ohio    School 
Administrator   Honored 

B  A  school  administrator  in  Ohio  re- 
ceived in  January  one  of  the  finest 
tributes  any  community  could  offer  — 
the  naming  of  the  township  high 
school  in  his  honor. 

The  educator,  Walter  E.  Stebbins, 
had  served  for  thirty-one  years  with 
the  Mad  River  township  schools  near 
Dayton,    as    teacher,    principal,    and 


Walter  E.  Stebbins 

superintendent.  During  the  last  sev- 
enteen years  as  chief  administrator, 
he  built  and  staffed  schools  for  an 
area  where  the  population  spiraled 
from  a  little  over  4,000  to  more  than 
33,000  and  the  school  enrollment 
increased  ten  times. 

In  mid-February,  the  more  than 
5.000  students  in  the  district  heard 
announced  to  their  classes  that 
their  55-year-old  superintendent  was 
dead.  They  were  quiet,  but  there 
was  little  shock,  for  most  were  aware 
of  his  illness  of  cancer. 

When  the  name  of  the  Mad  River 
township  high  school  was  changed 
to  the  Walter  E.  Stebbins  high 
school,  community  leaders  said  thev 


APRIL   16.   1960 


21 


were  implementing  a  proposal  de- 
clined earlier  by  Mr.  Stebbins,  at 
the  time  the  $2.6  million  building 
was  completed. 

The  influx  of  students  in  Mad  Riv- 
er township  was  tire  result  of  federal 
installations  nearby.  On  this  basis 
Superintendent  Stebbins  pressed  for 
and  helped  to  get  enacted  national 


legislation  granting  federal  aid  to 
schools  in  defense  areas.  Colleagues 
called  him  "one  of  the  greatest 
school  administrators  in  the  nation." 
Mr.  Stebbins  attended  Manchester 
College  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Beavercreek  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Survivors  include  his  wife,  a  daugh- 
ter, and  a  son. 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


How  does  the  increase  of  member- 
ship in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
compare  with  other  denominations?" 

The  growth  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  compared  with  Protestant- 
ism in  the  United  States  during  the 
past  two  years  is  as  follows:  During 
the  calendar  year  of  1956  Protestant- 
ism experienced  a  three  per  cent 
growth.  The  Church  of  the  Brethren 
growth  during  this  same  period  was 
.9  per  cent.  In  1957,  the  growth  of 
Protestantism  was  2.1  per  cent;  the 


Church  of  the  Brethren  growth  dur- 
ing this  time  was  1.1  per  cent. 

During  these  two  years  the  popu- 
lation in  the  United  States  increased 
as  follows:  1956,  1.7  per  cent;  1957, 
1.8  per  cent. 

The  years  of  1956  and  1957  are 
used  because  these  are  the  latest 
statistics  available  on  Protestantism 
in  general.  These  figures  are  taken 
from  the  church  membership  statis- 
tics in  the  Yearbook  of  American 
Churches  for  1958  and  1959.- 
Stewart  B.  Kauffman. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked   with  an  asterisk   (*).  —  Editor. 


The  New  Shape  of  American  Reli- 
gion. Martin  E.  Marty.  Harper, 
1959.    180  pages.    $3.50. 

Here  is  a  hard-hitting,  intensive 
look  at  the  Protestantism  of  our  era. 
Basically,  Dr.  Marty  believes  Protes- 
tantism has  lost  its  distinctive 
witness,  becoming  in  effect  Ameri- 
canized "religion-in-general."  This  is 
true,  he  thinks,  despite  the  much 
heralded  "revival"  in  our  country. 

Other  writers  have  pointed  the 
way  in  this  kind  of  analysis,  but  this 
book  rather  extends  the  argument 
and  validates  it  from  a  fresh  per- 
spective which  is  nearly  always 
thought  provoking.  If  at  times  the 
author's  elaborate  manipulation  of 
words  muddies  clear  meaning,  for 
the  most  part  the  vigorous  language 
cuts  under  time-worn  cliches.  This 
reviewer  found  the  last  three  chap- 
ters, which  make  a  beginning  at  pre- 
scription for  the  sad  ailment 
affecting  American  Protestantism, 
highly  suggestive.    Brethren  readers 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


are  urged  to  digest  this  book,  because 
whether  we  like  it  or  not,  our 
tradition  has  been  merging  for 
some  time  now  into  the  kind  of 
Protestantism  here  so  painfully  ex- 
posed. —  Richard  A.  Bollinger,  To- 
peka,  Kansas. 

The  Recovery  of  Purpose.  Emile 
Cailliet.  Harper,  1959.  192  pages. 
$3.50. 

This  book  describes  how  science 
and  scientific  thought  has  contrib- 
uted to  man's  loss  of  purpose.  Too, 
the  author  makes  it  clear  that  the- 
ologians have  also  helped  to  rob  man 
of  purpose.  He  sees  man  floundering 
because  of  a  "night  view  of  life" 
and  that  the  only  way  to  a  "day 
view  of  life"  is  to  be  committed 
to  the  Biblical  view  of  God's  design 
for  man  in  Christ.  The  study  is  a 
stimulant  to  the  mind,  and  at  the 
same  time  its  message  warms  the 
heart.  A  good  book  for  the  minister 
and  administrator  and  theologian 
and  college  teacher.  It  will  help  one 
to  find  orientation  to  Biblical  truth 


about  and  for  men.  —  Glen  Weimer, 
Arlington,  Va. 

"Saints   in  Aprons   and   Overalls. 

William  P.  Barker.  Fleming  H. 
Revell,  1959.    128  pages.    $2.00. 

Would  you  like  to  know  just  what 
those  first  church  members  were 
like?  Well,  here  is  a  graphic  descrip- 
tion of  a  dozen  of  them  —  friends  of 
the  Apostle  Paul,  who  as  we  read 
about  them  seem  to  be  sitting  in 
the  pews  of  today's  church.  They 
were  just  common,  ordinary  peo- 
ple —  a  housewife,  a  businessman,  a 
teen-ager,  a  widow,  a  man  under 
tension  —  but  they  were  all  "saints." 
Paul  calls  them  "my  fellow-workers 
in  Christ  Jesus."  They  were  unsung 
heroes  in  aprons  and  overalls,  but 
how  God  did  use  them  to  proclaim 
the  Good  News!  In  the  book's  pref- 
ace, the  author  quotes  Laurence 
Housman  as  saying,  "A  saint  is  one 
who  makes  goodness  attractive,"  and 
so  he  goes  on  in  each  chapter  to 
show  how  God  uses  ordinary  people 
for  his  most  important  work. 

His  style  of  writing  is  superb. 
Take  this  one  paragraph  in  his  appli- 
cations concerning  Lydia:  "Just  a 
housewife!  Actually,  she  wields 
more  influence  in  a  community  than 
the  bankers,  plant  managers,  or  even 
governmental  officials.  She  has  pow- 
er and  influence  over  people  —  her 
own  family  and  her  neighbors  —  to 
a  degree  that  would  make  a  Madison 
Avenue  advertising  agency  envious." 

The  author,  William  Barker,  a 
graduate  of  Western  Theological 
Seminary  in  Pittsburgh,  and  a  former 
student  in  Edinburgh,  Scotiand,  saw 
the  Bower  Hill  Community  church 
(Presbyterian) ,  near  Pittsburgh, 
grow  from  116  to  1,200  members 
during  his  ministry. 

This  book  furnishes  splendid 
preaching  ideas  for  our  present  em- 
phasis on  the  Call  to  Discipleship. 
Excellent  also  as  recommended  read- 
ing for  all  during  this  emphasis.  I 
would  like  to  see  it  in  every  church 
library.  —  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Zunkel, 
Port  Republic,  Va. 

I  Reclaimed  My  Child.  Lucille 
Stout.  Chilton,  1959.  89  pages. 
$2.75. 

Narrated  by  the  mother,  this  is 
the  story  of  a  family  whose  second 
child  was  a  mentally  retarded  girl 
of  the  Mongolian  type.  Acting  upon 
professional  advice  the  child  was  in- 
stitutionalized in  early  infancy  and 
was  seen  by  the  parents  only  a  few 
times  in  the  next  ten  years,  with  most 
friends  and  neighbors  unaware  of  the 


child's  existence.  Upon  becoming  a 
member  of  a  unit  of  the  National 
Association  for  Retarded  Children 
the  mother  begins  the  gradual  and 
difficult  process  of  growing  toward 
the  emotional  maturity  which  en- 
ables her  to  admit  to  herself  and 
to  the  world  that  she  is  the  parent 
of  a  retarded  child.  Subsequently, 
the  child  is  reclaimed  into  the  family 
circle  and  although  continuing  to 
make  her  home  at  the  institution  she 
has  frequent  visits  from  both  parents 
and  spends  some  time  in  her  home 
occasionally. 

This  book  clearly  demonstrates  a 
fact  which  is  often  ignored  by  pro- 
fessional persons  advising  parents  of 
the  retarded:  merely  removing  the 
child  from  the  home  will  not  solve 
the  psychological  and  emotional 
problems  arising  from  the  birth  of 
such  a  child  into  the  family.  The 
book  will  provide  enlightenment  to 
ministers  in  their  efforts  to  lead  such 
parents  into  spiritual  and  emotional 
maturity.  —  Mrs.  Max  A.  Murray, 
Roanoke,  Va. 

Creative  Nature  Crafts.  Robert 
O.  Bale.  Burgess  Publishing,  1960. 
120  pages.    $2.50. 

A  refreshing,  brief  but  compre- 
hensive book  for  craft  leaders.  In- 
structions and  illustrations  are  simple 
and  easily  understood.  All  crafts  are 
related  to  nature  and  include  nature 
(leaf)  prints,  dried  flowers,  nature 
jewelry  and  dyes,  cordage,  straw 
crafts,  musical  instruments,  corn- 
musk  crafts,  plaster  casting,  terraria, 
insect  collecting,  nature  trails,  and 
recipes  for  craft  projects.  A  very 
good  bibliography  is  included  in  this 
book.  A  welcome  help  to  many 
camp  leaders  is  the  section  on  recipes 
where  one  gets  information  on  mod- 
eling clay,  flour  paste,  etc.  Its  jacket- 
size  and  economical  cost  makes  it  a 
good  addition  to  each  small  group's 
library  and  resources.  —  Paul  M. 
Weaver. 

"Smoking  and  Health.  Alton 
Ochsner.  Julian  Messner,  1959.  108 
pages.    $3.00. 

While  the  debate  concerning  the 
effects  of  smoking  on  the  human 
system  still  rages,  this  new  book  by 
an  outstanding  medical  doctor  and 
cancer  surgeon  forcefully  presents 
the  latest  data  on  the  subject.  Writ- 
ten by  a  man  of  conviction,  this  book 
is  an  added  and  important  contribu- 
tion to  the  growing  mass  of  evidence 
against  smoking.  Even  though  the 
doctor  does  not  smoke  and  urges 
the  reader  not  to,  he  does  give  sug- 


gestions to  those  who  still  feel  they 
must  smoke.  The  book  is,  therefore, 
a  sound  scientific  treatise,  a  realistic 
and  understanding  presentation,  and 
a  powerful  piece  of  literature  for 
consumption  by  youth  and  adults.  — 
James  E.  Renz. 

"Hobbies.  Margaret  E.  Mulac. 
Harper,  1959.    271  pages.    $3.95. 

Everybody  has  some  leisure  time. 
How  this  leisure  time  is  used  is  often 
the  difference  between  a  happy, 
abundant  life  and  a  dull,  uninterest- 
ing life.  In  this  book  Miss  Mulac 
does  a  marvelous  job  of  presenting 
the  reasons  why  people  today  should 
give  time  and  thought  to  the  making 
of  plans  for  the  effective  and  creative 
use  of  their  leisure  time. 

The  major  portion  of  the  book 
deals  with  a  discussion  of  specific 
activities  which  are  suitable  for  par- 
ticipation in  during  leisure  time.  A 
brief  analysis  is  made  of  over  a  hun- 
dred hobbies  under  the  general 
headings  of  "Making  Hobbies,"  "Do- 
ing Hobbies,"  and  "Learning  Hob- 
bies." An  excellent  bibliography  is 
included  at  the  end  of  each  section 
so  that  the  reader  knows  immedi- 
ately where  to  go  for  further  infor- 
mation should  he  become  interested 
in   any   specific   hobby. 

This  is  a  book  which  should  be 
read  by  people  who  are  interested 
in  living  a  fuller  life  regardless  of 
whether  they  already  have  a  hobby 
or  not.  Anybody  interested  in  dis- 
covering some  creative  activity 
which  will  enrich  his  life  will  find 
this  book  both  interesting  and  valu- 
able. —  Oswald  H.  Goering,  Oregon, 
III. 

The  Ecumenical  Era  in  Church 
and  Society.  Edited  by  Edward  J. 
Jurji.  Macmillan,  1959.  238  pages. 
$5.00. 

This  is  a  remarkable  symposium, 
written  by  such  outstanding  church- 
men and  scholars  as  Hugh  Thomp- 
son Kerr,  W.  A.  Visser  'T  Hooft, 
Emile  Cailliet,  Eugene  Carson  Blake, 
Hendrik  Kraemer,  G.  Baez-Camargo, 
F.  W.  Dillistone,  D.  T.  Niles,  Elmer 
Homrighausen,  and  others.  It  is 
written  in  honor  of  Dr.  John  A. 
Mackay,  who  has  been  consistently 
in  the  forefront  of  the  concern  for 
ecumenical  Christianity. 

One  chapter  delineates  Dr.  Mack- 
ay's  spirit  and  deep  concerns.  Then 
the  book  falls  into  three  sections. 
First,  there  are  three  essays  on 
"Structure  and  Theology";  second, 
there  are  four  essays  covering  the 
"World-Wide    Scope"  —  the    Ameri- 


can churches,  the  encounter  between 
East  and  West,  the  new  frontiers, 
the  evangelical  faith  and  Latin 
American  culture,  the  renascent  reli- 
gions and  religion.  The  third  section 
deals  with  "The  Message  and  Its 
Communication,"  covering  "the  en- 
counter between  Christianity  and 
the  scientific  ecumenical  movement," 
"an  evangelist  and  questions  he  must 
answer,"  and  "evangelism  in  such  a 
time." 

Here  is  a  most  vigorous,  stimulat- 
ing, and  informative  volume,  through 
which  one  may  gain  a  finer  under- 
standing of  the  issues  we  face  as 
we  think  of  and  work  toward  the 
ecumenical  mission  of  the  church 
in  our  time  and  the  years  ahead.  — 
Cliarles  E.  Zunkel,  Port  Republic, 
Va. 

"The    Antiquities    of    Jordan.     G. 

Lankester  Harding.  Thomas  Y. 
Crowell,  1960.    206  pages.    $4.75. 

Perhaps  no  one  is  as  well  qualified 
to  write  on  the  antiquities  of  Jordan 
as  G.  Lankester  Harding.  Devoting 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
to  the  active  pursuit  of  archaeology 
in  Palestine,  he  was  for  twenty  years 
director  of  the  department  of  an- 
tiquities of  Jordan. 

Written  out  of  a  love  for  the  land 
and  from  the  easy  familiarity  that 
daily  occupation  with  the  subject 
brings  The  Antiquities  of  Jordan 
provides  the  best  authoritative  and 
up-to-date  guide  to  the  ancient  cities 
of  Eastern  Palestine. 

Scholar,  Bible  student,  and  tourist 
alike  will  find  here  an  absorbing  and 
fascinating  account  of  the  eastern 
half  of  the  Holy  Land.  —  David  }. 
Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 

Growing  and  Learning  in  the 
Kindergarten.  Mamie  W.  Heinz. 
John  Knox  Press,  1959.  157  pages. 
$3.00. 

This  book  was  written  with  the 
church  weekday  kindergarten  in 
mind  and  is  excellent  for  any  teacher 
helping  in  such  a  program  and/or 
any  church  contemplating  such  an 
opportunity  for  the  community.  The 
author  stresses  that  religious  living 
cannot  be  pigeonholed  into  one  peri- 
od a  day,  but  must  permeate  the 
entire  program.  The  book  is  filled 
with  real  life  examples  which  the 
author  experienced,  and  these  make 
the  book  most  fascinating.  —  Glee 
Yoder,   McPherson,   Kansas. 


APRIL  16.  1960 


23 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


EKID  Synod  Declares  Confi- 
dence in  Bishop  Dibelius 

With  the  approval  of  an  over- 
whelming majority  of  its  members, 
the  Synod  of  the  Evangelical  Church 
in  Germany  has  aligned  itself  along- 
side Bishop  Otto  Dibelius  of  Berlin, 
head  of  the  Synod's  Council,  who 
has  long  been  a  target  of  bitter 
Communist  attacks. 

It  adopted  a  declaration  of  con- 
fidence which  said  that,  despite  dif- 
ferences of  opinion  on  some  matters 
between  Bishop  Dibelius  and  other 
members,  the  Synod  rejected  the 
"continuous  attacks  of  political 
propaganda  slandering  the  bishop's 
personality  and  his  actions  and  mo- 
tives." It  concluded  by  saying  that 
the  Synod  "joins  in  its  prayers  for 
the  church,  Bishop  Dibelius,  and  all 
those  holding  responsibility  in  the 
church  with  prayers  for  a  good 
church-state  relationship  in  both 
East  and  West  Germany." 

Church  of  Canada  Officials 
Warn  Against  Moral  Decline 

Two  United  Church  of  Canada 
officials  have  warned  that  the  na- 
tion's morals  are  in  decline.  Dr. 
Homer  R.  Lane  and  Dr.  W.  G. 
Berry,  both  associate  secretaries  of 
the  denomination's  Board  of  Evan- 
gelism and  Social  Service,  referred 
to  obvious  contempt  for  law  and 
"the  decline  in  the  ethics  of  daily 
living." 

Dr.  Lane  said,  "The  loss  of  social 
passion  will  cripple  the  church  as 
a  force  for  righteousness  amidst  the 
power  structures  that  rule  in  today's 
world."  Dr.  Berry  advocated  a  new 
advertising  code  forbidding  untruth- 
ful and  misleading  advertising. 

Lutheran  Centers  Established 
in  Austria  Last  Year 

So  many  tourists  are  coming  to 
Austria  from  strongly  Lutheran 
countries  in  Europe  that  the  Austri- 
an Lutheran  Church  last  year  set 
up  some  twenty-three  religious  cen- 
ters for  them  and  is  now  planning 
to  open  eight  more.  Austria's  great- 
est tourist  trade  is  with  Germany 
and  the  Scandinavian  countries. 

The  centers  inaugurated  last  year 
provide  opportunity  for  Lutheran 
visitors  to  attend  services  and  re- 
ceive religious  counsel  during  their 
vacations.  They  are  situated  at  the 
leading    tourist     spots     around     the 


24 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


country.  The  new  centers  will  be 
open  during  the  spring  and  summer 
season  in  Upper  Austria. 

Campaign  Launched  to  Repeal 
France's  Educational  Law 

A  widespread  campaign  for  re- 
peal of  the  education  law  passed 
last  December  to  provide  state  aid 
for  Fiance's  Roman  Catholic  and 
other  private  schools  has  been 
launched  by  the  National  Commit- 
tee for  Lay  Action. 

Catholic  authorities  meanwhile 
have  warned  the  faithful  to  resist 
giving  the  campaign  any  support 
whatever.  Hundreds  of  thousands 
of  black  and  yellow  posters  have 
been  affixed  to  the  doors  of  schools 
and  town  halls  giving  the  text 
of  a  petition  calling  for  abrogation 
of  the  law  which  was  passed 
despite  strong  leftist  and  anticlerical 
opposition. 

Observances  Scheduled  for 
Melanchthon  Anniversary 

Special  observances  to  mark  the 
400th  anniversary  of  the  death  of 
Philip  Melanchthon,  co-worker  of 
Martin  Luther,  are  scheduled  to  be- 
gin April  19  at  Wittenberg  in  the 
Soviet  Zone  of  Germany.  A  series 
of  theological  conferences,  dealing 
especially  with  the  work  of  Me- 
lanchthon, will  be  held  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  event. 

Melanchthon,  who  died  in  1560, 
was  a  German  humanist  and  chief 
author  of  the  Augsburg  Confession 
and  an  Apology  of  the  Augsburg 
Confession,  classic  expositions  of 
Lutheran  doctrine.  He  is  entombed 
at  Wittenberg  Cathedral  next  to  the 
tomb  of  Martin  Luther.  An  inter- 
national congress  of  the  Reformation 
in  Melanchthon's  honor  will  be  held 
also  in  West  Germany,   Aug.   8-13. 

Religious  Broadcasters  Urge 
Self-Regulating  Code 

A  self-regulating  code  of  stand- 
ards aimed  at  raising  the  level 
of  religious  broadcasting  was 
adopted  in  principle  by  the  Board 
of  Managers  of  the  National  Council 
of  Churches'  Broadcasting  and  Film 
Commission. 

The  code  declares  that  personal 
profit  and  self-glorification  in  the 
name  of  religion  have  no  place  in 
religious  broadcasting.  It  calls  on 
religious  broadcasters  to  "consci- 
entiously observe"  the  letter  and 
spirit   of  regulations   by   stations   or 


networks  and  to  conform  to  the 
highest  broadcasting  standards. 

Stating  that  solicitation  of  funds 
over  the  air  waves  should  be  dis- 
couraged, the  code  provides  that 
when  such  appeals  are  made  re- 
ceipts should  be  forwarded  prompt- 
ly to  donors  and  audited  financial 
statements  furnished  on  request.  It 
says  the  sponsorship  of  religious  pro- 
grams should  be  under  the  auspices 
and  control  of  a  responsible  denomi- 
nation, church,  or  nonprofit  associa- 
tion incorporated  for  religious 
purposes. 

Religious  broadcasters  are  asked 
to  prepare  program  materials  "in 
ample  time  for  review  and  audition 
prior  to  being  put  on  the  air."  The 
code  was  drawn  up  over  the  past 
year  and  a  half  by  a  group  of  reli- 
gious broadcasters  and  media  direc- 
tors. They  include  members  of 
twenty  major  denominations  belong- 
ing to  the  Broadcasting  and  Film 
Commission,  as  well  as  nonmembers. 

Alaska  Churches  Hit  Segregation 
in  State  Institutions 

An  end  of  racial  segregation  of 
Alaska  residents  in  federal  and  state 
institutions  providing  health,  educa- 
tional, and  welfare  services  was 
urged  by  the  Alaska  Council  of 
Churches  at  its  annual  meeting  in 
Sitka.  At  present  these  services  are 
furnished  to  natives  by  the  Bureau 
of  Indian  Affairs  and  the  U.  S.  Pub- 
lic Health  Service.  Native  hospitals 
and  boarding  schools,  however,  are 
not  open  to  whites. 

Property  Values  Hold  or  Rise 
in  Mixed  Neighborhoods 

Where  nonwhites  buy  houses,  real 
estate  values  are  four  times  more 
likely  to  rise  or  be  constant  than 
are  prices  in  areas  remaining  all 
white,  according  to  a  newly  pub- 
lished economic  study.  Striking  at 
the  widely  held  belief  that  entry 
of  nonwhites  into  a  neighborhood 
always  causes  property  values  to  de- 
cline, the  findings  were  based  on  a 
study  of  10,000  real  estate  transac- 
tions in  six  cities  of  the  northern 
United    States. 

The  study  was  conducted  by 
Luigi  Laurenti,  a  research  econ- 
omist, who  devoted  five  years  to 
the  task.  It  covers  a  nine-year  peri- 
od of  transactions  in  the  San  Fran- 
cisco Bay  area  and  Philadelphia, 
with  supporting  evidence  from  other 
surveys    in    Chicago,    Kansas    City, 


Detroit,  and  Portland.  The  report's 
major  findings  revealed  that  41  per 
cent  of  neighborhoods  entered  by 
nonwhites  showed  no  change  in 
prices;  44  per  cent  showed  a  com- 
parative rise  between  5  and  26  per 
cent  of  price;  and  only  15  per  cent 
showed  a  comparative  decline  —  be- 
tween 5  and  9  per  cent  of  price. 

The  report  indicated  that  more 
important  than  race  in  determining 
real  estate  values  within  slums  are 
other  economic  factors  such  as  the 
pressure  toward  illegal  conversion  of 
buildings.  Other  significant  findings 
in  the  study  were  that  the  real 
estate  board's  code  of  ethics  does 
not  specifically  forbid  discrimination 
in  housing  and  that  many  realtors 
practice  discrimination  to  their  ulti- 
mate financial  loss. 

Theological  Schools  Association 
Awards  Thirty-one  Fellowships 

The  American  Association  of  The- 
ological Schools  has  granted  re- 
search and  study  fellowships  to 
thirty-one  members  of  twenty-eight 
theological  school  faculties. 

The  grants  were  made  from  re- 
sources given  by  the  Sealantic  Fund 
in  December  1955.  They  range  up  to 
$4,000  and  will  enable  the  fellows 
to  be  on  leave  from  eight  to  fifteen 
months  during  1960-1961.  Pro- 
posed projects  cover  many  phases 
of  theological  education.  They  will 
take  the  men  to  various  centers  in 
the  United  States,  England,  Ger- 
many, France,  the  Near  East,  and 
the   Orient. 

E  and  R  Council  Rules 
Out  Dual  Ordination 

The  Evangelical  and  Reformed 
Church  General  Council  has  ruled 
that  any  minister  who  wishes  to  re- 
tain his  standing  in  the  Evangelical 
and  Reformed  Church  may  not 
accept  ordination  in  another 
denomination. 

The  council  said  that  dual  ordina- 
tion "could  be  construed  as  an 
implied  acknowledgement  of  a  de- 
ficiency in  our  own  ministerial  or- 
der." The  council  felt  that  such 
action  would  not  be  a  "positive  con- 
tribution to  the  present  trend 
and  ecumenical  conversation  and 
understanding." 

For  the  twentieth  consecutive 
year  the  Evangelical  and  Reformed 
Church  broke  its  previous  year's 
record  of  benevolence  giving.  Mem- 
bers in  1959  gave  a  total  of 
$5,250,000.  Benevolence  giving  in- 
cludes contribution  to  the  national 
and  overseas   work  of   the   800,000 


Korean  Presbyterian  Church 
Quits  World  Council 

Delegates  to  a  reuniting  assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Korea 
healed  the  denomination's  five- 
month-old  rift  by  voting  to  with- 
draw from  the  World  Council  of 
Churches.  Korea's  largest  Presby- 
terian body,  the  church  had  been 
split  into  rival  assemblies  last  Sep- 
tember  by    a    large    antiecumenical 


member  denomination,  but  does  not 
include  local  ministers'  salaries  or 
other   local   congregational   expense. 

First  Quaker  Seminary 
to  Open  in  1982 

Earlham  College's  planned  School 
of  Religion  will  formally  open  in 
the  fall  of  1962  as  the  first  Quaker 
seminary  in  the  history  of  the  Soci- 
ety of  Friends.  The  school  will  open 
after  a  two-year  trial  period  of  ex- 
panded course  work  in  the  present 
department   of   religion. 

The  school  plans  to  appoint  a 
dean  and  employ  sufficient  faculty 
for  a  four-department  seminary  cur- 
riculum, which  will  include  Biblical, 
historical,  doctrinal,  and  practical 
courses. 

German  Intercreedal  Agency 
Traces  Missing  Persons 

During  the  past  year  the  fates  of 
more  than  348,000  missing  persons 
were  clarified  through  the  efforts  of 
the  German  Churches'  Tracing  Serv- 
ice. About  900,000  more  cases  in 
the  files  of  the  service  are  still  wait- 
ing clarification.  The  service  is  a 
joint  agency  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Caritas  organization  and  Hilfswerk, 
welfare  arm  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  in  Germany. 

Since  its  establishment  after  the 
end  of  World  War  II,  the  agency 
has  reunited  more  than  5,000,000 
persons    with    their   families.     West 


Religious   News   Service 

minority  party  whose  leaders  de- 
manded disaffiliation  with  the 
World  Council. 

More  than  half  of  the  258  dele- 
gates present  belonged  to  the  so- 
called  ecumenical  majority  party. 
The  assembly  adopted  a  motion  stat- 
ing that  the  World  Council  was  not 
pro-Communist,  did  not  promote  lib- 
eral theology,  and  was  not  a 
superchurch,  as  was  charged  by  the 
minority  group. 


German  government  leaders  have 
warmly  praised  the  accomplish- 
ments of  the  service,  which  co- 
operates closely  with  similar 
state-sponsored  institutions  and  with 
the  Red  Cross  in  Germany  and  for- 
eign countries. 

Most  of  the  persons  seeking  as- 
sistance from  the  agency  are 
refugees  from  the  Soviet  Zone,  ex- 
pellees from  the  former  East  Ger- 
man area  annexed  by  Poland,  and 
repatriates  from  these  areas  who 
have  been  permitted  to  leave  Poland 
and  resettle  in  West  Germany. 

East  German  Catholics  Urged 
to  Remain  Uncompromised 

East  Germany's  Roman  Catholic 
bishops,  in  a  pastoral  letter  read  in 
all  the  Catholic  churches  in  the  Sov- 
iet Zone,  urged  the  faithful  to  re- 
main steadfast  and  uncompromising 
in  their  resistance  to  the  Communist 
regime's  atheistic  pressures.  The 
Catholic  hierarchy  denounced  the 
new  Soviet  Zone  school  law  as  vio- 
lating religious  freedom  and  the 
rights  of  parents  and  as  tightening 
"the  atheistic  grip  on  youth." 

U.S.  Groups  Sponsor 
Divers'  Survey  of  Caesarea 

Deep-sea  divers  will  explore  the 
sunken   harbor  of  ancient  Caesarea 


APRIL   16,  1960 


25 


and  nearby  coastal  waters  of  Israel 
this  summer  in  an  attempt  to  uncov- 
er new  clues  regarding  the  famous 
port  and  historic  sea  routes.  Spon- 
soring the  expedition  is  the  America 


Israel   Society  and  Princeton  Theo- 
logical Seminary. 

Caesarea  is  frequendy  mentioned 
in  the  New  Testament.  Once  the 
site  of  fine  palaces,  a  temple,  a  hip- 


Overseas  Report  . ..  from  South  Vietnam 


John  W.  Barwick 


■  This  final  installment  of  our  news 
from  Vietnam  is  being  written  just 
one  year  after  leaving  that  country 
and  work.  The  break  in  continuity 
is  more  by  accident  than  design  but 
it  serves  a  very  useful  purpose;  a 
new  policy  and  technique  in  Breth- 
ren Service  abroad  has  been  de- 
veloped and  proved  on  the  field.  It 
is  a  pleasure  to  write  about  it. 

International  Voluntary  Services 
( in  the  direction  of  which  our  church 
serves  in  the  person  of  the  executive 
director,  J.  S.  Noffsinger,  and  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors, 
W.  Harold  Row)  draws  its  workers 
from  several  denominations  and 
fields.  Most  of  them  are  in  their 
twenties  and  share  a  common  de- 
sire to  be  of  service  to  underdevel- 
oped countries.  It  is  financed  by  the 
Foreign  Aid  Administration  of  our 
government,  commonly  known  as 
ICA,  and  must  convince  those  rather 
practically  minded  executives  that 
it  fulfills  its  purpose  of  being  of  real 
service  to  a  worthwhile  degree.  Satis- 
fying the  aims  of  the  United  States 
government  and  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  poses  a  real  problem 
for  our  representatives  in  IVS,  not 
to  mention  the  workers  on  the  field. 

When  the  work  in  Vietnam  opened 
it  followed  IVS  tradition  in  its  pro- 
gram, doing  what  is  loosely  known 
as  "village  work,"  a  pattern  that  has 
been  developed  by  many  organiza- 
tions, notably  the  Quakers  in  India. 
It  has  been  successful  in  established 
communities  that  need  the  applica- 
tion of  more  modern  methods  in 
some  cases  to  combat  their  dreadful 
poverty,  but  in  Vietnam  we  were  in 
the  jungle  with  refugees  from  the  red 
north  and  the  problem  was  to  build 
new  homes  and  to  cultivate  the  land 
in  order  to  become  self-sustaining  in 
the  minimum  amount  of  time. 

Plenty  of  agricultural  machinery 
was  available,  as  well  as  excellent 
seeds,  through  the  kind  offices  of 
USOM,  the  foreign  aid  mission  with 
which  we  were  to  work.    But  it  took 


26 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


an  agonizing  period  of  adjustment 
between  the  hardheaded  and  sensi- 
ble Indo-Chinese  farmers  with  their 
proud  determination  to  become  self- 
supporting,  the  dreamy-eyed  but 
dedicated  young  agricultural  gradu- 
ates, and  the  incredibly  well-equip- 
ped foreign  aid  experts  in  their  ivory 
towers  in  Saigon  to  get  together  on 
a  program  that  would  produce  what 
ICA  expected  from  their  investment 
in  IVS. 

The  first  fruit  of  this  co-operation 
was  proudly  displayed  after  about 
one  year  had  passed.  The  IVS  team 
showed  that  they  could  take  100 
acres  of  jungle,  clear  it  and  seed  it, 
and,  in  just  100  days  from  the  day 
the  bulldozers  started,  harvest  their 
first  crops  from  it.  From  that  time 
on  the  path  was  cleared  for  greater 
usefulness  of  the  IVS  boys.  Dedi- 
cated men  among  the  government 
experts  in  USOM  took  them  under 
their  wings  and  multiplied  the  use- 
fulness of  both  organizations,  work- 
ing with  the  Vietnamese  government 
agencies. 

Since  that  day  the  team  has  de- 
veloped seven  stations  where  tested 
seeds,  better  breeds  of  stock,  and 
more  effective  agricultural  methods 
are  developed  and  made  available 
to  the  people  of  Vietnam.  In  the 
process  both  IVS  and  USOM  have 
profited  in  organizational  develop- 
ment; some  of  the  idealism  of  the 
boys  has  stirred  and  grown  in  the 
older  men  while  the  large  organiza- 
tional techniques  have  given  those 
boys  unusual  opportunities  to  learn 
administration  and  to  help  the  Viet- 
namese on  a  far  vaster  scale  than 
could  have  been  done  otherwise. 

A  young  Mennonite,  who  came 
out  with  his  wife  to  do  alternative 
service,  directs  the  program  as  chief- 
of -party.  We  are  convinced  that  both 
voluntary  agencies  and  the  United 
States  Foreign  Aid  could  and  should 
co-operate  more  fully,  and  therefore 
more  effectively,  in  the  aid  to  under- 
developed countries.  In  Vietnam 
every  dollar  spent  through  IVS  gives 
many  dollars  more  value  than  any 
other  ICA  aid  we  know. 


podrome,  and  aqueducts,  Caesarea  ; 
exists  today  only  as  a  town  of  about 
700  people.  Its  once  renowned  har- 
bor, scholars  believed,  disappeared 
in  800  A.D.  when  an  earthquake 
struck  the  area  and  destroyed  its 
sea  walls,  although  the  port  was 
later  used  by  the  Crusades  in  the 
Middle  Ages. 

A  corps  of  eight  professional  div- 
ers is  planned  with  additional  assist- 
ance from  volunteers.  They  will 
descend  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
feet  to  recover  some  of  the  statuary 
which  adorned  the  breakwaters  and 
ancient  cargo.  From  such  clues 
scholars  hope  to  rediscover  sea 
routes  used  by  the  Phoenicians,  the 
ships  of  King  Solomon,  Greek  and 
Roman  galleys,  and  Crusaders' 
vessels. 

Increased  Enrollment  for 
Communist  Youth  Rites  Reported 

East  German  newspapers  report 
that  over  eighty-seven  per  cent  of 
eligible  young  people  in  the  Soviet 
Zone  of  Germany  have  already  en- 
rolled for  Communist  youth  dedica- 
tion ceremonies  there  this  spring. 
The  rites,  which  are  an  atheistic 
counterpart  of  Christian  confirma- 
tion, have  repeatedly  been  de- 
nounced by  Protestant  and  Roman 
authorities. 

East  German  Protestant  churches 
have  adopted  temporary  regulations 
which  will  permit  young  people  to 
continue  taking  part  in  the  life  of 
the  church  even  if  they  have  en- 
rolled for,  or  participated  in,  the 
Communist  rites.  They  also  will  ad- 
mit such  youngsters  to  confirmation 
after  they  have  shown  for  at  least 
one  year  that  they  want  to  be  active 
members  of  the  church. 

Scots  Oppose  Name  Chosen 
for  New  Bible  Translation 

Scottish  opposition  to  the  name 
chosen  for  a  new  interdenomination- 
al translation  of  the  Bible  by  British 
scholars  may  considerably  affect  its 
distribution  north  of  the  border.  It 
has  been  entitled  The  New  English 
Bible. 

Composition  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment already  has  begun  and  joint 
publication  by  Oxford  University 
Press  and  Cambridge  University 
Press  is  scheduled  early  in  1961. 
Translation  of  the  Old  Testament  is 
under  way  but  is  expected  to  take 
several  more  years.  The  project  is 
being  supervised  by  a  Joint  Com- 
mittee on  New  Translations  of  the 
Bible  comprising  representatives  of 
the  eleven  church  groups. 


Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calvin  Gibson  of  South 
English,  Iowa,  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary  on  Feb.  10,  1960. 
They  have  two  sons  and  three  grand- 
children. —  Harl  Russell,   Elgin,   111. 

Brother  and  Sister  John  Price 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Feb.  14,  1960,  at  the  Empire 
church,  Calif.,  with  open  house.  They 
have  five  children,  nine  grandchildren, 
and  three  great-grandchildren.  —  Pearl 
Kappler,  Modesto,  Calif. 


Obituaries 

Arnold,  George  Calvin,  was  born  at 
Sidney,  Ind.,  March  30,  1875,  and  died 
Feb.  6,  1960.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Cora  C.  Miller,  Feb.  2,  1901.  He 
was  an  active  member  in  the  Goshen 
City  church,  serving  for  many  years 
as  a  deacon.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
two  daughters,  one  son,  ten  grand- 
children, fifteen  great-grandchildren, 
and  one  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  Yoder-Culp  funeral 
home  with  Bro.  Clarence  Fike  officiat- 
ing. Interment  was  in  the  Oak  Ridge 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Lewis  Dixon,  Goshen, 
Ind. 

Ausherman,  Samuel  Q.,  son  of  David 
and  Amanda  Ausherman,  was  born 
March  11,  1877,  and  died  Dec.  16, 
1959.  Preceding  him  in  death  was  his 
first  wife,  Ruth  Rowland  Ausherman. 
His  second  wife,  Gertrude  Arnold 
Ausherman,  survives.  He  was  an  active 
church  member  for  many  years.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Lester  Fike  at  the  Pleasant  View 
church,  Md.  Interment  was  in  the 
Pleasant  View  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  J. 
Thomas   Moser,   Middletown,   Md. 

Ayers,  George  F.,  son  of  Albert  E. 
and  Sara  Lynn  Ayers,  was  born  June 
21,  1878,  and  died  Jan.  29,  1960.  His 
first  wife,  Amanda  Kauffman  Ayers, 
died  in  1924.  He  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Farber  in  1926.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Roaring  Spring  church, 
Pa.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  five  sons, 
four  daughters,  sixteen  grandchildren, 
two  great-grandchildren,  two  brothers, 
and  two  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  in  the  Thompson  funer- 
al home  by  Bro.  Berkey  Knavel.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  East  Sharpsburg 
cemetery.  —  Margaret  Guyer,  Roaring 
Spring,  Pa. 

Davis,  Ada  Leona,  daughter  of 
Reuben  and  Emma  Garber,  was  born 
Sept.  15,  1898,  near  New  Lebanon, 
Ohio,  and  died  Jan.  29,  1960.  On  Aug. 
8,  1916,  she  was  married  to  Harvey  F. 
Davis,  who  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
united  with  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
at  Trotwood  in  her  early  life.  She  is 
survived  by  one  daughter,  one  sister, 
and  three  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  in  the  Trotwood 
church  by  Bro.  Paul  Kinsel.  Interment 
was  in  the  Eversole  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  G.  Flora,  Trotwood,  Ohio. 

Finch,  Harry  Dean,  was  born  Jan.  7, 
1883,  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  died 
Feb.  1,  1960.  He  was  married  to  Grace 
Brubaker  Keim.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  three  children,  five  grandchildren, 
two  great-grandchildren,  two  brothers, 
two  sisters,  and  three  stepchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Nampa 


church,  Idaho,  by  Bro.  W.  David 
Albright.  Interment  was  in  the 
Kohlerlawn  cemetery.  —  Ottie  DeCour- 
sey,  Nampa,  Idaho. 

Flora,  George  Curtis,  Sr.,  son  of 
Benjamin  F.  and  Elizabeth  Belle  Flora, 
was  born  March  16,  1881,  and  died 
Dec.  30,  1959.  On  Oct.  30,  1901,  he 
was  married  to  Mollie  Naff,  who  pre- 
ceded him  in  death.  He  was  an  active 
member  in  the  Antioch  church.,  Va. 
Surviving  are  his  second  wife,  Vergie 
Teel  Flora,  six  children,  fifteen  grand- 
children, and  two  great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Antioch  church  by  Brethren  F.  B. 
Layman,  Sr.,  and  C.  M.  Key.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  church  cemetery.  — 
Margaret  Flora,  Boones  Mill,  Va. 

Gardner,  Delphia  P.,  daughter  of 
Has  and  Allie  Marshall,  was  born  Oct. 
21,  1890,  and  died  Jan.  9,  1960.  She 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Noah  F. 
Gardner,  who  preceded  her  in  death. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  She  is  survived  by  four 
daughters,  three  sons,  one  brother, 
eleven  grandchildren,  and  three  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Vaughan-Guynn-McGrady 
chapel  by  Brethren  Rufus  McDaniel 
and  G.  L.  Baker.  Interment  was  in  the 
Jennings  cemetery.  —  Frances  Gardner, 
Hillsville,  Va. 

Nicholas,  Roy  Henry,  was  born  Sept. 
19,  1901,  and  died  Feb.  27,  1959.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Ruth  Sollen- 
berger.  He  was  a  member  of  the  First 
church,  York,  Pa.  Surviving  are  two 
sons,  three  brothers,  and  two  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Shindler  funeral  home,  with 
Bro.  Guy  Wampler  and  Rev.  Joseph 
Yeakel,  pastor  of  the  EUB  church,  offi- 
ciating. Interment  was  in  the  Prospect 
Hill  cemetery.  —  Mary  A.  Lehman, 
York,  Pa. 

Obney,  Olive  M.,  daughter  of  Ida 
and  William  J.  Gwynne,  was  born  in 
Alliance,  Ohio,  and  died  Feb.  5,  1960, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  Her 
husband  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Alliance  church. 
Surviving  are  her  mother,  two  daugh- 
ters, three  grandchildren,  one  brother, 
and  one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  the  undersigned  and  Bro. 
Richard  Overly  at  the  Cassaday  and 
Turkic  funeral  home.  Interment  was  in 
the  City  cemetery.  —  J.  D.  Zigler,  Al- 
liance, Ohio. 

Owen,  Walter,  was  born  Jan.  23, 
1893,  and  died  at  Huntington,  Ind., 
Dec.  17,  1959.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  on  Aug.  11,  1915,  to  Nora 
Paul,  who  preceded  him  in  death.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  the  church. 
Surviving  are  one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters. —  Mrs.  Farrell  Miller,  Huntington, 
Ind. 

Poling,  Ronald  Joseph,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Pauline  Hovatter  Poling,  was 
born  at  Kasson,  W.  Va.,  Oct.  3,  1957, 
and  died  Dec.  22,  1959.  Survivors  are 
his  parents  and  his  grandparents.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
Brethren  Bvron  M.  Flory  and  Fred  R. 
Clayton.  Interment  was  in  the  Shiloh 
cemetery.  —  Georgia  Wilson,  Kasson, 
W.  Va. 

Pratt,  Esther  Lillian,  widow  of  R.  J. 
Pratt,  died  Jan.  1,  1960,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Spray  church,  N.  C.  Surviving 
are  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  The 
funeral     service     was     conducted     by 


ADVENTURES 

IN 

PARENTHOOD 


W.   Taliaferro   Thompson 

Here  is  a  book  that  reflects 
the  wisdom  of  a  man  who  has 
been  a  friend  to  hundreds  of 
children.  Mr.  Thompson  has 
written  these  thought-provok- 
ing chapters:  Fathers  Are  Par- 
ents Too;  What  Boys  and  Girls 
Want;  What  Happens  When 
Needs  Are  Denied?;  When  to 
Say  No;  How  to  Say  No;  Reli- 
gion in  the  Home;  Making  Re- 
ligion Real. 

One  of  the  key  thoughts: 
"The  effective  influence  is  not 
what  the  parents  say,  but  what 
they  are  and  do.  .  .  ."       $2.50 


Church   of   the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Brethren  Homer  J.  Miller  and  H.  W. 
Peters.  Interment  was  in  the  Pratt  fam- 
ily cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Sam  B.  Thomas, 
Leaksville,  N.  C. 

Price,  Bertha  May,  daughter  of  John 
and  Louisa  Snyder,  was  born  May  29, 
1883,  and  died  in  Plymouth,  Ind.,  Feb. 
3,  1960.  On  Dec.  15,  1915,  she  was 
married  to  Jacob  Price,  who  preceded 
her  in  death.  She  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  church  for  fifty-five  years. 
She  is  survived  by  one  daughter,  two 
grandchildren,  and  two  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
Plymouth  church  by  Bro.  Homer  Kira- 


APRIL   16,  1960 


27 


VENTURING 
SOUTH 


ROY 
WHITE 


The  Knagey  family  leaves 
Indiana  to  start  life  anew  in 
southern  Alabama.  This  his- 
torically-based story  lifts  up 
the  best  in  Brethren  family 
living  and  community  living  as 
it  portrays  sympathetically  the 
life  of  low-income  people  of 
the  South  in  the  early  part  of 
the  century.  Junior  highs  and 
senior  highs.  $3.00 

Church    of    the    Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


cofe.  Interment  was  in  the  Bremen 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Raymond  Ullery,  Ply- 
mouth, Ind. 

Protzman,  Harry,  son  of  Orion  and 
Catherine  Ochsa  Protzman,  was  born 
in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  June  13, 
1887,  and  died  Jan.  1,  1960.  He  was 
baptized  on  April  8,  1938,  into  the 
Salem  church.  In  1913,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Clara  May  Bowser.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  two  sons,  four  grand- 
children, one  half  brother,  two  step- 
sisters, and  one  stepbrother.  —  Mrs.  W. 
Russell  Miller,  Brookville,  Ohio. 

Ramaker,  Mrs.  Harry,  daughter  of 
Orson  and  Emma  Fishbaugher  Thacker, 
was  born  Dec.  30,  1896,  and  died  Jan.  2 
29,  1960.  She  was  a  long-time  member 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  She  is 
survived  by  her  husband  and  one  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Root  River  church,  with  Bro.  Warren 
Hoover  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  church  cemetery.  —  Mae  Fish- 
baugher, Preston,  Minn. 

Reedy,  Frank  M.,  died  Jan.  3,  1960, 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Greensburg  church,  Pa. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  Catherine  Pyle 
Reedy,  his  stepmother,  five  sons,  nine 


28 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


grandchildren,  two  half  brothers,  and 
four  half  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  at  the  Seeman  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Wilfred  N.  Staufer.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Westmoreland 
Memorial  park.  —  Mrs  Galen  Bittner, 
Greensburg,  Pa. 

Rink,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Chris- 
tian County,  111.,  Nov.  6,  1875,  and  died 
Jan.  7,  1960,  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 
He  was  married  to  Bessie  Enos  on  Aug. 
25,  1917.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Colorado  Springs  church.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife  and  three  children. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
Bro.  Jack  L.  Havice.  —  Lois  Ketchum, 
Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 

Robbins,  Fred,  was  born  July  22, 
1907,  in  Pierceton,  Ind.,  and  died  at 
Glendale,  Calif.,  Jan.  22,  1960.  In 
1928,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Evelyn  Overholser.  At  that  time  he 
joined  the  North  Winona  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Ind.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  four  sons,  two  daughters,  five 
grandchildren,  two  brothers,  and  his 
father.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  Fillbach  funeral  home,  with  Bro. 
Matthew    M.    Meyer    officiating.  —  Ena 

1.  White,  Glenwood,  Calif. 

Rogers,  Anna  Boque,  was  born  Aug. 

2,  1876,  and  died  Jan.  26,  1960.  In 
1893  she  was  married  to  Jesse  Rogers, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  long-time  member  of  the  church. 
Surviving  are  four  grandchildren,  seven 
great-grandchildren,  and  three  brothers. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Windfall  church,  Ind.,  by  the  under- 
signed, assisted  by  Bro.  Chester 
Mitchell.  —  Alva  L.  Hewitt,  Tipton,  Ind. 

Ruhlman,  Irvin  E.,  son  of  Elmer  and 
Anna  Schuler  Ruhlman,  was  horn 
March  24,  1884,  in  Woodworth,  Ohio, 
and  died  Jan.  27,  1960,  in  Youngstown, 
Ohio.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Wood- 
worth  church.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Gertrude  Paulin  in  1905. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  one  daughter, 
one  brother,  and  two  grandsons.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Davis- 
Velker  funeral  home  by  Rev.  Gordon 
Tritchler  and  the  undersigned.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Lake  Park  cemetery.  — 
Alvin  C.  Cook,  Poland,  Ohio. 

Rupel,  Alfred  Bvron,  was  born  Dec. 
22,  1876,  and  died  July  28,  1959.  On 
Nov.  8,  1914,  he  was  married  to  Edith 
Rohrer.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  five 
daughters,  eight  grandchildren,  one 
brother,  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Pine  Creek 
church,  Ind.,  by  Bro.  E.  Wavne  Gerdes. 
Interment  was  in  the  North  Liberty 
cemetery.  —  Hazel  Clark,  North  Libertv, 
Ind. 

Rupp,  Anna,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Cora  Freed,  was  born  Dec.  11,  1885, 
and  died  Nov.  9,  1959.  She  became  a 
member  of  the  church  at  an  early  age; 
at  the  time  of  her  death  she  was  a 
member  of  Trinity  Church,  Detroit, 
Mich.  She  was  the  widow  of  Walter 
Rupp.  Surviving  are  one  brother,  two 
half  brothers,  three  half  sisters,  three 
sons,  three  daughters,  five  grandchil- 
dren, and  two  great-grandchildren.  A 
memorial  service  was  held  in  Detroit; 
the  funeral  service  and  interment  was 
in  Beaverton,  Mich.,  with  Bro.  Paul 
Hoffman  officiating.  —  Lawrence  Hole- 
man,  Detroit,   Mich. 

Rupp,  Edward,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Elizabeth  Rupp,  was  born  March  1, 
1878,  at  Lamed,  Kansas,  and  died  in 
February  1960.    On  Feb.   11,  1912,  he 


was  married  to  Ada  Boyce.  He  is  sur- 
vived  by  his  wife,  two  daughters,  seven 
grandchildren,  and  two  brothers.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Beaver- 
ton church,  Mich.,  of  which  he  was  a. 
member,  by  Carl  Hilbert  and  Arthur 
Whisler.  Interment  was  in  the  Dale 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Chas.  E.  Ward,  Bea- 
verton, Mich. 


Church  News 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Lebanon  —  We  are  now  occupying 
our  new  education  building  while  work 
is  progressing  on  renovations  to  the 
main  sanctuary.  Christmas  was  cele- 
brated with  a  candlelight  service,  a  can- 
tata by  the  senior  choir,  the  children's 
Sunday  morning  service,  and  the  CBYF 
party  for  underprivileged  children  of 
the  city.  A  series  of  special  council 
meetings  was  called  to  consider  and 
adopt  a  new  church  organization  fol- 
lowing the  suggested  commission  plan. 
The  missionary  society  is  sponsoring  a 
regular  Wednesday  morning  prayer 
group.  Guest  speakers  have  been  Bro. 
Glen  Crago  from  the  Neffsville  Home, 
Bro.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff  of  Nigeria,  Bro. 
Earl  Kurtz  of  Elizabethtown  and  Bro. 
Harold  Bomherger,  regional  executive 
secretary.  —  Mrs.  Hylton  H.  Reber,  Leb- 
anon, Pa. 

Springville  —  Bro.  Bard  Kreider  was 
the  speaker  at  our  harvest  home  service. 
When  we  observed  golden  age  day,. 
Bro.  Hiram  Gingrich  was  the  guest 
speaker.  Brethren  Paul  Forney  and 
John  Patrick  were  the  guest  ministers 
at  our  love  feast.  The  Chiques  male 
chorus  gave  a  program  of  music  in  our 
church.  Bro.  J.  C.  Wine  spoke  and 
showed  pictures  of  their  work  in  Africa. 
Our  revival  services  were  conducted  by 
Bro.  Wilbur  Lehman.  One  was  bap- 
tized. Peggy  Coulson  showed  slides  and 
told  of  some  of  her  experiences  as  an 
exchange  student  in  Germany.  Our 
young  people  presented  the  Christmas 
play,  The  Faithful  Pioneers.  The  wom- 
en's fellowship  of  our  church  sent  cloth- 
ing and  comforters  to  relief.  —  Lorraine 
Heffiey,  Stevens,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 

Point  —  The  church  has  recently 
passed  the  one-year  milestone  as  an 
organized  congregation.  Mary  Gibson 
signed  up  for  another  year  of  BVS 
work  in  Belle  Glade,  Fla.  The  church 
continues  for  another  year  to  give  finan- 
cial support  to  Douglas  Wayne  Hall, 
son  of  the  Von  Halls,  missionaries  in 
Nigeria,  promoting  agriculture.  In  Jan- 
uary Dr.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff  brought  a  mes- 
sage through  pictures  of  the  work  in 
the  hospital  in  Nigeria.  Our  church 
shared  in  the  community  Week  of 
Prayer  services,  the  youth  prayer  meet- 
ing and  breakfast,  and  the  World  Day 
of  Prayer  service.  We  are  having  a 
series  of  services  during  Lent  on  The 
Call  to  Discipleship  at  an  Urgent 
Time.  —  Freda  E.  Gordon,  New  Paris, 
Pa. 

Western  Pennsylvania 

Pleasant  Hill  —  Following  our  fall  re- 
vival with  Bro.  Clarence  Bowman  as 
evangelist,  nine  new  members  were  re- 
ceived  by  baptism.    The   deacons   and 


their  wives  have  met  with  the  pastor, 
Bro.  Harlan  Grubb,  and  Sister  Grubb, 
for  a  period  of  worship  and  a  discussion 
of  things  pertinent  to  the  church.  Spe- 
cial services  were  held  on  Thanksgiving 
Eve  under  the  direction  of  the  men's 
fellowship.  The  candlelight  service,  A 
Promise  Fulfilled,  was  presented  on 
Christmas  Eve.  The  Christmas  program 
by  the  children  was  followed  by  a 
Christmas  party  for  the  congregation  in 
the  fellowship  hall.  For  our  annual 
Bible  institute  we  had  Bro.  Ralph  W. 
Schlosser  as  guest  speaker.  The  Alethia 
Bible  class  worked  with  our  pastor  in 
planning  special  Sunday  evening  serv- 
ices of  meditation  and  prayer.  Terry 
Blue  represented  the  youth  of  our 
church  at  the  youth  seminar  in  Wash- 
ington, D.C.,  and  New  York.  The 
CBYF  had  charge  of  morning  worship 
and  also  served  as  the  choir  on 
Youth  Sunday.  Desiring  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  women  of  neigh- 
boring churches,  our  women's  fellow- 
ship invited  those  women  to  a  tea. 
Our  church  participated  in  the  city- 
wide  Reformation  service.  Brother 
Grubb  attended  the  state  pastor's  con- 
ference in  Harrisburg.  We  held  a 
twenty-four-hour  prayer  vigil  the  first 
day  of  Lent.  Holy  Week  services  will 
be  in  charge  of  our  pastor  with  special 
messages  each  night  and  the  love  feast 
on  Thursday.  —  Mrs.  Benjamin  Hoy- 
land,   Johnstown,   Pa. 

Florida,  Georgia,  and  Puerto  Rico 

Sebring  —  We  had  an  installation 
service  for  two  deacons  and  their  wives. 
Three  were  received  by  letter.  The  men 
meet  for  prayer  once  a  week  at  6:30 
a.m.  The  women  meet  at  9:00  a.m. 
for  prayer  and  meditation  and  then  visit 
where  there  are  sick,  lonely,  and  elderly 
folks.  Our  pastor  was  chairman  of  the 
back-to-church  emphasis  within  our 
city.  The  women's  fellowship  sponsored 
a  school  of  peace.  We  participated  in 
the  union  Thanksgiving  service.  The 
women's  fellowship  packed  four  large 
boxes  of  clothing  and  one  of  shoes  for 
the  Belle  Glade  and  Immokollee  mi- 
grant camps.  Activities  during  the 
Christmas  season  were:  a  four-act  play, 
a  cantata,  a  special  offering  for  missions, 
and  a  caroling  party  for  the  youth. 
Watch  night  services  consisted  of  a  de- 
votional period,  a  film,  Time  and  Eter- 
nity, and  a  period  of  prayer.  We  had 
four  sessions  in  a  school  of  missions 
with  Bro.  Lyle  Klotz  as  the  leader.  Bro. 
Edward  Ziegler  was  the  guest  speaker 
during  Bible  conference  week.  Our  pas- 
tor, Brother  Weyant,  was  a  member 
of  the  deputation  team  of  four  visiting 
Puerto  Rico  to  make  a  study  of  the 
work  there.  Some  of  our  ladies  attended 
the  spring  rally  at  Winter  Park.  Our 
project  was  bandages  and  squares  for 
our  missionary  hospitals  in  Africa.  — 
Mrs.  Joseph  Eckstadt,   Sebring,   Fla. 

Tampa  —  Prior  to  our  district  confer- 
ence, Bro.  Harold  Daveler  of  Elgin, 
111.,  met  with  our  Sunday  school  workers 
concerning  their  literature.  Our  Sunday 
school  children  collected  for  UNICEF. 
We  celebrated  Thanksgiving  with  a  Pil- 
grim supper.  Since  finishing  the  study 
of  our  church  history  at  the  midweek 
prayer  service,  we  have  taken  up  the 
Book  of  Luke.  Besides  our  own  work, 
our  women  have  been  active  with  the 
United   Church  Women  of  the  city  in 


FOR 

MIDDLE-AGED 
ADULTS 


NOW  or  NEVER 


The   Promise   of   the 
Middle    Years 

SMILEY  BLANTON 

This  is  a  book  directed  especially  to 
middle-aged  people.  The  author  is  well- 
known  as  a  medical  doctor  and  psychia- 
trist with  a  firm  religious  faith.  Here  is  a 
wise  guide  from  an  authoritative  source  on  problems  of 
health,  sex,  marriage,  children,  money,  work  and  religion 
for  new  self-understanding  and  creativeness  in  the  high  noon 
of  one's  life.  In  the  midst  of  tensions,  pressures  and  perplexi- 
ties that  are  especially  prevalent  in  the  middle  years,  "Now 
or  Never"  aims  at  the  quest  for  wholeness  and  happiness  in 
the  remaining  years  of  life.  $4.95 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin.  111. 


Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices 

KODACHROME  SLIDES 

(2  x  2)  mounted,  are  ready  for  distribution.    Excellent  for  personal 

use  or  for  showing  to  church  groups.    Select  from  subjects  listed. 

Order  by  number. 

Price:    3 

for  $1.00 

Exterior    Views: 

5  Candle  -  Christ,  Light  of  the 

9  Front  of  building,  northeast 

world 

12  Entrance  steps  &  front  door 

6  Lord's  supper 

16  Front  of  building  &  lawn,  east 

8  The  open  Bible 

17  Entrance,    building    in    back- 

11  The  cup  —  3rd  dimension 

ground 

effect 

13  IHS  -  Jesus 

Interior  Views: 

14  Loaves  and  fishes 

1  Office  of  general  secretary 

15  The  cup  —  close-up  view 

2  Chapel 

4  Cafeteria 

7  GBB  conference  room 

10  General  office  area 

Chapel  Window  Symbols: 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

3  Chi  Rho  —  monogram  of 

General  Offices 

Christ 

Elgin,  Illinois 

overseas  relief  and  aiding  the  migrants. 
The  St.  Petersburg  church  joined  us 
in  our  love  feast,  and  their  pastor,  Mer- 
ril  Heinz,  officiated  at  the  service.  Bro. 
Russell  Showalter  was  scheduled  to  hold 
our  revival  in  March.  —  Mrs.  Hazel  Cox, 
Tampa,  Fla. 

Mardela 
Bethany  —  For  our   fall  revival    Bro. 


Galen  Blough,  of  Denton,  Md.,  was 
the  guest  speaker.  This  year  is  the 
fiftiedi  anniversary  of  the  Bethany  con- 
gregation. Every  Sunday  we  are  em- 
phasizing another  phase  of  Christian 
living,  development,  and  growth.  We 
were  host  for  the   union  Thanksgiving 


APRIL   16,   1960 


29 


For  youth   .    .    . 

Pioneer  Surgeon 

dr.  ephraim 
Mcdowell 

JOSEPHINE  RICH 

Traveling  on  horseback 
through  rain  and  snow,  fight- 
ing ignorance  and  suspicion 
as  well  as  death,  McDowell 
risked  his  medical  integrity  by 
performing  the  first  abdominal 
operation.  Ages  13  and  up. 
$2.95 


Church  of  ihe  Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


service,  at  which  Reverend  Smith  of 
the  Methodist  church  was  speaker.  The 
young  adult  class  is  sponsoring  a  series 
of  studies  on  church  doctrines  and  prac- 
tices. Six  have  been  received  by  bap- 
tism and  six  by  letter.  Bro.  Alton  L. 
McDaniel,  who  was  recently  ordained, 
and  Bro.  Roy  Judy,  Jr.,  both  of  this 
congregation,  have  been  filling  the  pul- 
pit at  Ridgely,  and  beginning  the  first 
of  March  will  serve  at  Green  Hill,  while 
Walter  Mahan  is  absent.  —  Mrs.  Mar- 
jorie  L.  Dodd,  Seaford,  Del. 

Denton  —  Guest      speakers      in      our 


30 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


church  have  been  Brethren  Alvin  Alder- 
fer,  David  Hanawalt,  and  Norman 
Seese.  A  dedication  service  was  held 
for  the  new  electric  organ  and  new 
carpet.  Family  night  was  observed  with 
a  fellowship  supper  and  a  program. 
Our  pastor  preached  the  union  Thanks- 
giving sermon  held  in  the  Grace  Meth- 
odist church.  The  children  and  the 
junior  choir  gave  a  program  the  night 
the  mite  box  offering  was  received.  Our 
Christmas  observance  consisted  of  organ 
music  and  the  children's  choir  with  a 
social  hour  following.  The  study  of 
Africa  during  January  closed  with  the 
serving  of  African  food.  Our  pastor 
and  our  church  school  superintendent 
attended  the  spiritual  life  institute  at 
Bridgewater  College.  Our  pastor,  Galen 
Blough,  has  presented  a  series  of  ser- 
mons on  the  seals  as  given  in  Revela- 
tion. —  Mrs.  S.  H.  Krabill,  Denton,  Md. 

Ridgely  —  Our  co-pastors,  Roy  Judy 
and  Alton  MacDaniel,  have  been 
preaching  on  alternate  Sundays.  The 
all-church  Christmas  program  in  which 
all  ages  participated  was  followed  by 
a  social  hour.  We  celebrated  our  sev- 
enty-fifth anniversary  with  an  all-day 
homecoming  service.  Bro.  Levi  K.  Zieg- 
ler  of  Portland,  Maine,  was  special 
speaker  for  the  day.  The  choir  and 
various  members  presented  the  Call 
pageant  in  the  evening.  The  CBYF 
group  conducted  services  during  the 
worship  hour  on  Youth  Sunday,  with 
Bro.  John  Earle  Hutchison  as  guest 
speaker.  Brother  Hutchison  just  re- 
turned from  two  years'  BVS  work  in 
Europe,  during  which  he  spent  some 
time  working  at  the  Don  Murray  project 
in  Italy.  Miss  Peggy  Ringgold  attended 
the  youth  seminar  in  Washington,  D.C. 
A  new  form  of  church  government,  the 
commission  plan,  is  beginning  to  work 
efficiently  in  the  church.  A  large  quan- 
tity of  good  used  clothing  is  sent  to 
New  Windsor  regularly.  Some  of  the 
members  of  the  church  participated  in 
a  community  survey  of  church  member- 
ship. —  Mrs.  Lewis  Cherry,  Ridgely, 
Md. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Baltimore,  Friendship  —  Our  adult 
choir,  under  the  direction  of  Bro.  Merle 
Bechel,  gave  the  cantata,  A  Star  Is  in 
the  Sky,  as  their  Christmas  program. 
The  children  gave  a  Christmas  play, 
The  Christmas  Flower,  directed  by 
Dottie  Shaver.  We  also  had  a  candle- 
light service  on  Christmas  Eve.  The 
men's  fellowship  sponsored  a  buffet 
supper  for  everyone  on  Jan.  24,  and 
had  the  former  governor  of  Maryland, 
Theodore  McKeldin,  as  guest  speaker. 
We  had  a  fellowship  meal  following 
worship  on  Jan.  31.  Our  women  spon- 
sored a  study  on  Africa  each  Sunday 
evening  in  February.  Sister  Ellen 
Knight  is  in  charge.  Brother  and  Sister 
Newton  Long,  and  Bro.  Ben  Sollen- 
berger  were  present  for  some  of  the 
sessions.  Bro.  Ben  Sollenberger  has  re- 
cently returned  home  after  service  in 
Africa.  Our  pastor's  wife,  Joan  Haag, 
edits  a  paper  for  our  women's  fellow- 
ship called  the  Women's  Chatter.  Our 
pastor  is  conducting  fireside  meetings 
each  Wednesday  evening  in  the  homes 
of  our  members.  On  Youth  Sunday 
David  Thomas  was  in  charge  of  wor- 
ship. —  Mrs.  Hugh  Wolfe,  Glen  Burnie, 
Md. 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com-  I 
munities.  It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising  may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother-  ; 
hood  program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion  to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  III. 

No.  441.  Wanted:  A  man  in  his 
early  fifties  would  like  the  opportunity 
to  work  and  live  with  an  elderly  gentle- 
man, or  employment  as  a  janitor's  as- 
sistant in  a  church  or  welfare  institution. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  442.  Wanted:  General  medical 
doctor  to  locate  in  a  growing  com- 
munity near  an  expanding  city  of  over 
40,000  in  the  Middle  West.  There  isj 
no  doctor  located  there  at  present. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  443.  Wanted:  Experienced  dairy 
farmer  to  work  on  small,  fully  equipped 
farm  in  central  Pennsylvania.  Housing 
limited  to  2-bedroom  house  trailer. 
Located  near  a  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Contact:  Mr.  O.  H.  Ormsley,  R.  4, 
Tyrone,  Pa. 

No.  444.  BETHANY  HOSPITAL  is 
in  need  of  a  capable  woman  as  p.m. 
supervisor  in  the  dietary  department. 
This  requires  a  general  knowledge  of 
cooking  and  the  ability  to  direct  the 
activities  of  other  workers.  Please  con-  . 
tact:  Miss  Olga  Bendsen,  Personnel; 
Bethany  Hospital,  3420  W.  Van  Buren 
St.,  Chicago  24,  Illinois. 

No.  445.  Needed:  A  middle-aged 
married  couple  to  work  as  house  par- 
ents in  the  junior  boys'  department. 
Also  a  middle-aged  woman  to  work  as 
housemother  in  the  girls'  department. 
Maximum  of  12  children  per  depart- 
ment. Maintenance  and  comfortable 
living  quarters  provided,  regular  salary 
increments  and  a  two-week  vacation 
with  pay,  plus  other  benefits.  Near 
Fort  Wayne  Beacon  Heights  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Contact:  Fort  Wayne 
Children's  Home,  Box  2038,  Station 
"A",  2525  Lake  Ave.,  Fort  Wayne  3, 
Ind. 

No.  446.  Wanted:  Couple  to  live 
in  boys'  home  in  Baltimore  and  act  as 
house  parents  and  do  other  duties. 
Social-work  training  or  experience  de- 
sired. Home  will  provide  apartment, 
laundry,  board,  and  salary  according 
to  training  and  experience.  Brethren 
churches  in  the  area.  Other  inservice 
training  opportunities.  Job  available 
May  1.  Contact:  McKim  Boys'  Haven, 
1701  Park  Ave.,  Baltimore  17,  Md. 


Receiving 
God's  Fullness 

By  Wallace  D.  Chappell 


Man's  oneness  with  God  requires  man's  willingness 
to  be  a  participant.  These  twelve  sermons  help  to 
establish  this  participation.  Mr.  Chappell  examines 
the  coming  of  Christ,  his  call  to  discipleship,  re- 
pentance, forgiveness,  and  conversion.  The  second 
phase  of  the  relationship  discussed  involves  prayer, 
the  Bible,  the  church,  and  Christian  witness  in  daily 
living.  Written  in  a  homey  and  colloquial  style,  and 
firmly  rooted  in  scripture,  the  book  will  appeal  to 
Christian  readers  in  all  walks  of  life.  $2 


The  Message 
Of  the  Bible 

By  Charles  M.  Laymon 


Dr.  Laymon  presents  a  simple  method  of  reading  the 
Bible  that  will  help  the  reader  discover  the  great 
treasures  the  scriptures  hold.  He  points  out  the  types 
of  literature  found  in  the  Bible,  the  viewpoints  of  the 
authors,  and  suggests  some  study  aids  that  are  avail- 
able. Using  biblical  passages  to  illustrate  the  prin- 
ciples of  reading  and  interpretation  under  discussion, 
he  also  provides  aid  in  identifying  and  tracing  such 
themes  as  the  covenant,  salvation,  judgment,  and 
redemption.  $1 


AT  YOUR  BOOKSTORE 


And  Jesus  Said 


By  Hoover  Rupert 

A  review  of  the  informal  conversations  of  Jesus  .  .  . 
to  provide  insight  to  the  problems  people  face  today, 
is  the  unique  feature  of  this  book.  Dr.  Rupert  dis- 
cusses Jesus'  answers  to  show  the  relevance  of  His 
solutions  to  problems  of  moderns.  Though  the 
immediate  problems  take  on  new  face,  the  basic 
solutions  in  the  Master's  conversations  have  remained 
through  the  ages  as  positive  proof  of  His  concern  for 
"sinners",  individuals  who  were  then  and  are  now 
very  human  with  many  pressures  and  tensions.  Per- 
sons in  every  walk  of  life  who  read  these  twelve 
chapters  will  see  what  Jesus  has  to  say  about  their 
own  situations  and  how  He  answers  their  questions. 

$2.50 


Creative  Imagination 
In  Preaching 

By  Webb  B.  Garrison 


Convinced  that  creative  awareness  can  be  cultivated, 
Dr.  Garrison  seeks  to  show  practical  ways  of  discover- 
ing God's  glory  through  personal  observation.  He 
emphasizes  that  everything  and  everyone  with  whom 
we  come  in  contact  offers  material  for  new  insights. 
He  seeks  to  show  ministers  how  to  get  ideas  and 
materials  for  sermons,  and  be  more  expressive.  The 
major  purpose  of  the  book  is  to  help  the  man  in  the 
pulpit  develop  and  store  a  working  reference  of  new 
approach  with  fresh  appeal.  $3 


Abingdon  Press 


APRIL  16,  1960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 


Name 


R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us   to  keep   your   Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting   any   change    in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


Bush  Creek  —  The  pastor  and  the 
CBYF  had  the  installation  service  for 
the  women's  fellowship.  Our  CBYF 
had  a  Halloween  social  at  the  church 
which  was  a  family  and  community 
affair.  The  family  night  program  was 
a  discussion  on  BVS.  Elwood  Hopkins 
is  with  the  BVS  project  at  Falfurrias, 
Texas;  Barbara  Brubaker  has  returned 
from  her  year  of  service.  The  junior 
high  and  primary  classes  prepared 
children's  kits  which  were  sent  to  New 
Windsor.  We  also  sent  food  and  cloth- 
ing. Our  Christmas  program  was  a 
family  fellowship  with  an  evening  of 
singing  by  our  junior  and  adult  choirs. 
Our  pastor  held  membership  and  Bible 
study  classes  through  January,  Febru- 
ary, and  March.  Our  CBYF  took  over 
the  morning  worship  service  on  Youth 
Sunday.  Carolyn  White  attended  the 
youth  seminar  at  Washington,  D.C. 
and  N.Y.  Our  guest  speaker  for  Febru- 
ary family  night  was  Bepresentative 
Merwin  Coad  of  Iowa.  —  Mrs.  Boland 
Willard,  Frederick,  Md. 

Piney  Creek  —  Several  of  our  youth 
attended  the  district  CBYF  round  table 
at  the  Pipe  Creek  church.  Our  youth 
classes  participated  in  bringing  foods 
for  the  harvest  home  service.  The 
women's  fellowship  sponsored  our 
watch  night  service;  Bro.  Merritt 
Copenhaver  was  the  guest  speaker.  On 
Youth  Sunday  the  young  people's  Sun- 
day school  class  was  in  charge  of  the 
worship  service,  and  Bro.  William 
Copenhaver  delivered  the  morning 
message.  In  order  to  emphasize  our 
witness  in  the  Call  to  Discipleship  and 
Growth  program,  we  have  held  several 
Bible  study  and  prayer  meetings.  Piney 
Creek  is  co-operating  with  neighboring 
Brethren  churches  in  a  pulpit  exchange 
service  each  Sunday  evening  during  the 
Lenten  season.  —  Genevieve  Baumgard- 
ner,  Taneytown,  Md. 

Middle  Maryland 
Pleasant  View  -  Sixteen  friendship 
packets  were  sent  to  New  Windsor,  Md. 
The  young  people  held  a  Christmas 
Eve  candlelighting  service  at  the 
church.  We  have  received  two  by  let- 
ter. The  church  has  recently  obtained 
new  pews.  Youth  fellowship  each  Mon- 
day night  is  under  direction  of  Wayne 


32 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


Guyton.  Brother  and  Sister  Lester  Fike 
attended  the  spiritual  life  institute  at 
Bridgewater  College.  A  World  Day  of 
Prayer  vigil  was  held  in  March.  Bro. 
Ira  Petre,  returned  missionary  to  Africa, 
was  the  speaker  on  March  27.  —  Mrs. 
J.  Thomas  Moser,  Middletown,   Md. 

Western  Maryland 
Bear  Creek  —  Our  young  people  gave 
the  Christmas  play,  No  Boom  in  the 
Inn.  The  CBYF  held  a  New  Year  social 
and  service  in  the  church.  We  sent 
boxes  of  relief  clothing  to  New  Wind- 
sor. The  youth  round  table  was  held 
in  the  Western  Port  church.  In  recog- 
nition of  Youth  Week,  our  church  pre- 
sented a  special  program  on  Sunday 
morning  with  the  youth  participating 
in  the  program.  The  youth  choir 
rendered  a  special  selection  of  music. 
—  Mrs.  Fred  Alexander,  Accident,  Md. 

First  Virginia 
Cloverdale  —  Bro.  Edward  K.  Ziegler 
spoke     at     our     note-burning     service. 


PEWS,  PULPIT&  CHANCEL 

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Evangelist  Clyde  S.  Weaver  conducted! 
our  revival  services.    The  men's  fellow- 
ship   made    some    major    improvements  j 
in    the    grounds    around    the    church. . 
Clothing,    canned   foods,    and    gifts    of I 
money   were   sent  to   Japan.    A   major 
church  project  for  die  future  is  buying  j 
land  for  a  new  church  in  the  Summer- 
dean   area    of    Boanoke.     John   Wayne 
Snider,    Dewey    Snider    and    John    E. : 
Crumpacker  are  now  serving  in  BVS. : 
Our  youth   joined  the   other  youth   of  j 
the  district  in  a  watch  night  program) 
at  Central  church,  Boanoke.    The  citi- 
zens   of  our   county   raised   money   for 
supplies  for  the  weekday  religious  edu-  - 
cation  classes.  —  Mrs.  Joseph  L.  Kinzie, . 
Jr.,  Troutville,  Va. 


Minister's  Book  of  the  Month 


SELECTION   FOR  MAY 


The  Providence  of  God 


GEORGIA  HARKNESS 

Among  many  Christians  today  there  remains  a  sense  of  disquietude  con- 
cerning the  efficacy  of  prayer,  the  possibility  of  miracle,  and  the  reality  of  I 
God's  providential  guidance  and  care  in  events  that  seem  enmeshed  in  a 
network  of  casual  relations.  From  a  human  and  practical  viewpoint,  Dr. 
Harkness  seeks  to  dispel  these  points  of  uneasiness  by  presenting,  clearly 
and  simply,  the  reasons  for  her  stanch  belief  in  divine  providence. 


Regular  price,   $3.50;  to  members   $2.45 
plus  postage  and  handling 

Notice  mid-April  pastor's  packet  for  more  information 
regarding  this  book  and  other  club  selections 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES     .     Elgin,  Illinois 


iAatoca  erf  Cn£<QbeZnA&i' 


MESSENGER 


APRIL  23,  1960 


: 


From  Goettingen  to  La  Verne  —  and  back  again 


Dr.   Herbert   Kreter,  exchange  profe 
out  its  location  to  Dean  Paul  R. 
will  complete  the  two-way  exchange  b 
Student  exchanges  have  been  under  way 
becoming  world  travelers  also.    Read 
features  on  Christian  College  Day  see 
ucation,  by  A.   Denis  Baly   (page  3), 
Rufus  B.  King  (page  10). 


ssor  from  a  German  university,  points 
Baum,  La  Verne  College  professor,  who 
y  teaching  at  Goettingen  in  Germany, 
for  many  years.  Now  the  professors  are 
the  story  on  page  6.  For  other  special 
The  Christian  Church  and  Higher  Ed- 
and  The   Sixties  and  Our  Colleges,  by 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS  WRITE 


to   the   editor 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 


APRIL  23,  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  17 


In  This  Number 


Editorial  — 

The  Teacher  Is  a  Gardener   5 

Hands  on  the  Clock  of  Doom 5 

The  General  Forum  — 

The  Christian  Church  and  Higher  Ed- 
ucation.   A.  Denis  Baly 3 

From    Goettingen    to    La    Verne    and 
Back.    C.  Ernest  Davis  with  Peggy 

Zimmerman     6 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship:    Into   All  the  World.    Vernard 

Eller     10 

The  Sixties  and  Our  Colleges. 

Rufus  B.  King   12 

A   Question   of  Credit  (verse). 

Ora  W.  Garber 13 

Edification  Is  Love  Plus  Knowledge. 

E.  Myrl  Weyant   15 

How  Are  You  Fulfilling  the  Challenge 

of  Discipleship  in  Your  Life?    18 

Sowing   the   Seeds  of  Peace    20 

Nigeria  —  World  Day  of  Prayer. 

Marianne  Michael   20 

Nigerian  Women  Find  Sewing  Difficult  20 
District  Votes  New  Home  for  Aging  . .   21 

The  Field  Is  the  World  21 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books  22 

Conference   Business    23 

Standing  Committee  Delegates — 1960  24 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   16 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    27 

Church  News    30 

•  •  • 

Dr.  Bryan  deKrester,  a  Presbyterian 
minister  from  Ceylon:  "Only  as  we 
witness  to  unity  across  divisions  in  our 
world  do  we  have  a  significant  and 
healing  word  for  our  time." 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


The  Church's  First  Work 

It  was  refreshing  indeed  to  read 
Bro.  Byron  Miller's  splendid  article, 
"New  Creature,"  in  the  March  5 
issue.  Brother  Miller  has  touched 
upon  a  crucial  matter  in  the  life  of 
the  Christian  and  of  the  church.  If 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  to 
move  forward  and  is  to  serve  the 
purposes  which  both  its  divine  Mas- 
ter and  its  founding  fathers  meant 
for  it,  we  need  to  take  very  seriously 
the  vital  and  basic  principles  which 
our  brother  has  so  clearly  and  aptly 
called  to  our  attention. 

I  sincerely  believe  we  cannot  go 
further  until  we  go  deeper.  Brother 
Miller  says  that  "in  all  our  church 
life,  conversion  is  the  crying  need." 
And  he  infers  that  it  is  not  only  the 
people  outside  the  church,  but  also 
many  within  the  church  who  need 
conversion.  Then  the  only  way  to 
meet  that  need  is  through  revival  and 
evangelism.  We  must  be  revived 
and  we  must  do  more  evangelistic 
preaching.  Revivalism  and  evange- 
lism certainly  comprise  the  first  great 
work  of  the  church.  Peace  efforts, 
goodwill  promotion,  relief  work, 
educating  our  youth,  all  these  are 
excellent  and  necessary  Christian 
projects.  But  certainly  they  are  not 
the  church's  first  work.  They  are 
secondary,  and  we  cannot  adequate- 
ly do  the  secondary  work  until  we 
are  new  creatures,  thoroughly  con- 
verted, possessed  of  a  dynamic  sav- 
ing faith. 

First  things  must  come  first,  and 
secondary  things  can  but  follow.  But 
follow  they  will.  Laying  the  claim 
of  Christ  on  every  soul  must  precede 
every  other  Christian  act.  Our  first 
duty  is  to  preach  Christ  and  him  cru- 
cified. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has 
but  one  first  work,  and  that  is  to 
follow  the  teaching  of  our  Master, 
and  to  follow  the  precept  and  prac- 
tice of  the  great  Apostle  Paul.  To 
do  this  we  must  be  diligent  and  faith- 
ful in  our  ministry  for  Christ,  which 
can  be  none  other  than  to  preach 
his  gospel  of  salvation.  Not  that  we 
must  or  even  dare  do  less  of  the 
good  works.  But  if  we  are  to  go 
forward  and  fulfill  our  divinely  ap- 
pointed mission  and  ministry,  we 
must  put  forth  our  first  and  best 
efforts  to  the  reaching  of  the  souls 
of  men,  and  the  secondary  will  abun- 
dantly follow.  —  Elgin  S.  Moyer,  529 
N.  Long  Ave.,  Chicago  44,  111. 


Brethren  Service  and  Evangelism 

Brethren  Service  is  not  a  child,  or 
a  youth!  It  is  an  aged  saint.  In  Acts 
6:  1-7  we  have  the  record  of  its  birth. 
Through  the  years  it  has  grown  and 
developed  into  a  full-grown  man, 
"ripe  with  years,"  and  has  now  be- 
come an  arm  of  the  church  that: 
reaches  around  the  world. 

Back  in  the  early  church  when  the 
apostles  were  busy  in  the  work  of 
evangelism,  which  they  felt  wasi 
their  primary  concern,  the  complaint: 
arose  that  the  material  and  physical 
needs  of  the  poor  were  neglected/ 
and  to  meet  that  need  without  hin- 
dering the  work  of  evangelism, 
seven  deacons  were  elected  —  men 
who  were  "full  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

When  the  first  missionaries  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  went  to 
India  and  later  to  China,  they  en-, 
countered  the  same  difficulty.  It 
didn't  take  much  time  for  them  to 
discover  that  a  good  gospel  sermon 
couldn't  satisfy  a  starving  man,  or| 
a  good  full  meal  save  a  lost  soul,  so 
they  went  to  work  with  might  and 
main  trying  to  satisfy  both  needs  — 
the  physical  and  the  spiritual.  To 
their  dismay  they  found  each  phase 
of  the  work  was  a  full-time  job. 

Again  and  again  they  were  heard 
to  say,  "I  wish  I  had  more  time  for 
honest-to-goodness  mission  work!" 
They  were  even  afraid  to  tell  the 
folks  at  home  how  much  time  they 
spent  doing  "chores"  on  the  mission 
field,  fearful  that  some  might  think 
(if  they  didn't  say  it),  "Well  you 
were  sent  to  the  mission  field  to 
preach  the  gospel."  But  eventually 
it  "leaked  out"  that  deacons  were 
needed  on  the  mission  field,  as  well 
as  preachers,  and  so  began  Brethren 
Service  which  now  seems  to  be  the 
main  business  of  the  church. 

My  thought  is  that  these  two  types 
of  service  must  go  hand  in  hand; 
that  wherever  there  are  missionaries 
there  should  be  also  Brethren  Service 
workers,  and  where  there  are  Breth- 
ren Service  workers,  by  all  means, 
missionaries.  If  we  emphasize  one 
to  the  neglect  of  the  other,  we're  do- 
ing only  half  our  job.  Brethren  serv- 
ice and  evangelism  must  be  tied  to- 
gether like  faith  and  works.  We  are 
not  saved  by  works,  and  faith  without 
works  is  dead.  My  hope  and  prayer 
is  that  we  may  keep  these  two  types 
of  workers  in  a  more  even  propor- 
tion, numerically.  —  V.  Grace  Clap- 
per, 125  Derby  St.,  Johnstown,  Pa. 


X 


he 
Christian 

hurch 
and 

Higher 
iEducation 


HE  Christian  church,  ever  since  she  first  began,  has  always 
been  interested  in  education.  Some  of  her  activities  in  this  field 
may  be  thought,  perhaps,  to  have  been  unwise,  but  this  does  not 
alter  the  fact  of  her  persistent  interest.  We  may  think,  for  instance, 
of  the  overwhelming  part  played  by  the  medieval  church  in  the 
education  of  the  Europe  of  that  time,  of  the  fact  that  as  the 
American  frontier  was  pushed  westwards,  from  the  Alleghenies 
the  various  churches  were  among  the  first  to  establish  schools  and 
colleges,  and  of  the  dynamic  effect  of  the  great  missionary  out- 
reach upon  the  educational  systems  of  Asia  and  Africa,  if  indeed 
there  was  such  a  system  before  the  Christians  came. 

Certain  features  of  tins  activity  need  to  be  noticed.  First,  the 
church  has  held  that  education  is  not  for  a  class  or  a  caste,  but 


A.  Denis  Bcdy 


Those  who  study  the 

universe  and  what  is  in 

it  face  the  problem  of 

relating  their  discoveries 

to  what  the  Christian 

knows  about  God  and 

his  revelation  in  Jesus 

Christ 


Al  Barry  from  Three  Lions 


Associate  professor  of  polit- 
ical science  at  Kenyon  Col- 
lege; author  of  Chosen 
Peoples,  Geography  of  the 
Bible,  and  The  Besieged 
City 


for  all  men  and  not  only  for  men 
but  for  women.  Without  any 
question,  it  has  been  the  Chris- 
tian church  which,  in  country 
after  country,  has  by  its  exam- 
ple compelled  the  question  of 
the  education  of  women  to  be 
taken  seriously.  Her  demand 
that  all  should  be  taught  is  re- 
flected, for  instance,  in  the  Sun- 
day school  movement,  which 
first  began  as  a  means  of  teach- 
ing the  children  of  the  poor  to 
read. 

The  second  important  feature 
is  that,  though  Christian  educa- 
tion has  often  been  begun  with 
the  intention  of  teaching  people 
to  read  the  Bible,  it  has  usually 
not  stopped  there.  Instead, 
those  who  were  responsible  for 
it  found  that  they  were  driven 
to  extend  the  teaching  and  in- 
clude all  realms  of  knowledge. 
Thus,  one  has  the  mission 
schools  in  widely  separated 
places  setting  the  standard  of 
education,  both  in  the  academic 
excellence  of  the  teaching  and 
in  the  range  of  subjects  taught. 

The  work  of  the  Christian 
universities  in  China,  for  exam- 
ple, is  of  great  importance  in 
the  educational  history  of  that 
country.  So  strong  has  been  this 
belief  in  the  importance  of  edu- 
cation as  being  itself  a  Christian 
activity  that  mission  schools 
have  often  continued  to  teach 
even  when  they  were  forbidden 
any  more  to  teach  the  Christian 
religion.  Not  everyone,  it  is 
true,  has  agreed  with  this  pol- 
icy, but  it  has  been  responsible 
for  keeping  open  many  mission 
schools  that  might  otherwise 
have  been  closed. 

Behind  this  insistence  that 
education  is  a  proper,  and  in- 
deed a  necessary  activity  of  the 
Christian  church  lie  some  very 
important  statements  concern- 
ing the  Christian  belief.  They 
start,  perhaps,  in  their  simplest 
form  from  the  example  of  Christ 


himself,  who,  when  he  was  on 
earth,  could  be  seen  doing  four 
things:  forgiving  men  their  sins, 
teaching  them  about  God,  heal- 
ing their  sickness,  and  caring 
for  the  poor  and  needy.  On  this 
basis,  then,  Christians  have 
maintained  that  it  was  also  their 
duty  to  do  all  these  things  and 
that  the  ministry,  the  work  of 
teaching,  medical  work,  and  so- 
cial work,  were  all  of  them 
Christian  vocations. 

There  is,  however,  a  theo- 
logical reason  for  the  impor- 
tance of  education  in  Christian 
thought.  Christians  believe  in 
what  theologians  would  call  the 
creation,  the  incarnation,  the 
crucifixion  and  the  resurrection, 
that  is,  they  believe  that  the 
whole  universe  was  made  by 
God  and  that  all  he  made  is,  as 
the  Book  of  Genesis  would  say, 
"good."  They  believe  that  God 
respects  what  he  has  made  and 
works  through  it,  so  that  in  the 
history  of  the  world  there  have 
been  vitally  important  events 
by  which  he  made  himself 
known.  They  would  include 
among  these  events  the  exodus, 
the  entry  into  Canaan,  the  fall 
of  Jerusalem,  the  return  from 
the  exile,  and  as  the  culmina- 
tion of  them  all,  the  birth  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  then  his  life 


and  death  and  resurrection. 

Now  from  this  follows  some 
very  important  statements 
about  the  world  in  which  we| 
live:    first,   that   everything   in: 
this  universe  is  worth  studying, 
because  God  made  it;  second, 
because  God  revealed  himself 
through  events,  there  is,  there- 
fore, a  history  of  events  to  be 
learned   and    studied   and   ex-^ 
plained;  third,  that  since  God 
chose  to  become  man  in  the 
supreme    revelation,    therefore, 
human    reason    is     something 
through  which  he  is  prepared 
to  work  and  not  something  to 
be    despised;    fourth,    because 
human  reason  is  part  of  man 
for  whom  Christ  died,   there- 
fore, it  is  something  which  must 
be  redeemed,  for,  left  to  itself, 
it  can  be  corrupted;  finally,  be- 
cause   Christ's    work    was    nott 
complete  until  he  rose  from  the  3 
dead,  the  complete  explanation  1 
of  everything  is  not  to  be  sought" 
here,  in  this  world  of  time  and! 
space  or  on  this  side  of  death,, 
but  in  the  world  to  come. 

This  explains  the  Christian 
interest  in  education.  There 
are,  however,  a  great  many  pit- 
falls, and  most  of  them  center 
around  how  to  relate  the  dis- 
coveries of  all  those  people  who 

Continued  on  page   14 


Alice  Schalek  from  Three  Lions 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Education,   medical  and   social   services   have   come   in  the  wake   of  the 
Christian  church.   African  student  nurses  learn  how  to  take  care  of  babies 


The  Teacher  Is  a  Gardener 


A  UNIVERSITY  professor  in  North  Caro- 
lina compares  the  teacher  of  college  stu- 
dents to  a  horticulturist.    Referring  to 
n»  Paul's  first  letter  to  the  Corinthians,  Dr.  William 
R.  Mueller  likens  the  teacher's  role  to  that  of 
Paul  and  Apollos,  who  planted  and  watered, 
trusting  God  to  give  the  growth. 

Dr.  Mueller  says,  "Knowing  our  own  role, 
let  us  repeatedly  impress  upon  our  students  the 
Fact  that,  if  we  are  planters  and  waterers,  they 
are  plants  and  not  sponges."  He  hopes  that 
students  who  come  into  the  classrooms  of  Chris- 
tian teachers  will  develop  as  individuals.  "Let 
each  one  be  what  he  was  meant  to  be  —  himself." 


EDITORIALS 

The  teacher  must  always  maintain  respect 
for  the  minds  and  spirits  that  are  entrusted  to 
him.  He  works  with  persons  who  must  be  en- 
couraged to  mature  and  develop  as  God  intend- 
ed them  to  grow.  Rut  the  teacher  must  also 
have  a  profound  respect  for  God,  since  after  all 
the  planting  and  tending  is  done,  it  is  still  God 
who  gives  the  growth.  Education  that  neglects 
God  is  as  one-sided  as  education  that  ignores 
growth. 

If  the  Christian  teacher  is  a  gardener,  then 
surely  the  Christian  college  should  provide  the 
community  in  which  his  horticulture  can  be 
most  successful.  —  k.m. 


Hands  on  the  Clock  of  Doom 


ON  THE  cover  of  the  Bulletin  of  the 
Atomic  Scientist  there  appears  each 
month  a  clock  showing  just  a  few  min- 
utes to  twelve.  When  the  magazine  first  ap- 
peared in  1947  the  hands  were  pointed  to  eight 
1  minutes  to  midnight,  thus  signifying  how  pre- 
carious, in  the  opinion  of  the  editors,  was  man- 
cind's  plight. 

When  the  Soviet  Union  exploded  its  first 
atomic  bomb  in  1949  the  hands  advanced  to 
three  minutes,  and  again  when  Russians  tested 
their  first  hydrogen  bomb  the  time  remaining  for 
mankind  was  narrowed  to  two  minutes.  For  the 
next  seven  years  each  month's  cover  offered  a 
grim  reminder  that  the  time  was  short. 

But  in  January  of  this  year  the  editors  be- 
came a  little  more  hopeful.   They  set  the  clock 
back  to  seven  minutes  to  twelve,  thus  indicating 
no  great  optimism  but  suggesting  that  if  the 
j  leaders  of  the  atomic  powers  would  keep  on 
working  together,  keep  on  talking  together,  and 
jlkeep  their  bans  on  testing  in  effect,  there  might 
;Pbe  better  chances  for  survival. 

We  have  a  genuine  respect  for  the  sober 
[judgment  of  the  men  who  know  nuclear  weap- 
ons best.    But  we  are  also  impressed  with  the 
>Sfact  that  Christians,  from  the  earliest  days  of 
j  their  era,  have  lived  in  the  shadow  of  destruc- 
tion.  Even  when  the  church  seemed  to  be  most 
^prosperous,  there  were  spiritually  sensitive  souls 
who  could  hear  an  ominous  ticking  in  the  dis- 
tance.   Christians  are  accustomed  to  living  in 
the  last  days  —  at  least  in  the  sense  that  they 
)  know   how   transient    and    superficial   are    the 
structures  that  men  build  for  their  own  security. 
Not  many  are  the  civilizations  that  survive  the 
J  catastrophes  they  create.    Christians  know  — or 
j  should  know  —  that  it  is  always  just  a  few  min- 


utes from  midnight.    The  hour  is  always  late. 

Yet  in  such  a  precarious  time  —  in  our  time 
also  —  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  has  its  most 
glorious  opportunity  to  proclaim  its  eternal  gos- 
pel. In  catacombs  and  prisons  faith  will  flourish. 
When  the  night  seems  darkest  the  dawn  is  not 
far  away.  Christians  who  live  by  a  faith  that  is 
rooted  and  grounded  in  God's  everlasting  love 
are  not  easily  frightened  by  a  clock  —  even  a 
clock  of  doom.  We  do  not  live  according  to  the 
headlines  and  we  are  not  limited  by  the  count- 
down that  seems  so  ominous.  We  need  not  be 
subject  to  despair.  Our  hope  is  in  God. 

Does  this  mean  that  Christians  should  hide 
themselves  away  and  quietly  await  the  end  of 
the  world?  By  no  means.  We  are  called  to 
witness  and  to  work.  Whether  the  time  be  short 
or  long,  we  are  called  to  serve  God  to  the  extent 
of  our  resources.  We  are  not  responsible  for 
saving  civilization,  but  we  are  responsible  for 
living  as  Christians  —  and  such  a  witness  may, 
by  God's  grace,  contribute  to  the  saving  of  civ- 
ilization. But  whether  civilization  as  we  know 
it  stands  or  falls,  we  live  by  a  faith  that  endures. 
Our  clocks  do  not  run  down  at  midnight.  —  k.m. 


Thy  kingdom,  Lord,  thy  kingdom!  All  secretly  it  grows; 
In  faithful  hearts  forever  his  seed  the  Sower  sows. 
Yet  ere  its  consummation  must  dawn  a  mighty  doom; 
For  judgment  and  salvation  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come. 

Beyond  our  sad   confusion,   our  strife   of   speech   and 

sword, 
Our  wars  of  class  and  nation,  we  wait  thy  certain  Word. 
The  meek  and  poor  of  spirit  who  in  thy  promise  trust 
Thy  kingdom  shall  inherit,  the  blessing  of  the  just. 

Vida  D.  Scitdder 

APRIL  23,  1960  5 


■..-■:■■■■  ■:-'-,-'-.-::;:;:-::::;:.::::v,.,,,-.v,.-,, 

*;s  sssls  ■ 


From 
Goettingen 

to 
La  Verne 

and 

Back 


C.  Ernest  Davis 

with  Peggy  Zimmerman 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


THE  first  half  of  a  professorial  exchange  betweer 
La  Verne  College  and  the  State  College  of  Educa 
tion  in  Goettingen,  Germany,  was  brought  to  ar 
impressive  close  at  La  Verne  on  Sunday  evening,  Febru- 
ary 7,  when  Dr.  Herbert  Kreter,  exchange  professor  ir 
cultural  anthropology  and  history,  from  Goettingen,  gave 
an  address,  Aspects  of  American  and  German  Highei 
Education,  and  received  the  honorary  degree,  Doctor  oi 
Literature,  from  La  Verne.  The  next  day  Dr.  Kreter  left 
for  home  to  resume  his  work  in  Goettingen  University 
and  the  State  College  of  Education,  where  he  has  bi- 
lateral teaching  assignments. 

The  second  half  of  this  exchange  program  will  see 
Dr.  Paul  B.  Baum,  dean  of  La  Verne  College,  teaching 
at  the  State  College  of  Education  in  Goettingen,  Ger- 
many, from  April  28  to  July  28,  1960. 

La  Verne  College  and  Goettingen  State  College  oJ 
Education  began  a  student  exchange  program  in  1955. 
It  was  natural,  therefore,  when  President  and  Mrs.  Har- 
old D.  Fasnacht  of  La  Verne  were  in  Germany  on  a 
world  tour  that  they  should  visit  Goettingen.  On  Janu- 
ary 2,  1957,  Dr.  Fasnacht,  Wilbur  Mullen  (BSC  directoi 


Paedagogische  Hochschule  (State 
College  of  Education),  Goettingen, 
Germany;  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Herbert 
Kreter  and  four  of  their  five 
daughters  in  their  living  room; 
La  Verne  College  library,  from  left 


fin  Germany  at  the  time),  and 
Dr.  Kreter  met  in  Dr.  Kreter's 
home  to  discuss  the  student  ex- 
change program  being  handled 
for  Goettingen  by  Dr.  Kreter. 

During  this  conference  the 
idea  was  advanced  that  it  would 
be  an  excellent  thing  if  the  ex- 
change between  the  two  schools 
could  be  extended  to  a  profes- 
sorial exchange.  President  Fas- 
nacht,  remembering  that  it  is 
the  aim  of  La  Verne  College,  as 
a    liberal    arts    institution,    to 

i  bring  to  its  campus  outstanding 

n  leaders  from  other  cultural  areas 
to  broaden  its  emphasis  on  the 

I  liberal  arts,  seized  upon  the 
idea  and  through  correspond- 
ence developed  it  into  a  reality. 
Herbert  Kreter  studied  at 
the  universities  of  Bonn  and 
Goettingen  in  Germany  and 
Birmingham  in  England.  He 
completed  majors  in  English 
and  French  language  and  lit- 


erature, and  minors  in  mu- 
sicology,  modern  history,  and 
philosophy.  At  Birmingham 
University  he  paid  particular 
attention  to  political  studies. 
His  Ph.D.  degree  was  granted 
in  1937.  Dr.  Kreter  is  an  ex- 
perienced teacher.  Since  1947 
he  has  been  in  the  English  de- 
partment of  Goettingen  Uni- 
versity and  since  1949  at  the 
State  College  of  Education  in 
Goettingen  on  a  simultaneous 
assignment. 

In  1954,  he  received  a  special 
award  to  tour  the  U.  S.  A.  and 
study  systems  of  higher  educa- 
tion with  a  group  of  educators 
in  behalf  of  the  West  German 
Federal  Republic.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Association  for  the 
Promotion  of  International  Stu- 
dent Friendship  and  serves  on 
various  committees  and  boards 
of  examiners. 

Dr.  Kreter  and  his  wife,  who 
is  of  Turkish  background,  have 
five  children  ranging  in  age 
from  seventeen  to  five  years. 
The  eldest,  Anna  Katharina,  is 
a  senior  in  Sexton  High  School, 
Lansing,  Michigan,  as  a  partici- 
pant in  the  teen-agers  exchange 


:  Dr.  Kreter,  center,  receives  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Literature  from 
'  La  Verne  College  President  Harold  Fasnacht  (left)  and  Dean  Paul  Baum 


program  of  the  Michigan  Coun- 
cil of  Churches.  Dr.  Kreter 
visited  this  daughter  on  his  way 
back  to  Germany. 

During  the  semester  he  was 
at  La  Verne,  Dr.  Kreter  taught 
courses  in  cultural  anthropology 
and  European  history  and  as- 
sisted with  the  staff-taught 
course  in  the  history  of  civiliza- 
tion. 

Dean  Paul  B.  Baum,  who  will 
represent  La  Verne  at  Goet- 
tingen, was  born  at  Hershey, 
Pennsylvania,  attended  Sunday 
school  at  the  Hershey  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  and  taught  his 
first  Sunday  school  class  there. 
He  did  his  college  prepara- 
tory work  at  Messiah  College, 
Grantham,  Pennsylvania,  and 
received  his  B.A.  degree  from 
Aurora  College  in  1919.  He  was 
awarded  a  Master  of  Arts  de- 
gree by  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin in  1921.  Additional  work 
at  Columbia  University,  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  University  of  Wisconsin  led 
to  the  Ph.D.  degree  at  Wiscon- 
sin. 

Dr.  Baum  began  his  teaching 
career  in  the  Grand  Valley,  Col- 
orado, high  school  in  1921. 
From  1922  to  1935,  he  served 
as  superintendent  of  schools 
in  the  New  Castle,  Wiley,  and 
Grand  Valley  communities  in 
Colorado.  In  1935,  he  went  to 
Colorado  Woman's  College  as 
dean  and  professor  of  education 
and  psychology.  Since  1952,  he 
has  served  as  dean  and  head  of 
the  education  department  at  La 
Verne  College. 

He  is  a  member  of  a  number 
of  professional  organizations 
and  for  five  years  was  on  the 
executive  committee  of  the 
Colorado  United  Nations  Asso- 
ciation. He  has  been  active  in 
Sunday  school  teaching  and 
family  camping  and  has  con- 
tributed articles  dealing  with 
religious  counseling  to  Hearth- 

APRIL  23,  1960  7 


UBS 


Dr.  Kreter  serves  afternoon  tea  in  his  living  room  while  plans  are  being  made  for  an 
exchange  program  between  Goettingen  Paedagogische  Hochschule  and  La  Veme  and 
McPherson  colleges.  From  left,  Lois  Fager,  McPherson  exchangee  to  Goettingen  in  1958-59; 
Ruth  Davidson,  exchange  representative  in  Kassel;   Margarete   Schmidt-Ott,   Goettingen 
exchangee  to  La  Verne  in  1959-60;  and  Dr.  Herbert  Kreter 


Lois  Fager  in  the  library  of  the  Hochschule.  Everything  is  new  and  modern 


fS^ 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


stone,  a  Christian  family  maga 
zine. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Baum  have  twc 
children.  Their  son,  Paul  B. 
Jr.,  who  is  married  and  haa 
three  children,  teaches  Englisl 
and  social  studies  at  Juvenih 
Hall  in  Los  Angeles.  Then 
daughter,  Jan  Jean  Baum,  is  ir 
her  fifth  year  as  a  kindergarter. 
teacher  in  Los  Angeles  County 
Mrs.  Baum  will  accompany  hei 
husband  to  Germany.  They  are 
scheduled  to  leave  La  Verne  on 
March  19  and  return  on  August 
25.  For  the  exchange,  Dr 
Baum  has  been  awarded  a  Unit- 
ed States  educational  exchange 
grant  under  the  Fulbright  pro- 
gram which  provides  for  travel 
expenses  in  this  country  and 
abroad  and  an  allowance  for 
books  and  incidentals.  Dr. 
Kreter  was  the  recipient  of  a 
similar  grant. 

Goettingen  is  the  site  of  the 
University   of   Goettingen,    es- 


tablished  in  1737,  with  8,000 
students  and  500  faculty  mem- 
bers, and  of  the  State  College 
of  Education,  founded  in  1946 
as  an  independent  college. 
This  latter  school  now  has  800 
students,  90%  of  whom  are 
Protestants.  It  has  31  full-time 
and  6  part-time  faculty  mem- 
bers, and  maintains  internation- 
al student  exchange  relations 
with  several  schools  in  England 
and  America,  including  La 
Verne  and  McPherson  colleges. 

While  at  the  State  College  of 
Education  in  Goettingen,  Dr. 
Baum  will  lecture  in  German 
two  or  three  times  a  week  for 
a  course  in  American  aspects 
of  educational  psychology  and 
education,  and  join  with  Dr. 
Kreter  and  a  member  of  the 
university  faculty  in  a  seminar 
on  comparative  aspects  of  edu- 
cation in  England,  Germany, 
and  America.  This  seminar 
will  be  conducted  in  English 
and  is  open  to  advanced  stu- 
dents in  English. 

The  colleges  involved  in  this 
exchange  of  professors  who  are 
specialists  in  their  respective 
fields  are  attempting,  through 


/fffva>. M^^r^A 


#■■  ■■■-:  ■ 

-,     ■ 


WmMBMm 


Lois  Fager  ready  to  ride  her  bicycle  away  from  the  Paedagogische  Hoch- 
schule  in  Goettingen,  Germany.   Classrooms  can  be  seen  in  the  background 


the  sharing  of  personnel  and 
ideas,  to  forward  better  inter- 
national relations  on  a  real  and 
personal  basis  and  to  accept  the 
postwar  challenge  to  higher  ed- 
ucation. Certainly  Dr.  Kreter 
was  very  helpful  to  the  college 
and  community  at  La  Verne, 
and  there  is  every  reason  to  be- 


lieve that  Dr.  Baum  will  make 
a  similar  contribution  in  Ger- 
many. The  resulting  values 
promise  to  be  so  great  that  the 
two  institutions  hope  to  main- 
tain such  an  exchange  every 
third  year  with  different  per- 
sonnel from  different  fields  par- 
ticipating in  the  program. 


Janice  Baum, 

who  was  in 

Europe  in  1958, 

shows  her 

parents,  Dr.  and 

Mrs.  Paul  Baum, 

Germany  on  the 

globe. 

Dr.  Baum 

will  be 

exchange 

professor  at 

Goettingen, 

Germany, 

April  28  to 

July  28 


w, 


William  carey  and  Ad- 

oniram  Judson  deserve  much  of 
the  credit  for  expanding  the 
modern  Protestant  concept  of 
discipleship  to  include  foreign- 
mission  endeavors.  Both  were 
pioneer  missionaries;  Carey  to 
India  and  Judson  to  Burma. 
Neither  was  Brethren;  Carey 
was  an  English  Baptist  and 
Judson  an  American  Congrega- 
tionalist  turned  Baptist.  Their 
efforts  antedated  the  first  full- 
fledged  Brethren  mission  work 
by  the  better  part  of  a  cen- 
tury. 

Nevertheless,  Brethren  mis- 
sions (as  well  as  those  of  many 
other  denominations)  owe  a 
real  debt  to  Carey  and  Judson, 
for  ecumenical  influences  have 
undoubtedly  played  a  greater 
role  in  the  foreign-mission  pro- 
gram than  in  any  other  one  as- 


10 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


Vernard  Eller 


pect  of  the  church's  life  and 
ministry.  It  is  significant  that 
W.  B.  Stover,  pioneer  Brethren 
missionary  and  one  who  was 
instrumental  in  arousing  the 
missionary  concern  within  the 
church,  while  a  student  at  Mt. 
Morris  College  composed  an 
oration  entitled  Supposed  So- 
liloquy of  A.  Judson  on  the 
Night  of  His  Final  Decision  to 
Become  a  Foreign  Missionary. 
The  stories  of  Carey  and  Jud- 
son (and  others  of  the  same 
company)  inspired  our  forefa- 
thers to  a  discipleship  that 
spread  the  gospel  "into  all  the 
world,"  and  these  stories  can 
inspire  us  to  continue  the  work 
which  they  "have  thus  far  so 
nobly  advanced." 

William  Carey 
William  Carey  was  born  in 


a  rural  English  village  in  1761, 
just  one  year  after  George  III, 
villain  of  the  American  Revolu 
tion,  had  come  to  the  throne 
Carey's  father  was  a  poverty- 
stricken  schoolmaster,  and  Wil- 
liam  learned    the    shoemaker's 
trade  and  supported  himself  by 
it.  But  though  his  work  and  life 
might  have  been  judged  menial, 
his  thought  definitely  was  not; 
Carey  was  an  eager  and  excel- 
lent   student    with    a    natural 
flair  for  linguistics  —  which  abil- 
ity made  possible  his  greatest 
contribution    as    a    missionary, 
namely,  the  translating  of  the 
Scriptures  into  Indian  tongues. 
Though  raised  in  a  Christian 
home,  Carey  did  not  participate 
intimately   in    the    life    of   the 
church  until,  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty, he  began  to  associate  with 
the  nonconforming  Baptist  sec- 
tarians.    He   was   baptized   in 
1783,  and  though  he  had  been 


(In 


preaching  before  this  time,  the 
church  now  gave  him  charge  of 
a  congregation.  The  income 
was  so  inadequate,  however, 
that  Carey  had  to  go  back  to 
shoemaking.  And  this  financial 
arrangement  proved  to  be 
something  of  a  pattern  for  the 
missionary's  entire  career;  he 
supported  not  only  himself  but 
his  entire  mission  program;  the 
funds  received  from  the  church 
were  at  most  but  nominal. 

Carey  had  to  sell  the  mission- 
ary idea  and  organize  the  Bap- 
tist Missionary  Society  so  that 
he  could  have  a  place  to  make 
his  offer  to  go  abroad.  These 
preliminaries  he  accomplished 
in  the  ten  years  between  his 
baptism  and  his  embarkation 
for  India  in  1793. 

He  had  to  overcome  the  op- 
position typified  by  a  fellow 
minister  who  remarked,  "When 
God  pleases  to  convert  the 
heathen,  he  will  do  it  without 
your  help  or  mine."  In  this 
effort,  Carey  coined  the  slogan 
which  in  time  became  some- 
thing of  a  watchword  for  Prot- 
estant missions,  "Expect  great 
things  from  God;  attempt  great 
things  for  God."  He  took  the 
lead  in  organizing  a  missionary 
society  and  raising  enough 
money  to  get  a  party  to  the 
field. 

Carey  went  to  India  in  1793, 
his  wife  and  family  consenting 
to  accompany  him  only  at  the 
last  moment.  He  established 
himself  in  and  around  Calcutta, 
where  he  was  to  give  almost 
forty  years  of  service.  The 
home  society's  failure  to  pro- 
vide support  forced  the  mis- 
sionary to  finance  his  own  work 
by  accepting  employment  as 
manager  of  an  indigo  factory  — 
which  move  the  society  then 
criticized  as  unworthy  of  a  man 
of  God  (such  is  the  perversity 
of  those  whose  concept  of  dis- 
cipleship  is  too  small). 

Later,  Carey  met  opposition 
of  another  sort;   the   East   In- 


dia Company  (whose  concept 
of  discipleship  was  somewhat 
straitened  by  stronger  concepts 
of  economic  advantage)  forced 
the  mission  out  of  British  terri- 
tory; the  greater  part  of  Carey's 
work  was  done  in  the  Danish 
protectorate  in  the  north  of 
Calcutta. 

Carey's  own  work  was  pri- 
marily that  of  scholar-mission- 
ary, translating  materials  into 
the  native  languages,  but  when 
he  died  in  1834  the  mission  he 
had  founded  claimed  thirty 
missionaries,  forty  native  teach- 
ers, forty-five  stations,  and  six 
hundred  church  members. 

Adoniram  Judson 

In  many  respects,  Adoniram 
Judson  was  to  American  mis- 
sions what  William  Carey  was 
to  British;  though  in  other  re- 
spects the  two  men  were  quite 
diverse.  Judson  was  born  in 
1788  into  the  cultured  environ- 
ment around  Boston  about  the 
time  that  Carey  began  agitating 
for  foreign  missions  among  the 
Baptists  of  England.  Judson's 
father  was  a  respected  Congre- 
gational clergyman,  and,  in 
some  ways,  Adoniram  had  to 
overcome  handicaps  of  over- 
privilege  as  Carey  had  had  to 
underprivilege.  Judson  turned 
down  tempting  offers  of  pas- 
torates and  professorships  in 
order  to  get  to  the  mission  field. 

The  young  Adoniram  dis- 
played a  precocity  approaching 
genius,  went  on  to  a  brilliant 
college  career,  and  entered  the 
teaching  profession  under  most 
auspicious  circumstances.  His 
religious  development  was  not 
on  the  same  escalator,  however. 
While  an  undergraduate,  he 
became  a  Freethinker;  his  con- 
version came  shortly  after  grad- 
uation, when  he  chanced  to 
have  a  room  in  an  inn  next  to 
a  dying  stranger,  winch  stran- 
ger he  afterward  discovered  to 
have  been  an  intimate  college 
friend. 

Judson's  conversion  involved 


a  decision  to  enter  the  ministry; 
he  became  a  student  at  Andover 
Seminary.  It  was  here  that  he 
joined  the  famous  "haystack" 
group,  five  ministerial  students 
who  pledged  themselves  to  the 
cause  of  foreign  missions  and 
who  became  instrumental  in  the 
organization  particularly  of  the 
American  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  (the  mission  board  of 
the  Congregational  Church). 
Judson,  as  Carey,  had  to  help 
organize  a  board  to  which  he 
could  offer  his  services. 

Judson  was  married  on  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1812,  and  on  February 
19  the  newlyweds  set  sail  for 
the  Indian  field.  But  the  voyage 
that  the  Judsons  began  as  Con- 
gregationalists  brought  them  to 
India  as  Baptists;  en  route  they 
had  become  convinced  of  the 
necessity  of  adult  baptism.  This 
switch  of  denominational  affili- 
ation left  Judson  without  a 
sponsor,  but  the  American  Bap- 
tists rose  to  the  occasion  by  or- 
ganizing a  mission  society  to 
adopt  the  orphan  Judson  ( prob- 
ably the  only  instance  on  record 
of  a  board  being  founded  not  to 
recruit  missionaries  but  to  take 
care  of  one  thrown  into  its  lap ) . 

The  East  India  Company, 
which  had  forced  Carey  into 
Danish  territory,  now  forced 
Judson  out  of  India  and  into 
Burma  —  which  move  undoubt- 
edly worked  to  the  glory  of  God 
no  matter  what  the  intentions 
of  men  might  have  been.  Jud- 
son's missionary  service  —  as 
Carey's  —  continued  for  approx- 
imately forty  years.  The  young- 
er missionary's  work  however, 
was  marked  by  much  more  per- 
secution, hardship,  and  adven- 
ture than  was  that  of  his  British 
forerunner.  Judson  also  did 
notable  work  in  language  and 
Bible  translation,  but  his  story 
contains  more  exciting  chapters 
as  well.  Judson  had  trouble  not 

Continued  on  page  15 


APRIL  23,  1960 


11 


est  1 

outh 

BUllg 


outn 

iitere 


Administration  Building  at  La  Verne  College 


*Jke  Sixtlel  and 


Our  Colleges 


Rufus  B.  King 


OUR  Church  of  the  Brethren  colleges  are 
faced  with  a  tremendous  task  in  the  dec- 
ade 1960-1970.  It  is  the  kind  of  task,  for 
the  most  part,  that  conscientious  Christian  edu- 
cators welcome.  It  stirs  men's  souls  and  chal- 
lenges the  best  that  a  man  has  to  give  in  life. 

The  problem  is  how  to  accommodate  the 
new  crop  of  young  people  who  want  a  college 
education.  The  population  bulge  for  this  age 
group  has  arrived.  With  it  is  a  growing  interest 
in  college  attendance.  Securing  finances  to  ex- 
pand plant  and  operate  these  institutions  is  a 
chief  concern.  A  further  difficulty  is  to  secure 
the  necessary  qualified  faculty. 

These  problems  have  existed  in  the  past  dec- 
ade. By  contrast,  however,  1950-60  has  only 
been  the  warm-up  session  for  the  1960-70  race. 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  problem  will  be  more  acute  for  colleges 
such  as  ours,  which  depend  upon  gifts  for  meet- 
ing operating  deficits  and  for  new  plant  and  re- 
sources. 

Past  experience  would  indicate  that  the  road 
is  more  certain  for  tax-supported  institutions 
where  new  appropriations  from  tax  sources  tend 
to  meet  the  need  as  it  arises.  The  gradual  out- 
distancing of  private  colleges  in  growth  by  tax- 
supported  colleges  in  recent  decades  is  cause 
for  concern  to  many  thoughtful  educators. 

To  the  extent  that  college  administrations 
and  trustee  boards  recognize  the  signs  of  the 
times  and  have  done  planning  for  this  decade, 
will  they  be  better  able  to  cope  with  the  prob- 
lem. This  is  an  unparalleled  day  of  opportunity 
for  our  colleges.  If  the  facts  of  the  situation  are 
clearly  shared  with  the  supporting  constituency 
and  a  positive  program  of  relief  is  presented,  I 
believe  the  people  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
out  of  the  goodness  of  their  hearts  and  the  abun- 
dance of  their  resources  will  meet  the  challenge. 

There  appears  to  be  no  alternative  choice  to 
meet  the  opportunity  of  this  decade  unless  there 
is  wholesale  retrenchment  of  what  our  colleges 
have  set  out  to  do  for  our  youth  in  their  regions. 
This  course  would  be  unthinkable. 

At  the  college  study  conference  of  Church 
of  the  Brethren  leaders  in  Chicago  last  year,  it 
was  pointed  out  that  there  were  1,436  Church 
of  the  Brethren  young  people  in  our  6  colleges 
in  1956.  If  the  present  rate  of  interest  on  the 
part  of  our  church  youth  should  stabilize  for  the 


next  10  years,  we  can  expect  4,956  Brethren 
youth  in  our  colleges  by  1970.  If  the  number  of 
young  people  in  the  total  youth  group  who  go 
to  college  continues  to  increase  on  the  basis  of 
present  trends,  there  should  be  6,319  Brethren 
youth  on  our  6  campuses  by  1970.  If  this  college 
interest  becomes  more  pronounced  and  the  ratio 
is  aggravated  further,  the  increase  will  be  great- 
er than  6,319. 

Our  colleges  have  responsibilities  beyond  the 
Brethren  student  potential.  These  obligations, 
especially,  are  to  the  qualified  non-Brethren 
youth  of  communities  surrounding  the  colleges 
and  to  the  children  of  alumni.  This  total  picture 
of  potential  students  presents  a  formidable  situ- 
ation to  confront  the  college  management. 

New  buildings  and  new  faculty  will  have  to 
be  secured  to  accommodate  this  influx.  To  talk 
about  limiting  enrollment,  except  for  some  up- 
grading of  scholarship  requirements,  is  not  real- 
istic. The  size  of  our  church  colleges  will  be 
determined  by  the  student  interest  in  the  region. 

The  faculty  situation  is  acute  now  in  many 
teaching  fields.  It  seems  destined  to  get  worse 
before  it  will  get  better.  The  supply  is  not  keep- 
ing up  with  the  need.  In  fact,  the  number  of 
new  Ph.D.'s  in  many  fields  is  falling  behind  pop- 
ulation growth.  Business,  industry,  government, 
and  professions,  in  the  meantime,  continue  to 
grow  in  their  personnel  needs.  Higher  salaries 
and  more  favorable  working  conditions  take 
many  potential  teachers.  Added  to  this  situation 
is  the  fact  that  qualified  faculty  for  Brethren 
colleges  is  narrowed  by  the  ideals  that  we  like 
to  see  in  our  teachers  —  and  correctly  so. 

Financing  the  needs  of  our  colleges  is  a  tre- 
mendous assignment.  Yet,  it  is  the  writer's  view- 
point that  this  is  not  insurmountable  if  the  facts 
are  made  known  and  a  proper  promotional  pro- 
gram is  advanced. 

The  colleges'  financial  needs  come  in  differ- 
ent categories.  There  is  need  for  annual  gifts  to 
balance  the  budget.  Here  churches  and  alumni 
need  to  accept  a  greater  responsibility.  Industry 
and  foundations  are  coming  into  the  picture  with 
significant  grants  in  recent  years.  This  will  con- 
tinue. The  support  from  our  churches  is  improv- 
ing, but  is  shy  in  comparison  to  that  of  many 
denominations. 

The  government  is  exhibiting  its  concern.  A 
scholarship  program  has  been  under  way.  Al- 
though a  number  of  independent  colleges,  be- 
cause of  the  required  loyalty  oath,  have  found 
this  obnoxious  and  refuse  to  go  along,  the  Breth- 
ren colleges,  to  date,  have  accepted  this  support. 
There  is  pressure  in  Congress  and  elsewhere  to 
subsidize  salaries  and  grant  other  aid.  Apparent- 


ly, tax-supported  research  grants  from  federal 
sources  are  being  used  by  most,  if  not  all,  of 
our  colleges.  Outside  sources  of  fellowship  and 
study  opportunities  for  faculty  members  abound. 

To  depend  much  further  on  industry  and 
government  to  meet  the  financial  pressures  of 
our  church  colleges  poses  a  dangerous  threat  to 
future  influence  and  control,  in  the  minds  of 
many  people.  Yet  will  church  support  provide 
the  alternative? 

Capital  gifts  for  long-range  expansion  of 
physical  plant  and  for  permanent  endowment 
are  needed  by  our  colleges  in  addition  to  cur- 
rent, annual  operating  support.  This,  in  the 
immediate  present,  will  certainly  have  to  come 
from  periodic  community-wide  and  regional- 
wide  church  financial  campaigns.  The  high 
standard  of  living  that  Brethren  families  enjoy 
today  should  make  possible  a  liberal  response 
to  these  efforts  when  viewed  in  terms  of  per 
capita  potential.  A  broadening  of  the  base  of 
response,  with  a  larger  percentage  of  church 
membership  contributing  to  these  efforts,  can 
yield  significantly  greater  and  adequate  total 
amounts. 

Finally,  more  of  our  people  should  be  re- 
membering our  colleges,  as  well  as  other  insti- 
tutions of  the  church,  in  their  wills.  We  have 
resources  to  dispose  of  in  our  estates  such  as  no 
other  generation  ever  dreamed  of  having.  Our 
tax  laws  encourage  gifts  to  these  institutions. 
Such  gifts  are  a  great  blessing  to  humanity  and 
surely  meet  with  God's  favor. 

To  practice  a  tithe  in  life  and  at  death  seems 


A  QUESTION  OF  CREDIT 

ORA  W.  GARBER 

Which  stroke  of  that  stout  axe's  blade 

Has  laid  this  tall  tree  low? 

Was  it  that  first  firm,  well-placed  glance 

Perchance?   Some  might  think  it  so. 

Or  yet  the  last,  in  triumph  wrought. 

Which  brought  it  to  the  ground? 

When  all  of  our  search  for  an  answer  is 

done. 
No  one  that  is  certain  is  found. 

And  who  can  know  which  kindly  word 

Has  stirred  the  sinner's  heart? 

Or  which  kind  deed  of  loving  care. 

Or  which  prayer  has  caused  life  to  start 

Anew  in  his  soul?   This  is  certain  then: 

As  men  of  faith  must  we 

Carry  on  His  work,  letting  others  choose 

Just  whose  the  credit  should  be. 


APRIL   23.    1960 


13 


to  the  writer  to  be  a  minimum 
goal  for  a  Christian.  Many 
without  children  or  immediate 
heirs  should  give  more  careful 
attention  to  the  great  amount  of 
good  that  their  accumulated  re- 
sources can  do  for  the  church 
and  her  related  institutions. 
Those  with  children  should  not 
overlook  the  blessing  afforded 
when  the  estate  is  shared  with 
Christian  causes. 

Our  present  colleges  are  the 
most  enduring  of  institutions,  it 
would  seem,  as  we  look  to  the 
future.  They  have  demonstrat- 
ed their  worth  in  providing 
church  leadership.  They  help 
in  developing  Christian  citizens 
who  are  upright,  honest,  gener- 
ous, and  of  service  to  God  and 
man.  Church  members  can 
take  pride  in  the  contribution 
of  our  colleges  in  church  and 
world  influence. 

The  decade  before  us  is  a 
crucial  one  for  our  colleges. 
The  members  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  can  help  with  the 
solution  or  they  can  fail  in  this 
tremendous  opportunity.  How 
wonderful  to  reflect  on  the 
greatness  of  such  a  challenge! 
God  has  given  us  minds  to  use, 
wills  to  choose,  and  ability  for 
service;  and  with  it  all  he  has 
blessed  us  with  unparalleled 
scientific  and  physical  resources 
to  do  his  work. 

Will  we  use  these  resources 
for  human  betterment,  for  hu- 
man enlightenment,  and  for  the 
extension  of  his  kingdom?  Or 
will  we  selfishly  hoard  or  spend 
for  that  which  in  the  final  analy- 
sis satisfies  not?  God  help  each 
of  us  to  do  his  part  for  his  work 
in  the  measure  to  which  we 
have  been  blessed. 


Seventy  governments  have  agreed 
to  join  in  simultaneously  issuing 
postage  stamps  in  commemoration  of 
World  Refugee  Year.  April  7  has 
been  designated  for  the  issuance. 
The   United   States   is   participating. 


The  Christian  Church 

Continued  from  page   4 

study  the  things  of  this  universe 
with  what  the  Christian  knows 
about  God  and  his  revelation  of 
himself  in  Jesus  Christ.  It 
should  be  clear  that  the  prob- 
lem is  not  one  of  "science"  and 
"religion,"  because  there  are  all 
sorts  of  religion.  Some  reli- 
gions, for  instance,  teach  that 
matter  is  evil  or  that  it  is 
illusory.  What  Christians  are 
concerned  with  are  the  state- 
ments of  the  Christian  faith. 

Secondly,  we  have  to  be  clear 
that  we  cannot  get  rid  of  the 
problem  by  saying  that  science 
is  dealing  with  material  things 
and  Christians  are  interested  in 
spiritual  things.  The  problem  is 
that  both  are  dealing  with  ma- 
terial things.  This  is  what  is  in- 
volved in  the  statement  that 
God  revealed  himself  through 
the  events  of  Jewish  history  and 
finally  in  Jesus  Christ  of  whom 
Christians  say  that  he  is  really 
and  truly  man.    The  Christian 


faith  is  talking  all  the  time 
about  material  things,  about  the; 
often  confused  facts  of  Middle 
Eastern  history,  about  the  na- 
ture  of  man,  about  the  world 
which  God  has  made  and  what 
he  intends  to  do  with  it.  You 
cannot  read  your  Bible  and  es- 
cape from  "the  compass  of  the 
world  and  they  that  dwell 
therein." 

However,  this  is  just  what  is 
being  studied  in  universities 
and  colleges,  and  what  is  dis- 
covered and  taught  there  often 
seems  to  be  in  conflict  with 
what  Christians  have  believed. 
Some  of  the  conflicts  are  prob- 
ably due  to  misunderstandings, 
but  some  of  them  turn  out, 
when  we  study  them,  to  be  real 
and  difficult  problems.  Obvi- 
ously, we  cannot  just  throw  up 
our  hands  and  run  away  from 
these  questions.  We  have  to 
face  them  carefully  and  serious- 
ly, without  making  up  our 
minds  in  advance  about  what 
we  want  to  believe.  To  believe 


m 


14 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


Though  now  a 
part  of  the 
Communist-con- 
trolled Peking 
University, 
Yenching 
University,  once 
a  private 
Christian  college, 
was  of  great 
importance  to  the 
educational 
history  of  China. 
The  Alumni  Gate 
is  shown  here 


Religious  News 
Service 


incerely  in  the  creation  means 
that  we  must  respect  the  work 
of  all  those  people  who  study 
what  God  had  created. 

The  question  all  the  time  for 
Christians  in  any  country  and 
in  any  sphere  of  work  is,  What 
difference  does  it  make  that 
Christ  was  born  and  died  and 
rose  again?  If  it  makes  no  dif- 
ference, "then  is  our  preaching 
vain,"  but  if  it  does  make  a  dif- 
ference we  have  to  know  what 
that  difference  is.  We  have 
been  asking  so  far  what  differ- 
ence the  incarnation  makes  to 
the  studies  of  students  in  col- 
lege, and  this  is  a  question 
which  is  not  asked  nearly  often 
enough.  However,  it  is  not  the 
only  question  for  the  Christians 
on  the  campus.  There  are  also 
the  questions  of  what  they  must 
do,  how  they  should  stand  up 
for  what  they  believe,  whether 
there  should  be  any  difference 
in  their  lives  from  those  of  other 
good  and  well-meaning  people. 

One  of  the  most  disturbing 
questions  on  the  modern  cam- 
pus, especially  as  the  universi- 
ties grow  to  such  a  gigantic  size, 
is  that  of  community.  The  uni- 
versity of  today  is  no  longer  a 
community;  it  is  a  town,  and  it 
has,  therefore,  many  of  the 
problems  of  a  town,  though 
they  often  appear  in  a  rather 
unusual  way.  There  is  the  ques- 
tion of  the  foreign  students  and 
what  ought  to  be  done  about 
them,  whether  they  should  be 
integrated  into  the  university 
(which  means  turning  them  into 
good  Americans),  or  whether 
they  should  be  encouraged  to 
be  different. 

There  is  the  question  of  mar- 
ried students  with  families,  now 
far  more  numerous  than  they 
used  to  be.  There  is  the  ques- 
tion of  the  many,  many  students 
who  are  just  overwhelmed  and 
lost  and  who  must  be  helped, 
not  to  escape  from  the  campus, 
but  to  go  back  to  it  and  live  a 
useful  and  effective  life. 


Edification   Is   Love   Plus   Knowledge 

E.  Myrl  Weyant 

IT  IS  not  the  teacher's  task  to  underestimate  or  undermine  faith,  but  to 
speak  the  truth  in  love  which  will  promote  faith  until  his  students  come 
into  the  unity  of  faith  and  Christian  maturity.  Measured  by  the  most 
critical  standards  of  modern  pedagogy,  Jesus'  qualifications  for  teaching 
are  unsurpassed.  He  knew  what  he  taught,  he  knew  the  world,  he  knew 
men,  he  knew  how  to  teach,  and  he  embodied  what  he  taught.  Not  all 
people  listened  to  Jesus.   Some  did  not  want  to  be  taught. 

This  leads  to  another  emphasis.  People  should  want  to  learn.  Many 
people  depend  on  others  to  do  their  thinking.  And  in  the  meantime  they 
are  satisfied  to  be  tossed  to  and  fro  and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of 
doctrine,  by  the  deceit  of  man  in  his  cunning  craftiness.  Again  we  come 
back  to  this  basic  truth,  whether  it  be  in  the  academic  classroom  or  in  the 
church,  people  must  grow  up  in  every  way  into  Christ,  because  what  they 
do  with  him  determines  their  destiny.  If  this  is  true,  and  certainly  the  Bible 
authenticates  it,  then  it  is  important  that  we  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  his  righteousness,  and  other  things  will  fall  in  line.  The  fear  of  God  is 
the  beginning  of  wisdom.  A  person  can  never  be  his  or  her  best  until  they 
are  indwelt  and  actuated  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ. 

The  person  who  seeks  learning  for  the  preparation  of  life  must  remem- 
ber that  his  occupation  is  to  be  a  dedicated,  workable  Christian,  and  his 
vocation  will  be  the  means  of  putting  bread  on  the  table.  The  areas  of  his 
physical  and  mental  labor  will  be  his  mission  field  to  witness  for  Christ. 
The  church  and  the  school  must  not  be  separated.  Secular  education  cannot 
be  edifying  until  it  is  thoroughly  correlated  with  the  truth  of  God.  Man  is 
not  a  robot.  He  is  a  product  of  God  and  cannot  live  or  labor  at  his  best 
until  he  is  reconciled  to  God  through  Christ;  thereby  receiving  a  new  crea- 
tion, with  a  new  heart  and  transformed  mind,  which  desires  to  know  the  will 
and  purpose  of  God. 


About  all  these  questions, 
and  about  many  others  too,  the 
Christian  on  the  campus  has  to 
ask  very  seriously,  "Does  it 
make  any  difference  to  this 
question  that  Christ  died?"  It 
is  never  easy  to  give  an  answer, 
and  most  of  the  answers  that 
are  given  are  altogether  too  glib 
and  superficial.  There  is  need 
of  an  immense  amount  of  ear- 
nest thought,  and  this  still  re- 
mains to  be  done. 


Into  All  the  World 

Continued  from  page  11 

only  with  the  British  but  with 
the  government  of  the  Burmese 
emperor.  This  trouble  came  to 
a  head  when  war  broke  out  be- 
tween British  India  and  Burma; 
the  Burmese  imprisoned  Judson 
as  a  British  spy.  He  was  con- 
fined for  twenty-one  months 
under  the  vilest  conditions 
imaginable    and   his   wife   and 


child,  both  seriously  ill  with 
smallpox,  were  reduced  to  out- 
right beggary. 

The  hardships  of  the  Burma 
field  eventually  cost  Adoniram 
two  wives,  three  children,  and 
his  own  health,  but  as  a  direct 
consequence  of  his  sacrificial 
service,  at  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1850,  Judson  left  a  record  of 
7,000  baptisms,  63  congrega- 
tions, and  163  missionaries  and 
native  workers. 

The  indirect  consequences  of 
the  work  of  Judson,  Carey  and 
others  like  them  are  that  other 
churches  (including  our  own) 
and  other  men  and  women  (and 
not  simply  missionaries  but  all 
those  who  have  the  Great  Com- 
mission at  heart)  have  from 
their  examples  caught  an  in- 
sight into  the  sort  of  disciple- 
ship  that  goes  "into  all  the 
world,  making  disciples  of  all 
nations." 


APRIL  23.  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Brotherhood  Fund  Giving 

First  six  months,  1958-59 $715,963 

First  six  months,  1959-60 $719,420 

Six-month  budget  commitment  ....  $825,000 


An  Action  Sheet  on  immigration  and  refugee  legis- 
lation has  been  sent  to  pastors,  Brethren  Service  repre- 
sentatives, and  others  who  have  requested  to  receive 
Action  Sheets. 

Donna  Forbes  left  the  States  on  March  25  for 
Nigeria,  where  she  will  serve  as  a  member  of  the  staff 
at  Hillcrest  School  in  Jos.  Miss  Forbes  is  a  Brethren 
Volunteer  Service  worker. 

Velva  Jane  Dick  is  recuperating  at  her  home  in 
Pottstown,  Pa.,  from  a  hip  fracture  suffered  last  sum- 
mer. It  was  necessary  for  her  to  return  to  the  States  in 
late  January  for  treatment. 

The  National  Safety  Council,  Chicago,  ordered 
5,000  reprints  of  the  unit,  My  Car,  My  Community,  and 
God,  from  the  CBYF  Program  Kit,  Volume  6.  The  unit 
was  written  by  Clyde  E.  Weaver,  Chicago,  111. 

An  experimental  day  camp  for  Northern  and  Second 
Virginia  boys,  girls,  and  leaders  will  be  held  the  week 
of  July  25  this  summer  at  the  new  camp  site,  Brethren 
Woods.   Dessie  Miller  Myers  will  serve  as  director. 

George  Keim,  assistant  football  and  basketball 
coach  at  McPherson  College,  Kansas,  has  been  named 
head  football  coach  at  Bridgewater  College  to  succeed 
Paul  H.  Gunsten.  The  latter  will  remain  at  Bridgewater 
as  an  assistant  professor  of  physical  education. 

Tragedy  struck  Camp  Carolina  last  month  when  the 
heavy  snow  and  wind  storms  in  the  Linville,  N.  C,  area 
caused  the  collapse  of  the  building  housing  the  audi- 
torium-dining hall.  The  camp  committee  has  under 
way  a  "rise  up  and  build"  program,  with  full  realization 
that  the  rebuilding  and  financing  is  an  unplanned-for 
extra  in  their  district  this  year.  They  hope  to  move 
ahead  with  the  regular  camping  schedule  this  summer. 

Word  was  received  at  the  General  Offices  this  week 
(April  4)  of  the  deaths  of  two  men  who  have  given  sig- 
nificant service  to  the  church  and  of  the  wife  of  a  former 
General  Brotherhood  Board  member.  Mrs.  Joseph 
Kettering  died  on  March  31  after  some  months  of  ill- 
health.  Services  were  held  at  the  Elizabethtown  church, 
Pa.,  on  April  3.  Quincy  Holsopple,  former  missionary 
to  India  and  a  former  linotype  operator  at  the  publish- 
ing house,  died  at  La  Verne,  Calif.,  on  April  2.  A 
private  interment  service  was  held  for  the  family  and 
a  memorial  service  at  the  La  Verne  church  on  April  10. 
John  Heckman  died  at  Polo,  111.,  on  April  5,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-seven  years.  Brother  Heckman's  son,  Clar- 
ence, is  serving  the  church  in  Nigeria. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


After  a  short  furlough  in  the  States  Edna  Switzer 
returned  to  her  work  in  Ecuador  on  March  30. 

Ralph  Turnidge,  Brethren  minister,  will  be  installed 
as  general  secretary  of  the  Washington-Northern  Idaho 
Council  of  Churches  on  Sunday  evening,  April  24. 
Brother  Turnidge  once  served  the  Bakersfield  church, 
Calif.,  as  pastor. 

Juniata  College  has  invited  Brethren  ministers  and 
counselors  to  bring  their  college-minded  high  school 
youth  to  the  college  for  the  annual  Brethren  campus 
day,  on  Saturday,  April  30.  Visiting  students  will  have 
a  one-day  preview  of  life  in  a  small  church-related 
college. 

The  interest  rate  on  Church  Extension  Investment 
notes  was  increased  by  Board  action  to  4/4%  effective  on 
notes  issued  after  April  1,  1960.  To  enable  the  Brother- 
hood Board  to  lend  to  more  home  mission  and  smaller 
churches  for  essential  new  building  and  remodeling 
programs  the  goal  for  receiving  invested  money  was 
raised  to  $2,000,000.  Those  desiring  to  invest  in  this 
program  may  remit  to  the  General  Brotherhood  Board, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111., 
any  amount  from  $100  to  $10,000  or  more. 

Some  readers  of  Horizons  may  wish  further  expla- 
nation of  the  article,  Just  Standing  There,  by  Milton 
Mayer,  which  appeared  in  the  April  10,  1960,  issue. 
The  article  seemed  to  imply  that  certain  prominent 
American  citizens  were  behind  an  institution  that  is 
manufacturing  disease  germs  and  toxic  gases  near  Fred- 
erick, Md.  As  a  careful  rereading  of  the  article  will 
reveal,  the  author  is  underlining  the  fact  that  all  citizens 
paying  income  taxes  to  the  federal  government  are,  in 
a  sense,  "responsible"  for  this  project  since  it  is  sup- 
ported entirely  by  the  U.S.  government.  Write  to  the 
Brethren  Service  Commission,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  for  more  information  about 
the  project. 

Home-coming 

Conewago  congregation,  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  will 
have  a  home-coming  on  Sunday,  May  22.  Services  will 
be  at  10:00  a.m.  and  2:00  and  7:30  p.m. 

Licensed  and  Ordained  to  the  Ministry 

Franklin  Wagner,  licensed  in  the  Conewago  congre- 
gation, Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

Wilbur  E.  Fether,  ordained  in  the  Ligonier  church, 
Western  Pennsylvania. 

Daily  Prayer  Guide  —  The  Call  to  Discipleship 

Pray  for  understanding  of: 
April  25  True  comfort Matt.  5:3-5;  Isa.  61:1-4 

26  True  humility Luke  14:7-14 

27  True  compassion Luke  16:19-31 

28  True  motives Mark  10:35-45 

29  True  service John  13:1-17 

30  True  lowliness Job  22:21-30 

May      1  True  strength 1  Peter  5:1-11 


Notes  From  Ministry  and  Home 
Mission  Commission 

At  the  March  meeting  of  the  Ministry  and  Home 
Mission  Commission,  a  total  of  $111,211  in  salary  sup- 
plements for  eighty-six  home  mission  pastors  was 
approved. 

Grants  totaling  $11,000  were  made  to  four  churches 
for  building  purposes.  Nine  loans  to  help  finance  new 
church  construction  were  approved  for  a  total  of 
$196,800.  The  General  Brotherhood  Board  will  pay 
the  interest  on  $35,000  of  this  amount  for  the  first  five 
years.  Including  previous  commitments,  this  brings  to 
$21,230  the  total  interest  on  loans,  which  is  included 
in  the  commission  budget  for  the  year  beginning  Oct.  1 , 
1960. 

Summer  School  Opportunities  for  Pastors 
and  Other  Church  Workers 

Eastern  Region  Inservice  Training  School,  for  min- 
isters, Elizabethtown  College,  Pa.,  July  25-30. 
Sponsored  jointly  by  the  Eastern  Region  Board,  Beth- 
any Biblical  Seminary,  and  Elizabethtown  College. 
Dean,  Chalmer  E.  Faw.  Credit  given  by  Bethany  Sem- 
inary and  Training  School.  Two  courses:  Epistle  to 
the  Galatians,  Chalmer  E.  Faw;  The  Program  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  H.  Lawrence  Rice.  Register  through: 
Eastern  Region  Office,  1820  Market  St.,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  Evanston,  111.,  interde- 
nominational school  for  rural  leaders,  June  20  —  July  22. 
Courses  on  trends  in  rural  society,  agricultural  ec- 
onomics for  the  rural  minister,  the  program  of  the  rural 
church.  Registration  fee,  $75. 

Green  Lake,  Wis.,  interdenominational  town  and 
country  ministers'  schools,  April  19  —  May  5.  Courses 
on  agencies  serving  town  and  country  communities,  the 
means  by  which  churches  co-operate  in  various  fields, 
the  methods  by  which  a  pastor  serves  several  churches 
to  bring  an  adequate  ministry  to  sparsely  settled  areas, 
the  pastor  and  church  music.    Room  and  board,  $64. 

Cornell  Town  and  Country  Summer  School,  Cornell 
University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  June  20-24.  School  for  pas- 
tors, laymen,  members  and  leaders  of  volunteer  choirs, 
organists.  Courses  in  social  changes  and  family  fife, 
the  teaching  functions  of  the  church,  conducting  and 
reading  music.  Special  tours,  exhibits,  etc.  Registration 
fee,  $5;  room  and  board  about  $30. 

Oherlin  Graduate  School  of  Theology,  Oberlin, 
Ohio,  July  3-22.  Courses  on  counseling  with  refer- 
ence to  children,  supervision  of  religious  education, 
a  theology  for  religious  education,  Bible  study,  music 
in  worship.  Academic  credit.  Tuition  $15  per  credit 
hour;  room,  $18  for  the  entire  session;  board,  $2.50 
per  day. 

Emory  University,  Adanta,  Ga.,  June  21  —  July  7. 
Church  and  community  workshop.  Theme  for  1960, 
The  Nature  of  the  Church  and  Political  Concerns.  Tu- 
ition, $54;  room  $15;  board,  $30.  Tuition  and  room 
scholarship  available. 

Iowa  State  University,  Ames,  Iowa,  June  7  —  July  8. 
Program  in  agriculture  for  seminary  students  and  pas- 
tors. Tuition,  $30;  dormitory  rooms,  $32.50;  board, 
$2.15  per  day. 

Michigan  State  University  Rural  Leadership  SchooL 
East  Lansing,  Mich.,  July  18-29.  Especially  for  rural 
pastors,  lay  leaders,  and  others  vitally  interested  in  the 
rural  church.  Registration  fee,  $5;  room  and  board, 
$59.50. 


Briefs  From  Foreign  Mission 
Commission  Meeting 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dallas  L.  Oswalt  of  Union  City,  Ind., 
have  been  approved  by  the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
for  mission  service  in  Nigeria,  beginning  in  July.  Dallas 
will  serve  as  program  administrator  for  our  work  in 
Nigeria  on  a  one-year  interim  basis.  During  this  time 
a  major  study  of  the  organizational  structure  will  be 
made. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roger  Ingold  of  Mogadore,  Ohio, 
were  assigned  as  new  missionaries  to  Nigeria.  They  will 
serve  on  the  faculty  of  Waka  Training  Center. 

Earl  M.  Zigler  was  reappointed  by  the  Foreign 
Mission  Commission  as  field  secretary  in  India  for  a 
three-year  term,  beginning  Nov.  1,  1960. 

The  discussions  and  deliberations  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Commission  at  the  March  meeting  were  en- 
riched by  the  contributions  of  a  number  of  visitors.  W. 
Clayton  Berkshire,  general  secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Board  of  the  Brethren  Church,  was  present  for  dis- 
cussions of  mutual  concerns  in  Nigeria.  Dr.  Maurice  I. 
Troyer,  vice-president  of  the  educational  program  and 
student  personnel  at  the  International  Christian  Uni- 
versity in  Japan,  told  the  commission  about  recent 
developments  at  this  institution.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Don 
Fike,  Mrs.  Charles  Bieber,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff, 
Edna  Switzer,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Earl  Zigler,  mission- 
aries on  furlough,  shared  insights  and  concerns  from 
their  experience. 

The  Church  Calendar 
April  24 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Hunger  for  Righteousness.  Matt. 
5:6-7;  13:44-46;  18:21-35.  Memory  Selection:  Blessed 
are  those  who  hunger  and  thirst  for  righteousness,  for 
they  shall  be  satisfied.    Matt.  5:6  (R.S.V.) 

Christian  College  Day 
April  24-30  National  Mental  Health  Week 
May  1-8  National  Family  Week 
May  6  May  Fellowship  Day 

May  7  North  Atlantic  youth  work  camp,  Germantown 
May  8  Mother's  Day 
May  13-15  Mardela  and  Eastern  Maryland  recreation 

leaders'  laboratory,  Camp  Mardela 
May  22  Rural  Life  Sunday 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  George  W.  Slagle  of  Limestone,  Term.,  in  the  Mud 
Lick  church,  Ky.,  April  25  —  May  1. 

Bro.  John  Geary  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa.,  in  the  Carson 
Valley  church,  Pa.,  May   16-22. 

Bro.  Bussell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Boones 
Chapel  congregation,  Va.,   May  23-29. 

Bro.  J.  S.  Butterworth  of  Vinton,  Va.,  in  the  Henry 
Fork  church,  Va.,  May  19-29. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Eight  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter  in  the 
Fredericksburg  church,  Pa.  Two  baptized  in  the  Mount 
Joy  church,  Pa.  Twenty  baptized  and  nine  received  by 
letter  in  the  Woodbury  church,  Pa. 


APRIL  23,  1960 


17 


How  are 
you  fulfilling  the 
challenge  of  discipleship 
in  your  life? 


Edward  K.  Ziegte: 


Mortey  Mays 


Seeking  and  sharing  the  fundamentals  of  faith,  7,500 
Brethren  will  gather  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  June 
14-19.  Focus  of  the  Conference  will  be  the  coming 
Brotherhood  theme,  My  Calling  to  Fulfill.  At  right  are 
the  major  speakers  of  the  Conference. 


My  Calling  to  Fulfill,  the  two-year  theme  of  the  Broth- 
erhood beginning  this  fall,  will  form  the  core  of  seven 
major  addresses  at  Annual  Conference.  In  short,  the 
program  will  focus  on  discipleship  as  the  number  one 
vocation  of  Christians,  and  will  lift  up  particularly  the 
opportunities  for  discipleship  through  the  church. 

In  selecting  the  theme,  the  program  committee 
saw  the  June  14-19  Conference  as  the  appropriate 
occasion  for  launching  the  new  church-wide  thrust  in 
leadership  recruitment  and  development.  The  theme 
will  be  highlighted  further  in  the  Conference  exhibit, 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board  report,  and  in  post- 
breakfast  sessions. 

Meeting  for  the  first  time  at  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, Urbana-Champaign,  the  Conference  is  expected 
to  have  a  peak  attendance  of  7,500.  In  seeking  and 
sharing  the  fundamentals  of  faith,  the  participants 
have  promise  of  growth  in  the  fulfillment  of  their 
calling  as  Christian  disciples. 


Mrs.  James  Wyker 


I&obert  E.  Richards 


Frank  S.  Carper 


DeWitt  L.  Mfller 


Earl  M.  Zigler 


-_    


God's  Call  to  Discipleship  by  Robert 
E.  Richards,  Tuesday  evening.  Presently 
a  minister  at  large  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Brother  Richards  formerly  was 
pastor  at  Long  Beach,  Calif.,  and  associ- 
ate professor  of  philosophy  at  La  Verne 
College.  A  resident  of  La  Verne,  he  is 
now  director  of  a  nation-wide  physical 
fitness  campaign.  Holder  of  the  pole 
vaulting  record  for  the  1952  and  1956 
Olympic  Games,  the  "vaulting  vicar"  will 
present  the  opening  Conference  address 
not  only  at  his  alma  mater,  the  University 
of  Illinois,  but  also  in  his  home  commu- 
nity. He  is  author  of  the  book,  Heart  of 
a  Champion. 

Called  to  Break  Bread  Together  by 
Edward  K.  Ziegler,  Wednesday  evening. 
Moderator  of  the  Annual  Conference, 
Brother  Ziegler  serves  the  pastorate  of 
the  Williamson  Road  church,  Roanoke, 
Va.  He  is  a  member  of  the  General 
Brotherhood  Board  and  chairman  of  the 
Christian  Education  Commission  of  First 
Virginia.  Formerly  he  held  pastorates  in 
Johnson  City,  Tenn.,  York,  Pa.,  and 
Bridgewater,  Va.;  taught  at  Manchester 
College;  was  a  missionary  in  India;  and 
directed  the  evangelism  program  of  the 
Brotherhood.  He  has  published  two 
books,  Rural  Preaching  and  The  Village 
Pastor. 

Called  to  Minister,  by  Morley  Mays, 
Thursday  evening.  Professor  of  philos- 
ophy and  dean  at  his  alma  mater,  Juniata 
College,  Brother  Mays  has  written  for 
journals  on  higher  education  and  for 
Brethren  publications.  He  is  chairman 
of  the  district  board  of  Middle  Pennsyl- 
vania, moderator  of  three  Church  of  the 
Brethren  congregations,  trustee  of  Beth- 
any Biblical  Seminary,  Chicago,  and 
member  of  the  committee  on  resolutions 
of  Annual  Conference.  He  was  Hoff  lec- 
turer at  Bethany  Seminary  in  1957,  a 
member  of  the  Hymnal  Committee,  and 
inaugural  speaker  at  the  250th  Anni- 
versary celebration  at  Germantown,  Pa. 

Called  to  Be  Saints,  by  Frank  S.  Car- 
per, Friday  evening.  As  elder  and  pastor 
at  Palmyra,  Pa.,  for  thirty  years,  Brother 
Caiper  has  developed  a  great  congrega- 
tion, the  membership  of  which  has  in- 
creased from  376  to  935.  In  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  he  has  been  moderator  of 
district  meeting  five  times,  a  member  of 
the  Christian  education  board  for  thirty 
years,  a  member  of  the  mission  board 
nine  years,  and  a  trustee  of  Elizabeth- 
town  College  twenty-five  years.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  Standing  Committee 
twelve  times  and  served  six  years  on  the 


predecessor  of  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board.  Until  rather  recentiy  he  was 
clerk,  cashier,  and  vice-president  of  a 
bank  in  Palmyra. 

Mission  —  U.S.A.,  by  Mrs.  James  D. 
Wyker,  Saturday  evening.  Chosen  by 
the  Christian  Century  as  one  of  the  six 
Protestant  church  women  exerting  the 
greatest  influence  in  American  church 
life,  the  ordained  Disciples  of  Christ  min- 
ister received  a  new  appointment  last 
month  as  a  special  representative  of 
United  Church  Women.  Since  1956,  she 
has  been  a  minister  at  large  for  the 
United  Christian  Missionary  Society, 
working  from  her  home  in  Berea,  Ky., 
in  tension  areas  in  the  South.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  General  Board  of  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches  and  of  the 
Committee  on  Co-operation  of  Men  and 
Women,  World  Council  of  Churches. 
She  is  the  author  of  the  book,  Church 
Women  in  the  Scheme  of  Things. 

The  War  Between  the  Gods,  by  De- 
Witt  L.  Miller,  Sunday  morning.  Pastor 
of  the  Brotherhood's  largest  congrega- 
tion, Hagerstown,  Md.,  Brother  Miller 
will  chair  a  study  commission  for  the 
Conference  on  the  Nature  and  Function 
of  the  Church  this  summer.  He  is  chair- 
man of  the  Southeastern  Regional  Board, 
of  the  district  board  of  Middle  Maryland, 
and  with  Mrs.  Miller,  of  the  regional 
Family  Life  Committee.  In  1958  the 
Millers  directed  an  international  peace 
seminar  in  Germany.  Brother  Miller  has 
held  pastorates  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
McPherson,  Kansas,  Meyersdale,  Pa., 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  Huntington,  Ind. 
He  has  moderated  district  conferences  in 
Western  Pennsylvania,  Southwestern 
Kansas,  and  Middle  Maryland.  He  is 
a  contributor  to  various  Brethren  periodi- 
cals and  author  of  three  books,  The 
Mastery  of  the  Master,  You  Are  the 
Church,  and  Meditations  on  Brethren 
Life,  the  latter  with  Mrs.  Miller. 

Called  According  to  His  Purposes,  by 
Earl  M.  Zigler,  Sunday  afternoon.  For 
twenty-three  years  a  missionary  in  India, 
Brother  Zigler  carries  responsibility  for 
education  and  evangelism  and  serves  as 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board's  field 
representative  to  the  churches  in  India. 
He  spent  seven  weeks  with  the  mission 
in  Nigeria  en  route  to  the  States  last 
winter.  Formerly  he  taught  in  the 
high  school  at  Timberville,  Va.,  and 
at  the  academy  at  Daleville,  Va. 


APRIL    23,    1960 


19 


AMMJ  AS    !  ARM    Si 
FEDUtATSOK 


|;|fll| 


East  meets  West:   fanners  from  India  and  Indiana 


Sowing  the  Seeds  of  Peace 


♦  Farming  methods  in  New  Paris, 
Ind.,  and  in  New  Delhi,  India,  may 
differ  drastically,  but  farm  people  in 
both  communities  have  much  in 
common. 

This  was  the  discovery  of  George 
and  Mildred  Neff,  a  Brethren  couple 
sent  by  the  American  Farm  Bureau 
on  a  fifteen-week  visit  to  India.  To- 
gether with  ten  other  representa- 
tives of  the  Farm  Bureau,  Grange, 
and  Farmers  Union,  they  came  to 
see  how  seeds  of  mutual  under- 
standing must  be  sown  to  reap  a 
harvest  of  peace. 

For  ten  days  the  Neffs  took  their 
turn  in  staffing  the  United  States 
agricultural  booth  at  the  World  Ag- 
riculture Exhibit  in  New  Delhi.  In 
the  photo  George  is  seen  greeting 
one  of  the  operators  of  the  "Ideal 
Dairy  Farm"  which  has  a  herd  of 
water  buffalo  dairy  cattle. 

The  three  operators  of  the  farm 
first  dreamed  of  dairying  while  im- 
prisoned during  the  early  thirties,  at 
the  time  they  were  working  for  In- 
dia's independence.  The  farm  which 
they  have  established  is  located  near 
the  village  of  Palghar,  thirty  miles 
north  of  Bombay  and  not  far  from 
a  Church  of  the  Brethren  mission 
school. 

The  American  farmers  called  on 
rural  people  in  ten  of  India's  four- 
teen   states.     They    also    inspected 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


training  schools  and  irrigation  proj- 
ects and  talked  with  government  of- 
ficials and  missionaries.  The  group 
visited  Gandhi's  home  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Warda. 

Throughout  the  rural  sections  of 
India  the  Neffs  observed  the  "block 
development"  plan,  an  approach 
comparable  to  the  county  agricul- 
ture agent  system  in  America.  Prime 
Minister  Nehru  pointed  out  to  them 
that  if  new  businesses  were  to  get 
started  the  need  was  urgent  for  long- 
term  loans  and  technical  assistance. 

Back  home  in  the  New  Paris 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  George  as 
Sunday  school  superintendent  and 
Mildred  through  the  music  depart- 
ment are  sharing  the  enthusiasm 
they  have  for  bringing  about  better 
understanding  of  other  peoples. 
They  share  these  concerns  too  in 
community   organizations. 

And,  to  the  CBYF  group  of  which 
they  are  advisers,  the  Neffs  are  tell- 
ing youth  what  they  consider  to  be 
one  of  the  crucial  needs  in  lands 
such  as  India:  Christians  with  suffi- 
cient know-how  to  help  the  under- 
privileged help  themselves. 
•  •  • 

Dr.  John  C.  Bennett,  dean  of 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  New 
York:  "There  is  a  cultivated  callous- 
ness concerning  the  consequences  of 
nuclear  tests  and  even  of  nuclear 
war  that  the  churches  have  not 
sought  to  counteract." 


nigeria  —  1 

World  Day  of  Prayer 

Marianne  Michael 

♦  Twelve  Nigerian  women  led  the 
1,162  worshipers  at  the  World  Day 
of  Prayer  service  at  Garkida  this 
year. 

The  main  speaker  was  a  woman 
who  has  never  had  a  day  of  school 
in  her  life.  However,  she  attended 
the  women's  classes  Mrs.  Bassey 
Minso  conducted  some  years  ago  and 
learned  to  read.  With  this  skill,  she 
went  on  to  get  her  Housecraft  Cer- 
tificate (domestic  science)  in  prac- 
tical work.  She  is  the  outstanding 
woman  church  leader  here  and 
spends  a  great  deal  of  her  time  help- 
ing with  the  Girls'  Life  Brigade 
work.  I  feel  she  is  one  of  the  best 
Christian  women  I  have  met 
anywhere. 

She  says  that  when  she  became 
a  Christian  and  told  her  mother  that 
she  could  no  longer  grind  grain  for 
beermaking,  her  mother  did  not  say 
anything.  However,  her  father  was 
angry  and  gave  her  about  two 
bushels  of  grain  to  grind  for  their 
food.  She  ground  half  that  evening 
and  the  rest  the  next  morning  with- 
out complaint.  (Western  women 
probably  cannot  comprehend  the 
amount  of  work  involved  in  the 
grinding  of  a  bushel  of  grain,  but 
I   can  assure  you  it  is   a  big  job.) 

Since  that  time  her  father  has 
never  said  one  word  to  her  about 
grinding  for  beer.  This  is  one  of 
the  "trials  by  fire"  that  young  Chris- 
tian girls  go  through  as  beer  drink- 
ing is  very  much  a  part  of  their 
culture   here. 


Nigerian  Women  Find 
Sewing  Difficult 

♦  The  Nigerian  women  in  my  sew- 
ing class  have  never  held  a  pencil 
or  crayon.  Can  you  imagine  how 
hard  it  is  to  teach  them,  then,  to 
hold  a  needle  and  make  small 
stitches?  You  just  cannot  realize 
how  awkward  it  is  for  them  to  put 
a  little  knot  in  the  end  of  the  thread 
or  to  anchor  their  sewing  when  they 
are  through.  Even  when  we  draw 
a  pencil  line,  they  find  it  extremely 
difficult  to  sew  tiny  stitches  in  a 
straight  fine.  But  after  instruction, 
they  are  now  making  blouses,  chil- 
dren's dresses,  and  baby  caps.  — 
Naomi  Baldwin. 


♦  A  million-dollar  home  for  the  ag- 
ing in  Northern  Illinois  and  Wiscon- 
sin was  approved  last  month  by 
delegates  to  a  special  district  meet- 
ing. The  new  facilities,  which  will 
house  approximately  110  persons, 
will  be  located  on  the  site  of  the 
present  21-resident  home  at  Mt. 
Morris,  111. 

Small  group  living  arrangements 
have  been  embodied  in  the  unit 
plan  for  the  rambling,  one-story 
structure.  Therapy,  recreation,  edu- 
cation, counseling,  and  worship  will 
be  among  the  services  offered  to  the 
residents. 

The  new  home  will  be  located  on 
the  present  thirteen-and-a-half  acre 
site,  three  blocks  from  downtown 
Mt.  Morris  and  three  blocks  from 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  It  will 
be  open  not  only  to  Brethren  of 
the  district  but  to  other  persons  in 
the  community  and  nearby  counties 
who  will  share  in  the  cost  of 
development. 

Occupancy  is  expected  to  occur 
in  the  fall  of  1961.  The  plan  will 
permit  later  expansion  of  an  addi- 
tional fifty  rooms. 

Contemplating  some  changing  de- 
velopments in  its  home  program  two 
years  ago,  the  district  conference 
enlarged  the  trustee  board  of  the 
home  from  five  to  fifteen  members. 
The  present  members  are:  Perry  O. 
Keltner,  president;  Carl  E.  Myers, 
vice-president;  James  E.  Renz,  sec- 


-/A^m% 


V, 


Brethren  News  Service 


Architect   Charles  E.   Stade   explains   plans   for  Mt.   Morris    home   to   James   E. 
Renz,  Mrs.  G.  Ralph  Baker,  G.  Ralph  Baker,   and  Perry   O.  Keltner,  from  left 

District  Votes  New  Home  for  Aging 


retary;  T.  Melvin  Holt,  treasurer; 
Mrs.  Julius  Belser;  Dr.  Curtis  Bow- 
man; Mrs.  Morris  Firebaugh;  Dan 
Fierheller;  James  L.  Houff;  Harvey 
L.  Long;  Robert  Reiff;  Dr.  Joseph 
Schechter;  Louis  Shirky;  Clyde  E. 
Weaver;  Kenneth  Zellers;  and  ex- 
officio  J.  Wilburn  Lewallen,  district 
executive  secretary.  Superintendent 
and  matron  of  the  home  are  Mr.  and 


Mrs.  G.  Ralph  Baker. 

Building  committee  members  are 
Robert  B.  Martin,  chairman;  Ken- 
neth Zellers;  Harold  Ross;  Orion 
Stover;  John  Masterson;  and,  ex- 
officio,  Perry  O.  Keltner  and  G. 
Ralph  Baker. 

Architects  for  the  new  home  are 
Charles  E.  Stade  and  Associates, 
Park  Ridge,  111. 


The  Field 

Is   the   World  — 

It  Could  Happen 
Only  in  India 

It  was  Republic  Day,  the  tenth 
anniversary  of  India's  having  become 
a  republic.  The  Rotary  Club  planned 
a  large  occasion,  with  a  former  am- 
bassador to  the  U.S.A.  as  chief  guest 
and  speaker. 

After  the  speeches  and  business 
were  finished,  the  afternoon  had 
become  night  and  a  banquet  was 
served  under  the  Indian  stars.  At 
the  close  of  the  banquet,  the  chair- 
man proposed  a  series  of  toasts  —  to 
the  Republic  of  India,  to  the  chief 
guest,  to  Rotary  International,  to  the 
local  host  club.  And  as  the  toasts 
were  proposed,  the  entire  gathering 
of  over  one  hundred  dignitaries  and 
important  people,  including  the  man 
who  had  been  ambassador  to  the 
U.S.A.,  rose  to  their  feet  and  raised 
their  water  glasses  high. 

Prohibition   prevails   in   India. 


Trotwood  Church  Sets  Goals 
for  Its  Sixtieth  Year 

The    Trotwood    Church    of    the 
Brethren,  Ohio,  hopes  to  work  like 
"sixty"  this  year.    Its  goals: 
■*■  Winning  sixty  souls  to  Christ; 
*  Reactivating   sixty   inactive   mem- 
bers; 
+  Increasing  attendance  by  sixty; 
■*•  Enrolling  sixty  in  the  pastor's  sev- 
eral classes; 
~k  Having     sixty     meet     in     prayer 
groups,  possibly  ushering  in  Lent 
with   sixty   engaged   in   a   prayer 
vigil; 
•*•  Establishing  the  "family  altar"  in 

sixty  homes; 
~k  Sending  sixty  visitors,  or  sixty 
teams  of  visitors,  to  call  in  homes. 
Reason  for  the  repetitious  statistic, 
according  to  Pastor  Paul  W.  Kinsel, 
is  entirely  logical:  1960  is  the  con- 
gregation's sixtieth  anniversary  year. 

Grants  to  Missions 

A  total  of  £103,540  ($298,512) 
was  allocated  as  medical  grants  to 
missions    during     1959-60,    says     a 


Ministry  of  Health  release,  which 
adds  that  the  public  is  aware  of  the 
excellent  work  carried  out  by  volun- 
tary agencies  in  operating  hospitals, 
dispensaries  and  leper  settlements, 
but  it  is  not  so  well  known  that 
voluntary  agencies  are  greatly  as- 
sisted in  doing  so  by  the  generous 
grants  paid  to  them  by  government. 

The  classifications  of  the  grants 
made  during  1959-60  were  as  fol- 
lows: Training,  £3,500  ($10,600); 
bed  occupancy,  £11,440  ($32,032); 
hospital  staff,  £5,000  ($14,000); 
maintenance  of  dispensaries,  £9,200 
($25,760);  leprosy  services  (recur- 
rent expenditure),  £32,000  ($89,- 
000);  and  combined  hospitals, 
£42,400  ($118,720). 

In  addition,  £42,000  ($117,600) 
has  been  allocated  to  voluntary 
agencies  for  capital  extensions  and 
water  supplies  to  provincial  leper 
settlements.  -  from  NIGERIAN 
CITIZEN,  Feb.  10,  1960. 


APRIL  23.  1960 


21 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked   with  an  asterisk   (*).  —  Editor. 


The  Dead  Sea  Community.  Kurt 
Schubert.  Harper,  1959.  178  pages. 
$3.75. 

A  short,  concise,  authoritative 
guide  to  the  life  and  thought  of  the 
people  of  the  Dead  Sea  Community 
based  on  the  excavations  of  their 
community  center  at  Qumran  and  on 
their  literature.  Here  the  romance 
of  earlier  publications  has  given  way 
on  the  one  hand  to  a  summary  de- 
scription of  the  discoveries,  their 
dates,  and  significance  for  the  canon, 
and  on  the  other  side  to  a  weightier 
interest  in  the  Community,  and  its 
theology  especially  in  its  relation  to 
the  New  Testament. 

While  the  uniqueness  of  Christi- 
anity in  asserting  that  in  Jesus  the 
long-awaited  Messiah  has  come  and 
the  kingdom  of  God  has  begun  to 
break  in  is  maintained,  Professor 
Schubert  clearly  sets  forth  the  par- 
allelism between  the  Scrolls  and  New 
Testament  writings.  While  perspec- 
tive gained  by  further  study  of  the 
Qumran  material  may  show  that  the 
author  along  with  many  who  have 
written  in  this  area  have  been  overly 
given  to  seeing  a  panessene  influence 
on  the  early  church,  one  will  find 
in  this  volume  a  concise  authoritative 
guide  to  the  history,  thought,  and 
practices  of  the  Dead  Sea  Commu- 
nity in  relation  to  the  New  Testa- 
ment. —  David  J.  Wieand,  Chicago, 
III. 

"Integrity  for  Tomorrow's  Adults. 

Blanche  Carrier.  Crowell,  1959.  182 
pages.    $3.00. 

Sam  Levenson  has  highly  recom- 
mended this  book  as  giving  the  "reli- 
gious approach  to  integrity."  Miss 
Carrier  first  describes  the  problem 
aptly.  (Indeed,  her  vocabulary  is  so 
varied  that  the  average  reader  will 
need  a  dictionary  nearby  while  read- 
ing the  book.)  Then  she  divides  it 
into  three  categories:  Can  They  Re- 
sist the  Crowd?  Can  They  Stand  for 
the  Right?  Can  They  Become  Re- 
sponsible? In  the  last  chapter,  she 
tells  how  parents  may  help  their 
children  achieve  integrity. 

While  Miss  Carrier's  approach  is 
nondenominational,  Brethren  parents 
will  appreciate  her  strong  support 
of  a  good  basic  character  in  chil- 
dren, as  well  as  individuality.    She 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


does  not  mention  "a  Brethren's  word 
is  as  good  as  his  bond,"  but  Brethren 
will  remember  this  bygone  reputa- 
tion and  realize  again  its  importance. 
She  says  very  much  of  practical  use 
as  she  develops  this  deep  and  some- 
times engulfing  subject  of  integrity. 
She  has  given  parents  a  creative 
guidebook  which  they  will  want  to 
read  more  than  once.  Miss  Carrier 
is  minister  of  education  at  the  First 
Methodist  church,  Fullerton,  Calif. 
She  was  formerly  a  college  professor 
of  psychology  and  religious  educa- 
tion. —  Bernice  T.  Beard,  Westmin- 
ster, Md. 

Candle,  Star  and  Christmas  Tree. 
Charles  L.  Allen  and  Charles  L. 
Wallis.  Revell,  1959.  64  pages. 
$1.00. 

This  book  is  an  attempt  to  put  new 
joy  and  spiritual  meaning  into  Christ- 
mas by  explaining  the  origin  of  the 
various  customs  that  have  come  to 
surround  our  celebrations.  The  can- 
dle, star,  tree,  greeting  cards,  Santa 
Claus,  and  even  the  familiar  greeting 
of  "Merry  Christmas"  take  on  a  new 
significance. 

We  find  we  do  not  need  to  discard 
the  familiar  traditions,  as  some  would 
have  us  do,  but  we  can  find  in  them 
the  Christ  and  his  love  for  us  all. 
To  point  up  one  example,  the  holly 
tree  with  its  bright  red  berries  has 
symbolized  the  crown  of  thorns  and 
the  red  berries  were  representative 
of  his  blood.  Thus  at  Christmas  time 
we  do  not  celebrate  simply  a  babe 
in  a  manger,  but  "the  church  has 
on  its  hands  a  mature  Man  who 
makes  stern  demands,  disturbs  its 
smugness,  and  asks  to  rearrange  our 
fives  so  that  we  can  take  up  a  cross 
and  follow  him." 

The  book  would  make  excellent 
sharing  in  Sunday  school  class 
Christmas  parties.  The  co-authors 
are  ministers,  authors  of  a  number 
of  books,  and  nationally  known 
speakers,  and  one  is  a  college  pro- 
fessor. —  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Zunkel, 
Port  Republic,  Va. 

Symbols  of  the  Church.  Whit- 
temore  Associates,  Inc.,  1959.  64 
pages.    60c,  or  $6.00,  per  dozen. 

A  dictionary  on  church  symbols. 
It  includes  symbols  of  the  Old 
Testament,  symbols  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, symbols  of  the  apostles,  sym- 


bols of  the  saints,  a  glossary  of  terms 
used  in  church  liturgy,  liturgical 
colors,  forms  of  salutation  for  mem- 
bers of  the  clergy.  Brethren  do  not 
concern  themselves  with  this  last 
mentioned  section,  and  very  little 
with  one  or  two  others.  But  here 
in  compact  form  is  all  that  any  curi- 
ous symbol-inquirer  needs  to  know 
about  Christian  symbols.  It  could 
well  be  a  resource  book  for  a  church 
library.  —  Edith  Barnes,  Elgin,  III. 

A    Genuinely    Human    Existence. 

Stephen  Neill.  Doubleday,  1959. 
312  pages.  $4.50. 

The  author,  a  bishop  in  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  is  very  well  qualified 
in  training  and  experience  to  discuss 
modern  psychiatric  principles  and 
their  importance  within  the  Christian 
framework.  Both  the  pastor  and  the 
Christian  layman  will  find  depth  of 
insight  and  continued  interest  from 
the  use  of  case  history  and  basic 
concept. 

It  is  the  belief  of  the  writer  that 
perfect  freedom  is  to  be  found  only 
within  the  Christian  way  of  life. 
Such  freedom  does  not  eliminate  fail- 
ure, frustration  or  other  problems, 
but  gives  one  the  motivation  and 
power  to  control  and  use  such  emo- 
tion or  problems. 

It  is  excellent  for  personal  growth 
as  well  as  for  gaining  insights  to  use 
as  a  leader.  —  James  Renz. 

"Electrical  Genius,  Nicola  Tesla. 

Arthur  J.  Beckhard.  Messner,  1959. 
192  pages.  $2.95. 

Nicola  Tesla  was  truly  an  electrical 
genius  as  this  book  so  apdy  describes 
him.  Compelled  by  a  never  dying 
urge  to  better  mankind,  Tesla  spends 
a  lifetime  experimenting  with  electri- 
cal energy.  The  book  vividly  de- 
scribes his  inventions  beginning  with 
a  bug-powered  eggbeater  to  an  alter- 
nating current  motor  and  the  harness- 
ing of  Niagara  Falls. 

The  book  also  describes  his  respect 
for  life  and  his  love  for  his  fellow 
men.  As  a  youth  he  avoided  military 
service  because  of  its  destructive 
nature  and  later  in  fife  was  greatly 
disturbed  when  alternating  current 
was  used  for  the  first  time  in  the 
construction  of  an  electric  chair  in 
the  state  of  New  York. 

This  is  an  excellent  book  for  teen- 
agers, as  well  as  adults,  in  that  it 
describes  a  man  who  was  obsessed 
more  with  the  use  of  a  God-given 
ability  than  the  accumulation  of  eco- 
nomic wealth.  The  book  will  prove 
stimulating  and  interesting  to  all  who 
read  it.  —  Joe  Long. 


CONFERENCE     BUSINESS 


A  Statement  on  the 
Church  and  Its  Colleges 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
recommends  to  Annual  Conference 
through  Standing  Committee  the 
adoption  of  the  following  statement. 

The  Christian  church  has  had  a 
continuing  interest  in  education.  It 
has  a  record  of  dedication  to  teach- 
ing, to  enlightenment,  and  to  leader- 
ship development.  One  common 
expression  of  this  interest  in  most  de- 
nominations has  been  the  founding 
and  the  support  of  institutions  of 
higher  education.  But  the  church 
has  been  the  continuing  institution 
that  has  provided  Christian  nurture 
for  the  multitudes. 

Our  denominational  forefathers 
trusted  almost  exclusively  in  the 
home  and  the  fellowship  of  the 
church  for  the  enlightenment  and 
enlistment  of  its  members  in  early 
America.  When  serious  interest 
developed  in  education  in  the  nine- 
teenth century,  numerous  independ- 
ent schools  were  started  at  the 
secondary,  collegiate,  and  seminary 
levels.  The  movement  consolidated 
rather  rapidly,  and  we  now  have  six 
fully  accredited  four-year  colleges 
and  one  seminary.  The  colleges  are 
located  across  the  Brotherhood  pri- 
marily on  a  regional  pattern. 

The  voluntary  support  from  our 
congregations  has  been  prompted  by 
the  claim  that  education  is  distinctly 
different  in  the  church-related  col- 
lege, and  that  such  education  meas- 
urably strengthens  the  life  and  the 
witness  of  the  church.  Although 
some  current  studies  are  not  as  as- 
suring at  this  point  as  supporters  of 
Christian  higher  education  might  de- 
sire, the  church  should  not  be  satis- 
fied until  her  colleges  have  made  a 
serious  effort  to  provide  an  educa- 
tion that  receives  its  basic  orienta- 
tion and  motivation  from  the 
Christian  faith.  A  philosophy  of 
higher  education  is  not  truly  Chris- 
tian unless  it  provides  a  sense  of  di- 
rection in  all  aspects  of  the  education 
process.  This  is  the  challenge  of 
difference  which  confronts  our 
church-related  colleges. 

Essentials  in  Church-College 
Relationships 

Our  colleges  are  not  legally  owned 
or  administered  by  the  denomination 
in  any  official  sense.  Actually  they 
are  operated  by  independent  boards 
of  trustees.   While  the  charters  differ 


in  some  details,  all  our  colleges  are 
held  in  trust  for  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  and  have  a  majority  of 
Brethren  on  their  boards  of  trustees. 
Church  districts  elect  a  number  of 
these  trustees,  and  the  colleges  re- 
port annually  to  their  respective  dis- 
trict conferences.  This  seems  to  be 
an  adequate  relationship  so  far  as 
the  administration  of  the  colleges  is 
concerned. 

In  addition  the  Committee  on 
Higher  Education,  composed  of  our 
six  college  presidents  and  the  semi- 
nary president,  is  related  to  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board  through 
the  Christian  Education  Commis- 
sion. The  committee  meets  twice 
annually  and  reports  regularly  to 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
through  the  commission.  In  recent 
years  more  conferences  have  been 
jointly  sponsored  to  consider  the  role 
and  the  problems  of  the  church-re- 
lated college  than  in  any  other  area 
of  the  church's  life. 

This  co-operation  between  the  col- 
leges and  the  Brotherhood  should 
continue  as  a  means  of  clarifying 
the  role  of  our  church-related  col- 
leges as  we  seek  to  develop  mutually 
enriching  programs.  The  church  has 
a  responsibility  to  the  colleges  in 
the  same  way  that  the  colleges  have 
a  responsibility  to  the  church.  While 
these  responsibilities  should  be  in- 
terwoven and  balanced  at  all  times, 
the  picture  can  be  sharpened  by 
enumerating  some  of  the  basic  ex- 
pectations of  each  toward  the  other. 

Expectations  of  the  Church 

The  church  has  a  right  to  expect 
the  colleges  to  give  evidence  of  seri- 
ous effort  to  achieve  goals  that  are 
peculiar  to  the  Christian  college. 
These  should  include  general  ob- 
jectives as  well  as  specific  goals  for 
the  church  and  the  student.  By  way 
of  illustration,  the  church  should  ex- 
pect the  colleges: 

1.  To  give  constant  allegiance  to 
the  truth,  set  in  a  framework  of  free- 
dom of  inquiry,  and  coupled  with  a 
critical  examination  of  the  claims  of 
the  Christian  faith.  Each  college 
should  remember  that  it  constitutes 
a  community  of  learning  which  is 
centered  in  God  and  that  it  is  called 
to  guide  students  in  responsible 
Christian  living. 

2.  To  provide  a  redemptive  pull 
upon  the  total  educational  effort  of 
our  nation  by  accepting  responsibility 
for  leadership  in  the  larger  commu- 
nity outside  the  college  and  by  de- 


scribing the  relationship  between 
the  central  values  of  the  Christian 
faith  and  the  deep  issues  of  con- 
temporary life.  This  implies,  among 
other  things,  that  the  church-re- 
lated colleges  which  are  steeped  in 
the  Christian  faith  are  peculiarly 
fitted  to  keep  alive  and  to  defend 
the  basic  human  values  required  to 
sustain  a  vital,  renewing  culture  and 
to  interpret  and  promote  those  basic 
Christian  values  needed  in  our  so- 
cial order. 

3.  To  give  major  attention  to  a 
vital  department  of  religion  and  to 
a  vigorous  program  of  Christian  ac- 
tivities on  campus.  The  academic 
courses  and  the  student  activities 
should  seek  to  develop  Christian 
qualities  in  the  lives  of  the  students. 
Some  of  these  qualities  may  be  de- 
scribed as:  reverence  for  truth  and 
personality;  development  of  the  dis- 
ciplines of  study,  worship,  and  per- 
sonal responsibility;  commitment  to 
service,  reconciliation,  and  brother- 
hood; commitment  to  simplicity,  hu- 
mility, and  intellectual  honesty. 

4.  To  give  major  attention  to  the 
development  of  a  dedicated,  compe- 
tent faculty  that  is  motivated  by  a 
sense  of  Christian  vocation  and  com- 
mitted to  the  task  of  setting  the  field 
of  their  teaching  in  its  proper  rela- 
tionship to  the  Christian  view  of 
life. 

5.  To  co-operate  fully  with  the 
church  in  interpreting  the  meaning 
of  the  Christian  vocation  and  in  pre- 
paring graduates  to  accept  leadership 
in  the  church. 

Expectations  of  the  Colleges 

In  corresponding  fashion,  our  col- 
leges have  a  right  to  expect  some 
definite  things  from  the  Brotherhood 
and  our  local  congregations.  By  way 
of  illustration,  the  church  should 
make  a  serious  effort: 

1.  To  understand  and  appreciate 
the  educational  nature  of  the  college 
task  and  to  encourage  and  support 
the  colleges  in  maintaining  high  aca- 
demic standards. 

2.  To  interpret  to  its  constituency 
the  importance  of  academic  freedom 
and  competent  scholarship  in  college 
work. 

3.  To  provide  financial  support  of 
sufficient  proportions  to  assure  the 
ability  of  the  colleges  to  fulfill  their 
distinctive  role  in  the  Brotherhood 
and  in  their  local  communities. 

4.  To  insure  the  selection  of  com- 
petent trustees  from  the  districts  who 
are  qualified  to  contribute  to  plan- 


APRIL  23,  1960 


23 


ning  a  high  quality  educational  pro- 
gram for  Christian  colleges.  District 
nominating  committees  should  give 
special  attention  to  the  peculiar 
qualifications  required  for  effective 
service  in  the  area  of  higher  educa- 
tion. 

5.  To  co-operate  with  the  col- 
leges in  recruiting  our  top  young 
people  for  our  church  colleges  and 
in  challenging  them  to  weigh  the 
claims  of  church  vocations. 

Today's  New  Challenge  to  the 
Colleges 

Higher  education  faces  a  new 
situation;  students,  students  every- 
where! It  is  no  longer  a  question  of 
where  to  find  the  students,  but  rather 
a  question  of  which  students  to  ac- 
cept! It  is  no  longer  a  question  of 
students  "rattling  around  in  half- 
filled  buildings,"  but  a  question  of 
providing  enough  new  buildings  to 
care  for  the  students  who  should 
enter  our  colleges.  On  the  general 
scene,  it  is  predicted  that  college  en- 
rollments will  double  between  now 
and  1970.  It  is  believed  that  during 
this  decade  the  number  of  colleges 
will  double  in  America.  It  is  further 
assumed  that  many  of  the  new  insti- 
tutions will  be  junior  colleges  with 
a  community  character.  As  this  pat- 
tern develops,  the  major  universities 
will  increasingly  become  centers  of 
advanced  research  serving  wide  areas 
of  the  nation. 

Our  church-related  colleges  are 
sharing  enrollment  increases  arising 
from  the  current  student  explosion. 
Our  colleges  are  facing  the  enroll- 
ment challenge  with  considerable 
vitality  and  are  projecting  plans  de- 
signed to  provide  a  place  for  every 
qualified  student  from  our  congrega- 
tions who  chooses  a  Brethren  college. 

A  suggestive  study  of  our  Brethren 
student  potential  was  made  by  Dean 
John  W.  Boitnoit  of  Bridgewater  Col- 
lege, for  a  special  study  conference 
on  higher  education  held  in  1959. 
This  study  was  based  upon  the  1956- 
57  church  school  enrollment  of  our 
congregations  and  was  calculated  by 
regions  except  for  the  Eastern  Re- 
gion, which  was  divided  on  the  basis 
of  enrollment  in  the  two  college 
areas.  By  a  mathematical  projection 
of  the  normal  progress  of  children 
from  kindergarten  through  the  youth 
department,  it  is  predicted  how 
many  of  our  children  will  reach 
college  age  each  year  during  the 
next  decade.  Obviously  such  a  pro- 
jection   cannot    take    into    account 


many  of  the  variables  that  will  oper- 
ate during  this  period,  but  it  indicates 
that  our  college  potential  will  be 
more  than  250  per  cent  greater  in 
1970  than  in  1956.  If  the  present 
percentage  of  Brethren  youth  of  col- 
lege age  continue  to  go  to  our  col- 
leges, the  projected  potential  would 
give  our  colleges  a  combined  Breth- 
ren student  enrollment  of  1,992  in 
1960,  4,186  in  1965,  and  4,956  in 
1970.    The  combined  Brethren  stu- 


dent enrollment  was  1,431  in  1957- 
58  and  1,471  in  1958-59. 

If  we  are  to  secure  our  youth  for 
our  own  colleges,  the  church  and  the 
colleges  must  take  some  aggressive, 
creative  steps  at  once.  An  adequate 
program  will  call  for  facing  the  chal- 
lenge courageously  and  for  charring 
a  daring  course  of  action  that  pin- 
points the  responsibilities  of  the 
Brotherhood,  the  colleges,  and  the 
congregations. 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Standing  Committee  Delegates- 1960 

Southeastern  Region 

Florida,  Georgia  and  Puerto  Rico Dr.  Homer  L.  Burke 

Mardela  Alton  L.  McDaniei 

Eastern  Maryland Ralph  E.  White,  Duane  H.  Ramsey 

Middle  Maryland Lester  E.  Fike,  Clarence  W.  Hunsberger 

Western  Maryland Herbert  Alford 

North  and  South  Carolina K.  Dean  Huntley 

Tennessee E.  J.  Rowe,  Sr. 

Eastern  Virginia 

First  Virginia Fred  E.  Bowman,  Fenton  Platter,  Miss  Deane  Rumberg 

Northern  Virginia Donald  Glick,  Olen  B.  Landes,  James  W.  Moyers 

Second  Virginia Beverly  Smith,  Clarence  Bowman,  Charles  Whitacre 

Southern  Virginia Marshall  L.  Flora,  Edgar  Martin,  Homer  J.  Miller 

First  West  Virginia Robert  Bane,  W.  Owen  Horton 

Second  West  Virginia O.  R.  Spurgeon 

Eastern  Region 

North  Atlantic Lester  Rosenberger,  W.  Dean  Crouse 

Eastern  Pennsylvania Frank  S.  Carper,  Graybill  Hershey,  Nevin  H.  Zuck 

Middle  Pennsylvania T.  F.  Henry,  Berkey  Knavel,  Fred  Driver 

Southern  Pennsylvania Walter  A.  Keeney,  Earl  Kipp,  David  C.  Wilson 

Western  Pennsylvania Earl  Brubaker,  Loren  Blue,  Arthur  Hunn 

Central  Region 

Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin Elmer  M.  Hersch,  Mrs.  Byron  Royer 

Southern  Illinois Eldo  Henricks,  Mrs.  Sarah  Clinton 

Middle  Indiana Mrs.  Paul  Halladay,  Mervin  Cripe,  John  Laprad 

Northern  Indiana Clarence  B.  Fike,  Opal  E.  Pence,  Lester  Young 

Southern  Indiana  Byron  Miller,  Ralph  Petry 

Michigan   Paul  Hoffman 

Northeastern  Ohio Arthur  Hess,  Mabel  Krommes,  E.  G.  Diehm 

Northwestern  Ohio   Delbert  Hanlin,  John  Tomlonson 

Southern  Ohio Ivan  Patterson,  Paul  W.  Kinsel,  Ellis  G.  Guthrie 

Western  Region 

Colorado   Robert  E.  Walters 

Middle  Iowa Leslie  Rogers 

Northern  Iowa,  Minnesota,  and  South  Dakota Charles  Nettleton 

Southern  Iowa Lyle  Albright 

Northeastern  Kansas    Francis   Shenefelt 

Southeastern  Kansas Ralph  Hodgden 

Western  Kansas   Glenn  J.  Fruth 

Middle  Missouri  D.  Eugene  Lichty 

Northern  Missouri Ira  M.  Hoover 

Southern  Missouri  and  Arkansas Hubert  Swinger 

Nebraska Wilmer  M.  Lehman 

North  Dakota  and  Eastern  Montana  Byard  Snyder 

Oklahoma Orville  Pote 

Texas  and  Louisiana Olin  Mason 

Pacific  Coast  Region 

Northern  California Ward  E.  Pratt,  Irene  Armey 

Southern  California  and  Arizona Ida  Studebaker,  Orville  Gardner 

Western  Canada Chester  Armey 

Idaho  and  Western  Montana Jane  Moulton 

Oregon   Rolland  McKee 

Washington Clement  Bontrager 

India 

First 


Harlan  J.  Brooks,  Earl  M.  Zigler 


Mutual  Responses  to  the  Challenge 
By  continued  conversation  be- 
tween the  church  and  the  colleges, 
by  more  serious  joint  planning,  and 

I  by  united  support  of  the  current  em- 
phasis   upon    Leadership    Develop- 

j    ment  and  Recruitment,   we  should 

j    seek  to  develop: 

1.  A  creative  program  of  educa- 
tion designed  to  challenge  our  people 
to  a  new  understanding  of  the  Chris- 
tian vocation. 

2.  A  bold  program  to  interpret  the 
purpose  and  the  function  of  the 
Christian  college  throughout  the 
Brotherhood. 

3.  A  more  extensive  use  of  local 
churches  in  presenting  the  claims 
and  the  opportunities  offered  our 
youth  in  our  colleges. 

4.  The  acceptance  of  responsi- 
bility for  student  recruitment  by  par- 
ents, junior  high  leaders,  youth  coun- 
selors, and  local  church  personnel 
committees. 

At  the  same  time,  our  colleges 
must  be  engaged  in  a  thorough 
evaluation  of  their  programs  in  the 
light  of  the  function  of  Christian 
higher  education  and  the  educational 
needs  of  today.  An  adequate  ap- 
proach to  this  task  should  include 
some  of  the  following: 

1.  A  careful  review  of  curriculum 
that  gives  as  much  weight  to  the 
Christian  purpose  of  the  colleges  as 
it  does  to  the  requirements  of  the 
various  accrediting  agencies.  The 
goal  is  that  of  providing  a  sense  of 
direction  that  undergirds  and  en- 
riches the  total  curriculum. 

2.  A  thorough  evaluation  of  the 
relationship  of  the  Christian  faith 
to  all  fields  of  study  and  to  the  role 
of  the  faculty  as  persons  exercising 
their  Christian  vocation  in  their 
teaching  and  in  their  community  ac- 
tivity. 

3.  The  development  of  a  more 
vigorous  program  of  religious  nur- 
ture for  the  students  while  on  cam- 
pus. This  should  be  done  in  close 
co-operation  with  the  church  of  the 
community,  and  should  include  mo- 
tivation for  local  church  participa- 
tion. 

4.  Exploration  of  new  possibilities 
for  strengthening  the  churches  by 
utilizing  college  personnel  as  re- 
source leaders  in  the  churches  and 
by  helping  the  colleges  provide  more 
adult  education  opportunities  in 
their  respective  communities.  These 
plans  should  be  developed  co-opera- 
tively by  the  college  and  the  church 
administrative  units  within  the  col- 
lege area. 


The  College  Personnel  Challenge 

Another  aspect  of  the  present  sit- 
uation is  the  challenge  of  supplying 
personnel  to  staff  our  growing  col- 
leges. 

At  the  administrative  level,  the 
recruitment  of  instructors  and  other 
personnel  is  the  responsibility  of 
the  colleges.  The  college  adminis- 
trators, working  through  their  boards 
of  trustees  and  the  Christian  Educa- 
tion Commission  office  of  the  General 
Brotherhood  Board,  face  the  task  of 
discovering  and  enlisting  staff  mem- 
bers who  are  academically  and  spir- 
itually equipped  to  serve  effectively 
in  a  Christian  college.  The  challenge 
is  to  find  the  kind  of  faculty  mem- 
bers that  can  achieve  the  peculiar 
purposes  of  the  church-related  col- 
lege. 

As  student  enrollments  rise  sharp- 
ly through  the  nation,  the  supply  of 
adequately  trained  teachers  will  not 
meet  the  teacher  demand.  This  will 
accentuate  the  personnel  problem 
for  our  church-related  colleges  with 
their  limited  budgets.  The  problem 
of  securing  faculty  will  be  compli- 
cated further  for  us  because  we  did 
not  anticipate  the  sharp  rise  of  en- 
rollments in  our  recent  programs  of 
leadership  recruitment  and  develop- 
ment. 

In  order  to  meet  the  personnel 
challenge,  the  colleges  need  to  de- 
velop careful  long-range  plans  for 
recruitment  and  training  of  teachers 
and  administrators.  This  should  in- 
clude encouraging  top  students  to 
choose  the  teaching  vocation  and 
assisting  them  in  programs  of  gradu- 
ate study.  It  should  include  chal- 
lenging qualified  teachers  now  serv- 
ing elsewhere  to  give  themselves  to 
the  cause  of  Christian  higher  educa- 
tion. The  church  should  co-operate 
with  the  colleges  wherever  possible 
in  this  significant  task  of  recruitment. 

Since  teacher  needs  are  correlated 
closely  with  course  offerings  and 
student  enrollment,  it  may  become 
necessary  for  our  colleges  to  take 
a  unified  look  at  their  total  curricu- 
lum offerings.  By  co-operative  plan- 
ning it  may  be  possible  for  particular 
colleges  to  specialize  in  certain  de- 
partments without  each  college  hav- 
ing to  maintain  a  full  staff  in  every 
field  of  study.  Such  a  procedure 
could  strengthen  the  total  offerings 
of  our  colleges  to  our  youth  with 
some  saving  in  the  total  number  of 
instructors  required. 

The  Financial  Challenge 

The  challenge  of  financial  support 
is  extremely  acute  as  our  colleges 


face  the  necessity  of  rapid  expansion 
of  their  facilities.  No  doubt  the 
problem  will  be  intensified  in  the 
next  decade  if  publicly  supported 
schools  multiply  rapidly  with  major 
increases  in  the  tax  structure. 

The  financial  problem  is  accentu- 
ated for  us  since  we  have  more 
colleges  in  proportion  to  our  mem- 
bership than  most  denominations. 
As  a  result  of  this  situation  we  have 
not  faced  objectively  the  total  college 
financial  picture.  While  the  church 
as  a  whole  —  and  interested  indi- 
viduals in  particular  —  gave  rather 
generous  support  to  our  colleges  at 
the  area  level  during  the  last  quarter 
of  a  century,  this  support  has  been 
inadequate  to  meet  the  growing 
needs  of  all  the  colleges. 

Our  six  colleges  report  receiving 
$441,605  from  church  sources  and 
Brethren  alumni  during  the  1958-59 
school  year.  Some  additional  funds 
were  received  from  Brethren  alumni 
and  friends  which  were  not  identified 
as  contributions  from  church  sources. 
The  amount  would  vary  in  the  case 
of  each  college. 

From  the  Brotherhood  Fund  the 
church  has  given  an  annual  contri- 
bution of  $2,000  to  each  college  since 
1951.  This  year  an  additional 
$10,000  was  distributed  from  "Call 
funds"  among  the  six  colleges  by  a 
formula  which  took  into  account  the 
Brethren  students  on  each  campus 
and  the  Brethren  membership  in 
each  college  area. 

When  the  combined  operating  ex- 
penses of  our  colleges  are  considered, 
which  are  reported  as  about  five 
million  dollars  in  1958-59,  and  when 
it  is  understood  that  traditionally 
the  student  has  paid  only  about 
sixty  per  cent  of  his  educational 
costs,  the  nature  of  the  financial 
challenge  of  our  colleges  is  brought 
into  sharp  focus  for  the  church.  The 
size  of  the  problem  has  been  out  of 
proportion  to  the  number  of  Breth- 
ren students  in  our  colleges  up  to 
this  point   in   our  history. 

Upon  this  background,  it  is  easy 
to  see  why  our  church  support  has 
not  matched  the  financial  needs  of 
our  colleges.  At  the  same  time, 
from  this  same  vantage  point,  it  is 
important  for  the  colleges  to  remem- 
ber that  significant  financial  support 
has  been  provided  by  the  church  and 
its  members. 

It  is  right  that  the  colleges  should 
continue  to  look  to  the  church  for 
major  support.  This  support  should 
flow  in  balanced  fashion   from   the 


APRIL  23,  1960 


25 


church  at  its  various  levels:  local, 
district,  Brotherhood.  Beyond  the 
annual  $2,000  contribution  to  each 
college  from  the  Brotherhood  Fund, 
the  colleges  secure  their  major 
church  support  from  congregations 
and  individual  contributors  —  some 
coming  through  district  budgets, 
some  through  local  church  budgets, 
and  some  directly  from  individuals. 
All  of  these  resources  must  be 
counted  as  we  seek  to  assess  the 
church's  total  support  of  the  colleges. 

As  the  financial  support  of  the 
church  reaches  new  levels  in  the 
Brotherhood  Fund,  the  colleges 
should  share  in  this  increase.  The 
formula  proposed  in  the  distribution 
of  Call  funds  might  be  the  guide 
for  this  increased  Brotherhood  sup- 
port. This  proposal  called  for  con- 
tinuation of  the  present  $2,000 
to  each  college  and  the  earmarking 
of  additional  funds  for  the  colleges. 
In  the  distribution  of  these  additional 
funds,  we  would  take  into  considera- 
tion the  number  of  Brethren  stu- 
dents enrolled  in  each  college  and 
the  size  of  the  church  membership 
in  each  college  area. 

In  the  districts  of  the  Brotherhood, 
there  are  two  distinct  plans  in  opera- 
tion: some  churches  give  directly 
to  the  college  in  their  area  by  plac- 
ing the  college  in  the  local  budget 
for  a  definite  amount  or  by  conduct- 
ing an  annual  solicitation  for  college 
funds;  other  churches  contribute  to 
their  district  budgets,  and  the  dis- 
trict includes  the  college  in  its  bud- 
get for  a  fixed  amount  or  a  percent- 
age of  the  total  budget. 

It  is  not  essential  that  we  have  a 
uniform  pattern,  but  it  is  urgent  that 
every  local  church  assume  its  share 
of  college  support.  Currently  goals 
vary  from  $1.00  to  $5.00  per  capita 
among  the  districts  of  our  Brother- 
hood, while  actual  congregational 
support  varies  from  25  cents  per 
member  to  $5.50  per  member. 
Whether  these  funds  go  through  the 
district  or  directly  from  the  local 
church  is  not  important;  the  need  is 
to  move  in  the  direction  of  adequate, 
regular  support.  Certainly  a  goal  of 
five  to  ten  dollars  per  member  would 
be  significant  support.  Districts  and 
local  churches  should  adopt  the 
method  that  is  most  feasible  and 
move  systematically  through  a  pro- 
gram of  education  and  action  to- 
ward this  goal. 

Should  major  support  come  from 
the  various  churches  of  the  college 
area    or    through    the    Brotherhood 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Fund?  Perhaps  the  answer  lies  in 
the  direction  of  a  proportional  dis- 
tribution, with  about  three  fourths 
coming  from  the  local  churches  and 
one  fourth  from  the  Brotherhood. 
The  Brotherhood,  the  districts,  and 
the  colleges  should  hold  a  joint  con- 
sultation to  work  out  a  program  to 
move  the  church  step  by  step  toward 
this  goal.  Some  combined  pattern 
of  Brotherhood  and  area  support  is 
necessary  because  of  the  wide  varia- 
tions in  church  membership  and 
some  inequities  in  economic  con- 
ditions in  various  areas  of  the  Broth- 
erhood. 

From  another  angle,  the  church 
needs  to  be  aware  of  the  dangers  in- 
herent in  developments  that  require 
our  colleges  to  depend  too  heavily 
on  industrial  or  local  community 
support.  In  the  long  view  it  is 
likely  that  the  major  contributors 
will  determine  the  scope  and  nature 
of  the  program  of  the  colleges.  Our 
program  of  interpretation  to  parents 
should  include  this  factor  as  well 
as  challenge  them  to  pay  the  differ- 
ence in  cost  between  our  colleges 
and   publicly   supported   institutions 

—  even  if  it  is  a  significant  difference 

—  in  order  to  have  their  youth  in  a 
program  of  Christian  higher  educa- 
tion. 

On  the  basis  of  this  limited  discus- 
sion of  some  of  the  aspects  of  the 
church-college  relationship,  the  fol- 
lowing recommendations  are  made: 

To  the  churches  we  recommend: 

1.  That  congregations  make  a  care- 
ful study  of  the  program  and  the 
needs  of  the  college  in  their  area. 
This  study  should  be  conducted  at 
the  district  level  and  should  look 
toward  the  development  of  a  pro- 
gram of  interpretation  and  a  plan  of 
financial  support  that  provides  a 
minimum  per-member  contribution 
of  $5  a  year  for  the  current  operating 
budget  of  the  college. 

2.  That  congregations  provide  this 
minimum  financial  support  through 
their  local  budgets,  and  that  they 
seek  to  reach  the  $5  goal  during  the 
next  three  years.  Contributions  may 
go  directly  to  the  college  or  be 
channeled  through  the  district  bud- 
get, whichever  is  the  pattern  in  the 
district.  Congregations  which  have 
reached  this  goal  should  seek  to  in- 
crease their  present  giving  during 
the  period. 

3.  That  congregations,  in  co-opera- 
tion with  the  district  Christian  edu- 
cation commission  and  the  college  of 
the  area,  develop  a  program  that 
utilizes  the  local  church  in  a  major 
way  in  interpreting  the  college  pro- 


gram and  in  recruiting  students  for 
the  college.  Such  a  program  of  edu- 
cation will  provide  parents  with  an 
understanding  of  why  they  should 
pay  the  difference  for  a  Christian 
education. 

To  the  colleges  we  recommend: 

1.  That  the  colleges  should  con- 
tinue to  engage  in  serious  study  of 
their  curriculum  offerings,  and  strive 
to  have  the  Christian  faith  permeate 
their  total   educational  efforts. 

2.  That  the  colleges  co-operatively 
explore  the  possibility  of  developing 
major  emphases  that  will  give  each 
college  some  degree  of  peculiarity, 
thereby  providing  a  wider  variety 
of  choice  for  our  youth  without  ex- 
pensive duplication. 

3.  That  the  colleges  consider  the 
wisdom  of  raising  tuition  to  cover  a 
larger  percentage  of  the  cost  of  the 
student's  education,  and  the  provid- 
ing of  necessary  aid  to  qualified 
Brethren  students. 

4.  That  the  colleges  provide  a  vital 
religious  ministry  for  the  students  on 
campus  and  encourage  extracurricu- 
lar activities  that  will  involve  stu- 
dents in  Christian  study,  service,  and 
action  in  the  community.  This  should 
include  co-operative  planning  with 
the  local  church  in  the  college  com- 
munity so  that  students  may  have  an 
opportunity  to  be  a  vital  part  of  a 
church  family  during  their  college 
days. 

In  order  to  share  in  the  goals  of 
this  statement  that  look  toward 
strengthening  the  relationships  be- 
tween the  church  and  the  colleges, 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board  will 
seek: 

1.  To  develop  a  program  of  in- 
creased supplementary  support  for 
the  colleges  based  upon  church 
population  and  upon  the  number  of 
Brethren    students    enrolled. 

2.  To  continue  its  services  to  the 
Committee  on  Higher  Education  and 
plan  to  give  major  attention  to  in- 
terpreting the  role  of  Christian  higher 
education  in  the  life  of  the  church 
and  the  nation. 

3.  To  enlist  the  colleges  in  every 
possible  way  in  the  1960-62  Lead- 
ership Development  and  Recruitment 
program,  and  that  co-operative  plans 
be  developed  for  a  continuing  pro- 
gram of  recruitment  for  church  vo- 
cations. 

4.  To  discover  ways  by  which  the 
Brotherhood  staff  can  make  wider 
use  of  college  personnel  as  resource 
leaders  in  special  training  opportuni- 
ties throughout  the  Brotherhood. 


Meeting  the  Challenge 

The  implementation  of  these  rec- 
ommendations will  not  resolve  all  the 
problems  facing  our  colleges  in  these 
days  of  rapid  expansion.  Indeed, 
they  do  not  touch  all  the  problems 
which  are  involved  in  the  church- 
college  relationships.  However,  they 
do  point  in  the  direction  of  ongoing 
conversations  which  will  explore 
some  of  the  major  problems  at  a 
deeper  level,  with  more  of  the  church 
involved  in  interpreting  and  support- 
ing the  work  of  the  colleges. 

In  many  respects  the  record  of  the 
past  is  encouraging:  congregations 
and  individuals  have  given  generous 
support  to  our  colleges;  some  faculty 
members  and  students  have  demon- 


strated a  high  degree  of  devotion; 
the  colleges  have  assisted  numerous 
worthy  students  to  secure  an  edu- 
cation; the  colleges  have  contributed 
significantly  to  the  development  of 
leadership  within  the  church,  and 
have  built  institutional  assets  of 
some  twenty  million  dollars  in  the 
name  of  the  church. 

But  the  past  is  not  good  enough 
for  tomorrow.  The  colleges  need  to 
be  more  creative  and  aggressive  in 
defining  and  applying  the  insights  of 
the  Christian  faith  in  their  educa- 
tional and  extracurricular  programs. 
And  while  they  cannot  turn  out  full- 
grown  churchmen,  the  colleges 
should  maintain  a  close  relationship 
to  the  church  and  help  their  students 


build  the  foundations  for  responsible 
Christian  living. 

The  colleges  will  betray  their 
heritage,  today's  youth,  and  tomor- 
row's civilization  unless  they  take 
seriously  their  Christian  character. 
But  it  will  be  impossible  for  the  col- 
leges to  fulfill  their  mission  unless 
the  church  helps  them  define  their 
role,  uphold  their  goals,  recruit  our 
top  Brethren  youth,  and  secure  the 
financial  resources  required  to  pro- 
vide a  quality  education.  Today's 
college  challenge  can  be  met  as  the 
church  and  the  colleges  unite  to 
bring  adequate  financial  and  spiritual 
resources  to  make  relevant  in  our 
times  the  fuller  meaning  of  Christian 
education. 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Churches  Issues  Statements  Regarding 
Air  Force  Manual 


■  A  number  of  church  groups  and 
church-related  organizations  have  is- 
sued statements  regarding  an  air 
force  training  manual  which  ques- 
tioned the  loyalty  of  many  clergy- 
men and  specifically  attacked  the 
National  Council  of  Churches.  The 
manual  has  been  withdrawn  by  ac- 
tion of  the  Secretary  of  the  Air 
Force,  Dudley  C.  Sharp. 

The  General  Council  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
USA  adopted  a  resolution  con- 
demning the  air  force  training  man- 
ual on  grounds  that  it  violates  the 
church-state  separation  principle  by 
"attempting  to  indoctrinate  reservists 
on  questions  of  religion."  The  reso- 
lution also  censured  the  "belittling 
of  the  idea  of  a  free  press."  The 
council  called  specifically  on  the 
Secretary  of  the  Air  Force  to  state 
that  the  charges  relative  to  the 
clergy,  to  the  churches  and  to  the 
National  Council  of  Churches  in  the 
manuals  are  "unproved  allegations." 

Members  of  the  American  Baptist 
Conventions  General  Council 
adopted  a  resolution  at  their 
semiannual  meeting  in  Chicago  de- 
ploring the  "untrue  accusations"  con- 
tained in  the  air  force  manual.  The 
Baptist  group  said,  "We  deplore  the 
untrue  accusations  made,  the  ad- 
vantage taken  of  government  agen- 
cies and  the  subversion  of  the  basic 
principles  of  Christian  truth  and 
American  tradition." 


The  General  Council  of  the  Evan- 
gelical and  Reformed  Church  sent 
a  telegram  to  Representative  John 
Moss  of  California,  saying  "irrepar- 
able damage  has  been  done  to  Prot- 
estantism for,  in  a  familiar  pattern, 
this  manual,  although  officially  dis- 
claimed will  long  be  quoted  by  ex- 
tremists to  justify  their  spurious 
charges." 

The  Greek  Orthodox  Archdiocese 
of  North  and  South  America,  in  a 
message  to  the  Air  Force  Secretary, 
lauded  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  for  upholding  this  coun- 
try's democratic  and  religious  ideals. 
The  message,  signed  by  Archbishop 
Iakovos,  head  of  the  Orthodox  de- 
nomination, pointed  out  that  the 
Greek  Orthodox  Church  is  tradition- 
ally and  "unremittingly  opposed  to 
totalitarian  tyranny  and  religious  op- 
pression" and  that  it  wished  to  re- 
assert its  faith  in  the  National 
Council  and  its  leaders  as  upholding 
the  best  democratic  and  religious 
ideals  of  the  American  way  of  life. 

The  General  Board  of  the  Nation- 
al Council  adopted  a  resolution 
which  viewed  the  distribution  by 
any  agency  of  the  government  of 
materials  which  attempted  to  dis- 
credit and  create  suspicion  against 
religious  institutions,  as  "the  patent 
violation  of  the  free  exercise  of  reli- 
gion as  guaranteed  by  the  First 
Amendment  to  the  Constitution." 

The  statement  continued,  "An  im- 
portant issue  is  how  long  the  Amer- 


ican people  are  going  to  allow 
various  agencies  of  government  to 
continue  the  practice  of  treating 
false  and  absurd  charges  lifted  from 
confidential  files  .  such  as  those  of 
the  FBI  as  material  to  be  seriously 
used  as  the  basis  for  security  de- 
cisions and  for  official  indoctrination 
of  government  employees." 

Other  statements  criticizing  the 
issuance  of  the  air  force  manual  and 
expressing  confidence  in  the  Nation- 
al Council  were  released  by  the 
Union  of  American  Hebrew  Congre- 
gations and  by  the  Anti-Defamation 
League  of  B'nai  Brith.  Protestants 
and  Other  Americans  United  for 
Separation  of  Church  and  State 
charged  that  the  air  force  violated 
the  First  Amendment  on  publishing 
the  manual.  Dr.  Glenn  L.  Archer, 
director  of  the  organization,  said, 
"When  military  officials  start  pre- 
scribing beliefs  for  churchmen  and 
start  espousing  one  group  against 
another,  they  are  out  of  their  proper 
orbit." 

The  National  Association  of  Evan- 
gelicals called  on  Congress  to  con- 
duct a  probe  of  "the  relation 
between  liberal-socialist  theology  and 
politics."  In  calling  for  the  probe, 
however,  Dr.  Clyde  W.  Taylor,  the 
association's  secretary  for  public  af- 
fairs, said  he  specifically  repudiated 
"certain  reactionary  evangelicals 
who  have  sought  to  remedy  the  situ- 
ation by  name-calling  and  innuendo. 
We  believe  that  such  tactics  imply- 


APRIL  23,  1960 


27 


ing  guilt  by  association  are  unbe- 
coming to  those  who  have  taken 
unto  themselves  the  name  of 
Christian." 

Year-Long  Observance  to 
Mark  World  Day  of  Prayer's 
75th  Anniversary 

Observances  around  the  globe  by 
Protestants  and  Orthodox  Christians 
throughout  1961  will  mark  the  sev- 
enty-fifth anniversary  of  the  World 
Day  of  Prayer  which  is  sponsored 
annually  by  United  Church  Women. 

Millions  of  people  are  expected  to 
participate  in  the  anniversary  which 
will  reach  its  climax  on  Feb.  17, 
1961,  when  Christians  in  more  than 
145  areas  of  6  continents  will  say  the 
same  prayer  in  many  languages  and 
dialects.  The  theme  for  the  1961 
observance  will  be  Forward  Through 
the  Ages. 

Lutherans  Inaugurate  New 
Institutes  for  Laymen 

A  new  program  of  laymen  insti- 
tutes to  relate  Christianity  to  every- 
day life  has  been  inaugurated  by  the 
Board  of  Social  Missions  of  the 
United  Lutheran  Church.  These 
Faith  and  Life  Institutes  seek  to 
"interpret  the  Christian  faith  to  the 
laity,  relate  the  Christian  faith  to 
vocational  and  public  life,  and 
achieve  free  communication  between 
the  world  and  church."  The  series 
of  institutes  was  inaugurated  at  a 
mountain  retreat  held  near  Jefferson, 
Md. 

Ancient  Hebrew  Letter 
Discovered  in  Southern  Israel 

An  ancient  Hebrew  letter  dating 
from  the  second  half  of  the  seventh 
century,  B.C.,  the  oldest  ever  found, 
has  been  discovered  at  a  seaside  fort 
near  Yavneh  in  southern  Israel. 
Written  by  a  peasant  to  a  prince,  or 
a  royal  governor,  in  the  time  of  the 
Old  Testament  prophet,  Jeremiah, 
the  letter  is  inscribed  on  pieces  of 
pottery  as  were  the  famous  Lachish 
Letters  unearthed  in  1935. 

The  newest  archaeological  find 
is  believed  to  be  some  fifty  years 
older  than  the  Lachish  writings, 
which  were  the  first  large  collec- 
tion of  ancient  Hebrew  inscriptions 
found.  The  newly  discovered  letter 
complains  that,  while  the  writer  was 
harvesting  near  the  fort,  his  cloak 
was  taken  from  him. 

The  letter  apparently  illustrates  an 
aspect  of  prevailing  social  conditions 
and  brings  to  mind  a  passage  in  the 


28 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


22nd  Chapter  of  Exodus  on  "judg- 
ments" of  the  law  governing  crimes 
against  humanity:  "If  you  ever  take 
your  neighbor's  garment  in  pledge, 
you  shall  restore  it  to  him  before  the 
sun  goes  down." 

Three  other  Hebrew  inscriptions 
were  found  at  the  fort,  one  of  which 
clearly  points  to  religious  reforms 
during  the  reign  of  King  Josiah, 
640-609  B.C. 

"War  on  Want"  Photographic 
Exhibitions  Opened  in  London 

A  photographic  exhibition  en- 
titled The  War  On  Want  has  been 
opened  in  London.  It  is  believed  to 
be  the  first  anywhere  for  the  five- 
year  Freedom  From  Hunger  cam- 
paign which  will  get  underway  at  the 
close  of  the  World  Refugee  Year  in 
June  under  auspices  of  the  UN  Food 
and    Agricultural    Organization. 

The  exhibit  was  organized  by  the 
War  on  Want  Trust,  an  organization 
which  is  seeking  to  get  the  British 
government  to  give  one  per  cent  of 
the  national  income  in  addition  to 
what  is  being  already  spent  on  eco- 
nomic aid  in  underdeveloped  coun- 
tries to  alleviate  need. 

Four  Thousand  Register  as 
CO's  in  West  Germany 

Some  1,500  recognized  conscien- 
tious objectors  on  religious  and  moral 
grounds  in  West  Germany  are  sched- 
uled to  be  "drafted"  next  April  to 
begin  substitute  service,  according 
to  government  sources  in  Bonn.  The 
spokesman  for  the  West  German 
Labor  Ministry  said  the  alternative 
duty  —civil  work  of  equal  duration 
and  hardship  as  military  service  — 
will  preferably  be  work  in  hospitals 
and  other   charitable   institutions. 

The  total  number  of  conscripts  to 
the  West  German  armed  forces  who 
have  thus  far  registered  as  CO's  is 
estimated  at  4,000. 

Belgian  Churches  Commend 
Congo  Independence 

The  Federation  of  Belgian  Church- 
es has  issued  a  statement  commend- 
ing the  forthcoming  independence 
of  the  Belgian  Congo  as  a  step  which 
"will  confirm  the  sovereign  freedom 
of  the  people  of  the  Congo  with  full 
human  rights." 

The  statement  observed  that  Prot- 
estant missions  have  been  at  work 
in  the  Belgian  Congo  for  nearly  a 
century  to  train  the  Congolese  peo- 
ple to  be  ready  to  take  this  step. 
It  also  expressed  the  hope  that  ties 
between  the  new  nation  and  Euro- 
pean countries  would  be  strength- 
ened.   The  Federation  is  composed 


of  the  Methodist,  Baptist,  Reformed, 
Evangelical  and  Christian  Missionary 
churches. 

President  Urged  to  Make 
Southern  Goodwill  Tour 

Alexander  Barnes,  the  national  di- 
rector of  public  relations  for  the 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  Zion 
Church,  has  called  on  President 
Eisenhower  to  make  a  goodwill  tour 
of  the  Southern  United  States. 

In  a  letter  to  the  president,  Mr. 
Barnes  said  it  was  his  "earnest  hope" 
that  Mr.  Eisenhower  would  follow 
up  his  South  American  tour  with  a 
similar  mission  through  the  Southern 
states. 

He  wrote,  "There  are  thousands 
down  here  who  need  some  of  the 
goodwill  that  you  have  spread 
throughout  the  world,  who  seeming- 
ly have  not  heard  that  it  also  applies 
in  the  United  States.  Millions  of 
Negroes  would  like  to  see  you  ride 
through  the  streets  of  Atlanta,  Bir- 
mingham, Montgomery,  Augusta, 
Columbia,  Charlotte,  Raleigh,  Wil- 
mington, Jackson,  New  Orleans,  and 
even  Durham  and  tell  them  that 
America  cannot  survive  half  slave 
and  half-free." 

News  Briefs 

At  the  beginning  of  his  ten-week 
African  crusade  Billy  Graham  ob- 
served that  he  would  conduct  no 
segregated  meetings  in  the  nine 
countries  he  visited  in  the  dark 
continent.  He  said  the  only  reason 
he  did  not  go  to  South  Africa  is 
that  mixed  meetings  are  not  per- 
mitted there  under  that  country's 
strict  apartheid  laws. 

Latest  statistics  released  in  Tokyo 
indicate  that  there  are  678,258 
Christians  in  Japan,  representing  a 
gain  of  approximately  35,000  over 
figures  compiled  in  1958.  These  in- 
clude the  376,000  Protestants,  266,- 
000  Roman  Catholics,  and  35,000 
Eastern  Orthodox.  There  are  3,496 
Protestant  ministers  in  Japan,  1,709 
unordained  Japanese  workers,  and 
some  2,600  missionaries. 

Roman  Catholics  in  England  and 
Wales  now  number  an  estimated 
3,553,000.  The  latest  figures  indi- 
cate that  for  the  first  time  the  total 
Catholic  population  has  exceeded 
3,500,000. 

A  new  council  of  the  Church  of 
England  to  be  known  as  the  Council 
of  Women's  Ministry  in  the  church 
came  into  being  on  Jan.  1.  The 
outcome  of  a  five-year  study,  it  will 
be  responsible  for  the  selection, 
training,    and   care   of   deaconesses, 


and  commissioned  lay  women.  It  will 
also  seek  to  promote  the  most  effec- 
tive use  of  women  in  the  service 
of  the  church. 

For  the  first  time  an  African  Ne- 
gro has  been  elected  general  super- 
intendent and  chairman  of  the 
Methodist  Church  in  Northern 
Rhodesia.  He  is  the  Rev.  Matthew 
Lucheya,  a  pastor  at  Nandjila  on 
the  southern  border  of  Barotseland 
in  the  western  part  of  the 
protectorate. 

Obituaries 

Home,  Nancy,  daughter  of  Christian 
and  Anna  Wine  Simmons,  was  born 
in  Hawkins  County,  Tenn.,  May  15, 
1873,  and  died  Dec.  23,  1959.  On  Dec. 
24,  1899,  she  was  married  to  Henry 
A.  Home.  She  united  with  the  Cedar 
Grove  church,  Tenn.,  at  an  early  age. 
Surviving  are  her  husband,  four  sons, 
two  daughters,  nineteen  grandchildren, 
four  great-grandchildren,  and  one  sis- 
ter. The  funeral  service  was  conducted 
in  die  Cedar  Grove  church  by  Brethren 
Ray  Wine  and  Rhett  Petcher.  Inter- 
ment was  in  die  Simmons  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Elsie  H.  Fields,  Rogersville,  Tenn. 

Sager,  Goldie  Alice,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Enoch  and  Mary  Elizabeth 
Clem  Ritenour,  was  born  in  Powells 
Fort  Valley,  Va.,  Nov.  6,  1905,  and 
died  Feb.  8,  1960.  She  was  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Valley  Pike  church,  Va. 
On  Jan.  29,  1928,  she  was  married  to 
Clarence  Sager.  Surviving  are  her  hus- 
band, two  sons,  two  daughters,  one 
brother,  and  two  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  Woodstock 
by  Bro.  Cecil  O.  Showalter,  assisted  by 
Bro.  Lawrence  Helsley.  —  Mrs.  Glenna 
Showalter,  Woodstock,  Va. 

Schnaithman,  Paul  G.,  son  of  Jacob 
and  Florence  Schnaithman,  was  born 
at  Conway  Springs,  Kansas,  April  8, 
1893,  and  died  Jan.  1,  1960,  at  Enid, 
Okla.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Gladys  E.  Pitzer  in  1923.  He  was  bap- 
tized into  the  Antelope  Valley  church, 
Okla.,  where  he  served  as  a  deacon 
and  in  other  offices.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  two  sons,  one  daughter,  six 
grandchildren,  two  brothers,  and  four 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Nathan  L.  HefFly  and 
the  undersigned  at  the  Anderson  funer- 
al home.  Interment  was  in  the  Enid 
Memorial  Park  cemetery.  —  Dallas  G. 
Wine,  Billings,  Okla. 

Scrogum,  Stewart  S.,  son  of  George 
and  Rebecca  Barger  Scrogum,  was 
born  Dec.  1,  1883,  at  Astoria,  III,  and 
died  Jan.  14,  1960,  at  Elkhart,  Ind.  On 
March  24,  1912,  he  was  married  to 
Dora  Ames.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
serving  as  a  deacon  for  many  years. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  in  the  West  Goshen 
church  by  Bro.  Paul  Lantis.  Interment 
was  in  the  church  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Edith  Huber,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Shoemake,  Rebecca  Sallie,  daughter 
of  Flovd  and  Elizabeth  Welch,  was 
born  March  17,  1869,  and  died  Tan.  19, 
1960.  She  was  baptized  into  the  Flat 
Rock  church,  Va.,  in  1897.  She  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Fred  Shoemake, 
who    preceded   her    in    death.     She    is 


THE  GESELL 
INSTITUTE 

PARTY  BOOK 


BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS 


& 


Here  is  a  practical  handbook  from  die  famous  Gesell  Institute  that 
shows  how  to  give  a  party  for  each  year  from  the  ages  three  to  fifteen. 
This  volume  is  not  intended  primarily  as  a  manual  of  games  but  rather 
its  primary  emphasis  is  on  the  kinds  of  behavior  which  may  be  expected 
of  children  of  different  ages  in  a  party  situation.  For  each  age  group 
diere  is  guidance  as  to  the  keys  to  a  successful  party,  the  number  of 
guests,  number  of  adults,  the  schedule,  and  possible  expense.  The  de- 
lightful and  informative  photographs  add  significantly  to  the  value  of 
this  book.  $2.95 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin.  111. 


KITCHEN 
COMMUNION 


CORNELIA  M.  RENFROE 

Breakfast  —  dishes  —  beds  —  laundry  —  kids  —  dirt.  That's  all  many  a 
woman  can  think  of  when  she  gets  up  every  morning.  Is  it  any  wonder 
she  feels  she  can't  face  the  day?  The  Bible  verses,  prayers,  and  medita- 
tions of  this  devotional  booklet  are  interwoven  with  the  thoughts  and 
feelings  of  a  woman  searching  for  ways  to  make  her  life  more  meaning- 
ful. As  she  turns  from  one  page  to  another,  she  discovers  to  her  surprise 
that  she  can  talk  to  God,  that  he  listens  and  really  cares.  Although  still 
"so  pitifully,  awfully  human,"  she  knows  he  will  give  her  the  help  diat 
she  needs.  Now  realizing  that  she  doesn't  love  enough,  give  enough, 
pray  enough,  believe  enough,  she  finds  that  the  little  booklet  has  started 
to  change  her  outlook  on  life.  But  one  thing  hasn't  changed.  "I  still 
don't  like  to  wash  dishes,"  she  sighs.  $1.50 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  111. 


survived  by  two  sons,  four  daughters, 
fourteen  grandchildren,  and  six  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Badgers  funeral  home  by 
Bro.  Clayton  B.  Miller.  Interment  was 
in  the  Welch  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Bob 
Lewis,  Warrensville,  N.  C. 

Smeltzer,  Kathleen  Sue,  infant  daugh- 
ter   of    Howard    W.     and     Sara     Fox 


Smeltzer,  died  Dec.  28,  1959.  Sur- 
viving are  the  parents,  a  brother,  and 
maternal  and  paternal  grandparents. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  Coshey-Buchanan  funeral  home  by 
Bro.  E.  Stanley  Fadely.    Interment  was 


APRIL  23.  1960 


29 


H< 


ere   is  an 

attractive  EASEL 

with   many  uses. 

This  handy  turnover  easel  will 
aid  local  church  leaders  in  their 
work  of  planning.  Use  it  in  com- 
mittees to  present  an  idea  or  in 
developing  ideas  as  your  com- 
mittee does  its  planning.  Teach- 
ers will  find  pupils  attentive  in 
the  presentation  of  ideas  through 
the  use  of  this  turnover  chart. 
Excellent  for  use  in  the  every- 
member  canvass.  Your  own  imag- 
ination is  the  only  limiting  factor 
in  its  use.  The  paper  stock  is 
heavy  art  paper.  Cardboard  back 
with  sturdy  easel.  Spiral-bound 
for  convenient  use.  Order  sev- 
eral for  your  church.  $1.00 

Church    of   the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


in     Westmoreland     Memorial     park.  — 
Mrs.  Galen  Bittner,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Church  News 

Tennessee 
Bristol,  First  —  At  our  loyalty  dinner 
on  Dec.  5,  Bro.  B.  J.  Wampler  was  the 
speaker.  Our  pastor  presented  a  mes- 
sage on  stewardship  the  next  Sunday 
and  the  film,  And  Now  I  See,  was 
shown.  The  men  have  given  much  time 
and  effort  to  beautifying  our  church 
grounds.    Bro.   C.   J.   Wine  of  Wythe- 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


ville,  Va.,  donated  shrubbery.  A  refu- 
gee family  from  Indonesia,  consisting 
of  father,  mother,  small  son  and  daugh- 
ter, was  sponsored  by  the  district.  They 
are  living  near  our  church.  —  Ina  G. 
Gray,  Bristol,  Tenn. 

First  Virginia 
Ninevah  —  Our  Christmas  program 
was  the  four-scene  pageant,  Looking 
for  a  Star.  The  Bible  Sunday  school 
class  held  a  Christmas  fellowship  in 
the  home  of  Brother  and  Sister  R.  O. 
McGuire.  The  women's  fellowship  is 
studying  about  the  famous  women  of 
the  Bible.  Bro.  John  Sayre  spoke  to  us 
about  the  Call  to  Discipleship,  and 
Bro.  H.  Lawrence  Rice  about  the 
changing  world.  —  Mrs.  Vista  Moorman, 
Hardy,  Va. 

Northern  Virginia 

Round  Hill  —  Our  church  is  co- 
operating with  the  Call  to  Discipleship 
program.  The  district  team  was  invited 
to  be  with  us  on  the  first  Sunday 
evening  in  March  to  study  and  present 
the  work  of  the  Brotherhood.  Under 
the  leadership  of  Bro.  Arthur  Dean,  our 
new  church  house  will  be  ready  for 
dedication  on  Palm  Sunday.  A  week's 
revival  will  follow  during  Holy  Week, 
closing  with  the  love  feast  on  Easter 
evening.  On  Feb.  6,  seventeen  men 
and  women  of  the  Bible  church  school 
class  gave  the  pastor  and  family,  Bro. 
Cecil  O.  Showalter,  a  shower.  —  Mrs. 
Glenna  Showalter,  Woodstock,  Va. 

Timberville  —  The  annual  school  of 
missions  was  held  at  the  church  during 
the  month  of  January;  the  theme  was 
Africa.  One  evening  Agnes  Shaffer,  a 
missionary  on  furlough  from  Nigeria, 
showed  slides  and  told  about  her  work 
in  Africa.  At  the  closing  session,  we 
had  a  fellowship  covered  dish  dinner. 
The  speakers  for  the  evening  were 
Brother  and  Sister  Earl  Woodward  who 
are  on  furlough  from  the  mission  field 
in  Nigeria.  In  addition  to  the  two  love 
feasts  held  each  year,  we  had  our  first 
morning  worship  communion.  In  the 
Call  to  Discipleship  program  there  will 
be  an  every-member  visitation.  We 
plan  to  have  fireside  meetings  in  the 
homes  for  Bible  study  and  deepening 
the  devotional  life.  On  March  2  there 
was  an  all-day  prayer  vigil  at  the 
church.  Two  new  members  have  been 
received  by  letter  and  one  has  been 
baptized.  —  Mrs.  Dwight  Atwood,  Tim- 
berville, Va. 

Valley  Pike  —  The  church  is  co- 
operating with  the  district  program  of 
the  Call  to  Discipleship.  Five  cottage 
prayer  meetings  are  in  progress  each 
Wednesday  evening  in  five  different 
sections  of  the  church.  We  are  looking 
forward  to  our  revival  in  July  at  which 
Bro.  David  Rodgers  of  Oakton,  Va., 
will  be  our  evangelist.  A  district  finance 
team,  Leo  Jarrels  and  Leon  Rhodes, 
visited  us.  At  a  joint  meeting  of  the 
men's  and  women's  fellowships  at  the 
parsonage,  they  gave  their  pastor,  Cecil 
O.  Showalter  and  wife,  a  shower. 
Seven  of  our  men  attended  the  district 
Call  to  Discipleship  training  session. 
Our  women  have  been  tying  comforters. 
Our  church  has  been  making  quarterly 
offerings  to  our  Brotherhood  and  dis- 
trict funds.  —  Mrs.  Glenna  Showalter, 
Woodstock,  Va. 

Second  Virginia 
Waynesboro  —  Magda    Trocme,    dis- 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  445.  Needed:  A  middle-aged 
married  couple  to  work  as  house  par- 
ents in  the  junior  boys'  department. 
Also  a  middle-aged  woman  to  work  as 
housemother  in  the  girls'  department. 
Maximum  of  12  children  per  depart- 
ment. Maintenance  and  comfortable 
living  quarters  provided,  regular  salary 
increments  and  a  two-week  vacation 
with  pay,  plus  other  benefits.  Near 
Fort  Wayne  Beacon  Heights  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Contact:  Fort  Wayne 
Children's  Home,  Box  2038,  Station 
"A",  2525  Lake  Ave.,  Fort  Wayne  3, 
Ind. 

No.  446.  Wanted:  Couple  to  live 
in  boys'  home  in  Baltimore  and  act  as 
house  parents  and  do  other  duties. 
Social-work  training  or  experience  de- 
sired. Home  will  provide  apartment, 
laundry,  board,  and  salary  according 
to  training  and  experience.  Brethren 
churches  in  the  area.  Other  inservice 
training  opportunities.  Job  available 
May  1.  Contact:  McKim  Bovs'  Haven, 
1701  Park  Ave.,  Baltimore  17,  Md. 


tinguished  French  peace  worker,  spoke 
in  our  church,  being  sponsored  by  the 
women's  fellowship.  Bro.  Duane  Ram- 
sey held  our  revival  services.  We  have 
church  family  night  the  third  Monday 
of  each  month  with  a  covered  dish 
meal  and  business  meetings  following. 
Our  church  participated  in  a  commu- 
nity Thanksgiving  service  at  the  First 
Presbyterian  church.  The  women's  fel- 
lowship sponsored  Christmas  gifts  for 
patients  at  Western  state  hospital.  The 
youth  choir  presented  a  special  Christ- 
mas Eve  service.  A  dedication  service 
was  conducted  for  parents  and  children. 
During  January  a  school  of  missions 
was  sponsored  by  the  mission  depart- 
ment of  the  women's  fellowship.  The 
theme  was  Africa.  We  had  a  commun- 
ion service  at  a  morning  worship  in 
January.  Several  of  our  youth  attended 
the  youth  seminar  in  Washington,  D.C., 
and  New  York.  Bro.  Merlin  Garber 
spoke  at  the  father-son  banquet.  The 
women's  fellowship  has  been  making 
comforters  for  relief.  —  Mrs.  G.  M. 
Terry,  Waynesboro,  Va. 


Southern  Virginia 

Antioch  —  The  young  people  visited 
a  Jewish  service  and  tabernacle,  were 
active  in  the  Call  program,  were  hosts 
to  district  sessions,  and  have  regular 
programs  and  activities.  Five  youth 
with  their  counselor  attended  the  youth 
seminar.  Through  the  women's  fellow- 
ship many  inactive  and  shut-in  mem- 
bers have  been  visited.  At  one  of  the 
men's  monthly  supper  meetings  a  lec- 
ture was  given  by  Maurice  Robertson 
on  his  trip  to  Hawaii,  and  at  another 
a  talk  by  Merlin  Garber  on  South  Amer- 
ica. The  men  have  sponsored  a  Boy 
Scout  troup  for  our  community.  The 
junior  highs  are  in  charge  of  church 
school  worship  each  fifth  Sunday.  Our 
pastor,  C.  M.  Key,  and  Bro.  C.  A.  Flora, 
a  lay  minister,  participate  in  radio  pro- 
grams through  the  county  ministerial 
association.  The  pastor  is  currently 
preaching  a  series  of  sermons  on  the 
Ten  Commandments  and  teaching  in 
a  joint  Brethren  leadership  training 
school;  The  church  helps  support  a 
weekday  Bible  teacher  in  the  schools 
of  the  county.  Our  Call  to  Discipleship 
chairman  is  Bro.  N.  M.  Bowman.  At 
our  last  church  council  it  was  decided 
that  construction  of  our  new  educational 
addition  begin  this  spring.  —  Margaret 
Flora,  Boones  Mill,  Va. 

Boones  Mill  —  Bro.  Samuel  Flora  held 
our  revival  meetings.  Three  were  bap- 
tized. Bro.  Kermitt  Flora  was  the 
speaker  for  our  Thanksgiving  service, 
after  which  a  potluck  dinner  was 
served.  At  Christmas  our  young  people 
presented  a  program.  We  bought  an 
organ  for  the  church.  The  women's 
fellowship  is  now  making  relief  quilts 
and  clothing.  On  Youth  Sunday,  the 
youth  had  charge  of  the  service.  —  Mrs. 
E.  W.  Wright,  Boones  Mill,  Va. 

First  West  Virginia 

South  Mill  Creek -Bro.  R.  V.  Sim- 
mons became  our  part-time  pastor  on 
Sept.  1.  Mrs.  Howard  Kesner  partici- 
pated in  a  five-day  spiritual  group  dy- 
namics retreat  directed  by  Anna  B. 
Mow.  Nancy  Simmons  and  Mary  Lee 
Kesner  helped  process  clothing  at  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  during  the  Christmas 
holidays.  Several  of  our  members  at- 
tended the  social  action  meetings  con- 
ducted in  our  district  by  Bro.  James 
Renz  of  Elgin,  111.  —  May  Kesner, 
Moser,  W.  Va. 


PEWS,  PULPIT  &  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

j  write  for  Free  catalog 

¥   AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

J.RRedington&Co. 


DEPT.  211  SCRANTON  2.  PA. 


Classified  Advertising 

BRETHREN,  if  you  are  55  years 
or  older,  and  planning  on  retire- 
ment, we  invite  you  to  investigate 
our  plans  in  the  Sunshine  State. 
Write:  Lorida  Retirement  Homes, 
Inc.,  P.   O.  Box  718,  Sebring,  Fla. 


Edited  by  T.  K.  THOMPSON 


STEWARDSHIP 


in  Contemporary  Theology 


Stewardship  in  Contemporary  Theology  brings  together  nine  distin- 
guished American  theologians  who  apply  the  Biblical  and  the  ethical 
principles  of  Christian  stewardship  to  the  problems  confronting  the  in- 
dividual Christian  and  his  church.  Dr.  Morley  J.  Mays,  dean  of  Juniata 
College  says,  "Many  Christians  will  be  surprised  to  discover  as  they  read 
these  lectures  that  there  is  more  to  stewardship  than  the  question,  How 
much  shall  I  give  to  the  church?  Beneath  the  outward  forms  of  stew- 
ardship there  is  a  root  meaning,  which  if  understood  puts  all  questions 
of  giving,  the  tithe,  and  related  issues  in  their  proper  perspective.  This 
root  meaning  is  the  substance  of  these  thoughtful  lectures,  presented  by 
outstanding  leaders  of  Christian  thought  in  this  area  of  the  committed 
life." 

$3.50  cloth;  $1.50  paper 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  111. 


The  ROADS  to  EVERYWHERE 


Opal  Catherine  Hoover 


•  When  ten-year-old  Helga  Handke,  the  daughter  of  a  displaced- 
persons  family,  comes  to  Chestertown,  Ohio,  from  Germany  she 
lives  next  door  to  Carol  Bowman,  also  aged  ten,  and  near  other 
children  her  age. 

•  Through  a  series  of  pleasant  and  unpleasant  experiences,  Helga 
becomes  accustomed  to  her  new  life  and  loses  the  many  fears 
she  had  developed  while  living  in  European  refugee  camps. 

•  The  Roads  to  Everywhere  is  a  wholesome,  interesting  book  for 
juniors  which  will  help  them  to  understand  better  and  appreciate 
more  the  history  and  the  widespread  program  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Price,  $2.00 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  111. 


APRIL  23.  1960 


31 


en  route  to  Conference 


You  are  invited  to  visit  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices 


5.WS 


Sill 


iiiimiti 


5llP;,«SP-«Piill|'ll 


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Going  to  Annual  Conference  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  June  14-19?  On  the  way, 
visit  the  international  headquarters  of  your  church  in  Elgin,  a  three-and-one-half- 
hour  drive  due  north  of  Urbana-Champaign.  Here  at  the  General  Offices  the  outreach 
of  your  congregation,  and  of  1,073  other  congregations,  is  extended  to  a  world  parish. 
Here  materials  are  prepared  to  help  your  church  minister  to  persons  of  all  ages.  Here 
decisions  of  Annual  Conference  are  carried  out.  At  the  General  Offices  you  may  visit 
with  workers  of  the  Brotherhood,  see  the  Gospel  Messenger  and  other  Brethren  peri- 
odicals in  production,  and  worship  in  the  inspiring  chapel.  For  several  days  both  before 
and  after  Annual  Conference,  tours  will  be  conducted  regularly  at  10  a.m.  and  2  p.m., 
Monday  through  Friday.  Route  your  Conference  travel  by  way  of  the  General  Offices. 


CAttbcA, erf £ne<£M&wieas 


MESSENGER 


APRIL  30.  1960 


Blessed  Are  the  Ties  That  Bind 

THE  important  ties  that  bind  home  and  church  together  become  visible  when  par- 
ents bring  their  children  for  a  service  of  dedication.  The  baby  who  watches,  perhaps 
a  little  restlessly  from  the  vantage  point  of  his  mother's  arms,  cannot  at  this  stage  enter 
fully  into  the  consecration  service  that  centers  about  him.  It  is  his  parents  who  express 
their  promises  to  commit  themselves  and  their  home  to  God,  but  the  child  is  also  a  part 
of  the  home  that  is  here  consciously  related  to  Christ  and  the  church.  In  most  instances 
the  local  congregation  joins  in  a  prayer  of  dedication,  thus  indicating  its  awareness  of 
the  responsibility  of  the  church  to  help  parents  establish  Christian  homes. 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS   WRITE   .   .   .   to   the   editor 

The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

APRIL  30,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  18 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Blessed  Are  the  Ties  That  Bind   1 

Many  Years  to  Go   5 

The  Noise  of  Traffic   5 

The  General  Forum  — 

If  I  Should  Die.   Frances  Bowman  ....      3 
Requiem  (verse).    Jeanne  Donovan   .  .      4 

Intem  Minister    6 

Men  Who  Heard  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship:  In  Word  and  Deed. 

Vemard  Eller 10 

Dear  Sylvia:  Kermit  Eby 12 

Married  Women  in  Bethlehem. 

David  J.  Wieand   15 

"We  Meet  Them  on  the  Road." 

Estella  Horning  18 

Late-April    Snow    (verse). 

Ora  W.  Garber 21 

Rx  for  Crippling  Pain   22 

Conference  Business    23 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books   26 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    27 

Church  News    30 


Dr.  Robert  Lee,  Union  Theological 
Seminary:  "The  church  faces  a  dilem- 
ma which  is  unavoidable  if  it  takes 
seriously  its  obligations  as  a  missionary 
and  witnessing  movement.  It  must  de- 
velop appropriate  organizational  and 
institutional  forms.  Yet  the  very  insti- 
tutional forms  necessary  for  the  church's 
survival  may  threaten,  distort,  or  ob- 
scure the  purposes  for  which  the 
institution  is  founded." 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Prime  Minister  Nehru  and  Missions 

Seldom  have  my  wife  and  I  been 
challenged  by  a  book  from  our 
church  library  as  with  the  255-page 
book,  The  Bridge  of  Love,  by  a 
world  traveler,  one  Hans  De  Boer, 
with  Foreword  by  Dr.  Martin 
Niemoeller. 

The  author  is  not  a  mere  sight- 
seer, but  is  willing  to  live  and  work 
for  months  in  conditions  much  like 
native  workers. 

He  made  a  special  effort  to  study 
mission  work  at  first  hand,  especially 
in  Africa  and  India.  He  conversed 
with  businessmen  and  government 
officials  in  those  countries  and,  later, 
in  Burma,  Korea,  China,  and  Japan. 

He  studied  the  far-reaching  ef- 
fects of  the  life  and  teaching  and 
leadership  of  the  late  Mahatma 
Gandhi  as  his  followers  seek  redress 
of  grievances,  land-reform,  and  civil 
rights  by  nonviolent  means,  the 
"bridge  of  love,"  as  it  were. 

The  author  was  finally  able  to 
meet  Prime  Minister  Nehru.  Bluntly 
he  asked  the  thing  nearest  to  his 
heart:  "What  has  India  got  against 
Christian  missions?  .  .  .  Only  against 
anything  of  political  bias  should  the 
government  take  action." 

"You  are  right,"  said  Nehru.  "The 
missionary's  commission  has  nothing 
to  do  with  politics.  I  am  against 
all  anti-Christian  agitation.  We  value 
and  respect  the  work  of  missions." 
Then  he  added,  "However,  we  don't 
value  them  all  alike." 

"Then  what  distinctions  do  you 
make?"  He  named  six  strong  de- 
nominations about  which  he  was  not 
too  sure.  Then  he  named  the  Men- 
nonites,  the  Quakers,  and  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  missions 
as  three  upon  which  he  looks  with 
favor. 

I  quote  Dr.  De  Boer,  "I  know  by 
observation  that  those  three  denom- 
inations try  to  put  themselves  com- 
pletely on  the  level  of  the  India 
people;  that  there  is  no  racial  prej- 
udice. Some  of  them  live  in  huts 
and  do  not  drive  American  luxury 
cars.  They  preach  and  live  accord- 
ing to  God's  word."  —  E.  F.  Sherfy, 
Roanoke,  Va. 

I  Love  the  Love  Feast 

This  may  not  be  very  good  Eng- 
lish, but  it  gives  expression  of  our 
appreciation  for  one  of  the  great 
things  of  the  gospel.  Jesus  had 
spent  the  day  in  the  beginning  of 


the  week  in  teaching  the  people, 
but  now  the  Passover  was  drawing 
nigh.  His  disciples  expressed  con- 
cern. Jesus  directed  them  to  an  up- 
per room  and  appointed  two  of  them 
to  make  ready. 

At  evening  he  came  with  the  ten. 
Evening  to  us  means  the  end  of 
the  day.  To  Jesus  and  the  twelve 
it  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  day. 
It  was  the  day  in  which  he  was 
to  be  crucified. 

A  supper  had  been  prepared.  The 
twelve  gathered  around.  The  old 
question  arose,  "Who  should  be  the 
greatest?"  If  Jesus  gave  direction 
where  each  should  be  seated,  we 
are  not  told. 

An  unusual  thing  happened.  Je- 
sus rose  from  supper  and  washed 
his  disciples'  feet.  They  did  not  un- 
derstand. Peter  said  it  should  not 
be,  but  gladly  consented  when  told 
what  refusal  would  mean.  Jesus  told 
them  that  they  should  wash  one 
another's  feet.  Jesus  said  they  did 
not  understand  what  he  had  done 
to  them,  but  that  they  would  under- 
stand hereafter. 

In  the  love  feast  we  receive  one 
another  in  the  Lord.  We  eat  togeth- 
er in  fellowship.  By  doing  so  we 
are  prepared  to  show  forth  the 
Lord's  death  until  he  comes.  The 
broken  body  of  our  Lord  and  his 
shed  blood  are  symbolized  by  the 
bread  and  the  cup  which  are  re- 
ceived by  all,  thus  uniting  us  togeth- 
er in  one  great  faith. 

More  than  fifty  years  ago  Dr.  S. 
M.  Thomas,  the  editor  of  the  Phil- 
adelphia Methodist,  was  invited  to 
attend  as  a  guest  the  love  feast 
in  the  Germantown  church.  After 
the  services  were  over  he  was  asked 
for  any  impressions  or  comments. 
In  reply  he  said,  "I  could  not  see 
who  were  the  rich  or  the  poor  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation.  If  the  love 
feast  would  do  only  that,  it  should 
be  continued.  Of  all  the  forms  of 
worship  that  man  has  ever  produced 
none  compares  with  the  love  feast, 
the  Lord's  Supper,  and  the  commun- 
ion. I  love  the  love  feast."  The 
admonition  of  James  1:9-10,  "Let 
the  poor  brother  of  lowly  station  re- 
joice in  his  being  exalted  as  a  Chris- 
tian, and  the  rich  brother  rejoice 
in  his  being  on  a  level  with  the  poor" 
(Williams),  is  so  nicely  dramatized 
by  the  love  feast.  The  great  Chris- 
tian objective  is  still,  "that  they  all 
may  be  one."  —  Joseph  N.  Cassel. 


A.  Devaney 


Making  provision  in  a  will 
for  substitute  parents  to 
carry  on  the  spiritual   nurture 
of  their  children  is  part  of  parents'  stewardship 


IF 

l 

SHOULD 
DIE 


Frances  Bowman 


KAHLIL  GIBRAN  has  a 
sentence  in  his  book,  The 
Prophet,  that  may  shock  many 
parents.  He  says,  "Your  chil- 
dren are  not  your  children." 
They  do  not  really  belong  to 
us.  But  do  we  not  say  time 
and  again,  "These  are  our  chil- 
dren"? Do  we  not  give  them 
food,  clothing  and  shelter?  Are 
we  not  responsible  for  them? 

Most  of  us  do  not  dramatical- 
ly take  our  small  sons  to  the 
temple  as  did  Hannah,  dedicate 
them  to  the  church,  and  leave 
them  there  to  serve,  but  we  all 
need  to  realize  that  our  children 
never  have  been  and  never  will 
be  ours  to  hug  unto  ourselves, 
to  do  with  as  we  please.  They 
are  given  to  us  in  trust  for  only 


a  relatively  small  segment  of 
our  lifetime.  During  this  short 
period,  about  eighteen  years, 
God  expects  us  to  provide  for 
them  an  atmosphere  in  which 
they  can  grow  to  become  strong 
men  and  women  for  God.  He 
expects  us  to  give  them  a  sense 
of  values  that  are  God's  values, 
not  man's  values. 

But  if  I  should  die  .  .  .  if  .  .  . 
how  would  I  bequeath  these 
values? 

"Young  parents  do  die,  but  I 
shall  not.  That  sometimes  hap- 
pens to  others  but  not  to  me  or 
to  my  friends."  This  is  an  al- 
most universal  feeling  among 
young  parents.    Then  one  fine 

APRIL   30,   1960  3 


day  it  does  happen,  perhaps  to 
one  of  my  close  friends,  and  I 
am  utterly  stunned.  One  dies 
of  cancer,  some  years  later  an- 
other is  killed  in  an  explosion, 
still  another  in  an  automobile 
accident,  and  a  plane  carrying 
many  Brethren  people  goes 
down  in  the  Irish  Sea. 

If  I  should  die,  how  will  my 
children  be  given  those  values 
I  sought  to  impart?  At  first,  the 
question  does  not  seem  so  diffi- 
cult, for  every  parent  feels  at 
times  that  surely  someone  else 
would  do  a  better  job  than  he 
at  rearing  his  children.  The 
probing  question  is,  "Who?" 
"Well,  there  is  .  .  ."  and  when 
faced  with  the  question  there 
are  not  just  dozens  and  dozens 
of  relatives  and  friends  who 
could  or  would  be  in  a  position 
to  give  the  same  quality  of  lov- 
ing care  and  Christian  nurture 
you  are  offering. 

"But  if  I  were  to  choose,  I 
would  choose  .  .  ."  Have  you 
ever  thought  about  it?  Have 
you  a  stand-in,  a  substitute, 
some  person  who  will  step  in, 
carry  on,  and  complete  the  im- 
measurably important  task  you 
have  begun  in  bringing  children 
into  the  world? 

These  stories  which  a  Breth- 
ren pastor  tells  are  more  typical, 
more  tragic,  than  we  care  to  ad- 
mit. 

"A  young  couple  who  recent- 
ly were  killed  instantly  had  no 
indication  in  their  will  con- 
cerning the  children.  Friends 
wanted  to  take  them  but  by  the 
ruling  of  the  court  they  were 
placed  in  the  children's  home 
and  were  split  up  as  a  family 
of  children. 

"In  another  incident,  the  par- 
ents had  willed  their  children 
to  some  friends.  The  people  al- 
ready had  a  family  of  children 
and  would  not  possibly  be  able 
to  care  for  these  other  children. 
The  orphan  children  had  to  be 

4  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


REQUIEM 

JEANNE  DONOVAN 

You  were  my  friend. 

Although  we  did  not  know  each  other. 

You  thought,  perhaps,  that  no  one  cared. 

I  did. 

You  were  alone. 

You  were  a  lost  child  crying  in  a  wilderness 

Of  faces. 

Bewildered  by  the  constant  rush  of  strangers. 

Confused  by  a  different  culture 

In  a  strange  land. 

You  were  afraid 

And  you  thought  that  no  one  was  there. 

But  someone  was,  and  someone  is,  and  someone  will  be. 

You  are  no  longer  lost. 

You  are  home. 


placed  elsewhere  by  the  court. 
(In  preparing  a  will  lawyers 
seem  to  be  strong  on  the  point 
that  after  you  suggest  the  name 
of  a  couple  as  guardians  you 
also  ask  the  couple  if  they  will 
be  willing  and  able  to  assume 
this  responsibility.)" 

These  two  sets  of  parents 
would  have  been  heartsick  if 
they  could  have  known  this 
would  happen  to  their  children. 
However,  there  is  a  way  of 
knowing  in  advance  what  my 
children  would  do  if  I  should 
die.  A  will  may  be  drawn  up 
with  a  good  lawyer  and  a  suita- 
ble guardian  chosen  for  the 
children. 

A  will  is  more  than  a  cold 
legal  document.  Since  it  pro- 
vides for  the  destiny  and  future 
of  my  own  flesh  and  blood,  of 
my  sons  and  heirs,  it  becomes 
a  living,  moving  document, 
warmly  real,  human.  Though 
drawn  up  on  paper,  it  is  not 
merely  a  bundle  of  papers,  but 
a  package  of  love,  representing 
as  it  does  a  new  set  of  loving 
parents  for  my  children. 

Now  I  know  that  many  read- 
ers are  tempted  to  lay  aside 
this  article  in  disgust  and  dis- 
taste as  they  read  the  word  will. 
Wills  mean  facing  possible 
death,  and  ours  is  the  age  which 
glorifies  the  fountain  of  youth, 
the  body  alive  forevermore, 
which  tries  to  deny  death  even 


as  we  attend  the  funeral.  The 
flowers,  the  perfumed  funeral 
parlor,  the  satin  casket  all  try 
to  cover  up  the  inevitability  of 
the  decaying  dust-to-dust  body 
and  the  fragility  of  this  mortal 
frame. 

The  hair  dyes  for  graying 
hair,  extensive  cosmetics,  and 
natty,  youthful-looking  clothes 
for  both  older  men  and  older™ 
women  all  seek  to  deny  old  age 
and  its  accompanying  partner, 
death.  And  premature,  acci- 
dental youthful  death  always 
comes  to  the  other  fellow  — 
never  to  us  —  so  why  think 
about  it? 

We  shall  not  say  the  terrible 
word  cancer  out  loud.  We  shall 
not  tell  our  age  when  we  are 
thirty.  We  act  as  though  one 
of  the  ten  commandments  read: 
"Thou  shalt  not  tell  thy  age  if 
thou  art  past  thirty,  for  indeed 
it  is  shameful  and  unworthy  to 
be  forty;  therefore,  thou  shalt 
be  coy  and  cover  up  thy  age  in 
all  the  ways  that  thou  and  thy 
television  commercials  can  con- 
jure up.  Thus  thou  shalt  per- 
petually drink  of  the  fountain 
of  youth  and  surely  thou  shalt 
never  die." 

This  is  not  the  place  to  elabo- 
rate on  the  fact  that  maturity 
and  ripened  wisdom,  depth,  and 
mellowed  beauty  accompany 
our  more  mature  years  and  thus 

Continued  on  page  16 


1 


s 


i 


MANY   YEARS    TO    GO 


EDITORIALS 


THE  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  turning  its 
attention  none  too  soon  to  its  leadership 
problem.  As  a  Brotherhood  and  as  local 
congregations,  we  obviously  need  to  examine 
our  stewardship  of  life  and  talent.  We  cannot 
fulfill  the  calling  to  which  our  Lord  has  called  us 
unless  we  accept  responsibility  —  each  of  us  — 
or  serving  in  his  church. 

It  is  to  be  expected  that  our  programs  of 
leadership  development  would  look  to  younger 
people  for  the  candidates  who  will  develop  into 
future  leaders.  But  this  normal  interest  in  youth 
should  not  blind  us  to  a  resource  that  is  available 
but  is  so  easily  overlooked.  We  are  thinking  of 
those  men  and  women  who  have  reached  the 
age  of  retirement,  but  who  still  have  many  years 
to  go. 

Let  us  put  it  quite  plainly.  There  may  be 
good  reasons  for  retiring  employed  workers  at 
age  sixty-five  as  a  general  rule,  but  we  doubt  if 
such  an  arbitrary  time  limit  really  applies  in  the 
work  of  the  church.  In  other  areas,  the  re- 
quirement for  ending  employment  at  sixty-five 
ay  prove  to  be  shortsighted. 
If  we  have  a  shortage  of  leadership  in  the 
[church  —  and  this  is  the  chorus  we  hear  over 
and  over  —  should  we  not  take  a  square  look  at 
the  potential  we  have  in  our  senior  members? 


Of  course,  there  are  physical  limitations  that  ad- 
vancing age  will  bring,  but  there  are  also  great 
benefits  that  come  through  experience  and  long 
years  of  study  and  preparation.  It  would  be 
folly  to  ignore  such  a  storehouse  of  ability. 

We  ought  to  be  creative  and  imaginative 
enough  to  discover  how  best  to  use  our  retired 
and  semiretired  leaders.  Some  can  serve  on  a 
part-time  basis  as  pastors  and  counselors.  Others 
can  carry  limited  office  and  routine  responsibil- 
ities. Still  others  can  teach  and  write  and  thus 
move  our  congregations  toward  better  disciple- 
ship.  And  all  of  them  will  welcome  the  sug- 
gestion one  brother  has  made  —  that  they  join 
together  in  a  constant  ministry  of  intercession 
and  praise. 

We  note  that  as  our  leadership  program  gets 
under  way,  it  will  have  the  benefit  of  guidance 
from  several  selected  "consultants."  Let  them 
put  their  heads  together  on  this  question  —  how 
to  mobilize  the  services  of  hundreds  of  experi- 
enced leaders  who  love  the  church  and  want  to 
continue  to  serve  their  Lord,  but  who  have  been 
made  to  feel  that  retirement  somehow  takes 
them  out  of  the  mainstream  of  the  church's  life. 
We  think  that  not  only  physically  but  spiritually 
these  brothers  and  sisters  still  have  many  years 
to  go  —  and  we  need  their  leadership.  —  k.m. 


THE    NOISE    OF   TRAFFIC 


SOME  New  Yorkers  who  have  been  around 
the  city  for  a  long  time  may  remember 
the  days  when  open-air  services  were  held 
from  an  outdoor  pulpit  near  Broadway.  You  can 
still  see  the  pulpit  from  the  garden  of  Grace 
piscopal  church,  but  it  has  been  many  years 
since  ministers  of  the  church  have  used  it. 

It  was  the  noise  of  traffic,  rather  than  lack  of 
interest,  that  brought  an  end  to  this  streetside 
ministry.  We  suspect  that  it  is  the  noise  of 
iraffic  today  that  has  seemed  to  silence  so  many 
voices  that  ought  to  be  speaking  the  saving  word 
}f  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

The  trouble  may  be  that  the  traffic  is  not 
3nly  on  the  highway  and  at  the  street  corner  but 
fclso  in  our  hearts.  Even  when  men  seek  the 
■sanctuary  of  a  quiet  place  of  worship,  they  can- 
jpot  slow  down  long  enough,  they  cannot  quiet 
their  hearts  sufficiently  to  be  still  and  listen  for 
i:he  word  of  God.  Insulated  walls  can  keep  out 
disturbing  noises  from  the  outside,  and  electric 
pevices  can  amplify  the  minister's  voice  so  that 


it  peals  like  a  golden  trumpet,  but  all  of  this  can 
do  little  to  reach  the  consciousness  of  a  person 
who  brings  all  the  confusion  of  Times  Square 
with  him  when  he  comes  to  worship. 

A  Christian  leader  once  explained  why  he 
insisted  on  long  periods  of  silence  for  the  city 
dwellers  who  came  to  his  mountain  retreat.  It 
would  take  hours  of  such  enforced  stillness,  he 
said,  before  their  hearts  would  be  receptive  to 
the  promptings  of  God's  spirit  and  they  could  be 
trusted  to  resume  speech.  Not  until  the  traffic 
had  subsided  within  them  could  they  begin  to 
listen,  really  listen  to  the  call  of  God. 

We  do  not  need  more  hearing  aids,  more 
acoustical  ceilings  or  louder  amplifiers,  so  much 
as  we  need  a  willingness  to  cease  our  feverish 
ways  and  to  forego  our  frantic  striving  after 
status  and  security  long  enough  that  even  in  the 
earthquake,  wind,  and  fire  we  can  hear  the  "still, 
small  voice  of  calm."  —  k.m. 

APRIL  30,  1960  5 


■■■HUB: 

The  seminary  has  courses  in  practice  preaching,  but  no 
classroom  pulpit  can  take  the  place  of  proclaiming  the 
glad  tidings  of  the  gospel  to  a  real,  live  congregation. 


An  experienced  pastor  -  George  Detweiler  in  this 
instance  —  is  on  hand  almost  daily  to  guide  the  stu- 
dent minister  in  his  work  with  a  local  congregation. 


Valuable  experiences  in  local  church 
leadership  come  to  Ted  Whitacre, 


Intern  Minister 


Five  local  churches  are  co-operating  this  year 
with  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary  in  a  program  of 
inservice  training  for  ministerial  students.  Just 
what  does  an  intern  minister  do?  The  Gospel 
Messenger,  by  means  of  William  Smith's  camera, 
visited  the  Waynesboro  church,  Pennsylvania,  in 
order  to  learn  how  one  intern  minister  spends  his 
time.   The  pictures  on  these  pages  tell  the  story. 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


But  Ted  is  also  busy  with  many  others  who  carry  responsibilities  —  the  church  secretary  (upper 
right),  who  types  his  letters;  the  CBYF  (below,  top),  whose  members  he  meets  informally  at  a 
high  school  lunch  period;  and  a  committee  (below,  bottom)  helping  to  plan  the  church  program. 
Some  of  the  young  people,  especially  an  eighteen-year-old  facing  the  draft  (below,  right),  want 
individual  counsel.    Keeping  the  bulletin  board  up  to  date  is  one  of  his  regular  assignments. 


APRIL  30.   I960 


"    « 


Intern  Minister 


An  intern  minister  is  privileged  to  share  in  the  intimate  work  of  a  pastor.  He  can  represent  the 
church  fellowship  as  well  as  his  Lord  when  he  shares  the  precious  communion  service  with  some- 
one who  cannot  get  to  church  (below,  left).  Or  he  may  assist  the  pastor  in  the  assurance-giving 
ministry  of  the  anointing  service  (upper,  right).  Ted  is  also  related  to  the  Christian  education 
program  and  must  confer  often  with  the  Sunday  school  superintendent  and  the  Christian  education 
commission  chairman  (page  9,  upper,  left). 


A  busy  schedule  must  not  crowd  out  opportunities  for  spiritual  growth.  The  seminary  and 
his  pastor-supervisor  guide  him  in  his  reading  and  study  (page  8,  lower,  right)  —  and  they 
encourage  him  to  save  time  for  daily  prayer  and  meditation.  Yet  there  must  be  time  for 
relaxation  —  listening  to  his  favorite  records  and  spending  time  with  his  family  (upper,  right). 

Sometimes  in  his  busy  schedule  —  late  at  night,  if  not  before  —  Ted  looks  thoughtfully  at  the 
report  he  must  send  monthly  to  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary.  What  are  the  experiences  that  have 
helped  him  to  grow  in  his  ministry?  In  what  areas  does  he  feel  the  need  for  more  training? 
So  the  questions  go.  Ted  knows  that  next  year,  his  final  year  at  Bethany,  will  be  no  "ivory 
tower"   of   learning   remote   from   life.     As   an    intern,   he   has   been   learning   while   he   serves. 


LAST  week's  sketches  featured  Carey  and  Judson, 
two  missionary  pioneers  whose  names  are  known 
and  revered  throughout  Protestantism;  this  week's 
treat  two  Brethren  whose  names  are  unknown  outside  of 
our  own  fellowship  but  whose  examples  of  discipleship 
are  no  less  worthy.  While  Carey  and  Judson  were  labor- 
ing in  far-off  India  and  Burma,  their  younger  contempo- 
raries, Kurtz  and  Kline,  were  doing  equally  significant 
though  less  spectacular  pioneering  here  at  home;  the 
Lord's  vineyard  requires  both  sorts  of  workers. 

If,  in  our  present  organization,  the  work  of  Carey  and 
Judson  would  classify  under  the  Foreign  Mission  Com- 
mission, perhaps  John  Kline  could  be  assigned  to  Breth- 
ren Service  and  Henry  Kurtz  to  Christian  Education.  Or, 
to  make  the  distinction  in  a  slightly  different  way:  Henry 
Kurtz  practiced  his  discipleship  in  word,  John  Kline  in 
deed.  This,  of  course,  is  not  to  deny  that  Elder  Kline  — 
eminent  preacher,  itinerant  evangelist,  and  four-time  mod- 
erator of  Annual  Meeting  —  was  not  a  man  of  words,  but 
Henry  Kurtz  —  fifteen-time  secretary  of  Annual  Meeting 
and  father  of  our  modern  church-publishing  interests  — 
has  pre-eminent  claim  to  that  title.  Likewise,  we  would 
not  deny  to  Elder  Kurtz  the  credit  of  his  deeds,  though, 
again,  it  is  John  Kline  who  is  remembered  particularly  for 
what  he  did. 

Henry  Kurtz 

In  1796,  the  same  year  that  William  Carey  baptized 
his  first  mission  convert,  Henry  Kurtz  was  born  in  Binnig- 
heim,  Germany,  and  also  baptized,  for  he  came  from  a 
strong  Lutheran  family.  Kurtz  got  much  more  schooling 
than  did  most  of  the  Brethren  with  whom  he  was  later  to 
be  associated,  receiving  a  German  education  in  prepara- 
tion for  teaching  and  the  ministry. 

Kurtz  emigrated  to  America  at  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  taught  school  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then  was  ordained 
to  the  Lutheran  ministry,  holding  charges  in  Northampton 
County  and  then  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  While  in  the 
Pittsburgh  pastorate,  the  concern  which  ten  years  earlier 
had  changed  Adoniram  Judson  from  a  Congregationalist 
to  a  Baptist  and  led  to  the  founding  of  the  American  Bap- 
tist Missionary  Union  now  changed  Henry  Kurtz  from  a 
Lutheran  to  a  German  Baptist  Brethren  and  led  to  the 
founding  of  Church  of  the  Brethren  publishing  enterprises. 

When,  in  1823,  Kurtz  could  no  longer  accept  infant 
baptism,  he  was  forced  out  of  the  ministry,  moved  to  Ohio, 
and  took  up  farming,  eventually  locating  near  Poland, 
where  he  was  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  baptized 
according  to  the  Brethren  faith  in  1828  and  ordained  to 
the  ministry  two  years  later. 

In  1838  he  made  what  amounted  to  a  foreign  mission 
tour;  on  a  visit  to  his  parents  in  Germany  he  took  a  page 
from  the  career  of  Alexander  Mack  and  preached  the 
Brethren  understanding  of  the  gospel  in  the  territory 
where  Mack  had  preached  over  a  century  before.   Kurtz 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


'$&""%>, 


m&B$Sm 


■ 


mils* 


1; 


■■I 


life: 


■1 


Henry  Kurtz  (1796-1874) 


In  Word 


Vernard  Eller 


made  nine  converts,  most  of  whom 
followed  him  back  to  America. 

Though  a  leader  in  the  life  of  the 
Brotherhood  (as  his  long  service  to 
Annual  Meeting  attests),  Brother 
Kurtz's  most  notable  contribution  was 
made  when,  in  1851,  in  the  loft  of  the 
springhouse  on  his  farm,  he  began 
publication  of  the  Gospel  Visitor,  the 
direct  progenitor  of  the  Messenger  on 
whose  pages  these  words  appear.  But 
the  publication  of  a  church  paper  for 
Brethren  required  more  than  the  lit- 
erary skills  of  a  writer  and  editor 
(which  Kurtz  provided),  more  even 
than  the  professional  skills  of  com- 
positor, proofreader,  pressman,  mail- 
man, and  bookkeeper  (all  of  which 
Kurtz  also  provided);  it  required  all 
the  dedicated  discipleship  that  a 
William  Carey  had  needed  in  selling 
the  idea  of  foreign  missions. 

At  this  time  the  Brethren  were  not 
convinced  that  they  either  needed  or 
wanted  a  church  paper  — in  fact, 
many  were  convinced  that  they  defi- 


John  Kline  (1797-1864) 


and  Deed 


nitely  did  not  want  such.  Only  the 
persistence  of  Henry  Kurtz,  the  mani- 
fest quality  of  his  paper,  and  the  fact 
that  Conference  was  a  little  loath  to 
interfere  with  the  private  business 
enterprise  of  a  member  finally  did  con- 
vince the  Brethren  of  the  value  of  dis- 
cipleship  expressed  in  word. 

But  once  convinced,  the  Brethren 
proceeded  to  make  the  printed  page 
a  major  instrument  of  Christian  educa- 
tion and  nurture,  until  now  we  employ 
a  sizable  staff  of  writers,  editors,  print- 
ers, and  such  to  continue  the  work 
begun  in  the  loft  of  Elder  Kurtz's 
springhouse.  Henry  Kurtz  might  well 
be  named  the  patron  saint  of  our 
Christian  education  program. 

John  Kline 

If  any  person  out  of  Brethren  his- 
tory deserves  the  description  that  was 
first  applied  to  his  Master,  namely, 
that  "he  went  about  doing  good," 
Elder  John  Kline  would  certainly  rank 
high  among  the  contenders.  That  he 
"went  about,"  statistics  alone  will 
make  evident.  Kline  kept  a  detailed 
diary  during  his  thirty-year  ministry 


as  a  preacher  and  evangelist  (the  closest  the  free-min- 
istry Brethren  ever  came  to  duplicating  the  Methodist 
"circuit  rider"),  and  from  this  diary  it  is  estimated  that 
he  traveled  at  least  100,000  miles,  mostly  on  horseback 
(his  favorite  mount,  Nell,  carried  him  30,000).  That  in 
his  going  about  he  was  doing  good,  a  brief  account  of 
his  career  will  make  equally  evident. 

John  Kline  was  just  one  year  younger  than  Henry 
Kurtz,  though  with  that  the  resemblance  of  their  child- 
hoods ends.  Kline  was  born  Brethren,  his  home  a  farm 
in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  of  Virginia.  As  a  Dunker  farm 
boy,  his  formal  schooling  was  practically  nil,  though  his 
diary  and  sermons  demonstrate  that  he  did  a  capable  job 
of  educating  himself  —  and  quite  evidently  the  Bible  was 
his  textbook. 

The  church  called  him  to  the  ministry  comparatively 
late  in  life  —  in  1834,  when  he  was  almost  forty  years  old. 
His  farm  must  have  been  well  established  by  this  time 
and  was  prosperous  enough  that  he  could  afford  to  hire  a 
manager  and  devote  the  major  share  of  his  time  to  his 
ministry.  He  and  his  wife  were  childless,  and  in  later  life 
he  suffered  the  further  burden  that  Sister  Kline's  mind 
became  unbalanced;  at  times  she  did  not  even  recognize 
him. 

If  Elder  Kline's  "going  about  doing  good"  constitutes 
a  pattern  for  our  present-day  Brethren  Service  efforts,  then 
in  this  too  he  realized  that  ministrations  to  the  spirit  and 
to  the  body  belong  together  and  that  both  can  be  of  God. 
Kline  was  a  practitioner  of  herb  medicine  and  used  this 
art  along  with  his  preaching  and  counseling.  Part  of  the 
Civil  War  was  fought  in  Kline's  vicinity,  and  he  took  the 
occasion  to  treat  the  wounded  he  could,  without  regard  to 
color  of  uniform. 

John  Kline  was  also  a  patternmaker  for  Brethren  Serv- 
ice in  his  role  as  peacemaker  and  witness  to  government. 
As  sometime  moderator  of  the  Brotherhood,  as  a  leading 
elder  from  his  section  of  Virginia,  and  simply  as  a  con- 
cerned Christian,  Brother  Kline  was  involved  in  the  Civil 
War  and  in  securing  the  rights  of  Brethren  conscientious 
objectors.  He  probably  did  more  visiting  of  Brethren  boys 
in  prison  and  represented  the  Brethren  in  more  delegations 
to  the  Confederate  government  than  anyone  else  in  the 
church.  On  at  least  one  occasion  he  was  himself  thrown 
into  the  guardhouse  for  his  efforts. 

But  though  concerned  in  the  war,  the  Brethren  did 
not  intend  to  let  their  fellowship  be  affected  by  the  hate 
and  enmity  that  then  prevailed.  It  was  indeed  this  very 
quality  of  living  above  the  battle  that  led  to  Elder  Kline's 
martyrdom.  The  fact  that  he,  a  Virginian,  had  crossed  the 
battle  lines  to  attend  Annual  Meeting  in  Hagerstown,  In- 
diana, and  had  on  other  occasions  failed  to  show  proper 
hatred  toward  Yankees  aroused  certain  "patriotic"  ele- 
ments in  the  neighborhood;  Kline  was  shot  from  ambush 
while  bringing  Nell  home  from  the  blacksmith  shop.   No 

Continued  on  page  20 
APRIL  30,  1960  11 


I  believe  there  has  never  been  a 
good  family  without  an  altar,  for 
it   is   the   family's   unifying   force 


Kermit  Eby 

Drawing  by  Harry  Durkee 
Photo  by  Religious  News  Service 


j 


MitBI 


2)eaA>  Sfiula: 


|  When  I  read  and  reread 
your  letter,  as  concerned  par- 
ents do,  one  paragraph  stood 
out  above  all  others  —  "I'm  con- 
vinced teaching  is  a  twenty- 
four-hour  job  in  our  world 
today,  and  if  some  parents  don't 
wake  up  to  their  part  of  the 
responsibility,  I,  for  one,  could 
not  stay  in  the  profession  for 
life  as  I  feel  too  much  responsi- 
bility for  my  fourth  grade  class 
and  I'm  not  superhuman.    I'd 


A  letter  to  a  young  mother-teacher 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


rather  stay  home  with  my  chil- 
dren and  practice  what  I  preach 
to  other  mothers." 

Now,  Sylvia,  I  think  I  know 
why  you  feel  as  you  do,  and  in- 
creasingly I  share  your  feeling. 
You  see,  I  began  teaching  in 
rural  northern  Indiana,  in  a 
Brethren-Mennonite  communi- 
ty where  the  teacher  was  the 
teacher.  I  had  more  status  than 
salary  and  the  community  re- 
spected me.  If  I  punished  a 
child,  his  family  supported  my 
action.   Most  families,  like  your 


grandparents,  had  a  simple  rule 
of  double  jeopardy  —  a  whip- 
ping in  school  meant  one  at 
home.  But  you,  Sylvia,  have 
no  such  community  sanctions. 
More  often  than  not  the  pupil 
is  right. 

Ours  was  a  third-generation 
community;  Sunnyvale  is  not 
even  a  first.  Your  children  are 
transient;  few  of  their  parents 
have  lived  in  California  for  as 
long  as  ten  years.  Your  children 
are  rootless,  as  their  parents  are 
rootless.  I  remember,  so  vividly 


how  I  felt  when  I  conversed 
with  Bill  about  one  of  your  big 
stores  —  each  person  there,  like 
myself,  was  a  stranger.  There 
was  only  one  unifying  factor  in 
the  whole  experience,  the  need 
or  desire  to  spend  money. 

It  was  the  same  feeling  I  ex- 
perienced, even  more  vividly,  as 
we  drove  down  El  Camino  Real 
on  the  way  to  the  airport  in  San 
Francisco.  The  buildings  which 
lined  the  street  and  the  lights 
which  called  attention  to  them, 
violated  something  very  deep 
within  me.  Everything  seemed 
ephemeral.  Yes,  almost  vulgar. 
The  orange  groves  which  once 
gave  beauty  to  the  landscape 
were  being  uprooted. 

At  times,  I  had  the  feeling 
that  all  that  men  did  to  the 
countryside  was  to  violate  it. 
The  glitter  reminded  me  of 
death.  To  me  there  is  no  life 
without  a  sense  of  permanence 
in  space  to  give  continuity  in 
time.  This  is  why  we  teach  his- 
tory, if  we  teach  it  well  —  to 
help  the  young  understand  that 
infinite  numbers  of  forebears 
have  made  their  contributions 
to  the  present  they  now  enjoy. 

Sylvia,  it  is  because  you  are 
in  a  school  and  a  community 
where  the  individual  is  primary 
and  the  family  and  the  commu- 
nity secondary  that  your  task  is 
so  difficult.  Parents  who  believe 
that  life  has  no  meaning  be- 
yond the  material  are  inclined 
to  place  self  ahead  of  family. 
California  is  the  ultimate  in  the 
sensuous  —  climate,  color,  and 
cars  are  its  gods  —  and  these  are 
ashes  in  the  mouths  of  those  of 
us  who  understand  that  man 
does  not  live  by  self-realization 
and  sensuality  alone.  Even  the 
children  in  your  sensate  culture 
are  created  to  gratify  the  ego. 
But  children  are  not  given  us, 
as  I  have  learned,  to  be  objects 
of  self-realization.  Children  are 
a  part  of  God's  plan  and  are 
given  us  to  fulfill  his  will. 

The  Jews  are  right,  I  believe, 


in  teaching  that  the  family  is 
responsible  for  bringing  up  the 
child  in  the  community  of 
Israel.  God  taught  his  chosen 
to  teach  their  children  in  the 
morning  when  they  rise  up  and 
in  the  evening  when  they  retire 
and  on  the  Sabbath,  which  is 
holy. 

Let's  look  at  the  children  in 
your  classroom.  How  many  of 
them  have  fathers,  let  alone 
teaching  fathers?  I  might  also 
ask,  good,  vigorous  men  teach- 
ers with  ideals?  Children  need 
fathers!  They  are  their  chil- 
dren's first  heroes.  Mothers,  be- 
cause they  bear  us,  are  likely  to 
love  unconditionally,  but  fa- 
thers are  more  remote  —  their 
love  is  conditional,  influenced 
by  the  child's  behavior.  There- 
fore, every  child  needs  the  love 
of  a  mother  plus  the  judgments 
of  a  father. 

Could  it  be,  Sylvia,  that  your 
children's  fathers  are  spiritually 
as  well  as  physically  absent?  Is 
it  that  they  supply  the  money 
and  more  often  than  not  think 
they  are  good  fathers  because 
they  are  good  providers?  They 
give  everything  but  themselves; 
then  they  ask  why  their  chil- 
dren repudiate  them,  just  as  we 
ask  why  the  nations  do  not  love 


us  when  we  feed  them.  Some- 
thing of  the  giver  must  hallow 
the  gift. 

This  I  believe,  my  dear 
daughter:  there  never  has  been 
a  good  family  without  an  altar. 
The  Romans  had  their  Lares 
and  Penates,  the  Jews  their 
Torah,  and  your  ancestors  the 
Bible  and  prayer.  The  altar  is 
the  family's  unifying  force.  To- 
day our  homes  are  altarless. 
Our  families  are,  as  the  sociolo- 
gists describe  them,  atomized. 

Each  individual  comes  and 
goes  at  will  —  the  home  is  a  fill- 
ing station.  Meals  which  once 
were  the  time  when  parents  and 
children  broke  bread  together 
are  now  emotion-packed  and 
tense  with  hurry,  when  they  are 
not  eaten  in  silence  in  front  of 
a  television  set.  Indeed,  if  there 
is  a  center  in  the  home  which 
unites  a  family,  it  is  the  TV  set! 
But  the  unity  it  achieves  is  the 
unity  of  the  irreverent. 

I  do  not  need  to  remind  you, 
a  teacher,  what  your  children 
see  as  they  watch.  You  know! 
Have  you  considered  what  is 
the  impact  on  them  of  the  cal- 
culated violence  your  children 
see?  Think  what  it  means  when 
life  becomes  cheap  and  brutal- 
ity a  common  experience.    Syl- 


Max  Tharpe 

In  the  nurture  of  their  children  parents  are  helped  by  a 
faith  sustained  in  the  fellowship  of  the  church 


APRIL  30,  1960 


13 


via,  in  our  adult  world,  life  is 
held  cheaply,  too;  we  kill  pur- 
posely (or  carelessly).  Each 
year  the  cars  on  our  highways 
slaughter  their  thousands  and 
we  are  unconcerned.  The  life 
snuffed  out  is  not  our  own,  so 
what? 

Too  many  children  today  are 
brought  up  without  respect  for 
elders.  The  American  father,  in 
our  comic  strips,  is  a  boob  or 
worse.  This  is  antithetical  to 
the  development  of  respect,  for, 
actually,  Sylvia,  respect  is  im- 
possible without  reverence,  and 
their  is  little  reverence  without 
God.  Children  need  to  "know 
of  the  starry  heavens  above  and 
the  moral  law  within."  In  our 
secular  culture  there  is  little 
respect  for  our  fellows,  because 
we  respect  neither  God  nor  his 
creation.  There  is  so  little  awe 
today! 

If  I  had  one  wish,  it  would 
be  that  each  child  should  expe- 
rience reverence!  The  rever- 
ence acquired  from  parents  who 
truly  worship,  for  attitudes  are 
more  often  caught  than  taught. 
A  sense  of  awe  can  be  acquired 
early  in  Me.  This  is  why  I  plead 
that  there  is  no  more  significant 
training  for  a  child  than  to  sit 
next  to  his  parents  at  a  worship 
service.  I  would  even  point  out 
that  the  child  should  experience 
the  generations  —  birth,  aging, 
and  death  —  learn  early  that 
time  passes  and  all  men  are 
mortal.  It  is  in  such  experiences 
that  the  child  learns  to  share  his 
loved  ones'  grief  and  hope.  Yes, 
even  before  he  is  old  enough  to 
understand,  he  can  feel  the 
changing  moods  and  mark  the 
passing  of  time. 

Here,  Sylvia,  I  would  call  at- 
tention to  the  Ten  Command- 
ments, so  much  forgotten  these 
days,  and  would  stress  especial- 
ly that  great  truth  found  in  the 
commandment:  "Honor  your 
father  and  your  mother,   that 


n  ■  I 

■■a 


ilpllilBil, 

iimiti 


lit; 


lil 


I  I       1 


In  the  center  of  every  life  as  it  matures  there  needs  to 
be  an  affirmation,  a  faith,  and  God 


14 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


your  days  may  be  long  in  the 
land  which  the  Lord  your  God 
gives  you."  Have  we  American 
parents  failed  —  here  in  this 
land  which  was  established  on  a 
religious  tradition  —  to  imprint 
this  on  our  children's  minds  and 
hearts?  I  see  many  children  ex- 
press lack  of  honor  to  parents 
and  to  God.  Would  you  agree 
that  this  is  a  part  of  our  prob- 
lem? I,  in  turn,  would  reply 
that  we  are  to  honor  our  par- 
ents because  they  are  our  par- 
ents! 

They  gave  us  life,  and,  in  giv- 
ing us  life,  they  fulfilled  the  will 
of  God  by  being  a  link  in  the 
chain  of  being.  Furthermore, 
our  parents  fed  and  sheltered 
us,  and  because  they  gave  us 
birth  and  nurtured  us,  accord- 
ing to  God's  plan,  children 
should  honor  their  parents  by 
passing  on  their  heritage.  Con- 
tinuing, children  also  need  to 
learn  early  that  they  must  make 
a  contribution  to  the  family 
unit.  In  a  sentence,  that  allow- 
ances are  not  matters  of  right, 


but  rewards  for  doing  one's 
share  of  the  chores. 

And  now,  Sylvia,  if  I  may 
express  a  concern,  it  is  the  in- 
ference in  your  letter  that  you 
as  an  individual  are  going  to 
practice  what  you  preach  to 
other  mothers.  Good,  but  this 
you  cannot  do  without  help, 
without  a  faith  sustained  by  a 
fellowship.  And  here  as  bad  as 
some  people  think  it  is,  I  mean 
the  church!  Yes,  I  know  there 
are  hypocrites  in  it!  Yes,  I  pre- 
fer a  fellowship  of  the  com- 
mitted. Yes,  there  are  times 
when  I  would  go  back  to  a 
closed  community,  or  a  modern 
intentional  one! 

I  would  do  this  because  I 
now  know  that  my  greatest  mis- 
take as  a  parent  was  to  assume 
that  family  influences  were  the 
most  important.  They  were  not 
enough,  even  in  spite  of  the 
fact  we  were  regular  Sunday 
school  and  churchgoers  —  start- 
ing from  each  child's  early  days 
and  continuing  throughout  the 

Continued  on  page  21 


Married  Women 
in  Bethlehem 


David  J.  Wieand 


WALKING  down  the  nar- 
row streets  of  Bethlehem 
you  will  pass  several 
women  attired  very  much  like  the 
two  women  in  the  accompanying 
photograph.  This  is  the  tradition- 
al garb  of  the  married  women  of 
Bethlehem.  How  beautiful  it  is! 
A  lace-edged  white  veil  covers  the 
top  of  the  hat  and  falls  down  over 
the  shoulders  and  often  even  to 
the  hem  of  the  dress.  The  tarbush, 
or  hat,  is  red  in  color  and  is  in 
the  shape  of  an  ice-cube  bucket 
turned  upside  down. 

In  the  photograph  the  hats  are 
heavily  adorned  with  imitation 
coins  and  in  one  case  with  a  long 
pendant  which  hangs  down  over 
the  breast.  The  larger  coin  on  a 
necklace  is  worn  by  those  women 
who  are  fortunate  in  having  a  son. 
The  coins  are  part  of  a  bride's 
dowry.  To  lose  one  of  them  was 
at  one  time  considered  a  symbol 
of  lost  virtue.  One  is  reminded 
of  the  industry  of  the  woman  in 
Jesus'  parable  (Luke  15:8-10)  who 
having  lost  a  coin  swept  the  house 
diligently  until  she  had  found  it. 
In  Bible  times  the  use  of  jewelry 
and  of  cosmetics  was  extensive.  In 
the  ruins  of  every  town  excavated 
by  archaeologists  rings,  beads, 
bracelets,  and  anklets  made  of 
every  type  of  durable  material 
available  —  gold,  silver,  copper, 
bone,  and  colored  stones  —  have 
been  found. 

A  cosmetic  bowl  about  four 
inches  in  diameter  was  the  com- 
mon possession  of  most  women  in 
the  days  of  Solomon.  Here  they 
prepared  black  paint  for  eyebrows 


and  eyelashes,  turquoise  for  the 
lower  eyelids  and  red  ochre  for 
the  lips.  Perfumes  and  incense 
from  Arabia  enhanced  the  charms 
of  the  wealthy  matrons  of  Jeru- 
salem. 

In  the  days  of  the  Hebrew  patri- 
archs Abraham's  servant  in  quest 
of  a  wife  for  Isaac  presented 
Rebekah  with  a  gold  ring  for  her 
nose  and  bracelets  for  her  arms 
as  well  as  "other"  gifts  of  jewelry 
of  silver  and  of  gold,  and  raiment. 
No  doubt  these,  together  with  the 
gifts  presented  to  her  brother  and 
mother,  were  part  of  the  purchase 
price  ( see  the  story  of  the  betroth- 
al in  Genesis  24).  At  the  turn  of 
this  century  about  two  thirds  of 


the  price  was  paid  down  and  one 
third  was  payable  to  the  wife  on 
the  death  of  her  husband  or  if  she 
was  divorced  against  her  will. 

The  coiffure  of  women  in  Bible 
times  may  have  been  equally  elab- 
orate and  varied.  Probably  most 
of  the  women  carefully  combed 
their  hair  and  wore  it  long,  falling 
below  the  shoulders.  Neverthe- 
less, elaborate  hair  styles  —  braid- 
ing, parting,  curling,  the  use  of 
bangs,  and  even  bobbing  —  are 
frequent  on  the  plaques  which 
archaeology  has  uncovered.  Even 
though  our  knowledge  of  the  exact 
meanings  of  some  words  is  uncer- 
tain, Isaiah's  description  (Isa.  3: 
16-23)  of  the  frivolous  women  of 
Jerusalem  gives  a  vivid  picture  of 
the  fashions  available  to  the  ladies 
of  his  day. 

Glancing  at  the  photograph 
again  we  note  the  striking  beauty 
of  the  long  flowing  dresses,  or 
kurkahs,  exquisitely  embroidered 
at  the  neck,  in  front,  on  the  arms, 
and  on  the  red  and  yellow  gores 


APRIL  30,  1960 


15 


at  the  side  of  the  skirt.  We  are 
told  that  every  girl  lovingly  em- 
broiders such  a  gown  for  her  hope 
chest.  Normally  the  peasant  wom- 
an possesses  but  one  dress,  which 
functions  also  as  a  maternity 
gown.  The  magnificent  bib  in 
front  is  of  rich  red  and  yellow. 

In  ancient  times  the  tunic  or 
dress  would  seem  to  have  been 
somewhat  less  flowing  than  its 
modern  counterpart,  though  it  too 
on  some  of  the  reliefs  is  decorated 
at  the  neck  and  at  the  bottom  and 
occasionally  rather  heavily  em- 
broidered in  vertical  panels.  One 
is  reminded  of  Joseph's  coat  of 
many  colors.  Over  the  tunic  the 
Israelite  frequently  wore  a  simlah, 
or  cloak,  of  wool  or  linen,  open  in 
front,  fairly  close  fitting,  decorated 
at  the  top  and  bottom. 

Within  the  bounds  of  available 
materials,  colors,  cosmetics,  and 
jewelry  the  women  of  Bible  times 
exercised  considerable  ingenuity 
in  adorning  themselves  for  their 
husbands.  In  contrast  to  the  Old, 
the  New  Testament  enjoins  wom- 
en to  adorn  themselves  modestly 
and  sensibly  (1  Tim.  2:9-10)  and 
emphasizes  the  importance  of  the 
beauty  of  the  heart  (1  Peter  3:3-4). 


If  I  Should  Die 

Continued  from  page  4 

deserve  to  be  accepted  and 
even  glorified  along  with  the  won- 
ders and  adventures  of  delicious 
youth.  Perhaps  it  is  fitting  to  say 
that  premature  youthful  death  is 
outside  God's  loving  plan,  but  can 
and  does  happen  because  of  man's 
ignorance  and/or  sin. 

Though  ninety-five  per  cent  of 
human  births  are  normal  and  un- 
eventful, yet  we  still  plan  hospital 
deliveries  particularly  and  espe- 
cially for  the  five  per  cent  of  births 
that  are  abnormal.  Why  cannot 
we  accept  the  fact  that  our  Chris- 
tian stewardship  demands  that 
we  must  plan  for  the  possible  un- 
expected and  unusual  termination 
of  youthful  life?  We  are  very 
ostrichlike  in  pretending  that  if 
we  stick  our  heads  in  the  sand  the 
possibility  of  youthful  death  will 
go  away. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


At  the  time  of  this  writing,  the 
joyous  day  following  the  birth  of 
our  fifth  adored  and  welcomed 
child,  I  shed  a  flood  of  spontane- 
ous, sympathetic  tears  —  not  tears 
of  joy  because  of  the  baby,  but 
tears  of  sorrow  because  today  was 
to  have  been  the  wedding  day  of 
the  gracious  young  nurse  talcing 
care  of  me.  But  her  fiance  was 
killed  in  an  airplane  crash  a  month 
ago  and  this  "happy  wedding  day" 
on  December  5,  1959,  is  not  to  be. 

I  could  not  think  of  a  single  rea- 
son why  I  should  be  blessed  with 
a  wonderful  living  husband  and 
five  healthy  children  and  she 
should  be  so  deprived  at  the  very 
threshold  of  young  womanhood. 
But  I  do  feel  a  keen  sense  of  re- 
sponsibility to  face  the  fact  that 
it  might  have  happened  to  my 
husband  or  to  me  as  we  flew 
abroad  to  direct  an  international 
work  camp  this  summer.  And  I 
feel  thankful  that  we  did  take  the 
step  of  making  out  a  will  and  ap- 
pointing a  trusted  guardian  before 
we  left  Idlewild  airport. 

I  hope  few  readers  will  wait  for 
an  anticipated  trip  abroad  or  some 
other  unusual  situation  before 
they  plan  for  the  guardianship  of 
their  children  through  a  will.  We 
are  not  responsible  for  what  the 
other  car  does  to  us  on  the  high- 
way but  we  are  responsible  for 
what  we  do  before  we  go  out  on 
the  highway.  And  many  a  man 
drops  dead  tending  flowers  in  his 
own  back  yard.  It  may  be  later 
than  we  think.  This  moment  is  all 
we  have.  The  next  moment  is  in 
God's  hands;  the  next  move  is  his. 
Therefore,  there  is  no  room  for 
fear.  But  there  is  plenty  of  room 
for  us  to  use  the  minds  that  God 
has  given  us  —  to  use  them  to 
think  and  plan  ahead.  Is  not 
our  children's  future  important 
enough  to  deserve  top  priority  in 
our  planning? 

Young  parents  may  feel  that  the 
value  of  their  material  possessions 
is  very  small.  But  one  mother 
said,  "I  have  no  jewels  or  mink 
coat.  My  children  are  my  jewels 
and  my  mink  coat."  And  it  is  true, 
is  it  not?  Our  children  are  far 
more  precious  than  jewels  or  mink 
coats.  Who  says  we  have  nothing 
to  will  anyone?   The  human  per- 


sonality is  the  most  precious! 
thing  on  earth.  How  horrifying  it 
was  when  even  King  Midas'  child; 
turned  to  gold  at  his  gilded  touch!: 
What  a  terrifying  fate  for  the 
child,  and  how  heartbreakingly 
foolish  for  King  Midas  to  find 
gold  more  precious  than  the  liv- 
ing stream  of  human  personality! 
The  intent  of  this  article  is 
not  to  make  the  reader  con- 
cerned about  the  disposition  of  his 
material  goods  but  rather  the  dis- 
position of  his  spiritual  goods. 
Indeed,  the  only  reason  the  Chris- 
tian church  has  anything  at  all  to 
say  about  the  willing  of  material 
things  is  that  these  things  can  con- 
tribute to  the  spiritual  growth  of 
Christian  personality.  Because  the 
Christian  parent  is  concerned  with 
his  primary  stewardship  responsi- 
bility, the  Christian  nurture  of  his 
children,  he  will  want  to  make  a 
will  so  that  his  money  can  con- 
tribute in  a  maximum  way  to  that 
Christian  nurture. 

He  will  not  want  the  money  his 
children  need  in  order  to  grow  up 
"into  the  measure  of  the  stature  of 
the  fullness  of  Christ"  to  be  eaten 
up  by  court  costs  simply  because 
he  lacked  the  foresight,  personal 
discipline,  and  business  sense  to 
make  a  will  which  would  have 
eliminated  many  of  these  costs. 

There  is  a  way  to  face  with 
tranquillity  the  uncertainties  in 
the  future.  We  can  give  our  chil- 
dren the  best  insurance  that  exists. 
We  can  choose  for  them  in  ad- 
vance a  substitute  set  of  loving 
parents  who  will  take  our  place  — 
if  we  should  die. 


Dr.  Edwin  T.  Dahlberg,  president 
of  the  National  Council  of  Churches: 
"While  the  great  bloc  of  humanity 
known  as  mainland  China  is  definite- 
ly under  Communist  control,  most 
of  the  other  Asiatic  peoples  are  as 
concerned  about  a  free  and  demo- 
cratic society  as  we  are.  Their  prob- 
lem is  how  to  build  up  their  economy 
and  educational  resources  sufficient- 
ly so  that  they  can  do  away  with 
hunger,  poverty,  disease,  and  illiter- 
acy. If  we  will  only  help  them  at 
this  point  we  will  do  more  to  defeat 
communism  and  insure  world  peace 
than  by  any  number  of  military 
missions." 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


E.  F.  Weaver  of  Fruita,  Colo.,  died  on  March  25, 
according  to  word  received  recently. 

The  cornerstone  for  the  new  church  house  of  the 
Brownsville  congregation  will  be  laid,  Sunday,  May  1. 
Newton  L.  Poling  is  the  pastor. 

J.  Rodney  Davis  of  La  Verne,  Calif.,  has  accepted 
the  call  of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board  to  serve  as 
director  of  volunteer  services.  He  will  assume  this  posi- 
tion on  Oct.  1,  1960.  Joel  Thompson,  missionary  under 
appointment,  is  currently  serving  as  interim  director. 

Boulder  Hill  Neighborhood  church,  Aurora,  in  the 
Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin  District,  will  have  a 
ground-breaking  ceremony  on  Sunday  morning,  May 
1,  in  preparation  for  the  construction  of  a  church.  The 
congregation  since  its  beginning  two  years  ago  has  been 
worshiping  in  temporary  quarters. 

William  Schuhle,  chairman  of  the  division  of  social 
sciences  at  Manchester  College,  has  been  awarded  a 
scholarship  to  attend  a  Danforth  Foundation  Seminar 
on  Value  Perspectives  in  College  Teaching.  The  sem- 
inar will  be  held  at  Michigan  State  University,  June 
20  —  July  1.  The  purpose  of  the  seminar  is  to  study  the 
place  of  values  in  the  teaching  and  learning  process 
and  in  the  lives  of  students  and  teachers  in  a  campus 
situation. 


Education  for  Mission  Today  is  the  theme  of  a 
special  issue  of  the  International  Journal  of  Religious 
Education  appearing  in  May.  Its  fifteen  articles  and 
features,  written  by  leaders  in  mission  education,  are 
designed  to  help  all  of  us  "catch  a  new  vision  of  the 
church's  mission  and  become  personally  involved  in  it." 
This  issue  is  highly  recommended  as  a  practical  tool  for 
working  with  various  age  groups  in  local  situations. 
Each  district  director  of  mission  education  will  receive 
a  complimentary  copy  and  descriptive  fliers  for  mailing 
to  all  local  churches. 

The  Mack  Religious  Book  Store,  located  at  118 
Market  St.,  Johnstown,  Pa.,  closed  its  fifth  year  of 
successful  operation  on  March  31.  The  store,  owned 
and  operated  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  with 
Ernest  S.  Statler  as  manager,  opened  for  business  on 
April  1,  1955,  at  115  Market  Street.  Because  of  the 
growth  of  its  service  and  the  need  for  extended  facil- 
ities, the  store  was  moved  on  July  1,  1959,  to  a  new 
location  across  the  street  where  the  floor  space  was 
tripled.  Although  the  store  is  owned  by  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  it  serves  churches  of  all  Protestant  de- 
nominations over  a  five-county  area. 

Anniversaries 

Sipesville  church,  Western  Pennsylvania,  will  ob- 
serve its  one-hundredth  anniversary  with  services  on 
May  13-15.  On  Friday  evening,  May  13,  the  commu- 
nity churches  will  participate;  on  Saturday  evening, 
J.  Lloyd  Nedrow,  a  former  pastor,  will  speak;  and  on 
Sunday  services  will  be  held  morning,  afternoon  and 
evening.  Those  taking  part  are  all  former  pastors, 
Cecil  O.  Showalter,  Eli  S.  Keeny,  and  H.  Q.  Rhodes. 
Special  music  will  be  furnished  by  the  men's  chorus  of 
the  Meyersdale  church,  Pa. 


The  Call  to  Discipleship  —  Daily  Prayer  Guide 

Thank  God  for: 

May  2  His  love Matt.  7:7-11 

3  His  compassion Acts  3:1-10 

4  His  mercy Psalm  103 

5  His  presence  Psalm  23 

6  His  guidance   Luke  22:31;  John  17:6-10 

7  His  strength  Eph.  6:10-20 

8  His  will Romans  12 

Changes  of  Address 

Ralph  E.  Turnidge,  to  2005  Fifth  Ave.,  Seatde  1, 
Wash.  Brother  Turnidge  recently  became  executive 
secretary  of  the  Washington-Northern  Idaho  Council 
of  Churches. 

Earl  K.  Ziegler,  from  Woodbury,  Pa.,  to  Brodbecks, 
Pa.  Brother  Ziegler  has  become  the  first  full-time 
pastor  of  the  Upper  Codorus  congregation  in  Southern 
Pennsylvania.  Until  April  1  the  congregation  had  been 
served  well  by  the  free  ministry.  Noah  Sellers,  mod- 
erator, is  retiring  after  forty-two  years  in  the  active 
ministry. 

The  Church  Calendar 
May  1 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  The  Pure  in  Heart.  Matt.  5:8, 
27-37;  23:25-26;  Luke  2:52;  9:61-62;  Phil.  4:8. 
Memory  Selection:  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for 
they  shall  see  God.    Matt.  5:8  (R.S.V.) 

May  1-8  National  Family  Week 

May  6  May  Fellowship  Day 

May  8  Mother's  Day 

May  13-15  Mardela  and  Eastern  Maryland  recreation 

leaders'  laboratory,  Camp  Mardela 
May  7  North  Atlantic  youth  work  camp,  Germantown 
May  22  Rural  Life  Sunday 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 

Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Rocky 
Mount  church,  Va.,  May  30  —  June  5. 

Bro.  Chalmer  G.  Shull  of  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  in 
the  Marion  church,  Ohio,  May  13-15. 

Bro.  Robert  G.  Mock  of  New  Windsor,  Md.,  in  the  Sams 
Creek  church,  Md.,  May  15-22. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Fourteen  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the 
Champaign  church,  111.  Seven  baptized  and  two  received 
by  letter  in  the  Piqua  church,  Ohio.  Seven  baptized  in  the 
Poplar  Ridge  church,  Ohio.  Four  baptized  and  one  received 
by  letter  in  the  Prices  Creek  church,  Ohio.  Ten  baptized 
and  five  received  by  letter  in  the  West  Branch  church,  111. 

Twelve  baptized  and  twelve  received  by  letter  in  the 
Memorial  church,  Martinsburg,  Pa.  Ten  baptized  and  three 
received  by  letter  in  the  Swatara  Hill  church,  Pa.  Three 
baptized  in  die  Bethel  house,  Yellow  Creek  congregation, 
Pa. 

Four  baptized  in  the  Maple  Grove  church,  N.  C. 


APRIL  30,  1960 


17 


The  marks  of  the  usual  Ecuadorian  Indian  home  are  the        A   progressive   Protestant   family   occupies   this   house 
walls  without  windows,  no  chimney,  no  piped-in  water        which    is   the   only    one   to   have    water   piped   to    it 


"We  meet  them  on  the  road 


Estella  Horning 


THE  new  missionary  home  caused  quite  a 
stir  in  the  community.  A  bus  driver  asked 
about  its  owner.  On  being  told  the  house 
was  for  Rolland  Flory,  he  protested,  "But  he's 
the  chairman  of  the  mission!" 

Two  Indian  Christians  who  were  in  charge 
of  building  the  house  expressed  concern  that 
there  had  been  an  error  in  the  measurements. 
They  noticed  that  it  was  "little  larger  than  the 
average  Indian  home." 

There  was  no  error.  This  new  house  is  the 
fruit  of  the  thinking  and  dreams  of  the  mission- 
aries of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Ecuador, 
who  have  felt  a  sense  of  separation  from  the 
people  and  a  longing  to  live  closer  to  them  in 
every  possible  way.  It  is  built  in  the  commu- 
nity of  Llano  Grande  on  the  main  road  to  the 
valley,  a  dirt  road  and  much  traveled  bus  route. 
It  is  one  of  many  similar  small  houses  which  dot 
the  countryside,  being  located  in  an  Indian  area 
which  has  been  somewhat  unfriendly  to  the 
mission. 

The  new  residence  was  completed  in  Octo- 
ber 1959,  in  order  to  make  room  for  an  additional 
missionary  family  coming  to  the  field.  The 
house  is  a  simple  three-room  structure  with  con- 
crete floors.    The  foundation  is  of  local  stone, 

18  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Homes  for  mission  personnel  in  Ecuador 

are  being  built  in  the  Indian  community 

so  that  the  missionary  may  live  close 

to  the  people 

and  the  walls  of  adobe,  reinforced  at  the  doors 
and  windows  with  locally  made  brick.  The  roof 
is  of  red  tile,  also  locally  made  and  commonly 
used.  The  outside  is  brightened  with  a  covering 
of  whitewash.  At  present  the  new  little  house 
is  occupied  by  Rolland  and  Jo  Flory  and  their 
two  sons,  Jim  and  Johnny. 

When  Brethren  began  their  mission  work  in 
Ecuador  some  thirteen  years  ago,  careful  con- 
sideration was  given  to  housing  for  missionaries. 
At  first  there  was  some  thought  of  using  an  old 
house  on  the  property  bought  by  the  mission 
with  only  some  simple  remodeling.  After  care- 
ful consultation  with  visiting  board  members,  it 
was  recommended  that  the  old  Spanish  structure 
be  thoroughly  remodeled,  and  that  a  three-room 
extension  be  placed  on  one  end  of  the  house. 

The  resulting  home  is  light  and  spacious  and 
pleasant  to  live  in.  A  modern  bathroom  was 
installed,  although  for  many  years  there  was  not 
enough  water  available  to  keep  it  in  operation. 
A  farm-type  kitchen  was  constructed  with  a 
wood  range  and  attached  built-in  hot  water 
tank.  An  electric  plant  was  installed  so  there 
would  be  good  light  available  in  the  evening 
hours. 

When  housing  was  needed  for  a  second  mis- 
sionary family,  careful  study  indicated  that  the 


most  economical  answer  would  be  a  house  on 
the  same  property  where  the  same  electrical 
facilities  could  be  used  by  both  families.  After 
the  construction  was  under  way  and  there  was 
a  possibility  of  a  third  family  being  assigned  to 
the  field,  it  was  discovered  that  the  chosen  hill- 
side location  would  make  it  feasible,  with  rela- 
tively little  additional  expense,  to  build  an 
apartment  below  the  house  under  construction 
in  what  would  have  been  the  basement,  using 
common  foundations,  plumbing  and  electricity. 

In  many  respects  the  two  apartments  fol- 
lowed the  pattern  of  the  first,  and  the  results 
were  also  light  and  spacious  and  comfortable. 
Thus  it  occurred  that  there  were  three  mission- 
ary homes  on  one  location,  and  the  missionaries 
found  themselves  on  a  small  mission  compound, 
a  development  which  was  felt  undesirable  at  a 
later  date. 

In  the  years  that  followed  some  missionaries 
left  the  field  and  other  new  ones  arrived,  and  it 
was  always  most  economical  and  convenient  to 
fill  the  three  available  residences.  Many  times 
the  missionaries  discussed  the  desirability  of 
living  in  more  scattered  places  and  closer  to  the 
people  of  the  community,  but  always  the  ques- 


Indian  neighbors  stop  to  talk  with  Rolland  and  Jo 
Flory  by  the  garden  plot  in  front  of  their  new  house 


The  new  missionary  house,  though  it  has  windows  and 
a  chimney,  is  similar  to  those  of  the  Ecuadorians 


APRIL  30.  1960 


19 


tion  arose  as  to  what  could  be 
done  with  the  housing  already 
available.  It  was  not  suitable 
for  Ecuadorian  families  to  live 
in,  for  none  could  afford  to  keep 
the  hardwood  floors  polished,  to 
curtain  the  many  windows,  or 
to  purchase  the  costly  firewood 
to  use  in  its  wood  ranges  and 
fireplaces. 

The  new  house  was  planned 
with  the  thought  that  it  should 
be  suitable  living  quarters  for 
either  missionaries  or  nationals, 
depending  on  the  need,  and 
missionaries  could  feel  free  to 
move  into  other  areas  to  work 
as  the  need  arose.  Also  in  the 
thinking  of  the  missionaries  was 
the  idea  that  it  should  be  more 
accessible  to  the  people.  In 
many  respects  the  new  resi- 
dence is  exactly  like  all  the 
neighboring  houses  of  our  Que- 
chua  people.  In  some  signifi- 
cant aspects  it  is  quite  distinct. 

The  construction  has  been 
purposely  made  similar  to  the 
customary  type  of  construction 
for  Indian  homes  of  this  area. 
There  were  two  chief  reasons 
for  this  decision.  One  was  econ- 
omy, for  there  were  no  officially 
approved  funds  for  another  mis- 
sion home  in  this  area.  But  far 
more  important,  it  was  made 
similar  to  their  homes  for  the 
teaching  value  of  its  healthful 
improvements  that  could  be 
copied. 

Clearly,  we  cannot  teach  by 
simply  copying  a  primitive  peo- 
ple, and  for  that  reason  there 
are  some  significant  differences 
between  this  home  and  the 
other  little  whitewashed  houses 
with  red  tile  roofs  that  stand 
around  it.  One  of  the  obvious 
differences  was  vividly  de- 
scribed by  some  little  Indian 
girls  who  were  overheard  along 
the  road  calling  it  "the  house 
with  the  windows."  There  are 
five  large  windows,  one  in  each 
of  the  two  small  bedrooms,  and 


three  in  the  main  room  which 
serves  as  a  hving  room-dining 
room-kitchen.  The  ordinary 
Indian  home  may  be  without 
windows,  or  may  have  only  one 
or  two  small  holes  with  wooden 
shutters  which  are  often  closed 
to  keep  out  the  cold  or  for  the 
sake  of  security. 

The  mission  home  has  con- 
crete floors  instead  of  the 
packed  earth  which  is  more 
common.  The  new  house  has 
a  ceiling,  a  fireplace,  and  a 
chimney,  whereas  the  Indian 
homes  are  arranged  to  build  a 
fire  on  the  floor  with  the  smoke 
passing  out  between  the  tiles  of 
the  roof,  usually  leaving  the 
room  filled  with  smoke. 

The  Flory  home  has  water 
piped  into  the  house,  a  simple 
sink,  and  a  drain  that  permits 
waste  water  to  be  used  for  ir- 
rigating flowers  and  a  small 
vegetable  garden.  A  few  Indian 
homes  now  have  water  piped  to 
their  door,  but  it  is  still  far 
more  common  for  the  Indian 
women  to  carry  water  for  home 
use  long  distances  on  their 
backs. 

Also  the  new  home  has  an 
outhouse.  Up  to  the  present 
time  there  are  only  two  families 
in  the  community  who  have  this 
type  of  toilet  facilities  where 
they  were  not  constructed  by 


missionaries.  Both  of  the  fam- 
ilies who  have  built  their  own 
outhouses  are  Indian  church 
members  who,  after  casting! 
aside  their  old  ways  of  habitual 
drunkenness,  are  eager  to  spend 
their  earnings  for  better  hving 
conditions  for  their  families. 

The  Flory  family  is  happy  in 
the  new  setting.  Many  people 
stop  in  to  visit  them;  others  stop 
along  the  road  to  ask  questions 
about  the  demonstration  garden 
plot  in  their  front  yard;  some 
who  were  fearful  are  learning 
that  they  have  nothing  to  fear 
from  these  gringos  who  are  hv- 
ing among  them.  Mrs.  Flory 
says,  "The  people  who  opposed 
us  so  bitterly  are  certainly  learn- 
ing to  know  us.  We  meet  them 
on  the  road  four  times  every 
day." 

The  Ecuador  missionaries  feel 
that  the  new  missionary  resi- 
dence is  one  more  step  in  the 
increasing  outreach  of  the  mis- 
sion in  Ecuador. 


In  Word  and  Deed 

Continued  from  page  11 

one  was  ever  indicted  for  the 
crime,  but  tradition  has  it  that 
at  least  some  members  of  the 
families  involved  later  joined 
the  Brethren. 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


The  Florys  invite  their  Indian  neighbors  and  friends  to  a  housewarming 


Surely  in  his  ministry  to 
vj  bodies,  minds,  and  spirits  and 
;; w  in  his  witness  for  peace  and 
:; !  reconciliation,  in  his  death  as 
i  i  in  his  life,  John  Kline  qualified 
i:  j  as  patron  saint  of  the  Brethren 
.    Service  program. 

But  in  another  sense,  it  is 
:«  misleading  to  read  our  modern 
:|1  organizational  categories  back 
:  into  the  careers  of  either  Henry 
Kurtz  or  John  Kline.  These 
\]  brethren  were  striving  only  to 
rjj  live  out  a  worthy  discipleship  in 
M  word  and  in  deed.  And  whether 
1  it  was  the  Master's  will  that  the 
.  I  j  character  of  this  service  be  for- 
■|j  eign  missions,  or  Christian  edu- 
:  cation,  or  Brethren  service  was 
I  completely  incidental.  And  so 
(I  should  be  our  discipleship; 
I  "having  gifts  that  differ  accord- 
1  ing  to  the  grace  given  to  us,  let 
[i  us  use  them." 

I  Dear  Sylvia: 

Continued  from  page  14 

years.  There  was  also  society, 
the  world  of  the  peer  group.  "Ev- 
eryone is  doing  it,"  you  used  to 
say. 

Children  are  instinctively  reli- 
gious. They  believe  and  trust. 
Perhaps  this  is  what  Jesus  meant 
when  he  asked  us  to  become  as  a 
little  child.  It  is  my  belief,  there- 
fore, if  you  would  have  the  kind  of 
children  in  home  and  school  that 
you  want,  it  is  on  this  faith  of  your 
children  that  you  must  build.  To 
neglect  it  is  to  do  so  at  your  peril, 
for  at  the  center  of  every  life  as  it 
matures  there  needs  to  be  an  affir- 
mation, a  faith,  and  God.  Deny 
this  and  there  develops  a  person 
who  is  likely  to  be  conscienceless 
and  unconcerned. 

Many  times,  as  I  reflected  on 
your  letter,  I  thought  of  Mother 
and  my  solicitude  for  our  chil- 
dren's food,  health,  shelter,  educa- 
tion, clothing,  and  recreation,  and, 
also,  of  our  insistence  on  Sunday 
school  and  church.  We  wanted 
your  spiritual  diet  to  be  healthy, 
too,  but  I  sometimes  think  we  did 
not  build  enough  defenses  against 
the  secular  influences  which  are  so 
pervasive.  Maybe  we  put  too 
much  emphasis  on  responsibility 


and  gave  spiritual  nurture  second 
place  in  the  home.  Now,  I  would 
put  first  things  first! 

Writing  as  a  father,  not  as  a  so- 
cial scientist,  I  might  even  confess 
that  too  often  I  gave  priority  to 
outside  needs  —  to  unions  and  pol- 
itics. (For  this  I  do  not  apologize 
—  the  work  of  the  world  has  to  be 
done. )  I  only  suggest,  as  I  reflect, 
that  you  examine  your  priorities 
and  thus  achieve  a  better  balance. 
I  hope  you  can. 

As  for  me,  if  I  could  live  life 
over  again  (which  none  of  us  can), 
I  would  reserve  a  certain  part  of 
each  day  for  the  family  altar.  At 
least  thirty  minutes  would  be  un- 
interrupted. In  this  dedicated  half 
hour,  father,  mother,  and  children 
would  be  as  one  in  the  presence  of 
God.  This  shutting  out  of  the 
world  I  would  covet  as  a  pearl  of 
great  price. 

And  next  to  this  I  would  try  to 
listen  to  good  music,  and,  as  much 
as  time  would  permit,  I  would 
read  the  Bible  and  other  great 
books  aloud  to  my  children.  Fi- 
nally, though  it  may  seem  a  sim- 
ple   conclusion,    I    would   try   to 


preserve  time  for  my  children  and 
wife  when  not  tired.  It's  odd,  but 
we  so  often  give  those  who  are 
dearest  and  most  precious  to  us 
our  emotional  leftovers. 

For  your  Mother  and  Father 
there  is  no  second  chance,  except 
as  you  and  yours  give  it  to  us. 
For  this  we  are  grateful.  We  are 
grateful,  too,  and  rejoice  in  your 
tolerance,  your  sense  of  responsi- 
bility, and  your  dedication  to 
family  and  society. 

My  sincere  love, 

3>ad 


Dr.  Caradine  R.  Hooton,  general 
secretary,  Methodist  Board  of  Tem- 
perance: "The  Christian  can  and 
should  apply  his  faith  to  the  every- 
day mechanics  of  political  organiza- 
tion of  social  action.  All  too  often 
religion  is  waved  from  the  platform 
with  motherhood  and  the  flag.  If 
we  don't  mix  politics  and  religion, 
then  we  leave  society  to  the  judg- 
ments and  decisions  of  the  merciless. 
Christians  have  no  right  to  separate 
themselves  from  the  political  process 
so  as  to  leave  government  to  selfish 
creatures." 


Late-April  Snow 

ORA  W.  GARBER 

Who  would  have  thought  that  this  late-April  snow. 
Which  covered  springtime's  green  with  softest  white. 
Could  bring  into  some  lives  a  cheering  glow 
Or  give  to  them  a  sense  of  sheer  delight? 

Although  there  came  to  some  a  deep  concern 
As  cold  winds  blew  and  swirling  snowflakes  fell. 
The  winter's  unexpected,  brief  return 
Brought  others  joy  beyond  their  power  to  tell. 

In  youth,  made  glad  by  Nature's  changing  mood. 
There  was  rejoicing  at  this  novel  thing. 
Unlike  their  elders,  they  are  so  endued 
That  they  can  revel  in  the  whims  of  spring. 

Late-blooming  wild  flowers  secretly  rejoiced 
That  there  were  added  hours  of  restful  sleep 
Before  that  final  summons  should  be  voiced 
To  fateful  trysts  they  sensed  that  they  must  keep. 

And  thus  it  was  that  this  late-April  snow. 

Which  covered  springtime's  green  with  softest  white. 

Brought  into  many  lives  a  cheering  glow 

And  gave  to  them  a  sense  of  sheer  delight. 


APRIL  30,  1960 


21 


at* 
Iff 


"That  won't  make  you  an  Olympic  star,  but 
it  will  bring  relief,"  Mr.  Robert  Shestack,  physical 
therapist,  tells  Mrs.  Bessie  Mancha  as  she  receives 
electrical  treatment  for  a  nerve  injury  in  the  wrist 


►  Fifteen  or  twenty  aches  and  pains  a  day  are  allevi- 
ated without  a  groan  at  a  Brethren  home  for  the 
aging.    And  without  pills  or  shots,  too. 

That  is  the  record  achieved  through  the  physical 
therapy  and  rehabilitation  program  at  Fahrney-Keedy 
Memorial  Home,  Boonesboro,  Md.  Such  a  program  is 
an  innovation  among  Brethren  homes.  Now  in  its  ! 
second  year  at  Fahrney-Keedy,  the  physical  therapy 
department  has  treated  more  than  6,000  ailments,  all 
upon  recommendation  of  medical  doctors. 

"Seventy-  to  ninety-year-olds  appreciate  the  pro- 
gram because  it  brings  treatment  with  a  minimum  of 
exertion,"  explained  Physical  Therapist  Robert  Shestack, 
who  in  co-operation  with  the  trustees  and  management 
helped  the  Fahrney-Keedy  home  establish  its  physical 
therapy  departmeant.  Mr.  Shestack  leaves  his  work  at 
hospitals  in  Hagerstown  and  Martinsburg  a  day  a  week 
to  serve  as  consultant  to  Miss  Martha  Haynes,  full-time 
physical  therapist  aide  at  Fahrney-Keedy. 

Equipment  in  the  several  therapy  rooms  includes 
a  molten  paraffin  bath  for  bringing  relief  to  arthritic 
hands,  a  microwave  diathermy,  a  galvanic  generator  for 
electrical  stimulation,  a  cervical  traction  apparatus,  an 
ultrasonic  device  (for  treatment  by  sound  waves) ,  and  a 
"hydrocollator"  which  provides  wet  heat  packs.  The 
facilities  compare  with  those  found  in  a  200-bed  hos- 
pital, Mr.  Shestack  commented. 

The  arresting  of  crippling  pain  is  a  service  which 
George  and  Betty  Kunz,  directors  of  the  Fahrney-Keedy 
Home,  look  upon  as  basic  if  the  health  and  well-being 
of  the  aging  are  to  be  upheld. 


Crippling  Pain 


Therapy  treatments  mean  residents 

of  one  Brethren  home  no  longer  need  be 

bundled  off  to  a  hospital  to  ease 

many  types  of  pain.    Facilities  like 

these  point  to  a  trend  toward  more  varied 

services  to  care  for  the  church's  aging 


Mrs.  William   Strite,  who  with  her  husband 

celebrated  recently  their  sixty-second  wedding 

anniversary,   gets   ultrasonic  treatment  for  an 

elbow  injury  from  Mr.  Shestack 


■     .'  .::■■■   .  :.:     : 

:  ■  '■  :   :  :: 


22 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


nam 


llllliljsllp 


HMNH 


— 


A  massage  by  the  physical  therapist  aide, 
Martha  Haynes,  follows  infrared  treatment  for 
Miss  Mary  Benedict,  ninety-six 


William  Strite  demonstrates  one  of  the  less 
technical  aids  to  physical  therapy  —  the  shoulder 
wheel 


Photos  by  Brethren  News  Service 


Miss  Haynes  adjusts  apparatus  which  affords 
William   E.   Shindle  a  baking   treatment   for 
arthritic  knees.    Fahrney-Keedy's  physical  therapy 
treatments  total  five  hundred  per  month 


APRIL  30,  1960 


23 


CONFERENCE  BUSINESS 


Unfinished  Business 

Church  Membership  Training 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
shares  the  concern  of  the  query  that 
our  congregations  provide  adequate 
membership  training  for  all  who  are 
received  into  the  church.  This  is  a 
vital  part  of  the  teaching  ministry 
and  should  be  the  responsibility  of 
the  congregation.  It  should  be  the 
duty  of  the  pastor  to  take  the  lead 
in  developing  a  systematic  program 
of  membership  training.  It  is  essen- 
tial, however,  that  the  program  be 
developed  in  co-operation  with  the 
local  Christian  education  commission 
so  that  a  high  degree  of  correlation 
exists  between  "membership  train- 
ing" and  the  ongoing  church  school 
curriculum. 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
feels  that  the  lack  of  a  sense  of  re- 
sponsibility for  providing  member- 
ship training  in  many  of  our  congre- 
gations is  as  serious  as  our  lack  of 
instructional  materials.  Therefore, 
the  board  encourages  each  congrega- 
tion not  now  doing  so  to  inaugurate 
a  program  of  membership  training  at 
the  earliest  opportunity  —  using  our 
present  materials,  by  creating  their 
own  materials,  or  by  adapting  other 
materials  to  meet  their  specific  pur- 
poses. 

It  shall  be  the  purpose  of  the  Gen- 
eral Brotherhood  Board,  however,  to 
prepare  as  soon  as  possible  additional 
materials  for  congregational  use 
along  the  following  lines: 

1.  A  loose-leaf  type  manual  for  the 
pastor.  This  shall  be  a  compre- 
hensive guide  that  will  bring  all 
available  materials  together  in  a 
unified  manner,  and  provide  the 
opportunity  for  supplementary  ma- 
terials as  seems  wise. 

The  guide  shall  include:  (1)  a  list 
of  all  our  church  membership  ma- 
terials; (2)  a  list  of  basic  resource 
materials  for  older  children,  junior 
highs,  youth  and  adults;  (3)  a  de- 
scriptive list  of  the  units  in  our 
church  school  curriculum  related 
to  church  membership;  (4)  sugges- 
tions on  how  to  relate  the  teaching 
in  the  church  school  units  to  that 
done  in  church  membership  classes; 
(5)  a  church  membership  course  for 
use  with  third-year  juniors  and  jun- 
ior highs;  and  (6)  a  basic  outline 
for  an  adult  membership  study  class, 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


with  specific  suggestions  regarding 
ways  in  which  the  course  may  be  ex- 
panded and  adapted  to  different 
situations. 

2.  A  study  guide  for  use  with 
junior  high  and/or  third-year  junior 
pupils.  The  guide  shall  be  based 
upon  the  material  in  the  pastor's 
manual,  but  shall  be  designed  for 
pupil  use. 

3.  A  study  piece  for  adults.  This 
study  outline  should  seek  to  interpret 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  how 
it  works,  and  assist  adults  in  becom- 
ing active  disciples  in  the  witnessing 
fellowship  of  the  church  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
solicits  the  suggestions  of  pastors  and 
other  interested  members  as  to  the 
nature  and  scope  of  these  proposed 
church  membership  materials.  It 
further  urges  interested  persons  to 
express  themselves  in  our  church 
publications  on  the  basic  issues  re- 
lated to  the  purposes  and  responsi- 
bilities of  the  church  in  this  vital 
area  of  the  congregation's  teaching 
ministry. 

College  Scholarship  Aid 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
through  the  Christian  Education 
Commission  has  reviewed  the  finan- 
cial assistance  which  each  of  the 
Brethren  colleges  offers  to  Brethren 
students.  Any  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  wishing  to  attend 
college  and  needing  financial  as- 
sistance should  contact  the  college 
of  the  region  stating  his  need.  The 
colleges  have  scholarship  funds,  loan 
funds,  and  work  opportunities  avail- 
able for  Brethren  young  people. 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
would  recommend  that  local  congre- 
gations take  a  personal  interest  in 
worthy  young  people  and  help  them 
to  continue  their  education  by  pro- 
viding loans. 

The  board  does  not  feel  that  it 
would  be  feasible  to  establish  a 
scholarship  endowment  fund  at  the 
Brotherhood  level  when  individual 
colleges  have  funds  available  to  as- 
sist young  people  with  financial  need. 
The  Brotherhood  already  has  a 
rotary  loan  fund  administered  co- 
operatively through  the  six  colleges. 

Installation  of  Deacons 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
recommends  that  an  answer  to 
queries  A  and  B  of  the  1959  Annual 
Conference    be    delayed    until    the 


1961  Conference.  This  recommenda 
tion  is  made  in  light  of  the  study 
conference  which  will  be  held  during 
the  summer  of  1960  on  the  Nature 
and  Function  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  At  this  time  major  at- 
tention will  be  given  to  the  nature, 
purpose,  and  function  of  local  church 
organization. 

Guidance  Program  for  Licensed 
Ministers 

The  1959  Annual  Conference 
adopted  an  answer  to  the  query  on 
a  Guidance  Program  for  Licensed 
Ministers,  which  report  contained 
nine  recommendations  to  the  General 
Brotherhood  Board.  The  board  was 
requested  to  report  its  findings  to 
the  1960  Conference  regarding  the 
last  recommendation.  The  recom- 
mendations of  Annual  Conference  to 
the  board  were: 

1.  Develop  a  comprehensive  out- 
line to  be  used  by  districts  when  in- 
terviewing candidates  for  the  min- 
istry. 

2.  Prepare  a  detailed  program  of 
growth  and  create  a  standard  guide 
for  the  testing  and  measurement  of 
a  licentiate's  development  and 
growth. 

3.  Provide  specific  reading  and 
study  courses  and  a  testing  program 
for  nonseminary  men  to  show  evi- 
dence of  growth  in  the  ministry. 

4.  Define  the  role  of  the  nonpas- 
toral  ministry  in  its  relationship  to 
the  church. 

5.  Create  literature  to  be  used  in 
interpreting  the  ministry  and  publi- 
cize the  literature  prepared  by  other 
church  agencies. 

6.  Provide,  through  the  Ministry 
and  Home  Mission  Commission,  a 
fellowship  meeting  of  licensed  min- 
isters at  Annual  Conference. 

7.  Study  the  relationship  of  the 
leadership  training  emphasis  in  the 
Call  program  to  the  recruitment  of 
men  and  women  for  the  ministry. 

8.  Explore  the  opportunities  for 
extending  the  ministry  of  the  Train- 
ing School  to  the  lay  leadership. 

9.  Initiate  a  study  to  create  a 
uniform  and  enlarged  policy  of  finan- 
cial assistance  to  ministerial  students, 
involving  local  churches,  districts, 
colleges,  and  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board.  The  results  of  this 
study  shall  be  brought  to  the  1960 
Annual  Conference  and,  if  approved, 
become  a  part  of  this  report. 

Answer  of  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board  to  the  Annual  Confer- 
ence: 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
refers  the  Annual  Conference  to  the 


annual  report  of  the  board  in  which 

1  information   is   given   regarding  the 

:  work  now  in  process  that  is  related 

I  to  the  first  eight  recommendations 

which  were  given  to  the  board  for 

implementation. 

Two  studies  are  now  under  way 
in  relation  to  recommendation  num- 
ber nine.  They  are:  (1)  Intensive  re- 
search is  being  conducted  as  a  result 
of  the  1959  Annual  Conference  Spe- 
cial Resolution  on  Ministerial  Re- 
cruitment. The  results  of  this  study 
will  have  a  bearing  on  the  recom- 
mendation regarding  the  policy  of 
giving  financial  assistance  to  minis- 
terial students.  (2)  A  General  Broth- 
erhood Board  staff  committee  is 
studying  the  board's  present  program 
in  which  service  loans  are  made 
available   to   ministerial   students. 

Because  these  two  studies  are  not 
complete,  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board  is  not  ready  to  report  at  this 
time. 

Election  and  Ordination  to  the 
Ministry 

In  response  to  the  queries  on 
Election  and  Ordination  to  the  Min- 
istry and  on  Baptismal  Requirements 
of  Ministers  and  Deacons,  the  com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  1959  An- 
nual Conference  submits  the  follow- 
ing  report: 

In  answer  to  Query  No.  4  (Election 
and  Ordination  to  the  Ministry) 

A  minister  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  in  order  to  teach  the  doc- 
trines held  by  the  denomination  and 
to  officiate  in  ministerial  services 
which  involve  such  doctrines  should 
fully  believe  these  doctrines.  In 
cases  where  a  person  is  elected  to 
the  ministry  who  has  been  baptized 
by  other  than  trine  immersion,  we 
would  strongly  recommend  that  he 
be  so  baptized.  In  cases  where  this 
cannot  in  good  conscience  be  done, 
we  recommend  that  elections  or  or- 
dinations be  subject  to  the  joint  ac- 
tion of  the  local  church  and  the  dis- 
trict ministerial  commission. 

We  believe  that  we  have  sufficient 
counsel  and  safeguards  in  Scripture 
(1  Tim.  3:6)  and  in  decisions  al- 
ready adopted  by  Annual  Conference 
without  setting  a  minimum  time  limit 
of  membership  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  for  candidates  for  the  min- 
istry. We  refer  specifically  to  (1) 
the  fact  that  a  license  to  preach  is 
granted  for  a  one-year  period;  (2) 
that  the  candidate  for  licensing  must 
be  approved  by  the  local  church 
(See  Annual  Conference  Minutes  of 
1957,  page  7);  (3)  the  decision  that 
the  candidate  should  be  interviewed 


and  approved  by  the  district  minis- 
terial commission  (see  Annual  Con- 
ference Minutes  of  1942,  page  4). 

A  minister  of  another  denomina- 
tion, having  been  received  into  the 
membership  of  a  local  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  may  become  a  minister 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  accord- 
ing to  the  usual  licensing  and  ordina- 
tion qualifications  and  procedures 
(see  Annual  Conference  Minutes  of 
1957,  page  8).  The  local  church 
and  the  district  ministerial  commis- 
sion shall  determine  the  times  for 
these  procedures. 

It  is  the  stated  purpose  and  prac- 
tice of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
to  baptize  by  trine  immersion  those 
whose  Christian  fives  and  experiences 
are  initiated  within  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Any  minister  who  de- 
viates from  this  practice  would  be 
subject  to  the  counsel  and  discipline 
of  his  district  Elders'  Council. 

Where  baptism  by  trine  immersion 
cannot  be  administered  because  of 
the  extreme  illness  or  other  disability 
of  the  candidate,  he  should  be  re- 
ceived into  the  fellowship  of  the 
church  on  repentance  and  confession 
of  faith  (in  harmony  with  the  ques- 
tions asked  at  baptism),  and  with 
the  laying  on  of  hands,  with  the 
understanding  that  he  will  be  bap- 
tized if  and  when  such  action  be- 
comes possible. 

In  answer  to  Query  11  (Baptismal 
Requirements  of  Ministers  and  Dea- 
cons) 

We  recommend  that  in  regard  to 
the  office  of  deacon,  which  is  a  local 
church  office,  each  congregation 
may  decide  for  itself  whether  to  call 
to  the  deaconship  any  member  who 
has  not  been  baptized  by  trine  im- 
mersion (See  1956  Minutes  of  An- 
nual Conference,  page  13,  No.  2 
under  Tenure). 

E.  R.  Fisher,  chairman 

Glen  E.  Norris,  secretary 

Norman  L.  Harsh 

Dale  W.  Brown 

Paul  E.  Miller 

Ministerial  Recruitment 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
recognizes  the  importance  and  the 
urgency  of  the  concerns  raised  in 
this  special  resolution  and  according- 
ly has  initiated  a  comprehensive 
survey  on  the  problems  of  ministerial 
recruitment  and  conservation.  Eu- 
gene G.  Carper  has  been  engaged 
to  conduct  this  survey.  Considerable 
progress  has  been  made,  but  it  will 
take  at  least  another  year  to  complete 
the    study;    therefore,    the    General 


Brotherhood    Board    requests    per- 
mission to  report  at  a  later  time. 

The  Memorial  Service 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
has  interpreted  the  intent  of  the 
query  to  be  primarily  concerned  with 
ways  in  which  we  can  more  clearly 
express  our  Christian  faith  in  our 
practices  that  relate  to  death  and  the 
memorial  service.  We  believe  that 
"a  thorough  study  of  funeral  cus- 
toms .  .  .  including  the  total  industry 
back  of  the  casket  building,  the  pre- 
paration of  embalming  supplies,  the 
training  and  schooling  of  morti- 
cians. .  .,"  is  not  related  significantly 
to  the  life  and  witness  of  the  church. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  church 
give  serious  consideration  to  the  fol- 
lowing principles: 

1.  The  pastor  is  usually  in  close 
contact  with  families  where  there 
is  serious  illness,  but  in  any  case, 
when  death  occurs  the  family  should 
call  him  immediately  so  that  he 
may  minister  to  its  spiritual  needs 
and  help  plan  the  service. 

2.  A  Christian  ministry  to  the 
family  at  the  time  of  death  should 
present  the  loftiest  hopes  of  our 
Christian  faith,  speaking  of  the  tri- 
umph and  victory  of  our  Lord,  the 
love  and  comfort  of  God,  and  of  the 
life  that  is  eternal;  for  "death  is 
swallowed  up  in  victory"  and  "thanks 
be  to  God,  who  gives  us  the  victory 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  (1 
Cor.  15:54,57). 

3.  We  should  recognize  that  sor- 
row at  the  time  of  death  is  entirely 
in  accord  with  the  Christian  faith, 
for  our  Lord  himself  wept  at  the 
death  of  Lazarus,  and  the  church 
is  taught  to  "rejoice  with  those  who 
rejoice,  weep  with  those  who  weep" 
(Rom.  12:15). 

4.  Customs  and  practices  which 
focus  undue  attention  on  the  physi- 
cal body  at  the  time  of  death  tend 
to  deny  our  faith  in  the  life  that  is 
eternal.  As  followers  of  Christ,  we  be- 
lieve that  Christian  love  and  respect 
suggest  that  the  body  be  interred 
with  dignity  and  reverence.  Tempta- 
tions to  spend  large  sums  on  flowers, 
expensive  burial  equipment,  and  un- 
necessary services  from  morticians 
should  be  regarded  as  inconsistent 
with  Christian  faith.  "Viewing"  of 
the  body  by  the  public  ought  not 
to  be  necessary  at  any  time;  if  the 
family  wishes  to  do  so,  it  should  be 
done  privately. 

5.  The  memorial  sendee  should  be 
an  experience  of  worship  in  which  we 


APRIL  30.  1960 


25 


express  our  faith  in  eternal  life.  Min- 
isters are  encouraged  to  plan  each 
sendee  carefully,  using  an  abun- 
dance of  scripture  supplemented  by 
appropriate  poetry,  music,  and 
prayers  that  will  bring  comfort  and 
strength,  assurance  and  hope  to  the 
bereaved.  "I  am  the  resurrection  and 
the  life;  he  who  believes  in  me, 
though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live,  and 
whoever  lives  and  believes  in  me 
shall  never  die"  (John  11:25). 

Many  consider  it  proper  to  have  a 
private  burial  with  a  graveside  serv- 
ice for  the  family,  conducting  the 
memorial  service  at  a  later  time. 

Books  and  manuals  regarding 
death,  bereavement,  and  the  me- 
morial service  are  available.  A  listing 
of  such  material  can  be  secured  from 
the  General  Offices. 

6.  The  church  can  further  minister 
to  the  needs  of  the  bereaved  by 
making  its  social  rooms  available  as 
a  place  for  the  family  to  gather  and 
renew  its  fellowship  with  relatives 
and  friends,  and  by  providing  food 
and/or  lodging  for  those  who  may 
have  come  from  a  distance. 

It  is  suggested  that  local  churches 
and  districts  provide  opportunities 
for  various  groups  to  study  and  dis- 
cuss these  recommendations.  We 
encourage  these  groups  as  well  as 
individuals,  to  use  the  Gospel  Mes- 
senger and  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren Leader  as  the  media  for  sharing 
their  best  insights  with  the  entire 
Brotherhood. 

Queries 

Appointment   of   Representatives   to 
the  National  Council  of  Churches 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
recommends  to  Annual  Conference 
through  Standing  Committee  that  in 
order  to  have  terms  of  office  of 
Church  of  the  Brethren  representa- 
tives to  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  coincide  more  nearly  with 
the  assemblies  of  the  council  the 
terms  of  office  of  those  representa- 
tives appointed  in  1959  be  extended 
one  year,  that  those  appointed  in 
1960  serve  for  a  three-year  term 
as  usual,  and  that  beginning  in 
1963  all  representatives  to  the  coun- 
cil be  appointed  at  one  time  at  the 
Annual  Conference  just  preceding 
the  General  Assembly  which  is  cur- 
rently being  held  on  a  triennial  basis. 

Appointment   to   World   Council   of 
Churches 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
recommends   to  Annual   Conference 


through  Standing  Committee  that 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  represent 
at  assemblies  of  the  World  Council 
of  Churches  and  that  the  same  pro- 
cedure be  followed  for  naming  the 
delegates  and  alternates  as  is  fol- 
lowed in  naming  the  delegates  and 
alternates  to  the  National  Council 
of  Churches,  namely,  the  General 
Brotherhood  Board  nominate  half 
the  delegates  and  alternates  to  An- 
nual Conference  through  Standing 
Committee  and  Standing  Committee 
nominate  the  other  half.  In  the 
case  of  the  Third  Assembly  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches  to  be 
held  in  New  Delhi,  India,  Nov.  18 
to  Dec.  1,  1961,  the  board  and  Stand- 
ing Committee  would  each  nominate 
one  delegate  and  one  alternate. 

Appointment  of  General  Councils 
and  Cabinets 

Because  age-group  and  some  spe- 
cial interest  programs  have  tradi- 
tionally been  related  to  the  Christian 
education  program,  the  appointment 
of  their  respective  councils  or  cab- 
inets  have   been    approved   by   the 


Christian  Education  Commission, 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board,  and 
Annual  Conference.  Membership  on 
the  councils  and  cabinets  has  been  I 
determined  increasingly  by  the  re- 
gions rather  than  by  action  of  na- 
tional bodies.  In  the  Men's  and 
Women's  Fellowships  additional 
members  and  the  officers  are  elected 
by  their  respective  Brotherhood  bod- 
ies. Appointments  by  regions  do 
not  coincide  with  the  holding  of  An- 
nual Conference  but  occur  at  dif- 
ferent times  throughout  the  year. 
Approval  by  Annual  Conference  fre- 
quently follows  by  ten  or  more 
months  actual  regional  appointment 
and  taking  of  office.  Because  the 
board  meets  several  times  a  year  it 
is  in  a  position  to  clear  appointments 
more  promptly.  Therefore,  in  keeping 
with  the  recommendation  of  Con- 
ference officers,  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board  recommends  that  con- 
firmation (rather  than  approval)  of 
all  Brotherhood  program-related 
councils  and  cabinets  be  made  by 
the  board  instead  of  by  Annual  Con- 
ference. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


"The  Humanity  of  God.  Karl 
Barth.  John  Knox  Press,  1960.  96 
pages.    $2.50. 

To  his  critics  Barth  has  replied, 
"You  have  not  read  all  of  my  writ- 
ings." How  true,  for  it  has  been 
almost  impossible  for  the  average 
scholar  to  keep  up  with  the  weighty 
tomes  coming  from  his  prolific  pen. 
Therefore,  this  book  is  a  real  boon 
to  the  thoughtful  student,  for  its 
three  essays  present  Barth's  correc- 
tive of  his  former  views  while  at 
the  same  time  giving  one  a  real  feel 
for  what  they  were.  The  first  essay 
presents  his  critique  of  19th  century 
liberal  theology,  holding  forth  the 
good  as  well  as  its  errors.  The  sec- 
ond essay,  The  Humanity  of  God, 
corrects  the  one-sided  emphasis  on 
God  as  the  "wholly  other"  and  em- 
phasizes the  great  love  of  God  for 
man  in  Jesus  Christ  and  his  relation- 
ship and  togetherness  with  man. 
The  third  essay  offers  the  gift  of 
freedom  as  the  foundation  of  evan- 
gelical ethics. 

Some  prejudice  is  due  to  ig- 
norance. This  is  certainly  true  of 
some  of  the  Brethren  views  of  Barth. 


His  thought  has  been  held  re- 
sponsible for  undermining  the  social 
gospel  and  all  ethical  emphases.  Al- 
though this  has  some  basis,  it  is 
interesting  to  note  that  Barth  be- 
lieves his  disillusionment  with  liberal 
theology  to  have  come  in  1914  when 
ninety-three  German  intellectuals, 
including  many  of  his  theological 
teachers,  proclaimed  their  support 
of  the  war  policy  of  Wilhelm  II. 

In  the  second  essay,  while  retain- 
ing his  strong  Calvinistic  emphasis 
on  the  sovereignty  of  God,  he  offers 
a  very  strong  doctrine  of  his  love, 
leading  to  near  universalism.  "We 
have  no  theological  right  to  set  any 
sort  of  limits  to  the  lovingkindness 
of  God  which  has  appeared  in  Jesus 
Christ  (p.  62)."  Barth's  ethical 
position  would  give  support  to  the 
Anabaptist  idea  of  obedience.  How- 
ever, his  stress  on  Christian  freedom 
from  rules  and  laws  would  run  coun- 
ter to  the  Brethren  interpretation  of 
obedience  to  the  way  and  the  com- 
mands of  Jesus.  This  is  a  good  short 
book  to  read  if  one  is  curious  about 
the  thought  of  this  very  influential 
Christian  thinker.  —  Dale  W.  Brown, 
McPherson,  Kansas. 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Kentucky  Clergymen  Ask 
Society  Without  Race  Barriers 

The  Ministerial  Association  in 
Lexington,  Ky.,  has  urged  that  'im- 
mediate attention  ought  to  be  given 
to  enforced  segregation  practices  at 
lunch  counters  and  restaurants,  at 
theaters  and  places  of  public  enter- 
tainment, in  hotel  lodgings,  and  in 
job  opportunities." 

The  clergymen  added  that  they 
felt  the  churches  of  Lexington 
should  set  an  example  by  opening 
all  places  of  worship  to  people  of 
all  races.  In  the  satement  the  min- 
isters said,  "We  declare  ourselves  for 
a  society  without  barriers  based  on 
race,  color,  or  religious  affiliation. 
We  believe  that  God  created  all 
men;  that  he  intends  for  his  creation 
to  live  together  as  his  children." 

Negro  Worshipers  Offer 
Blood  to  NCCJ  Aid 

Twenty-four  worshipers,  all  Negro 
members  of  St.  James  Methodist 
church,  responded  to  a  plea  for 
blood  donors  to  replenish  the  supply 
used  in  the  treatment  of  Dr.  Leo 
K.  Bishop,  a  vice-president  of  the 
National  Conference  of  Christians 
and  Jews,  who  was  shot  in  a  robbery 
attempt  by  teen-agers. 

The  appeal  for  blood  was  made 
by  Rev.  E.  J.  Walker,  pastor  of  the 
interracial  congregation.  He  urged 
parishioners  "to  seize  this  opportu- 
nity to  do  something  toward 
reconciliation." 

Missionaries  in  Nigeria  Warned 
Against  Political  Interference 

Christian  foreign  missionaries  in 
Northern  Nigeria  were  recently 
warned  by  its  prime  minister  against 
interfering  in  that  country's  political 
life. 

The  Saradauna  of  Sokoto  said  that 
such  interference  might  hinder  the 
peaceful  coexistence  of  Moslems  and 
Christians  in  Nigeria.  He  pointed 
out  that  Northern  Nigeria  has  about 
20,000,000  Moslems,  or  63%  of  the 
population.  Missionaries  in  the  re- 
gion number  about  1,200.  The 
prime  minister  noted  that  the  region- 
al government  provides  financial 
grants  to  missions  and  was  reluctant 
to  withdraw  these  funds. 

Greeting  Card  Producers  Pledge 
Self-Policing  Measures 

By  unanimous  action  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Greeting  Card  Asso- 
ciation has  declared  war  on  objec- 


tionable greeting  cards.  The  trade 
organization  represents  America's 
leading  card  publishers. 

The  board  pledged  its  active  co- 
operation with  all  law  enforcement 
agencies  to  remove  from  the  market 
all  cards  which  do  not  "conform  to 
the  accepted  standards  of  good  taste, 
good  morals,  and  good  social  usage." 
The  action  was  taken  in  recognition 
that  the  publication  of  some  highly 
offensive  greeting  cards  is  directly 
against  the  public  interest. 

Compulsory  Religious  Instruction 
Urged  for  India's  Schools 

A  committee  of  the  Indian  govern- 
ment has  recommended  that  moral 
and  religious  instruction  be  made 
compulsory  in  all  schools  and  col- 
leges in  India.  The  members  of  the 
three-man  committee,  all  Hindus, 
said  instruction  should  include  "a 
comparative  and  sympathetic  study 
of  the  lives  and  teachings  of  great 
religious  leaders  and,  at  later 
stages,  their  ethical  systems  and 
philosophies." 

At  present,  general  moral  instruc- 
tion is  given  in  schools  and  colleges 
at  which  attendance  is  not  com- 
pulsory and  the  subject  is  not  part 
of  the  curriculum  for  examinations. 
Schools  and  colleges  run  by  Christian 
churches  and  missions  hold  Bible 
classes  outside  regular  hours  for 
Christian  students  on  an  optional 
basis.  Non-Christian  pupils  may  at- 
tend on  written  permission  from 
parents  or  guardians. 

North  India  Church 
Merger  Plan  Advances 

The  Church  of  India,  Burma,  Pak- 
istan, and  Ceylon  (Anglican)  adopted 
a  resolution  recently  giving  general 
approval  to  the  Plan  of  Church  Un- 
ion in  North  India  and  Pakistan. 

Under  negotiations  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  the  plan  provides  for 
the  organic  union  of  seven  denomi- 
national bodies.  It  envisages  the  cre- 
ation of  two  United  Churches,  one 
in  North  India,  and  the  other  in 
Pakistan.  The  Pakistanian  body  will 
consist  of  the  parts  of  the  merging 
groups  which  lie  across  the  boundary 
between  India  and  Pakistan. 

The  Anglican  Church  has  voted 
to  send  the  union  plan  to  its  constitu- 
ent dioceses  for  approval  or  disap- 
proval. In  the  light  of  replies  re- 
ceived from  the  dioceses,  the  church 
will  make  its  final  decision  at  its 
next  biennial  council  in  1962. 


Merging  under  the  plan,  besides 
the  Anglican  body,  are  the  United 
Church  of  Northern  India,  the  Meth- 
odist Church  in  Southern  Asia,  the 
Methodist  Church  (British  and 
Australian  Conferences),  the  congre- 
gations associated  with  Baptist  mis- 
sionary societies  in  India,  Pakistan, 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  the 
Disciples  of  Christ.  Governing 
bodies  of  all  groups  have  given  the 
merger  their  general  approval,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Southern  Asia. 

News  Briefs 

Old  People's  Day  is  celebrated  in 
France  on  the  last  Sunday  of  Oc- 
tober as  part  of  a  national  campaign 
to  honor  senior  citizens.  On  that 
day  packages  are  distributed  in 
homes  for  the  aged,  parties  are  or- 
ganized, and  dinners  are  arranged 
in  honor  of  the  elderly. 

Leaders  of  the  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  recently  paid  high 
tribute  to  its  founder,  Richard  Al- 
len, at  a  three-day  observance  mark- 
ing the  bicentennial  of  his  birth, 
Feb.  14,  1760.  A  Philadelphia-born 
slave,  Allen  became  the  first  Negro 
licensed  to  preach  in  the  Methodist 
Church  and  to  establish  a  separate 
denomination  for  his  race. 

The  ruler  of  Kuwait,  Sheikh  Ab- 
dullah Al-Salem  Al  Sabah,  has  given 
permission  for  the  establishment  of 
an  Orthodox  church  in  his  predom- 
inantly Moslem  country.  This  marks 
the  first  time  that  any  Christian  body 
has  been  allowed  to  set  up  a  worship 
center  in  Kuwait. 

Quotes  in  the  News 

Dr.  Louis  H.  Evans,  minister  at 
large  for  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church:  "Although  this  nation  has 
been  much  more  successful  than  oth- 
ers economically,  we  are  fast  reced- 
ing. It  was  inevitable  with  our 
spiritual  shallowness.  The  greatest 
area  of  recession  has  been  in  the 
American  home,  and  when  the  home 
goes  down  God  always  loses." 

Harold  E.  Stassen:  "Bread  should 
be  free  anywhere  in  the  world  for 
people  who  are  hungry." 

Dr.  Paul  J.  Tillich,  Protestant  the- 
ologian: "Acceptance  by  God  of  him 
who  is  not  even  able  to  accept  him- 
self has  become  the  central  Christian 
message." 


APRIL  30,  1960 


27 


SAINTS  in  APRONS 
and  OVERALLS 


FRIENDS  OF  PAUL 


William  P.  Barker 


Walking  with  the  friends  of  Paul  through  the 
pages  of  this  book,  the  reader  gradually  sees  them 
emerge  as  the  parishioners  of  any  church  today. 
They're  all  here:  the  housewife  and  her  businessman- 
husband,  middle-aged  man,  teen-ager,  widow,  quiet 
worker,  a  man  under  tension,  the  faithful  ministei 
to  a  small  church  in  a  big  city. 

These  are  short  character  studies  of  some  of  the 
"saints"  —  Christian  believers  and  church  members  — 
of  the  New  Testament.  William  Barker  shows  they 
were  real  people  with  real-life  problems.  They  wore 
"aprons  and  overalls."  They  were  common  people, 
but  with  a  plus  factor:  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  the 
One  who  made  them  saints. 

A  Brethren  pastor's  wife  says:  "This  book 
furnishes  splendid  preaching  ideas  for  our  present 
emphasis  on  the  Call  to  Discipleship.  Excellent  also 
as  recommended  reading  for  all  during  this  emphasis. 
I  would  like  to  see  it  in  every  church  library.  Ex- 
cellent in  every  way.  I  can't  recommend  it  too 
highly."  $2.00 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Armel  Ernsberger  cele- 
brated their  fifty-seventh  wedding  an- 
niversary. They  were  married  May  28, 
1903.  They  have  two  children,  two 
grandchildren,  and  three  great-grand- 
children. —  Otis  Loucks,  Bremen,  Ind. 

Brother  and  Sister  Carl  McGowan 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary, Jan.  5,  1960,  with  open  house. 
They  have  one  son.  —  Mrs.  Irene  Mc- 
Gowan, Peebles,  Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Thomas  cele- 
brated their  fifty-ninth  wedding  anni- 
versary. They  were  married  July  21, 
1901.  They  have  five  children,  twenty- 
eight  grandchildren,  and  twenty-seven 
great-grandchildren.  —  Otis  Loucks, 
Bremen,  Ind. 


Obituaries 


Smith,  John  Lawrence,  son  of  Wil- 
liam Franklin  and  Laura  Sensenbaugh 
Smith,  was  born  in  Collomer,  Ind.,  Feb. 
21,  1893,  and  died  in  January  1960. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  Esther,  one 
daughter,  two  sons  eight  grandchildren, 
five  great-grandchildren,  three  brothers, 
and  four  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  Logansport  church, 
Ind.,  with  Bro.  Balph  Hoffman  officiat- 
ing. —  Mrs.  Florence  Stineman,  Logans- 
port,  Ind. 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Spotts,  Laura  Brenneman,  died  Jan. 
28,  1960,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one 
years.  She  was  the  widow  of  Samuel 
Spotts.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Kempers  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  one 
son,  two  grandchildren,  one  great- 
grandchild, and  four  sisters.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  at  Bergstrasse 
Lutheran  church,  with  Brethren  Milton 
Stoner  and  Noah  W.  Martin  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  adjoining  ceme- 
tery. —  Clarence  D.  Horst,  Ephrata,  Pa. 

Stoner,  Delia,  was  born  in  Goshen, 
Ind.,  Dec.  20,  1879,  and  died  Jan.  20, 
1960.  On  Feb.  21,  1901,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Clarence  Stoner.  Surviving  are 
her  husband,  two  sons,  three  daughters, 
fourteen  grandchildren,  nineteen  great- 
grandchildren, one  brother,  and  one 
sister.  The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  West  Goshen  church  by  Brethren 
Paul  Lantis  and  M.  D.  Stutsman.  In- 
terment was  in  the  church  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Edith  Huber,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Stump,  Harrison,  son  of  John  and 
Mary  Schucker  Stump,  died  Jan.  17, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Schuylkill 
church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  two  sisters 
and  two  brothers.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  H.  L.  Snyder  funeral 
home  by  Brethren  Harry  Fahnestock 
and  Ammon  Merkey.  Interment  was  in 
the  Strouphaur's  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ray 
Stump,  Pine  Grove,  Pa. 

Stump,  Katie,  died  at  Pine  Grove,  Pa., 
Nov.  30,  1959,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years.  Her  husband  preceded 
her  in  death.    She  was  a  member  of 


the  Schuylkill  church,  Pa.  Surviving 
are  one  daughter  and  three  sons.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Schuyl- 
kill church  by  Brethren  Harry  Fahne- 
stock and  Ammon  Merkey.  Interment: 
was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Ray  Stump,  Pine  Grove,  Pa. 

Taylor,  Carl,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fred  Taylor,  Sr.,  was  born  July  2,  1914, 
and  died  Jan.  12,  1960.  Surviving  is 
his  wife,  Emily  Taylor.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Cedar  Run 
church,  Va.,  by  Bro.  Glenn  S.  Garner 
and  Rev.  Wayne  Wright.  Interment 
was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Janet  Dellinger,  Broadway,  Va. 

Thimgan,  Emily  Murray,  was  born 
in  Dallas  County,  Iowa,  in  1873,  and  j 
died  Jan.  15,  1960.  She  was  married 
to  Louis  Thimgan  on  Oct.  13,  1898. 
Surviving  are  her  husband,  one  son, 
three  daughters,  and  several  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was;) 
conducted  by  Bro.  Wilbur  Hoover  at 
the  Peacock-Green  funeral  home,  La 
Junta,  Colo.  Interment  was  in  the 
Hillcrest  cemetery,  Rocky  Ford,  Colo. 
—  Mrs.  O.  C.  Frantz,  Rocky  Ford,  Colo. 

Thomas,  Alice  E.,  died  Jan.  14,  1960, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  She 
was  the  widow  of  Daniel  G.  Thomas. - 
She  is  survivied  by  seven  children, 
twenty-six  grandchildren,  and  thirty- 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Bridgevllle  Evan- 
gelical Congregation  church,  with  Bro. 
Milton  Stoner  officiating.  Interment  i 
was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Clar- 
ence B.  Horst,  Ephrata,  Pa. 

Thompson,  Katheryn  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Harry  and  Sarah  Jones 
Nokes,  was  born  at  Brunswick,  Md.,  July 
5,  1906,  and  died  at  Sandy  Hook,  Md., 
Dec.  19,  1959.  In  December  1922,  she 
was  married  to  Claude  Thompson.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Brownsville 
church.  She  is  survived  by  her  hus- 
band, three  sons,  three  daughters,  and 
four  grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Brownsville  church 
by  Bro.  Newton  Poling.  Interment  was 
in  the  Brownsville  Heights  cemetery.  — 
Norma  Jean  Shelby,  Keedysville,   Md. 

Unkefer,  Jack  Zuber,  Sr.,  was  born 
in  New  Franklin,  Ohio,  in  February 
1887,  and  died  Feb.  4,  1960.  His  first 
wife  preceded  him  in  death  in  1918. 
His  second  wife  also  preceded  him  in 
death  in  1956.  Soon  after  his  second 
marriage  he  united  with  the  Alliance 
church,  Ohio.  Surviving  are  two  sons, 
one  grandson,  and  one  half  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  Gotschall-Hutchison  funeral  home 
by  the  undersigned  and  Bro.  Richard 
Overly.  Interment  was  in  the  East 
Lawn  cemetery.  —J.  D.  Zigler,  Alliance, 
Ohio. 

Vanderau,  C.  L.  was  born  near 
Chambersburg,  Pa.,  in  1883,  and  died 
at  Plattsburg,  Mo.,  Jan.  24,  1960.  He 
was  married  to  Rachel  Orr.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  five  children  and  fifteen  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Marvin  Thill.  —  Mrs. 
Rex  Cook,  Plattsburg,  Mo. 

Van  Nostran,  Bertha,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Emma  Burger  Renneker, 
was  born  in  Baltic,  Ohio,  Oct.  30,  1882, 
and  died  Dec.  18,  1959.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  East  Chippewa  church, 
Ohio.  Her  husband  preceded  her  in 
death.  She  is  survived  by  two  daugh- 
ters,   one   son,    one   brother,    and   four 


sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  East  Chippewa  church,  with  Bro. 
Guy  Buch  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  church  cemetery.  —  Bessie  F.  Coff- 
man.  Dalton,  Ohio. 

Weaver,  Minnie  Mae,  daughter  of 
Ephraim  and  Juliann  Helman  Wirick, 
was  born  near  Windber,  Pa.,  April  24, 
1881,  and  died  Jan.  14,  1960.  Her 
husband,  Henry  A.  Weaver,  preceded 
her  in  death.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Rummel  church,  of  which 
she  was  a  member,  by  Bro.  A.  Jay 
Replogle.  Interment  was  in  the  Berkey 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  L.  Ernest  Ott,  Wind- 
ber, Pa. 

Weibly,  Charles  John,  died  Dec.  13, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
He  had  been  a  deacon  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  for  over  fifty  years 
and  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Lake  Ridge  church,  N.  Y.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  Martha  Seilhammer 
Weibly,  two  sons,  three  granddaughters, 
three  great-grandsons,  four  brothers, 
and  four  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  Lake  Ridge  church, 
King  Ferry,  N.  Y.,  with  Bro.  Ronald 
Hershberger  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  Pine  Grove  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Vernon  W.  Bowman,  Ludlowville,  New 
York. 

Weller,  Lloyd  G.,  son  of  Albert  and 
Rosa  Deardorff  Weller,  was  bom 
March  22,  1895,  at  Roann,  Ind.,  and 
died  Oct.  17,  1959.  He  was  married 
to  Meroa  Hotchkin  on  June  2,  1919. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  two  sons, 
one  sister,  and  six  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  from  the 
Farney  funeral  home  by  the  under- 
signed, assisted  by  Bro.  Ernest  Jehnsen. 
Interment  was  in  Memorial  Park  ceme- 
tery. —  J.  F.  Baldwin,  Lansing,  Mich. 

Wiley,  Mable  M.,  daughter  of  Elmer 
E.  and  Emma  Shank  Shultz,  was  born 
Aug.  16,  1892,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years.  On  Aug.  26,  1915, 
she  was  married  to  W.  Nathan  Wiley. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Loon  Creek 
church,  Ind.  Surviving  are  her  husband, 
two  sons,  one  daughter,  eight  grand- 
children, and  two  brothers.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  at  the  Bailey 
mortuary,  with  Bro.  Robert  Eby  offici- 
ating. Interment  was  in  the  Lancaster 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Farrell  Miller,  Hunt- 
ington, Ind. 

Wilson,  Solomon  Nimrod,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Molly  Helsley  Wilson,  was 
born  at  Kasson,  W.  Va.,  Dec.  28,  1882, 
and  died  Jan.  27,  1960,  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Effie  Auvil.  He  was  a  minister 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  at  Shiloh. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  one  son,  three 
daughters,  twenty-one  grandchildren, 
eight  great-grandchildren,  one  sister, 
and  one  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  Bro.  Henry  O. 
Poling  and  Rev.  Charles  E.  Hawkins. 
Interment  was  in  the  Shiloh  cemetery. 
—  Georgia  Wilson,  Kasson,  W.  Va. 

Yoder,  David  James,  was  born  Dec. 
12,  1874,  and  died  at  Mattawana,  Pa., 
Jan.  24,  1960.  His  wife,  the  former 
Carrie  Setzler,  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  was  a  deacon  of  the  Pine  Glen 
church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  three  daugh- 
ters, three  sons,  seven  grandchildren, 
and  seven  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Pine 
Glen  church,  with  Brethren  David 
Markey  and  Fern  Dunmire  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  Pine  Glen  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  George  Kerr,  McVeytown, 
Pa. 


&v&uf,  B>ietkn&n  Should  Know* 


How  to  be 
"rich  toward 
God" 


Luke    12:15-21  Edward    K.    Ziegler 

Moderator,  Church  of  the  Brethren 

"While  serving  our  church  in  various  posts,  I  have  talked 
with  many  hundreds  of  Brethren  who  are  deeply  dedicated  to 
Christ's  program  through  the  church,  and  who  would  like  to 
help  carry  it  forward.  Also,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  great  open  doors  before  the  church  in  America  and 
overseas.  I  have  seen  new  churches  rise  and  grow  into 
responsible  and  mature  congregations.  I  have  seen  churches 
bloom  with  new  life  and  enthusiasm  as  a  new  pastor  stirs  them 
to  serve  and  to  witness. 

"At  the  same  time,  all  of  us  are  aware  of  two  terrific 
pressures :  the  pressure  of  the  world  around  us,  seeking  to  force 
us  into  the  mold  of  materialism  and  pagan  practices,  spending 
our  money  on  that  which  is  not  bread;  and  the  pressure  of 
world  events,  with  their  sinister  forces  of  cold  war  and  prepara- 
tion for  hot  war,  hatred  and  racial  strife  in  America  and  abroad. 

"When  we  Brethren  discern  the  claims  of  Christ  on  one 
hand  and  feel  the  pressures  of  paganism  and  doom  on  the 
other,  we  seek  for  those  things  which  really  endure. 

"If  day  by  day  we  use  our  lives  and  possessions  for  Christ 
and  the  church,  and  thoughtfully  plan  for  the  enlargement  of 
our  Christian  influence  through  the  right  use  of  accumulated 
possessions,  we  can  be  sure  we  are  on  the  right  side  of  God's 
balance. 

"The  1957  Annual  Conference  spoke  forthrightly  on  the 
stewardship  of  accumulated  possessions.  Why  not  acquaint 
yourself  with  the  various  means  of  expressing  your  Christian 
faith  through  providing  substance  for  the  far-reaching  work 
of  the  Kingdom?" 

(Clip  and  Mail) 


GENERAL  BROTHERHOOD  BOARD 
CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 

1451    Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois 
Harl  L  Russell,  Director  of  Special  Gifts 

Dear  Brother  Russell: 

Please  provide  information,  without  obligating  me  in 
any  way,  on  the  following  means  of  expressing  my.  faith 
and  my  interest  in  advancing  Brotherhood  work. 


|~|  A  Life  Income  Plan 
□  A  Real  Estate  Deed 
(reserving  life  use  and 
) 


□  A  Bequest  in  a  Win 


Q]  A  Transfer  of  Stocks  or 
Bonds  (reserving 
income  for  life) 

Q  An  Assignment  of  Life 
Insurance 


□  A  Cift  Annuity 

(providing  substantial 
e  benefits) 


["")  A  Living  Memorial 


.  Zone State. 


! 


HOBBIES 


The 

Creative 
Use 
of  Leisure 

Margaret  E.  Mulac 

How  to  enjoy  leisure  time  has 
become  a  major  problem  for 
teen-agers,  retired  persons,  and 
the  many  adults  whose  working 
hours  are  shorter  than  ever  be- 
fore. The  author,  a  noted  recre- 
ation leader,  has  worked  for 
years  with  church  and  youth 
groups,  fraternal  organizations 
and  clubs  for  retired  persons. 
She  shows  the  reader  how  to 
choose  hobbies  which  will  answer 
the  human  need  for  beauty,  re- 
laxation, stimulation  and  genuine 
recreation.  More  than  a  hundred 
hobbies  are  discussed. 

$3.95 

Church   of   the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Church  News 

Northern  California 
Chico  — Our  women's  fellowship 
canned  peaches  and  sewed  clothing  for 
an  Indian  mission  in  Mexico.  Eighteen 
children  attended  our  church  school 
camp  which  Bro.  H.  R.  Stover  directed. 
Our  loyalty  dinner  was  held  before  a 
visit  in  the  homes.  Chico  church  was 
host  to  the  district  leaders  of  the  Pa- 
cific Region;  J.  H.  Mathis  made  ar- 
rangements for  the  workshop  program. 
Bro.  Ben  Ringer  has  made  five  tables 
for  our  dining  room.  Bro.  Forest 
Eisenbise  preached  for  us  at  the  time 
of  the  dedication  of  the  Paradise  par- 
sonage. Bro.  Truman  Northup  was  a 
guest  speaker  also.  A  number  of  our 
youth  attended  the  youth  rally  at  the 
Meadowview  church  in  Sacramento. 
Our  Christmas  program  and  play  was 
entitled  And  It  Came  to  Pass.  Bro.  S. 
L.  Barnhart,  our  interim  pastor,  and 
Bro.  Warren  Elliott,  one  of  our  youth 
and  a  licensed  minister,  have  had 
charge  of  our  morning  worship,  one  in 
January  and  the  other  in  February.  Bro. 
Barnhart  was  elected  president  of  the 
Chico  area  Council  of  Churches.  — 
Martha  Simkins,  Chico,  Calif. 

Reedley  — We  have  Wednesday 
morning  prayer  and  Bible  study  at  the 
parsonage.  Our  church  observed  World 
Communion  Sunday.  Bro.  Forest  Eisen- 
bise was  the  pulpit  guest  speaker  and 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


after  dinner  speaker  for  our  Thanks- 
giving Sunday  fellowship.  Bro.  I.  V. 
Funderburgh,  assistant  in  church  rela- 
tions for  La  Verne  College,  spoke  at  a 
morning  worship  service  concerning 
Christian  education.  We  had  an  anoint- 
ing service  for  Sister  Eva  Brallier. 
Three  baskets  of  food  were  presented  at 
the  close  of  the  Christmas  program  to 
be  delivered  to  three  families  on  Christ- 
mas Day.  The  CBYF  presented  the 
film,  Teenage  Witness.  Edna  Switzer, 
mission  worker  on  furlough  from  Ecua- 
dor, showed  slides  and  told  of  her 
work.  The  members  of  the  Bible  class 
had  charge  of  an  evening  service  in 
which  they  told  how  they  did  things 
when  they  were  teen-agers.  The  father- 
son  banquet  was  held  on  Jan.  11.  —  Mrs. 
Carl  Rupert,  Reedley,  Calif. 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 

Covina  —  At  the  beginning  of  the 
church  year,  Bro.  Harry  Thomas  as- 
sumed his  duties  as  part-time  pastor  of 
the  Covina  church.  Installation  services 
were  conducted  by  Harold  Fasnacht. 
Emergency  gifts  of  money  and  clothing 
collected  for  the  Japan  disaster  were 
sent  through  Church  World  Service.  A 
family  night  party  was  arranged  by  the 
Sunday  school,  when  adults  and  chil- 
dren met  to  decorate  the  church  for 
Christmas.  It  was  followed  by  singing 
Christmas  carols,  with  a  short  program 
and  refreshments.  We  have  had  as 
pulpit  guest  speakers:  Brethren  Dayton 
Root,  Vernard  Eller,  and  Lloyd  Thomas, 
who  was  recently  licensed  to  the  min- 
istry. We  especially  enjoy  our  potluck 
suppers  and  informal  programs  of  sing- 
ing and  travel  pictures  the  last  Sunday 
evening  of  each  month.  On  Feb.  14, 
the  church  in  special  council  meeting, 
with  Bro.  Ben  F.  Hepner  presiding, 
called  Brother  Thomas  to  become  our 
full-time  pastor,  beginning  Sept.  1, 
1960. —  Mrs.  Margaret  B.  Fesler,  Co- 
vina, Calif. 

Los  Angeles,  Imperial  Heights  —  At 
the  school  of  missions  session  we  had 
the  privilege  of  seeing  the  film,  Chal- 
lenge in  Nigeria.  It  showed  problems 
involved  in  developing  240  tribes  into 
a  unified  nation.  Later  in  the  series  we 
were  privileged  to  see  moving  pictures 
and  a  lecture  by  Brother  and  Sister 
Max  Baughman  of  Whittier,  who  had 
spent  two  years  in  Nigeria,  West  Africa. 
African  festival  was  the  theme  of  the 
last  session.  African  food  and  a  pro- 
gram was  enjoyed.  —  Mrs.  Jay  Gereaux, 
Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

Colorado 

Haxtun  —  Jan.  24  was  the  beginning 
of  our  study  on  West  Africa,  when  a 
film,  In  the  Footsteps  of  the  Witch  Doc- 
tor was  shown  that  evening.  Bro.  Virgil 
Weimer  had  charge  of  a  Sunday  morn- 
ing class  on  West  Africa.  Various  other 
films  were  shown  during  the  study.  The 
Haxtun  Ministerial  Association  spon- 
sored a  singspiration  at  the  Fairfield 
church  on  Jan.  31.  The  WCTU  met  in 
the  social  rooms  of  our  church  on  Feb. 
17.  The  closing  session  of  our  study  of 
the  church  in  Africa  was  on  Feb.  21. 
The  women's  fellowship  sponsored  a 
supper  at  that  time.  The  District  of 
Colorado  selected  one  layman  and  one 
pastor  to  attend  the  adult  political 
seminar  in  Washington,  D.C.  Floyd 
Hostetler  and  Virgil  Weimer  were 
chosen.  —  Mrs.  Charles  F.  Edwards, 
Haxtun,  Colo. 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  445.  Needed:  A  middle-aged 
married  couple  to  work  as  house  par- 
ents in  the  junior  boys'  department. 
Also  a  middle-aged  woman  to  work  as 
housemother  in  the  girls'  department. 
Maximum  of  12  children  per  depart- 
ment. Maintenance  and  comfortable 
living  quarters  provided,  regular  salary 
increments  and  a  two-week  vacation 
with  pay,  plus  other  benefits.  Near 
Fort  Wayne  Beacon  Heights  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Contact:  Fort  Wayne 
Children's  Home,  Box  2038,  Station 
"A",  2525  Lake  Ave.,  Fort  Wayne  3, 
Ind. 

No.  446.  Wanted:  Couple  to  five 
in  boys'  home  in  Baltimore  and  act  as 
house  parents  and  do  other  duties. 
Social-work  training  or  experience  de- 
sired. Home  will  provide  apartment, 
laundry,  board,  and  salary  according 
to  training  and  experience.  Brethren 
churches  in  the  area.  Other  inservice 
training  opportunities.  Job  available 
May  1.  Contact:  McKim  Boys'  Haven, 
1701  Park  Ave.,  Baltimore  17,  Md. 


Middle  Iowa 

Des  Moines  Valley  —  Our  mission  to 
the  members  started  with  a  loyalty 
dinner.  The  following  Sunday  teams 
began  calling  in  the  homes.  We  have 
had  three  additions  to  our  church:  one 
by  baptism,  two  by  letter.  Three  babies 
were  dedicated  recently.  The  women's 
fellowship  has  made  fifteen  jackets  and 
thirty  diapers  for  African  babies,  and 
is  also  making  twelve  layettes  to  be 
given  to  new  babies  at  our  county 
hospital.  During  January,  our  school 
of  missions  was  held  with  our  study 
being  centered  around  home  missions. 
Our  church  will  be  hosts  to  the  union 
World  Day  of  Prayer  with  six  churches 
in  our  community  participating.  Plans 
are  being  made  for  special  Holy  Week 
services.  —  Mrs.  Madonna  Reynolds, 
Ankeny,  Iowa. 

Southeastern  Kansas 

Mont  Ida  —  Our  Bible  school  had 
a  good  attendance  with  several  Amish 
children  enrolled.  Our  pastor's  wife, 
Catherine     Loshbaugh,     directed     the 


•'  school.  At  our  business  meeting  Bro. 
j  Charles  Miller  was  re-elected  modera- 
Itor.  The  men  of  the  church  remodeled 
Cthe  basement,  making  divisions  for 
jj  classrooms  and  painting  the  area.  We 
Li  have  received  two  by  baptism.  Bro. 
I  Ward  Nance,  pastor  of  the  Appanoose 
|r,  church,  conducted  the  love  feast  serv- 
I  ice.  Scott  Valley  helped  us  celebrate 
I  Christmas  by  bringing  their  pageant  to 
I  our  church.  During  January  we  had 
I  a  community  fellowship  evening  and 
|  taffy  pull.  Mrs.  Carl  Wiley  and  Mrs. 
|  B.  F.  Watkins  attended  the  Christian 
D  education  program  at  the  Washington 
ij  church.  We  will  be  the  host  church  for 
I  our  district  conference.  —  Mrs.  Don 
|  Wiley,  Westphalia,  Kansas. 

Parsons  —  Installation  services  for  our 
|  new  pastor,  Bro.  Earl  R.  Myers,  and 
3  his  wife  were  conducted  by  Bro.  Gor- 
I  man  Zook.  Bro.  Ralph  Hodgden  is  our 
I  moderator.  We  sent  four  delegates  to 
i;  district  conference  and  six  to  regional 
ij  conference.  Bro.  Rufus  Daggett,  Broth- 
i  erhood  Fund  representative,  spoke  at 
I  our  church.  Our  women's  fellowship 
|  group  meets  once  a  week  for  quilting 
j  and  tacking  comforters.  They  are  study- 
]  ing  the  women  of  the  Bible  at  their 
j  monthly  meetings.  We  joined  with  the 
I  other  churches  in  World  Day  of  Prayer. 
|  Our  pastor  had  devotions  over  radio 
i  station  KLKC  in  February.  Bro.  Ora 
1  Huston  gave  a  talk  and  showed  slides 
)  of  his  world  tour.  On  Feb.  14,  we  had 
:  a  family  night  fellowship  supper  and 
program.  We  have  been  having  Bible 
study  and  song  services  on  Sunday 
nights.  —  Mrs.  Blanche  Milks,  Parsons, 
I  Kansas. 

Second  Virginia 

Lebanon  —  Bro.  Samuel  Harley,  re- 
gional executive  secretary,  was  guest 
speaker  at  the  loyalty  dinner  which  was 
held  in  conjunction  with  our  evangelis- 
tic visit  to  the  members.  In  July, 
ground  was  broken  for  our  new  church 
building.  Bro.  Olen  Landes  was  with 
us  for  our  revival  meetings.  As  a  result, 
four  were  baptized.  Guest  speakers 
since  our  last  report  have  been  Dr. 
J.  S.  Huffman,  F.  Y.  Garber,  Boyd  E. 
Cupp,  and  Samuel  H.  Flora.  The  wom- 
en's fellowship  sent  fourteen  comforters, 
used  clothing,  and  Christmas  packets 
for  relief.  The  children's  Christmas  pro- 
gram was  given  in  connection  with  a 
candlelighting  service  by  youth  and 
adults.  The  Call  to  Discipleship  pro- 
gram is  under  way.  The  deacon  board 
has  an  active  part  in  it  and  will  continue 
the  undershepherd  plan  as  a  permanent 
program.  We  held  our  annual  father- 
son  banquet.  —  Mrs.  Anne  L.  Beahm, 
|  Mt.  Sidney,  Va. 

Southern  Virginia 

Fairview,  Rocky  Mount  —  Bro.  Car- 
son Key  was  the  evangelist  for  revival 
services.  Three  were  baptized.  Our 
semiannual  communion  service  was 
held  in  September  with  our  pastor  pre- 
siding. The  Thanksgiving  season  was 
celebrated  with  a  Thanksgiving  supper 
and  a  special  offering  to  send  food 
overseas.  Brethren  Sam  Beeghley,  K.  P. 
Flora,  and  Rufus  McDannel  were  visit- 
ing ministers  in  the  absence  of  our 
pastor  and  his  wife.  A  special  offering 
at  Christmas  was  given  to  missions. 
We  were  hosts  to  a  leadership  training 
school  in  February  and  March.  —  Ivy  J. 
Layman,  Rocky  Mount,  Va. 


Organizing  and  Directing  Children's  Choirs 

MADELINE  D.  INGRAM 

With  emphasis  on  using  the  right  psychology  with  the  right  age 
group,  the  author  gives  here  practical  help  on  methods  of  teaching 
rhythm,  pitch,  sight  reading,  and  dynamics  to  children.  She  discusses 
what  to  teach  at  what  age,  what  music  to  use,  how  to  keep  the  attention 
of  the  group,  and  many  other  problems  not  encountered  with  adult 
choirs  and  not  discussed  in  the  classroom.  Throughout  the  book  she 
tells  the  director  how  to  work  with  children  so  they  will  have  a  valuable 
musical  experience  in  the  church  choir.  $2.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


i  i  One   of  the   most  exciting 

archaeological  and   religious   discoveries 
l  i  of  our   time! 


The  Gospel  According 
To  Thomas 


Here  is  the  first  publication  of  the  114  sayings  ascribed  to 
Jesus  which  were  entombed  and  preserved  in  the  dry  sands  of 
Egypt  for  16  centuries.  That  these  ancient  writings  were  preserved 
for  so  many  centuries  is  indeed  fortuitous.  Peasants  in  Upper 
Egypt  stumbled  upon  a  jar  in  one  of  the  old  tombs  containing 
bound  papyrus  books  and  ignorant  of  the  importance  of  their 
find,  sold  the  writings  to  various  merchants.  After  seemingly 
^insurmountable  difficulties,  the  collection  was  assembled  and  a 
team  of  learned  Hebrew  and  Coptic  scholars  reconstructed  the 
text  with  the  aid  of  infrared  photography.  In  this  book,  the 
Coptic  text  in  its  entirety  appears  on  left-hand  pages,  and  an 
easy-to-follow  literal  translation  in  English  faces  it.  Thus,  114 
sayings  of  Jesus,  many  heretofore  unknown,  have  been  trans- 
formed from  a  historic  document  in  an  extinct  language  into 
clear,  meaningful  English.  $2.00 


"?     '"/    lain  I h 


~nr 


7I|M( — I  ii  II 


Church    of    the    Brethren    General    Offices,    Elgin,    Illinois 


APRIL  30,  1960 


31 


PEWS.PULPITa  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

4/  WRITE  FOR  Flte  CATALOG 
T   AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

J.P.Redington&Co. 


DEPT.  211   SCR  ANTON  2,  PA. 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 


study.  Dottie  Moyers  and  Mae  Darby 
have  visited  the  churches,  making  re- 
ports   on    the    institute    held    by    Bro. 

j\jame  James  Renz.    We  are  planning  a  pre- 

Easter   service,   which   will   close  with 

R.  D.  or  St.  a  ^ove  f®ast;  Bro.  Earl  Dietz,  our  pastor, 

is  the  evangelist.  —  Mae  Darby,  Bruce- 

P.  O Zone  State  ton  Mills'  W"  Va" 

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change   in  White  Pine  —  At  our  council  meeting, 

address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address.  Bro.  Laurean  Smith  was  chosen  moder- 

ator.    Brethren    Arthur    Hockman    and 

Harry  Gipe  were  delegates  to  district 

~"  conference  at  Morgantown.   Our  pastor, 

Owen  Preston  and  P.  S.  Hockman  went 
to  Ft.  Derrick  to  take  part  in  the  prayer 
vigil  there.  Arthur  Hockman,  Harry 
Gipe  and  Stanley  Hartman  were 
elected  to  the  office  of  deacon.  We  sent 
eight  duffle  bags  of  clothing  to  New 
Windsor.  Bro.  Harold  Freeman  held 
our  revival  meetings.  P.  S.  Hockman 
is  the  Camp  Galilee  representative.  — 
P.  Stein  Hockman,  Romney,  W.  Va. 


First  West  Virginia 

Allegheny  — We  had  three  nights  of 
revival  services  conducted  by  our  pas- 
tor, Bro.  Eugene  Matthews.  Our  love 
feast  was  held  on  Nov.  21.  We  also 
had  an  afternoon  hymn  sing,  in  which 
various  groups  of  singers  participated. 
The  women's  fellowship  of  the  church 
meets  the  last  Thursday  of  every 
month.  The  CBYF  of  our  church  spon- 
sored a  Christmas  program  with  the 
theme,  Don't  Leave  Christ  Out  of 
Christmas.  Our  prayer  meetings  have 
been  well  attended.  —  Mrs.  A  n  g  i  e 
Moreland,  Gormania,  W.  Va. 

North  Mill  Creek,  Bethel  -  We  ac- 
cepted the  resignation  of  our  pastor, 
Bro.  Alfred  Shaver,  on  Jan.  1,  1960, 
and  on  Feb.  1,  1960,  Bro.  R.  V.  Sim- 
mons assumed  the  pastorate.  We  had 
a  fellowship  supper  for  both  families. 
The  women's  fellowship  made  two 
comforters  for  some  needy  local  people 
and  one  for  relief.  A  bountiful  collec- 
tion of  food  was  presented  to  a  family 
of  our  community.  We  are  planning 
to  enlarge  our  church  building  this 
spring.  —  Mrs.  Cleo  Alt,  Landes,  W.  Va. 

Greenland,  Brick  —  We  dedicated  our 
new  pews  and  chancel  furnishings;  Bro. 
Ernest  Muntzing  was  guest  speaker.  A 
group  of  ladies  attended  the  district 
women's  rally  at  the  Sunnyside  church. 
A  drive  was  conducted  for  the  collec- 
tion of  relief  clothing  which  was  sent 
to  New  Windsor.  Bro.  C.  G.  Hesse  was 
guest  speaker  at  the  Brick  church  on 
the  occasion  of  his  fiftieth  anniversary 
in  the  ministry.  Our  church  partici- 
pated in  a  community  Bible  school. 
Bro.  John  T.  Glick  held  our  revival. 
Five  persons  have  been  baptized  since 
our  last  report.  Our  pastor,  W.  Owen 
Horton,  Sr.,  has  resigned  to  go  to 
school.  —  Cecil  Sites,  Maysville,  W.  Va. 

Sandy  Creek  —  The  McOakley  min- 
isters met  with  the  local  ministers  in 
Shady  Grove  church  in  the  interest  of 
CBYF.  A  dedication  service  was  held 
for  the  improvements  made  at  Shady 
Grove.  Programs  and  fellowship  sup- 
pers are  being  held  in  the  different 
churches  on  the  fifth  Sunday  of  a 
month.     At    Caanan    church    they    are 


planning  an  African  supper.  Shady 
Grove  is  observing  the  World  Day  of 
Prayer  with  the  mission  directors  in 
charge.  Our  women's  fellowship  has 
been  making  comforters  for  relief.  A 
drive  is  being  made  for  relief  clothing. 
A  women's  fellowship  has  been  or- 
ganized at  Hazelton.  Every  two  weeks 
the  Hazelton  members  meet  for  a  Bible 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


FOR 


ONLY 


For 

BRETHREN 
ONLY 


by     KERMIT     EBY 

Described  by  its  author  as  a  "mood  piece," 
this  book  is  a  series   of  stimulating   reflections 
concerning  the  Brethren  expression  of  the  Christian  way  of  life 

Steeped  in  his  Brethren-Mennonite  background,  and  profoundly 
grateful  for  it,  the  author  looks  at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  of 
yesterday,  today,  and  tomorrow. 

He  is  pleased  with  a  part  of  what  he  sees,  and  he  tells  us  why. 
He  is  not  pleased  with  some  of  what  he  sees,  and  he  tells  us  why. 
Basic  New  Testament  concepts  are  kept  in  focus. 

His  widely  known  intimate  pictures  of  life  in  his  boyhood  Baugo 
are  employed  with  skill  and  insight.  So  also  are  his  related 
experiences  from  his  varied  adult-world  contacts. 

Throughout  he  pleads  for  a  church  committed  anew  to  the  basic 
Christian  principles  of  devotion  to  God  as  revealed  in  Christ  and 
to  human  brotherhood  and  justice. 

The  author  is  an  ordained  Church  of  the  Brethren  minister,  cur- 
rently a  professor  in  the  department  of  social  sciences  of  the 
University  of  Chicago;  formerly  a  public  schoolteacher,  the 
secretary  of  the  Chicago  Teachers  Union,  and  the  educational 
director  of  the  CIO. 

$3.00 


Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois 


CAittcA,  <ff  cbt&M&tn/iesi' 


MESSENGER 


MAY  7,  1960 


A' 


LONG  about  the  first  week  in  May  even  the  most  pleasant 
schoolroom  seems  too  confining.  Who  can  blame  a  boy  for 
letting  his  thoughts  wander  far  away  beyond  problems  in  arithmetic 
and  events  in  ancient  history?  Already  the  warm  wind  drifts  into 
his  classroom,  bearing  the  scent  of  blossoms  and  suggesting  how 
attractive  must  be  the  stream  where  he  loves  to  fish.  Being  healthy 
and  normal,  he  feels  the  stirring  of  spring  in  his  own  blood  and  his 
daydreams  are  far  more  appealing  than  the  prospect  of  finishing 
the  school  days  he  has  already  numbered.  ...  He  may  not  know 
it,  but  his  teacher  too  has  some  dreams  of  her  own  she  must  keep 
under  control,  and  his  parents  may  also  be  restless  in  the  face  of 
promises  to   keep   and  time  clocks  to   punch.   .   .   .   Perhaps   the 

wisest   teacher    is    the    one 

A..  who  makes  allowances  for 

C      irl  1 1  dreaming,   who   recognizes 

Xw'vl  II  inai  dreamers  often  become 

builders,  that  they  who,  for 
example,  look  forward  to  a 
city  as  yet  unattainable,  are 
the  ones  most  likely  to  reach 
it.  Not  to  escape  from  work, 

if  t*43^3l  f*nOt*^  'Dut  ''^e  Abraham  to  seek  a 

L^I   CCll1  I  Iwi   2>  /j|  far   country,    like   Jacob   to 

envision  a  ladder  reaching 
heaven  — this  is  the  call  that 
should   come  to   dreamers. 


for 


Luoma 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Tliy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS  WRITE 


to   the   editor 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 


MAY  7,  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  19 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

A  Call  for  Dreamers   1 

The  General  Forum  — 

In  but  not  Of  the  World. 

Floyd  E.  Bantz   3 

.  .  Make  Me  Like  Christ. 

William  G.  Willoughby   6 

A  Prayer  Program  for  the  Local 

Church.    Merlin  Garber    8 

Charge:   Disturbing  the  Peace    10 

Resolution  on  Nonviolence  in  Race 

Relations    13 

Literature  and  Audio-Visuals 

on  Nonviolence 13 

Mental  Health  —  Capacity  for  Loving. 

Paul  S.  Hersch   14 

My  Calling  to  Fulfill. 

Edward  K.  Ziegler  16 

Meet  the  Brethren  in  Illinois. 

Ethel  H.  Weddle 18 

A  Day  in  a  Nigerian  Dispensary. 

Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp 20 

The  Field  Is  the  World 21 

Conference  Business    22 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books   25 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   17 

Overseas  Report  From  India. 

Andrew  H.  Holderreed  26 

Church  News    28 

•  •  • 
Bishop  J.  Lesslie  Newbigin,  chair- 
man of  the  International  Missionary 
Council:  "The  division  of  the 
churches  is  making  a  mockery  of 
their  mission.  No  task  is  more  urgent 
than  that  of  patient  wrestling  with 
these  divisions  until  Christ  himself 
restores  to  us  the  unity  that  is  his 
will." 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Does  It  Bother  You? 

Does  it  bother  you  that  three 
fourths  of  your  tax  dollar  is  used  to 
build  up  the  means  to  produce  a 
veritable  "hell  on  earth"?  I  become 
even  more  bothered  when  I  know 
of  a  man,  who  only  nineteen  short 
years  ago  was  herded  with  thou- 
sands of  refugees  from  Nazi  Ger- 
many, into  a  muddy,  dirty,  hungry, 
and  cold  prison  camp,  guarded  by 
Nazis  —  his  "crime"  being  that  he  re- 
fused to  construct  aircraft  and  mis- 
siles for  the  Nazis. 

Deeply  grateful  that  American 
friends  gave  him  the  chance  to  come 
to  U.S.  to  start  a  new  life,  today 
he  is  bewildered  by  the  fact  that 
in  our  drive  toward  the  abyss  of 
a  nuclear  arms  race,  the  restoration 
of  German  armed  might  on  a  grand 
scale,  in  co-operation  with  U.S.  arm- 
ament industries,  has  been  pro- 
moted. (Do  you  know  that  your 
tax  dollars  are  helping  to  restore 
many  of  Hitler's  generals  and  ad- 
mirals to  places  of  respect  and  lead- 
ership under  the  stars  and  stripes 
and  the  German  flag?) 

We  would  laud  the  man  who 
risked  his  life  refusing  to  obey  Hit- 
ler. Are  we  just  as  alert  to  recognize 
that  a  brave  girl,  Eroseanna  Robin- 
son, an  athlete  of  national  standing, 
is  in  jail  today  because  her  con- 
science will  not  allow  her  to  let  her 
tax  money  be  used  to  promote  pre- 
cisely the  same  method  of  dealing 
with  world  problems?  Can  the  same 
method  be  evil  under  Hitler  and 
righteous  in  America? 

We  live  in  a  day  when  we  are 
oblivious  to  the  dangerous  radiation 
produced  by  our  "war-deterrent"  ac- 
tions —  but  have  the  capacity  to  be- 
come quite  alarmed  about  the 
relatively  minor  danger  in  cranberry 
weed  killer;  a  day  when  many  of 
us  do  not  know  —  and  those  who 
do  seem  addicted  to  the  "but-what- 
can-I-do-about-it"  attitude  —  that  we 
are  shareholders  (as  taxpayers)  in 
a  corporation  that  is  stockpiling 
mosquitoes  infected  with  plagues, 
ticks  with  tularemia,  methods  of  in- 
fecting population  from  the  air  with 
baccili  viruses  and  toxins,  labs  for 
the  mass  breeding  of  micro-organ- 
isms, and  greenhouses  for  investigat- 
ing chemical  dusts  that  will  not  only 
destroy  basic  food  crops,  but  steri- 
lize the  land  itself! 

How  can  a  people  whose  hearts 


and  purses  are  opened  to  victims 
of  natural  disaster  (e.g.  Agadir)  — 
as  well  they  should  be  —  com- 
placendy  continue  in  the  bloody 
business  of  preparing  to  exterminate 
people  as  nonchalantly  as  if  they 
were  rodents? 

I  appreciate  that  I  have  been 
privileged  to  be  born  into  the  great- 
est country  in  the  world  and  am 
happy  to  carry  my  share  of  meeting 
one  of  the  obligations  of  being  a 
citizen  —  that  of  paying  taxes.  I 
feel,  however,  that  a  truly  patriotic 
citizen  will  also  be  intelligentiy  in- 
formed as  to  what  these  taxes  go 
for  to  the  extent  that  he  will  exercise 
the  privilege  of  a  citizen  in  a  free 
society  —  that  of  feeling  individually 
responsible  to  see  that  his  taxes  go 
for  only  those  things  that  will  pre- 
serve this  great  country  of  ours. 

Even  though  I  realize  the  prob- 
lems of  converting  to  a  peacetime 
economy  would  be  gigantic  andj 
fraught  with  serious  decisions  and 
consequences,  I  feel  this  period  of 
transition  would  be  far  preferable  to 
the  risks  —  which  could  include  the 
annihilation  of  civilization  —  we  are 
taking  by  continuing  the  satanic 
madness  we  are  engaged  in! 

How  can  we  hope  for  the 
constructive  measures  the  UN  un- 
dertakes in  its  attempt  to  help  under- 
developed peoples  to  do  any  good, 
when  this  year  we  will  give  a  paltry 
sixty-six  cents  per  capita  to  remove 
the  causes  that  force  us  to  appropri- 
ate three  fourths  of  our  tax  dollar 
to  deal  with? 

God  forgive  us  for  we  know  not 
what  we  do!  —  Mrs.  Robert  D. 
Clark,  North  Liberty,  Ind. 
Note:  This  is  a  reprint  of  a  letter 
sent  to  the  Voice  of  the  People 
column,  South  Bend  Tribune,  South 
Bend,  Ind. 


Dr.  Edwin  Dahlberg,  president  of 
National  Council  of  Churches:  "We 
have  all  our  values  in  reverse.  We 
have  built  our  national  defenses 
around  the  fallacious  idea  that  we 
must  have  freedom  if  truth  is  to 
prevail.  On  the  contrary,  we  must 
have  truth  if  freedom  is  to  prevail. 
Truth  comes  before  freedom.  Jesus 
made  this  clear,  'You  will  know  the 
truth  and  the  truth  will  make  you 
free.  .  .  If  the  Son  makes  you 
free,  you  will  be  free  indeed.' " 


Many  ways  have  been  tried 
to  resolve  the  tension  that 

comes  when  the  Christian 
attempts  to  live  in  the  world 
and  not  be  a  part  of  it 


Floyd  E.  Bantz 


A 

l\  S  A  rule,  it  is  not  possible 
to  be  in  something  and  still  not 
be  part  of  it.  The  New  Testa- 
ment, however,  provokes  us  to 
contemplate  that  God  may  in- 
deed call  the  Christian  to  be 
in  something  of  which  he  can- 
not be  a  part.  Such  passages  as 
'they  are  not  of  the  world  .  .  . 
I  do  not  pray  that  thou 
shouldst  take  them  out  of  the 
world  .  .  ."  (John  17:14-16 
R.S.V.)  create  within  us  tension 
prompted  by  the  indication 
that  we  must  be  something 
other  than  what  we  can  be. 
Such  a  tension  is,  to  say  the 
least,  extremely  uncomfortable. 
We  do  not  stand  alone.  The 
church's  history  relates  how 
men  have  wrestled  with  the  in- 
junction to  be  in  the  world  but 


Gruerio 


Three   Lions 


An   artist's   conception  of  Jesus,   the   Word   of   God,   who   "be- 
came flesh  and  dwelt  among  us,"  and  made  God  known  to  us 


not  of  it.  The  forefathers  of  the 
church  we  now  call  "ours"  also 
felt  the  tension,  and  attempted 
solution  by  developing  little 
cells  within  the  world  that  were 
protected  from  all  the  "evils" 
of  the  world.  In  our  own  day 
the  movement  of  some  of  the 
Bruderhof  communities  is  an 
attempt  to  be  in  the  world,  not 
of  it. 

The  sheltered  community  and 
a  withdrawal  to  monastic  living 
are  not  satisfactory  treatments 
for  our  tension.  The  sins  of 
self,  of  envy,  greed,  lust,  anger 


can  exist  within  such  cloisters 
just  as  surely  as  they  exist  with- 
out. One  does  not  escape  the 
sin  of  man  by  changing  social 
environment.  The  man  in  the 
monk's  cell  escapes  this  fact  no 
more  easily  than  does  the  man 
on  the  street. 

Unfortunately,  the  great  ma- 
jority of  professing  Christians 
strive  to  resolve  the  tension  in 
a  manner  even  less  desirable 
than  those  previously  men- 
tioned. They  rationalize  that 
the  things  of  the  world  certainly 
must  have  been  made  for  our 


In  but  not  Of  the  World 


enjoyment.  The  denial  of  the 
ascetics  and  the  withdrawal  of 
the  monastics  they  regard  as 
ridiculous.  Hence,  they  accom- 
modate totally  to  the  world  and 
become  not  only  in  the  world, 
but  of  it  as  well. 

The  tension  within  us  caused 
by  our  call  to  be  in  but  not  of 
the  world  will  never  completely 
disappear.  The  nature  of  our 
calling  and  the  fact  of  evil  in 
the  world  make  this  clear.  What 
is  to  be  questioned  are  the  ways 
we  attempt  to  resolve  the  ten- 
sion. Furthermore,  the  tension 
is  not  alleviated  by  "attempts" 
or  "ways."  It  is  resolved  only 
as  a  result  of  a  particular  and 
unique  relationship  existing  be- 
tween the  confessing  Christian 
and  the  forgiving  Father. 

Such  a  relationship  does  em- 
power the  believer  to  be  in  but 
not  of  the  world,  but  the  criteria 
are  not  found  in  types  of  socie- 
ties. They  rather  are  found  in 
the  nature  and  quality  of  our 
fellowship,  in  our  dependency 
upon  the  Word,  in  our  concept 
of  the  church,  in  our  attitude 
toward  Christ,  and  in  our  un- 
derstanding of  the  kingdom. 

Those  who  are  in  but  not  of 
the  world  evidence  fellowship 
which  is  different  in  both  nature 
and  quality  from  that  presented 
by  those  who  are  in  and  of  the 
world. 

Christian  fellowship  is  not 
predicated  on  the  desire  of 
people  to  get  together  because 
they  like  to  be  together.  It  is 
rather  the  result  of  the  individ- 
ual Christian's  participation  in 
a  mystical  relationship  with 
God  through  Jesus  Christ.  Fel- 
lowship with  other  men  is 
formed  because  there  first  exists 
a  vertical  relationship  between 
man  and  God  which  is  second- 
arily shared  with  all  men. 

The  brotherhood  of  man 
about  which  we  so  sentimental- 

4  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


ly  sing  exists  because  of  the 
Fatherhood  of  God.  Apart  from 
his  sovereignty  fellowship  is  of 
little  significance.  We  are  one 
with  each  other  because  we 
have  become  one  with  him. 

In  other  words,  in  the  New 
Testament  fellowship  implies 
something  other  than  a  group 
of  cheerful  Charlies  singing 
camp  songs  after  an  ample  sup- 
per. It  rather  is  a  deep  sense 
of  sharing  the  common  life  of 
those  who  believe  in  God 
through  Christ.  It  deals  with 
the  common  ventures  of  life  but 
penetrates  into  the  areas  of 
most  vital  concern.  It  cannot 
be  bought,  built,  or  even  sought 
after.  It  is  the  gift  of  God's 
grace  to  those  who  respond  to 
his  call  in  faith  and  is  extended 
to  others  by  the  invitation  to 
come  to  Christ. 

Those  who  are  in  the  world 
but  not  of  it  are  dependent  upon 
the  Word. 

The  Word  is  God's  action  in 
history.  God  spoke  and  the 
creation  was  completed.  God 
spoke  and  man  was  made.  God 
spoke  and  a  people  was  called. 
God  spoke  and  a  Son  was  born. 
Jesus  Christ  —  his  life,  teach- 
ings, deeds,  crucifixion,  and 
resurrection  —  is  the  Word  of 
God.  "In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word  . . .  And  the  Word  became 
flesh  and  dwelt  among  us  .  .  ." 
( John  1 ) .  "In  many  and  various 
ways  God  spoke  of  old  .  .  .  but 
in  these  last  days  he  has  spoken 
to  us  by  a  Son  .  .  ."  ( Hebrews 

The  Word  is  brought  to  the 
Christian  through  the  Bible. 
The  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God, 
not  merely  the  reflection  of 
men,  but  the  Word  is  not 
limited  to  the  Bible.  The  Bible 
is  subject  to  the  Word,  but  the 
Word  is  not  subject  to  the  Bible. 
It  is  the  symbolic  outgrowth  of 
the  Word  formed  as  what  God 
said  was  filtered  through  the 
personality  of  imperfect  man. 


The  acts  of  preaching  and  the 
observances  of  the  ordinances 
are  more  than  opportunities  for 
personal  introspection.  They 
are  symbols  of  the  Word  that  I 
point  to  the  ultimate  Word,  i 
God  speaking  through  Christ. 
They  are  channels  through 
which  God  speaks  of  his  love 
and  grace  as  well  as  the  means 
whereby  man  demonstrates  the 
experience  of  God's  grace  with- 
in him. 

Fellowship  is  tested  by  this  : 
Word.    Worship  is  made  vital 
by  this  Word.  This  Word  stands 
in  judgment  over  the  program 
of    the    church.      Hence,    the 
church  must  be  familiar  with  | 
this  Word,  that  the  life  of  the 
church  and  the  Christian  may 
be  guided  by  it.  It  is  this  Word  I 
that  calls  us  from  the  world,  yet  I 
sends  us  into  the  world. 

Those  who  are  in  but  not 
of  the  world  conceive  of  the 
church  in  a  manner  markedly 
different  from  those  who  are 
both  in  and  of  the  world. 

The  church  is  an  assembly  of  I 
"called-out"  people  who  have 
become  God's  own  people  by  I 
their  response  of  faith  to  his 
grace.  It  is  a  unique  assembly 
of  redeemed  sinners,  who,  by 
their  faith  and  God's  action, 
have  become  the  community  of 
the  faithful,  the  body  of  be- 
lievers, the  body  of  Christ.  This 
church  is.  not  man's  creation; 
thus  it  can  never  be  merely 
an  association  of  like-minded 
people  or  only  a  worthwhile 
social  institution  of  our  time. 

It  is  not  basically  organiza- 
tion, geographic  or  political.  It 
is  the  result  of  God's  action 
among  men  and  is  nourished  by 
the  life  of  Christ,  who  is  its  j 
Head.  It  stands  in  confession 
and  repentance  before  almighty 
God  and  hears  him  speak.  Its 
mission  is  to  worship.  It  then 
goes  to  the  world  to  tell  that 
which  it  has  heard.   Its  work  is 

Continued    on    page    9 


WHAT  WE  READ  IN  THE  PAPERS 


EDITORIALS 


ALL  I  know,"  Will  Rogers  once  said,  "is 
what  I  read  in  the  papers."  He  was 
speaking  for  multitudes  who  depend 
upon  the  daily  newspaper  and  perhaps  an  oc- 
casional magazine  to  keep  them  informed. 

But  we  are  confident  that  Will  Rogers  was 
too  wise  a  philosopher  to  read  only  one  paper. 
As  he  moved  around  the  country  he  must  have 
had  opportunity  to  sample  many  news  reports 
and  editorials.  He  knew  that  most  controversial 
and  timely  subjects  have  more  than  one  side 
to  them.  Even  a  homespun  entertainer  must 
ever  be.  alert  to  a  variety  of  viewpoints. 

We  believe  the  readers  of  the  Gospel  Mes- 
senger wish  also  to  be  well-informed.  We  hope 
they  take  time  to  follow  more  than  one  news- 
paper and  we  hope  they  are  willing  to  listen 
to  more  than  one  side  of  an  issue.  We  are  not 
in  a  position  to  bring  them  the  most  recent  or 
up-to-date  news  on  every  subject  and  we  do 
not  attempt  to  do  so.  But  we  do  feel  some 
responsibility  for  helping  them  gain  a  perspec- 
tive on  issues  that  are  of  major  concern  to 
Christians. 

This  is  the  reason  why  we  began  a  few 
years  ago  to  publish  a  series  of  "Overseas 
Reports"  from  correspondents  who  happened  to 
be  living  where  they  could  observe  important 
events  from  a  vantage  point  the  rest  of  us  lack. 
We  asked  them  not  only  to  tell  us  what  was 
happening  in  their  part  of  the  world  but  also, 
whenever  possible,  to  explain  how  things  looked 
to  people  in  the  area  where  they  lived. 

At  the  present  time  seven  such  observers 
are  sending  us  regular  reports.  They  include 
three  persons  associated  with  our  foreign  mis- 
sion program:  H.  Stover  Kulp,  pioneer  Breth- 
ren missionary,  whose  reports  focus  on  central 
Africa;  Merle  Crouse,  Brethren  missionary  in 
Ecuador,  who  gives  us  a  Latin-American  view- 
point; and  Andrew  Holderreed,  Brethren  mis- 
sionary in  India,  whose  first  report  appears  in 
this  issue.  The  other  overseas  reporters  are  as- 
sociated with  various  Brethren  service  activi- 
ties: Albert  Huston,  who  has  written  regularly 
from  Japan;  John  Barwick,  formerly  located  in 
Vietnam  but  now  in  Sardinia;  Dale  Aukerman, 
whose  first  release  from  Germany  will  appear 
in  an  early  issue;  and  Kurtis  Naylor,  who  has 
so  far  been  so  busy  with  the  emergency  relief 
needs  in  Morocco  that  he  has  had  no  time  to 
save  for  reporting. 

We  hope  to  add  still  other  names  to  our  list 
of  overseas  correspondents,  including  some  who 
are  not  directly  connected  with  our  church  pro- 


gram  but   who   are   able   to   help   us    gain   a 
broader  outlook  on  world  affairs. 

It  is  obvious  that  from  time  to  time  our 
correspondents  will  present  viewpoints  that 
differ  quite  radically  from  what  we  read  in 
most  newspapers.  This  happened  recently  when 
Merle  Crouse  gave  us  a  background  on  the 
Cuban  situation  which  seemed  so  contrary  to 
the  headlines  and  cartoons  we  see  every  day. 
Yet  it  is  interesting  to  observe  that  letters  and 
reports  from  Protestant  missionaries  in  Cuba, 
almost  without  exception,  agree  with  our  re- 
porter's observations.  We  are  not  interested 
here  in  defending  a  particular  point  of  view, 
but  rather  in  pointing  out  why  it  is  so  important 
to  see  how  events  that  appear  in  one  light  to 
our  eyes  may  look  altogether  different  if  you 
live  south  of  the  border  or  halfway  around  the 
world. 

Many  persons  have  written  to  thank  us  for 
carrying  news  about  churches  and  church-re- 
lated activities  which  they  would  not  see  other- 
wise. Without  slighting  the  news  of  our  own 
Brotherhood  —  or  the  good  news  of  the  Gospel 
which  is  at  the  heart  of  our  message  —  we  ex- 
pect to  continue  and  to  improve  this  service  to 
our  readers. 

If  it  is  true  for  most  of  us,  as  it  was  for 
Will  Rogers,  that  our  knowledge  is  influenced 
by  what  we  read  in  the  papers,  then  by  all 
means  let  us  read  widely  and  carefully  so  that 
we  become  well-informed.  —  k.m. 


A  COMPANY  OF  TAX  COLLECTORS 

IF  WE  were  asked  to  write  a  meditation  for 
April  15  —  or  any  other  of  the  days  on 
which  we  must  remember  the  Internal 
Revenue  Service  —  we  would  be  tempted  to 
quote  from  Luke  5:27-32  in  which  Jesus  made 
a  visit  to  a  tax  office  not  just  to  render  to  Caesar 
what  was  Caesar's  but  to  collect  a  new  disciple. 

Like  the  Pharisees  of  long  ago,  modern 
Americans  are  inclined  to  speak  scornfully  of 
tax  collectors.  We  pay  up  under  protest  and 
joke  about  all  kinds  of  revenues  —  internal  or 
infernal  —  that  a  top-heavy  government  de- 
mands. But  Jesus  risked  criticism  because  he 
sought  a  follower  in  the  company  of  the  revenue 
agents.  We  need  his  passion  for  making  dis- 
ciples —  even  among  the  collectors.  —  k.m. 

MAY  7.   I960  5 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  Compassionate  Doctor 

The  little  boy  was  sick  —  very,  very  sick.  For 
several  days  his  fluctuating  fever  had  torn  from  the 
boy  his  energy,  his  high  spirits,  even  his  desire  to  live. 
Fear  and  disease,  in  a  pincerlike  move,  had  left  the 
boy  trembling  and  half  delirious  in  the  rapidly  falling 
darkness  of  a  late  summer  evening. 

His  aching  sobs  attracted  the  attention  of  an  old 
doctor  at  the  far  end  of  the  crowded  hospital  room. 
Quietly  walking  to  the  boy's  side,  the  doctor  gently 
placed  his  light-skinned  hand  on  the  dark,  very  dark 
forehead  of  the  crying  child  and  in  a  voice  of  compassion 
said:    "Don't  be  afraid,  my  boy." 

The  shy  eyes  of  the  boy  turned  in  gratitude  to  the 
old  man,  his  crying  ceased,  and  soon  the  boy  was  asleep. 
Albert  Schweitzer  moved  on  to  comfort  another  patient. 

The  Compassionate  Student 

The  old  woman  had  obviously  mistreated  her 
adopted  child.  The  policeman  looked  at  the  neglected 
child,  so  emaciated  and  bruised  it  would  perhaps  not 
live  through  the  night. 

So  he  arrested  the  old  woman,  took  her  and  the 
child  to  the  police  station,  and  put  them  in  a  cell.  The 
pitiful  cries  of  the  baby  aroused  concern,  and  neighbor- 
hood gossip  soon  spread  the  news  about  a  sick  child 
spending  the  night  in  a  jail  cell. 

Late  that  evening  a  student  at  a  nearby  school 
heard  of  the  woman  and  her  baby.  Even  though  it 
was  examination  time,  the  young  man  rushed  to  the 
police  station,  asked  to  care  for  the  baby  until  a  home 
could  be  found  for  it  and,  given  permission,  took  the 
almost  dead  child  to  his  dormitory  room. 

That  night,  instead  of  studying  for  his  examinations, 
the  student  washed  the  baby,  fed  it,  clothed  it  in  clean 
garments,  and  went  to  sleep  with  the  baby  huddled  in 
his  protective  arms. 

After  weeks  of  tender  care,  the  baby  was  restored 
to  health,  and  Toyohiko  Kagawa  turned  the  baby  over 
to  a  foster  mother  who  promised  to  give  love  and 
proper  care  to  the  baby. 

Albert  Schweitzer 

What  a  difference  there  is  between  Schweitzer  and 
Kagawa.  And  yet,  what  magnificent  similarity!  In 
their  common  discipleship  to  Christ,  in  their  willingness 
to  carry  the  cross  of  Christ,  in  their  compassionate  love 
they  are  as  one. 

Schweitzer,  the  son  of  a  parson,  with  excellent  edu- 
cation, bore  his  cross  to  Lambarene  in  Africa,  where 
sleeping  sickness,  white  ants,  and  jungle  animals  pro- 
vided him  with  more  than  he  could  possibly  do. 

It  took  Schweitzer  only  an  hour  as  a  grown  man 
to  make  up  his  mind  to  serve  Christ  in  Africa  as  a 
medical  missionary,  but  it  took  him  five  years  of  in- 
tense study  and  research  to  prepare  himself  for  his 


life's  work.  Most  of  those  five 
years  he  studied  and  worked  at 
a  pace  of  eighteen  hours  a  day. 

When  he  was  ready  to  go 
the  common  opinion  of  many 
was:  "What  a  foolish  venture! 
A  man  and  his  wife,  with  less 
than  $5,000,  with  no  support 
from  a  missionary  society,  going 
to  an  obscure  location  in  Africa 
with  the  full  intention  of  erect- 
ing, equipping,  and  maintaining 
a  hospital!"  Yet  it  was  for 
Christ's  sake  that  he  departed 
on  this  foolish  venture. 

For  a  while,  when  he  first 
arrived  in  Africa,  Schweitzer 
used  a  chicken  house  for  a  hos- 
pital until  he  could  build  his 
own.  His  first  (of  three)  hos- 
pital was  a  corrugated  iron 
building  having  only  four 
rooms  —  the  two  largest  being 
only  thirteen  feet  square.  The 
two  small  rooms  were  used  as 
a  dispensary  and  laboratory. 

When  Schweitzer  had  been 
on  the  field  about  four  years, 
he  was  saddened  by  the  reports 
of  the  war  in  Europe  (World 
War  I),  his  health  was  failing, 
food  was  scarce,  money  from 
Europe  was  not  reaching  him. 
To  cap  all  this  trouble,  Schweit- 
zer was  arrested  by  the  French 
and  interned  in  a  prisoner  of 
war  camp  at  Garaison  in 
France. 

Although  sick  much  of  the 
time,  Schweitzer  engaged  in  a 
ministry  of  medical  care  for  the 
ill  and  also  worked  on  his  mon- 
umental book,  Philosophy  of 
Civilization.  During  his  in- 
ternment, Schweitzer  comforted 
i  and  encouraged  many  home- 
sick and  disheartened  prisoners, 
and  made  long-lasting  friend- 
ships. He  even  made  a  lifelong 
friendship  with  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  camp;  twenty- 
five  years  later  he  was  still 
corresponding  with  him! 

By  his  abandonment  of  self 
in  service  to  his  fellow  human 
beings  in  Africa,  Schweitzer  has 
demonstrated    anew    that    dis- 


cipleship  can  be  a  present  fact. 
In  prophetic  words  he  calls 
the  church  to  self-examination: 
".  .  .  the  Christianity  of  today 
cheats  itself  with  the  delusion 
that  it  is  making  its  position  as 
a  church  stronger  year  by  year. 
It  is  accommodating  itself  to 
the  spirit  of  the  age  by  adopting 
a  kind  of  modern  worldliness. 
Like  other  organized  bodies  it 
is  at  work  to  make  good,  by 
ever  stronger  and  more  uniform 
organizations,  its  claim  to  be  a 
body  justified  by  history  and 
practical  success.  But  just  in 
proportion  as  it  gains  in  ex- 
ternal power,  it  loses  in  spirit- 
ual." 

Toyohiko  Kagawa 

When  Kagawa  went  to  dwell 
with  the  poor  in  the  slums  of 
Kobe,  he  lived  in  a  room  about 
six  feet  by  six  feet.  Whenever 
he  could,  he  shared  what  he 
had  with  those  who  had  less. 
One  night  there  were  ten  peo- 
ple in  his  little  room.  Kagawa 
probably  contracted  trachoma, 
the  dread  eye  disease  that  has 
made  him  almost  blind,  from  a 
beggar  with  whom  he  shared 
his  bed. 

Axling,  the  biographer  of 
Kagawa,  reports  that  a  beggar 
once  asked  Kagawa  for  his  shirt, 
saying:  "You  pose  as  a  Chris- 
tian; failure  to  give  it  will  prove 
you  a  fraud."  He  got  the  shirt. 
The  next  day  he  returned  and 
demanded  Kagawa's  coat  and 
trousers.  He  got  them  as  well. 
This  left  the  poor  Christian 
with  nothing  to  wear  but  a 
woman's  kimona  with  a  flaming 
red  lining  —  the  gift  of  a  desti- 
tute but  sympathetic  neighbor 
woman. 

Kagawa  was  frequently 
chased  by  bullies  from  his 
street-corner  preaching;  he  was 
thrown  in  jail;  he  was  attacked; 
he  was  robbed;  he  was  often 
insulted  and  berated  by  un- 
friendly non-Christians.  Yet 
through  it  all  Kagawa  contin- 


ued his  ministry  of  love  to  the 
poor. 

"The  bullies,"  says  Axling, 
"not  only  threatened  and  at- 
tacked Kagawa  personally,  but 
they  broke  the  windows  of  his 
hut,  smashed  the  few  articles  of 
furniture  that  it  contained,  and 
stole  his  cooking  utensils.  But 
Kagawa  never  hit  back.  .  .  .  He 
either  fled  or  smiled,  whichever 
seemed  the  better  strategy.  If 
he  fled,  he  soon  returned  and 
carried  on  as  though  nothing 
had  happened." 

Although  Kagawa  established 
settlement  houses  in  three  dif- 
ferent cities  in  Japan,  he  was 
actively  interested  in  unions, 
co-operatives,  social  welfare 
legislation,  world  peace,  and 
evangelism.  The  dynamic 
source  of  his  untiring  efforts  on 
behalf  of  others  is  revealed  by 
the  heart-warming  story  of  his 
conversion. 

His  parents  having  died  when 
he  was  four,  and,  having  been 
brutally  mistreated  for  several 
years  by  his  guardians,  Kagawa 
enrolled  as  a  student  in  a  boys' 
boarding  school  in  Tokushima. 

He  was  younger  and  smaller 
than  the  other  boys  in  his  class, 
and  was  consequently  the  butt 
of  ridicule,  teasing,  and  laugh- 
ter. A  lonely  boy  with  no  close 
family  ties,  Kagawa  surren- 
dered himself  to  depression  and 
sorrow.  Hardly  a  day  passed 
that  he  did  not  cry. 

At  one  time,  in  his  agony  of 
spirit,  he  called  out:  "There  is 
nothing  to  do  but  to  drift  with 
the  clouds  and  be  driven  by  the 
rain.  Oh,  that  the  thunders 
would  roll  and  rain  descend  in 
torrents!  Or  that  the  ship  of 
life  would  suddenly  sink  and  I 
could  go  down  with  it  in  peace." 

It  was  at  this  critical  stage  in 
his  life  that  Kagawa  made  the 
acquaintance  of  two  Christian 
missionary  families.  In  their 
homes  the  orphan  lad  found  a 

MAY  7,   1960  7 


heart}-  welcome,  friendly  con- 
versation, and  a  tasty  cup  of 
tea  with  cakes.  But  he  also 
found  in  their  homes  a  deep 
faith  and  the  knowledge  of 
Jesus. 

One  day  when  the  boy  was 
especially  sad,  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries took  Toyohiko  out 
under  the  open  sky,  turned  the 
boy's  sad,  tear-stained  face 
toward  the  sun,  and  said:  "Look 


at  the  sky,  look  at  the  sun,  let 
your  tears  evaporate,  and  then 
we  will  laugh." 

The  miracle  happened.  The 
two  friends  laughed,  and  in  his 
happiness  Kagawa  turned  more 
and  more  to  the  Christ  of  the 
missionaries. 

The  day  came,  the  momen- 
tous day  came,  when  the  deep 
yearning  of  the  young  man's 
heart  burst   into  a  heart-filled 


cry:  "O  God,  make  me  like 
Christ."  Toyohiko  Kagawa  was 
born  again  —  a  humble  disciple 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

Albert  Schweitzer  and  Toyo- 
hiko Kagawa  —  so  different  and 
yet  so  much  alike.  Different 
cultures,  different  races,  differ- 
ent languages,  different  voca- 
tions, and  yet  both  found  an  $ 
ultimate  unity  in  discipleship 
to  Christ. 


A  Prayer  Program  for  the  Local  Church 


ANY  prayer  program  must 
necessarily  be  based  up- 
on a  deep-rooted  convic- 
tion that  prayer  is  effectual.  The 
belief  that  prayer  really  makes 
a  difference  must  be  held  by 
those  who  direct  the  program  or 
else  the  program  becomes  an 
added  chore  to  an  already  over- 
burdened schedule.  If  one  be- 
lieves that  prayer  really  changes 
things  and  if  one  is  committed 
enough  to  want  changes  made, 
then  new  opportunities  for 
prayer  experiences  are  eagerly 
welcomed. 

The  key  to  the  church's 
prayer  life  is  the  minister's 
pastoral  prayer  in  the  morn- 
ing service.  From  that  prayer 
should  come  the  inspiration 
and  the  technique  for  the 
members  in  their  prayer  life. 
When  the  minister  can  pray  in 
such  a  way  that  the  members 
feel  they  are  with  him  in  the 
very  presence  of  God  and  when 
they  would  rather  hear  him 
pray  than  preach,  then  the  door 
has  been  opened  to  a  vital 
prayer  life.  Someone  has  stated 
that  the  morning  prayer  should 
lift  the  congregation  another 
story.  It  has  been  an  interesting 
experience  with  some  pastors  to 

8  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Merlin  Garber 


see  this  happen  Sunday  after 
Sunday. 

Despite  its  loss  of  popularity, 
the  Wednesday  night  prayer 
meeting  is  still  a  vital  service 
for  the  church.  We  have  as- 
sumed that  because  the  attend- 
ance was  small  and  that  only 
the  faithful  attend  that  the  serv- 
ice should  be  discarded.  Yet 
the  smallness  and  the  loyalty 
are  the  very  attributes  which 
make  the  service  effective. 
Jesus  may  have  been  suggest- 
ing a  pattern  as  well  as  prom- 
ising a  spirit  when  he  spoke  of 
two  or  three  gathering  in  his 
name.  Eveiy  church  needs  an 
inner  prayer  circle  where  con- 
fidences can  be  built  up,  attach- 
ments developed,  and  spiritual 
kinships  born.  The  Wednesday 
night  prayer  meetings  accom- 
plish this  better  than  any  other 
means. 

Another  edifying  prayer  ex- 
perience is  the  deacons'  prayer 
meeting  on  Sunday  morning. 
At  Central  church  (Roanoke, 
Virginia)  we  have  had  this 
service  for  a  number  of  years 
and  we  are  in  agreement  that 
this  service  perhaps  more  than 


any  other  unites  us  in  faith. 
Immediately  upon  dismissal 
from  Sunday  school  the  deacons 
go  to  a  prayer  room  and  with 
the  chairman  of  the  deacon 
board  in  charge,  a  brief  service 
is  held.  The  names  of  the  sick 
are  mentioned,  spiritual  con- 
cerns are  recalled,  the  unsaved 
in  the  audience  are  remem- 
bered, and  the  pastor  is  lifted 
up  for  special  grace  in  the 
morning  sermon. 

If  there  is  anything  which  in- 
spires the  minister  to  preach,  it 
is  to  have  a  group  of  deacons 
earnestly  praying  that  God  will 
use  him  to  his  glory.  This  has 
an  added  advantage  of  giving 
a  group  consciousness  to  the 
deacons  and  a  purpose  to  their 
high  calling  other  than  infre- 
quent service  at  communion. 

A  church  organized  for 
prayer  also  has  a  prayer  chain. 
This  is  an  arrangement  where- 
by one  person  calls  two  people 
who  in  turn  call  two  others  un- 
til in  a  matter  of  a  relatively 
short  length  of  time,  an  entire 
membership  can  be  informed. 
In  cases  of  emergency,  this 
prayer  chain  is  invaluable.  The 
merit  of  the  chain  is  dependent 
upon  the  faithfulness  of  the  call- 
ers, for,  if  one  person  shirks  his 
duty,  the  line  is  broken.   Many 

■ 


churches  use  the  chain  for  other 
purposes  such  as  advertising 
coming  attractions.  A  prayer 
chain,  however,  should  consist 
of  praying  people  who  will  fol- 
low through  on  their  assignment 
not  only  of  informing  other 
people  but  actually  doing  the 
praying. 

Another  prayer  supplement  is 
the  prayer  cell.  Many  churches 
have  their  memberships  organ- 
ized in  such  cells.  Sometimes 
the  cells  are  organized  accord- 
ing to  geographic  location, 
other  times  according  to  inter- 
est groupings,  and  sometimes 
according  to  age  factors.  That 
is,  there  will  be  a  youth  prayer 
cell,  a  women's  prayer  cell,  an 
adult  cell,  etc.  Sometimes  the 
shut-ins  are  organized  into 
prayer  groups.  The  pastor  in- 
forms them  of  some  need  and 
they  call  each  other  and  pray 
about  the  matter.  This  gives 
the  sick  a  sense  of  fellowship 
and  a  conviction  that  even  in 
illness,  they  also  serve. 

One  of  the  newer  prayer 
movements  is  the  men's  prayer 
breakfast.  Since  it  has  become 
increasingly  difficult  to  get  peo- 
ple out  at  night,  this  alternative 
is  meeting  with  considerable 
success  in  some  areas.  Accord- 
ing to  this  idea,  the  group 
meets,  eats,  and  has  Bible  study 
and  prayer  before  going  to  the 
office  or  to  their  work.  This 
service  does  not  necessarily  re- 
place any  other  service  but  does 
offer  an  opportunity  to  some 
who  could  not  otherwise  attend 
night  meetings. 

An  effective  prayer  program 
also  includes  instruction  for  in- 
dividuals on  how  to  pray,  what 
to  pray  for,  what  to  expect 
from  prayer,  and  other  allied 
concerns.  Classes  should  be  set 
up,  and  special  attention  given 
to  the  prayer  needs  of  the  mem- 
bers. "Teach  us  to  pray"  is  still 
the  desire  of  many  Christians. 

A  prayer  room  in  the  church 
has    proved    most    helpful    to 


many  persons.  A  beautiful, 
quiet  place  conducive  to  prayer 
where  people  can  "steal  awhile 
away"  has  helped  to  develop 
the  prayer  habit  and  maintain 
private  devotions.  If  the  room 
is  located  where  it  has  easy 
access  and  is  open  daily,  it  will 
be  increasingly  used.  Many 
testimonies  could  be  given  re- 
garding the  value  of  the  prayer 
room  to  the  local  church. 

Some  churches  have  had  suc- 
cess with  an  annual  prayer  re- 
treat. Just  as  they  plan  for  the 
annual  Sunday  school  picnic,  so 
they  plan  for  a  day  of  prayer  for 
the  congregation.  Prior  to  the 
day,  an  effort  is  made  to  secure 
lists  of  concerns  which  are 
handed  out  at  the  beginning  of 
the  service.  An  intensive  effort 
to  grapple  with  these  concerns 
in  prayer  becomes  the  issue  of 
the  day.  Some  churches  bring 
in  outside  leaders  to  assist  in 
the  retreat.  Where  it  has  been 
tried  and  been  effective,  the 
consensus  seems  to  be  that  this 
day  becomes  the  high  day  in 
the  church  calendar. 

In  conclusion,  it  should  be 
stated  that  an  effective  prayer 
program  must  be  conscien- 
tiously planned.  It  must  make 
prayer  inviting  and  stimulating. 
It  must  be  given  a  place  of 
primacy  in  the  entire  church 
program.  When  this  occurs, 
transformation  in  character  be- 
comes an  obvious  result. 


In  but  not  Of  the  World 

Continued    from    page    4 

to  witness.  The  church  exists 
as  the  church  only  when  it  is 
what  a  church  truly  is  and  does 
what  a  church  truly  does. 

Those  who  are  in  but  not  of 
the  world  demonstrate  an  atti- 
tude about  Christ  which  is  radi- 
cally different  from  tlxat  held 
by  the  world. 

The  world  will  acknowledge 
Jesus  as  a  master  teacher  and 
call  him,  "Rabbi,"  but  those  not 


of  the  world  call  him  "Savior" 
and  "Lord."  To  them,  Jesus  is 
more  than  the  perfect  man  who 
understood  ethics  and  morality 
so  well  that  he  can  guide  us 
through  life.  He  is  Christ,  the 
incarnate  Lord,  God  made  flesh 
to  dwell  among  men.  Through 
him  God  came  to  man  that  man 
might  come  to  God. 

His  divinity  is  something 
other  than  that  better  nature 
that  is  in  us  all.  His  birth, 
teachings,  deeds,  death,  and 
resurrection  all  bear  witness  to 
his  lordship.  This  gospel  seems 
foolishness  to  the  world  —  a 
stumbling  block  —  but  to  those 
who  are  not  of  the  world,  it  is 
the  good  news  of  salvation. 
Christ  has  overcome  the  world. 

Throughout  the  Christian  era 
men  have  prayed,  "Thy  king- 
dom come."  The  writers  of  the 
New  Testament  passages  ex- 
pected it  momentarily.  When 
it  did  not  materialize  some  men 
lost  patience  and  interpreted 
the  Bible  writings  to  mean  only 
a  personal  kingdom. 

In  more  recent  times,  the 
kingdom  has  been  projected  as 
a  social  utopia  brought  about 
by  man's  efforts  at  education 
and  the  gradual  but  positive  de- 
velopment of  the  human  race 
and  its  culture.  However,  there 
is  presently  serious  question 
that  such  a  kingdom  as  this  can 
ever  materialize  unless  Some- 
one other  than  man  is  involved. 

The  Christian  disciple  and 
the  Christian  church  are  in  but 
not  of  the  world.  The  fellow- 
ship they  have  with  one  another 
comes  to  them  from  their  fel- 
lowship in  God  through  Christ. 
Through  their  dependency  up- 
on the  Word  they  know  the 
church  as  the  body  of  Christ, 
the  incarnate  Lord.  They  eager- 
ly await  the  time  when  the 
kingdom  of  which  they  are 
presently  citizens  will  come  to 
confront  all  men. 

MAY  7,   I960  9 


UPI 


Paul  Laprad,  who  joined  Negro  students  in  a  sit-in  protest,  is  dragged  from  his  seat  and  beaten 


Charge:   Disturbing  the  peace 


Paul  Laprad,  a  Fisk  student,  lies  on  floor,  holding 
his  head  after  he  was  beaten  by  other  white  youths 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


an  interview  with  Paul  Laprad, 
a  Brethren  student  who 
participated  in  a  sit-in 
protest  at  Nashville,  Tennessee 


How  did  you  happen  to  be  in  Nashville  at 
the  time  of  the  incident? 

My  home  is  in  Delphi,  Indiana,  where  my 
father  is  pastor  of  the  Pittsburg  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  I  attended  Manchester  College  two 
years  and  was  in  Germany  in  1958  for  the  250th 
anniversary  of  the  church.  I  am  now  spending 
one  year  at  Fisk  University  in  Nashville  and 
plan  to  return  to  Manchester  next  year.  After 
college,  I  will  probably  do  two  years  of  alterna- 
tive service  and  then  I  want  to  work  in  the 
field  of  race  relations.  I  feel  that  the  more 
contact  one  has  with  people  who  are  in  any 
way  different  from  oneself,  the  more  intelligent 
he  will  be  about  these  people  and  the  more 
able  to  refute  many  erroneous  beliefs. 

I  also  feel  that  the  more  contact  one  has  with 
the  Southern  white,  the  more  he  can  understand 


On  Saturday,  February  27,  about  seventy-five  students  from  Fisk  Uni- 
versity, Tennessee  A.  and  I.,  and  American  Baptist  Seminary  sat  down 
at  lunch  counters  in  downtown  Nashville,  Tennessee.  Most  of  them  were 
Negro.  A  few  were  white.  One  of  the  white  students  was  Paul  Laprad, 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  a  student  at  Fisk. 

The  students  who  were  protesting  segregation  at  lunch  counters  sat 
quietly  waiting  for  service.  They  did  not  disturb  anyone.  A  group  of 
white  boys  moved  up  behind  the  Negroes  and  began  to  torment  them, 
kicking  them,  spitting  on  them,  calling  them  vulgar  names  and  pushing 
lighted  cigarettes  against  their  backs.    But  the  students  refused  to  fight. 

One  white  attacker  pulled  Paul  Laprad,  who  was  sitting  with  the 
Negroes,  from  the  counter  and  knocked  him  to  the  floor,  hitting  him  sev- 
eral times  in  the  head.  He  did  not  fight  back  (see  pictures,  page  10). 
When  the  police  arrived,  it  was  the  Negro  youths  and  Paul  Laprad  — 
the  ones  who  refrained  from  violence  —  who  were  arrested  for  disorderly 
conduct. 

Learning  of  this  incident,  the  Gospel  Messenger  asked  Paul  Laprad 
to  give  his  version  of  the  nonviolent  protest  movement  in  which  he  has 
participated.  —  Editor 


the  Southerner's  attitude  toward  the  Negro. 
Even  though  opinions  may  be  diametrically  op- 
posed, I  believe  to  establish  communication  be- 
tween people  of  various  opinions  is  the  first 
step  toward  reconciliation. 

Why  did  you  and  the  other  students  think 
nonviolent  action  is  the  way  to  get  remits? 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  technique  of  non- 
violent action  is  the  only  thing  which  will  work, 
because  the  only  other  alternative  to  this  might 
be  a  race  riot. 

For  me,  the  technique  of  nonviolence  is  the 
thing  to  be  used.  I  feel  this  way  because  of 
my  basic  pacifist  convictions.  Too,  nonviolence 
is  the  intelligent  way  to  do  things.  The  Chris- 
tian pacifist  has  something  very  worthwhile  to 
contribute  to  humanity. 

Were  you  not  concerned  lest  you  might  he 
breaking  the  law? 

This  is  a  good  question,  but  I  think  before 
we  try  to  answer  this  we  need  to  ask  ourselves 
not  only  whether  one's  actions  are  legal,  but 
also  "what  is  legality?"  It  is  a  well-known  fact 
that  all  Hitler  did  during  his  reign  was  legal. 

One  reason  why  some  Southern  whites  al- 
ways bring  up  the  fact  that  we  need  to  abide 
by  the  law  is  because  he  controls  the  law. 
In  many  instances  Negroes  do  not  have  equal 
protection  under  the  law.  For  example,  after 
the  sit-ins  started,  both  the  Georgia  and 
Mississippi  legislative  bodies  very  hurriedly 
passed  laws  which  were  definitely  aimed  at 
stopping  the  sit-ins. 

Many  people  may  disagree,  but  when  laws 
of  this  type  can  be  passed  in  one  day  and  when 
such  miscarriages  of  justice  are  performed,  it 


partially  reminds  one  of  the  Nazi  and  Com- 
munist state  of  affairs. 

What  happened  when  you  were  arrested? 

The  first  arrests  occurred  about  1:30  p.m., 
February  27.  The  first  wave  to  be  taken  to  jail 
included  around  thirty  students.  As  we  were 
taken  out  of  the  store  ( none  too  gently,  either ) , 
hundreds  of  people  lined  both  sides  of  the 
street.  I  heard  later  that  as  some  of  the  students 
following  were  placed  into  the  paddy  wagons 
the  people  who  lined  the  street  cheered  as  if 
their  favorite  ball  player  had  hit  a  home  run. 

Just  before  the  paddy  wagon  in  which  I 
was  placed  drove  off,  one  officer  stuck  his  head 
in  the  back  and  in  a  voice  which  tried  to  be 
gruff  said,  "All  right  now,  I  don't  want  any 
trouble  out  of  you  all.  Do  you  understand?" 
Perhaps  he  couldn't  see  how  students  could 
remain  nonviolent  in  going  through  w7hat  they 
had  just  experienced  and  he  was  just  trying  to 
reassure  himself  with  his  "little-mouse-that- 
roared"  voice. 

As  we  were  being  carted  off  to  jail,  one  of 
the  students  read  a  sermon  from  Paul  Tillich. 
While  this  was  being  read,  one  of  the  police- 
men in  the  front  of  the  vehicle  closed  the 
window  which  was  open  between  the  cab  and 
our  compartment.  Later  on  as  more  and  more 
students  were  being  incarcerated,  the  singing  of 
songs  began. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  students  were 
set  up  in  jail  in  a  segregated  fashion.  (The 
other  two  white  fellows  and  I  were  put  across 
the  hall  from  the  Negro  girls. ) 


MAY  7,  I960 


11 


As  fresh  prisoners  were  brought  in,  they 
were  hugged  by  the  old  timers.  This  is  the  way 
I  think  some  New  Testament  Christians  must 
have  behaved  when  they  were  imprisoned. 
Since  prison  is  the  one  way  of  breaking  a  per- 
son's morale  and  since  police  are  trained  to 
deal  with  the  violent  and  the  guilty,  I  can't 
help  but  wonder  if  our  nonviolent  behavior 
and  singing  didn't  have  some  effect  on  the 
jailers.  Actually,  most  of  the  police  inside  of  the 
jail  were  fairly  decent.  Later  on,  I  heard  that 
some  of  the  jailers  were  glad  to  have  someone 
to  talk  to  who  had  some  intelligence.  Most  of 
the  time  the  only  company  they  have  is  made 
up  of  vagrants,  drunks,  etc. 

What  do  you  think  was  behind  the  arrests? 

It  is  my  opinion  that  some  civic  leaders 
here  thought  that  by  arresting  a  few  students 
the  rest  of  them  would  be  scared  away,  thus 
squashing  the  movement.  Most  people  want 
to  avoid  jail  because  they  think  it  will  make 
other  people  look  down  upon  them.  Unfortu- 
nately there  is  a  social  stigma  attached  to 
people  who  have  been  in  jail.  But  the  eighty- 
one  students  who  had  been  arrested  during  the 
day  were  out  on  bail  and  released  to  the  custody 
of  their  various  schools  by  about  11  p.m.  that 
evening. 

When  we  were  arrested,  it  seemed  as  if  the 
community  immediately  sprang  to  our  support. 
We  hadn't  been  in  jail  for  more  than  a  couple 
of  hours  when  some  food  was  brought  around 
to  us.  That  night  as  we  were  being  brought 
out  from  our  cells,  sandwiches  and  milk  were 
waiting  for  us.  A  mass  meeting  of  the  students 
the  next  day  showed  that  the  one  who  had 
gone  to  jail  had  much  support.  More  than  1,000 
students  from  the  three  participating  schools 
showed  up  for  the  meeting. 

What  happened  at  your  trial? 

Our  trials  were  set  for  Monday,  the  29th, 
at  2  p.m.  Long  before  this  hour  students 
gathered  outside  the  city  jail  and  waited  for 
their  fellow  students  who  were  on  trial  to  go 
into  the  building.  Some  adults  were  there  also. 
The  paper  estimated  the  crowd  at  2,500.  Trials 
continued  all  that  week.  During  my  two  days 
in  court,  every  policeman  testified  under  oath 
that  the  students  had  been  doing  nothing  but 
sitting  quietly  on  the  stools  and  that  they 
had  not  been  disorderly.  The  judge's  verdict: 
guilty. 

Since  a  few  of  our  cases  were  test  cases, 
we  appealed  to  the  circuit  court  which  will 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Paul  Laprad, 

Manchester 

College  student, 

is  spending  his 

junior  year  at 

Fisk  University, 

Nashville, 

Tennessee.  He 

joined  Negro 

students  in  a 

sit-in  protest 

and  was  arrested 


meet  some  time  in  May.  However,  quite  a  few 
of  the  students  decided  to  go  to  the  workhouse 
instead  of  either  paying  their  fine  or  appealing 
their  cases.  As  soon  as  all  the  cases  had  been 
tried,  warrants  were  issued  for  our  arrest  on 
the  charge  of  conspiracy,  conspiracy  to  obstruct 
trade  and  commerce.  As  of  yet,  the  grand  jury 
has  not  handed  down  their  indictment. 

What  is  the  basic  issue  at  stake  in  the 
protests? 

Some  people  have  felt  that  the  idea  behind 
these  demonstrations  has  been  the  fact  that  the 
Negro  just  wanted  a  hamburger  down  town. 
This  is  not  so.  The  basic  issue  at  point  is  that 
of  the  dignity  of  each  individual,  and  also  to 
give  each  person  the  chance  to  recognize  in 
himself  the  intrinsic  value  that  he  has  merely 
because  he  is  created  by  God. 

As  a  white  student,  you  can  eat  wherever 
you  please.  Why  did  you  join  the  Negro  stu- 
dents in  their  protests? 

There  are  certain  basic  things  which  I  have 
been  taught  in  the  public  school  system  that 
eveiy  American  wants  and  is  entitled  to.  There 
are  certain  things  that  the  American  way  of 
life  stands  for:  among  these  are  life,  liberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  The  freedom  of 
every  man,  the  right  to  be  judged  on  an  in- 
dividual  basis,  and  the  belief  in  and  practice 
of  social  equality  should  also  be  included. 

Therefore,  it  seems  most  incongruent  to  me 
whenever  a  group  of  people  are  refused  these 
inalienable  rights,  especially  since  these  rights 
seem  to  be  stated  for  all  Americans  and  are  not 
specifically  reserved  for  any  certain  group. 

According  to  my  religious  training,  not  only 
are  we  brothers  under  the  skin,  but  it  is  morally 
wrong  to  discriminate  against  anyone  because 


of  his  race,  religious  training, 
or  color.  Also  I  believe  very 
much  in  the  dignity  of  each  in- 
dividual, if  for  no  other  reason 
than  that  each  individual  is 
created  by  God  and  therefore 
has  intrinsic  value. 

So,  not  only  from  what  I  be- 
lieve democracy  is  or  should 
strive  to  be,  but  also  from  my 
religious  orientation,  I  cannot 
sit  idly  by  when  something 
which  is  of  prime  importance 
to  me  is  happening. 

I  believe  that  all  truly  useful 
men  must  in  a  sense  be  time- 
servers,  for  unless  they  serve 
their  time  they  can  scarcely 
serve  at  all. 

Each  person  is  given  a  time- 
span  in  this  life  to  either  make 
the  world  better  or  worse  than 
it  was  when  he  came  into  it. 
Each  man  can  serve  humanity 
or  be  served  by  humanity.  Per- 
sonally, I  am  trying  to  serve 
humanity  and  to  make  this  a 
better  world  in  which  to  live. 

Can  Brethren  who  believe  as 
you  do  take  any  positive  actions 
where  they  live? 

One  of  the  best  things  is 
prayer.  Our  students  would  al- 
so recommend  that  people  or- 
ganize protest  groups  in  their 
respective  communities  against 
those  chain  stores  which  use 
discriminatory  practices  in  their 
Southern  stores.  Also,  the  per- 
son who  is  really  concerned 
about  this  evil  of  segregation 
can  shop  in  those  stores  which 
do  not  discriminate  in  the 
South. 

Literature  and  Audio- 
Visuals  on  Nonviolence 

The  following  resources  will  be 
helpful  to  those  who  wish  to  gain  a 
better  understanding  of  the  nonvio- 
lent action  currently  being  used  to 
remove  discrimination. 

The  Power  of  Nonviolence,  Rich- 
ard B.  Gregg,  a  peace  movement 
classic  presenting  facts  showing  the 
power  of  nonviolence.  Revised  in 
1959.    $2.50. 

Stride  Toward  Freedom,  Martin  L. 
King,  Jr.,  tells  the  story  of  the  Mont- 


The   General   Brotherhood   Board   at  a   recent  meeting 
adopted  the  following: 

Resolution   on  Nonviolence   in  Race   Relations 

SINCE  discrimination  against  racial,  cultural,  and  religious  minority 
groups  continues  to  be  practiced  in  many  places  serving  the  general 
public; 

Since  this  discrimination  is  being  directly  challenged  in  many  com- 
munities, bringing  the  potentiality  for  either  widespread  violence  and  riot- 
ing, if  violent  techniques  are  used,  or  for  significant  progress  toward  justice 
and  reconciliation,  if  nonviolent  methods  are  employed; 

Since  the  Christian  Scriptures  teach  us  to  act  in  love  and  nonviolence 
to  overcome  injustice; 

Since  the  official  statements  of  our  Annual  Conference  have  repeatedly 
called  for  Christian  action  to  develop  integrated  communities  where  true 
brotherhood  might  be  experienced;  and 

Since  we  as  concerned  Christians  feel  ourselves  in  deep  sympathy  with 
the  idealism  and  dedication  of  many  who  are  endeavoring  to  remove  these 
discriminatory  practices  through  peaceful,  nonviolent  direct  action; 

Therefore,  we,  the  General  Brotherhood  Board,  resolve: 

1.  That  we  believe  discrimination  against  racial,  cultural,  and  religious 
minorities  is  morally  wrong; 

2.  That  action  to  remove  this  discrimination  is  imperative,  both  in  the 
light  of  the  Christian  ethic  and  in  the  spirit  of  our  democratic  tradition; 

3.  That  we  see  our  first  obligation  to  seek  change  through  honest 
discussion  and  negotiation,  but,  such  methods  failing,  we  regard  peaceful 
nonviolent  direct  action  as  an  appropriate  Christian  witness  for  those  whose 
consciences  so  lead  them; 

4.  That  we  commend  those  persons  who,  guided  by  conscience  and 
conviction,  are  seeking  by  nonviolent  methods  to  remove  long-standing 
practices  of  social  and  cultural  discrimination,  and  urge  them  not  to  meet 
violence  with  violence  but  to  adhere  faithfully  to  the  principles  of  nonviolent 
direct  action,  returning  good  for  evil,  while  persistently  pursuing  their  goals 
of  justice  and  reconciliation; 

5.  That  we  express  to  businessmen,  governmental  officials,  and  the 
public  our  deep  concern  for  the  racial  tensions  in  which  many  of  them 
are  involved,  and  we  earnestly  and  prayerfully  urge  them  to  exert 
their  leadership  to  avoid  violence  and  to  re-evaluate  their  practices  in  light 
of  our  changing  society; 

6.  That  we  urge  the  members  of  different  racial  and  cultural  groups 
in  every  community  to  join  together  in  fellowship,  worship,  work,  study, 
and  action  so  that  tensions  and  mistrust  may  be  replaced  by  understanding 
and  brotherhood; 

7.  That  we  encourage  all  Christians  to  examine  their  own  consciences 
and  practices  relating  to  racial  and  cultural  issues;  to  support  as  they  can 
peaceful,  nonviolent  methods  for  achieving  justice  and  reconciliation;  and 
to  pray  more  earnestly  for  God's  forgiveness,  guidance,  and  sustaining  power 
in  their  efforts  toward  Christian  brotherhood. 


gomery  bus  boycott.    $2.95. 

Crusader  Without  Violence,  L.  D. 
Reddick,  a  biography  of  Martin  L. 
King,  Jr.    $3.95. 

Cracking  the  Color  Line,  relates 
experiences  of  the  Congress  on 
Racial  Equality  (CORE)  in  winning 
equal  treatment  for  all  races  at 
places  of  public  accommodation 
through  nonviolent  methods. 

A  Perspective  on  Nonviolence,  a 
handbook  on  nonviolent  community 
action  prepared  by  the  Friends 
Peace  Committee.   25c. 

Background  Information  on  Reso- 
lution on  Nonviolence  in  Race  Rela- 
tions, prepared  by  the  Brethren 
Service  Staff,   gives  scriptural  basis 


for  racial  brotherhood  and  nonvi- 
olence and  pertinent  Annual  Confer- 
ence and  General  Brotherhood 
Board  statements.    Free. 

How  to  Practice  Nonviolence,  leaf- 
let by  Fellowship  of  Reconciliation. 
Single  copy  free. 

Venturing  Beyond  Violence,  a  film- 
strip  with  color  cartoons  by  William 
Schuhle,  a  professor  at  Manchester 
College,  shows  various  ways  to  meet 
the  threat  of  violence  and  points  up 
psychological  basis  of  nonviolence. 
58  frames  with  a  tape  recording. 
Sale,  $7.50;  rental,   $2.50. 


MAY  7,  1960 


13 


Mental  Health- 


MENTAL  health  is  a  person's  capacity 
for  loving.  Love  is  dynamic,  not  static. 
Loving  is  a  process,  not  a  single  act. 
At  its  deepest  level  mental  health  is  the  struggle 
to  become  a  person.  It  is  the  struggle  to  possess 
and  maintain  one's  identity  within  meaningful 
interpersonal  relationships. 

Mental  health  is  the  degree  of  one's  freedom 
to  share  himself  unafraid.  This  definition  as- 
sumes that  a  person  has  a  self  to  share.  The 
severely  ill  person  is  one  who  has  lost  or  never 
found  a  sense  of  selfhood.  Such  a  person  is 
either  frightened  by  or  deeply  distrustful  of 
his  world.  He  retreats  behind  many  defenses 
or  attacks  the  world  around  him.  The  one 
thing  he  cannot  do  is  maintain  a  meaningful, 
mutual  relationship,  especially  with  his  equals. 

For  such  a  person  to  manage  close,  equal 
relationships,  he  must  become  dependent  or 
become  dominant.  He  cannot  handle  a  give- 
and-take  relationship.  It  becomes  more  com- 
fortable either  to  tell  someone  or  be  told,  than 
to  be  engaged  in  the  responsible,  dynamic  ex- 
perience of  exercising  judgment  in  a  direct, 
open  interaction  with  another  person. 

Let  us  examine  our  definition  one  step  at 
a  time.  First,  mental  health  is  a  matter  of 
degree.  Mental  health  and  mental  illness  can 
be  present  in  degrees  in  the  same  person  at 
the  same  time.  For  example,  all  of  us  may  ex- 
perience anxiety  concerning  what  other  people 
think  about  us.  But  there  can  be  a  vast  differ- 
ence between  how  three  persons  interpret  a 
misunderstanding. 

Suppose  John  is  "cooling  his  heels"  at  7:30 
waiting  for  George,  who  was  to  have  come 
after  him  at  7:00.  John  calls  George's  home. 
He  gets  no  answer.  Now  there  are  several 
possibilities  as  to  how  John  may  react.  First 
he  may  stew  and  fret.  After  sufficient  stewing 
he  may  finally  decide  to  wait.  When  one  has 
no  alternative  but  to  wait,  it  helps  preserve 
mental  health  to  make  the  decision  to  wait. 

Secondly,  John  might  react  in  another  man- 
ner. He  might  wonder,  "Did  George  actually 
forget  me?"  or  "I  wonder  if  he  really  wanted 
to  take  me.  Maybe  I  shouldn't  have  asked  him 
to  pick  me  up  in  the  first  place."  Thirdly,  John 
might  think  to  himself,  "I  know  why  George 


Capacity 
for 


Lovin 


' 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Paul  S.  Hersch 


isn't  here.  I  saw  his  wife  whispering  to  him 
the  other  night,  and  I'm  sure  she  was  saying  bad 
things  about  me." 

The  first  of  these  reactions  manifests  under- 
standable irritation  about  being  late.  The 
second  reaction  indicates  neurotic  anxiety. 
John's  anxiety  about  being  liked  causes  him 
to  wonder  if  George  really  does  like  him.  John 
wonders  this  even  though  there  is  no  logical 
evidence  for  this  conclusion.  The  third  reaction 
indicates  psychotic  anxiety.  John  is  sure  (with- 
out any  logical  reasons)  that  George's  wife  is 
whispering  bad  things  about  him  and  has  in- 
fluenced her  husband  against  stopping  for  him. 

The  difference  between  neurotic  and  psy- 
chotic reactions  is  roughly  the  difference  be- 
tween emotional  illness  and  mental  illness.  In 
neurotic  reactions  the  person  is  plagued  by 
all  kinds  of  doubts.  He  wonders  continually 
about  himself  and  other  persons.  In  psychotic 
reactions,  the  person  has  become  convinced  that 
his  irrational  feelings  are  true.  He  has  become 
convinced  that  his  world  is  against  him. 

Mental  health  is  also  one's  degree  of  free- 
dom. It  is  his  freedom  from  so  many  unneces- 
sary defenses.  Kierkegaard  once  observed:   "To 


venture  causes  anxiety,  but  not  to  venture  is 
to  lose  oneself."  In  another  instance  he  referred 
to  the  "shut-up"  life.  Freedom  is  the  difference 
between  a  complicated  life  and  a  simple  life. 
The  complicated  life  is  one  that  is  exceedingly 
defensive.  The  personality  is  lost  amidst  all 
the  complicated  maneuvers  that  are  required  to 
get  through  each  day.  The  compulsive  hand 
washer  must  wash  his  hands  every  fifteen 
minutes  just  to  exist.  He  has  to  do  this  because 
he  cannot  face  his  guilt  feelings.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  person  who  pouts  all  day  has  also 
lost  his  freedom,  the  simple  freedom  of  being 
able  to  say  yes  or  no. 

Again,  mental  health  is  the  degree  of  free- 
dom that  one  has  to  share.  This  is  at  the  heart 
of  sound  mental  health.  It  is  the  freedom  to 
engage  in  loving.  Sharing  or  loving  involves 
two  fundamental  responses.  It  means  the 
capacity  to  give  and  the  capacity  to  receive. 

To  give  means  the  capacity  to  assert  oneself. 
The  most  precious  gift  anyone  has  to  offer  to 
another  person  is  himself.  One  does  not  give 
himself  by  holding  back.  One  gives  by  assert- 
ing. One  who  so  gives  is  one  whose  word  is 
spoken  straightforwardly  and  his  word  is  de- 
pendable. His  yes  means  yes  and  his  no  is  no. 
He  is  willing  to  take  the  risk  of  exposing  himself. 
This  kind  of  love  which  is  the  heart  of  mental 
health  is  always  willing  to  take  a  chance,  to 
risk,  to  act  in  faith,  to  be  vulnerable. 

The  other  half  of  loving  is  the  capacity  to 
receive  or  to  accept.  It  is  the  capacity  to  say, 
"Thank  you."  Consider  the  speaker  who  is 
complimented  on  his  speech.  He  may  reply,  "I 
really  wasn't  quite  up  to  par."  So  he  is  told 
again  that  the  speech  was  fine  and  he  responds, 
"I  didn't  spend  as  much  time  on  it  as  I  should 
have."  So  he  is  again  reassured  on  the  quality 
of  the  speech. 

Instead  of  accepting  the  kindness,  the  speak- 
er keeps  turning  it  aside.  What  he  really  means 
is,  "Tell  me  more.  Keep  telling  me  how  good 
you  think  I  am.  Don't  stop.  I  want  to  hear  it 
over  and  over."  Sometimes  husbands  and  wives 
require  this  of  their  mates  when  they  say,  "Do 
you  really  love  me?"  Loving  is  both  giving  and 
accepting.  When  one  is  complimented,  he  dis- 
plays greater  mental  health  when  he  can  simply 
reply,  "Thank  you." 

In  the  fourth  place,  mental  health  is  the 
degree  of  one's  freedom  to  share  himself. 
Mental  health  is  most  dramatically  revealed  by 
how  each  person  views  himself,  what  sort  of 
image  he  has  of  himself,  whether  he  loves  or 
hates  himself.  The  most  rigid  person  is  one 
who  lives  on  the  top  of  an  iceberg  and  is  quite 


unaware  of  what  is  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
water.  He  almost  acts  as  if  the  part  beneath 
the  surface  is  not  a  part  of  himself  at  all. 

Mental  health  grows  when  one  learns  not  to 
fear  his  fantasies,  his  dreams,  his  secret  thoughts. 
Acceptance  of  one's  irrational  thoughts  as  a 
part  of  one's  total  self  is  a  fundamental  require- 
ment for  mental  health.  The  mentally  ill  person 
is  one  who  becomes  the  victim  of  his  irrational 
thoughts  while  trying  to  deny  them. 

One  cannot  share  himself  if  he  really  does 
not  have  a  self  to  give.  One  of  the  most  tragic 
facts  of  poverty  is  that  it  denies  the  person  the 
privilege  of  giving.  So  it  is  with  human  per- 
sonality. The  most  tragic  fact  about  the  "shut- 
up"  life,  the  defensive  life,  the  rigid  life,  is  that 
the  person  is  poverty-stricken  in  terms  of  self- 
hood. Such  a  person  has  so  little  a  sense  of 
selfhood,  of  being  a  person  in  his  own  right, 
that  he  is  in  dire  need  of  defenses  to  shore  up 
his  meager  feeling  of  identity.  This  condition 
renders  him  unable  to  share  himself  because  he 
does  not  have  much  self  to  share. 

Finally,  mental  health  is  one's  freedom  to 
share  himself  unafraid.  This  is  the  ultimate  test. 
This  is  the  person's  capacity  to  act  on  faith.  It 
is  his  capacity  to  risk  himself  in  vigorous,  mean- 
ingful interpersonal  relationships. 

Both  the  mentally  ill  and  the  mentally 
healthy  become  deeply  involved  in  life's  re- 
lationships. The  difference  is  that  the  mentally 
ill  are  deeply  involved  in  many  complicated 
maneuvers  in  trying  to  possess  and  maintain 
a  faltering  sense  of  identity.  The  mentally 
healthy  are  deeply  involved  in  significant  re- 
lationships with  other  persons.  They  have 
finally  learned  through  experience  that  as  one 
loves,  as  he  shares  himself,  as  he  aggressively 
is  a  person,  he  finds  even  more  of  himself  than 
he  ever  knew  he  possessed. 

To  translate  the  words  of  Jesus,  one  must 
share  his  life  in  order  to  possess  his  life.  Mental 
health  is  the  experience  of  loving. 

Unbelief 

MILDRED  ALLEN  JEFFERY 

Why  stumble  over  miracles 
|  wrought 

With  a  word,  a  fish,  and  a 
rod, 
When  the   supernatural   to 
man 
Is  the  natural  to  God? 


MAY  7,  1960 


15 


: 


The  moderator  of  Annual  Conference,  Edward 
K.  Zlegler,  calls  on  the  Brethren  to  meet 
the  challenge  of  the  year's  theme 


My  Calling  to   Fulfill 


T 


HIS  challenging  theme, 
around  which  our  Annual  Confer- 
ence program  is  centered,  will  be 
our  emphasis  through  the  next 
two  years.  Every  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is  this  year 
being  confronted  by  the  meaning 
of  discipleship.  He  will  be  asked 
to  hear  the  call  of  Christ,  and  to 
discover  what  is  his  apostolate  — 
his  call  and  mission.  We  may  be 
—  God  grant  we  truly  shall  be  — 
on  the  verge  of  a  momentous 
period  of  resolute  discipleship  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

As  a  church,  I  believe  we  also 
have  a  most  urgent  and  significant 
mission  in  the  world,  too.  We  are 
living  in  a  time  of  swift  new 
movements,  even  within  the  Chris- 
tian church.  We  have  begun  to 
sense  and  act  upon  the  implica- 
tions of  our  being  a  part  of  the 
whole  body  of  Christ.  We  are 
learning  to  co-operate  with  others, 
not  only  in  certain  limited  fields  of 
Christian  action,  but  in  a  whole- 
hearted quest  for  the  meaning  of 
unity  in  Christ.  It  is  natural  and 
right  that  questions  be  raised 
about  the  future  of  our  church, 
indeed  whether  it  has  a  future. 

One  of  the  greatest  statements 
in  the  New  Testament  is  the  word 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


of  Paul  in  2  Cor.  5:18-19:  "All 
this  is  from  God,  who  through 
Christ  reconciled  us  to  himself 
and  gave  us  the  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation; that  is,  God  was  in  Christ 
reconciling  the  world  to  himself." 
As  reconciled  persons,  we  have 
been  given  a  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation. I  believe  that  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  has  for  the  years 
ahead  a  peculiarly  significant 
ministry  of  reconciliation,  and  that 
this  is  a  most  important  reason 
for  greatly  strengthening  our 
world-wide  witness  and  program. 

Henry  Pitney  Van  Dusen  be- 
lieves the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
because  of  our  strong  ties  with 
the  Anabaptist  movement  and  our 
recent  strong  move  into  ecumeni- 
cal relationships,  can  be  a  real 
bridge  between  the  classical  forms 
of  Christianity,  and  the  powerful 
new  sects  which  are  so  fervent, 
and  are  making  so  great  an  impact 
upon  the  pagan  world. 

Our  strong  emphasis  upon  a 
peace  witness  at  once  theological- 
ly based  and  expressed  in  a  vast 
ministry  of  concerned  love  and 
service,  is  a  most  powerful  way 
to  bring  Christian  conscience  to 
bear  upon  international  affairs 
through  the  united  witness  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches.  We 
have  here  a  unique  witness  and 


opportunity  not  shared  either  by 
the  Mennonites  or  the  Friends. 

Our  historic  and  present  em- 
phasis upon  a  full  gospel  which 
ministers  to  the  whole  of  man  has 
made  our  missionary  program 
uniquely  relevant  and  effective, 
and  profoundly  appreciated  in 
Asia  and  Africa,  now  also  in  Latin 
America. 

As  a  church,  we  stand  in  the 
Pietist  and  Anabaptist  tradition, 
yet  in  vigorous  and  appreciative 
conversation  with  the  other  main 
stream  of  evangelical  Christianity. 
Thus  in  the  ecumenical  move- 
ment, we  have  a  real  mission  and 
opportunity  for  two-way  sharing. 

Our  mission  as  a  church,  shar- 
ing the  gospel  and  exercising  this 
ministry  of  reconciliation,  requires 
of  each  one  of  us  sacrificial  and 
joyous  giving.  A  practical  way  to 
do  this,  expressing  confident  faith 
in  God's  calling  of  our  church,  is 
to  support  the  Annual  Conference 
Offering  with  unprecedented  gen- 
erous sharing.  It  should  be  at 
least  $250,000. 

As  moderator,  I  call  upon  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  to  enter 
resolutely  into  our  apostolate,  to 
fulfill  our  calling,  to  engage  in  our 
divine  ministry  of  reconciliation, 
to  be  Christ's  loyal  disciples  and 
instruments  of  his  peace. 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Members  of  the  BVS  Unit  32,  A  and  B,  are  invited 
to  meet  together  at  Annual  Conference  at  the  Student 
Union  Building  Lobby  on  Saturday,  June  18,  from  2-5 
p.m. 

Work  groups  from  eight  different  Brethren  churches 
in  the  East,  totaling  130  persons,  came  to  the  New 
Windsor  Center  during  the  week  of  April  4  to  assist 
in  processing  clothes  for  relief. 

The  Indian  Government  has  authorized  a  visa  for 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jack  C.  McCray.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCray 
and  their  two  children  will  leave  for  India  in  the  sum- 
mer. Mr.  McCray  will  serve  in  the  Inter-Mission  Business 
Office  in  Bombay  following  language  study. 

Brethren  planning  to  attend  Annual  Conference  are 
urged  not  to  write  to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
or  to  the  University  of  Illinois  regarding  lodging  accom- 
modations. The  Chamber  of  Commerce  is  not  organ- 
ized to  render  this  sort  of  service.  Lodging  information 
was  given  in  the  April  2  Gospel  Messenger. 

All  those  directing  junior,  junior  high,  and  family 
camps  this  summer  should  send  for  their  helpful  packet 
of  program  and  leadership  training  materials.  Please 
list  dates  of  the  camp,  age  group,  and  camp  site  when 
requesting  this  packet  from  the  Camping  Department, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois. 
Only  one  packet  can  be  mailed  to  each  director. 

College  students  and  older  youth  attending  Annual 
Conference  this  year  will  be  interested  to  know  that 
special  sessions  have  been  planned  for  them.  On  Friday 
and  Saturday  evenings,  June  17  and  18  there  will  be 
discussion  sessions  following  the  main  evening  services. 
There  will  also  be  a  class  for  them  during  the  church- 
school  hour  on  Sunday  morning,  June  19.  Watch  future 
issues  of  the  Gospel  Messenger  for  further  program  de- 
tails. 

Facilities  will  be  provided  again  this  year  at  Annual 
Conference  for  persons  to  bring  their  own  tape  recorders 
to  record  sessions  of  Conference  for  their  own  personal 
use.  If  you  want  recordings,  it  is  well  to  bring  your 
recorder  and  use  these  facilities  rather  than  to  request 
the  Elgin  office  to  duplicate  them  for  you.  Space  will 
be  available  for  as  many  as  60  tape  recorders.  Please 
register  with  Wendell  Eller,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois,  enclosing  the  recording 
service  fee  of  $4.00. 

Dedication  and  Anniversary 

Quakertown  church,  Pa.,  in  the  North  Atlantic 
district  will  have  dedication  services  for  a  new  church- 
house,  beginning  on  May  18.  On  Sunday,  May  22, 
John  S.  Landis  will  bring  the  morning  message  at  10  a.m. 
J.  Herbert  Miller  will  speak  at  the  dedicatory  service  at 
2:30  p.m.  May  18  will  be  local  church  night,  May  19 
community  night,  May  20  missionary  night,  and  May 
21  district  night. 

Shepherd  church,  Mich.,  is  having  special  services 
on  Sunday,  May  15,  in  celebration  of  its  forty-fifth 
anniversary. 


The  Call  to  Discipleship  —  Daily  Prayer  Guide 

Thank  God  for  disciples  who: 
May     9  are  merciful  Matt.  5:7;  Luke  6:36 

10  are  magnanimous  Matt.  5:38-48 

11  are  forgiving  Matt.   18:21-35 

12  are  compassionate  Luke  10:25-37 

13  are  selfless  Gen.   13:8-18 

14  are  selfless  Luke  6:27-31 

15  are  triumphant  Jas.  2:8-13 

The  Church  Calendar 
May  8 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday   School   Lesson:     The  Peacemakers.     Matt.    5:9, 
21-26,  38-48;  Mark  10:35-45.   Memory  Selection:  Blessed 
are  the  peacemakers,  for  they   shall  be  called   sons   of 
God.    Matt.    5:9  (R.S.V.) 
Mother's  Day 

May  10-15  Western  Begion  Brethren  Service  Training 
Conferences 

May  13-15  Mardela  and  Eastern  Maryland  recreation 
leaders'  laboratory,  Camp  Mardela 

May  22  Rural  Life  Sunday 

June  5  Pentecost 

June  5-9  Leadership  training  camp,  Camp  Harmony, 
Pa. 

June   12  Children's  Day 

June    13-14   National  Youth   Cabinet  meeting,   Cham- 
paign, 111. 

June  14  Pastors'  conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  14-19  Annual  Conference,  Champaign,  111. 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 

Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Harvey  S.  Kline  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  the  Chris- 
tiansburg  church,  Va.,  May  9-15. 

Bro.  W.  Dean  Crouse  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  the  Quak- 
ertown church,  Pa.,  May  22-28. 

Bro.  Eugene  Lenker  of  Rocky  Mount,  Va.,  in  the  St. 
Paul  church,  Cana,  Va.,  May  8-15. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Four  baptized  in  the  Antioch  church,  Yoder,  Colo. 
Eight  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  Fred- 
ericksburg church,  Iowa.  Four  baptized  and  three  received 
by  letter  in  the  English  River  church,  South  English,  Iowa. 
Eight  baptized  in  the  Garden  City  church,  Kan.  Ten  baptized 
in  the  Washington  Creek  church,  Lawrence,  Kan.  Three  bap- 
tized and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  Oklahoma  City 
church,  Okla. 

Three  baptized  and  fifteen  received  by  letter  in  the  Vir- 
den  church,  111.  Five  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter 
in  the  La  Porte  church,  Ind.  Thirteen  baptized  and  ten  re- 
ceived by  letter  in  the  West  Charleston  church,  Tipp  City, 
Ohio.  Eight  baptized  in  the  Brookville  church,  Ohio.  Three 
baptized  and  four  received  by  letter  in  the  Midland  church, 
Mich. 

One  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  East 
Fairview  church,  Manheim,  Pa.  Eighteen  baptized  in  the 
Mechanic  Grove  church,  Quarryville,  Pa. 

Five  baptized  in  the  Mt.  Hermon  church,  Bassett,  Va. 
Three  received  by  letter  in  the  Mill  Creek  church,  Port  Re- 
public, Va.  Eight  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in 
the  Morgantown  church,  W.  Va.  One  baptized  in  the 
Fraternity  church,  Winston-Salem,  N.C. 


MAY  7,  1960 


17 


MEET 

THE 

BRETHREN 

IN 

ILLINOIS 


Ethel  H.  Weddle 


IT  HAS  been  said  that  the 
state  of  Illinois  was  settled 
by  people  who  wanted 
three  things:  cheap  land,  to 
get  rich  quick  and  to  have  their 
own  way.  Certainly  the  sturdy 
folk  who  were  the  pioneer 
Brethren  in  Illinois  did  acquire 
much  land.  Those  who  became 
rich  did  so  through  untold  hours 
of  toil.  And  if  they  were  deter- 
mined to  have  their  own  way, 
that  way  which  they  sought  was 
inspired  by  faith  in  God  and 
their  knowledge  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

First  came  George  Wolfe  in 
1808,  leading  a  group  of  settlers 
into  southern  Illinois,  forty 
miles  north  of  Cairo.  Methodist 
preaching  reached  George  in 
1811.  Not  wishing  to  be  Meth- 
odist, George  sent  to  Kentucky 
for  a  Brethren  elder,  who  came 
and  baptized  a  class  of  fourteen. 
By  1814  George  had  become 
the  first  Protestant  elder  to  be 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


ordained  in  Illinois  territory. 
He  was  a  friend  of  Governors 
Edwards  and  Cole  and  ren- 
dered untold  influence  in  free- 
ing Illinois  of  slavery.  He  built 
the  first  Brethren  meetinghouse 
in  the  state  and  in  1825  or- 
ganized an  interdenominational 
church  near  Bald  Knob,  com- 
posed mostly  of  "Dunkers  and 
Universalists  and  dedicated  to 
religious  freedom." 

Elder  Isham  Gibson  moved 
from  Tennessee  to  central  Illi- 
nois in  1829.  He  organized  the 
Sugar  Creek  church  fifteen 
miles  south  of  the  village  of 
Springfield  in  1830  and  the 
Liberty  church  near  Quincy  in 
1831. 

In  1839,  when  Chicago's  pop- 
ulation was  less  than  8,000,  the 
first  Brethren  families  settled 
in  northern  Illinois.  Here  the 
names  Emmert,  Arnold,  Strick- 
ler,  and  Price  were  the  familiar 
ones.  Elder  Henry  Strickler  or- 
ganized Arnold's  Grove  church 
near  Mt.  Morris  in  1842. 

The  Kuns,  Blickenstaffs  and 
Replogle  families  were  first  in 
eastern  Illinois.  Here  the  Oak- 
ley church  near  Cerro  Gordo 
was  organized  in  1856.  Urbana- 
Champaign,  to  be  the  site  of 
this  year's  Annual  Conference, 
organized  its  first  church  in 
1863. 

The  membership  in  Illinois 
grew  and  prospered.  Annual 
Meetings  have  been  held  at 
Lanark,  1856;  Franklin  Grove, 
1865;  Pleasant  Hill  (Girard), 
1874;  Lanark,  1880;  Decatur, 
1895;  Naperville,  1898;  Spring- 
field, 1906.  Before  1890  food 
and  lodging  were  furnished  free 
to  all  comers.  The  site  was 
usually  a  Brethren  farm  near  a 
railroad.  A  huge  barn  augment- 
ed by  adjoining  tents  sheltered 
the  sessions.  Barn  lofts  and 
homes  for  miles  around  prof- 
ferred  sleeping  quarters  to  the 
thousands  of  visiting  Brethren. 

It  was  Elder  Daniel  Vaniman 
of  Illinois  who  revolutionized 


the  methods  of  the  moderator  of 
the  Annual  Meeting  and  set  up 
the  procedure  much  as  we  have 
it  today. 

The  Brotherhood  mission 
program  was  set  into  motion  by 
the  Brethren  in  Illinois.  In  1875 
the  Cherry  Grove  church  re- 
quested the  Annual  Meeting  to 
send  missionaries  to  Denmark. 
The  request  was  denied.  The 
Northern  District  then  or- 
ganized its  own  mission  board, 
sent  the  missionaries  to  Den- 
mark, and  supported  them  until 
Annual  Meeting  changed  its  de- 
cision. 

It  was  not  until  1894  that  the 
Brotherhood  accepted  the  great 
commission.  Young  adults  from 
Illinois  were  firsts  in  this  serv- 
ice. Wilbur  and  Mary  Emmert 
Stover  pioneered  in  India.  Two 
years  later  Daniel  and  Anna 
Shull  Forney  followed  them. 
Clarence  and  Lucile  Gibson 
Heckman  were  in  the  second 
group  to  Nigeria,  going  in 
1924.  Benton  and  Ruby  Frantz 
Rhoades  opened  the  Brethren 
work  in  Ecuador  in  1946. 
Charles  Brubaker  in  India  and 
B.  F.  Heckman  in  China  were 
the  first  Brethren  missionaries 
to  make  the  supreme  sacrifice. 

Various  publications  had  ap- 
peared on  the  Brethren  scene 
but  it  was  the  Brethren  at 
Work,  first  published  at  Lanark 
in  1876,  that  had  a  major  part 
in  the  unification  resulting  in 
the  Gospel  Messenger  in  1883. 
Established  at  Elgin  in  1899, 
this  flourishing  business  of 
printing  and  publishing  for  the 
Lord  moved  into  modern  head- 
quarters last  year. 

Mt.  Morris  College  was 
founded  in  1879  at  a  time  when 
few  young  people  united  with 
the  church.  The  vision  of  M.  S. 
Newcomer,  a  farmer-preacher, 
the  college  became  a  great  in- 
fluence for  good  until  it  gradu- 
ated its  last  class  in  1932. 

Without  money  or  a  building 
A.  C.  Wieand  and  E.  B.  Hoff 


founded  Bethany  Bible  School 
in  Chicago  in  1905.  In  a  very 
special  way  Illinois  Brethren 
poured  funds  and  prayers  into 
this  school  which  developed  in- 
to our  Brotherhod  Seminary. 

Love  and  care  for  those  in 
their  golden  years  is  sponsored 

I  in  each  district.  The  Brethren 
Home  at  Mt.  Morris  was  opened 
in  1893.  The  Home  at  Girard 
was  founded  in  1908.  Each  of 
these  guest  homes  is  filled  to 
capacity,     and     the     drawing 

I  boards  of  the  Northern  District 
are  now  covered  with  the  pro- 
posed plans  for  a  larger  Breth- 
ren Home  at  Mt.  Morris. 

Bethany  Hospital  in  Chicago 
received  its  charter  in  1920 
and  accepted  patients  almost 
at  once  in  a  remodeled  resi- 
dence. A  building  program  was 
launched  in  1926  with  a  basic 
gift  of  $100,000  from  Peter 
Frantz,  lay  member,  inventor 
and  manufacturer  of  Sterling, 
Illinois.    The  work  of  Bethany 

I  Hospital  as  a  Christian,  inter- 
racial hospital  is  outstanding, 
and  its  devoted  Women's  Auxil- 
iary deserves  much  honor. 

Illinois  has  a  full  camping 
program   for   all   ages.     Camp 

I  Emmaus  near  Mt.  Morris  is  well 
equipped  and  self-supporting. 
Camp  Immanuel  near  Astoria 
hopes  to  be  self-supporting  soon 
and  is  now  building  a  cottage 
for  the  custodian. 

The  York  Center  story  is 
a  famous  one.  Here,  near 
Lombard,  west  of  Chicago, 
sixty-nine  Brethren  chartered 
a  congregation  in  1951.  The 
group  built  a  small  church  and 
a  parsonage  and  invited  all 
races  and  creeds  to  come  into 
the  fellowship.  A  keen  sense  of 
dedication  and  stewardship  is 
taught,  expected,  and  received. 
The  membership  now  numbers 
two  hundred  seven.  Their  local 
giving  per  capita  is  $164.55,  the 
highest  in  the  state.  A  large 
church  has  been  erected.  Negro, 
American-Japanese,  and  sever- 


al denominational  backgrounds 
are  now  in  this  Brethren  fellow- 
ship. 

Among  the  many  widely 
known  leaders  in  Illinois  we 
name  D.  L.  Miller.  He  was 
minister,  elder,  editor,  college 
trustee;  he  served  Annual  Meet- 
ing many  times  in  many  ways; 
he  made  seven  world  journeys, 
lectured,  preached,  wrote  seven 
books,  and  was  generous  in  his 
philanthropies  until  his  death 
in  1921. 


appeared  in  Who's  Who  in 
American  Colleges. 

Illinois  Brethren  are  often 
heard  over  Chicago  radio  sta- 
tion WMAQ,  WNBQ  television 
channel  5,  and  on  television 
NBC's  Religion  in  Life. 

Our  workers  are  also  active 
in  the  Illinois  Council  of 
Churches.  John  Blough  of 
Dixon  recently  completed  five 
years  as  director  of  evangelism 
and  Mrs.  Hobart  Blair  of  Virden 
served  as  secretary  of  the  coun- 


<■:.■- 


Annual  Meeting,  Lanark,  Illinois,   1880 


More  than  twenty  Illinois 
men  and  women  have  con- 
tributed to  Christian  literature 
as  authors,  poets,  and  song 
writers. 

Church  extension  in  Northern 
Illinois  is  going  forward  near 
Aurora  and  at  Rockiord.  The 
district  plan  calls  for  two  new 
churches  every  three  years. 
Plans  in  the  Southern  district 
are  tentative. 

Displaced  persons,  exchange 
students,  and  BVS  workers 
have  enriched  our  experiences. 
Among  our  young  people 
Robert  Johansen  of  Freeport 
won  the  1958  National  Youth 
Speaking  Contest.  Jerry  Royer 
and  William  Faw  of  York  Cen- 
ter have  attended  Christian 
University  in  Japan.  Eldred 
Weddle  of  Girard  and  Wayne 
Wrightsman  of  Virden  are  on 
the  faculty  of  Manchester  Col- 
lege.     Illinois    students    have 


cil,  1959-1960.  At  present  Elvin 
Frantz  of  Springfield  is  radio 
and  TV  director,  Hobart  Blair 
of  Virden  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  and  ten 
other  Southern  Illinois  leaders 
are  filling  various  capacities  in 
the  council. 

For  one  hundred  fifty-two 
years  the  Brethren  in  Illinois 
have  witnessed  through  their 
outgoing  individuals;  through 
the  moving  west  of  entire  con- 
gregations; and  through  those 
of  us  who  have  stayed  at  home. 
We  are  no  doubt  a  cultural 
mixture  of  those  who  desired 
to  adventure  for  God  and  for 
man  and  those  who  yielded  to 
the  pioneer  heritage  of  prac- 
ticality. But  we  are  truly 
Brethren  folks  and  invite  you  to 
meet  us  in  person  at  Urbana- 
Champaign  in  June. 


MAY  7,  I960 


19 


Mrs.  Kulp  treats  a  baby  in  the  Waka  dispensary 


A  Day  in  a  Nigerian  Dispensary 


MY  WORK  at  the  school  dis- 
pensary has  brought  me  in- 
to close  contact  with  both 
the  people  and  the  diseases  of  tropi- 
cal Africa. 

These  people  I  had  met  hereto- 
fore only  in  books  and  motion  pic- 
tures, and  many  of  the  diseases  I 
had  never  known  existed. 

The  Africans  at  Waka  are  of  two 
groups:  students,  both  single  and 
married,  and  the  families  of  our 
household  help.  Altogether,  there 
are  about  200  students,  which  num- 
ber includes  50  women  and  children. 

In  Waka  Village,  the  settlement 
of  our  domestic  help,  there  are  near- 
ly thirty  families,  some  with  five  or 
six  children.  These  groups,  together 
with  the  laborers  and  masons  who 
are  employed  to  do  the  continuous 
building  and  construction  work  and 
the  carpenters  who  make  and  repair 
our  furniture  swell  the  number  of 
people  for  whose  health  the  dis- 
pensary is  responsible  to  over  350. 

The  work  is  fascinating,  baffling, 
rewarding,  frustrating,  heartbreak- 
ing —  and   endless.     On   the   whole, 


Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp 

Photos  by  Philip  Kulp 


the  students  and  the  families  of 
those  who  are  married  are  by  this 
time  somewhat  aware  of  the  basic 
principles  of  sanitation  and  health. 

However,  the  families  of  Waka 
Village  and  the  laborers  have  had 
little  education.  Some  have  at- 
tended classes  on  health  and  hygiene 
and  have  shown  an  effort  to  practice 
what  they  learn;  others  continue  to 
live  according  to  their  old  habits. 

Malnutrition  is  a  constant  source 
of  trouble,  and  it  will  be  many  years 
before  the  average  Nigerian  will  be 
conscious  of  the  importance  of 
proper  diet.  Anemia  is  common, 
particularly  in  babies  and  young 
children,  and  rickets,  too,  is  often 
seen. 

The  flesh-decaying  tropical  ulcers 
are  probably  as  common  as  they  are 
because  of  the  poor  nutrition  of  the 
Nigerian.    Amoebic  and  other  forms 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


One  of  a  series  of  articles  describing 
missionary  life  in  Nigeria  written  for  the 
Waynesboro  Record  Herald,  Pennsylvania 


of  dysentery  are  rampant  because: 
contaminated  water  is  drunk  direcdy 
from  the  streams.  Schistosomiasis, 
contracted  from  bathing  in  polluted 
water,  is  nearly  as  common. 

Malaria  and  other  fevers  are  al-; 
ways  present,  although  the  students 
receive  antimalarial  medication  every 
week,  and  a  few  of  the  village  fam- 
ilies  are   buying   it   for   themselves. 

Skin  diseases  and  all  types  of ; 
worms  are  everyday  matters.  Then 
there  are  all  sorts  of  ordinary  things 
like  colds  and  coughs,  measles  and! 
chicken  pox,  asthma  and  rheumatic 
fever,  punctuated  by  an  occasional 
case  of  leprosy  or  elephantiasis. 

The  Waka  dispensary  consists  of 
a  two-room  stone  building,  and  is 
managed  by  a  trained  Nigerian  dis- 
penser and  myself.  In  one  day  we 
treat  an  average  of  75  patients,  al- 
though in  May,  during  an  epidemic 
of  whooping  cough  and  colds,  we 
saw  as  many  as  200  people  every 
day  for  two  weeks. 

At  6:30  a.  m.  the  students'  wives 
bring  their  children  and  their  prob- 
lems. Little  Anna,  the  ten-month- 
old  daughter  of  a  student  who  will 
graduate  this  year,  is  thin,  listless, 
and  anemic.    Her  big,  dark  eyes  are 


solemn  as  she  swallows  her  vitamins 
and  iron  tablets.  Timothy,  the  son 
of  another  student,  screams,  coughs, 
sputters  as  we  try  to  pour  a  crushed 
aspirin  down  his  throat. 

Next  come  the  students,  many 
with  knees  skinned  or  ankles 
sprained  while  playing  football  in 
physical  training  class.  There  is 
Yadawi,  who  is  new  at  Waka  this 
year.  He  has  had  amoebic  dysen- 
tery. In  spite  of  three  weeks  spent 
in  our  mission  hospital  at  Garkida, 
he  is  weak  and  thin,  behind  in  his 
school  work,  and  seemingly  unable 
to  get  ahead  of  his  illnesses. 

Later  in  the  morning  come  the 
people  of  Waka  Village.  The  wife 
of  the  caretaker  of  Waka  oxen  brings 
her  premature  baby  to  be  weighed. 
At  birth  it  was  four  pounds  and 
ten  ounces,  and  now,  six  weeks  later, 
it  weighs  seven  pounds. 

Also  comes  Pindar,  wife  of  one 
of  the  gardeners.  Their  five-pound 
premature  infant  died  recently. 
Here,  too,  are  Ruth,  a  three-year- 
old  who  is  recovering  nicely  from 
an  intestinal  obstruction  caused  by 
worms;  Wahir,  one  of  the  cooks, 
who  is  receiving  injections  for 
schistosomiasis;  Yusubu,  bitten  by  a 


scorpion;  Asta,  who  is  receiving  free 
powdered  milk  provided  by  UNICEF 
for  her  baby,  since  she  cannot  nurse 
it;  and  Douwda,  a  one-year-old, 
whose  head  is   covered  with   boils. 

My  heart  is  lifted  when  I  see 
Bitrus  smile  at  me.  He  is  an  eight- 
month-old  child  who  recently  was 
near  death's  door  with  severe  di- 
arrhea and  vomiting  and  now  has 
completely  recovered.  His  happy 
face  and  his  parents'  gratitude  make 
my  day  worthwhile.  But  then  there 
is  poor  little  Zacharia,  his  body 
wasted  by  fever  and  spasms  of 
coughing,  vomiting,  and  pain.  He 
developed  whooping  cough  in  the 
spring  and,  in  spite  of  repeated  trips 
to  the  hospital,  has  grown  steadily 
worse  through  the  months,  and  we 
cannot  see  much  hope  for  him. 

The  sun  slants  through  the  dis- 
pensary door,  and  the  day  draws 
to  a  close.  We  wash  the  tin  cans 
used  for  drinking,  refill  the  empty 
medicine  bottles,  and  replenish 
bandages  and  ulcer  dressings. 

A  few  latecomers  are  always  cer- 
tain. Their  babies  have  just  devel- 
oped fever  or  they  have  been  bitten 
by  something  or  a  chip  of  wood 
has  gotten  into  an  eye. 


These  cared  for,  we  close  the 
doors  with  a  silent  prayer  that  the 
Great  Physician  will  aid  our  poor 
attempts  at  healing  and  that  the 
new  day  will  bring  us  the  wisdom 
and  courage  we  so  sorely  need  in 
this  place,  in  this  work. 

The   Field 
Is   the   World 

100  Countries  — 
VA  Billion  People 

In  this  sixty-two-page  booklet 
Paul  G.  Hoffman,  Director  of  the 
United  Nations  Special  Fund,  pre- 
sents a  plan  by  which  the  United 
States,  working  through  the  United 
Nations,  can  help  to  speed  the  eco- 
nomic growth  of  100  underdevel- 
oped countries  of  the  world  and 
thus  speed  her  own  growth.  He 
describes  the  situation  of  the  under- 
developed countries,  analyzes  the 
shortcomings  of  the  programs  of 
governmental  assistance  begun  in 
the  50's,  and  suggests  ways  to  build 
during  the  60's  upon  this  previous 
experimentation. 

The  concept  of  "investment," 
rather  than  "charity,"  in  aiding  the 
development  of  these  countries  is 
brought  out.  Charts  and  maps  as- 
sist in  clarifying  the  present  situa- 
tion and  the  proposals  for  the 
future.  This  booklet,  One  Hundred 
Countries  —  One  and  One  Quarter 
Billion  People,  may  be  secured  free 
of  charge  by  writing  to  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

Moomaw  and  West  Meet 
With  Missionaries  in  India 

When  the  Dan  West  family  and 
Ira  W.  Moomaw  led  this  year's  an- 
nual missionary  retreat,  the  new  spir- 
itual life  center  at  Broach  really  lived 
up  to  its  name. 

Ira  Moomaw,  who  was  just  pass- 
ing through  India,  took  a  day  and 
a  half  to  share  his  observations  of 
the  world  scene.  All  the  missionaries 
on  the  field  attended  except  Joy 
Fasnacht,  who  was  in  the  hospital 
in  Bulsar. 

The  theme  of  the  conference  was 
"The  Church  for  You  Doth  Wait; 
Rise  Up  and  Make  Her  Great." 
Amsey  Bollinger  reported,  "As  far 
as  I  know  there  is  only  one  Dan 
West  —  at  least  in  our  church.  We 
were  all  stimulated  by  his  probing 
questions  and  the  ideals  which  he 
held  up  to  us  for  the  future  of  the 
Brethren  church  in  India." 


Buta,  dispenser  at  Waka,  giving  milk  to  a  mother  who  is  unable  to  nurse  her  baby 


MAY  7,   1960 


21 


: 


CONFERENCE    BUSINESS 


Unfinished  Business 
Report  of  the  Committee  to  Study 
Annual  Conference 

The  committee  has  taken  seriously 
the  responsibility  involved  in  the 
continuation  of  its  assignment  for 
another  year.  It  wishes  to  commend 
to  the  Brotherhood  the  practice  of 
re-examining  basic  organizational 
patterns  from  time  to  time,  but  it 
expresses  the  hope  that  the  present 
report  on  the  Annual  Conference 
may  possess  sufficient  merit  to  bring 
to  a  close  this  particular  study. 

Discussions  at  the  last  Annual 
Conference,  a  continuing  stream  of 
correspondence  and  sharing  of  per- 
sonal judgments,  and  reports  of  the 
discussions  held  both  in  district  con- 
ferences and  in  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board  have  all  entered  into 
the  making  of  the  following  report. 
The  committee  sincerely  trusts  that 
it  has  been  able  to  embody  some  of 
the  best  thinking  of  the  Brotherhood 
in  this  attempt  to  strengthen  our 
general  church  Conference  to  meet 
the  growing  needs  of  our  people 
and  the  changing  conditions  of  our 
times. 

Recommendations 
I.  General   Administration    of   Con- 
ference 

A.  Frequency 

Recommended  that  we  continue 
to  hold  a  general  Conference 
annually. 

B.  Location 

Since  Annual  Conference  is  pri- 
marily a  Brotherhood  function,  and 
only  indirectly  regional,  it  is  recom- 
mended that  Conference  be  kept  as 
close  to  the  population  concentra- 
tions of  our  people  as  available  facil- 
ities permit,  rotating  by  three  areas: 
(1)  Eastern-Southeastern,  (2)  Cen- 
tral, (3)  Western-Pacific,  leaving 
the  exact  location  of  Conference  to 
negotiation  between  the  Annual 
Conference  Central  Committee  and 
the  regions  involved. 

C.  Annual    Conference    Central 
Committee 

Recommended  that,  in  order  to 
strengthen  the  leadership  of  Annual 
Conference  for  a  more  effective  ex- 
ercise of  its  policy-making  functions, 
our  Annual  Conference  be  admin- 
istered by  an  executive  group  to 
be  officially  known  as  the  Annual 
Conference   Central   Committee. 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


1.  Membership 

The  Central  Committee  shall  in- 
clude: a.  the  Annual  Conference 
moderator,  associate  moderator,  sec- 
retary, and  treasurer;  b.  three  mem- 
bers-at-large,  elected  by  Conference 
for  staggered  terms  of  three  years 
each,  as  is  now  the  case  with  the 
Program  Committee.  They  shall  not 
be  eligible  to  succeed  themselves. 

2.  Duties 

The  Annual  Conference  Central 
Committee  shall  co-ordinate  the 
function  of  Conference  leadership 
and  planning  now  performed  by  the 
program  and  arrangements  commit- 
tees and  the  Conference  officers.  Its 
duties  shall  include;  a.  Annual 
Conference  program  planning;  b.  lo- 
cation of  and  arrangements  for  An- 
nual Conference  in  co-operation 
with  regional  personnel;  c.  careful 
study  of  Annual  Conference  busi- 
ness and  informing  of  the  Brother- 
hood so  as  to  make  possible  the 
maximum  exercise  of  judgment  by 
the  Conference  with  regard  to  items 
coming  before  it;  d.  preparation  and 
registration  of  delegates  both  prior 
to  and  at  Annual  Conference;  e.  di- 
rection of  Annual  Conference  and 
allocation  of  Conference  time;  f.  the 
employment,  on  a  part-time  basis, 
of  a  Conference  Manager  (see  I.  E 
below);  g.  the  enlisting  of  the  as- 
sistance of  such  other  persons  in  the 
church  as  they  deem  wise  for  the 
most  satisfactory  administration  of 
Conference. 

3.  Meetings 

In  order  to  carry  out  the  above- 
mentioned  functions,  the  Central 
Committee  shall  hold  regularly 
scheduled  meetings  each  year. 

4.  Expenses 

The  expenses  of  the  Central  Com- 
mittee incurred  in  carrying  out  its 
functions  shall  be  underwritten  by 
the  Annual  Conference  Treasury. 
D.  Moderator  and  Associate  Mod- 
erator 

Recommended  that  each  Annual 
Conference  elect  a  moderator  and 
an  associate  moderator  to  serve  a 
one-year  term. 

1.  Moderator 

a.  Eligibility.  In  order  to  broad- 
en the  base  of  leadership  it  is  rec- 
ommended that  any  elder,  minister, 
or  layman  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  who  has  demonstrated  out- 


standing churchmanship,  has  given 
evidence  of  skill  in  dealing  with 
church  business  and  in  conducting 
a  deliberative  assembly,  and  who! 
has  served  as  moderator,  alternate 
moderator,  or  associate  moderator  of 
Annual  Conference  shall  be  eligible 
for  this  office.  After  having  served 
as  moderator,  he  shall  not  be  eligible 
for  election  to  the  office  of  moder- 
ator or  associate  moderator  for  four 
years. 

In  order  to  provide  for  the  desired 
separation  of  policy-making  and 
programming  functions  of  the 
church,  it  is  recommended  that  any 
individual  who  is  elected  to  the 
moderatorship  while  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board  shall  resign  his  board  mem- 
bership and  be  replaced  by  another 
who  will  serve  for  the  remainder 
of  his  term. 

b.  Duties.    The  duties  of  the  of- 
fice shall  be  essentially  the  same  as 
at  present,   except  that  the  moder- 
ator   will    serve    in    a    consultative, , 
nonvoting  capacity  on  the  General  1 
Brotherhood  Board  and  as  chairman 
of   the   Annual   Conference   Central  I 
Committee. 

2.  Associate  Moderator 

a.  Eligibility.  Any  elder,  minis- 
ter, or  member  of  the  laity  showing 
promise  of  the  qualifications  out- 
lined above  for  the  moderatorship 
shall  be  eligible  for  this  office.  After 
having  served  as  associate  moder- 
ator, he  shall  not  be  eligible  for 
re-election  to  this  office  for  four 
years  but  shall  be  eligible  for  nomi- 
nation to  the  office  of  moderator. 
A  member  of  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board  may  be  nominated  for 
this  office  and,  if  elected,  may  con- 
tinue to  serve  as  a  full  member  of 
the   Board. 

b.  Duties.  The  associate  moder- 
ator shall  serve  as  an  associate  to 
the  moderator  and  as  parliamentar- 
ian throughout  the  sessions  of 
Standing  Committee  and  Annual 
Conference.  If  not  already  an 
elected  member  of  the  General 
Brotherhood  Board,  he  shall  serve 
on  it  as  a  consultative  nonvoting 
member  for  the  year  of  his  office 
as  associate  moderator  as  a  part  of 
his  training  for  eligibility  for  the 
office  of  moderator.  He  shall  be 
a  full  member  of  the  Annual  Con- 
ference Central  Committee  and 
serve  as  its  vice-chairman.  In  case 
of  the  disability  of  the  moderator, 
he  shall  assume  the  full  duties  of 
that  office. 


:b. 


E.  Annual  Conference  Manager 

1.  Employment 

The  Central  Committee  shall  em- 
ploy  a    Conference    manager    on    a 


1  part-time  basis,  and  his  job  analysis 
and  conditions  of  employment  shall 
be  determined  by  the  Central  Com- 
n  mittee.  (There  is  a  distinct  value 
e  in  having  the  Conference  manager 
reside  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  General  Offices.) 


2.  Duties 

In  general,  the  Conference  man- 
ager's duties  will  include  carrying 
out  the  plans  of  the  Central  Com- 
ity mittee  with  respect  to  public  rela- 
tions, publicity,  arrangements  for 
and  direction  of  Annual  Conference, 
is  well  as  the  preparation  and  regis- 
tration of  delegates  to  these  Con- 
Ferences.  He  is  also  to  serve  as 
working  liaison  between  the  Central 
Committee  and  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board  and  its  staff. 


II.  Standing  Committee 
A  Term  of  Service 

In  order  to  provide  greater  con- 
tinuity of  personnel  and  more  thor- 
ough understanding  of  business 
terns  on  the  part  of  Standing  Com- 
mittee, it  is  recommended  that  mem- 
bers of  Standing  Committee  be 
elected  to  serve  terms  of  two  years 
with  ineligibility  to  re-election  for 
four  years  after  that  term  of  service 
regardless  of  possible  transfer  to 
another  district.  Upon  transfer  to 
another  district,  a  Standing  Commit- 
tee member  who  has  not  served  for 
two  Conferences  will  be  replaced 
immediately  by  the  district  which 
he  was  originally  chosen  to  repre- 
sent. To  him  as  well  as  to  his 
successor,  the  ineligibility  rule  will 
apply. 

In  the  total  Standing  Committee, 
and  with  regard  to  districts  which 
send  more  than  one  Standing  Com- 
mittee delegate,  the  principle  of 
staggering  of  personnel  shall  be  ap- 
plied, the  exact  method  of  initiating 
and  regulating  this  procedure  to  be 
left  to  the  Central  Committee. 

The  moderator  of  each  district 
shall  be  responsible  for  encouraging 
the  nominating  group  in  that  district 
to  give  most  careful  consideration  to 
the  qualifications  for  members  of 
Standing  Committee  as  set  forth  in 
each  Conference  Booklet  and  in  the 
Manual  of  Worship  and  Polity,  page 
245. 


B.  Functions 

1.  As  at  present,  the  Standing 
Committee  shall  act  for  the  Brother- 
hood between  Conferences  in  cases 


of  emergency  and  may  be  called 
at  the  discretion  of  the  Central 
Committee. 

2.  As  at  present,  Standing  Com- 
mittee shall  make  nominations  for 
the  Conference  ballot.  In  order  to 
do  this  with  the  utmost  care  and 
confidential  good  judgment,  it  shall 
elect  its  own  nominating  committee. 
This  committee  shall  consist  of  five 
persons  representing  the  five  regions 
chosen  one  year  in  advance  from 
among  the  continuing  members  of 
Standing  Committee.  This  nominat- 
ing committee  shall  draw  on  the 
widest  possible  resources  for  secur- 
ing the  names  of  qualified  individ- 
uals, yet  work  with  the  utmost 
discretion  and  submit  its  nomina- 
tions to  the  Standing  Committee  in 
closed  session.  The  nominating 
committee  should  bear  in  mind  the 
distinction  between  policy-making 
and  programming  functions  and 
name  such  persons  for  offices  as  will 
not  be  involved  thereby  in  conflict- 
ing or  ambiguous  positions. 

The  list  brought  to  Standing 
Committee  shall  include  twice  the 
required  number  of  names  of  qual- 
ified persons  for  all  nominations, 
both  for  the  Conference  ballot  and 
for  Standing  Committee  appoint- 
ments. The  Standing  Committee 
shall  review  and  reduce  the  number 
of  nominees  to  that  required  by  the 
Conference  ballot  and  appointments. 

3.  It  shall  appoint  and  hear  the 
reports  of  its  own  committees. 

4.  It  shall  counsel  on  controversi- 
al issues,  taking  the  initiative  when 
deemed  wise,  and  maintaining  the 
right  to  hold  closed  sessions  as 
desired. 

5.  It  shall  hear  appeals  from  in- 
dividuals, churches,  districts,  and 
others. 

6.  It  shall  recommend  answers 
for  all  items  of  new  business  and 
present  them  to  Conference  for  its 
consideration  along  with  the  busi- 
ness items  themselves. 

7.  Unfinished  business  shall  not 
be  reviewed  by  Standing  Committee 
but  shall  go  direcdy  to  Conference 
as  business  already  belonging  to 
Conference.  The  Central  Committee 
or  a  Conference  committee  bringing 
back  a  report  may,  however,  re- 
quest the  counsel  and  guidance  of 
Standing  Committee  on  items  of  un- 
finished business  coming  to  the  Con- 
ference. In  addition,  there  will  be 
briefing  sessions  in  which  Standing 
Committee  and  church  delegates 
participate  jointiy  in  studying  items 
of  unfinished  business. 


8.  It  shall  determine  which  items 
of  both  new  and  unfinished  business 
involve  policy  changes  and  thus  re- 
quire a  two-thirds  vote  of  Confer- 
ence (see  under  IV,  Conference 
Rules,  subhead  3). 

9.  Reports,  both  those  from  the 
districts  and  those  printed  in  the 
Conference  Booklet,  shall  be  made 
only  once  and  that  to  Standing  Com- 
mittee and  church  delegates  togeth- 
er. These  may  be  presented  in 
pictorial  or  dramatic  form,  or  even  in 
connection  with  Conference  exhibits 
as  circumstances  warrant.  This  does 
not  prevent  consultation  by  Stand- 
ing Committee  on  special  items 
brought  by  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board  and  other  groups. 

10.  Standing  Committee  shall  be- 
gin its  work  on  Sunday  and  con- 
clude its  distinctive  functions  by 
Tuesday  noon.  Tuesday  afternoon 
and  Wednesday  morning  may  be 
used  for  joint  sessions  with  the  dele- 
gates as  oudined  in  III.  B.  2.  below. 

III.  Delegates     from     the     Local 
Churches 
In  order  to  build  a  stronger,  more 
representative   delegate   body,    it   is 
recommended  that: 

A.  Choice  of  Delegates 

1.  Congregations  shall  be  urged 
to  send  their  full  quota  of  delegates, 
carefully  selected  at  least  six  months 
in  advance  of  Annual  Conference 
with  notification  of  their  selection 
sent  to  the  Conference  manager. 
Local  church  moderators  shall  be 
personally  responsible  for  seeing 
that  qualifications  for  such  dele- 
gates, as  printed  in  each  Conference 
Booklet  and  listed  on  page  247  of 
the  Manual  of  Worship  and  Polity, 
shall  be  taken  seriously  in  this  selec- 
tion. To  the  list  of  qualifications 
should  be  added:  (a)  a  reading  of 
our  church  literature,  (b)  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  past  decisions  of  the 
church  gained  by  the  reading  of 
minutes  and  reports  and  a  continual 
study  of  current  business,  and  (c) 
where  possible,  attendance  at  de- 
nominational and  interdenomina- 
tional conferences  outside  the  local 
church. 

2.  Congregations  shall  seek  ways 
to  involve  more  of  their  laymen  as 
delegates.  It  is  further  urged  that 
delegates  be  chosen  on  the  basis  of 
their  qualifications  rather  than  to  ef- 
fect a  financial  saving  for  the  local 
church. 

3.  Congregations    should    always 


MAY  7,  1960 


23 


plan  to  send  their  pastors  (or  minis- 
ters) although  not  necessarily  as 
delegates. 

B.  Preparation   of  Delegates 

1.  In  the  Local  Church 

a.  Delegates,  upon  election, 
should  be  consecrated  for  their  im- 
portant tasks  by  a  spiritual  com- 
missioning service  in  the  local 
church. 

b.  The  Central  Committee  shall 
arrange  for  the  preregistration  of 
each  delegate  and  shall  be  author- 
ized to  charge  a  registration  fee  to 
cover  ( 1 )  the  providing  of  a  Confer- 
ence Booklet,  (2)  insurance,  and  (3) 
other  Conference  expenses.  The 
Central  Committee  is  requested  to 
make  the  Conference  Booklet  avail- 
able in  time  to  be  mailed  to  each 
preregistered  delegate  and  used  in 
preparation  for  Conference.  The 
Central  Committee,  in  co-operation 
with  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board,  shall  explore  ways  for  using 
the  Gospel  Messenger  even  more 
effectively  than  at  present  to  pre- 
pare Conference  attendance  and 
participation. 

2.  At  Conference 

a.  Delegates  shall  be  on  hand  by 
Tuesday  morning  of  Conference 
week  to  confirm  their  registration 
and  be  in  readiness  to  go  into  session 
on  Tuesday  afternoon.  It  is  extreme- 
ly important  that  they  be  present 
at  the  very  beginning,  stay  by  the 
business,  and  participate  fully  in  it 
until  the  close  of  Conference. 

b.  Spiritual  Preparation:  A  serv- 
ice of  special  spiritual  preparation 
for  the  tasks  of  the  delegate  body 
shall  be  planned  and  carried  through 
for  Standing  Committee,  church 
delegates,  and  others  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  first  general  session. 

c.  Briefing  Sessions:  The  Central 
Committee  shall  explore  means  for 
the  further  briefing  of  local  church 
delegates  in  joint  meeting  with 
Standing  Committee.  They  shall 
give  attention  to  the  history  and 
previous  Conference  action  on  each 
item  and  an  analysis  of  issues  and 
problems  involved.  Small  discussion 
group  techniques  may  be  employed 
in  securing  a  better  informed  dele- 
gate body. 

d.  Reports:  Delegates  along  with 
Standing  Committee  members  will 
hear  reports  from  the  districts  and 
areas  and  use  these,  along  with  other 
regular  reports,  as  background  for 
the  understanding  and  transaction  of 
business. 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


IV.  Conduct  of  Conference  Business 
In  addition  to  items  already  cov- 
ered under  previous  headings,  it  is 
further  recommended : 

A.  Physical  Features 

That  the  Central  Committee  plan 
for  the  most  effective  physical  ar- 
rangements, including  the  place- 
ment of  microphones,  a  workable 
system  of  recognizing  and  honoring 
persons  wishing  to  speak,  and  the 
training  and  use  of  ushers  to  pre- 
serve order  and  to  improve  business 
procedures. 

B.  Revision  of  Conference  Rules 

1.  Rule  1  now  reads:  "All  ques- 
tions, with  their  answers,  for  discus- 
sion shall  be  read  by  the  reader, 
except  Annual  Reports,'  which  shall 
be  read  by  some  Board  representa- 
tive, after  which  the  moderator  shall 
declare  the  same  the  business  of  the 
meeting." 

It  shall  be  revised  by  the  substi- 
tution of  the  word  "presented"  for 
the  second  occurrence  of  the  word 
read  and  will  then  read  as  follows 
(substitution  italicized):  "All  ques- 
tions, with  their  answers  for  discus- 
sion, shall  be  read  by  the  reader, 
except  Annual  Reports,'  which  shall 
be  presented  by  some  Board  repre- 
sentative, after  which  the  moderator 
shall  declare  the  same  the  business 
of  the  meeting." 

This  change  will  allow  for  the 
possibility  of  varied  presentations  of 
Conference   reports. 

2.  Rule  2  now  reads:  "No  one 
shall  speak  more  than  twice  on  the 
same  question.  The  first  speech 
shall  be  limited  to  ten  minutes  and 
the  second  to  five  minutes." 

The  second  sentence  here  shall 
be  changed  to  read:  "The  first 
speech  shall  be  limited  to  five  min- 
utes and  the  second  to  three  min- 
utes." A  third  sentence  shall  be 
added  as  follows:  "This  shall  not 
include  the  explanation  of  a  report 
or  paper  called  for  by  the 
moderator." 

This  change  is  recommended  so 
as  to  insure  wider  participation  in 
discussion  and  a  greater  coverage 
of  opinions  in  the  same  length  of 
time. 

3.  Rule  4  now  reads:  "A  two- 
thirds  majority  shall  be  necessary  to 
pass  answers  to  all  queries;  a  ma- 
jority for  other  motions." 

Recommended  that  it  be  changed 
to  read:  "A  simple  majority  vote 
shall  decide  all  matters  except  where 
Robert's  Rules  of  Order  requires 
otherwise,     or    on     such    items     as 


Standing  Committee  interprets  as 
involving  a  change  of  church  policy; 
in  which  case  a  two-thirds  majority 
of  Conference  is  required  for 
passage." 

4.  Rule  7  now  reads  :  "The  Con- 
ference shall  have  no  authority  to 
change  the  wording  or  the  intent 
of  any  paper  or  query  submitted 
as  Conference  business  by  state 
districts." 

Recommended  that  this  be 
changed  to  read:  "The  Conference 
shall  have  no  authority  to  change 
the  wording  or  intent  of  any  paper 
or  query  submitted  as  Conference 
business;  but  upon  accepting  it  as 
business,  Conference  may  alter  its 
scope  or  redirect  its  emphasis  so 
long  as  Conference  deals  with  its 
original  concern." 

V.  Financing  Annual  Conference 
Recommended  that  the  means  of 

financing  Annual  Conference  and 
determining  offerings  at  Conference 
be  the  responsibility  of  the  Central 
Committee.  For  the  present,  the  fol- 
lowing is  recommended: 

A.  District  assessments  be  contin- 
ued as  needed. 

B.  Standing  Committee  and  local 
church  delegates  pay  a  registra- 
tion fee  in  advance  of  Confer- 
ence. It  is  recommended  that 
this  fee  be  underwritten  by  the 
districts  and  churches  sending 
these  delegates.  There  will  be  a 
general  registration  at  Confer- 
ence for  nondelegates.  These 
fees  will  cover  such  items  as 
Conference  Booklet,  insurance, 
and  other  Conference  expenses, 
the  exact  amount  of  these  fees 
to  be  determined  by  the  Central 
Committee. 

C.  The  following  schedule  of  offer- 
ings at  Conference: 

1.  A  Thursday  night  offering  for 
the  Supplemental  Pension  Fund. 

2.  A    Friday    night    offering    for; 
Conference  expense. 

3.  The  Saturday  night,  Sunday 
morning,  and  Convocation  offerings 
for  the  General  Brotherhood  Fund. 

VI.  Upon   the   adoption   of  this  re-j 
port,  as  a  whole  or  in  part,  all  . 
former   actions    or   practices    at 
variance    with    the    parts    here 
adopted  shall  be  superseded. 

J.  H.  Mathis,  chairman 
Chalmer  E.  Faw 
Robert  Greiner 
Paul  W.  Keller 
Carl  E.  Myers 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 


Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked   with  an   asterisk   (*).  —  Editor. 


• 


The  Nurture  and  Evangelism  of 
Children.  Gideon  G.  Yoder.  Herald, 
1959.    188  pages.    $3.00. 

This  is  a  study  primarily  con- 
cerned with  the  Christian  education 
and  evangelization  of  children  with- 
in the  Christian  community.  Mr. 
Yoder  approaches  the  problem  from 
the  standpoint  of  those  holding  to 
believer's  baptism  and  believes  that 
if  one  holds  a  particular  position  he 
must  be  prepared  to  accept  the  im- 
plications of  that  position.  Another 
basic  problem  involved  is  that  of 
developing  a  living  church  instead 
of  an  ethnic  and  cultural  fellowship. 
He  points  out  that  many  churches 
professing  believer's  baptism  are 
baptizing  and  taking  into  the  church 
children  much  too  young  for  the 
baptism  to  have  the  meaning  it 
should  have.  There  are  many  quo- 
tations from  various  scholars  which 
attempt  to  present  the  various 
viewpoints  of  the  Christian  church. 
—  Glee  Yoder,   McPherson,   Kansas. 


Letter  Home.  Antonina  Canzoneri. 
Broadman,   1959.    64  pages.  $1.50. 

This  little  book  of  poems  is 
charming  and  attractive.  The  author 
is  a  missionary  nurse  to  Africa.  The 
delightful  messages  she  has  sent 
home  come  out  in  free,  creative 
verse.  The  pen  sketches  are  beauti- 
fully  drawn. 

In  this  variety  of  verse  and  prose, 
she  has  lifted  up  both  the  beauty 
and  the  pathos  of  the  land  which 
she  went  to  serve.  Often  these  pic- 
tures are  humorous.  They  are  also 
inspirational.  —  Anetta  C.  Mow,  El- 
gin, III. 

"Banquets  Plus!  Mabel  King  Beek- 
«r.  Broadman,  1959.  195  pages. 
$3.00. 

This  is  a  book  which  will  be  wel- 
comed by  everyone  who  has  the 
responsibility  of  planning  social  ac- 
tivities. It  is  full  of  new  and 
interesting  ideas  and  program  sug- 
gestions that  will  help  make  your 
banquets  come  alive. 

The  introduction  to  the  book, 
though  brief,  deals  effectively  with 
the  organization  of  banquets.  Help- 
ful suggestions  are  made  to  help 
with  the  proper  organization  of  com- 
mittees, the  division  of  duties,  tips 
to  toastmasters,  and  aids  to  cooks. 

The  main  portion  of  the  book  con- 


sists of  plans  for  thirty-four  ban- 
quets and  is  divided  in  three 
sections:  Seasonal  and  Holiday 
Banquets,  Promotional  or  Fellow- 
ship Banquets,  and  Missionary  Ban- 
quets. Each  banquet  plan  is 
complete  with  suggested  invitations, 
decorations,  menus,  and  programs. 
With  some  modification  and  varia- 
tions the  suggested  banquet  themes 
can  be  adapted  to  serve  in  almost 
every  social  need.  —  Oswald  H. 
Goering,  Oregon,  111. 

Seeking  to  Know  the  Will  of  God. 

Hillery  C.  Bice.  Warner,  1959.  128 
pages.   $2.50. 

A  rather  traditional  list  of  issues 
which  face  the  Christian  are  dis- 
cussed in  easy,  flowing  fashion  in 
this  book  by  Hillery  C.  Bice. 

In  an  interview  setting,  Dr.  Bice 
deals  in  rapid  succession  with  the 
discovery  of  purpose,  the  guidance 
of  children,  marriage  preparation 
and  adjustment,  the  choice  of  a  vo- 
cation, the  meeting  of  tragedy  and 
suffering,  the  question  of  healing, 
and  the  problem  of  human  freedom. 
He  then  concludes  with  descriptions 
of  ways  a  person  may  discover  God's 
will. 

While  there  are  interesting  adages, 
illustrations,  and  frequent  references 
to  the  experiences  of  others,  the 
counseling  situations  appear  some- 
what forced  and  turn  out  to  be  major 
elaborations  of  the  views  of  the 
author  rather  than  mutual  exchanges 
of  opinion.  Although  the  discussion 
reaches  a  refreshing  level  at  some 
points,  there  is  nothing  particularly 
new  in  the  considerations  of  the 
various  issues. 

The  urgency  and  the  possibility 
of  knowing  God's  will  mesh  into 
a  central,  reiterated  theme  —  and 
those  who  wish  to  review  a  few 
simple,  authoritative  answers  re- 
garding God's  will  in  selected  areas 
of  life  will  find  clear  proposals  for 
their  consideration.  In  some  cases 
the  answers  appear  too  easy  —  and 
some  of  the  tougher  issues  facing 
today's  Christians  are  not  discussed. 
—  S.  Loren  Bowman. 

God  and  Ourselves.  Norman  W. 
Cox.    Broadman,   1960.    139  pages. 

$2.75. 

The  matchless  parable  of  the 
Prodigal    Son    inspired   Pastor    Nor- 


man W.  Cox  to  preach  over  a  period 
of  fifty  years  forty-one  sermons 
based  on  it.  In  the  parable  the 
author  found  "a  condensed  summary 
of  the  Bible's  full  revelation  of  God 
and  ourselves."  The  twelve  studies 
presented  here  contain  the  crystalli- 
zation of  these  years  of  study  and 
meditation.  The  author  is  a  staunch 
Southern  Baptist  in  theology  and 
outlook. 

While  this  reviewer  feels  that  oc- 
casionally the  author  has  pushed  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  sound  exegesis, 
there  is  a  rich  fund  of  eternal  truth 
embodied  in  these  pages.  Much  of 
the  strength  of  this  volume  lies  in 
its  application  of  the  parable  to  the 
contemporary  scene.  —  David  ]  . 
Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 


"Between  God  and  Satan.  Helmut 
Thielicke.  Eerdmans,  1958.  84 
pages.    $2.00. 

".  .  .  The  secret  of  temptation  is 
the  temptability  of  man.  This  secret 
lies  in  man  himself,  not  outside  him, 
not  for  instance  in  his  opportunities 
for  sinning.  In  him  yawns  the 
abyss  ..."  But  this  is  not  so  with 
Christ.  In  the  wilderness  he  was 
tempted  as  we  are,  but  this  tempta- 
tion "was  not  a  sign  that  an  abyss 
yawned  within  him.  .  .  .  Because 
of  all  this,  he  [Christ]  is  the  Lord 
over  temptation,  the  royal  victor." 
This  quotation  gives  the  gist  of  Dr. 
Thielicke's  stimulating  little  volume 
about  Jesus  Christ's  wilderness  ex- 
perience. First  written  in  1938, 
while  Hitler  ruled  Germany  with  an 
iron  hand,  it  reflects  the  agony  of 
those  underground  Christian  leaders 
who  struggled  to  understand  God's 
"goodness"  in  the  midst  of  the  per- 
secution, confiscation,  imprisonment, 
and  danger  of  death  they  faced. 
Translated  into  English  first  in  1958, 
it  speaks  with  sharp  clarity  to  our 
need  to  recognize  that  we  dare  not 
equate  our  present  abundance  and 
prosperity  with  "rewards  for  right- 
eousness." Beyond  this,  he  points 
out  with  great  force  the  fact  that 
man  does  not  overcome  temptation 
of  his  own  accord.  It  is  overcome 
by  man's  faith  in  God  through 
Christ,  who  has  himself  been  the 
victor.  Not  all  readers  will  agree 
with  the  presented  viewpoint,  but 
any  serious  Bible  reader  interested 
in  the  temptation  of  Jesus  will  not 
want  to  miss  reading  this  book.  — 
Floyd    Bantz,    McPherson,    Kansas. 


MAY  7,  1960 


25 


Overseas  Report , . .    from  India 


Andrew  H.  Holderreed 


Elections  in  Kerala  State.  The 
intense  campaign  in  Kerala  ended 
at  midnight  on  Jan.  31,  as  312  can- 
didates battled  for  126  seats  in  the 
midterm  elections  ordered  following 
the  suspension  of  the  Communist 
ministry  in  the  face  of  massive  pro- 
tests and  resistance.  Before  the  elec- 
tion the  police  set  up  check  posts 
to  stop  the  infiltration  of  Communist 
workers  from  Madras  and  other 
areas. 

The  election  results  confirmed  the 
president's  action  of  dismissing  the 
earlier  ministry  and  ordering  new 
elections.  Congress  won  sixty-three 
seats,  the  Communists  twenty,  Mus- 
lim League  eleven,  and  the  remain- 
ing went  to  the  Revolutionary 
Socialists  and  Independents.  It  is 
obvious  that  the  Communists  lost 
heavily  in  seats,  although  in  some 
sections  they  gained  in  popular 
votes.  It  was  reported  that  the 
heavy  vote  of  nearly  four  million 
women,  who  marched  in  processions 
to  the  polling  places,  was  decisive 
in  the  defeat  of  the  Communists. 

A  sequel  to  the  election  is  the 
order  read  out  by  the  Roman 
Catholic  bishop  of  Trivandrum  ex- 
communicating all  Catholics  who  di- 
rectly or  indirectiy  helped  the 
Communists.  Church  benefits  will 
also  be  denied  those  who  aided  the 
Revolutionary  Socialist  Party.  The 
Communists  have  tried  to  demon- 
strate that  this  is  evidence  of  pres- 
sure and  interference  by  a  religious 
group  in  order  to  invalidate  the  en- 
tire election. 

Food  Production  and  the  Third 
Plan.  Food  production  under  the 
third  five-year  plan,  now  being 
formulated,  is  being  widely  dis- 
cussed. Although  the  original 
scheme  called  for  110  million  tons 
of  food  grains  and  an  outlay  of 
$2,290,000,000,  this  has  been  scaled 
down  to  a  target  of  105  million 
tons  and  about  $1,347,300,000. 

It  is  proposed  to  lay  out  in  the 
next  five  years  one  hundred  blocks 
in  seven  districts  for  intensive  cul- 
tivation in  an  effort  to  double  grain 
harvests.  Finances  for  the  block 
scheme  will  come  from  government 
and  the  Ford  Foundation.  The  U.S. 
government  is  impressed  by  the  plan 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


and  has  shown  some  willingness  to 
enlarge  the  plan  from  seven  to  twen- 
ty-five districts  and  to  provide  the 
additional   finances. 

The  third  plan  expects  to  see  a 
twenty  per  cent  increase  in  national 
income  as  against  eighteen  per  cent 
realized  in  the  first  plan.  The  cur- 
rent second  plan  may  create  six  and 
a  half  million  new  jobs  outside 
agriculture. 

A  million  acres  of  land  are  to  be 
reclaimed,  and  efforts  to  overcome 
water-logging  in  five  million  acres 
will  be  carried  out.  Soil  conserva- 
tion and  contour  ridges  will  be  ex- 
tended to  thirteen  million  acres,  and 
it  is  hoped  to  improve  dry  farming 
practices   on   forty   million   acres. 

While  all  these  may  be  only  plans, 
they  do  show  an  awakening  concern 
for  large  improvements  in  basic  ag- 
riculture and  a  more  adequate  food 
supply  for  the  millions. 

Division  of  Bombay  State.  The 
division  of  Bombay  State  is  of  more 
than  passing  interest  to  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  since  the  Dangs 
District,  where  we  have  had  mission 
and  church  work  for  many  years,  is 
now  to  be  transferred  to  Gujerat. 
We  do  not  know  the  full  implica- 
tions for  our  work,  which  has  been 
carried  out  in  the  Marathi  language 
all  these  years.  Considerable  local 
opposition  has  arisen,  but  it  is  to 
be  doubted  that  this  will  change  the 
award  made  at  a  high  level.  The 
object  at  stake  is  the  extensive  forest 
wealth  of  the  Dangs'  forest  reserve. 

The  new  states  of  Maharashta  and 
Gujerat  may  be  inaugurated  around 
the  first  of  May.  This  division  is 
the  solution  to  years  of  agitation  on 
the  part  of  the  Maharashtians  for 
a  state  of  their  own  which  includes 
Bombay  City.  Maharashta  is  to  pay 
to  the  new  state  of  Gujerat  over 
eighty  million  dollars.  An  addition- 
al twenty  million  dollars  is  to  be 
given  for  the  construction  of  a  new 
capital  on  a  site  already  selected. 

Taxes  and  Inflation.  Mr.  Moraji 
Desai,  union  finance  minister,  has 
announced  new  taxes  designed  to 
yield  an  additional  forty-seven  mil- 
lion dollars  in  1960-61.  The  tax  falls 
on  many  items  including  cars,  diesel 
oil,  electrical  goods,  telephones,  and 
imported  articles.  Owing  to  the 
Chinese  aggression  on  the  northern 


borders  and  the  need  for  increase 
defense  forces  in  the  area,  the  del 
fense  budget  will  be  increased  b], 
nearly  sixty  million  dollars.  This  ii- 
regrettable,  as  the  resources  ani 
needed  for  basic  developments. 

All  these  things  have  brought  ou 
a  concern  over  the  inflationary 
pressures.  Congress  members  oj 
Parliament  have  set  up  a  committet  s 
to  go  into  the  problem  of  rising 
prices  and  to  suggest  means  for  conv 
batting  profiteering. 

Russian  Visitors.  Recent  visitors, 
following  the  tremendous  receptior. 
of  President  Eisenhower  in  Decem- 
ber, have  been  the  Russian  presi- 
dent, Mr.  Voroshilov  and  Soviet 
Premier  Khrushchev.  The  Russian 
president,  in  contrast  to  the  Amer- 
ican, spent  sixteen  days  in  India 
Mr.  Khrushchev's  reception  was 
noticeably  less  cordial  than  on  his 
previous  visit.  Editorial  comments 
on  his  address  to  Parliament  sug- 
gested the  need  for  more  appropri- 
ate actions  to  back  up  the  many 
words  about  peace  and  easing  of 
tensions.  The  border  dispute  and 
the  aggression  by  China  constitute 
an  embarrassing  problem  to  the 
Soviets,  but  no  apparent  aid  was 
promised  toward  inducing  China  to 
be  more  tractable. 


2 


News  Briefs 

The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  So- 
ciety has  announced  a  campaign  to 
circulate  a  million  more  gospels  in 
Africa  in  1960  in  addition  to  its 
normal  program.  Half  a  million  will 
be  printed  in  the  United  Kingdom 
in  thirty-nine  African  languages. 
The  rest,  in  fifteen  other  languages, 
will  be  printed  in  Africa. 

Members  of  the  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran Church  last  year  contributed 
$6,527,160  for  the  national  budget 
of  their  church.  This  was  an  all-time 
high.  Although  the  total  was  nearly 
half  a  million  more  than  the  total 
raised  in  1958,  it  fell  short  of  the 
goal  set  by  the  church.  The  budget 
supports  the  church's  missionary,  ed- 
ucational, and  charitable  work  car- 
ried on  by  the  church  at  home  and 
abroad. 

Southern  Baptist  churches  bap- 
tized a  record  429,063  converts  last 
year.  Total  denominational  member- 
ship reached  9,485,276.  Thus,  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  con- 
tinues to  rank  second  only  to  the 
Methodist  Church  among  non-Ro- 
man Catholic  bodies.  During  the 
past  decade  Southern  Baptist  church 
membership  increased  thirty-four 
per  cent. 


Obituaries 


j  Adkins,  Arthur  William,  son  of  Lew- 
fris  P.   and  Amanda   Jane   Adkins,   was 

born  Jan.  2,  1884,  in  Butler  County, 
\  Kansas,  and  died  Feb.  24,  1960,  at 
^Mountain  Grove,  Mo.  He  was  married 
rto  Josephine  Killingsworth  on  Feb.  12, 
I' 1905.  He  was  elected  to  the  deacon's 
I  office  in  1909,  to  the  ministry  in  1913, 
Land  to  the  eldership  in  1919.  He 
rjserved  as  pastor  every  church  but  one 
hin  Southern  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and 
i  was  an  active  leader  in  the  district 
[program  for  many  years.  He  is  sur- 
bvived  by  his  wife,  four  sons,  three 
^daughters,  one  foster  daughter,  twenty- 
[isix  grandchildren,  and  six  great-grand- 
I  children.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
I  in  the  Mountain  Grove  church  by  Bro. 
fR.  M.  Gass,  assisted  by  the  under- 
I  signed.  Interment  was  in  the  Cabool 
|  cemetery.  —  Lee  Kendall,  Cabool,  Mo. 
Arey,  Frank  Paul,  son  of  Abram  H. 
Land  Elizabeth  Arey,  was  born  June  9, 
R 1886,  and  died  Feb.  23,  1960.  He  was 
I  united  in  marriage  to  Alice  Lee  Dean 
pArey  in  1911.  He  is  survived  by  his 
Hwife,  three  children,  four  grandchil- 
pdren,  two  brothers,  and  two  half  broth- 
i  ers.  The  funeral  service  was  conducted 
[by  Brethren  Robert  Sherfy  and  I.  C. 
E  Senger  at  the  Cooks  Creek  church.  — 
I  Mrs.  John  E.  Moore,  Bridgewater,  Va. 
Baird,  Laura  Belle  Myers,  daughter 
Sof  Enoch  and  Nancy  Carver  Myers, 
Swas  born  in  Illinois,  Nov.  17,  1875, 
Land  died  at  McConnellstown,  Pa.,  Dec. 
E20,  1959.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
I  Sugar  Run  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are 
I  two  daughters,  one  son,  five  grandchil- 
''dren,  and  ten  great-grandchildren.  The 
..  funeral  service  was  in  charge  of  the 
j  undersigned  and  Rev.  Franklin  Bird. 
\  Interment  was  at  Huntingdon,  Pa.  — 
l!  Albert  M.  Haught,  Mount  Union,  Pa. 

Barnhart,  Clarence,  son  of  Charles 
i  C.  and  Rebecca  Linganfelter  Barnhart, 
jdied  Feb.  19,  1960,  near  Greencastle, 
.  Pa.,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.    He 

was  a  member  of  the  Greencastle 
I  church,  Ind.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
I  four  daughters,  two  sons,  five  sisters, 
<  and  eighteen  grandchildren.  The  fu- 
i  neral  service  was  held  from  Minnich 
.  funeral  home,  with  the  writer  and  Bro. 
j  Wayne  A.  Nicarry  officiating.  Inter- 
;  ment  was  in  the  Cedar  Hill  cemetery.  — 
I  Samuel  D.  Lindsay,  Greencastle,  Pa. 

Bechtel,  Mary  F.,  was  born  Feb.  6, 
!  1876,  and  died  Jan.  12,  1960.  She  is 
;  survived  by  one  daughter  and  one 
I  brother.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
;  ducted  at  the  Indian  Creek  church, 
;  Pa.,  by  Bro.  Joseph  G.  Moyer.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  church  cemetery.  —  L. 

G.  Nyce,  Vernfield,  Pa. 

Bjorklund,  John,  was  born  Nov.  6, 
j  1871,  in  Sweden,  and  died  at  the  age 
i  of  eighty-eight  years.  He  was  married 
!  to  Emma  Fisher,  who  died  in  1928. 
I  He  was  later  married  to  Mrs.  Flora 
;  Nickey  Ross,  former  missionary  to  In- 
I  dia.    Surviving   are  his  wife,   one   son, 

one  daughter,  and  four  step-daughters. 

The   funeral    service   was   held    at   the 

Manchester  church,  Ind.,  with  the  un- 
i  dersigned    and    Bro.    R.    H.    Miller    in 

charge  of  the  service.    Interment  was 
j  at  Pleasant  Hill  cemetery.  —  Hubert  R. 
i  Newcomer,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 
Bolby,  Laverne,  was  born  in  Gridley, 

111.,  and  died  Jan.  23,  1960.    He  was 


married  to  Martha  Yordy  on  Oct.  12, 
1947.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
the  Panther  Creek  church,  111.  Surviv- 
ing are  his  wife,  two  sons,  and  one 
daughter.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Ralph  Thomas  at  the 
Panther  Creek  church.  Interment  was 
in  nearby  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Jessie 
Yordy,  Roanoke,  111. 

Bowman,  D.  Claude,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin Newton  and  Mary  Elizabeth 
Rodeffer  Bowman,  was  born  at  Cul- 
peper,  Va.,  on  Sept.  25,  1886,  and  died 
at  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  Feb.  22,  1960. 
He  was  married  to  Lottie  Thomas  on 
April  12,  1911.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Harrisonburg  church.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  six  children,  thirteen 
grandchildren,  two  great-grandchil- 
dren, and  three  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  from  the  Lindsey  fu- 
neral home  by  Robert  L.  Sherfy.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Woodbine  cemetery. 

—  Mrs.  John  E.  Moore,  Bridgewater, 
Va. 

Brown,  Hanna  M.,  daughter  of 
Llewelyn  and  Mary  Susan  Davis  Heim- 
bach,  was  born  July  12,  1897,  and  died 
Feb.  23,  1960.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Little  Swatara  church,  Pa.  Surviv- 
ing are  her  husband,  Willie  S.  Brown, 
one  daughter,  one  son,  three  brothers, 
and  two  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  at  the  Merkeys  church 
with  Bro.  Conway  Bennett  officiating. 
Interment  was  at  the  church  cemetery. 

—  Mrs.  Carl  Brightbill,  Myerstown,  Pa. 
Brumbaugh,    Lester    Leroy,    son    of 

John  H.  and  Myrtle  Hamilton  Brum- 
baugh, was  born  at  Scottdale,  Pa.,  June 
15,  1903,  and  died  at  Martinsburg, 
Pa.,  Feb.  25,  1960.  He  was  twice 
married,  first  to  Lorena  Smith,  who 
died  Jan.  18,  1940.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Martinsburg  Me- 
morial church.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Mary  Dively  Brumbaugh,  five 
sons,  nine  daughters,  his  father,  two 
brothers,  two  sisters,  and  twenty-three 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Roy  S.  Forney  at 
the  Miller  funeral  home.  Interment 
was  in  the  Spring  Hope  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  C.  O.  Beery,  Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Cady,  Roy,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Cady,  was  born  at  Larimore, 
N.  Dak.,  in  1909,  and  died  Nov.  29, 
1959.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Second 
Irricana  church,  Alberta,  Canada.  He 
is  survived  by  two  sisters  and  one 
brother.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Second  Irricana  church  by  Bro. 
R.  Truman  Northup.  Interment  was 
in  the  Irricana  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Bar- 
bara Wade,  Lyalta,  Alberta,  Canada. 

Carroll,  William  Angus,  was  born 
near  Bridgewater,  Va.,  Dec.  29, 
1871,  and  died  at  Lima,  Ohio,  Feb. 
22,  1960.  On  Feb.  8,  1894,  he  was 
married  to  Alice  Leedy,  who  died 
Nov.  13,  1940.  He  later  married  Wilda 
Swain.  He  was  a  member  and  deacon 
of  the  Lima  church.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  three  sons,  three  daughters, 
two  stepsons,  one  stepdaughter,  one 
sister,  thirteen  grandchildren,  thirty- 
five  great-grandchildren,  and  two 
great-great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  Pleasant  View 
church,  with  Brethren  Dean  Farringer 
and  David  Wampler  officiating.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Lewis  Grove  cemetery. 

—  Mrs.  O.  C.  Anspach,  Lafayette,  Ohio. 
Coffman,  Minnie,   daughter  of  Wil- 


For  junior 
and 

junior  high 
readers  .  .  . 


THE  STORY  OF 
THE    BRETHREN 

Virginia  S.  Fisher 

This  book  will  lead  Breth- 
ren children  to  an  increased 
understanding  of  and  ap- 
preciation for  not  only  the 
story  of  the  church  but  also 
its  outlook,  purposes,  and 
program.  $1.25 

Church  of  the 
Brethren  General 
Offices,   Elgin,    Illinois 


liam  and  Alice  Botteicher  Bilger,  was 
born  in  Black  Log  Valley,  Pa.,  July  17, 
1886,  and  died  May  8,  1959.  She  was 
married  to  John  C.  Stitt,  who  preceded 
her  in  death  in  1922.  Later  she  mar- 
ried Carl  C.  Coffman,  who  also  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  is  survived  by 
three  daughters,  one  son,  twenty-three 
grandchildren,  forty-six  great-grand- 
children, four  brothers,  and  two  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  at  the 
Mount  Union  cemetery.  —  Albert  M. 
Haught,  Mount  Union,  Pa. 

Cunningham,  Frank,  son  of  John  M. 
and  Lina  Westerfield  Cunningham,  was 
born  March  1,  1883,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six  years.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Emma  R.  Fouts.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Manchester  church,  Ind. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  two  sons,  and 
four  grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  by  Brethren  Hubert  R. 
Newcomer  and  Henry  Bates.  Inter- 
ment was  at  the  Oak  Lawn  cemetery. 
—  Hubert  R.  Newcomer,  North  Man- 
chester, Ind. 

Daughtery,  Daniel  A.,  was  born  Mav 
25,  1862,  and  died  Feb.  22,  1960.    He 


MAY  7,  1960 


27 


■ 


J.  B.  Phillips 


A  MAN  CALLED  JESUS 


Twenty-six  plays 


In  twenty-six  episodic  plays,  J.  B.  Phillips, 
best  known  for  his  widely  acclaimed  transla- 
tion of  the  New  Testament,  tells  the  story  of 
Jesus.  The  plays  start  with  the  first  public 
appearance  of  the  boy  Jesus  when  he  talked 
with  the  elders  in  the  Temple,  and  end  with 
the  crucifixion  scene.  The  text  is  direct  and 
simple  in  the  dignified  language  of  the  New 
Testament  translations  -  a  series  of  dramatic 
incidents  to  shed  new  light  upon  the  familiar 
story.  *  $2.50 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES  .  .  Elgin,  Illinois 


was  a  member  of  the  Tear  Coat  church, 
W.  Va.,  and  had  served  as  a  deacon. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  in 
the  Tear  Coat  church  by  the  under- 
signed, assisted  by  Bro.  W.  E.  Hamil- 
ton. Interment  was  in  the  cemetery 
near  the  church.  —  O.  F.  Bowman, 
Harrisonburg,  Va. 

Driver,  Peter  D.,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Lydia  Driver,  was  born  in  Lima,  Ohio, 
June  28,  1873,  and  died  March  3,  1960. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma 
Detrick  on  June  22,  1902.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Pleasant  View  church, 
Ohio.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  eight 
children,  four  sisters,  thirty-four  grand- 
children, and  forty-six  great-grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  conducted 
in  the  Pleasant  View  church  by  Bro. 
David  Wampler.  Interment  was  in  the 
cemetery  nearby.  —  Mrs.  Paul  Rusmisel, 
Columbus  Grove,  Ohio. 

Dubbs,  Herbert  Leroy,  son  of  How- 
ard and  Mary  Price  Dubbs,  was  born 
March  16,  1905,  in  Altoona,  Pa.,  and 
died  Dec.  28,  1959,  at  Mount  Union, 
Pa.  He  was  married  to  Lois  Marie 
Whitsel.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  one 
daughter,  one  son,  and  two  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Sugar 
Run  church  by  the  undersigned,  as- 
sisted by  Bro.  David  Emerson.  Inter- 
ment was  made  in  the  Germany  Valley 
cemetery.  —  Albert  M.  Haught,  Mt. 
Union,  Pa. 

Dukes,  Mary  S.,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Burdell  Miller  Snavely,  was  born 
in  Ohio,  June  22,  1893,  and  died  in 
Boulder,  Colo.,  Feb.  3,  1960.  In  1914 
she  was  married  to  Lloyd  E.  Dukes, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  Surviving 
are  two  children,  four  brothers,  one 
sister,  and  three  grandchildren.  The 
funeral    service    was    held    in    Ullrey's 


28 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


Memorial  chapel,  Yuba  City,  Calif.,  by 
Bro.  Wilbur  Liskey.  Interment  was  in 
the  Sierra  View  Memorial  park,  Marys- 
ville,  Calif.  —  Sara  Gaither,  Yuba  City, 
Calif. 

Endsley,  Julia,  daughter  of  Tilman 
and  Elizabeth  Priddy,  was  born  in 
Huntington  County,  Ind.,  Feb.  27, 
1890,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years,  at  Leesburg,  Ind.  She  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Noah  Endsley 
on  Feb.  15,  1911.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  New  Salem  church,  Ind.  Surviv- 
ing are  her  husband,  a  foster  son,  one 
sister,  one  brother,  and  five  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted from  the  New  Salem  church. 
—  Inez  Shively,  Leesburg,  Ind. 

Finnell,  Virgil,  was  born  Nov.  1, 
1889,  and  died  June  10,  1959.  He  was 
married  to  Alice  Pugh.  He  was  a  min- 
ister and  a  member  of  the  Manchester 
church,  Ind.  From  1907-1921  he 
worked  on  special  assignments  for  the 
Brotherhood.  He  was  active  in  temper- 
ance work  for  many  years.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  six  children,  and  twelve 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Manchester  church  by  the 
undersigned  and  Bro.  Edward  Kintner. 
Interment  was  at  the  Fairview  ceme- 
tery. —  Hubert  R.  Newcomer,  N.  Man- 
chester, Ind. 

Frey,  Lizzie  F.,  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Levi  Miller,  was  born  Dec.  1, 
1878,  and  died  Jan.  13,  1960.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  White  Oak  church, 
Pa.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  Daniel 
M.  Frey,  three  sons,  two  daughters, 
four  grandchildren,  one  great-grand- 
child, two  brothers,  and  one  sister.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Man- 
heim  church  by  the  home  ministers. 
Interment  was  in  the  Longenecker 
church  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Alvin  Diffen- 
derfer,  Manheim,  Pa. 


Church  News 


Southern  Missouri  and  Arkansas 
Mountain  Grove  —  The  play,  God' 
Supreme  Gift,  was  given  at  Christmcj 
time  by  the  Homebuilders'  class  unde 
the  direction  of  Zelda  Peterson.  At  thji 
New  Year's  watch  party  pictures  wer 
shown  of  the  children's  summer  cam] 
followed  by  prayer  and  songs  at  mid 
night.  Several  from  here  attended  th; 
workshop  in  Cabool  conducted  by  Bro 
S.  Loren  Bowman.  In  addition  to  on> 
workday  a  week  for  relief,  the  women' 
fellowship  has  added  one  day  a  montl 
to  do  work  in  the  home  of  some  shut 
in.  Rev.  Hylas  Thomkins,  Negro  Pres 
byterian  minister  of  Hartville,  coni 
ducted  our  services  on  Feb.  7.  Hi; 
wife  sang  several  spirituals.  Our  mis- 
sion study  was  held  during  January  anc. 
February.  The  theme  was  on  Africar 
culture  and  art.  The  quarterly  ship, 
ment  of  clothing  to  New  Windsor  wat 
about  five  hundred  pounds.  —  Mrs.  H, 
E.  Hurlbut,  Mountain  Grove,  Mo. 


- 


Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 

Lena  —  The  men's  fellowship  spon- 
sored the  men  and  missions  program: 
The  speaker  was  a  representative  from 
Dixon  state  hospital.  A  school  for 
Christian  growth  was  conducted  by 
local  ministers.  Bro.  Dean  Frantz  was; 
guest  speaker  at  our  harvest  festival 
meeting.  In  observing  the  season  of 
Advent,  our  pastor  gave  us  inspirational 
messages  leading  up  to  the  anniversary: 
of  Christ's  coming.  The  women's  fel- 
lowship has  been  making  comforters  for 
relief  as  well  as  baby  layettes.  There 
was  a  generous  response  to  blanket  day 
in  Illinois.  At  our  January  school  of 
missions  a  native  African  student 
spoke.  The  school  closed  with  the 
film,  The  Challenge  of  Africa.  Our 
pastor  is  at  present  conducting  a  class 
in  church  membership.  —  Mrs.  Garver 
Masters,  Lena,  111. 

Stanley  —  Worden  congregation 
merged  with  Stanley  at  the  Sunday 
morning  service  on  October  3.  Babies 
were  dedicated  and  one  member  taken 
in  by  letter.  A  harvest  day  and  a 
special  Thanksgiving  service  were  held. 
The  women's  fellowship  sent  two  boxes 
of  clothing  to  the  Indian  mission  at 
Lybrook,  New  Mexico.  They  also  sent 
two  comforters  that  they  made  to  New 
Windsor.  The  offering  from  the  Christ- 
mas program  was  given  to  S.O.S.  We 
are  organizing  a  choir.  —  Mrs.  Bertha 
Henderson,  Stanley,  Wis. 

Southern  Illinois 

Astoria  —  Our  church  has  secured  die 
services  of  Bro.  J.  Edwin  Rodabaugh 
to  lead  us  in  our  church  program. 
Brother  Rodabaugh  held  our  evangelis- 
tic meetings.  One  was  baptized.  Our 
communion  was  held  at  the  close  of 
the  meetings.  At  our  council  meeting 
leaders  of  the  commissions  were  ap- 
pointed. —  Lottie  S.  Johnson,  Astoria, 
111. 

Canton  —  The  women's  fellowship 
meets  the  first  Wednesday  each  month, 
with  a  potluck  birthday  dinner  at  noon. 
Quilting  and  knotting  comforters  are- 
the  work  of  the  morning  and  then  in 
the  afternoon  they  have  a  peace,  tem- 
perance, Bible  study,  missionary  or 
homebuilder's  program.    Charlotte  Ben- 


: 


laett  showed  slides  and  told  about  her 
■rip  to  the  Holy  Lands.  The  home- 
hbuilders  sponsored  a  potluck  supper  at 
Rvhich  the  Mount  Carmel  church  Negro 
Ifchoir  presented  the  program.  The 
men's  fellowship  erected  the  manger 
pcene  in  the  business  district  park  at 
HChristmas  time.  The  children's  depart- 
Bment  presented  the  Christmas  program. 
|One  Sunday  evening  the  evangelism 
Land  mission  commission  planned  an 
lall-church  potluck  supper  held  in  four- 
teen homes  with  three  or  four  families 
^meeting  at  each  place.  Each  host  and 
Bhostess  planned  devotions  and  enter- 
tainment. —  Mrs.  Harold  Dare,  Canton, 
111. 

Panther  Creek  —  Our  church  met  in 
ijcouncil  on  March  6.  The  date  for  the 
[love  feast  was  April  10.  Our  delegate 
(to  Annual  Conference  is  Bro.  Ralph 
jThomas.  Delegates  to  district  meeting 
'are  Brethren  Guy  Nofsinger  and  Floyd 
Gochenour.  We  joined  with  the  M.E. 
ijchurch  in  a  World  Day  of  Prayer  serv- 
ice. Our  women's  fellowship  is  making 
■comforters  for  relief.  A  group  from  our 
Schurch  went  caroling  to  a  nursing  home 
Jin  Roanoke.  A  weekly  Bible  study  is 
bheld  in  the  homes.  —  Mrs.  Jessie  Yordy, 
.Roanoke,  111. 

Peoria  —  Bro.  Howard  Keim  was  in- 
stalled  as   our  pastor.    He  held   evan- 
gelistic services   at  the   Markle  church 
jin   Indiana   and   also    attended   the   re- 
gional    conference.      Magda     Trocme, 
European  educator  and  world  traveler, 
spoke  at  two  meetings  at  our  church. 
Her  subject  was,  What  Can  Women  Do 
for    Peace?     We    had    a    Thanksgiving 
Day  service  and  a  Christmas  Eve  com- 
munion.    Our    school    of    missions    in 
January  concerned  Africa.    We  had  an 
attendance    crusade    from    New    Year's 
Day  to  Easter.    We  are  also  reading  a 
I  chapter  a  day  from  the  New  Testament. 
I  Our  church  collected  thirteen  blankets 
D  for  relief.   The  district  ministers'  retreat 
■  was  held  at  our  church.    Brother  Keim 
I  attended  a  pastors'  retreat  in  Indiana. 
I  Lois  Keim,  our  pastor's  daughter,  was 
t  selected  to   represent   McPherson   Col- 
|  lege  as  an  exchange  student  in  Germany 
Rfor  the  school  year,   1960-61.    We  are 
h  conducting  a  visitation  evangelism  pro- 
.  gram.  —  Mrs.  Cora  Snoke,  Peoria,  111. 

Pleasant  Grove  —  Six  churches  were 
represented  at  the  CBYF  rally  held  in 
our  church.  The  guest  speaker  was 
Bro.  Earl  Traughber.  Other  ministers 
present  were  R.  C.  Wenger,  Farrell 
Culler,  Roy  Fulk,  Walter  Westrom,  F. 
A.  Oliver,  and  S.  H.  Shoemaker.  We 
are  having  Bible  study  on  Thursday 
nights,  friendship  meetings  the  first 
Friday  night  of  each  month,  and 
preaching  on  Saturday  night  before  the 
second  and  fourth  Sundays  in  each 
month  with  one  of  the  deacons  in 
charge.  —  Mrs.  Lizzie  Coffel,  Scheller, 
111. 


Northern  Indiana 

Bremen  —  The  church  year  started 
with  evangelistic  services  conducted  by 
Bro.  Elden  Petry  of  Anderson.  Five 
were  received  by  baptism  and  one  by 
letter.  The  children's  department  and 
the  young  people  gave  Christmas  pro- 
grams. In  January  we  had  our  school 
of  missions,  studying  Africa.  Bro.  E. 
Paul  Weaver  showed  pictures  of  his 
recent  trip  to  Africa.  The  Manchester 
a  cappella   choir   gave   a  musical  pro- 


Cueftu  B^et/fien  Should  KnauA 

How  to  be 
"rich  toward 
God" 

Luke    12:15-21  Edward    K.    Ziegler 

Moderator,  Church  of  the  Brethren 

"While  serving  our  church  in  various  posts,  I  have  talked 
with  many  hundreds  of  Brethren  who  are  deeply  dedicated  to 
Christ's  program  through  the  church,  and  who  would  like  to 
help  carry  it  forward.  Also,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  great  open  doors  before  the  church  in  America  and 
overseas.  I  have  seen  new  churches  rise  and  grow  into 
responsible  and  mature  congregations.  I  have  seen  churches 
bloom  with  new  life  and  enthusiasm  as  a  new  pastor  stirs  them 
to  serve  and  to  witness. 

"At  the  same  time,  all  of  us  are  aware  of  two  terrific 
pressures :  the  pressure  of  the  world  around  us,  seeking  to  force 
us  into  the  mold  of  materialism  and  pagan  practices,  spending 
our  money  on  that  which  is  not  bread;  and  the  pressure  of 
world  events,  with  their  sinister  forces  of  cold  war  and  prepara- 
tion for  hot  war,  hatred  and  racial  strife  in  America  and  abroad. 

"When  we  Brethren  discern  the  claims  of  Christ  on  one 
hand  and  feel  the  pressures  of  paganism  and  doom  on  the 
other,  we  seek  for  those  things  which  really  endure. 

"If  day  by  day  we  use  our  lives  and  possessions  for  Christ 
and  the  church,  and  thoughtfully  plan  for  the  enlargement  of 
our  Christian  influence  through  the  right  use  of  accumulated 
possessions,  we  can  be  sure  we  are  on  the  right  side  of  God's 
balance. 

"The  1957  Annual  Conference  spoke  forthrightly  on  the 
stewardship  of  accumulated  possessions.  Why  not  acquaint 
yourself  with  the  various  means  of  expressing  your  Christian 
faith  through  providing  substance  for  the  far-reaching  work 
of  the  Kingdom?" 

(Clip  and  Mail) 


GENERAL  BROTHERHOOD  BOARD 
CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 

1451    Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois 
Harl  I.  Russell,  Director  of  Special  Gift* 

Dear  Brother  Russell; 

Please  provide  information,  without  ohligating  me  in 
any  way,  on  the  following  means  of  expressing  my.  faith 
and   my  interest  in  advancing  Brotherhood  work. 


□  A  Life  Income  Plan 

□  A  Real  Estate  Deed 
(reserving  life  use  and 
income) 

□  A  Bequest  in  a  Will 


□  A  Transfer  of  Stocks  or 
Bonds  (reserving 
for  life) 


□  A  Cift  Annuity 

(providing  substantia) 
income  benefits) 

□  An  Assignment  of  Life  Q  A  Living  Memorial 


Name 

Street,  RFD. 
City    


.Zone State. 


TENSIONS 

OUR  CHILDREN 
LIVE  WITH 

edited  by 
DOROTHY  T.   SPOERL 

There  are  many  home,  church 
and  public  school,  camp,  club,  and 
vacation  church  school  situations 
where  this  book  can  be  used  by 
the  discerning  adult  who  wants 
to  help  children  and  junior  high 
youth  with  their  social  relations 
and  ethical  problems.  It  is  easy 
to  capture  interest  with  these  53 
stories  of  boys  and  girls  facing 
situations  of  tension.  The  fact 
that  many  of  the  problem  situa- 
tions are  left  open-ended,  lends 
them  to  animated  discussion  and 
probable  role  play  or  acting  out 
endings.  All  the  stories  and  situ- 
ations are  alive  with  real  boys 
and  girls  and  will  hold  their  in- 
terest as  well  as  help  develop  a 
social  awareness  and  sense  of 
values  as  they  listen  to  or  act 
out  problems. 

Refreshing  and  stimulating. 
Brethren  will  particularly  be  in- 
terested in  the  treatment  of  war 
games  and  conscientious  objec- 
tion. $3.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  111. 


gram.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Jack  Kline, 
has  been  holding  church  membership 
classes.  At  the  end  of  January  he  be- 
gan a  thirteen-week  course  for  the 
young  people.  Our  pastor  is  also  giv- 
ing Bible  correspondence  courses  to 
those  away  from  home.  Eleven  from 
our  church  attended  the  Marshall 
County  school  of  religion  at  Plymouth, 
Ind.,  for  six  weeks.  Our  pre-Easter 
services  will  be  held  by  Bro.  Clyde  E. 
Weaver  of  Chicago;  they  will  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  love  feast.  —  Otis  Loucks, 
Bremen,  Ind. 

Little  Pine  —  We  have  moved  into 
our  new  church,  which  we  hope  to 
dedicate  soon.  We  baptized  six  con- 
verts on  Jan.  17.  The  women's  fellow- 
ship have  been  sewing  and  canning 
for  the  needy.  Several  of  our  Sunday 
school  classes  have  charge  of  Saturday 
night   meetings    at   the    Faith   mission. 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Our  church  is  sponsoring  a  family  from 
Holland.  They  are  now  staying  with 
Brother  and  Sister  Bechtel  until  they 
can  get  settled  in  their  own  home.  — 
Mrs.  Robert  Kline,  Bristol,  Ind. 

Turkey  Creek  —  Bro.  Lee  Cory 
preached  in  the  morning  and  afternoon 
at  our  annual  harvest  meeting.  A  new 
set  of  pulpit  furniture  presented  to  the 
church  recendy  was  dedicated  at  a 
special  service  one  Sunday  morning. 
Plans  are  underway  to  hold  another 
Bible  school  early  this  summer.  The 
women's  fellowship  meets  twice  each 
month  to  make  comforters  and  clothing 
for  relief,  as  well  as  bandages  for  our 
missions  in  Africa.  We  had  a  family 
night  meeting  and  fellowship  dinner  at 
the  church  at  Christmas  time.  —  Mrs. 
Leroy  Fisher,  Milford,  Ind. 

Walnut  —  Brother  and  Sister  Orville 
Sherman  were  guest  speakers  at  our 
annual  harvest  meeting  and  home- 
coming. The  women's  fellowship  had 
a  family  night  with  potluck  supper, 
Thanksgiving  program,  and  a  dedica- 
tion service  for  the  fall  harvest,  bring- 
ing food  to  share  with  those  less 
fortunate  than  we.  The  Christmas 
program  was  sponsored  by  the  Home- 
builder's  class.  A  member  of  the  Indi- 
ana Temperance  League  brought  the 
message  one  Sunday  morning.  Blankets 
were  sent  out  from  the  church  for 
relief.  Brother  and  Sister  Allen  Weldy 
showed  pictures  and  told  of  their  work 
when  they  were  in  Germany.  On  Jan. 
17  Miss  Doren  Sharma,  student  from 
Burma  now  enrolled  at  Manchester 
College,  told  of  the  Christian  move- 
ment in  her  country.  One  Sunday 
morning  the  Manchester  College  choir 
inspired  us  with  their  music  and  were 
our  guests  at  the  noon  meal.  Sister 
Anna  Warstler  met  with  the  women  of 
the  church  and  the  Mt.  Pleasant  women 
for  an  all-day  meeting.  An  Indian  din- 
ner was  served  at  noon.  —  Mrs.  Broda 
Starner,  Tippecanoe,  Ind. 

Yellow  Creek  —  Brother  and  Sister 
Kanode  and  their  children  presented  a 
program  of  pictures  and  talks  of  their 
work  with  Indiana  migrants.  The  chil- 
dren presented  a  Christmas  program; 
their  project  was  Braille  Bibles  for  the 
blind.  The  young  people  had  a  candle- 
lighting  program.  We  held  a  school  of 
missions  on  Africa  during  January. 
Modena  Studebaker  spoke  and  showed 
pictures  of  her  former  work  there.  The 
film,  Nigeria  Moves  Ahead,  was  shown 
one  evening.  We  gave  blankets,  com- 
forters, quilts,  bedspreads,  baby  blank- 
ets, yard  goods,  etc.,  during  Share 
Blankets  —  Save  Brothers  project  in  In- 
diana. We  met  one  evening  for  family 
fellowship  when  two  families  showed 
pictures  of  a  trip  to  California.  We 
presented  the  religious  drama,  The 
Challenge  of  the  Cross,  at  a  neighbor- 
ing Mennonite  church  in  exchange  for 
a  musical  program  they  brought  to  us. 
Prayer  meeting  and  Bible  study  are 
held  each  week.  Sister  Hazel  Weaver 
was  chosen  delegate  to  Annual  Confer- 
ence. The  CBYF  entertained  a  New 
Windsor  BVS  unit;  held  a  New  Year's 
Eve  party;  had  a  week-end  retreat  at 
Camp  Mack  with  Allen  Weldy  as  guest 
speaker;  and  worked  at  Nappanee  relief 
center.  Other  speakers  have  been  Jim 
Rose  and  Rachel  Weybright.  Dr.  J.  E. 
Hartzler  spoke  and  showed  colored 
slides  of  Russia  one  Sunday  evening.  — 
Mrs.  Elmer  L.  Weaver,  Goshen,  Ind. 


Southern  Indiana 

Arcadia  — At  our  annual  home-com 
ing  Bro.  T.  Wayne  Rieman  was  guesl 
speaker.  Several  of  our  men  took  pari 
in  the  service  on  Layman's  Sunday.  Mri 
Raymond  McBride  showed  pictures  anc 
told  of  his  experiences  while  he  and 
his  family  were  in  the  Phillipines  dur- 
ing the  past  year  in  connection  with 
the  teacher  exchange  program.  We  en- 
joyed the  Jubilee  chorus  of  Lapel,  Ind.. 
at  our  church  one  evening.  For  our 
Christmas  observance  carolors  visited 
nursing  homes  and  shut-ins,  the  young 
people  distributed  boxes  of  groceries 
for  the  needy  families  in  the  commu- 
nity, the  children's  department  had  a 
mitten  tree  again  this  year,  and  the! 
women's  fellowship  made  hospital 
gowns,  rolled  bandages  and  stuffed 
toys.  We  contributed  to  the  Share 
Blankets-Save  Lives  overseas  program.: 
A  deputation  team  from  Manchester 
College  shared  in  our  morning  worship 
service  and  also  were  guests  at  our  an- 
nual birthday  dinner.  Our  minister  has 
been  conducting  a  church  membership 
class  in  the  junior  department.  —  Mrs. 
Carolyn  Bolton,  Arcadia,  Ind. 

Windfall  -  Bro.  Ralph  Perry  held  our 
evangelistic  services.  During  the  Christ- 
mas season  different  classes  and  or- 
ganizations presented  Christmas  baskets 
to  local  families.  Several  of  the  young 
people  of  our  church  and  our  pastor, 
Bro.  Tom  Davis,  visited  the  Brethren 
Home  at  Mexico,  Ind.,  and  had  a 
Christmas  worship  service  with  them. 
Recently  the  interior  of  our  church  was 
repainted.  Our  women's  fellowship 
has  been  sewing  and  making  com- 
forters for  relief.  On  New  Year's  Eve 
we  had  Bible  study  and  prayer  at  the 
church.  On  Jan.  30,  we  had  our  family 
night  fellowship  supper.  A  deputation 
team  from  Manchester  College  pro- 
vided the  worship  service  on  Feb.  7. 
—  Mrs.  Beulah  Johnson,  Sharpsville, 
Ind. 

Michigan 

Flint  —  For  six  weeks  we  are  having 
meetings  for  study  and  prayer.  The 
Call  to  Discipleship  visit  to  the  con- 
gregation began  Feb.  21-28.  Our  pas- 
tor, Bro.  Phillip  Lauver,  gave  a  series 
of  sermons  on  the  Gospel  of  Matthew. 
Pre-Easter  services  were  held  four 
times  during  Holy  Week.  The  choir 
presented  the  Easter  cantata,  God's 
Only  Son,  on  Easter  evening.  The 
adult  fellowship  class  and  the  youth 
fellowship  are  co-operating  with  the 
cost  and  the  work  of  writing,  editing, 
and  mailing  The  Youth  Highlights,  of 
which  Miss  Barbara  Sheathelm  has 
been  editor.  It  will  be  combined  with 
the  Brethren  at  Work  paper.  Ash 
Wednesday  was  prayer  vigil  day.  This 
was  followed  with  a  congregational 
meeting  and  prayer.  Participants  spent 
a  half-hour  alone  in  the  prayer  room 
at  the  church.  The  youth  group  of 
Flint  sponsored  a  youth  sectional  at  the 
church.  —  Mrs.  Lydia  Ream,  Grand 
Blanc,  Mich. 

Marilla  —  Bro.  Galen  Barkdoll  held 
our  Bible  institute.  Our  young  people 
and  children  were  responsible  for  the 
Christmas  program.  During  the  CBYF 
study  about  Africa  the  film,  Nigeria 
Moves  Ahead,  was  shown.  One  of  the 
CBYF  girls  went  to  New  Windsor  to 
join  the  March  unit  of  volunteer  serv- 
ice. Some  of  our  men  attended  the 
county   churchmen's   banquet   in    Man- 


fee 


-:- 


istee.  The  women's  fellowship  made 
five  comforters  for  relief.  They  are 
sponsoring  a  mother-daughter  banquet 
early  this  spring.  Two  have  been  re- 
ceived by  letter  and  one  on  former 
baptism.  Bro.  M.  G.  Wilson  held  pre- 
Easter  services.  On  Thursday  evening 
of  Holy  Week  we  had  our  communion 
service.    We  also  had  a  sunrise  service. 

—  Mrs.  Roy  McRoberts,  Copemish, 
Mich. 

Pontiac  —  Brother  and  Sister  Earl  Cox 
have  moved  to  Star  Commonwealth  to 
head  a  cottage  of  twenty  delinquent 
boys.  Bro.  Ralph  Wagoner  held  a  two- 
week  revival  meeting  and  officiated  at 
our  communion.  Two  juniors  were  bap- 
tized. The  women's  fellowship  is  busy 
making  quilts  and  baby  blankets  for 
relief.  They  also  sew  cancer  pads 
and  gather  clothes  for  relief.  On  a 
work  day  at  the  church  the  partitions 
of  the  old  classrooms  along  with  the 
altar  were  removed  and  the  flooring  and 
ceiling  were  installed  in  the  new  addi- 
tion. The  Christian  worker's  program, 
which  is  held  every  other  Sunday  night 
with  Sister  Emma  Grubbs  in  charge, 
has  been  films  on  home  and  alcoholism. 
We  held  a  sectional  meeting  of  the 
five  churches  for  camp  leaders.  Patricia 
Shafer  attended  the  seminar  at  Lansing. 

—  Mrs.  Ray  E.  Fleming,  Pontiac,  Mich. 

Northeastern  Ohio 
Baltic  —  The  children's  department 
gave  the  Christmas  program.  The  con- 
gregation held  a  day  of  prayer  vigil  in 
behalf  of  the  Call  to  Witness  program. 
Our  women's  group  has  been  busy 
quilting  and  gathering  clothing  for  re- 
lief. Bro.  Wm.  Fair  Ros  resigned  after 
serving  as  janitor  for  over  twenty-five 
years.  Revival  services  were  conducted 
by  Bro.  L.  Byron  Miller.  Two  were 
received  by  baptism.  Layman's  Sunday 
was  observed  with  Harold  Snyder,  El- 
mer Ladrach  and  Oscar  Reidenbach 
bringing  messages.  —  Mrs.  Clark  Zein- 
er,  Baltic,  Ohio. 

East  Nimishillen  —  We  began  our 
church  year  with  a  new  organizational 
set  up  under  the  constitution  adopted 
last  spring.  The  Berean  class  took  a 
treat  and  held  a  service  at  the  Stark 
county  home  one  Sunday  afternoon. 
Our  evangelist  was  Bro.  Henry 
Krommes.  The  subdistrict  father-son 
banquet  had  Rev.  Richard  Appel,  exec- 
utive secretary  of  the  Greater  Canton 
Council  of  Churches,  as  the  speaker. 
Our  pastor,  Merlin  Shull,  held  evange- 
listic services  at  White  Cottage.  Bro. 
J.  D.  Zigler  was  the  speaker  at  one  of 
our  evening  services.  On  Layman's 
Sunday  the  men's  fellowship  was  in 
charge.  In  the  evening  the  CBYF  pre- 
sented the  movie,  Crossroads.  One 
Sunday  evening  the  Hartville  church 
worshiped  with  us.  The  Bucher  family 
presented  an  evening  program.  We 
had  a  special  evening  program  of 
Christmas  music.  On  Dec.  27,  Bro. 
Willard  Dulabaum  was  our  speaker  for 
the  morning  service,  and  in  the  evening 
the  story  of  Christmas  was  presented 
in  a  play.  A  service  of  consecration 
for  parents  and  young  children  was 
held  on  Dec.  20.  Africa  was  the  theme 
of  our  school  of  missions.  The  CBYF 
decided  to  sponsor  a  project  of  furnish- 
ing two  pigs  for  Haiti  as  suggested  by 
the  youth  council  of  the  Canton  Coun- 
cil of  Churches.  The  friendship  circle 
sponsored  the  coming  of  Brother  Chal- 
mer    Shull,    uncle    of    our    pastor    and 


TEACHING  MANUALS 


TEACHING  NURSERY  CHILDREN  Jessie  B.  Carbon 

An  excellent  book  for  nursery  school  workers  and  for  parents  with 
children  in  diis  age  group. 

TEACHING  KINDERGARTEN  CHILDREN  Lois  H.  Young 

Emphasizing  the  vital  responsibility  of  teachers   and  parents  in 
helping  children  in  religious  growth. 

TEACHING  PRIMARY  CHILDREN  Florence  B.  Lee 

How  to  make  the   best  use   of  the  Bible   and  other  curriculum 
resources  in  teaching  primary  children. 

TEACHING  JUNIORS  Faye  DeBeck  Flynt 

Provides  teaching  aid  and  help  on  objectives.    Describes  proper 
use  of  rooms  and  equipment. 

TEACHING  JUNIOR  HIGHS  Alice  E.  Cornell 

Excellent  aids   for  leaders  in  their   guidance   of  junior   highs   as 
they  develop  as  Christians. 

TEACHING  SENIOR  HIGHS  Paul  T.  Losh 

To  help  in  understanding  and  teaching  senior  highs.    Their  in- 
terests, problems  and  yearnings. 


TEACHING  OLDER  YOUTH 


F.  Fordham  and  V.  Alessi 


Consideration  of  eight  areas  of  need.    Helps  in  planning,  evaluat- 
ing and  teaching  sessions. 


TEACHING  ADULTS 


Alton  G.  Snyder 


Valuable  insights  into  group  relations  and  experiences,  suggestions 
on  effective  teaching  of  adults. 


YOU  CAN  TEACH 


James  P.  Berkeley 


A  book  that  can  prove  to  you  that  you  can  teach.    Encouragement 
and  instruction  for  the  inexperienced. 

Each  book  75c. 
CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


former  missionary  to  India  who  has 
completed  forty  years  on  the  mission 
field.  At  our  council  meeting  it  was 
decided  to  redecorate  the  sanctuary  and 
some  of  the  Sunday  school  rooms.  — 
Mrs.  Cora  Stermer,  Canton,  Ohio. 

Sugarcreek  —  A  group  of  Boy  Scouts 
and  their  leaders  were  guests  in  our 
church  one  Sunday  morning.  Lila  Jean 
Dewitt,  aged  seven  years,  played  the 
Hammond  organ,  sang,  and  quoted 
Bible  passages  at  the  worship  service 
one  Sunday  evening.  We  held  our 
union  World  Day  of  Prayer  service  at 
the  United  Church  of  Christ.  We  also 
joined  the  United  Church  of  Christ 
in  a  leadership  training  school.  The 
women's  fellowship  has  sent  a  com- 
forter and  a  blanket  for  relief.  —  Mrs. 
Peter  Domer,  Sugarcreek,  Ohio. 

Northwestern  Ohio 

Dupont  —  We  received  one  of  the 
organs  Claude  Foster  is  presenting  to 
churches.  Our  church  remodeling  pro- 
gram began  soon  after  the  first  of  the 
year,  and  our  classrooms  are  practical- 
ly completed.  The  work  is  donated  by 
the  men  of  the  church.  We  are  having 
special  Lenten  services  every  Sunday 
evening  during  Lent.  Dedication  serv- 
ices for  the  babies  will  be   at  Easter. 


Our  next  council  meeting  will  be  in 
March.  —  Bernice  Kohart,  Continental. 
Ohio. 

Fostoria  —  All  members  were  con- 
tacted before  completing  the  yearly 
budget.  We  had  a  loyalty  dinner  and 
an  all-church  family  Christmas  dinner. 
Our  women's  fellowship  sent  Christmas 
gift  boxes  to  four  youth  in  BVS  and 
two  in  college.  Our  church  entertained 
the  district  Brethren  Service  training 
conference.  Bro.  Harold  Row  was 
guest  speaker.  A  school  of  missions 
was  held  on  four  Sunday  evenings;  the 
adult  group  used  the  book,  Africa  Dis- 
turbed. New  choir  robes  were  dedi- 
cated on  Feb.  21.  A  district  workers' 
training  conference  and  workshop  was 
held  here.  —  Fannie  Frederick,  Fostoria, 
Ohio. 

Lima  —  Communion  was  held  for  our 
sick  and  shut-ins  by  Brother  Farringer. 
Brother  Farringer  and  several  members 
attended  Allen  County  Council  of 
Churches.  The  guest  speaker  for  the 
home-coming  service  was  Bro.  Edward 
Kintner,  the  first  pastor.  We  held 
Thanksgiving  services.  The  children 
gave  the  play,  Candles  and  Cradle,  at 


MAY  7,  1960 


31 


i 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  .  .  . 

Name    


R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


Christmas  time.  Brother  Farringer  held 
church  membership  classes.  Paul  Hu- 
ber  and  Tom  Werner  attended  the 
youth  seminar  at  Washington.  Brother 
and  Sister  A.  P.  Musselem  held  open 
house  in  honor  of  their  golden  wedding 
anniversary.  Mr.  Elmer  Joseph  showed 
pictures  and  told  the  story  of  the 
church  in  Russia  from  his  recent  trip 
to  that  country.  —  Mrs.  O.  C.  Anspach, 
Lafayette,  Ohio. 

Marion  —  Bro  Wendell  Tobias  of 
Akron  became  our  pastor  in  June.  Bro. 
David  Wampler  is  our  elder.  We  re- 
organized according  to  the  Brotherhood 
organization  and  polity  plan.  The  Call 
to  Discipleship  program  was  followed 
in  February.  We  have  co-operated  in 
Lenten  services  with  the  neighboring 
Forest  Lawn  Presbyterian  church.  Two 
large  sets  of  wooden  folding  doors 
have  been  installed.  Our  pastor  co- 
operates in  the  chaplaincy  program  at 
the  Marion  General  hospital.  At  present 
he  is  secretary  of  the  Marion  Ministerial 
association.  —  Mrs.  John  G.  Clark,  Edi- 
son, Ohio. 

Second  Virginia 
Bridgewater  —  The  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship was  emphasized  both  in  the 
Sunday  morning  worship  and  through 
special  preaching  services  on  Sunday 
night  during  Lent.  The  Sunday  night 
sermons  were  given  primarily  by  min- 
isters of  the  college  staff.  Bro.  S.  Loren 
Bowman  of  the  Brotherhood  Board 
brought  the  messages  during  the  week 
of  April  3.  Two  members  of  the  CBYF 
attended  the  youth  seminar  in  Wash- 
ington in  February  and  three  of  the 
women's  fellowship  were  present  for 
the  adult  seminar  in  March.  By  action  of 
the  church  council,  the  men's  fellow- 
ship has  assumed  the  sponsorship  of 
local  Boy  Scout  Troup  38,  with  Roger 
E.  Sappington  serving  as  scoutmaster. 
The  president  of  the  men's  fellowship, 
Bro.  Nelson  Gardner,  has  been  chosen 
as  the  Outstanding  Young  Farmer  of 
Virginia,  and  will  compete  in  California 
in  March  for  the  title  of  National  Out- 
standing Young  Farmer.  The  women's 
fellowship  has  adopted  as  their  personal 
Call  to  Discipleship  the  seven  points 
set  forth  by  C.  E.  Davis  in  this  year's 


32 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


fellowship  guide.  The  school  of  mis- 
sions was  held  in  January  with  the  Ira 
Petre  family  interpreting  Revolutionary 
Africa.  Our  congregation  is  fortunate 
in  having  in  its  fellowship  Brother  and 
Sister  Earl  Zigler  on  furlough  from  In- 
dia, and  Brother  and  Sister  Ira  Petre 
and  family  from  Africa.  They  have 
been  serving  in  both  the  local  congre- 
gation and  in  many  of  the  surrounding 
churches  in  our  district.  The  women's 
fellowship  has  organized  a  prayer  circle 
in  which  approximately  eighty  women 


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His  excellent  examples  which  fill  his  book  illustrate  the  thesis  stated 
in  the  preface:  that  the  prayers  heard  from  Protestant  pulpits  today  are 
too  often  vague,  dreamy,  unaware  of  the  hard  realities  facing  members 
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religion.  So  he  has  gathered  here  three  groups:  pastoral  prayers  suitable 
for  any  Sunday  morning  service;  prayers  for  special  occasions;  and 
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CAabcfr erf Cne<&lteln/iea>> 


MESSENGER 


MAY  14,  1960 


Courtesy  of  Manchester  College 

Back  to  College  .  .  .  and  then  back  to  teaching  .  .  . 

This  is  the  way  Mrs.  Herschel  Oswalt  is  preparing  for  more 
extensive  service  in  her  ministry  of  working  with  youth.  Read 
her  story,  as  told  by  Lois  Teach  Paul,  beginning  on  page  ten. 


Gospel  Messenger         READERS   WRITE   .   .   .   to   the   editor 

(Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 


MAY  14,  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  20 


In  This  Number  .  .   . 

Editorial  — 

The  Machinery  Gets  in  the  Way 5 

Arrival   in   Rome    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

"Costly  Grace." 

William  G.  Willoughby   3 

Encounter.    Robert  McFadden   6 

Strengthening  the  Pension  Plan. 

Harl  L.  Russell   9 

Back  to  Teaching  at  Fifty-five. 

Lois  Teach  Paul   10 

Stewardship:   Our  Response  to  God's 

Grace.    Warren  F.  Groff 14 

A  Ministry  of  Giving. 

Norman  J.  Baugher  16 

Capernaum:    His  Own  City. 

David  J.   Wieand    18 

Conference  Business    22 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings  17 

Church  News    27 


Dr.  Reuben  K.  Youngdahl,  pastor 
of  a  Lutheran  church  in  Minneapolis, 
recently  returned  from  a  visit  to  Si- 
beria: "The  Bapists  in  Russia  have 
a  fervor  in  their  faith.  Russian  Chris- 
tians seem  to  regard  it  as  the  church 
of  the  present,  and  see  the  historic 
Orthodox  faith  as  the  church  of  the 
past.  There  is  still  a  magnificent 
minority  of  Christians  holding  firm 
over  there.  They  are  making  sacri- 
fices which  we  do  not." 

2  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Concerns  About  the  Love  Feast 

Two  items  in  a  letter  in  the 
March  5  Messenger  written  by  C. 
Lowell  Edwards  cause  me  to  write. 
They  were  (1)  that  the  washing  of 
feet  prior  to  the  eating  of  the  meal 
seems  quite  unsanitary.  I  cannot 
conceive  the  idea  that  Jesus  would 
have  ever  asked  his  children  to  do 
something  in  his  worship  that  was 
unsanitary.  ...  I  am  of  the  belief 
if  it  was  sanitary  for  Jesus  in  the 
upper  room,  it  is  also  sanitary  in 
our  churches  of  today  in  this  mod- 
ern world,  in  which  we  are 
living.  .  .  . 

I  would  agree  with  the  (2)  con- 
cern mentioned  in  this  same  article 
with  reference  to  the  head  table, 
for  moderators,  pastors  or  deacons. 

The  scripture  teaches  that  around 
the  table  we  are  his  disciples,  we 
are  as  a  family  of  God,  and  we 
should  worship  in  a  spirit  of  equality 
and  love.  I  am  grateful  for  many 
changes  in  the  love  feast  over  the 
years  that  make  one  feel  he  has 
been  drawn  closer  to  the  Lord,  such 
as  special  worship  centers  in  the 
room,  a  candlelight  service,  flowers 
on  the  table,  soft  organ  music,  the 
placing  of  the  bread  and  the  cup 
on  the  table,  and  a  well-planned 
worship  for  the  entire  service. 

We  can  continue  to  make  this 
service  more  meaningful  from  time 
to  time  as  we  work  and  pray  about 
it.  It  has  been  a  great  joy  to  have 
people  come  at  the  close  of  the  serv- 
ice of  love  feast  and  ask  to  be  re- 
ceived as  members  because  of  the 
rich  and  close  presence  of  Christ 
during  the  service.  —  Eugene  H. 
Kahle,  410  Valley  St.,  Pulaski,  Va. 

Into  Other  Phases 

I  was  stirred  by  the  ideas  set 
forth  in  the  "Order  and  Procedure 
of  Love  Feast"  letter!  It  shows  that 
this  particular  church  is  a  thinking 
church  at  least  about  some  portions 
of  Bible  scripture.  This  is  one  of 
the  reasons  I  am  glad  that  I  am  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. We  are  given  the  privilege  to 
ask  why  we  practise  certain  scrip- 
tures and  not  only  why  but  how 
we  practice  them. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
whether  this  particular  church  car- 
ries its  democracy  and  Brethrenism 
into  other  phases  of  its  life.    How 


many  of  its  young  people  either  are 
now  or  have  recently  served  in 
BVS?  How  much  does  its  members 
contribute  to  relief  in  a  material 
way?  Since  this  is  a  city  church, 
what  is  the  church's  outreach  in 
other  sections  of  the  city? 

The  question  never  rose  in  my 
mind  about  where  the  feet-washing 
service  belongs  in  the  order  of  the 
service,  just  so  it  is  kept  there  with 
the  meaning  intended  for  it.  —  Mrs. 
Earl  Peters,  Route  4,  Manheim,  Pa. 

Letter  and  Spirit 

Concerning  our  love  feast  with 
the  feet  washing,  I  would  like  to 
say  that  our  early  Brethren  were 
careful  to  follow  the  letter  as  well 
as  the  spirit. 

I  well  remember  how  70  or  75 
years  ago  they  explained  John  13:2, 
"And  supper  being  ended,"  (King 
James  Version)  as  meaning  the  prep- 
aration of  the  meal  was  ended. 
After  the  feet  washing,  when  Jesus 
said,  "One  of  you  shall  betray  me," 
and  John  had  asked  Jesus  "Who  is 
it?"  Jesus  said,  "He  it  is  to  whom 
I  shall  give  a  morsel  when  I  have 
dipped  it."  By  that  our  early  breth- 
ren thought  they  were  at  the  table 
eating,  after  the  washing  of  feet. 
However,  I  agree  with  others  that 
it  may  not  make  any  difference 
which  we  do  first,  as  long  as  we 
do  it  in  the  right  spirit.  Jesus 
said  (verse  17)  "If  ye  know  these 
things  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them." 

The  memories  of  the  long  white 
tables  with  the  brethren  seated  at 
theirs  and  the  sisters  at  theirs  —  all 
performing  the  different  things  in 
which  we  call  our  love  feast  —  are 
very  sacred  to  me  and  I  trust  may 
be  to  our  children  and  others  who 
join  with  us.  —  Lizzie  L.  Horner, 
345  Thesta,  Fresno  1,  Calif. 

As  Good  or  Better  Than  Ever 

We  do  receive  great  benefit  from 
reading  the  many  fine,  worthwhile 
articles  appearing  in  the  Gospel 
Messenger.  I  especially  enjoy  Dr. 
Kermit  Eby's  writings.  Our  church 
is  very  fortunate  to  have  him  and 
others  like  him  help  guide  the  future 
course  of  our  denomination.  We 
have  always  subscribed  to  the  Mes- 
senger and  I  think  it  is  as  good  or 
better  than  ever.  I  certainly  would 
not  like  to  be  without  it.  —  Arthur 
Burkholder,  Bellwood,  Neb. 


"COSTLy  GRACE" 


Men  who  heard  the  call  to  discipleship: 
Dietrich  Bonhoeffer  and  Georges  Rouault 


William  G.  Willoughby 


T 


HE  shadow  of  death  covered  him.    There  was   little  hope  that   he 
would  be  released.    On  smuggled  paper,  in  a  German  concentration  camp, 
shortly  before  his  execution  by  the  special  order  of  Himmler,  he  wrote 
that  "the  long  days  of  our  sorrow  still  endure." 

Dietrich  Bonhoeffer  could  have  avoided  the  German  concentration 
camps.    But  he  did  not  want  "cheap  grace."    "Cheap  grace,"  he  said,  "is 
grace  without  discipleship,  grace  without  the  cross  .  .  ." 

On  the  other  side  of  the  battle  lines  of  World  War  II  lived  another  man 
who  did  not  believe  in  "cheap  grace."   For  this  "artist  among  artists," 
discipleship  to  Christ  was  expressed  in  a  life  dedicated  to  artistic  creativity. 

Georges  Bouault  devoted  his  remarkable  skill  in  painting  to 
honoring  the  Lord  of  all  beauty.    In  painful  isolation  and  artistic  loneliness 
he  wrought  his  masterpieces.    Though  the  critics  scoffed  and  the  masses 
jeered,  Rouault  did  not  want  "cheap  grace,  grace  without  the  cross." 

Dietrich  Bonhoeffer 

In  the  year  that  Hitler  came  to  power,  1933,  Bonhoeffer  had  the 
unusual  courage  to  make  a  radio  address  in  which  he  denounced  a 
political  system  that  defied  God  and  exalted  the  Fuehrer. 

In  the  same  year  Bonhoeffer  found  it  advisable  to  go  to  England,  where 
he  spent  two  years,  returning  to   Germany  in  1935.    In  his  homeland  he 
directed  an  "illegal"  Church  Training  College,  where  young  ministers 
gathered  from  all  over  Germany.    Under  the  inspiring  guidance  of 
Bonhoeffer  they  lived  and  studied  together  in  genuine  Christian  brotherhood. 
The  college  was  closed  by  the  Gestapo  in  1940. 

When  war  broke  out,  friends  of  the  young  theologian  wanted  him  to 
find  safety  in  a  country  other  than  Germany.    Bonhoeffer  told  his  friends 
that  he  would  have  no  right  to  share  in  the  spiritual  reconstruction 
of  Germany  following  the  war  if  he  did  not  share  in  the  suffering  of  his 
people  through  the  war.    So  he  remained  in  Germany. 

In  April  of  1943,  without  a  trial,  he  was  thrown  in  a  concentration 
camp,  and  almost  exactly  two  years  later,  a  few  days  before  the 
Allied  armies  arrived,  Bonhoeffer  was  executed  —  still  without  a  trial.    "When 
Christ  calls  a  man,"  said  Bonhoeffer,  "he  bids  him  come  and  die." 

The   biographer  of   Bonhoffer,   Leibholz,  tells  us  that  during  his  stay 


in  a  number  of  concentration 
camps  he  inspired  his  fellow 
prisoners  by  his  indomitable 
courage  and  unselfishness.  "He 
even  inspired  his  guards  with 
respect,  some  of  whom  became 
so  much  attached  to  him  that 
they  smuggled  out  of  prison  his 
papers  and  poems  written  there, 
and  apologized  to  him  for  hav- 
ing to  lock  his  door  after  the 
round  in  the  courtyard." 

In  his  book,  The  Cost  of 
Discipleship,  he  wrote  that  the 
aim  of  the  Christian  life  is 
"to  produce  those  good  works 
which  God  demands."  The 
Christian  does  not  serve  God 
simply  by  going  to  church  or  by 
saying  prayers  or  by  attending 
communion.  He  serves  God 
most  fully  in  the  concrete 
struggles  of  life,  in  taking  sides, 
in  making  hard  decisions. 

The  Christian  is  called  by 
God  to  be  like  Christ.  "He  is 
the  only  'pattern'  we  must  fol- 
low." Because  Christ  became 
like  us,  we  can  become  like 
Christ.  The  Christian  is  to  live 
"in  single-minded  discipleship" 
to  Christ. 

Bonhoeffer,  therefore,  could 
not  separate  himself  from  the 
struggle  for  Germany.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  forces  of  anti- 
Christ  had  focused  in  Hitler, 
and  that  for  the  good  of  Ger- 
many the  National  Socialist 
Party  should  be  replaced.  He 
participated,  consequently,  in 
the  underground  opposition  to 
the  Nazi  regime.  He  wrote  his 
book  Ethics  ( a  vigorous  protest 
against  the  evil  of  German 
society  and  government)  in 
the  concentration  camps,  even 
though  it  was  strictly  forbidden. 
He  contributed  to  the  escape  of 
Jews  from  Germany,  and  chal- 
lenged in  every  way  he  could 
the  evils  of  his  day. 

The  discipleship  that  gave 
rise  to  the  tragic  death  of  this 
man  of  God  is  nowhere  better 

4  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


described  than  by  Bonhoeffer 
himself:  The  grace  of  Christ  is 
costly,  he  contended,  "because 
it  costs  a  man  his  life.  ...  It  is 
costly  because  it  condemns  sin, 
and  grace  because  it  justifies 
the  sinner.  Above  all,  it  is 
costly  because  it  cost  God  the 
life  of  his  Son.  .  .  .  Grace  is 
costly  because  it  compels  a  man 
to  submit  to  the  yoke  of  Christ 
and  follow  him." 

The  discipleship  that  results 
from  "costly  grace"  leads  to  a 
cross,  as  indeed  it  did  for 
Dietrich  Bonhoeffer  in  April  of 
1945. 

Georges  Rouault 

This  strange,  mystic  painter 
was  born  in  the  cellar  of  a 
house  in  Paris  during  the  bom- 
bardment of  that  city  by  Prus- 
sian troops  in  1871. 

As  a  youth  Bouault  worked 
for  two  different  stained  glass 
makers,  and  in  his  paintings 
one  can  occasionally  see  the 
haunting  beauty  of  a  medieval 
window,  with  its  luminescent 
colors  framed  by  thick,  black 
lead. 

Rouault's  individualistic  style 
met  with  considerable  hostility 
(an  understatement!)  from  the 
public,  the  press,  and  the  gal- 
leries when  he  was  ready  to 
display  and  sell  his  paintings. 
Even  his  most  intimate  friends 
spoke  unkindly  of  his  work. 

In  the  early  years  of  the 
twentieth  century  the  painters 
in  Paris  tended  to  be  drunks, 
atheists,  and  rebels.  But  their 
rebellious  impressionism  ( or 
postimpressionism )  was  ad- 
mired by  many.  Rouault,  how- 
ever, rebelled  against  the  rebels, 
rebelled  against  the  evil  city, 
rebelled  against  conformity, 
and  found  himself  alone.  In 
faithful  discipleship  to  Christ 
he  followed  the  solitary  road  of 
artistic  greatness. 

Rouault  spent  many  years  de- 
veloping his  unique  style.  No 
other    approach    seemed    ade- 


quate to  express  what  he  want- 
ed to  say.  So  with  fantastic 
energy  he  disciplined  himself 
to  the  rigors  of  excellence.  He 
experimented,  he  tested,  he  de- 
stroyed, he  created.  He  had 
such  a  vision  of  perfection 
that  his  own  accomplishments 
seemed  anemic  to  him.  In  1949, 
before  the  horrified  eyes  of  wit- 
nesses, he  burned  315  of  his 
canvases  (that  today  would  be 
worth  a  fortune)  because  he 
did  not  feel  they  measured  up 
to  his  uncompromising  ideals. 

As  Jonathan  Edwards  por- 
trayed the  living,  dying,  and 
rising  Christ  through  the  spok- 
en word,  as  Christina  Rossetti 
depicted  the  life,  death,  and 
resurrection  of  Christ  through 
the  poetic  word,  and  as  Bach 
expressed  the  passion  of  Christ 
with  the  language  of  music,  so 
Rouault  used  the  medium  of 
canvas,  color,  and  form  to  speak 
in  the  voice  of  modern  art  of 
the  Christ  he  adored. 

No  reproduction  can  do  jus- 
tice to  an  original  Rouault.  In 
some  of  his  paintings  the  paint 
on  the  canvas  is  nearly  an  inch 
thick.  But  even  in  the  inade- 
quately reproduced  paintings  of 
the  market  place,  the  power  of 
Rouault's  art  and  message 
comes  through  —  especially  if 
one  is  willing  to  enter  imagina- 
tively into  the  compounded 
tragedy  and  hope  of  his  paint- 
ings. 

Rouault  would  work  on  a 
painting  many  times  before  re- 
leasing it  for  sale.  Time  and 
time  again  he  would  return  to 
a  painting  to  change  it,  to  add 
to  it,  to  improve  it.  One  of  the 
most  famous  paintings,  The  Old 
King,  was  one  that  he  worked 
on  for  many  years  —  from  1916 
to  1936. 

The  dominating  quality  in  the 
life  of  Rouault  was  unquestion- 
ably his  deep  devotion  to 
Christ.     His    faith,    of    course, 

Continued  on  page  21 


The  Machinery  Gets  in  the  Way 


EDITORIALS 


AUTOMATION  has  come  to  the  church. 
If  you  doubt  it,  consider  the  example  of 
some  folks  in  Massachusetts  who  have 
equipped  their  new  chapel  with  a  push-button 
worship  service.  Enter  and  pause  to  prav.  Be- 
fore you  is  a  lettered  keyboard  on  which, 
simply  by  pressing  a  button,  you  can  make  your 
choice  from  150  selected  prayers,  hymns,  ser- 
monettes  and  devotional  readings.  The  sound 
system,  which  has  been  installed  by  a  pro- 
fessional engineer,  is  at  your  disposal. 

Who  can  deny  that  the  quality  of  such  a 
prerecorded  service  will  probably  be  better 
than  the  "live"  program  in  which  there  are 
bound  to  be  errors?  But  we  confess  we  view 
this  development  with  grave  misgivings.  The 
production  may  be  professional,  and  surely  it 
can  be  tailor-made  for  individual  needs;  but  is 
this  not  just  another  example  of  the  pre- 
planned, predigested,  prefabricated,  do-it-your- 
self religion  that  appears  so  attractive  to  this 
generation? 

From  a  push-button  worship  service  it  is 
only  a  short  step  to  substituting  many  mechani- 
cal means  for  a  personal  experience  of  God. 
Nowadays  it  is  so  convenient  to  be  religious. 
If  you  are  rushed  at  the  time  of  your  morning 
devotions,  don't  worry;  you  can  simply  lift  the 
receiver  of  your  telephone  and  dial  a  prayer. 
Are  you  troubled  about  a  nagging  problem? 
There  is  a  gadget  that  will  get  you  the  right 
scripture  verse  for  your  special  need  in  only 
a  few  seconds.  Are  you  concerned  about  world 
conditions?  Then  for  a  few  dollars  you  can 
buy  a  chart  of  the  ages  showing  the  dispensa- 
I  tions  that  range  from  creation  to  the  end  of  the 
world.  If  you  need  a  theology,  there  are  some 
simple  catechisms  that  state  your  questions  as 
well  as  supply  the  neat  answers. 

The  tragedy  is  that  modern  man,  surrounded 


by  all  kinds  of  religious  machinery,  can  still  be 
hopelessly  lost.  Every  labor-saving  device  that 
is  offered  to  make  faith  more  easy  for  the  busy 
believer  only  seems  to  remove  him  one  step 
farther  away  from  the  source  of  eternal  life  he 
so  desperately  needs. 

Do  you  remember  reading  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment about  a  prophet  of  God  who  was  so 
clever  an  operator  he  could  prove  that  Jehovah 
was  superior  to  Baal?  Working  against  great 
odds,  he  set  up  the  terms  of  a  difficult  contest 
and  succeeded  in  producing  the  exact  results 
he  wanted.  We  doubt  if  Elijah  needed  any  pre- 
recorded sound  effects  or  push-button  controls 
for  his  demonstration  on  Mount  Carmel,  but  he 
was  certainlv  in  command  of  the  situation  from 
the  opening  curtain.  You  don't  need  Mendels- 
sohn's music,  though  it  helps  to  remind  you 
how  dramatically  he  made  his  case  for  the 
claims  of  his  God. 

But  Elijah,  like  so  many  good  showmen,  was 
the  victim  of  his  own  cleverness.  And  not 
until  in  his  fright  and  loneliness  he  fled  to  the 
holy  mountain  at  Horeb  did  he  discover  who 
he  was  and  what  kind  of  God  he  served.  How 
disillusioning  it  must  have  been  for  Elijah,  that 
successful  master  of  stage-effects,  to  push  the 
buttons  calling  for  a  great  strong  wind,  and 
after  the  wind  an  earthquake,  and  after  the 
earthquake  a  fire  —  only  to  realize  that  God 
was  in  none  of  them.  Then,  at  last,  when 
nothing  else  was  left,  when  the  buttons  were 
exhausted,  when  all  the  schemes  had  been 
blasted,  when  all  the  plans  had  been  dashed  — 
in  that  awful  loneliness  there  came  a  still  small 
voice.  Not  in  the  spectacle,  not  in  the  staging, 
not  in  the  rumbling  of  the  mountains  but  in 
the  humble  silence,  God  spoke  at  last  to  his 
servant  and  sent  him  on  his  way.  So  he  speaks 
today.  —  k.m. 


Arrival  in  Rome 

A    NUMBER    of    churches    in    Rome    are 
planning    to    celebrate    this    year    the 
1900th  anniversary  of  the  arrival  of  Paul 
'^in  that  imperial  city.    Many  Bible  scholars  be- 
lieve that  it  was  in  the  year  60  A.D.  that  Paul 
;  was  shipwrecked  off  the  coast  of  Malta  and 
soon  thereafter  went  on  to  Rome.   He  was  still 
la  prisoner  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  books  of  Acts,  he  remained  in 
Rome  for  at  least  two  years  under  a  kind  of 
house  arrest  that  permitted  him  still  to  preach 
and  teach  the  kingdom  of  God. 

I 


Anniversaries  serve  a  constructive  purpose 
if  they  can  somehow  revive  in  present-day 
Christians  the  kind  of  response  to  the  prompting 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  motivated  first-century 
Christians.  There  are  imperial  cities  today  that 
will  not  likely  be  moved  to  consider  the  claims 
of  the  Christian  gospel  unless  some  modern-day 
Paul,  perhaps  also  bound  in  chains,  comes  to 
their  borders  to  make  his  appeal  before  Caesar. 


—  K.M. 


MAY  14.  I960 


Encounter 


iiiiH 


counter  with  Christ  on  the 
mascus  Road  was  of  tremendous 


la 


o  the  development  of 


MMMzMJ: 


Robert  McFadden 


6    GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


AUL's  conversion  on  the  Damascus  Road  is  described  three  times 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  Paul  himself  writes  of  it  in  his  letter  to 
the  Galatians.  More  than  any  other  event,  it  made  possible  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles  as  well  as  to  the  Jews,  to  the  Greeks  as 
well  as  to  the  Hebrews.    As  direct  consequences,  more  than  half  the 


literature  of  the  New  Testament 
came  into  existence,  churches 
were  set  up  in  Asia  Minor  and 
Greece,  and  the  Christian  faith 
gained  some  of  its  most  signifi- 
cant theological  writings.  In 
the  early  Christian  tradition,  it 
is  for  evangelism  the  most  im- 
portant religious  encounter  that 
is  described  to  us. 

Luke,  the  author  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  describes  the 
encounter  in  Acts  9;  Paul  is 
quoted  concerning  the  event  as 
he  speaks  to  the  mob  in  Jeru- 
salem in  chapter  22;  and  in 
chapter  26  Luke  again  quotes 
Paul  and  the  words  which  he 
addressed  to  King  Agrippa  in 
the  defense  that  he  made  at 
Caesarea.  As  is  true  many 
places  in  the  Bible  where  we 
have  several  records  of  an 
event,  there  may  be  minor  dis- 
crepancies. In  Acts  9,  those  with 
Paul  heard  the  voice;  in  Acts  22, 
they  saw  the  light  but  did  not 
hear  the  voice.  But  the  dis- 
crepancies need  not  bother  us; 
in  fact,  from  a  historian's  point 
of  view,  they  add  to  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  records! 

We  have  told  our  children  of 
this  encounter  on  the  Damascus 
Road;  we  have  proclaimed  it  in 
nearly  every  country  of  the 
world  as  the  work  of  God.  This 
encounter  between  Christ  and 
Paul  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant events  in  the  history  of 
the  Christian  church.  But  this 
was  not  the  reaction  of  King 
Agrippa  or  of  Festus,  the 
Roman  procurator  of  Judea  who 
was  also  present.  Festus  replied 
"in  a  loud  voice"  to  Paul,  "Paul, 
you  are  mad;  your  great  learn- 
ing is  turning  you  mad!"  In 
more  tactful  terms  today,  he 
meant,  Paul,  you  are  mentally 
ill!  Your  ideas  about  voices  and 
lights  and  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead  are  crazy  and  idiotic! 

Many  who  have  worked  in 
mental  hospitals  have  met  per- 
sons who  were  sick.  The  fellow 


who  is  sure  that  God  had  audi- 
bly spoken  to  him,  that  the 
clouds  determined  world  histo- 
ry, that  the  leaves  on  the  trees 
were  the  ears  of  God,  is  such  an 
example.  Can  we  clearly  dis- 
tinguish between  the  encounter 
of  Paul  and  the  encounter  of 
the  mental  patient?  There  are 
tremendous  differences  —  in  cir- 
cumstances, in  content,  and  in 
consequences.  We  might  well 
consider  some  other  encounters 
between  God  and  man  before 
we  look  at  Paul's  experience 
more  closely. 

At  the  burning  bush,  God 
spoke  to  Moses  and  Moses 
heard  his  voice.  The  encounter 


w. 


HEREFORE,  O 
King  Agrippa,  I  was  not 
disobedient  to  the  heavenly 
vision. 

—  St.  Paul 


is  authenticated  in  the  facts: 
Moses  helped  to  forge  the  cove- 
nant between  God  and  the 
Hebrews,  it  was  to  Moses  that 
God  first  revealed  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments, Moses  led  the  He- 
brews out  of  Egypt  under  God's 
guidance,  and  it  was  Moses  that 
laid  the  foundations  for  the  Is- 
raelite nation.  Do  not  these  re- 
minders point  to  content  and 
consequences  of  crucial  signifi- 
cance? 

Consider  also  the  words  of 
Stephen,  quoted  by  Luke  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  "Pharaoh's 
daughter  adopted  him  and 
brought  him  up  as  her  own  son. 
And  Moses  was  instructed  in  all 
the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians, 
and  he  was  mighty  in  his  words 
and  deeds."  For  forty  years 
Moses  had  been  trained  in  the 
courts  of  the  Pharaoh,  and  for 


another  forty  years  he  had  lived 
with  the  Midianites  in  the  Sinai 
peninsula,  learning  the  ways  of 
the  wilderness  and  reflecting  on 
the  ways  of  God  as  he  was 
nurtured  in  the  fear  of  God 
and  the  wisdom  of  men.  The 
circumstances  enabled  Moses  to 
receive  and  to  understand  what 
it  was  that  God  had  to  sav  at 
the  burning  bush. 

John  Wesley  encountered 
God  in  England.  Having  grown 
up  in  a  parsonage,  he  later 
was  educated  at  Charterhouse 
School  in  London  and  Christ 
Church  at  Oxford.  He  studied 
intensively  in  the  Greek  New 
Testament,  was  ordained  in  the 
Church  of  England,  and  was 
impressed  by  the  teaching  and 
life  of  the  Moravians.  At  Al- 
dersgate  in  1738,  while  listen- 
ing to  the  commentary  on 
Romans  written  by  Martin 
Luther,  he  was  overwhelmed 
by  the  knowledge  of  the  salva- 
tion of  God. 

Consequently,  his  mission  led 
him  to  preach  to  the  oppressed 
peoples  in  the  rising  industrial 
complex.  His  message  was  two- 
fold: transformation  of  the  in- 
dividual through  faith  in  Christ, 
and  alleviation  of  the  social 
conditions  which  warp  or  de- 
stroy human  personality.  The 
authentic  stamp  of  God's  ap- 
proval can  be  seen  in  the  Christ- 
like character  of  his  message 
and  mission. 

Coming  from  circumstances 
that  do  not  lend  themselves 
nearly  as  well  to  understanding 
God's  revelation,  Joseph  Smith 
also  struggled  to  know  God's 
truth  for  him  and  his  day.  Out 
of  a  semi-illiterate,  poverty- 
stricken  frontier  family,  he  grew 
impatient  with  the  denomina- 
tional differences  and  numerous 
revivals  and  through  visions 
concluded  that  God  had  chosen 
him  to  establish  again  the  true 

MAY   14,   I960  7 


church.  His  guide  was  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  which  he 
claimed  to  have  miraculously 
discovered  and  translated.  Al- 
though much  good  has  resulted 
from  the  work  of  Joseph  Smith, 
the  universality  of  his  under- 
standing of  the  gospel  was 
limited  by  his  own  handicaps. 
Similarly,  Charles  Taze  Rus- 
sell struggled  to  know  God,  but 
because  of  personal  character 
shortcomings  and  lack  of  under- 
standing, his  message  contains 
only  a  partial  truth  of  the  story 
of  salvation  of  the  gospel.  Im- 
pressed by  the  terrible  horror 
of  hell  pictured  to  him  at  re- 
vivals during  the  last  century, 
he  went  to  the  Bible  to  discover 
for  himself  what  it  contained. 
He  concluded  that  it  did  not 
teach  any  doctrine  of  hell  and 
that  Christ  had  come  in  invisi- 
ble form  in  1874,  at  which  time 
the  millennium  had  begun. 

Although  the  movement 
which  he  started  has  brought 
meaning  to  the  lives  of  thou- 
sands, its  "gospel"  lacks  the 
depth  and  riches  of  the  Good 
News.  God  is  ready  and  eager 
to  reveal  to  any  person  the 
totality  of  the  Good  News,  but 
he  can  reveal  no  more  of  him- 
self than  the  receiver  is  able 
to  grasp. 

Knowing  that  circumstances, 
the  content,  and  the  conse- 
quences of  any  encounter  are  of 
the  utmost  importance,  let  us 
look  more  closely  at  the  experi- 
ence of  Paul.  Reared  in  the 
city  of  Tarsus,  he  undoubtedly 
received  his  early  training  in 
the  synagogue  there,  and  there 
is  the  possibility  that  he  was 
educated  also  at  the  university 
in  Tarsus.  Later  he  went  to 
Jerusalem  to  study  in  the  school 
of  rabbis  where  his  chief  teach- 
er was  Gamaliel.  For  many 
years  he  taught  and  lived  as  a 
Pharisee.  As  shown  by  his  later 
arguments  for  the  Messiahship 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


of  Jesus,  he  understood  the  Old 
Testament  Scriptures  very  well, 
both  in  knowledge  and  in  wis- 
dom. 

Paul's  personality  was  char- 
acterized by  an  intensity  of  pur- 
pose that  molded  his  life  both 
before  his  conversion  and  after- 
wards. He  writes  in  Galatians, 
"I  advanced  in  Judaism  beyond 
many  of  my  own  age  among  my 
people,  so  extremely  zealous 
was  I  for  the  traditions  of  my 
fathers."  Here  was  earnestness 
and  desire  to  live  according  to 
the  highest  that  he  knew. 
His  violent  persecution  of  the 
church  became  his  tremendous 
zeal  for  the  church  of  Christ. 

In  the  account  in  Acts  26  of 
his  conversion,  Paul  heard  the 
words,  "Why  do  you  persecute 
me?  It  hurts  you  to  kick  against 
the  goads."  The  words  seem  to 
indicate  figuratively  that  Paul 
was  resisting  a  pressing  demand 
of  his  conscience,  a  demand 
that  was  growing  as  Paul 
had  seen  Christ  in  the  lives 
of  the  disciples  that  he  perse- 
cuted.   By  his  own  testimony, 


Paul  had  been  responsible  for 
putting  many  of  the  followers 
of  Christ  in  prison  and  voting 
for  their  deaths.  His  memory 
of  Stephen's  testimony  at  his 
death  must  have  been  a  particu- 
larly sharp  goad.  When  Paul 
finally  asked,  "Who  are  you, 
Lord?"  the  Lord  answered,  "I 
am  Jesus  whom  you  are  perse- 
cuting." 

The  goads  of  God  did  not  go 
unheeded.  Paul's  extreme  zeal- 
ousness  for  the  traditions  of  the 
fathers  had  been  fighting  the 
call  of  Christ.  The  same  tradi- 
tion which  Paul  so  devotedly 
tried  to  defend  had  prepared 
him  for  an  understanding  of  the 
Messiah.  He  saw  in  the  lives  of 
those  he  persecuted  the  very 
Christ  for  whom  he  looked.  In 
defending  the  traditions  of 
his  fathers,  he  found  himself 
persecuting  that  which  the  tra- 
ditions proclaimed!  It  is  an 
awesome  and  fearful  and  glori- 
ous thing  when  God  is  at  work 
in  the  lif e  of  an  individual.  Paul 
was  prepared  to  receive  a  full 
understanding  of  God's  ways, 


Michelangelo's 
sculpture  has 
caught  the  heroic 
character  of 
Moses  whose 
encounter  with 
God  led  to 
significant 
consequences: 
the  covenant 
between  God  and 
the  Hebrews,  the 
Ten  Command- 
ments, the 
exodus  from 
Egypt,  and  the 
founding  of  the 
Israelite  nation 


Three  Lions 


and  in  and  through  Jesus  Christ, 
God  revealed  himself  to  Paul. 

After  first  spending  some 
time  in  Arabia  following  his 
new  birth,  Paul  went  to  Jeru- 
salem, where  he  talked  with 
Peter  and  James.  Fourteen 
years  later  he  again  went  to 
Jerusalem  with  Barnabas  and 
Titus;  this  time  he  presented  to 
the  disciples  and  apostles  that 
which  he  had  been  preaching 
to  the  Gentiles  in  order  to  find 
out,  as  he  says,  if  "I  should  be 
running  in  vain  or  had  run  in 
vain." 

Paul  checked  his  "content" 
with  the  other  apostles;  they 
perceived  the  grace  that  was  in 
Paul  and  extended  to  him  the 
right  hand  of  fellowship.  And 
so  Paul  returned  to  Antioch, 
and  from  there  was  sent  out 
with  Barnabas  on  his  first  mis- 
sionary journey  in  Asia  Minor. 
The  story  of  his  work  there  is 
one  of  the  most  thrilling  chap- 
ters in  the  New  Testament.  The 
consequences  of  the  encounter 
on  the  Damascus  Road  were 
fruits  of  the  highest  caliber.  In 
Paul  you  can  see  the  light  and 
the  truth  of  Christ  shining 
through. 

We  give  witness  to  our  en- 
counters with  God  also.  The 
circumstances  of  our  own  lives 
help  to  determine  the  greatness 
of  our  testimony.  We  meet  to- 
gether in  Christian  love  with 
other  disciples  to  understand 
better  through  study  the  Good 
News  to  which  we  witness.  The 
consequences  of  our  work  are 
ultimately  in  the  hands  of  God. 
We  know  that  he  has  work  for 
each  one  of  us  to  do  and  we 
know  that  it  is  only  by  the  grace 
that  comes  through  Christ  that 
salvation  is  made  possible. 


Contributors  to  this  issue  include 
William  G.  Willoughby,  professor  of 
philosophy  and  religion  at  Bridgewater 
College;  Robert  McFadden,  graduate 
student  at  Boston  University;  Lois  Teach 
Paul,  homemaker  living  in  Dayton, 
Ohio;  and  Warren  F.  Croft,  associate 
professor  of  Christian  theology  at 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary. 


.■.    ■     "■   ■         ..         .   . 


Pension  Plan  Administrative  Committee,  from  the  left:   Dale  W.  Detwiler,  R. 
Vernon  Kinzie,  Harold  D.  Fasnacht,  W.  Donald  Clague,  F.  Willard  Powers 


Strengthening  the  Pension  Plan 


Harl  L.  Russell 

►  The  Church  of  the  Brethren 
has  endeavored  to  act  responsibly 
in  relation  to  retirement  pensions 
for  ministers  and  missionaries 
since  instituting  the  Pension  Plan 
in  1943. 

As  of  this  writing  total  assets  of 
the  Plan  are  $2,595,325  and  mem- 
bership totals  792,  exclusive  of 
those  in  retirement.  Participants 
with  members  in  building  up  re- 
tirement and  widow  annuities  are 
663  congregations  and  35  other 
organizations,  including  the  Gen- 
eral Brotherhood  Board.  Adminis- 
trative costs  of  pension  services 
have  been  kept  extremely  low 
with  last  year's  cost  being  only 
4.14%  of  total  receipts. 

Through  the  years  occasional 
revisions  have  been  made  in  the 
Pension  Plan.  The  adverse  effect 
of  inflation  on  the  dollar's  pur- 
chasing power  was  the  primary 
reason  for  the  2%  increase  in  em- 
ployer contributions  Annual  Con- 
ference approved  in  1951.  From 
the  beginning  members  of  the 
Plan  have  contributed  4%  of  the 
salary  base  but  the  employer  con- 
tribution rate  has  been  6%  since 
September  1,  1951. 

Because  questions  and  sugges- 
tions on  possible  changes  in  the 
Plan  have  been  directed  to  the 
Pension  Board  frequently  and  in 
order  to  evaluate  the  adequacy  of 
our  pension  program  the  Board 
asked  a  committee  to  make  a  com- 
prehensive   study    of    it.     Major 


areas  of  this  study  included  ( 1 ) 
How  do  our  Pension  Plan  contri- 
bution rates  and  member  benefits 
compare  with  plans  of  other 
church  bodies?  (2)  Do  the  dollars 
received  from  members  and  em- 
ployers procure  the  maximum  that 
is  possible  in  benefits?  (3)  How 
can  the  services  of  the  plan  be 
strengthened? 

In  comparing  our  plan  with 
eighteen  other  denominational 
plans  and  the  National  Council 
of  Churches'  it  was  found  that  in 
almost  all  of  them  the  combined 
contributions  (members'  and  em- 
ployers') are  at  a  higher  level 
than  in  ours.  It  was  also  learned 
that  in  twelve  plans  the  rate  of 
member  contributions  is  less  than 
our  4%.  In  two  of  these  the  mem- 
ber can  elect  not  to  contribute 
whereas  in  one  plan  no  contribu- 
tions are  expected  of  any  member. 
Only  two  of  the  nineteen  plans  re- 
quire a  member  rate  of  participa- 
tion that  is  above  our  4%.  Five 
require  the  same  rate  of  members 
as  we  ask  of  our  ministers  and 
missionaries. 

The  study  further  revealed  that 
seventeen  of  the  nineteen  plans 
set  the  level  of  employer  partici- 
pation at  8%,  with  seven  being 
above  that  level.  We  learned  also 
that  some  of  these  plans  offer  cer- 
tain additional  benefits  our  Pen- 
sion Plan  presently  is  unable  to 
provide. 

With  this  data  at  hand  and  the 

Continued   on   page   13 
MAY   14,    1960  9 


Back 

to  Teachiii 

at  55 


Lois  Teach  Paul 


Joe  Fahnestock 


Courtesy  Manchester  College 


I  am  fifty-five  years  old,  my  husband 
has  died;  I  have  my  mother  in  my 
home;  my  sons  are  married  and 
launched  on  careers  of  their  own. 
Where  do  I  go  from  here.   What  do 
I  do  with  the  rest  of  my  life? 


T 


HEORA  KELTNER  OSWALT 
sat  in  her  farm  home  near  Union  City, 
Indiana,  and  tried  to  think  through 
her  future.  She  and  Herschel  had  al- 
ways made  decisions  together.  Even 
getting  married  thirty-three  years  be- 


James  Taylor,  Don  Bright,  Mrs.  Oswalt,  and 
Mrs.  Cecil  Rust  (from  left)  sample  one  of  the 
lunches  in  the  several  hundred  sacks  soon 
to    be    handed    out    to    the    junior    highs 


Mrs.  Oswalt  (center)  chats  with  Alice  Long 
(left)  and  Kay  Flory,  two  Manchester  stu- 
dents whom  she  had  taught  as  junior  highs 


Courtesy  Manchester  College 

Professor   Dwayne   Wrightsman    (right)    explains   to    Mrs.    Theora   Oswalt 
something     from     her     textbook     in     a     class     at     Manchester     College 


fore  had  come  naturally,  for 
they  had  grown  up  together  in 
the  Pleasant  Valley  church.  But 
now  she  was  alone.  She  had 
always  enjoyed  working  with 
youth.  She  had  once  been  a 
teacher.  Could  she  do  it  again? 

As  Theora  sat  making  her 
personal  inventory,  one  ques- 
tion grew  in  her  mind.  Where 
can  I  best  serve?  What  does 
God  want  of  me?  Everywhere 
she  went  her  friends  and  rela- 
tives were  helpful  and  would 
invariably  say,  "Why  don't  you 
go  back  to  teaching?  You  have 
such  a  way  with  young  people." 

It  seemed  an  answer  to  her 
prayer.  But  how  could  she?  It 
had  been  thirty-three  years 
since  she  had  been  in  school 
and  she  would  have  to  have  at 
least  one  more  year  of  college 
even  if  her  original  credits  were 
still  good. 

When  Theora  completed  the 
eighth  grade,  high  schools  were 


not  consolidated  in  her  part  of 
rural  Ohio.  But  she  wanted  to 
go;  so  she  accepted  her  uncle's 
invitation  to  stay  in  his  home 
near  Union  City  and  walk  to 
the  high  school  a  mile  away. 
This  was  the  year  of  the  flu, 
1918,  and  the  school  was  closed 
for  weeks.  Theora  took  the  flu 
too,  and  when  she  recovered, 
she  gave  up  and  quit  high 
school,  took  more  piano  lessons 
and  started  teaching  piano. 

Three  years  later  the  con- 
solidated high  school  opened 
in  Jackson  township.  Knowing 
the  school  bus  would  pass  her 
door  was  more  than  she  could 
stand;  she  started  back  and  got 
her  diploma  in  three  years. 
Theora  Keltner  entered  Man- 
chester College  in  1924  and  ob- 
tained her  Normal  Teacher's 
license  and  taught  second  grade 
in  her  home  school. 

In  1926  she  married  Herschel 
Oswalt  and  began  the  busy  life 


of  a  farmer's  wife.  When  their 
two  boys,  Dallas  and  Eldon, 
had  entered  school,  for  Theora 
and  Herschel  an  old  truth  was 
renewed;  education  is  essential 
to  the  development  of  one's  full 
potential  and  as  such  is  a  part 
of  one's  stewardship  to  God. 
The  school  and  the  church 
share  this  responsibility,  for 
with  growing  comes  complexi- 
ties and  the  formation  of  life- 
long attitudes.  A  Christian 
education  was  their  goal  for 
their  boys.  How  they  yearned 
to  have  more  education  them- 
selves! 

The  age  that  particularly 
touched  Theora  was  the  early 
teen  years  with  their  contradic- 
tions and  misunderstandings;  so 
she  concentrated  her  creativity 
on  her  intermediate  Sunday 
school  class.  She  has  taught  in 
the  church  school  since  her  own 
teens.  Her  boys  and  girls  found 
more  than  a  lecturer  in  their 
classroom;  they  found  a  woman 
who  really  loved  them  and  un- 
derstood them.  They  recog- 
nized, too,  her  deep  personal 
faith  and  learned  from  her 
eagerly. 

"These  young  people  are 
frightening  to  themselves  and 
to  their  parents.  I  guess  that 
is  why  they  appealed  to  me; 
they  need  us  so.  It  is  the  age 
when  they  discover  themselves 
and  how  they  fit  into  the 
scheme  of  things.  It  is  really 
quite  staggering.  Perhaps  at 
no  other  time  do  they  need  the 
church  more,  and  find  it  less 
sympathetic." 

It  seemed  quite  in  order  that 
the  District  of  Southern  Ohio, 
in  casting  about  for  a  person  to 
develop  a  district-wide  junior 
high  program  should  name 
Theora  Oswalt,  the  person  sug- 
gested by  Union  City's  pastor, 
Kenneth  Long.  When  the  board 
approached  her,  she  was  star- 
tled and  surprised  that  one  who 


MAY  14,  I960 


11 


was  so  absorbed  in  a  responsi- 
bility she  found  challenging 
would  be  suddenly  singled  out 
and  recognized  for  her  work. 
With  misgivings  she  consented 
to  do  what  she  could,  because 
she  felt  keenly  the  need  of  these 
young  people. 

During  the  first  year  of  her 
tenure  she  traveled  1,000  miles 
and  read  many  books  trying  to 
discover,  in  her  methodical  way, 
the  situation  as  it  stood.  On  a 
national  level  the  intermediates 
were  nobody's  chief  concern. 
There  had  been  a  district  leader 
or  two  who  was  doing  outstand- 
ing work  and  with  these  she 
corresponded. 

In  Southern  Ohio  though,  ex- 
cept for  summer  camping,  no 
special  effort  was  being  made 
for  these  early  teen-agers.  One 
rallv  had  been  held  and  had 
shown  promise  but  the  leader- 
ship was  unable  to  continue. 
Theora  built  up  in  Southern 
Ohio  during  her  nine-year 
term  one  of  the  denomination's 
best  junior  high  district  pro- 
grams —  a  pilot  program  in 
many  ways.  A  threefold  plan 
was  established:  develop  lead- 
ership, create  a  desire  for 
growth  in  the  teachers,  and  pro- 
vide the  means  to  increase 
further  teen-age  fellowship. 

Nearly  one  thousand  seventh, 
eighth,  and  ninth  graders  of  the 
district  represented  the  chal- 
lenge, and  somehow  everyone 
needed  to  feel  it  and  work  to- 
gether —  the  individual  teach- 
ers, the  pastors,  the  district  and 
national  leaders. 

This  was  her  method;  she 
set  up  teachers'  meetings  and 
junior  high  rallies  grouped  in 
geographic  sections  and  per- 
sonally supervised  each  one. 
After  the  first  year  it  became 
obvious  to  her  that  she  needed 
help.  An  administrative  cabinet 
to  carry  specific  planning  was 
the  only  answer.    One  was  or- 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


ganized  and  within  another 
year  a  circulation  library  of 
helpful  leadership  books  and 
teen-age  reading  was  assem- 
bled. Packets  of  topical  mate- 
rial were  prepared  for  each 
church.  New  curriculum  ma- 
terial was  explained  and  pro- 
moted into  nearly  100%  usage. 
Local  junior  high  recognition 
was  urged.  Semiannual  district- 
wide  rallies  proved  highly  pop- 
ular. 

The  first  rally  nearly  over- 
whelmed the  newly  organized 
department.  It  was  held  at 
Camp  Sugar  Grove  in  Septem- 
ber 1953.  Refreshments  and 
leadership  were  provided  for 
an  optimistic  expectation  of 
150;  250  young  people  arrived. 
This  was  a  real  test,  but  it  was 
met  by  a  delighted  and  dazed 
cabinet.  The  junior  high  de- 
partment was  launched;  it  was 
off  the  ground  and  they  had  a 
giant  by  the  tail! 

"It  was  such  a  big  job.  I 
didn't  do  it,"  she  says.  "The 
teachers  responded,  the  pastors 
publicized  our  work,  the  board 
listened  when  I  bullied,  and 
the  national  leader  took  notice 
when  the  buzz  of  activity  began 
to  sound  hereabout. 

"It  meant  much  correspond- 
ence, nights  out,  and  hard  work. 
I  could  never  have  stood  it  ex- 
cept for  my  family's  encourage- 
ment and  our  pastor's  counsel. 
My  mother  would  carry  on  for 
me  at  home.  Sometimes  I 
would  be  involved  for  days  at 
conferences  and  training  ses- 
sions. If  I  had  not  had  their 
help  and  approval  such  involve- 
ment on  my  part  would  have 
been  impossible." 

As  she  grew  more  convinced 
of  her  mission  and  more  knowl- 
edgeable, Mrs.  Oswalt  began  to 
serve  as  leader  for  vacation 
school  seminars  and  curriculum 
conferences  and  as  a  helpful 
source  of  information  for  other 
leaders  who  were  feeling  this 
same  concern  for  junior  highs. 


Then  Herschel  became  ill 
with  cancer.  Theora  never  left 
his  side.  Within  seven  weeks  he 
died.  This  was  May  1959,  four 
months  before  the  school  year 
began.  If  she  were  to  go  back 
to  teaching,  how  could  she  get 
her  affairs  arranged?  And  her 
mother  —  she  was  eighty  —  how 
would  she  take  to  uprooting? 
She  could  not  possibly  do  it, 
but  she  could  not  shake  the 
growing  conviction  that  teach- 
ing was  her  talent. 

Then  everything  began  to 
fall  into  place.  Her  farm  sale 
went  very  well,  school  person- 
nel assured  her  she  could  find  a 
job  under  the  "cadet-teacher" 
arrangement  in  another  year. 
Manchester  College  was  most 
helpful  in  arranging  a  course  to 
supplement  her  original  credits. 
She  and  her  mother  found  a 
house  and  settled  ready  to 
matriculate  one  week  before 
classes  began!  "I  could  see  the 
fine  hand  of  God  in  all  this," 
she  states  firmly. 

The  September  1959  district 
junior  high  rally  was  another 
first.  Mrs.  Oswalt's  term  of  of- 
fice was  ended,  and  her  able 
assistant,  Don  Bright,  was  tak- 
ing over.  Preparations  were 
made  for  450  and  a  surprise 
tribute  for  her  had  been  pre- 
pared. True  to  form,  five  hun- 
dred lively  young  people  soon 
filled  the  campgrounds  lustily 
cheering  as  they  heard  district 
leaders  tell  of  Mrs.  Oswalt's 
contribution  to  their  depart- 
ment. At  the  end  of  the  vesper, 
she  accepted  a  gift  with  her 
characteristic  dignity,  con- 
cerned mostly  that  her  young 
people  were  happy  and  would 
continue  to  get  the  good  leader- 
ship they  deserved. 

She  was  touched  by  their  re- 
sponse to  what  she  felt  had 
only  been  her  duty.  She  knew 
that  not  all  of  the  nine  years' 
work  had  been  worthy  of  praise. 
There  were  mistakes,  good 
ideas  poorly  handled;  personal 


m 

Joe  Fahnestock 


Mrs.  Oswalt  seated  in  the  midst  of  the  junior  high  youth  at  Camp  Sugar  Grove 


weaknesses  and  sins  of  omis- 
sions had  shown  up;  a  few  high 
hopes  had  proved  failures.  The 
timing  of  the  effort  and  the 
score  of  other  willing,  growing 
leaders  who  shared  in  the  vision 
and  hard  work  were  equally 
responsible,  she  realized.  Above 
all,  those  vital,  wholesome  teen- 
agers and  their  interest  in  being 
led  to  God  were  the  real  reason 
for  success. 

As  she  prepared  to  resume 
college  work,  another  concern 
came  to  Theora's  mind,  How 
would  she  be  accepted  as  a 
student  by  youthful  faculty 
members  and  the  students? 
Would  they  be  at  ease  with  her? 
After  all,  her  sons  and  daugh- 
ters-in-law had  been  there  as 
students  a  few  years  before.  She 
soon  discovered  her  fears  were 
groundless.  "Everyone  has  been 


just  wonderful,"  she  says.  To 
her  friends  her  acceptance  is 
no  surprise,  for  Theora  herself 
has  never  met  anyone  she  has 
not  been  able  to  appreciate. 

How  does  she  feel  about  her 
decision? 

"I  feel  God  has  truly  led  me. 
I'm  anticipating  my  teaching 
career,  whether  it  be  in  a  public 
school  or  in  some  form  of  Chris- 
tian education  work.  When  I 
think  of  those  wonderful  boys 
and  girls  —  their  problems  and 
potential  —  I  couldn't  do  any- 
thing else,  could  I?" 


Strengthening  the  Pension  Plan 

Continued  from  page  9 

requirements  of  retiring  servants 
of  the  church  known  to  the  Pen- 
sion Board,  the  amendment  to 
increase  the  employer  rate    (see 


page  25  in  this  issue)  was  ap- 
proved and  is  being  brought  to 
Conference  for  consideration.  If 
adopted  the  contribution  rate  of 
all  employers  will  rise  to  8%  of  the 
salary  base  on  September  1,  1960. 

The  proposed  amendment  to 
allow  members  to  elect  a  slightly 
lower  annuity,  with  75%  being 
continued  as  the  widow  pension 
in  place  of  the  current  50%  will 
more  adequately  serve  the  mini- 
mum living  requirements  of  the 
widow  whose  husband  prede- 
ceases her  in  retirement. 

The  other  two  amendments 
were  adopted  ad  interim  by  the 
Board  and  are  brought  to  the  1960 
Conference  for  ratification.  These 
amendments  enlarge  the  benefits 
for  the  unmarried  member  at  re- 
tirement and  for  the  widow  whose 
husband  dies  before  entering  re- 
tirement. 


MAY  14,  1960 


13 


Stewardship: 
Our 

Response 
!  to 
God's 
Grace 


Warren  F.  Groff 

Alms,  taxes,  dues,  fees,  tithes, 
lotteries,  endowments,  bonds,  pledges, 
bazaars,  and  voluntary  offerings  are 
some  of  the  methods  churches  have 
used  to  finance  their  programs. 
Which  ways  are  Biblically  sound? 


C 


HRISTIAN  discipleship  calls  for  the 
responsible  use  of  time,  talents,  and  possessions. 
He  who  would  follow  the  Master  is  commis- 
sioned to  be  a  manager,  a  trustee,  of  what 
really  belongs  to  the  God  and  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  To  live  and  act  as  God's 
steward  is  part  of  his  Christian  vocation.  He 
is  to  demonstrate  in  word  and  deed  his  grati- 
tude for  God's  "inexpressible  gift"  in  Christ 
Jesus. 

One  of  the  vital  developments  in  the  con- 
temporary church  has  been  a  renewed  con- 
sciousness of  stewardship  responsibility.  As  part 
of  this  quickened  sensitivity  has  come  searching 
self-examination  regarding  the  church's  own  re- 
lationship to  possessions,  and  especially  money- 
raising.      Stewardship     is     an     expression     of 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Christian  "servanthood"  not  only  for  the  in- 
dividual believer,  but  for  the  institutional 
church  as  well. 

History  has  some  important  lessons  to  teach 
us.  The  Christian  church  is  particularly  vul- 
nerable at  the  point  of  finances.  Throughout 
its  life  the  church  has  faced,  and  often  given  in 
to,  the  temptation  to  allow  good  ends  to  justify 
doubtful  means.  History  records  that  again 
and  again  aspects  of  church  finance  were  a 
bitter  offense  to  individuals.  Deeper  and  purer 
Christian  motivations  for  the  support  of  the 
church  in  its  world-wide  mission  are  all  too 
easily  obscured  by  baser  and  more  secular 
drives. 

As  the  Christian  church  developed,  support 
was  secured  not  only  by  gifts  based  upon  a 
response  to  the  grace  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  also 
by  appealing  to  the  desire  to  ensure  one's  own 
salvation  and  by  a  combination  of  ecclesiastical 
and  civil  law.  As  early  as  the  second  and  third 
centuries  the  giving  of  gifts  was  regarded  as 
an  important  way  to  gain  merit.  The  church 
fostered  the  practice  of  assigning  almsgiving 
as  an  act  of  penance.  Fees  were  charged  for 
the  performance  of  masses.  The  church  re- 
ceived profitable  endowments,  such  gifts  com- 
ing from  individuals  who  believed  that  this 
would  aid  in  the  ransom  of  their  own  souls. 

The  idea  was  promoted  of  a  "storehouse  of 
merit,"  wherein  saints  and  martyrs  had  built 
up  a  surplus  of  treasure  which  the  church  could 
dispense  through  its  system  of  "indulgences," 
or  the  pardoning  of  a  prescribed  portion  of 
penance  in  return  for  the  payment  of  a  desig- 
nated fee.  As  part  of  the  salvation  by  merit 
approach,  the  adoration  of  relics  and  pilgrim- 
ages to  holy  places  also  provided  income  for 
the  church. 

Ecclesiastical  and  civil  laws  pertaining  to 
church  income  became  more  numerous,  es- 
pecially after  Constantine  in  the  fourth  century. 
The  state  granted  the  church  and  clergy  land 
as  well  as  money.  Church  laws  designated 
clergy  fees  for  a  variety  of  pastoral  services. 
Compulsory  tithes,  sanctioned  by  church  and 
state,  added  to  the  accumulated  wealth  of  the 
ecclesiastical  community. 

All  this  encouraged  abuse.  The  doctrine  of 
salvation  by  merit  fostered  self-centeredness 
both  for  the  individual  and  the  church.  Giving 
often  was  motivated  more  from  a  desire  to 
secure  one's  salvation  than  from  gratitude  to 
Christ.  The  church  was  tempted  to  sell  her 
services  to  the  highest  bidder.  The  clergy 
tended  to  lose  sight  of  the  servant  role  of  the 
church  and  her  ministries. 


Both  the  Protestant  and  the  Roman  Catholic 
reformation  movements  dealt  with  abuses  that 
had  grown  up  in  connection  with  church  fi- 
nances. The  Protestants  particularly  turned 
their  backs  upon  indulgences,  relic  adoration, 
religious  pilgrimages,  and  the  other  features 
associated  with  a  works-salvation  program.  Still, 
the  reformers  did  not  spell  out  a  system  of 
church  finance  based  on  New  Testament  prin- 
ciples. 

The  absence  of  a  widespread  adoption  of 
the  voluntary  principle  of  stewardship  is  par- 
ticularly noticeable  in  the  centuries  following 
the  Reformation.  There  were  such  groups  as 
the  Anabaptists  and  the  Quakers  who  advo- 
cated voluntary  giving  as  an  expression  of 
Christian  discipleship.  For  the  most  part, 
though,  compulsory  forms  of  church  support  — 
enforced  tithes  and  church  taxation  with  state 
sanction  —  continued  to  be  the  prevalent  prac- 
tice. 

Even  in  early  America  compulsory  taxation 
continued  to  be  a  method  of  church  finance. 
However,  with  the  gradual  elimination  of  this 
source  of  revenue,  with  the  shift  toward  a  cash 
rather  than  a  barter  form  of  exchange,  and 
with  an  expanding  world-wide  program,  the 
church  faced  a  serious  financial  crisis.  How 
did  the  church  respond?  A  variety  of  methods 
were  tried  to  gain  the  necessary  support:  pew 
sales  or  rentals,  lotteries,  subscription  lists,  ba- 
zaars, church  suppers,  rummage  sales,  commis- 
sion selling,  revenue-producing  property,  issuing 
of  bonds  and  endowment  insurance,  voluntary 
offerings. 

Fighting  seemingly  for  institutional  survival, 
the  church  at  times  appealed  to  sub-Christian 
motivations.  The  games  of  chance,  whether 
lottery,  bingo,  or  the  raffle,  appealed  to  the 
human  desire  of  something  for  nothing.    The 


various  merchandising  schemes  could  become 
shrewd  and  subtle  ways  of  competing  with 
secular  business  firms,  while  they  appealed  to 
the  bargain-hunting  inclinations  of  people.  Even 
tithing,  which  came  into  new  prominence  the 
latter  part  of  the  last  century,  often  was  pro- 
moted on  the  basis  of  promised  material  pros- 
perity. 

Motives  and  methods  in  stewardship  have 
been  under  examination  in  recent  decades. 
There  has  been  a  recovery  of  the  Biblical  teach- 
ings regarding  one's  responsibility  under  God 
as  overseer,  as  administrator  of  what  has  been 
given  in  trust.  The  every-member  canvass  has 
become  a  widely  used  means  of  confronting  in- 
dividuals with  the  implications  of  Christian 
discipleship  in  relation  to  the  world-wide  mis- 
sion of  the  church.  A  new  attitude  toward 
tithing  has  been  developing.  The  motivation 
behind  proportional  giving  is  not  a  legalistic 
and  self-centered  pursuit  of  one's  salvation.  It 
is  not  prompted  by  the  material-reward  expec- 
tation. It  is  to  be  a  manifestation  of  one's 
response  to  the  grace  of  God  as  revealed  in 
Jesus  Christ. 

When  read  against  the  background  of  Bibli- 
cal principles  of  stewardship,  church  history 
confronts  us  with  some  sobering  lessons.  How 
well  have  we  learned  them?  Are  we  sufficiently 
sensitive  to  the  way  the  church  is  vulnerable 
at  the  point  of  money  raising?  Even  if  we 
grant  that  human  motives  are  generally  mixed, 
are  we  sufficiently  self-critical  at  this  point?  Is 
the  appeal  for  support  of  the  church  and  its 
program  truly  grounded  in  Christian  disciple- 
ship that  represents  a  voluntary  response  to 
Jesus  Christ? 

Or  is  the  primary  motivation  actually  based 
on  some  form  of  coercive  pressure,  however 
subtle,  that  is  keeping  up  with  the  neighbors, 


The  rich  farmer  failed  to  recognize 
his  trusteeship  of  the  time,  talents, 
and  possessions  that  had  been  en- 
trusted to  him.  A  true  disciple 
demonstrates  in  word  and  deed 
his  gratitude  for  God's  gift  of 
salvation      through      Christ      Jesus 


Painting  by  Burnand 
Three  Lions 


MAY  14,  1960 


15 


That  the  world  may  know 
the  Christian  has 


A  Ministry  of  Giving 


Norman  J.  Baugher 


VISUALIZE  a  line  from  your 
front  door,  made  up  of  the 
hungry  of  the  world  —  many 
ragged  and  disease-ravaged,  with 
pinched  faces.  The  line  goes  on 
out  of  sight  over  continent  and 
ocean,  around  the  world  —  25,000 
miles  —  and  returns  to  your  front 
door.  On  and  on  it  stretches, 
circling  the  globe  not  twice,  not 
five  times,  but  twenty-five,  and 
there  is  no  one  in  the  line  but 
hungry,  suffering  humanity.  ...  If 
you  drove  ten  hours  a  day,  aver- 
aging fifty  miles  an  hour,  it  would 
take  you  three  and  a  half  years 
to  cover  the  length  of  the  present 
line.* 

How  menacing  are  scenes  like 
these  which  hover  on  our  hori- 
zons. What  shadows  of  discom- 
fort, even  fear,  such  clouds  cast 
upon  our  seemingly  bright  world. 
To  look  out  from  our  island  of 
affluence  upon  a  sea  of  indescrib- 
able misery  is  to  discover  that  we 
are  estranged  from  our  suffering 
fellows.  We  have  not  come  to 
reckon  with  the  hard  facts  of  hu- 
man life  around  us. 

How  shall  we  respond  to  that 
which  inevitably  we  must  recog- 
nize is  real  —  the  plight  of  the  suf- 
fering and  unenlightened  masses? 

Perhaps  with  pity  or  possibly 
pride  or  maybe  even  patriotism. 


*  From     Faris,     To     Plow     With     Hope, 
Harper    Brothers. 


Pity  that  others  are  not  as  fortu- 
nate as  we.  Pride  that  it  is  we  who 
are  called  on  to  turn  despair  into 
hope,  sickness  into  health,  igno- 
rance into  knowledge,  lostness  into 
meaning.  Patriotism  in  the  politi- 
cal plum  which  is  ours  if  we 
champion  the  downtrodden  be- 
fore our  nation's  foes  respond. 

But  as  a  basis  for  ministering  to 
others,  pity,  pride,  and  patriotism 
boil  down  to  a  single  motive: 
selfishness.  Can  we  not  find  with- 
in our  faith,  particularly  we  who 
are  called  to  be  Christian,  a  more 
enlightened  motive  than  this? 

In  the  New  Testament  at  least 
two  different  contexts  for  Chris- 
tian giving  are  clear  —  the  context 
of  Matthew  25  and  the  context  of 
2  Corinthians  8  and  9.  The  former 
suggests  service  to  all  men  as 
brethren  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  lat- 
ter upholds  service  which  ex- 
presses the  solidarity  of  the  body 
of  Christ.  To  avoid  the  pitfalls 
of  giving  for  the  wrong  reasons, 
both  place  the  focus  on  that 
which  alone  can  redeem  us  from 
human  weakness :  "For  you  know 
the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
that  though  he  was  rich  yet  for 
your  sake  he  became  poor  so  that 
by  his  poverty  you  might  become 
rich." 

The  crux  of  the  matter  for 
Christians  is  to  give  as  Jesus 
Christ  gave.   It  is  to  give  not  out 


Norman  J.  Baugher 

of  necessity  but  out  of  love.  It 
is  to  go  beyond  any  convention  or 
duty  or  decency  as  accepted  by 
the  world  to  love  not  just  those 
who  love  us,  but  those  who  may 
not  even  know  us  or  who  may 
despise  us.  It  is  to  give  for  others 
with  no  thought  of  reward.  Such 
giving  will  do  more  than  remove 
us  from  isolation  from  our  fellows; 
it  will  bind  us  in  fellowship  with 
Christ. 

Such  an  approach  to  giving  of- 
fers no  ready  answers  to  practical 
questions  like  how  much  our 
weekly  offering  should  be,  or  how 
much  extra  we  might  share  for 
the  Annual  Conference  offering, 
or  how  our  abilities  might  better 
be  utilized  in  the  efforts  of  the 
church.  Eventually,  though,  these 
questions  should  be  asked  and 
answers  sought  in  light  of  the 
highest  principles  of  Christian 
stewardship. 

To  give  as  Jesus  Christ  gave  — 
this  always  shall  be  the  goal  for 
the  Christian's  ministry  of  giving. 


a  legalistic  interpretation  of  the  tithe,  manipu- 
lative gimmicks  that  violate  the  integrity  of 
human  personality?  It  is  one  thing  to  constrain 
persons  in  one  way  or  another  to  sign  on  the 
dotted  line.  It  is  quite  another  for  the  church 
to  be  so  dedicated  as  the  servant  of  the  living 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Christ  and  his  Spirit  that  individuals  are  led 
to  discipleship  on  this  foundation:  "Thanks  be 
to  God  for  his  inexpressible  gift." 

The  church  is  called  to  teach  Biblically 
sound  stewardship  principles  for  the  guidance 
of  individuals.  Even  more,  it  is  the  church's 
responsibility  to  show  forth  such  principles  in 
all  her  life  and  ways! 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Toyohiko  Kagawa  died  of  a  heart  attack  on  April 
23  at  the  age  of  71.  He  was  the  subject  of  a  biographi- 
cal sketch  that  appeared  in  last  week's  edition  of  the 
Gospel  Messenger. 

There  are  still  reservations  available  for  the  46-day 
European  Friendship  Tour  leaving  New  York  July  6. 
For  information  write  J.  Kenneth  Kreider,  Rheems, 
Pennsylvania. 

Allen  Weldy  has  accepted  the  call  to  serve  as  pastor 
of  the  Pleasant  Valley  church  in  Northern  Indiana,  be- 
ginning June  1.  He  and  Mrs.  Weldy  will  continue  to  live 
at  2101  Prairie  Street,  Elkhart,  Indiana,  and  plan  to 
commute  to  the  Pleasant  Valley  church  each  week  end 
and  during  the  week  when  necessary. 

Eleven  Polish  agricultural  exchangees  took  a  two- 
week  tour  through  the  Eastern  states  to  Florida  prior 
to  their  departure  for  Poland  on  April  22.  Joel  Petry  of 
the  New  Windsor  staff  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richard  Hazel 
of  Michigan  accompanied  the  group  on  the  tour.  The 
group  visited  several  Brethren  churches  along  the  way, 
receiving  overnight  hospitality  and  breakfast.  The  main 
stop  was  at  the  Brethren  Service  migrant  center  in  Belle 
Glade,  Florida. 

Jerry  Royer,  who  is  now  studying  at  Harvard  Uni- 
versity on  a  Rockefeller  Fellowship,  and  his  wife  Joan 
will  leave  in  June  for  Japan  to  become  Brethren  Service 
representatives  in  that  country.  Jerry  was  in  Japan  in 
1957-58  as  an  exchange  student  at  the  Japan  Interna- 
tional Christian  University.  Their  first  assignment  will 
be  assisting  Albert  Huston  in  the  Peace  Seminar  this 
summer.  Albert  and  Margaret  Huston  will  return  to 
the  States  this  fall  after  four  years  as  Brethren  Service 
representatives  in  Japan. 

Paul  H.  Bowman,  Jr.,  director  of  the  Youth  Devel- 
opment Project,  Quincy,  111.,  and  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Brotherhood  Board,  is  quoted  in  an  article  on  "Your 
Child's  Intelligence  Is  Not  Fixed"  in  the  May  issue  of 
Reader's  Digest.  From  seven  years'  research  on  why  so 
many  potentially  gifted  children  fail  to  do  their  best 
in  school,  Brother  Bowman  indicated  that  the  evidence 
points  conclusively  to  home  environment.  "Most  chil- 
dren who  score  well  on  mental  tests  and  do  well  in 
school  come  from  homes  where  talk  is  free,  easy,  full 
of  warmth  and  interest,"  he  is  quoted  as  saying. 

Dedications 

Nappanee,  Indiana  church,  dedication  of  new 
church  building  on  May  15.  Galen  Ogden  will  speak 
at  both  morning  (10:35  a.m.)  and  afternoon  (2  p.m.) 
services.  .  Carry-in  dinner  at  noon. 

Pueblo  church,  Colorado,  dedication  of  new  church, 
May  15.  R.  E.  Mohler  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  will  be 
the  speaker. 

Bush  Creek  church,  Monrovia,  Maryland,  home- 
coming and  dedication  services,  May  22.  Carl  F.  Smith, 
former  pastor,  will  speak  at  11  a.m.  and  John  H.  Eberly 
at  2:30  p.m.  Lunch  for  all  members  and  friends.  The 
church  has  completed  extensive  remodeling  and  has 
erected  a  new  educational  wing. 

Troy  church,  Southern  Ohio  district,  dedication  of 
new  parsonage  on  Sunday,  May  22  at  2  p.m.  Paul 
Kinsel  will  have  the  dedicatory  sermon. 


Groundbreaking 

Quinter  church,  Western  Kansas  district,  ground- 
breaking services  in  preparation  for  a  new  church,  on 
Sunday,  May  22,  at  3  p.m.  New  facilities  will  include 
provision  for  worship,  educational  and  fellowship 
activities. 

Ordained  to  the  Ministry 

/.  David  Eberly,  ordained  in  the  Blue  Ridge  church, 
Eastern  Maryland,  which  he  serves  as  pastor.  Services 
were  conducted  April  3  by  Berkley  O.  Bowman,  David 
Hanawalt  and  John  H.  Eberly. 

The  Call  to  Discipleship  —  Daily  Prayer  Guide 

Pray  for: 
May  16  purity  of  heart Psalm  24;  Matt.  5:8 

17  pure  actions    Matt.   5:27-37 

18  pure  motives    Matt.    23:25-26 

19  pure  life Matt.  7:13-14 

20  pure  speech    Eph.  4:25-29 

21  pure  conduct   Rom.  6:15-19 

22  pure  devotion Titus  2:1-10 

The  Church  Calendar 
May  15 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  The  Christian  in  Society.  Matt. 
5:10-16;  13:31-35.  Memory  Selection:  Let  your  light  so 
shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works 
and  give  glory  to  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  Matt. 
5:16  (R.S.V.) 

May  21-22  Southern  Pennsylvania  District  Men's  Fel- 
lowship Retreat,  Camp  Swatara. 

May  22  Rural  Life  Sunday 

June  5  Pentecost 

June  5-9  Leadership  training  camp,   Camp  Harmony, 
Pa. 

June  12  Children's  Day 

June   13-14   National   Youth   Cabinet   meeting,   Cham- 
paign, 111. 

June  14  Pastors'  conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  14-19  Annual  Conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  19  Annual  Conference  Sunday 

June  20-21  General  Council  of  Children's  Work 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Eleven  baptized  in  the  Larchmont  Community  church, 
Calif.  Twenty-one  baptized  and  fifteen  received  by  letter 
in  the-  La  Verne  church,  Calif.  Eleven  baptized  and  one 
received  by  letter  in  the  Nampa  church,  Idaho. 

Two  baptized  and  one  received  by  reaffirmation  of 
faith  in  the  Lewiston  church,  Minn.  One  baptized  in  the 
Beatrice  church,  Nebr.  Thirty-eight  baptized  in  the  Prince 
of  Peace  church,  Denver,  Colo.  Two  received  by  letter 
in  the  Oklahoma  City  church,  Okla.  One  baptized  in  the 
Antioch  church,  Yoder,  Colo. 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 

Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  John  Glick  of  Bridgewater,  Va.,  in  the  Eglon 
church,  W.  Va.,  May  22-29. 

Bro.  Bussell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Bethlehem 
church,  Va.,  June  6-12. 

MAY  14.  I960  17 


Capernaum:  1 
His  Own 
City 


David  J.  Wieand 


ON  THE  northwest  shore  of 
beautiful  Lake  Galilee 
two  and  one-half  miles 
from  the  entrance  of  the  River 
Jordan  lies  Capernaum,  "Town  of 
Nahum."  The  mass  of  tumbled 
ruins  now  known  as  Tell  Hum 
stretches  out  along  the  lakeside 
for  about  one  mile  and  occupies 
much  of  the  narrow  plain  between 
the  lake  and  the  basalt  hills  to  the 
north.  Save  for  the  synagogue 
seen  in  the  accompanying  photo- 
graph the  extensive  ruins  await 
systematic  excavation. 

What  a  satisfaction  it  is  to  the 
soul  to  worship  in  the  Capernaum 
synagogue  on  a  Lord's  Day  morn- 
ing! Scenes  from  the  life  of  Jesus 
come  flooding  through  the  mind: 
the  first  recorded  Sabbath  at 
Capernaum  filled  with  the  amaz- 
ing healing  of  the  demoniac  in  the 
synagogue,  the  raising  of  Simon's 
mother-in-law  at  his  home,  and 
the  mass  healings  at  the  door  at 
sundown  when  the  Sabbath  was 
officially  over;  the  call  of  Matthew 
from  the  custom  collector's  booth 
on  the  great  trade  route  leading 
from  Damascus  to  Galilee;  dinner 
at  Matthew's  house  with  the 
Pharisees  looking  on;  the  para- 
lytic let  down  through  the  roof  on 
a  pallet  because  the  crowd  was  so 
great;  and  the  incident  of  the 
temple  tax  money  found  in  the 
fish's  mouth. 

Our  gospel  records  indicate  that 
Capernaum  was  probably  the  site 
of  Jesus'  headquarters  for  his 
Galilean  mission  (Cf.  Mark  2:1) 


and  that  his  likely  residence  was 
at  Peter's  home  (Cf.  Mark  1:29- 
34,  2:1,  9:33).  Consequently,  it 
is  called  "his  own  city"  in  Matt. 
9:1. 

Capernaum  with  its  busy  fisher- 
man's wharf,  fish-packing  indus- 
try, and  sizable  population  —  said 
to  be  about  15,000  —  provided  an 
excellent  center  for  Jesus'  itinerant 
ministry.  Is  it  not  likely  that  the 
eminent  advantages  for  evange- 
lism of  locating  in  Capernaum 
situated  as  it  was  on  the  busy, 
populous  shores  of  the  lake,  focal 
point  of  the  whole  province  of 
Galilee,  and,  as  some  have  sug- 
gested, the  opportunity  of  utiliz- 
ing his  carpenter's  skill  in  the 
shipbuilding  trade  may  have  been 
influential  factors  in  Jesus'  move 
from  the  small  town  of  Nazareth 
to  the  "big"  city?  No  doubt  he 
came  to  Capernaum  seeking  out 
his  friends,  Peter  and  Andrew, 
who  had  been  strongly  attracted 
to  him  at  an  earlier  time  in  Judea, 
where  John  was  baptizing. 

While  the  synagogue  pictured 
above  is  not  the  building  in  which 
Christ  worshiped  it  may  well 
stand  on  the  location  of  the  syna- 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


gogue  which  he  attended.  The 
surviving  building  dating  from 
the  early  third  century  A.D.  was 
built  of  elegant  white  limestone 
hauled  in  from  another  section  of 
the  country.  It  must  have  been 
the  outstanding  structure  of  the 
city  not  only  because  of  its  strik- 
ing contrast  to  dismal  black  basalt 
buildings  around  it  but  also  on 
account  of  its  imposing  architec- 
ture. 

Facing  toward  Jerusalem  as  was 
traditional  the  synagogue  was  ap- 
proached by  stairways  which  led 
up  to  the  imposing  columned 
front.  A  large  central  portal 
flanked  on  each  side  of  a  smaller 
one  entered  upon  the  sanctuary. 
Two  rows  of  stone  benches,  one 
higher  than  the  other,  extended 
around  three  sides.  On  these  or 
on  floor  mats  the  men  sat.  Women 
were  accommodated  in  galleries, 
a  situation  indicative  of  their  in- 
ferior position  in  Judaism.  A  por- 
ticoed  porch  trapezoidal  in  shape 
joined  the  sanctuary  on  the  east. 

The  rich  elegance  of  the  Ca- 
pernaum synagogue  suggests  that 
the  structure  may  have  been  giv- 
en to  the  community  by  some 
wealthy  patron.  One  is  somewhat 
surprised  by  the  elaborate  orna- 
mentation illustrated  by  the  col- 
umns in  the  accompanying  photo- 
graph. In  the  surrounding  ruins 
the  Franciscan  fathers  have  un- 
earthed Jewish  candlesticks,  stars, 
shells,  palms,  signs  of  the  Zodiac, 
vines,  and  Roman  chariot  wheels 
in  bas-relief.    Evidently  Hellenic 

Continued  on  page  21 


Veteran  Minister  Honored 

+  The  Tucson  church,  Arizona,  which  C.  V.  Coppock 
(center)  served  the  last  two  winters  as  pastor, 
recognized  his  fifty  years  in  the  ministry  at  a  special 
service  on  Jan.  10.   Marley  Karnes  of  Phoenix,  Arizona, 
who  as  a  lad  of  eight  years  had  been  present  at  the 
ordination  of  Brother  Coppock,  recalled  the  service 
which  had  taken  place  in  the  Middle  District  church  in 
Ohio.   Reuben  Myers  (left),  a  deacon  of  the  Tucson 
church,  presented  the  veteran  minister  with  a  book 
containing  letters  of  congratulation  and  appreciation 
from  members  of  former  churches  he  had  served  and 
friends  and  officials.   An  all-church  fellowship  meal 
concluded  the  occasion.   The  Coppocks  expect  to  return 
to  their  home  in  Wakarusa,  Indiana,  in  June. 


Emma  Ada  Horner  Eby 

+  The  lifetime  of  Emma  Ada  Hor- 
ner Eby  with  its  variety  of  experi- 
ences, education,  loyalty  to  family 
and  friends,  high  idealism  and  un- 
failing optimism,  resembles  the 
beauty  and  durability  of  one  of  the 
patchwork  quilts  she  took  pleasure 
in  assembling.  American  Friends 
Service  Committee  records  in  La 
Verne  show  that  she  contributed  to 
the  making  of  hundreds  of  quilts 
which  were  sent  overseas  after 
World  War  II.  And,  like  the  quilts, 
her  service  to  humanity  will  con- 
tinue long  after  the  making. 

Emma  Ada,  fourth  of  the  eleven 
children  of  Abraham  and  Annetta 
Horner,  was  born  in  Falls  City, 
Nebr.,  on  April  15,  1874. 

Early  in  her  teens  she  resolved  to 
become  a  teacher  and  spent  several 
years  teaching  country  school  chil- 
dren in  Nebraska  prior  to  and  after 
receiving  her  B.S.D.  from  McPher- 
son  College  and  Academy  in  1901. 

On  April  12,  1903,  she  and  Enoch 
H.  Eby,  whom  she  met  at  McPher- 
son,  were  married.  The  following 
year  they  sailed  for  India  as  mis- 
sionaries for  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  During  this  first  term  in 
India,  she  gave  birth  to  four  sons, 
the  second  of  whom  died  at  birth. 

Between  their  first  and  second 
terms  of  service  was  an  extended 
furlough  during  which  time  Enoch 
Eby  regained  his  health  which  had 
suffered  from  India's  climate. 

After  the  years  of  service  in  India 
ended  in  1925,  there  were  several 
years  of  pastoral  work  and  traveling 
on  evangelistic  missions.  There  fol- 
lowed a  period  when  the  Ebys  man- 
aged a  Co-op  store  in  Chicago.  In 
1947  they  went  to  La  Verne,  Calif., 
where  they  again  managed  a  Co-op 


store.  They  were  the  first  residents 
of  Hillcrest  Homes. 

In  all  these  years  of  change 
Emma  Eby  worked  along  with  her 
husband.  But  despite  hard  work 
and  some  ill-health,  Emma  always 
loved  to  sing  as  she  worked.  Her 
children  and  grandchildren  learned 
her  favorite  hymns.  Three  of  her 
grandchildren,  Alice,  John  and 
Laura  Eby,  sang  one  of  her  favorite 
hymns  at  her  memorial  service,  held 
at  the  La  Verne  Church  of  the 
Brethren  on  Feb.  14,  1960. 

Reverend  and  Mrs.  Eby  were  ac- 
tive in  the  Longevity  Club  from  its 
beginning  at  Hillcrest.  The  Febru- 
ary   3,    1960,    meeting    named    the 


club  in  their  honor,  The  Eby  Club. 

Emma  and  Enoch  Eby  were  mar- 
ried for  55  years.  On  the  morning 
of  September  9,  1958,  Enoch,  cycl- 
ing to  La  Verne  College,  was  struck 
and  killed  instantly  by  an  automo- 
bile. Seventeen  months  later  Mrs. 
Eby  took  ill  suddenly  on  Jan.  18. 
She  never  regained  consciousness, 
and  died  in  Pomona  Valley  hospital 
on  Jan.   30. 

Mrs.  Eby  is  survived  by  three 
sons:  Horner  McPherson  Eby  of 
Lombard,  111.,  John  Wilbert  Eby  of 
San  Bernardino,  Calif.,  and  Enoch 
Herbert  Eby  of  Charlottesville,  Va., 
seven  grandchildren,  and  three  great- 
grandchildren. —  Sylvus  D.  Flora. 


Harper  S.  Will,  pastor  of  the  Lincolnshire  church,  Ft.  Wayne,  Indiana, 
spoke  at  the  morning  and  afternoon  service  on  Sunday,  May  1,  when  the 
educational  addition  of  the  Stony  Creek  church,  near  Bellefontaine, 
Ohio,  was  dedicated.  The  new  unit  has  six  classrooms,  a  pastor's  study 
and  restrooms;  a  new  entry  to  the  church  was  also  constructed.  The 
congregation,  organized  in  1827,  plans  to  continue  work  on  the  basement 
and   sanctuary   of   the    church    so   they   will   be    adequate   for   its    needs 


MAY  14,  I960 


19 


&»»* 


HhHHHHI 


In  this  log  church  members  of  the  Round  Hill  congregation 
met  for  worship  for  more  than  one  hundred  years 


yiiB 


m~-r- 


In  this  new  brick  building  members  at  Round  Hill  now 
gather  for  worship.    It  was  dedicated  on  April  10,  1960 


From  Log  to  Brick  in  100  Years 


+  For  more  than  one  hundred  years  members  of 
the  Round  Hill  congregation  had  worshiped  in  a 
log  church,  first  on  the  Shenandoah  River  near 
Maurertown,  Va.,  and  then  at  the  present  location 
at  Round  Hill,  to  which  it  was  moved  in  1877. 

On  Aug.  14,  1955,  the  congregation,  feeling  the 
need  for  a  better  house  of  worship,  "lifted"  an 
offering  for  a  building  fund.  It  totaled  $5.00.  Five 
years  later,  on  April  10,  1960,  the  new  church 
house,  costing  $38,000,  was  dedicated. 

Between  the  two  dates  much  had  happened  at 
Round  Hill,  which  was  one  of  the  four  preaching 
points  in  the  Woodstock  congregation.  They  had 
entered  into  a  full-time  pastoral  program  with 
Valley  Pike,  another  segment  of  the  congregation; 
had  been  given  independent  status  by  the  district 
meeting  of  Northern  Virginia  in  1957,  and  had 
put  on  a  building  campaign. 

Aided  by  the  district,  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board,  and  an  interested  individual,  the  members 
have  nearly  completed  their  building.  The  tower 
is  to  be  completed,  the  basement  finished,  and 
pews  bought  and  installed.  These  will  be  done 
in  time,  for  the  members  have  experienced  the 
joy  of  working  together  for  a  worthwhile  goal. 
They  are  looking  forward  to  growth  in  their  fellow- 
ship and  increased  service  to  their  community. 


+  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Gan  Sakakibara  of 
Japan  met  with  W.  Harold  Row, 
executive  secretary  of  the  Brethren 
Service  Commission,  at  his  office  in 
Elgin  in  March.  Dr.  Sakakibara, 
who  is  a  professor  of  economics  at 
the  Aoyama  Gakuin  University  in 
Tokyo,  will  participate  in  the  leader- 
ship of  the  peace  seminar  which  will 
be  sponsored  in  Japan  this  summer 
by  the  Brethren  Service  Commission, 
under  the  direction  of  Albert 
Huston.  Mrs.  Sakakibara  is  a  former 
member  of  the  Japanese  Diet.  The 
Rows  and  the  Sakakibaras  first  be- 
came acquainted  at  the  Conference 
on  Rapid  Social  Change  sponsored 
by  the  World  Council  of  Churches 
in  Salonika,  Greece,  in  the  summer 
of  1959 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Previewing 


June 


When  Calling  on  the  Sick 
by  Samuel  F.  Pugh 

"It  is  as  important  to  know  how 
to  call  on  the  sick  as  to  teach  a 
class  in  the  church  school,"  observes 
the  author.  He  follows  up  this  re- 
mark with  twenty-three  practical 
suggestions  for  the  caller.  Certainly 
no  one  need  be  a  sickroom  liability. 

Religion  in  the  Public  Schools 
by  Ora  W.  Garber 

What  are  the  real  issues  at  stake 
in  the  matter  of  religion  in  the  pub- 
lic schools?  Our  schools  serve  chil- 
dren of  many  faiths  —  Jewish,  Chris- 
tian, Buddhist,  and  many  others. 
How  can  we  be  fair  to  children  of 
many  faiths?  To  teachers  of  many 
faiths?  These  are  some  of  the  issues 
raised  for  consideration  of  a  matter 
which  may  be  far  more  complex 
than  we  realize. 

But  What  Can  I  Do? 

by  Robert  Pickus 

A  year  and  a  half  ago  a  small 
group  with  the  backing  of  ten  peace 
organizations  began  experimenting 
to  see  what  can  be  done  to  arouse 
local  communities  to  the  issues  of 
peace.  Even  in  this  short  time,  a 
remarkable  list  of  practical,  tested 
approaches  has  been  developed. 
Brethren  who  truly  take  the  ques- 
tion, "What  can  I  do?"  seriously  will 
find  there  are  others  asking  the  same 
question  and  that  there  are  answers 
that  can  work  in  their  own  local 
community. 

Counteracting  the  Summer  Slump 

by  Edward  K.  Ziegler 

"The  summer  months  can  be 
about  the  best  in  the  year!"  affirms 
Edward    K.    Ziegler,    and    goes    on 


to  suggest  how.  The  family  vaca- 
tions, the  invitation  of  the  out-of- 
doors  —  the  church  need  not  battle 
these  signs  of  summer,  but  should 
welcome  them  and  use  them  to 
deepen  and  strengthen  her  fellow- 
ship. 

When  a  Missionary  Comes  to  Your 
Church 

by  Benton  ].  Rhoades 

When  a  missionary  comes  to  your 
church  is  he  placed  in  the  pulpit, 
expected  to  "perform,"  and  then  de- 
part, leaving  an  inspired  congrega- 
tion behind?  If  so,  your  church  — 
and  the  missionary  —  is  likely  to  be 
disappointed.  Speaking  from  expe- 
rience as  both  a  pastor  and  an  over- 
seas missionary,  the  author  points 
out  ways  in  which  the  local  church 
can  make  the  most  of  the  opportuni- 
ty afforded  by  a  missionary's  visit. 

The  Handling  of  the  Church 
Money  —  Who  Makes  the  Policies? 

by  Don  Stern 

This  is  the  first  of  a  series  of  four 
articles  designed  to  help  churches 
in  the  matters  of  handling  church 
money. 

Who  decides  to  order  new  hym- 
nals? How  or  by  what  department 
are  they  paid  for?  These  are  typical 
of  financial  questions  faced  by 
churches.  Many  congregations  would 
avoid  divisions  and  disappointments 
often  caused  by  financial  misunder- 
standings and  mismanagement  by 
adopting  a  few  simple  business 
practices. 

Keeping  Church  Records 

by  Galen  Lehman 

Each  year,  like  pieces  in  a  huge 
picture  puzzle,  the  annual  reports 
from  each  local  church  across  the 
Brotherhood  are  pieced  together  to 
provide  a  current  picture  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  By  careful 
following  of  some  simple  record- 
keeping suggestions  outlined  by  the 
author,  each  church  can  make  its 
part  of  the  Brethren  picture  ac- 
curate and  clear. 


Capernaum:  His  Own  City 

Continued  from  page   18 

culture  had  penetrated  deeply  in- 
to the  culture  of  the  Judaism  of 
the  period. 

The  Capernaum  synagogue  sit- 
uated among  cooling  palms  by 
the  lakeside  formed  an  attractive 
center  for  the  Jewish  community. 
The  place  must  have  fairly 
bustled  with  activity  all  week 
long,  for  in  addition  to  being  the 


house  of  worship  it  was  both 
school  and  social  center  for  the 
congregation.  Moreover,  it  func- 
tioned as  a  courtroom  and  a  place 
of  punishment  (Cf.  Matt.  10:17, 
Luke  4). 

The  Jewish  synagogue  is  im- 
portant not  only  because  Christ 
frequented  it  as  his  custom  was 
on  the  Sabbath  but  also  because 
it  formed  the  prototype  for  the 
early  Christian  church.  Scripture 
reading,  prayer,  and  preaching 
were  taken  over  into  the  worship 
services  of  the  church. 


Costly  Grace 

Continued  from  page   4 

shows  forth  clearly  in  his  paint- 
ings. In  ways  that  words  can- 
not express  he  tells  us  of  the 
overwhelming  love  of  God  as 
shown  in  the  suffering  Christ. 
Maritain  calls  Rouault  the 
greatest  religious  painter  of  our 
era  and  one  of  the  greatest  of 
all  time. 

Rouault  chose  the  "costly 
grace"  of  discipleship.  Though 
he  was  not  a  martyr,  his  stead- 
fast loyalty  to  Christ  led  him 
along  a  lonely  path  where  no 
other  man  save  Christ  had  ever 
walked. 

The  Ways  of  Discipleship 

There  are  many  who  would 
be  followers  of  Christ,  but  few 
who  are  willing  to  carry  his 
cross.  True  discipleship,  how- 
ever, is  the  way  of  "costly 
grace,"  and  may  be  expressed 
in  many  different  ways.  Bon- 
hoeffer  resisted  Hitler  through 
political  action;  Rouault  op- 
posed the  wickedness  of  Paris 
through  his  paintings.  Bon- 
hoeff  er  wrote  books  of  challeng- 
ing profundity;  Rouault  worked 
for  years  on  paintings  seeking  a 
richness  of  color  and  form  that 
would  not  be  untrue  to  Christ. 
Each  man,  in  his  own  lonely 
way,  but  with  the  love  of 
God  in  his  heart,  followed  the 
Master. 


MAY  14,  I960 


21 


CONFERENCE    BUSINESS 


District  and  Regional 
Realignment 

I.  Introduction 

In  carrying  forward  our  studies 
since  last  Annual  Conference,  we 
have  made  use  of  the  technique  of 
"listening  consultations"  in  which 
each  committee  member  met  with 
church  leaders  (regional  boards,  dis- 
strict  boards,  district  conferences, 
groups  of  district  executive  secre- 
taries, groups  of  pastors,  men's, 
women's  and  youth  fellowships,  and 
Brotherhood  staff  members)  in  his 
section  of  the  Brotherhood  to  hear 
and  record  their  reactions  to  ques- 
tions regarding  our  assignment. 
More  than  forty-five  such  "listening 
consultations"  were  held.  These 
conferences  involved  approximately 
1,000  persons  from  every  section  of 
the  Brotherhood.  Widespread  ap- 
preciation was  expressed  for  this  op- 
portunity to  share  in  contributing  to 
this  important  study.  Strong  feeling 
was  registered  concerning  the  ur- 
gency of  need  for  adjustments  to 
be  made  in  the  organization  and 
character  of  our  administrative  units 
in  order  to  promote  more  effectively 
the  work  of  the  church. 

We  are  fully  aware  that  our  pres- 
ent organizational  units  with  their 
structure  are  the  product  of  more 
than  a  century  of  progressive  effort 
and  that  any  proposed  change 
should  be  evaluated  carefully  in  the 
light  of:  (1)  clearly  defined  goals; 
(2)  well-established  criteria;  (3)  spe- 
cific functions  to  be  performed;  (4) 
functional  units  required;  (5)  con- 
servation of  established  values;  (6) 
provision  for  the  formulation  and 
execution  of  policies. 

II.  A  Proposed  Organizational  Pat- 
ern 

Our  present  district  structure 
grew  out  of  an  increasing  need  for 
co-operation  in  the  wider  tasks  of 
the  churches  in  a  day  when  travel 
and  communication  were  primitive 
and  slow.  Regional  organization  was 
built  to  co-ordinate  the  work  of  the 
many  districts  and  to  serve  as  a 
bridge  between  them  and  the  Broth- 
erhood organization.  Swift  changes 
in  population,  travel,  communica- 
tion, and  field  program  have  ren- 
dered the  present  district  structure 
largely  obsolete. 

We,  therefore,  propose  that  the 
districts  of  the  church  be  realigned 


so  that  within  ten  years  the  number 
of  administrative  and  co-operative 
units  be  reduced  from  the  present 
number  of  forty-eight  in  North 
America  to  eighteen  and  that  there 
be  one  unit  in  Africa,  one  in  Asia 
and  one  in  Latin  America.  Since 
the  term  district  is  familiar  and 
descriptively  apt,  we  propose  that 
its  use  be  continued.  In  several 
areas  the  congregations  are  so  few, 
small,  and  scattered  that  the  dis- 
tricts will  require  special  considera- 
tion and  aid  from  the  Brotherhood 
—  the  strong  thus  bearing  the  bur- 
dens of  the  weak. 

Co-ordination  of  the  district  field 
program  will  be  the  function  of  the 
General  Brotherhood  office,  giving 
supervision  and  inspiration  for  the 
field  program  from  the  headquarters 
in  Elgin,  111.  Each  district  will  have 
as  its  chief  executive  officer  a  thor- 
oughly trained,  mature,  and  conse- 
crated person  to  be  known  as  the 
district  executive  secretary.    Larger 


districts  will  add  personnel  to  the 
staff  as  needed.  To  provide  numeri- 
cal strength  and  proper  representa- 
tion in  the  Standing  Committee,  we 
recommend  the  following  basis  for 
district  representation: 

Two  representatives  for  each  dis- 
trict with  5,000  or  less  members  and 
one  additional  representative  for 
each  additional  5,000  members  or 
fraction  thereof. 
III.  Criteria  for  an  Effective  District 

As  a  basic  administrative  and  leg- 
islative unit  in  our  church,  a  district 
should  be  strong  enough  in  total 
membership  and  in  number  of  vital, 
active  congregations,  and  well 
enough  contained  geographically,  to 
be  able  to  accomplish  functional 
tasks  effectively  and  to  maintain 
high  standards.  Some  of  these 
standards  are  the  ability: 

1.  To  carry  out  Annual  Con- 
ference regulations  relative  to  Stand- 
ing Committee  delegates,  district 
moderator,  etc.,  and  to  relate  itself 
significantly  to  the  total  Brotherhood 
program; 


No.  of 
Churches 


Name  Present  Districts 

Eastern  Pa.  Eastern  and  Southern 

Pennsylvania,  North  Atlantic        101 
Western  Pa.  Middle  and  Western 

Pennsylvania  114 

Maryland  Eastern  Maryland,  Middle 

Maryland,  Mardela  48 

West  Virginia  First  and  Second  West 

Virginia,  Western  Maryland  50 

Northern  Virginia   Eastern,  Northern,  and 

Second  Virginia  78 

Southern  Virginia    First  and  Southern  Virginia  77 

North  Carolina-       North  and  South  Carolina 
Tennessee  and  Tennessee  56 

Florida,  Georgia      Florida,  Georgia,  and 
and  Puerto  Rico       Puerto  Rico  15 

Ohio  Northeastern,  Northwestern 

and  Southern  Ohio  120 

Indiana-Michigan   Middle,  Northern,  and  Southern 

Indiana  and  Michigan  135 

Illinois-Wisconsin   Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 

and  Southern  Illinois  52 

Iowa  Middle,  Northern,  and 

Southern  Iowa  42 

Missouri  Middle,  Northern,  and 

Southern  Missouri  25 

Kansas  Northeastern,  Southeastern, 

and  Western  Kansas  41 

North  Central  Colorado,  Nebraska,  and  North 

Dakota  and  Eastern  Montana         31 
Southwest  Texas  and  Louisiana  and 

Oklahoma  15 

California  Northern  California  and  Southern 

California  and  Arizona  39 

Pacific  Northwest    Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho 

and  Western  Montana, 

Western  Canada  36 

Africa  20 

Asia  First  and  Second  Districts 

of  India  26 

1 


Standing 
Committee 
Repre- 
Membership  sentation 


27,976 

26,280 

11,925 

8,440 

20,351 
15,351 

3,548 

1,438 

23,225 

22,245 

8,845 

5,218 

2,054 

5,348 

3,056 

1,410 

9,378 


5,495 
4,818 

9,226 
35 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Latin  America 

(The  number  of  churches  and  membership  are  taken  from  the  1960  Year- 
book.) 


2.  To  provide  an  adequate  ad- 
ministrative program,  including  cost; 

3.  To  be  able  to  create,  maintain, 
and  supervise  an  adequate  ministry; 

4.  To  maintain  an  effective  pas- 
toral placement   program; 

5.  To  have  a  sufficient  number  of 
capable  and  willing  leaders  —  (1)  to 
make  possible  a  slate  of  candidates 
for  district  offices  twice  as  large  as 
the  number  to  be  selected,  (2)  to 
limit  tenure  to  not  more  than  two 
successive  terms,  (3)  to  distribute 
properly  the  responsibilities  of  the 
district; 

6.  To  warrant  and  support  a  com- 
prehensive field  program; 

7.  To  promote  a  program  of 
Christian  education  for  all  age 
groups  with  qualified  leadership; 

8.  To  proivde  adequate  inservice 
training  for  all  local  and  district 
leadership,    including   the   ministry; 

9.  To  provide  a  stimulating  and 
interpretive   district   conference; 

10.  To  provide  an  aggressive  pro- 
gram of  church  extension; 

11.  To  provide  needed  assistance 
for  weak  congregations; 

12.  To  provide  a  balanced  pro- 
gram of  Christian  service  in  all  areas 
of  human  need; 

13.  To  work  effectively  in  inter- 
denominational bodies. 

IV.  Organizational  Structure 

In  the  whole  process  of  restruc- 
turing to  meet  these  criteria,  the 
committee  recommends  no  basic 
change  in  our  present  district  legis- 
lative and  administrative  functions 
as  they  have  been  outlined  from 
time  to  time  by  Annual  Conference. 
Our  primary  purpose  is  to  provide 
for  a  more  effective  administrative 
unit  for  carrying  out  the  functions 
of  the  district  as  recommended  in 
the  criteria  listed  under  section  III 
(above)  and  by  previous  Annual 
Conference  action.  The  committee 
offers  the  district  realignment  out- 
lined on  page  22  as  suggestive  ot 
the  way  the  Brotherhood  might  be 
aligned. 

V.  Implementation  of  Proposed  Dis- 
trict Alignment 

It  is  hoped  that  the  Brotherhood 
might  move  with  reasonable  pace 
toward  the  realignments  proposed. 
In  some  areas  there  is  already  much 
progress;  in  other  areas  this  report 
may  represent  the  first  time  a  re- 
alignment has  been  proposed.  Many 
of  the  mergers  should  take  place 
within  the  next  few  years  and  by 
1970  the  Brotherhood  generally 
should  achieve  the  pattern  of  dis- 
trict lines  projected. 


The  districts  themselves  must  ac- 
cept responsibility  for  making  the 
decisions  necessary  to  bring  about 
the  mergers.  District  boards  or  dis- 
trict conferences  should  take  the  ini- 
tiative in  this  matter.  Regional 
boards  and  staffs  should  serve  to 
encourage  and  facilitate  the  consid- 
erations by  districts  of  merger.  We 
suggest  the  following  steps  as  a 
guide  for  the  districts: 

1.  The  boards  of  the  districts  re- 
lated to  a  proposed  merger  should 
plan  promptly  for  a  joint  meeting 
to  study  the  matter  of  realignment. 
This  study  should  include  purposes, 
procedures,  and  time  schedule  for 
realignment. 

2.  Functional  co-operation,  as 
stated  in  the  report  of  last  year 
(1959),  should  be  initiated  as  soon 
as  possible  and  boldly  carried  for- 
ward in  such  areas  as  (1)  Joint 
meetings  of  district  boards,  commis- 
sions, and  cabinets  for  conversations 
and  planning  for  joint  programs  of 
action;  (2)  Joint  conferences,  work- 
shops, laboratory  schools,  rallies, 
and  inspirational  meetings  on  all 
levels;  (3)  Joint  planning  by  repre- 
sentatives of  institutions,  such  as 
camps  and  home  for  the  aged;  (4) 
Planning  of  joint  field  programs  by 
the  co-operating  boards. 

VI.  The  Role  of  the  Region  in  the 
Process  of  Realignment 

We  believe  the  region  should 
have  an  important  role  in  this  period 
of  reorganization.  In  addition  to 
carrying  on  all  emphases  now  con- 
sidered to  be  their  normal  function, 
they  should  give  special  guidance 
to  the  districts  in  the  interpretation 
and  implementation  of  the  new  or- 
ganization. During  this  transition 
period,  it  will  also  be  necessary  to 
review  the  policy  of  financing  the 
regions. 

The  committee  is  aware  that 
problems  will  arise  as  the  region 
tends  to  function  less  and  less  as  an 
administrative  unit.  Present  pat- 
terns concerning  General  Brother- 
hood Board  membership,  location  of 
the  Annual  Conference,  support  for 
our  colleges,  and  membership  in  in- 
terdenominational councils,  will  need 
to  be  adjusted.  We  believe  these 
problems  can  and  will  be  resolved 
as  we  move  toward  this  proposed 
pattern  for  district  and  regional 
alignment. 

VII.  Conferences 

The  judgment  of  the  committee 
was  fully  reinforced  by  responses  in 
the  "listening  consultations"  that  the 
district  conferences  should  provide 
in  order  of  priority  for  the  (1)  trans- 


action of  business;  (2)  promotion  of 
program;  (3)  interpretation  of  pro- 
gram; (4)  reporting  progress  of 
program;  (5)  training  of  leadership; 
(6)  providing  of  inspiration;  (7)  cul- 
tivating of  fellowship. 

It  is  assumed  that  when  the  full 
implementation  of  the  proposed 
alignment  takes  place,  the  new  ad- 
ministrative unit  will  include  in  its 
conference  program  all  the  values 
previously  carried  in  both  the 
district  and  regional  conference 
programs. 

Moyne  Landis,  chairman 

Norman  J.  Baugher 

Lyle  Klotz 

J.  H.  Mathis 

Ronald  Rowland 

Edward  K.  Ziegler 

Gorman  E.  Zook 

Review  of  Pastors' 
Salaries 

I.  Scope 

The  committee  felt  that  before 
any  attempt  should  be  made  to  set 
up  any  recommended  salary  levels, 
a  certain  amount  of  study  and 
sampling  of  opinion  would  be  ad- 
visable. Questionnaires  were  there- 
fore sent  to  more  than  fifty  pastors, 
fifty  laymen,  members  of  the  Min- 
istry and  Home  Mission  Commis- 
sion, all  five  regional  secretaries,  and 
thirty  denominational  headquarters 
offices.  Salaries  in  educational  and 
social  pursuits  were  studied,  using 
such  sources  as  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association.  Reports  were  ob- 
tained from  the  National  Council  of 
Churches,  which  has  initiated 
studies  on  the  subject.  Many  ar- 
ticles on  the  subject  were  read  and 
there  was  considerable  inquiry 
on  the  part  of  all  members  of  the 
committee. 

II.  Observations 

Salaries  have  not  been  adequate, 
generally,  for  pastors  to  furnish  their 
homes,  support  their  families,  edu- 
cate their  children,  provide  for 
professional  growth,  and  build  ade- 
quate retirement  benefits. 

Frequently,  salaries  have  not  kept 
pace  with  the  inflationary  trends  af- 
fecting salaries  in  general.  Yet,  cost 
of  living  has  steadily  risen.  Accord- 
ing to  the  National  Industrial  Con- 
ference Board,  it  took  $7,035  salary 
in  1959  to  equal  the  purchasing 
power  of  $3,000  in  1939,  consider- 
ing a  married  worker  with  two  chil- 
dren. Accordingly,  many  of  our 
pastors,    in    effect,    make   less    than 


MAY  14,  1960 


23 


they  did  in  1939.  Fortunately,  how- 
ever, this  is  not  always  the  case, 
and  many  churches  are  to  be  com- 
mended for  their  taking  hold  of 
this  situation  and  rectifying  it. 

Quite  a  few  pastors  find  it  neces- 
sary to  supplement  their  salaries 
with  income  from  side  jobs,  personal 
investments,  or  their  wives'  employ- 
ment. Some  pastors  have  left  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  accepting 
pastorates  in  other  denominations  or 
securing  positions  of  a  secular 
nature. 

Small  churches  frequently  find  it 
necessary  to  accept  the  less  qualified 
and  less  effective  pastors  because 
they  feel  they  cannot  afford  more 
valuable  leadership.  Some  churches 
which  have  closed  might  have  re- 
mained open  and  might  have  grown, 
had  they  had  adequate,  aggressive 
leadership. 

The  pastor's  salary  seems  to  be 
a  symptom  of  the  church's  attitude 
toward  the  professional  role  of 
the  pastor.  The  transition  within  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  from  the 
free  ministry  to  the  pastoral  rela- 
tionship is  a  long  process,  and  may 
have  some  bearing  on  the  view 
toward  the  pastor,  as  contrasted 
with  other  denominations  which 
have  had  the  pastoral  ministry  for 
a  longer  period  of  time. 

III.  Importance     of     the     Pastoral 
Ministry 

The  work  of  the  pastor  as  teacher, 
preacher,  evangelist,  spiritual  coun- 
selor, and  comforter  to  the  sick  and 
sorrowing  surely  bears  witness  to  his 
high  calling.  Surely  these  aspects 
of  the  work  of  Christ  demand  the 
best  minds,  the  finest  personalities, 
the  best-trained  people  that  are  to 
be  found.  This  high  calling  is  from 
God.  Paul  said  in  Eph.  4  that  God 
has  called  some  to  be  pastors.  In 
the  tenth  chapter  of  Luke  our  Lord 
himself  said,  "The  laborer  is  worthy 
of  his  hire."  Again  Paul  said  in  1 
Cor.  9,  "The  Lord  has  ordered  that 
those  who  proclaim  the  gospel 
should  receive  their  livelihood  from 
those  who  accept  the  gospel"  (Phil- 
lips translation).  The  church  must 
bring  its  view  of  the  high  calling  up 
to  the  level  which  God  has  of  it. 

The  future  of  the  church  depends 
largely  on  pastoral  leadership.  Spe- 
cial attention  to  the  recruiting  of 
finer  caliber  pastors  is  surely  like 
casting  bread  upon  the  waters.  A 
little  attention  to  this  important  area 
will  be  rewarded  many  times  over 
through    increased    church    growth 


and  improved  general  spiritual 
health  of  the  church. 

A  pastor  is  a  professional  man, 
and  his  status  in  the  church  needs 
to  be  upgraded.  His  B.D.  degree 
requires  three  years  of  seminary 
study  over  and  above  his  four  years 
in  college.  He  generally  spends  al- 
most as  much  time  in  school  as  does 
the  medical  doctor.  He  has  training 
comparable  in  many  ways  to  that 
of  the  professor  with  a  Ph.D.,  law- 
yer, or  other  professional  person,  all 
of  whose  salaries  are  generally  much 
higher  than  his  own. 

Although  pastors  are  the  servants 
of  the  church,  they  should  be  per- 
mitted the  joy  of  giving  to  the 
church  through  voluntary  personal 
commitment.  A  pastor  should  not 
be  expected  to  subsidize  the  pro- 
gram of  the  church  through  a  be- 
low-standard salary. 

A  pastor  has  the  right  to  expect 
that  when  he  is  called  to  a  pastorate 
in  a  new  place  he  not  suffer  loss  of 
economic  status,  but  rather  continue 
a  steady  growth  toward  retirement. 
His  years  of  service  should  be  con- 
sidered in  accordance  with  Brother- 
hood salary  standards  in  negotiating 
the  new  salary. 

IV.  Recommendations 

1.  It  is  recommended  that  the  ac- 
companying table  be  used  in  de- 
termining minimum  salary  levels, 
not  only  for  the  seminary  graduate, 
but  for  all  those  in  the  pastoral 
ministry: 


nel,  size  of  church,  rural  vs.  urban 
status,  and  any  other  factors  pecul- 
iar to  a  given  situation,  adjusting  the 
base  figure  accordingly. 

Churches  will  want  to  recognize 
outstanding  leadership  and  addi- 
tional graduate  training  and,  be- 
cause of  these  factors,  add  to  the 
minimum  table  figures  as  they  feel 
led  to  do  so. 

It  is  suggested  that  all  churches 
work  toward  effecting  this  salary 
plan  as  soon  as  possible.  The  com- 
mittee concurs  with  the  thinking  of 
the  1959  Annual  Conference  query 
which  asked  for  a  similar  "layman's 
look"  at  pastors'  salaries  in  five 
years. 

3.  The  committee  recommends 
that  the  travel  expense  in  connection 
with  pastoral  service  be  paid  by  the 
church  as  an  item  separate  from  the 
salary.  Due  to  vast  differences  be- 
tween churches  as  to  driving  re- 
quirements, the  committee  feels  that 
each  congregation  should  ask  its 
pastor  to  keep  a  record  of  all  driving 
for  the  church  during  a  typical 
three-month  period.  This  mileage 
would  then  be  used  for  calculating 
the  annual  allowance  for  automobile 
use  at  the  rate  of  at  least  8c  per 
mile.  Such  figure  should  then  be 
included  in  the  budget  on  a  regular 
basis  as  a  separate  item  over  and 
above  the  base  salary  schedule  listed 
above. 

4.  The  committee  recommends 
that  more  attention  be  given  to  the 


Salary  Standardization  Table 

Seminary  Graduates  and  "Inservice"  Pastors 

Effective  September  1,  1960 

( Suggested  salaries  do  not  include  parsonage,  travel  expense,  and  other  allowances  ) 


Years  of 

Column  A 

Column  B 

Pastoral 

Less  Than  Complete 

Seminary  Degree 

Ministry 

Seminary  Training 

(B.D.) 

0 

$3,800  (Minimum) 

$4,200  (Minimum) 

1 

3,900 

4,400 

2 

4,000 

4,600 

3 

4,100 

4,800 

4 

4,200 

5,000 

5 

4,300 

5,150 

6 

4,400 

5,300 

7 

4,500 

5,450 

8 

4,600 

5,600 

9 

4,700 

5,750 

10 

4,800 

5,900 

11 

4,900 

6,050 

12 

5,000 

6,200 

13 

6,300 

14 

6,400 

15 

6,500 

24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


2.  After  finding  base  salary  as 
suggested  by  the  table,  churches 
should  take  into  account  such  fac- 
tors as  workload,  additional  person- 


adequacy  of  parsonages.  Parsonages 
or  rental  allowances  should  always 
be  provided.  Any  allowance  should 
be    large    enough    to    include    such 


items  as  are  customarily  provided 
with  parsonages;  for  example,  the 
telephone  which  is  used  predomi- 
nantly for  church  business.  Careful 
attention  should  be  given  to  placing 
the  pastor  in  a  home  which  is  in 
keeping  with  his  position  in  the 
church  and  community. 

5.  It  is  recommended  that  every 
church  encourage  its  pastor  to  enroll 
in  a  hospitalization  plan,  preferably 
that  provided  by  the  Brotherhood 
Board,  and  the  church  pay  at  least 
the  recommended  portion  of  the 
premiums. 

6.  A  pastor  is  entitled  to  an  ade- 
quate pension  in  his  advanced  years. 
Every  church  should  therefore  enter 
into  a  pension  relationship  with  its 
pastor,  paying  the  customary  share 
of  the  contributions. 

7.  It  is  recommended  that  a 
handbook  for  pastoral  boards  be 
printed,  which  will  include  the 
major  items  in  this  report,  along 
with  other  information  involving 
procedure  and  policy  as  may  be  de- 
veloped by  the  Ministry  and  Home 
Mission  Commission. 

When  a  pastoral  change  is  con- 
templated, the  district  or  regional 
secretary  should  see  that  the  hand- 
book is  referred  to  by  the  church 
boards  involved. 

8.  The  committee  recommends 
that  the  districts  and  the  Brother- 
hood continue  to  supplement  salaries 
wherever  the  need  and  the  opportu- 
nities justify,  bringing  as  many  sal- 
aries up  to  the  minimum  schedule  as 
possible. 

Clifford  B.  Huffman,  chairman 

Gerald  Deal 

J.  L.  Mullendore 

F.  Willard  Powers 

Martin  Stine 

New  Business 

Amendments  to  the  Pension  Plan 

I.  In  the  judgment  of  the  Pension 
Board  it  is  desirable  and  necessary 
that  the  Ministerial  and  Missionary 
Pension  Plan  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  be  further  amended.  As 
provided  in  the  Pension  Plan,  there- 
fore, the  Pension  Board  has  adopted 
the  following  amendments,  ad  in- 
terim, and  presents  them  to  Annual 
Conference  of  1960  for  ratification: 

A.  That  Article  VII,  Section  A, 
paragraph  (a)  be  amended  to  read 
as  follows: 

(a)  Upon  the  retirement  of  a 
member  after  attaining  the  age  of 
sixty-five,  his  combined  accumula- 
tion shall  be  applied  as  the  actuarial 
equivalent,  according  to  the  table  of 
rates  adopted  by  the  Pension  Board 


for  such  purpose  and  then  in  force, 
to  provide  an  age-retirement  annuity 
for  the  member  on  the  joint-life  and 
survivor  basis  with  fifty  per  cent  of 
the  member's  annuity  continued  to 
the  widow,  if  their  marriage  took 
place  before  the  member  entered 
upon  such  age-retirement  annuity. 
However,  if  the  member  is  single  at 
the  time  of  his  retirement,  the  calcu- 
lation of  the  amount  of  such  retire- 
ment annuity  shall  be  upon  the 
single-life  basis. 

B.  That  Article  VII,  Section  C, 
be  amended  to  read  as  follows: 

In  the  event  of  the  death  of  a 
member  before  entering  upon  an 
age-retirement  or  a  disability  annu- 
ity, with  a  widow  surviving,  his 
combined  accumulation  shall  be  ap- 
plied as  the  actuarial  equivalent, 
according  to  the  table  of  rates 
adopted  by  the  Pension  Board  for 
such  purpose  and  then  in  force,  to 
provide  a  widow  annuity. 

II.  Based  upon  a  comprehensive 
study  of  other  Protestant  pension 
plans,  the  known  needs  of  retiring 
ministers  and  missionaries,  and  the 
known  inadequacy  of  benefits  of  our 
Pension  Plan  growing  out  of  the 
lowered  purchasing  power  of  the 
dollar,  the  Pension  Board  recom- 
mends to  Annual  Conference  of 
1960  that  the  Pension  Plan  be 
further  amended,  effective  Sept.  1, 
1960,  as  follows: 

A.  That  the  first  paragraph  of 
Article    IV    be    amended    to    read: 

Each  congregation  served  by  a 
member  shall  contribute  an  amount 
equivalent  to  eight  per  cent  of  the 
salary  of  such  member.  Such  con- 
tributions shall  be  items  of  current 
expense  and  not  of  benevolence. 

B.  That  the  following  be  added 
to  Article  VII,  Section  A,  as  para- 
graph (b)  —  with  the  present  par- 
agraph (b)  to  become  (c): 

(b)  A  member  shall  have  the  op- 
tion of  electing  a  reduced  annual 
age-retirement  annuity,  which  will 
provide  that  after  his  death  a  pen- 
sion equal  to  75%  of  his  reduced 
age-retirement  annuity  shall  be  con- 
tinued to  the  widow,  provided  their 
marriage  took  place  before  the 
member  entered  upon  such  age- 
retirement  annuity. 

This  option  shall  be  elected  by  a 
member  before  he  attains  age  sixty. 
If,  after  attaining  age  sixty,  a  mem- 
ber desires  to  elect  this  option,  he 
must  do  so  at  least  six  months  prior 
to  the  date  on  which  benefits  are  to 
begin,  and  must  submit  evidence  of 
good  health  satisfactory  to  the  Pen- 
sion   Board.     The   election   of   such 


option  shall  be  of  no  effect  if  the 
member's  wife  at  the  time  of  the 
election  dies  prior  to  the  member's 
retirement. 

Brotherhood  Fund  Goal 

The  General  Brotherhood  Board 
recommends  that  the  goal  of 
$2,600,000  set  by  the  Annual  Con- 
ference of  1955  be  continued  and 
that  $1,800,000  be  set  as  a  minimum 
goal  for  the  fiscal  year  1960-61. 

The  board  feels  that  the  Brother- 
hood should  continue  to  be  chal- 
lenged by  the  larger  goal  and  to 
move  steadily  toward  its  attainment. 
It  feels  that  the  intermediate  goal 
represents  the  minimum  needed  to 
carry  forward  the  current  program 
and  to  respond  to  those  needs  which 
are  laid  upon  us  with  the  great- 
est urgency.  In  light  of  giving 
$1,617,775  in  the  year  ended  Sept. 
30,  1959,  an  increase  of  $245,842 
over  the  previous  year,  the  board 
believes  the  intermediate  goal  is  an 
attainable  one. 

The  board's  report  interprets  the 
great  world  program  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  made  possible  by 
the  sharing  of  the  membership.  The 
plans  for  the  next  year  are  com- 
parable to  the  program  for  the  cur- 
rent year  except  that  at  several 
important  points  adjustments  are 
contemplated.  For  example,  addi- 
tional funds  are  being  allocated  for 
supplemental  pastoral  supports;  an 
increase  has  been  granted  for  the 
operating  budget  of  the  seminary; 
the  Gospel  Messenger  subsidy  will 
be  increased  to  make  possible  cer- 
tain improvements  for  the  reader; 
the  leadership  development  program 
has  been  added;  a  study  program 
in  Nigeria  will  be  co-sponsored  with 
the  World  Council  of  Churches  and 
the  Nigeria  Christian  Council;  and 
increased  costs  in  all  areas  of  our 
normal  program  will  need  to  be  ab- 
sorbed. The  board,  however,  was 
unable  to  provide  funds  to  meet 
many  of  the  requests  for  assistance 
that  came  to  it  from  projects,  mis- 
sion areas,  congregations,  districts, 
and  agencies  through  which  much 
of  our  work  is  carried  forward. 

The  work  of  the  church  is  the 
Lord's  work.  Our  stewardship  is  for 
the  purpose  of  fulfilling  his  call  to 
the  church.  In  considering  the  rec- 
ommended goal,  the  Conference 
delegates  and  the  entire  Brother- 
hood are  urged  to  think  seriously  of 
the  need  to  attain  the  goal  in  its 
entirety. 


MAY  14.  1960 


25 


The  principality  of  Liechtenstein  will 
add  this  stamp  to  its  regular  issues 
which  show  customs  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  tiny  Alpine  land.    Entitled  Grace  at 
Table  the  picture  joins  stamps  showing 
activities  such  as  woodcutting,  apple 
harvesting,  etc. 


In  a  unique  gesture  of  international 
co-operation  seventy  nations  issued 
simultaneous  commemorative  postage 
stamps  on  April  7,  honoring  World 
Refugee  Year.  The  United  States  is 
among  the  nations.  Pictured  are  some  of 
the  stamps  issued 

Religious  News  Service 


Obituaries 


Price,  Osway,  son  of  Henry  and  Mar- 
garet Utz  Price,  was  born  Oct.  2,  1876, 
and  died  Feb.  3,  1960.  He  was  married 
to  Alice  Martha  Wysong  on  Aug.  2, 
1896.  Surviving  are  three  sons,  one 
sister,  four  grandchildren,  and  seven 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Brookville  church, 
with  Bro.  Fred  Hollingshead  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  parish  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  W.  Russell  Miller,  Brookville, 
Ohio. 

Routzahn,  Morris,  died  at  Dayton, 
Ohio,  Feb.  11,  1960,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Lower  Miami  church,  Ohio. 
Surviving  are  one  sister  and  one  broth- 
er. The  funeral  service  was  conducted 
by  Rev.  Percy  Miller.  Interment  was 
in  the  Hillgrove  cemetery.  —  Lulie 
Laprad,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Stine,  A.  M.,  son  of  William  and 
Sarah  Stine,  was  born  March  19,  1871, 
and  died  Oct.  24,  1959.  He  was  mar- 
ried first  to  Alice  Culp,  who  died  in 
1925,  and  then  to  Mrs.  Bertha  Miller 
Neher,  who  died  in  1948.  He  was 
later  married  to  Mrs.  Hattie  Frantz. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Manchester 
church,  Ind.,  and  a  minister  and  elder 
for  many  years.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
seven  children,  and  thirty-five  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Manchester  church  by  the  un- 
dersigned, and  at  the  Panther  Creek 
church,  Iowa.  Interment  was  at  Adel, 
Iowa.  —  Hubert  R.  Newcomer,  North 
Manchester,  Ind. 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Switzer,  Harry  I.,  was  born  Sept.  14, 
1868,  and  died  Feb.  29,  1960.  He 
united  with  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
early  in  life.  In  1889,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Henrietta  Root,  who 
preceded  him  in  death.  Surviving  are 
one  daughter,  one  son,  two  grandchil- 
dren, two  brothers,  and  one  sister.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Ira  W.  Gibbel  from  the  Newcomer  fu- 
neral home.  Interment  was  in  the  Me- 
morial park  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Gertrude 
Gaba,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Ullery,  Clem,  son  of  Stephen  A.  and 
Sarah  Hildebrand  Ullery,  was  born 
Oct.  14,  1882,  at  Plymouth,  Ind.,  and 
died  Feb.  13,  1960,  at  Kramlin,  Mont. 
On  Nov.  28,  1906,  he  was  married  to 
Mary  Jane  Baker,  who  preceded  him 
in  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  served 
as  a  deacon  for  many  years.  Surviving 
are  one  son,  three  daughters,  one  sis- 
ter, eleven  grandchildren,  and  two 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  by  Bro.  Byard  Sny- 
der at  the  Holland  and  Bonine  funeral 
home,  Havre,  Mont.  Interment  was  in 
the  Highland  Park  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  C. 
E.  Williams,  Kremlin,  Mont. 

Ulrey,  Ira  Oscar,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Susanna  Ulrey,  was  born  at  Pyrmont, 
Ind.,  Feb.  20,  1886,  and  died  Dec.  8, 
1959,  at  Sunfield,  Mich.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Jennie  Frantz  on  Aug.  28, 
1949.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  since  a  teen- 
ager. He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  two 
step-daughters,  and  eight  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held 
by  Bro.  Charles  Gibbs.  Interment  was 
in  the  Sunfield  cemetery.  —  Rose  Gibbs, 
Sunfield,   Mich. 


Walter,  George  R.,  son  of  J.  Emory 
and  Artie  Mae  Eckhardt  Walter,  was 
born  June  18,  1900,  at  King,  Bedford 
County,  Pa.,  and  died  Jan.  29,  1960. 
He  was  married  to  Ethel  A.  Manges 
on  Dec.  18,  1918.  He  was  a  very 
active  member  of  the  Sugar  Run 
church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  one 
son,  two  daughters,  two  brothers,  and 
one  half  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  Clark  funeral  home 
by  the  undersigned,  assisted  by  Bro. 
Roy  Myers.  Interment  was  in  Holli- 
daysburg.  —  Albert  M.  Haught,  Mount 
Union,  Pa. 

Welch,  Edith,  daughter  of  Melvin 
and  Caroline  Brown  Eastbridge,  was 
bom  in  Clifton,  N.  C,  Feb.  28,  1886, 
and  died  in  Hastings,  Mich.,  Feb.  17, 
1960.  On  June  3,  1903,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  David  Welch,  who  preceded 
her  in  death.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Hope  church,  Mich.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  two  daughters,  two  sons,  two 
brothers,  ten  grandchildren,  and  three 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Hope  church  by 
Bro.  Rommie  Moore.  Interment  was 
at  the  Roseland  cemetery,  Royal  Oak, 
Mich.  —  Wilmina  Wieland,  Freeport, 
Mich. 

Weybright,  Absalom  Miller,  son  of 
John  and  Evangeline  Weybright,  was 
born  April  14,  1887,  at  West  Milton, 
Ohio,  and  died  Feb.  8,  1960.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. He  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Carrie  Baily  on  Sept.  15,  1912.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  three  daughters, 
nine  grandchildren,  nine  great-grand- 
children, one  brother,  and  three  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
Bro.  Wilbur  Hoover  at  the  Ustick 
funeral  home,   Rocky  Ford,   Colo.    In- 


terment  was  in  the  Rocky  Ford  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  O.  C.  Frantz,  Rocky  Ford, 
Colo. 

Williams,  Charles  L.,  was  born  July 
19,  1868,  in  Illinois  City,  111.,  and  died 
Feb.  21,  1960,  at  Oklahoma  City,  Okla. 
Surviving  are  two  sons  and  seventeen 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  the  undersigned  at  the 
Street  and  Draper  funeral  home.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Ames  cemetery.  — 
Van  B.  Wright,  Oklahoma  City,  Okla. 

Wine,  Mary  S.,  daughter  of  Frank 
and  Amanda  Mellinger  Buckingham, 
was  born  Aug.  12,  1878,  in  Makin 
County,  III,  and  died  Feb.  2,  1960,  in 
Columbia  City,  Ind.  On  Dec.  22,  1910, 
she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lester 
Wine.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Pleasant  View  church,  Ind.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  husband,  one  daughter, 
and  one  grandson.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  Pleasant  View  church 
by  Bro.  Albert  Whitmore  and  Rev. 
John  Moran.  Interment  was  in  the 
South  Whitley  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Amsa 
Snell,  South  Whitley,  Ind. 

Wolfe,  Daniel,  was  born  Oct.  25, 
1863,  near  LaFayette,  Ind.,  and  died 
Jan.  11,  1960,  at  Ardmore,  Okla.  He 
was  first  united  in  marriage  to  Amanda 
Neher,  who  died  in  1944.  In  June 
1953,  he  was  married  to  Mattie  Patter- 
son. He  joined  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  at  the  age  of  sixteen;  later  he 
went  with  the  Dunker  Brethren.  In 
1905,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  one 
daughter,  two  brothers,  one  sister, 
eight  grandchildren,  twenty-three  great- 
grandchildren, and  fourteen  great- 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  in  the  Jones  Methodist  church 
by  Bro.  Van  B.  Wright,  assisted  by  Rev. 
Franklin  Marlin,  the  pastor.  Interment 
was  in  the  I.O.O.F.  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
John  Miller,  Oklahoma  City,  Okla. 

Young,  Alice,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Margaret  Hamm  Neff,  was  born  Jan. 
29,  1873,  and  died  Dec.  12,  1959.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Manchester 
church,  Ind.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  A.  C.  Young,  three  children, 
and  two  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  by  the  undersigned. 
Interment  was  in  the  Oak  Lawn  ceme- 
tery. —  Hubert  R.  Newcomer,  North 
Manchester,  Ind. 

Zirk,  David  Enoch,  was  born  in 
Hardy  County,  W.  Va.,  Oct.  5,  1887, 
and  died  Feb.  28,  1960.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Mt.  Cafmel  church,  Va., 
and  served  as  a  deacon  for  many  years. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  one  daugh- 
ter, three  sons,  one  brother,  fourteen 
grandchildren,  and  eight  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Mt.  Carmel  church  by  the  under- 
signed, assisted  by  Bro.  J.  Calen  Wam- 
pler.  Interment  was  in  the  Davis 
cemetery.  —  O.  F.  Bowman,  Harrison- 
burg, Va. 


Church  News 

Northern  California 

Fresno  —  Dr.  and  Mrs.  H.  F.  Richards 
have  been  serving  the  church  on  an 
interim  basis  since  Sept.  1.  The  annual 
school  of  missions  was  held  for  five 
Sunday  evenings.  On  March  13,  we 
began  the  school  of  religion  for  all  age 


groups.  Since  the  first  of  the  year,  the 
fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  graders  have 
had  their  own  junior  church  service. 
They  meet  in  the  sanctuary  for  the 
worship  service  and  children's  story, 
then  go  to  die  chapel  for  their  own 
service.  On  Ash  Wednesday  we  had 
an  all-day  prayer  vigil.  The  chancel 
choir  gave  the  Easter  portion  of  the 
Messiah  on  Palm  Sunday  evening.  Five 
of  our  church  members  attended  the 
regional  conference  in  Nampa.  Three 
prayer  groups  meet  at  different  times 
each  week.  An  evangelism  visitation 
has  just  been  completed  in  which  more 
than  100  homes  were  visited.  —  Irene 
Armey,  Fresno,  Calif. 

Modesto  —  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Leland 
A.  Nelson,  tendered  his  resignation  as 
pastor  of  the  church  effective  Sept.  1. 
A  district  conference  on  goals  and  pro- 
gram was  held  at  our  church,  March 
19-20,  directed  by  Brethren  Forest 
Eisenbise  and  Jeff  Mathis.  The  Law- 
rence Clarks,  missionaries  from  our 
church  provided  a  tape-recorded  pro- 
gram from  their  place  of  service  in 
Nigeria  for  one  session  of  our  school  of 
missions.  A  conference  on  Christ  and 
world  need  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Charles  A.  Wells.  The  peace  action 
committee  of  the  church  is  responsible 
for  a  current  events  session  one  Sunday 
evening  each  month.  The  young  people 
are  planning  activities  to  raise  funds  to 
bring  and  send  a  student  under  the 
exchange  student  program.  During 
March  we  had  a  prayer  vigil  on  Ash 
Wednesday,  a  school  of  evangelism 
each  Sunday  evening,  and  a  deacons' 
visitation  to  every  home.  We  are  look- 
ing forward  to  a  conference  on  Christ 
and  Human  Need  at  which  Bro.  Paul 
E.  Miller  will  be  speaker.  Bro.  Arnold 
Mower,  our  intern  pastor,  has  been 
appointed  to  serve  as  our  summer 
pastor.  Fellowship  Homes,  a  project 
to  provide  housing  and  activities  for 
senior  citizens  has  been  organized.  — 
Mrs.  Ralph  W.  Webber,  Modesto,  Calif. 

Oakland  —  As  part  of  the  Call  pro- 
gram we  had  an  all-member  visitation, 
followed  by  a  loyalty  dinner  in  which 
the  entire  church  participated.  On 
Layman's  Sunday,  Bro.  Ovid  Barklow 
brought  the  message.  Dr.  Clara  Wood, 
former  pastor  of  our  church,  was  guest 
speaker  on  one  Sundav.  Bro.  Forest 
S.  Eisenbise  conducted  a  service  in 
which  the  district  acknowledged  the 
permanent  ordination  of  Dr.  Clara 
Wood  to  the  ministry.  We  participated 
with  our  neighboring  churches  in  a 
Thanksgiving  Day  worship  service,  at 
which  our  pastor  gave  the  message. 
Brethren  Herbert  Ruthrauff  and  I. 
V.  Funderburgh  presented  the  film, 
Treasures  in  Heaven,  and  spoke  in  be- 
half of  La  Verne  College.  We  had  our 
mission  study  in  homes  in  five  areas 
of  the  congregation.  We  joined  with 
churches  of  the  community  in  the 
World  Day  of  Prayer.  The  women's 
fellowship  has  been  making  comforters 
for  relief  and  has  supervised  the  col- 
lection of  usable  clothing  for  relief  in 
disaster  areas.  —  Mrs.  Carl  D.  Woodv, 
Oakland,  Calif. 

Paradise  —  At  our  school  of  missions 
during  Januarv,  our  pastor,  Bro.  Joe 
Campbell,  had  the  first  session;  this 
was  followed  bv  sessions  at  which  C. 
Ernest  Davis,  Forest  S.  Eisenbise  and 
Suzanne  Gardner  spoke.  The  showing 
of  the  film,  In  the  Footsteps  of  the 
Witch    Doctor,    concluded    the    school. 


YOUR 
FAMILY 
,     GOES 

CAMPING 


■■ 


DORIS  T.  PATTERSON 


Writing  specifically  for 
the  family  that  wants 
to  go  camping,  the  author 
begins  with  the  planning 
stage  of  outdoor  adventure. 
Stressing  simple,  inexpensive 
equipment,  she  tells  what  to 
take,  how  to  take  it,  and 
what  to  do  with  it  upon 
arrival.    There  are  recipes, 
illustrations,  maps,  games, 
crafts,  and  an  entire  chapter 
devoted  to  taking  baby  to 
camp  in  comfort  and  safety. 
In  addition,  there  is  an 
appendix  with  six  suggested 
tent  tours  and  another  which 
tells  where  to  write  for 
information  on  state  and 
national  parks. 

Cloth,  $2.50;  paper,  $1.50 

J 

Church  of  ihe  Brethren/ 

General  Offices 

V      Elgin,  Illinois        / 

\ 


■■■:■>;■; 

J 


Our  pastor  attended  regional  conference 
in  Nampa.  We  are  looking  forward  to 
a  week  of  evangelistic  services  by  W. 
T.  Luckett,  beginning  May  1.  —  Mrs. 
Dorothy   Regnier,   Paradise,   Calif. 

South  Modesto  Community  —  Bro. 
Forrest  Eisenbise  was  speaker  when  our 
pastor,  Bro.  Florian  Cripe,  was  in- 
stalled on  Nov.  8.  Bro.  Leland  Nelson 
was  elected  moderator  for  diis  year  at 
our  regular  council  meeting.  The  new- 
ly organized  chapel  and  junior  choirs 
presented  our  Christmas  program.  The 
CBYF  was  host  recently  to  a  speaker 
from  the  Alcoholics  Anonymous.  They 
have  combined  with  the  adults  for  a 
panel  discussion  on  youth-parent  re- 
lationship and  a  meeting  and  pictures 
on  India  by  Bro.  Marvin  Goodman,  Sr., 
former  missionary  to  India.  Our  pastor 
is  conducting  weekly  sessions  on  die 
study    of    the    Old    Testament.      Jim 


MAY  14,  1960 


27 


We  have  an  overstock  of 

The  OLD  TESTAMENT  and 
the  FINE  ARTS 

Compiled  by 
CYNTHIA  PEARL  MAUS 

This  book  is  a  companion  volume  to  Christ  and  the  Fine  Arts.  It  is  an 
anthology  of  world  famous  pictures,  poetry,  music  and  stories  inspired 
by  the  great  themes  of  the  Old  Testament.  From  the  Genesis  story  of 
creation  through  to  the  return  of  the  remnant  to  Jerusalem,  the  work  of 
the  scribes,  and  the  awaiting  of  the  Messiah  —  the  high  lights  of  the  Old 
Testament  are  retold. 

Regular  price:  $5.95  Sale  price:  $3.95 

This  offer  is  good  for  30  days  only 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  111. 


Martin,  BVS  worker  from  Pennsylvania, 
is  serving  in  our  church  and  recrea- 
tional program.  The  evangelistic  com- 
mittee has  planned  an  evangelism 
campaign  ending  with  a  week  of  meet- 
ings by  Bro.  Claude  Dadisman.  Our 
church  building  is  being  redecorated 
outside  and  the  girls'  and  boys'  clubs 
have  made  a  large  name  sign  for  the 
church  lawn.  —  Elsie  L.  Luke,  Modesto, 
Calif. 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 

Lynnhaven  Community  —  Our  new 
minister,  Bro.  Paul  E.  Alwine,  with  his 
wife,  Kay,  and  son,  Michael,  arrived  in 
Phoenix  in  September.  Bro.  Donovan 
Speaker  was  our  minister  while  Brother 
Alwine  and  his  family  attended  district 
conference  in  California.  Our  women's 
group  participated  in  the  World  Com- 
munity Day  service.  We  have  adopted 
for  an  indefinite  period  of  time  a  family 
with  eight  children.  We  recently  par- 
ticipated with  the  churches  in  the  val- 
ley in  an  evangelism  crusade  at  which 
time  Bro.  Stanley  Keller  visited  us.  A 
junior  choir  has  been  organized.  Sunday 
night  Bible  classes  are  conducted  by 
Brother  Alwine.  Membership  classes  are 
to  begin  soon.  We  plan  to  use  the 
Hawaiian  theme  for  our  mother- 
daughter  banquet.  —  Mrs.  T.  G.  Comon, 
Phoenix,  Ariz. 

Western  Canada 

Second  Irricana  —  Miss  Adelia  Craw- 
ford has  completed  her  one  year  of 
volunteer  service.    She  spent  the  great- 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


er  part  of  the  year  working  at  Lybrook 
Navajo  mission  in  New  Mexico.  Miss 
Sandra  McCune,  our  other  BVS  worker, 
is  in  Puerto  Rico.  —  Mrs.  Barbara  Wade, 
Lyalta,  Alberta,  Canada. 

Idaho  and  Western  Montana 

Mountain  View  — We  are  observing 
the  Call  to  Discipleship  program  with 
several  teams  helping  our  pastor.  The 
young  people  purchased  new  draperies 
for  our  sanctuary.  Our  pastor's  wife 
has  organized  a  junior  choir.  Our 
church  was  host  to  the  district  board  of 
administration  and  the  district  work- 
shop of  all  church  leaders.  Several  of 
our  members  attended  the  regional  con- 
ference at  Nampa.  Brethren  Jeff  Mathis 
and  Galen  Ogden  gave  interesting  talks 
which  helped  us  in  our  local  church. 
Our  pastor  is  conducting  a  class  in 
membership  and  doctrine  each  Wednes- 
day evening.  We  have  had  a  thirty-five 
per  cent  increase  in  attendance.  —  Nellie 
Moore,  Boise,  Idaho. 

Nampa  —  The  Pacific  Coast  regional 
conference  held  in  the  Nampa  church 
with  sister  churches  Bowmont  and 
Boise  Valley  as  co-hosts,  was  marked 
by  a  large  attendance,  great  interest, 
and  good  speakers.  Five  young  people 
took  part  in  the  peace  and  citizenship 
speech  contest.  Winner  of  first  place 
was  Dean  Hiser  from  Medford,  Oregon. 
We  are  working  on  the  undershepherd 
plan  with  deacons  as  shepherds.  Bro. 
Leland  Nelson  held  our  evangelistic 
meetings,  March  21-27.  The  World 
Day  of  Prayer  was  held  March  4;  as 
a  follow-up  one  person  directed  a  prayer 
vigil  each  day  until  Easter.  The  mother- 
daughter  banquet  was  held  on  March 


15.  Our  mission  study  classes  closed 
with  a  typical  African  market  day 
under  the  leadership  of  Doris  and 
Marvin  Blough,  former  missionaries  in 
Nigeria.  One  evening  an  African  stu- 
dent in  a  nearby  college  and  also  a 
traveler  who  had  visited  Africa  spoke. 
One  of  our  Sunday  school  classes  gave 
money  for  the  education  of  a  student 
in  Nigeria.  —  Ottie  DeCoursey,  Nampa. 
Idaho. 

Oregon 

Albany,    Sunrise    Community  —  We 

now  have  a  100%  Gospel  Messenger 
club  in  the  church.  We  received  a 
new  couple  by  letter.  Various  groups 
have  been  working  to  tile  and  carpet 
the  sanctuary  of  our  church.  Galen 
Ogden,  Jeff  Mathis,  and  members  of 
the  district  board  of  Oregon  were  here 
in  January  to  meet  with  the  church. 
We  had  a  mission  study  on  Sunday 
evenings  in  January.  The  women's 
fellowship  had  a  meeting  in  February 
with  emphasis  on  family  life.  The 
young  adult  fellowship  has  been  hav- 
ing monthly  meetings.  A  birthday 
dinner  was  held  in  February.  Our 
pastor,  Bro.  Carl  Simmons,  was  elected 
president  of  the  Albany  Council  of 
Churches.  Our  church  took  part  in  the 
World  Day  of  Prayer  program.  Our 
love  feast  was  observed  on  April  14. 
We  purchased  a  new  electric  range  for 
the  pastor's  home.  —  Mrs.  Harley  F. 
Hoover,  Lebanon,  Oregon. 

Washington 

Covington  —  On  Jan.  3  our  guest 
speaker  was  Dr.  Ernest  Hood,  who 
showed  pictures  and  gave  a  message 
about  alcohol.  Our  youth  group  has 
been  holding  services  at  the  old  folks' 
home.  We  have  received  twelve  new 
members.  Prayer  meetings  are  held  in 
the  homes.  Miss  Hazel  Rothrock  gave 
a  presentation  of  foreign  missions  in 
China  and  Africa.  Lucille  Cayford,  our 
BVS  pastor's  assistant,  showed  pictures 
and  gave  a  talk  about  Brethren  volun- 
teer service.  On  Jan.  31  the  program 
was  carried  out  by  our  youth.  Miss 
Cayford  has  started  a  junior  choir.  We 
are  now  building  a  new  addition  to  our 
Sunday  school;  with  the  community 
growing  our  present  rooms  are  over- 
crowded. —  Mrs.  Lillie  Lontz,  Kent, 
Wash. 

Seattle,  Lakewood  Community  —  Af- 
ter our  February  fellowship  dinner  we 
enjoyed  a  visit  with  Miss  Edna 
Switzer,  who  gave  a  talk  and  showed 
slides  of  the  mission  work  in  Ecuador. 
Plans  have  been  made  to  purchase  a 
new  pipe  organ.  Three  clubs  have 
been  organized,  consisting  of  young 
couples,  middle,  and  senior  adult 
groups.  We  have  a  weekly  Bible  study 
class  on  Tuesday  afternoon  with  James 
W.  Brumbaugh  as  our  leader.  During 
Lent  a  prayer  service  was  held  every 
Thursday  evening.  New  members 
were  taken  into  the  church  on  Palm 
Sunday.  —  Mabel  E.  Pope,  Seattle, 
Wash. 

Seattle,  Olympic  View  Community 
—  On  Feb.  7,  Boy  Scout  Sunday,  four 
boys,  members  of  our  church,  received 
their  God  and  Country  award  pins. 
Susan  Rombeck  described  her  trip  to 
Europe  to  a  group  in  the  church.  The 
women's  fellowship  had  as  their  guest 
speaker  on  March  2  Bro.  Dewey  Rowe, 
who   talked   on   the    Organization    and 


Beliefs  of  Our  Church.  March  was  the 
twelfth  anniversary  of  our  church. 
March  6  was  also  camping  Sunday;  the 
goal  this  year  for  the  camp  is  the 
construction  of  three  more  cabins, 
extending  the  electrical  power,  and 
completing  the  pump  house.  Our 
church  attendance  campaign  from  Jan. 
1  until  Easter  has  enlarged  and  deep- 
ened our  fellowship.  —  Mrs.  Calder 
Muirhead,  Seattle,  Wash. 

North  Dakota  and  Eastern  Montana 

Cando  —  Our  former  pastor,  Bro.  Syl- 
vus  Flora,  accepted  a  call  to  the  Bethel 
church  at  Carleton,  Nebr.,  and  on  Oct. 
1,  Bro.  Ernest  Walker  became  our 
pastor.  For  our  fall  evangelistic  meet- 
ings Bro.  Warren  Shoemaker  was  guest 
speaker.  Bro.  Floyd  Bantz,  Western 
Begion  secretary,  was  with  us  at  a  fel- 
lowship supper.  We  had  union  Thanks- 
giving services  at  the  Assembly  of  God 
church  with  Beverend  Sortland  of  the 
Methodist  church  bringing  the  message. 
Services  of  dedication  for  five  children 
were  held.  Children  of  the  church  pre- 
sented the  program,  Christmas  for 
Christ  and  Christ  for  all.  Classes  in 
church  membership  are  now  in  progress. 
Classes  in  leadership  training  planned 
by  the  boards  of  Christian  Education 
of  the  Cando  and  Pleasant  Valley 
churches  were  held  for  three  days; 
Brethren  Byard  Snyder  and  Ernest  H. 
Walker  were  instructors.  Several  good 
filmstrips  have  been  used  on  Sunday 
evening.  Mission  study  classes  began 
on  Jan.  24.  Bro.  Wayne  Burkhart 
showed  pictures  he  had  taken  of  Alaska, 
at  which  place  he  and  his  family  now 
live.  We  nave  installed  a  new  heating 
system  in  the  parsonage  and  re- 
decorated the  church  interior.  —  Mrs. 
Vernona  Maust,  Cando,  N.  Dak. 

Middle  Indiana 

Manchester  —  On  the  four  Sundays 
preceding  Christmas,  vesper  services 
were  held,  with  a  Christmas  art  festi- 
val on  the  last  Sunday.  A  school  of 
discipleship  and  missions  was  conducted 
during  January  and  February  with 
classes  for  children,  junior  high  stu- 
dents, young  people  and  adults.  Broth- 
er and  Sister  Chalmer  Shull,  who  are 
making  their  home  in  North  Man- 
chester since  returning  from  the  India 
mission  field,  conducted  an  evening 
service,  showing  pictures  and  telling 
about  the  work  of  the  church  in  India. 
Race  Relations  and  Brotherhood  Sun- 
day was  observed  by  our  church  and 
the  Pilgrim  Baptist  church  participating 
in  an  exchange  program.  The  a  cap- 
pella  choir  of  Manchester  College, 
under  the  direction  of  Bro.  Clyde 
Holsinger,  gave  a  concert  of  sacred 
music  at  an  evening  service.  Dr. 
Andrew  W.  Cordier  gave  an  address 
at  a  community  meeting  on  March  20. 
The  Ecclesia  choir  will  present  the 
oratorio,  The  Crucifixion,  on  the  Sun- 
day evening  preceding  Palm  Sunday. 
We  are  looking  forward  to  Holy  Week 
services  when  Bro.  Desmond  Bittinger 
will  be  with  us.  We  will  conclude  the 
meetings  with  a  love  feast  service.  — 
Mrs.  Charles  S.  Morris,  North  Man- 
chester, Ind. 

Markle  —  The  first  quarter  of  the 
church  year  has  shown  a  marked  in- 
crease in  our  attendance.  Plans  for  a 
special  visitation  are  being  made.  The 
church     council     authorized     a     100% 


by 


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A  reply  to  the  question: 
Does  God  care? 

From  a  human  and  practical  view- 
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the  Christian's  sense  of  disquietude 
concerning  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  the 
possibility  of  miracle,  and  the  reality 
of  God's  providential  care.  She  de- 
fines providence;  discusses  destiny 
and  fate,  God  as  creator  and  re- 
deemer, freedom  and  divine  sov- 
ereignty, time  and  eternity,  and 
other  issues. 


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well-known  through  her  more  than  twenty  books. 


Abingdon  Press 

Publisher  of  THE  INTERPRETER'S  BIBLE 


Resources  for  worship  .   .   . 


MY  HEART  an  ALTAR 

MARGARET  HOYT  and  ELEANOR  HOYT  DABNEY 

A  spirit  of  worship  runs  through  each  page  of  this  diversified  anthol- 
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are  poems  by  Emerson,  Van  Dyke,  Whittier,  and  Coleridge  as  well  as 
modern-day  poets  such  as  Grace  Noll  Crowell.  Among  the  stories  — 
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Slessor,  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  William  Colgate.  This  collection  of 
worship  resources  provides  devotional  aids  for  more  than  40  themes 
and  special  occasions.  $3.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


MAY  14,  1960 


29 


Kg 


PACKARD 


THE  STATUS 
SEEKERS 


I 


VANCE  PACKARD 

A  top  best  seller  within  a 
month  after  publication,  Vance 
Packard's  The  Status  Seekers  has 
received  a  response  from  the 
critics  and  bookbuyers  even 
more  enthusiastic  than  that  giv- 
en his  The  Hidden  Persuaders. 
An  exploration  of  class  behavior 
in  America  today,  this  book  pin- 
points the  hidden  barriers  that 
keep  some  people  up,  some 
down.  $4.50 

Church   of   the    Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


Messenger  club  to  be  tried  this  year. 
About  eighty  persons  attended  the 
children's  work  conference  held  here 
one  Sunday  afternoon.  In  our  Brethren 
service-mission  emphasis  we  are  having 
guest  speakers:  Tom  Pobst,  Larry  and 
Phyllis  Patton,  E.  Paul  Weaver,  and 
Chalmer  and  Susan  Shull.  The  Man- 
chester College  deputation  team  was 
here  on  March  6.  We  have  invited 
Prof.  Al  Deeter  to  be  our  guest  speak- 
er during  Holy  Week.  —  Mrs.  Robert 
Randol,  Markle,  Ind. 

Northwestern  Ohio 

Silver  Creek  -  Bro.  Lyle  M.  Klotz 
was  elected  moderator  for  the  next 
three  years.  A  union  Thanksgiving 
service  was  held  in  the  Silver  Creek 
church.  Bro.  Elgin  Moyer  and  his  wife 
of  Chicago  were  the  guest  speakers  at 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


our  harvest  meeting  and  home-coming. 
Bro.  J.  O.  Dearing  held  one  week  of 
evangelistic  meetings.  Four  were  bap- 
tized and  one  was  received  by  letter. 
Eleven  children  were  dedicated  last 
year.  Three  came  forward  recently  at 
our  morning  worship.  Our  pastor, 
Howard  Breneman,  has  been  holding 
membership  studv  classes  for  the  young 
people.  Women's  fellowship  is  work- 
ing on  quilts  and  comforters  for  relief. 
We  are  planning  a  teacher  training 
school  with  the  Lick  Creek  church.  — 
Mrs.  Ottie  Fisher,  Pioneer,  Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

Donnels  Creek  —  We  started  our  year 
with  the  installation  of  a  new  deacon 
and  deaconess,  Brother  and  Sister 
Glenn  Skillings.  Our  district  secretary, 
Bro.  Chester  Harley,  conducted  the  in- 
stallation service.  On  Layman  Sunday 
the  laymen  of  the  church  had  charge 
of  the  morning  worship  service.  Our 
minister,  Bro.  Robert  Hoover,  and 
others  of  the  church,  attended  the 
Central  regional  conference  at  Man- 
chester College.  Bro.  Roy  Barnhart  and 
Bro.  Glen  Funderburg  were  delegates 
to  the  district  meeting.  Emmert  Funder- 
burg is  now  serving  at  New  Windsor. 
Marjorie  Metzger  has  gone  to  North 
Africa  to  work  with  a  missionary  broad- 
casting station.  Bro.  Al  Klotz  presented 
a  religious  concert  with  combined 
choirs  entitled  A  Sermon  in  Music. 
Our  women's  fellowship  is  sewing  for 
relief.  Rev.  Roland  Carter  was  guest 
speaker  for  the  union  Thanksgiving 
service.  Bro.  Chester  Harley  held  our 
evangelistic  meetings.  Three  children 
were  baptized.  The  CBYF  presented 
the  Christmas  play  entitled  The  High- 
est Gift,  and  the  primary  children  had 
a  special  Christmas  program.  —  Mrs. 
Lawrence  Toedte,  Springfield,  Ohio. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Chiques  —  Bro.  Clayton  H.  Gehman 
served  as  our  evangelist.  Since  our  last 
report  fifteen  were  received  into  the 
church  by  baptism  and  one  was  re- 
ceived by  letter.  The  speaker  for  our 
race  relations  program  was  Bro.  Enos 
Sibanda  of  South  Africa.  Our  junior 
high  department  presented  the  play,  A 
Legend  of  Christmas,  and  the  young 
people,  Why  Christmas.  Our  church 
participated  in  a  watch  night  service 
at  the  Florin  church.  Brother  and 
Sister  J.  C.  Wine  told  us  about  past, 
present,  and  future  work  in  Africa  and 
also  showed  pictures.  Bro.  Roy  Pfaltz- 
graff  also  showed  slides  and  made 
comments  about  the  work  in  Nigeria. 
Sister  Rachel  Saylor,  who  returned 
from  her  one  year  of  BVS  in  Florida, 
gave  a  talk  about  her  many  experiences. 
The  young  people  sponsored  a  songfest 
in  which  musical  groups  from  various 
neighboring  denominations  participated. 
Bro.  Carl  W.  Zeigler  was  the  teacher 
for  our  Bible  institute.  Our  men's  and 
women's  fellowships  have  served  at 
two  local  hospitals,  the  children's  home 
at  Neffsville,  and  New  Windsor.  Also 
several  women  sewed  for  the  auxiliary 
at  the  Neffsville  Brethren  home.  —  Mrs. 
Abram  Zellers,  Manheim,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 

Lewistown  —  Our  elder,  Bro.  Earl 
Strauser,  accepted  the  pastorate  of 
Parkview  Church  of  the  Brethren.    We 


had  a  "This  Is  Your  Life"  farewell  so- 
cial and  presented  a  gift  to  Brother  and 
Sister  Strauser.  Our  Sunday  evenings 
are  given  over  to  the  study  of  African; 
missions.  A  prayer  vigil  was  held  and; 
a  number  of  persons  participated  in  a| 
prayer  vigil  at  the  church  and  in  their 
homes  on  Ash  Wednesday.  The  theme 
was  built  around  Our  Lord's  Prayer. 
We  have  100%  Gospel  Messenger  sub- 
scription. The  men  of  the  church  par- 
ticipated in  a  roundtable  of  Christians 
and  Jews  at  the  Jewish  community  cen- 
ter. The  women's  fellowship  is  sewing 
for  relief.  Nine  persons  attended  the 
district  leadership  training  classes  held 
at  the  Burnham  church.  On  Christmas 
Eve  we  had  a  candlelight  mission  pro- 
gram. On  April  12,  the  Elizabethtown 
College  choir  gave  a  concert  in  the 
church.  Our  morning  services  are 
broadcast  every  seventh  week.  On 
Palm  Sunday  our  pastor,  Bro.  Lee 
Weaver,  received  new  members  by 
baptism  and  letter.  Bro.  Fred  Driver 
of  Spring  Run  church  was  speaker  for 
the  father-son  banquet.  The  young 
people  planned  the  Easter  sunrise  serv- 
ice and  breakfast.  —  Ada  C.  White, 
Lewistown,   Pa. 

Martinsburg  —  The  Middle  Pennsyl- 
vania CBYF  banquet  was  held  in  our 
church  with  Bro.  William  Smith  as 
speaker.  Neighboring  groups  of  Church 
of  the  Brethren  women  were  invited  to 
the  women's  fellowship  tea.  Mrs.  Walter 
Ellis  gave,  Son  of  Manitou.  The  mixed 
choir  presented  The  Beautiful  Story  of 
Christmas.  A  watch  night  service  was 
held  by  the  CBYF.  Dr.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff, 
a  missionary  to  Africa,  was  speaker  in 
our  church.  Bro.  Roy  Forney  conducted 
a  study  on  missions  in  Africa  for  five 
Sunday  evenings.  The  community  mis- 
sion study  was  held  in  our  church  in 
two  sessions  at  which  Reverend  and 
Mrs.  David  Clemenhaga  of  the  Africa 
Brethren  in  Christ  mission  presented 
the  book,  Africa  Disturbed.  Reverend 
Clemenhaga  knew  the  author  personal- 
ly, having  worked  with  him  on  the 
mission  field.  A  deputation  of  Juniata 
College  students  had  charge  of  a 
worship  service,  and  Bro.  T.  F.  Henry 
preached  the  sermon.  The  Juniata 
College  choir  presented  a  program  on 
Feb.  21.  During  the  month  of  Febru- 
ary, Brother  Forney  taught  a  class  on 
the  meaning  of  church  membership. 
Mrs.  Glenn  Norris  was  speaker  for  the 
World  Day  of  Prayer  service  in  our 
church.  Bro.  R.  W.  Schlosser  held  a 
Bible  institute  on  the  Holy  Spirit.  Our 
church  participated  in  the  community 
Lenten  services.  The  women  of  the 
church  have  been  making  cancer 
bandages,  school  kits,  and  layettes.  — 
Mrs.  C.  O.  Beery,  Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Roaring  Spring  —  Our  Christian  Her- 
itage Gives  Us  a  Mission  was  the 
theme  of  our  annual  white  gift  and 
candlelighting  service,  with  the  offer- 
ing for  the  world-wide  mission  of  the 
church.  Fourteen  children  were  pre- 
sented by  their  parents  for  dedication 
to  the  Lord.  The  men's  fellowship 
distributed  food  baskets  to  the  needy, 
and  good  cheer  to  the  shut-ins  and 
lonelv.  The  January  council  approved 
the  plans  for  two  love  feast  services  on 
May  1.  Our  pastor  and  the  chancel 
choir  conducted  a  worship  service  at 
the  Home  for  the  Aged  at  Martinsburg. 
On  National  Youth  Sunday  our  morning 
worship  was  conducted  by  the  CBYF 
with  two   of  the  young  men  bringing 


the  messages.  One  of  the  projects  of 
our  women's  fellowship  is  rolling  band- 
ages for  the  mission  work  in  Nigeria. 
Africa  Looks  Ahead  was  the  subject  of 
our  annual  school  of  missions.  Bro.  Roy 
Pfaltzgraff  gave  us  an  illustrated  mes- 
sage of  his  work  in  Nigeria.  Gerald 
Brumbaugh  and  Theodore  Walters  and 
their  wives  were  installed  in  the  perma- 
nent office  of  deacon.  —  Margaret  Guy- 
er,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 

Southern  Pennsylvania 

Back  Creek  —  Seven  persons  of  our 
Sunday  school  worked  one  day  at  New 
Windsor  processing  clothing  for  relief. 
Bro.  Nelson  Martin  of  the  Cedar  Grove 
congregation  brought  us  an  inspiring 
message  on  the  upright  life  of  a  Chris- 
tian. Brethren  Clarence  Horst  and  Mi- 
chael Olivieri  were  speakers  at  the 
love  feast  service.  Our  evangelistic 
services  were  conducted  by  Bro.  Caleb 
Kreider.  One  was  baptized.  The  offer- 
ing from  our  Christmas  program  was 
used  to  purchase  Testaments  for  the 
people  of  the  Philippines.  Our  Sunday 
school  sent  a  special  offering  to  World 
Vision,  Inc.,  for  the  care  of  orphans, 
lepers,  and  missionary  work  in  foreign 
lands.  Three  Korean  orphans  are  being 
supported  by  the  Sunday  school,  a  class, 
and  individuals.  Our  women's  fellow- 
ship sent  clothing,  comforters,  and  crib 
comforters  to  New  Windsor  and  canned 
fruit,  vegetables,  and  assorted  groceries 
to  the  Brethren  Home  for  the  Aged 
and  the  Children's  Home.  Bandages 
were  also  sent  to  a  leprosy  colony  in 
Ethiopia.  —  Mrs.  Glenn  Haldeman, 
Greencastle,  Pa. 

Mt.  Olivet  — In  the  past  year  we 
sent  3,575  pounds  of  used  clothing  and 
20  pounds  of  soap  to  New  Windsor. 
Dr.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff,  who  is  serving  at 
the  leprosy  mission  in  Garkida,  Nigeria, 
Africa,  showed  a  film  of  the  work  there. 
An  offering  of  seventy  dollars  was  sent 
to  the  American  Leprosy  Missions,  Inc. 
The  women's  fellowship  of  our  church 
is  paying  for  a  new  floor  covering  in 
our  fellowship  hall.  Our  spring  love 
feast  will  be  held  April  24.  Bro.  Elmer 
Hoover  will  be  with  us  for  a  Bible 
institute.  —  Mrs.  Ada  Brandt,  Millers- 
town,  Pa. 

Florida,  Georgia,  and  Puerto  Rico 

Castaner  —  Our  church  will  be  com- 
pleted soon.  We  have  enjoyed  the 
visits  of  Brethren  Norman  Baugher, 
Harold  Row,  Galen  Ogden  and  Myrl 
Weyant,  as  well  as  of  George  Detwei- 
ler  and  Dr.  S.  M.  Cavert  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  and  Miguel  Angel 

1  Morales,  executive  secretary  of  the 
Puerto  Rico  Council  of  Churches.    We 

j  look  forward  to  the  opening  of  the  new 
Castaner  hospital  alongside  the  church. 
A  special  service  was  held  on  the 
World  Day  of  Prayer  sponsored  by  the 
women  of  the  Brethren,  Baptist,  and 
Pentecostal  churches.  Thirteen  were 
baptized  last  October.  —  John  Forbes, 
Castaner,  Puerto  Rico. 

Miami  Community  —  Feb.  21  was 
charter  day  for  our  church.  Guest 
speakers  were  Brethren  D.  F.  Painter, 
C.  E.  Bower  and  Merril  S.  Heinz.  Bro. 
John  W.  Meyers  installed  Brother  and 
Sister  Dean  Thomas  into  the  office  of 
deacon  and  Brother  and  Sister  Ralph 
Longanecker  to  the  ministry.  We  then 
had  presentation  of  letters  and  signing 
of  the  charter  book  which  will  be  held 


STRENGTH 
FOR  LIVING 

A  DIARY  OF  DAILY 
DEVOTIONS 

by  Hazel  T.  Wilson 

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Arranged  in  a  31  day 
cycle,  each  devotion  in- 
cludes a  Bible  verse,  a 
carefully  selected  poem 
or  quotation,  and  an 
appropriate  prayer.  A 
thought-provoking  reflec- 
tion on  the  same  theme 
concludes  each  devotion. 
Themes  of  the  medita- 
tions are  spiritually  sensi- 
tive and  highly  selective. 
In  the  midst  of  stress, 
hurry,  and  confusion,  this 
diary  of  devotions  will 
help  the  reader  find 
serenity.  $1.50 


OURS  IS  THE  FAITH 

by  Walter  Dudley  Cavert, 

author  of  REMEMBER  NOW 

This  devotional  book  seeks  to  stimulate 
thought  about  the  meaning  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith  and  how  it  is  to  be  applied  to 
daily  life.  Each  devotion  consists  of  a 
suggested  Bible  reading,  a  meditation, 
and  a  prayer.  Some  of  the  devotions: 
A  Great  Time  To  Be  Christian;  The  Holy 
Spirit;  Having  Faith  in  the  Church;  and 
The  Power  of  the  Cross.  $2 


LIVELY  MAY  I  WALK 

DEVOTIONS  FOR  THE  GOLDEN  YEARS 

by  Glenn  H.  Asquith 

Fifty-four  devotions  written  for  older 
people  in  contemplation  of  the  fact  that 
the  best  years  of  their  lives  are  just 
ahead.  Each  devotion  contains  a  Scrip- 
ture verse,  a  meditation,  and  a  closing 
prayer.  Extra-large  type  makes  reading 
more  enjoyable.  Some  of  the  devotions: 
The  Best  of  Laughter;  The  Best  of  Wis- 
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ORDER    FROM 
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open  for  one  year.  After  services  a  fel- 
lowship dinner  was  held.  We  have 
received  eleven  by  baptism  and  ten 
by  letter.  —  Mrs.  Lorraine  Fries,  Miami, 
Fla. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Washington,  D.C.  —  Our  new  edu- 
cational building  will  include  facilities 
for  an  expanded  Sunday  school,  an 
office,  social  facilities,  and  a  memorial 
chapel.  Bro.  Wayne  Carr  led  our  con- 
gregation in  a  stewardship  campaign. 
Our  women's  fellowship  has  organized 
several  new  circles  during  the  past 
year.  Brother  Ronald  Lutz  is  our  full- 
time  director  of  Christian  education. 
One  of  our  young  men,  Bro.  Ernest 
Lashlee,  was  ordained  to  the  ministry 
at  a  special  Sunday  morning  service. 
Bro.  David  Hanawalt  was  the  speaker 


for  the  ordination  service.  Our  young 
people  were  hosts  to  the  district  speech 
contest.  Bro.  Harper  Will  was  the 
speaker  for  our  week-of-witnessing 
services.  —  Mrs.  Fred  Ikenberry,  Alex- 
andria, Va. 

Tennessee 

Johnson  City  —  Bro.  B.  J.  Wampler, 
our  former  pastor,  is  now  field  secre- 
tary for  Tennessee  District.  Bro.  Ronald 
A.  Beverlin  became  our  pastor  in  Sep- 
tember. He  was  officially  installed  bv 
Bro.  G.  W.  Petcher.  Bro.  Ray  Showalter, 
representative  of  Bridgewater  College, 
brought  die  morning  and  evening  mes- 
sages at  our  church  one  Sunday.  The 
first   meeting    for    the   training    of   the 


MAY  14,  1960 


31 


PEWS,  PULPIT  &  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

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DEPT.  211  SCRANTON  2.  PA. 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 

Name    


R.  D.  or  St. 


State 


P.  O Zone  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any   change   in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


missioners  was  held  at  the  church.  The 
loyalty  dinner  got  our  Call  program  off 
to  an  effective  start.  Since  the  coming 
of  our  new  pastor,  two  have  been  re- 
ceived by  letter  and  two  by  baptism. 
—  Jane  Heywood,  Johnson  City,  Tenn. 

First  Virginia 

Pleasant  View  —  Our  council  on  Jan. 
31  approved  the  receiving  of  members 
of  other  churches  on  transfer  of  letter. 
We  decided  to  have  a  home-coming 
this  year  to  be  held  on  Aug.  21.  Our 
fall  revival  will  be  held  Aug.  3-14, 
with  Bro.  Paul  White  as  the  evangelist. 
Our  Call  to  Discipleship  program  has 
been  delayed  some  because  of  the  bad 
weather.  During  the  month  of  Febru- 
ary, cottage  prayer  meetings  were  held 
weekly  in  various  homes  of  the  com- 
munity. Bro.  V.  Enos  Griffith  gave  a 
series  of  sermons  on  the  Lord's  prayer 
during  the  month  of  March.  The 
young  adult  class  sponsored  an  Easter 
play.  The  community  Easter  sunrise 
service  was  held  at  our  church  this 
year.  —  Bertha  M.  Hitchcock,  Oak  Hill. 
W.  Va. 

Roanoke,  First  —  Our  preaching  mis- 
sion was  conducted  by  Bro.  Jacob 
Dick.  A  school  of  missions  was  con- 
ducted on  Sunday  evenings  during  Jan- 
uary. On  one  Sunday  evening,  Bro. 
Earl  Woodward  showed  films  of  mission 
work  in  Africa.  Other  leaders  were 
Bro.  Howard  Emmons  and  Bro.  Baxter 
Mow.  The  young  people  had  charge 
of  the  worship  service  on  National 
Youth  Sunday.  Sandra  Moore  repre- 
sented our  young  people  at  the  youth 
seminar.  Bro.  Jacob  Replogle,  Bridge- 
water  College  alumni  secretary,  was  the 
speaker  on  college  day.  Our  church 
and  Peters  Creek  church  co-operated  in 
a  school  of  Christian  living.  Our  pastor, 
Bro.  S.  Earl  Mitchell,  is  preaching  a 
series  of  sermons  on  What  a  Christian 
Believes,  as  a  part  of  the  Call  to  Dis- 
cipleship emphasis.  Forty-nine  teams 
set  out  to  visit  every  home  in  the 
congregation  to  explain  the  Call  pro- 
gram in  our  church.  Nine  new  members 
have  been  received.  —  Mrs.  June  S. 
Hoal,  Roanoke,  Va. 


Trinity  —  Family  night  was  spon- 
sored by  the  women's  group  with  a 
potluck  supper  and  carol  singing.  The 
junior  highs'  part  in  the  Christmas  serv- 
ice was  giving  the  Christmas  story  in 
scripture  and  in  song.  The  young  peo- 
ple's class  had  charge  of  the  worship 
service  on  Jan.  31.  In  response  to  the 
Call  to  Discipleship,  meetings  are  being 
held  in  the  different  homes  for  prayer 
and    Bible    study.     Several    from    our 


church  attended  the  leadership  training 
school  which  was  held  in  the  Troutville 
church.  —  Mrs.  H.  B.  Layman,  Trout- 
ville, Va. 

Northern  Virginia 
Harrisonburg  —  Our  youth  had  charge 
of  the  service  we  held  over  station 
WSVA.  We  have  just  completed  our 
family  life  sessions.  The  following 
speakers  gave  messages  on  various 
phases  of  family  living:  Lynn  Dickerson, 
Warren  D.  Bowman,  Sam  Longenecker, 
and  William  G.  Willoughby.  Recently  it 
was  decided  at  council  to  purchase  a  lot 
across  the  street  from  the  church  for 
additional  parking.  Services  for  the 
deaf  are  being  held  each  Sunday.  We 
are  participating  in  the  Call  to  Dis- 
cipleship program.  The  women's  fel- 
lowship has  made  forty-four  comforters 
this  winter.  Bro.  John  Locke  was  the 
speaker  at  the  supper  to  which  the 
men's  fellowship  invited  the  women.  — 
Mrs.  John  E.  Moore,  Bridgewater,  Va. 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


EUROPEAN 
ORIGINS 

of  the  Brethren 

Donald  F.  Durnbaugh 

This  official  anniversary  volume  for  the 
250th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is  a  source  book 
on  the  early  eighteenth  century  Euro- 
pean period  of  our  church.  It  presents 
in  translations  scores  of  documents,  most 
of  them  hitherto  unknown  to  us,  found 
in  the  archives  of  Europe.  $4.75 


Companion  volume,  The  Adventurous  Future, 

is  a  compilation  of  addresses,  papers,  statements,  and  mes- 
sages associated  with  the  celebration  of  the  250th  anniver- 
sary. Compiled  and  edited  by  Paul  H.  Bowman.         $3.75 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


CAirtca  cp  ck<&$utwiesis 


MESSENGER 


MAY  21,  1960 


Cover  Photo:    Tatch  from  Three  Lions 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
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MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service. 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 


MAY  21.  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  21 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

An  Ancient  Ritual  Speaks  to  Our  Day     5 
Rural  Life  Has  Many  Aspects   5 

The  General  Forum  — 

You  Have  Been  Called.   Glee  Yoder  .      3 

Serving  Where  They  Live   7 

Responsibility  Toward  Migrant  Work- 
ers.   Ruth  Griggs   9 

Is  It  Worthwhile?      Edna  Phillips  Sutton  11 
Billy   Graham  Comes   to  Kaduna. 

Mary   Eikenberry    14 

A  New   Hospital  for  Castafier    18 

Brethren  Want  to  Know  22 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books    22 

Conference  Program  and  Business    . .   24 

News  — 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    20 

Church  News    28 

•        •        • 

About  Our  Contributors  — 

By  a  strange  coincidence  nearly  all 
the  contributors  to  this  issue  are  women. 
Leading  off  is  Mrs.  Gordon  Yoder,  ad- 
ministrative assistant  and  director  of 
children's  work  on  the  Western  Region 
staff.  Her  home  is  in  McPherson, 
Kansas.  Ruth  Griggs  and  her  husband 
Julian,  as  directors  of  the  Osceola  Nurs- 
ery Center,  Belle  Glade,  Florida,  are 
directly  involved  in  a  ministry  to  mi- 
grant workers.  Edna  Phillips  Sutton, 
who  lives  in  La  Verne,  Calif.,  has  been 
a  frequent  contributor  of  articles  con- 
cerning Indian  Americans.  Mary  Eiken- 
berry, missionary  in  Nigeria,  speaks  out 
of  firsthand  experience  when  she  de- 
scribes the  Billy  Graham  campaign  in 
that  country.  ...  If  we  were  to  give 
full  credit  to  all  the  ladies  who  assist 
in  preparing  copy  for  the  Messenger 
each  week,  we  would  need  to  add  also 
a  long  list  of  administrative  assistants 
and  office  workers  whose  names  seldom 
appear  in  our  credit  lines.  —  Editor. 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


READERS   WRITE  .  .   .   to   the   editor 

The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


Balanced,  World  Picture 

Thank  you  and  all  who  assisted 
for  the  very  excellent  issue  of  De- 
cember 12,  1959,  "Africa's  Newest 
Tribe."  It  was  very  well  done.  It 
was  different.  It  presents  a  good 
picture,  well. 

We  have  been  grateful  for  the 
good  coverage  and  interpretation  of 
the  outreach  of  the  American  Breth- 
ren and  the  development  of  the  Ni- 
gerian Church  of  the  Brethren, 
which  you  have  carried  from  issue 
to  issue  in  the  "Messenger." 

And,  those  paragraphs  do  not 
mean  in  any  way  that  we  are  un- 
appreciative  of  the  interesting  and 
informing  and  challenging  coverage 
of  the  other  aspects  of  the  Church, 
sometimes  encouraging  and  some- 
times disheartening.  Even  with  the 
constant  stream  of  correspondence 
between  the  General  Offices  and  my 
desk,  we  still  depend  upon  the 
"Messenger"  to  give  us  the  general, 
balanced  and  world  picture  of  the 
Church.  —  Ivan  Eikenberry,  Box 
132,  Kaduna,  Nigeria. 

Some  Pictures  Too  Gruesome 

I  have  read  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Gospel  Messenger  for  sev- 
eral years.  I  have  found  much  good 
Christian  reading  in  it  and  news  and 
comments  from  around  the  world  as 
well  as  letters  to  the  editor. 

One  thing  I  have  against  it,  at 
times,  are  some  of  the  terrible  pic- 
tures printed  in  it.  If  someone  did 
have  and  some  may  yet  have  an  idea 
of  how  certain  people  looked  and 
what  their  actions  might  have  been, 
that  doesn't  mean  that  is  just  the 
right  way.  The  other  year  when 
there  was  so  much  written  about  the 
Schwarzenau  celebration  anniver- 
sary, many  pictures  showed  torture, 
etc.  It  surely  does  no  one  any  good. 
Makes  it  gruesome  to  look  at,  more 
so  for  children. 

I  think  it  is  much  better  to  have 
them  read  the  Bible  story  books, 
written  for  different  ages.  —  Reader. 

Advantages  of  the  Small  Church 

A  certain  pastor  who  served  both 
small  and  large  churches  at  different 
times  all  his  life  made  this  state- 
ment. "There  is  greater  advantage 
for  spiritual  growth  and  develop- 
ment in  a  small  church  than  in  a 
large  church." 

No  doubt  the  reason  for  this  is 
that  in  a  small  church  a  greater  part 


of  the  members  will  have  something 
to  do.  Without  doing  something  we 
do  not  develop.  Every  church  mem. 
ber  should  feel  that  there  is  a  vita 
part  for  him  to  do. 

All  churches  were  small  some 
time.  In  New  Testament  times  there 
were  churches  so  small  that  the} 
met  in  homes.  There  are  many  fine 
examples  of  churches  that  not  very 
many  years  ago  were  very  small 
Now  they  are  large  churches.  The 
Greensburg,  Pa.,  church  is  a  fine 
example.  The  church  at  Hershey; 
Pa.,  at  Mechanic  Grove,  Pa.,  an 
many  others  all  testify  to  the  fai 
that  it  was  worthwhile  that  they  dii 
continue  and  not  merge  with  somi 
other  churches. 

A  worthwhile  church  is  one  thai 
develops  strong  Christians.  It  maj 
be  small  or  large.  —  Joseph  N.  Cas- 
sel,  Collegeville,  Pa. 


§ 


Too  Large? 

The  problem  of  churches  getting 
too  large  in  centers  where  there  is 
an  influx  of  population  carrying 
members  from  rural  areas  hasn't 
been  discussed  in  the  Messenger,  as 
far  as  I  have  noticed.  It  seems  that 
some  of  our  city  churches  get  larger 
and  larger  to  the  extent  that  people; 
get  lost  in  them.  That  is,  they  don't 
feel  missed  when  they  don't  attend, 
and  they  don't  learn  to  know  the 
congregation  well  enough  to  keep 
from  accusing  old  and  frequent  at 
tenders  of  being  visitors.  Personally, 
I  would  think  that  it  would  mean 
more  to  people  to  attend  a  church 
of  less  than  four  or  five  hundred.  — 
Jacob  H.  Huffman,  M.D.,  Dayton, 
Va. 

Living  the  Good  News 

I   have   not   found   a   publication 
that  has  been  as  consistent  as  The 
Gospel     Messenger     in     presenting 
what  you  and  I  understand  to  be 
the  living  of  the  Good  News  that] 
is  the  basis  of  our  Christianity.   Thej 
cover  alone   carries   such   attention-  ill 
catching,    soul-searching,    and    life-], 
motivating    impact    that    I    eagerly 
turn  with  expectation  to  the  same 
quality  of  inspiration  and  assurance 
to  be  found  throughout  every  issue. 
Thanks  for  peace  witness,  your  im- 
plementation  of  the   social   aspects 
of  the  Gospel,  and  your  understand- 
able explanation  of  the  theological 
basis  of  what  Christians  stand  for.  — 
Paul  M.   Shoger,  R.  2,   Box   157A, 
Aurora,  111. 


Paul's  admonition  to  us,  as  it  was 

to  the  Ephesians,  is  to  lead  a 

life  worthy  of  the  calling  to  which 


You 

ave  Been 

Called 


Glee  Yoder 


Released  from  prison  by  an 
arthquake,  Paul  preaches  the  gospel 
:o  the  jailer  and  his  family 


|  THE  LIFE  of  Paul  has  always  fascinated 
me.  As  a  small  youngster,  I  heard  my  parents 
discuss  the  Sunday  school  lessons  about  Paul 
and  his  companions,  Silas,  Barnabas,  Timothy, 
and  John  Mark.  Their  names  had  a  fascinating 
sound  and  from  the  conversations  between  my 
father  and  my  mother,  I  learned  to  know  these 
men  as  my  Christian  friends. 

Later,  in  the  primary  department  of  our 
church  school,  a  large  map  showed  with  various 
colored  lines  the  missionary  journeys  of  Paul 
and  his  friends.  These  distances  looked  great 
to  me  then  and  I  thought  of  him  as  a  world 
traveler.  When  I  was  a  junior,  I  was  impressed 
by  the  fact  that  Paul  went  into  these  countries 
so  far  from  home  to  bring  a  gospel  which  was 
new  and  unheard  of  by  these  people,  a  gospel 
which  he  felt  compelled  to  share  with  them. 

As  a  junior  high  youth,  I  pictured  Paul  as 
a  strong,  virile,  active  man  with  rugged,  tanned 
features.  His  eyes  were  piercing,  determined, 
and  straightforward,  yet  thought-provoking, 
loving,  and  sympathetic.  He  was  an  adventure- 
some person,  a  pioneer,  a  champion  of  his 
faith. 

As  a  high  school  student,  I  began  to  realize 
that  when  we  first  met  Paul,  he  was  among  the 
mob  stoning  Stephen  to  death.  He  was  guard- 
ing   the    garments    of    the    persecutors    and 


consenting  to  the  death  of 
the  disciple  by  such  ruthless 
means.  Later,  we  read  of  his 
fury  against  the  early  church 
and  of  his  threats  to  the  early 
Christian  people. 

Later  yet,  we  see  a  new  man, 
who,  in  a  letter  to  the  church  at 
Corinth,  wrote:  "Love  is  pa- 
tient and  kind;  love  is  not 
jealous  or  boastful;  it  is  not  ar- 
rogant or  rude.  Love  does  not 
insist  on  its  own  way;  it  is  not 
irritable  or  resentful  .  .  .  Love 
bears  all  things,  believes  all 
things,  hopes  all  things,  endures 
all  things.   Love  never  ends." 

The  man  who  wrote  these 
words,  I  discovered,  was  not  the 
man  who  threatened  and  be- 
littled the  church  and  spoke 
words  of  defiance  at  its  mem- 
bers. He  was  somebody  else,  a 
new  and  different  person.  Saul, 
the  persecutor,  had  become 
Paul,  the  son  of  God. 

Now,  as  an  adult,  I  identify 
myself  closely  with  Paul  when 
I  read,  "For  I  do  not  do  the 
good  I  want,  but  the  evil  I  do 
not  want  is  what  I  do."  I  try 
hard  to  follow  his  advice. 
"Whatever  is  true,  whatever  is 
honorable,  whatever  is  lovely, 
whatever  is  gracious,  if  there  be 
any  excellence,  if  there  is  any- 
thing worthy  of  praise,  think  on 
these  things,"  and  yet  I  con- 
stantly fall  short  of  this  high 
mark.  Thus  the  life  of  Paul  has 
been  a  challenge  to  me  since  I 
was  very  small. 

We  laymen  should  look  at 
some  of  the  words  of  advice 
which  Paul  wrote  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  various  churches  — 
at  Ephesus,  at  Corinth,  at 
Galatia,  at  Philippi,  at  Rome. 
Many  of  his  messages  have 
aroused  the  church  from  its 
lethargy  and  given  it  the  power 
which  is  inseparable  from  the 
vital  understanding  of  the  faith 
expressed. 

Paul's  letters  are  always  rele- 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


vant  to  the  human  situation  and 
the  letters  seem  not  to  be  ad- 
dressed to  one  church  or  to  one 
age,  but  to  all  ages  because  he 
speaks  to  problems  which  are 
common  to  all  men  at  any  time 
and  under  all  conditions.  This 
is  the  reason  they  are  always  an 
inspiration  and  a  challenge  to 
the  laity  of  the  church. 

In  each  of  his  letters,  Paul 
greets  his  fellow  Christian 
brethren  with  the  words,  "Grace 
to  you  and  peace  from  God  our 
Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  He  writes  on  and  tells 
them  he  remembers  them  daily 
in  his  prayers  and  then  he  com- 
pliments them  on  their  "work 
of  faith,  labor  of  love,  and  stead- 
fastness of  hope."  Immediate- 
ly, one  senses  that  this  warm, 
friendly  greeting  expresses  his 
love  for  them  and  his  desire  to 
keep  in  touch  with  them  during 
his  long  absences.  Such  letters 
and  prayers  sustain  us,  strength- 
en our  faith,  and  increase  our 
hope.  We  would  do  well  to 
keep  our  bonds  of  friendship 
close  by  such  correspondence 
and  prayers  for  others. 

Let  us  look  further  into  his 
letters.  Paul  was  "not  ashamed 
of  the  gospel."  He  preached 
the  good  news  wherever  he 
went  and  whenever  he  wrote. 
Chester  Quimby  in  his  book, 
The  Great  Redemption,  says, 
"The  good  news  is  that  God's 
sole  purpose  is  to  save  man  and 
that  in  Jesus  Christ  he  has  pro- 
vided the  means  of  rescue  in 
terms  that  any  man  anywhere 
can  meet."  It  is  God's  offer  to 
help  us  if  we  but  have  faith. 
All  man  has  to  do  is  to  believe. 
God  offers  to  do  for  us  what  we 
cannot  do  ourselves.  Accepting 
this  offer  is  our  faith. 

I  think  this  can  be  somewhat 
illustrated  by  the  story  of  a 
high  school  boy  who  won  an 
award.  A  fellow  student  was  to 
present  it  to  him  before  the  en- 
tire school  assembly.  The  two 
participants  rehearsed  their  lit- 


tle speeches.  The  presenter  was 
to  state  briefly  the  meaning  of 
the  award  and  extend  congratu- 
lations. The  recipient  was  to 
reply  with  a  word  of  gratitude. 
The  great  day  came.  On  the 
assembly  platform  the  two  ap- 
peared. After  a  long,  awkward 
silence,  the  student  representa- 
tive extended  his  hand  and 
blurted  out,  "Here  it  is.  Take 
it!"  The  other  reached  out  and 
seized  the  award,  saying,  "O.  K. 
I've  got  it!" 

God  is  saying  to  all  men, 
"Here  it  is.  Take  it!"  And  he 
is  waiting  for  every  man  to  re 
ply,  "O.  K.  I've  got  it!"  God  is 
a  seeking  God.  He  is  reaching 
down  to  us  before  we  ever  seek 
to  find  him. 

You  ask,  "What  is  this  faith 
and  how  does  it  work?"  I  go  to 
Quimby  for  an  example  of  faith 
as  it  is  illustrated  by  his  experi- 
ences in  learning  to  swim.  He 
said,  "First,  you  have  to  begin 
'by  faith.'  You  start  with  the 
dead  man's  float.  You  wade  out, 
waist  deep;  take  a  deep  breath, 
stretch  your  arms  and  hands 
straight  out  before  you,  and  he 
face  down  in  the  water.  Your 
feet  come  up  straight  out  be- 
hind. You  cannot  sink.  You 
float.  You  are  not  holding  your- 
self up.  .  .  .  You  make  no  effort. 
If  you  struggled,  you  would 
sink.  The  water  says,  Tf  you 
will  let  me,  I  will  bear  you  up.' 
You  relax,  and  'by  faith'  does! 
This  is  another  way  of  saying  — 
God  extends  an  offer,  T  will 
float  you.'  You  answer,  'Float 
me.'  And  he  does.  You  have 
only  to  receive  it  by  faith." 

In  his  letters  to  early 
churches,  Paul  points  out  the 
fact  that  all  there  is  was  cre- 
ated by  God.  Everything  is 
his.  We  can  do  nothing  with- 
out his  help.  Even  our  talents 
are  given  us  by  God  and 
their  usefulness  is  effective  only 
by  his  power.  One's  plowing 
and  harvesting,  one's  teaching 

Continued  on  page  thirteen 


c 


Pope 


w 


|4n  Ancient  Ritual  Can  Speak  to  Our  Day 

ON  THE  Thursday  before  Easter  a  78- 
year-old  man  girded  himself  with  a  towel 
and  washed  the  feet  of  thirteen  persons, 
including  men  of  every  race.  The  man  was 
Pope  John  XXIII  and  the  ceremony  was  an 
ancient  ritual  that  the  head  of  the  Roman 
church  has  performed  for  hundreds  of  years. 


EDITORIALS 


There  is  a  tradition  that  at  one  time  the 
Pope  selected  twelve  men  to  represent  the 
apostles  and  then  washed  their  feet.  But 
Gregory  the  Great  is  supposed  to  have  dis- 
„  covered  a  thirteenth  pair  of  feet  which,  he 
concluded,  belonged  to  Jesus  Christ  himself. 

Without  minimizing  the  significance  of  Pope 
John's  act,  we  cannot  refrain  from  pointing  out 
'I  that  Jesus'  example  of  humble  service,  so  clear- 
ly set  forth  in  John   13,  was  commended  to 
[all  his  followers,  lay  as  well  as  clerical,  and  not 
I  reserved  for  an  official  of  the  church.    Indeed 
°|the  service  may  have  been  instituted  originally 
las  a  rebuke  for  disciples  who  were  arguing 
'•  about  places  of  honor  in  his  kingdom,  in  other 
e  words,  as  to  which  should  be  pope  or  prime 
1  minister  or  secretary  of  state.    Wherever  the 
« true  meaning  of  the  feet-washing  service  has 
been  realized,  it  has  become  a  means  of  de- 
ll stroying  many  symbols  of  status  in  the  church. 
It  puts  priests  and  popes,  executive  secretaries 
and  college  presidents  on  the  same  level  with 
the  rank  and  file  of  faithful  members. 

Brethren  have  a  treasure  in  their  own  tradi- 
tion of  the  feet-washing  ordinance  that  they 
may  not  fully  appreciate.  A  Methodist  church 
official  says  that  John  13  is  "a  picture  of  our 
task  —  to  wash  the  feet  of  those  who  walk  the 
dusty  roads  of  the  secular  world,  living  there 
as  Christians,  the  church  in  the  world." 

The  young  theological  secretary  of  the 
World's  Presbyterian  Alliance,  Dr.  Lewis  S. 
Mudge,  recently  wrote  a  book  based  on  the 
theme  that  Presbyterians  around  the  world  are 
studying  this  year,  "The  Servant  Lord  and  His 
Servant  People."  Dr.  Mudge  writes  brilliantly 
and  significantly  concerning  the  central  place 
the  Christian  faith  must  give  to  John  13.  He 
says,  "To  the  disciples  this  Jesus  was  the 
Messiah.  .  .  .  And  he  was  a  humble  man,  wash- 
ing his  disciples'  feet.  To  be  washed,  then,  is 
not  to  postulate  or  imagine  God,  but  to  receive 
him  as  he  is.  It  is  not  to  be  'religious'  but  to 
confess  one's  deep  need.  Humility  and  service 
are  so  powerless  that  they  can  claim  no  other 
power  but  that  of  God  alone.   And  that  is  just 


what  made  Christ  strong  enough  to  build   a 
new  people  of  God,  the  Christian  church." 

Brethren  are  in  danger  of  taking  the  feet- 
washing  service  for  granted  —  and  thus  losing 
sight  of  the  rich  and  rewarding  meanings  that 
it  can  bring  with  every  observance.  We  know 
a  few  Brethren  who  are  embarrassed  by  the 
service.  It  seems  a  little  primitive  and  not  quite 
dignified  for  their  tastes.  We  know  some  other 
Brethren  who  are  fiercely  dogmatic  and  legal- 
istic about  it.  They  do  not  seem  to  care  whether 
it  means  anything  or  not,  just  so  long  as  mem- 
bers meekly  accept  it.  They  contend  for  it  so 
belligerently  that  by  the  time  their  arguments 
are  finished,  very  little  of  the  spirit  of  a  "servant 
lord  and  his  servant  people"  remains. 

We  hope  that  Brethren  continue  to  observe 
an  ordinance  that  has  so  much  to  say  to  our- 
selves and  to  the  world  in  which  we  live.  If 
we  accept  Jesus  as  our  "servant  Lord,"  we  will 
never  be  apologetic  about  any  attempt  to 
dramatize  and  experience  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  things  he  did.  If  we  are  willing  to  be 
also  "his  servant  people,"  we  will  soon  realize 
that  you  cannot  browbeat  anyone  into  becom- 
ing a  humble  servant. 

No,  the  spirit  of  John  13  is  foreign  to  the 
exhibitionism  of  a  Roman  pope  trying  to  repre- 
sent humility.  It  is  foreign  also  to  the  narrow 
sectarian  spirit  in  which  some  defenders  of  the 
feet  washing  service  try  to  represent  it.  Let  it 
be  instead  an  affirmation  of  faith  in  our  servant 
Lord  and  a  demonstration  that  we,  his  people, 
also  willingly  accept  the  role  of  a  servant.  —  k.m. 


Rural   Life   Has   Many   Aspects 

TO  MOST  readers  of  this  paper  Rural  Life 
Sunday  is  a  time  either  to  observe  the 
beauty  and  fertility  of  fields  nearby,  or  to 
recall  the  rural  patterns  of  a  generation  ago.  Not 
often  do  we  think  of  rural  life  in  terms  of  the 
migrant  workers  who  move  from  field  to  field, 
of  Indian  Americans  trying  to  make  a  living 
from  drv  and  barren  lands,  or  of  the  rural  mil- 
lions  in  Asia,  Africa  or  South  America.  Three 
articles  in  this  issue  call  attention  to  these  over- 
looked aspects  of  rural  life.  We  hope  our  readers 
take  a  square  look  at  rural  living  in  many  other 
parts  of  the  world  —  and  then  think  about  our 
Christian  responsibility  in  all  these  areas.  —  k.m. 

MAY  21.  1960  5 


Shantilal  Bhagat  and  George  Mason 
in  the  Rural  Service  Center  at 
Anklesvar,  India 


Ai 
Dr. 

nm 

ffld 
*] 
d 
H 

villa 
clac 

Gee 


Rural  Life  Sunday  —  does  it 

have  meaning  for  farmers 

in  India?    Here  is   a 

story  of  missionary  and 

national  leaders 


Serving  Where  They  Live 


SANDY-HAIRED,  forty- 
three-year  old  Church  of 
the  Brethren  missionary 
George  Mason  has  a  unique 
engineering  education  back- 
ground which  combines  per- 
fectly with  his  personality  to 
make  it  possible  for  him  to  meet 
many  of  the  needs  of  the  un- 
educated farmer  in  India. 

Although  the  word  genius  is 
often  applied  to  George,  an 
Indian,  Shantilal  Bhagat,  com- 
plements and  supplements  the 
talent  of  George  Mason  to  form 
a  very  productive  team  guiding 
the  work  of  the  Rural  Service 
Center  at  Anklesvar,  India. 
This  center,  sponsored  by  four 
denominations,  two  Methodist 
groups  and  the  Irish  Presby- 
terians besides  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  is  presently  fi- 
nanced by  World  Neighbors, 
Inc.  A  third  man,  John  Finney, 
of  the  Methodist  Gujerat  Con- 
ference, has  proved  to  be  a  good 
partner  in  the  work.  He  has 
stimulated  much  interest  in  his 


area. 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Faced  with  need  unimagined 
by  American  agriculturists, 
these  men  attack  problems 
with  optimism  and  imagination. 
Their  willingness  to  work  with 
their  hands  at  the  most  menial 
tasks  can  be  called  typically 
American,  but  is  certainly  rare 
in  an  Indian.  "Shantilal  is  a 
wonder,"  say  the  missionaries  of 
this  second-generation  Indian 
Christian  with  a  Master's  de- 
gree in  agricultural  extension 
from  Cornell  University. 

The  farmers  of  India  are 
nearly  all  ignorant  of  modern 
farming  methods,  and  most  are 
too  poor  to  finance  improve- 
ments. But  differences  between 
groups  is  great.  George  Mason 
says,  "We  don't  have  typical 
farmers  or  families.  Our  vil- 
lages are  as  individualistic  as 
our  people  ...  so  the  idea  of 
growing  a  few  vegetables  to 
feed  his  children  may  be  a 
greater  change  for  a  backward 
Bhil  than  for  a  well-to-do  Mus- 
lim farmer  to  adopt  the  Japa- 
nese method  of  rice  cultivation 
which  would  increase  his  rice 
yield  by  75%." 


The  Rural  Service  Center  at 
tacks  the  myriad  problems  from 
many  angles.  George  Mason 
saw  an  almost  universal  need 
for  the  control  of  smoke  in  the 
homes.  So  he  designed 
"smokeless  chula"  which  can  be 
built  very  inexpensively  from 
materials  near  at  hand.  It  has 
been  discovered  that  the  people 
with  nothing  are  the  hardest  to 
help.  So  it  happens  that  the 
first  people  in  a  village  to  try 
a  chula  are  usually  the  most 
prosperous  ones.  But  they  set 
an  example  and  the  project  is 
an  active  and  continuing  one. 

Americans  are  surprised  to 
find  how  difficult  it  is  to  keep 
healthy  in  a  culture  that  has 
poor  sanitary  habits.  Water  and 
ground  become  contaminated 
and  disease  is  spread  easily. 
The  Rural  Service  Center's  an 
swer  to  this  is  an  improved  de- 
sign for  a  water  trap  privy  slab 
for  village  use.  A  Quaker,  Dr. 
Ed  Abbott,  designed  this  equip- 
ment, and  when  a  suitable  per- 
son to  handle  the  production 
can  be  found,  it,  too,  will  be 
promoted. 


itti 


Another  idea  learned  from 
Dr.  Abbott  is  the  use  of  hand 
pumps  for  domestic  purposes 
and  closed  in  wells.  "The  pump 
we  plan  to  use  is  cheap  enough 
and,  we  hope,  of  such  a  type 
that  it  can  be  repaired  by  the 
village  carpenter  since  it  has  re- 
placeable wooden  parts  where 
the  most  wear  occurs,"  says 
George.  "One  village  is  ready 
to  close  all  its  wells  since  a 
woman  fell  in  one  and  was 
drowned." 

Besides  working  with  the 
Rural  Service  Center,  of  which 
Shantilal  Bhagat  is  director, 
George  Mason  is  chairman  of 
the  Economic  Uplift  Commit- 
tee of  the  Joint  Council  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  India, 
of  which  Shantilal  Bhagat,  as 
secretary  of  the  Joint  Council, 
is  a  member.  This  committee 
inherited  the  relief  fund  and  re- 
lief loan  fund  of  the  Joint  Coun- 
cil. Mr.  Mason  describes  this 
activity  thus: 

"The  loan  fund  was  not  in 
good  shape  because  of  the  poor 
attitude  of  the  people  with  re- 
gard to  repayment  of  loans. 
These  loans  have  been  used  to 
a  large  extent  to  tide  a  man  over 
an  emergency.  A  man's  bullock 
may  die.    His  cart  may  break 


down  so  that  replacement  is 
necessary.  His  cow  might  be 
injured  and  no  longer  give  milk. 
Few  of  our  people  have  savings 
that  would  enable  them  to  take 
care  of  such  a  situation  without 
getting  some  kind  of  loan. 

"We  are  trying  to  get  the 
local  church  official  boards  to 
be  responsible  for  recommend- 
ing loans  and  to  help  in  getting 
payments  made  on  time.  We 
take  every  opportunity  to  tell 
people  that  the  loan  fund  be- 
longs to  everybody  in  the 
church  and  that  people  who 
don't  repay  their  loans  on  time 
are  robbing  others  of  the  op- 
portunity to  use  the  fund  when 
it  is  necessary. 

"We  feel  that  loans  made  for 
the  improvement  of  economic 
conditions  such  as  those  for 
digging  wells  for  agricultural 
purposes,  buying  a  sewing  ma- 
chine to  do  tailoring  outside  the 
family,  buying  a  pump  or  per- 
sian  wheel  for  irrigation,  etc., 
are  the  more  productive  ones. 

"With  these  investments  peo- 
ple also  need  help  to  make  the 
most  use  of  their  new  equip- 
ment so  that  it  will  pay  out  and 
not  be  an  added  drain  on  the 
domestic  economy.  Obviously, 
it  is  one  thing  to  dig  a  well  and 


George  Mason 


A  covered  well  being  pumped  out  by  a 
Rural  Center  pump  in  order  to  be  cleaned 


another  to  adopt  a  new  style  of 
agriculture  which  would  make 
the  necessary  higher  profit  to 
pay  the  cost  of  the  well." 

In  order  to  make  a  basic  con- 
tribution to  future  economic 
uplift,  the  committee  is  paying 
scholarships  to  four  boys  to  at- 
tend the  Methodist  Technical 
School  in  Baroda.  George 
Mason  tells  of  one  of  these 
boys: 

"He  is  Stanley  Moses  Chris- 
tian, the  son  of  Moses  Mithilal 
Christian,  who  is  the  head- 
master of  the  Vocational  Train- 
ing College  in  Anklesvar.  His 
grandfather  is  Mithilal  Amtha 
Christian,  a  retired  mission 
worker.  When  Stanley  finished 
high  school  last  year,  his  pros- 
pects for  the  future  were  pretty 
well  limited  to  the  doubtful 
prospect  of  getting  a  job  as  a 
menial  clerk  at  low  pay  with 
little  hope  of  advancement,  go- 
ing to  Vocational  Training  Col- 
lege and  becoming  a  teacher,  or 
getting  a  job  as  a  day  laborer  in 
some  shop  or  on  the  railway 
with  chances  of  advancement 
only  with  long  experience. 

"Since  Stanley  is  not  very  in- 
terested in  teaching,  as  is  his 
older  brother  who  is  attending 
Vocational  Training  College, 
and  since  his  standing  in  high 
school  was  not  such  that  he 
could  stand  much  chance  of 
getting  into  engineering  train- 
ing because  of  the  fierce  com- 
petition, the  opportunity  of 
getting  training  in  the  Method- 
ist Technical  School  was  wel- 
comed. Both  Stanley  and  his 
father  considered  this  a  good 
opportunity  for  Stanley  to  get 
into  a  field  in  which  he  is  in- 
terested and  where  his  skill 
with  his  hands  would  be  of  use. 

"The  scholarship  Stanlev  gets 
is  Rs.  250  ($53)  for  a 'year. 
His  expense  for  the  ten 
months  course  is  about  Rs.  450 
($95.34).   This  means  that  the 

MAY  21,  1960  7 


Religious  News  Service 

Symbolizing  the  richness  of  God's  gifts  from  the  land,  fruits  of  the 
earth  were  featured  in  this  worship  center  prepared  by  Indian  Christians 
for  a  harvest-time  Rural  Life  Sunday  at  the  Katpadi  Agriculture  Institute 


cost  to  his  father  will  be  about 
Rs.  200  ($42.37)  for  the  ten 
months,  less  whatever  Stanley 
can  earn  during  his  vacation. 
(I  have  been  hiring  some  of 
the  boys  and  girls  on  construc- 
tion work  during  their  vacation 
period.)  Rs.  200  represents 
nearly  a  month  and  a  half 
salary  for  his  father,  who  makes 
approximately  $28  per  month. 

"Stanley  will  finish  his  first 
year  in  April  and  has  another 
year  to  go  to  finish  the  course. 
When  he  is  through,  he  will 
have  fundamental  training  to 
enable  him  to  develop  into  a 
toolmaker  or  a  machinist  able  to 
handle  work  of  a  high  degree 
of  accuracy.  He  also  has  enough 
theoretical  training  to  enable 
him  to  work  into  the  job  of 
foreman  or  supervisor  or  in- 
spector if  he  has  the  ability  and 
is  willing  to  work  hard." 

Before  paying  each  month's 
scholarship,  George  investi- 
gates to  see  that  the  boys  are 
keeping  up  with  their  work 
satisfactorily.  He  and  Shantilal 
have  been  asked  to  set  up  the 
farm  program  for  the  Methodist 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Technical  School. 

In  an  effort  to  educate  farm- 
ers about  improved  methods, 
the  Economic  Uplift  Commit- 
tee has  begun  a  series  of  insti- 
tutes. These  have  been  very 
well  received  but  the  farmers 
need  someone  nearby  to  help 
them  put  into  practice  what 
they  have  learned  at  the 
institute.  So  the  Rural  Service 
Center  has  offered  to  give  up 
one  of  its  best  workers,  called 
a  gram  sevak,  to  do  leadership 
training  in  a  certain  area.  The 
committee  is  paying  for  training 
a  man  to  take  his  place  with  the 
Rural  Service  Center.  It  is 
wholly  experimental,  but  there 
is  much  hope  that  this  field 
worker  will  prove  to  be  very 
effective  in  spreading  knowl- 
edge of  improved  farming  to 
greater  numbers  of  people. 

These  agricultural  experts 
know  that  crop  production 
could  be  greatly  increased  by 
the  use  of  irrigation.  However, 
there  is  a  bottleneck  in  the 
form  of  the  village  mechanic 
who  must  keep  the  irrigation 
machinery  in  repair  if  it  is  to 
be  useful. 

"Most  of  the  local  mechanics 


are     self-trained     and     poorly 
trained."     George    Mason    ex 
plains,  "Some  have  been  blackj 
smiths.    Most  have  worked  a 
helpers   to  some   kind  of  me 
chanic     somewhere     but     no 
necessarily  in  the  field  when 
they   now   work.     Their   tool 
consist  of  a  hammer,  a  chisel 
a  pair  of  pliers,  and  an  assort 
ment   of  old  wrenches   whic 
may   be    of   mixed   British   oi 
German  or  American  origin  anor 
may    be    metric,    British,     oi 
American     or     no     particula 
standard.   Mostly  they  don't  fi 
with  the  result  that  nuts  mus 
be  removed  with  chisels  eithe 
because  no  wrench  fits  or  th 
corners  have  been  rounded  off 
They  assume  no  responsibility 
for  parts  which  they  spoil  oi 
break  and,  generally,  refuse  to 
take  responsibility  if  the  ma- 
chine or  engine  fails  the  day 
after  they  have  'fixed'  it. 

"While  I  was  on  furlough,  a 
man  was  called  to  get  the  pump 
engine  at  the  Vocational  Train 
ing  College  going.  He  asked 
for  a  new  cylinder  and  piston, 
which  were  bought.  During  the 
process  of  installing  the  new 
cylinder,  he  broke  it.  Nothing 
daunted,  he  put  back  the  old 
cylinder  with  the  new  piston  in 
it,  put  the  engine  back  together 
and  went  off  with  Rs.  40  ( $8.45 ) 
pay,  about  the  cost  of  the  cylin- 
der. The  engine  ran  a  week  or 
two  before  it  had  to  be  worked 
on  again." 

To  counteract  this  situation, 
plans  are  being  made  to  train 
some  young  man  and  help  him 
get  started  in  the  repair  busi- 
ness. This  will  be  a  good  op- 
portunity for  him,  and,  if  he 
proves  trustworthy  and  tal- 
ented, a  great  help  to  the  pro- 
gram. 

Very  few  "success  stories"  of 
the  kind  Americans  so  dearly 
love  can  be  written  about  this 
slow  educative  process.  Teach- 
ing people  who  have  never  been 

Continued  on  page  thirteen 


gg(j»a»» 


Religious  News  Service 


ABOUT  forty  years  ago  on 
the  Eastern  Shore  of 
Maryland  seven  women 
visited  a  packing  shed  and 
watched  Negroes  sort,  clean, 
and  pack  vegetables  for  the 
market.  Something  on  the  floor 
caught  their  attention.  There 
were  babies  parked  in  packing 
boxes  near  their  mothers.  These 
seven  women  left  determined  to 
do  something  to  help  the  mi- 
grants. 

Twenty-two  years  ago  citi- 
zens of  Belle  Glade,  Florida, 
became  concerned  about  the 
migrants  living  in  tar-paper 
shacks  clustered  around  the 
packing  houses.  They  were 
horrified  to  find  children  left  in 
hot  cars  or  in  packing  crates 
while  the  parents  worked. 
These  citizens  hastily  set  up  a 
child  care  center  in  the  Legion 
Hall.  When  the  Farm  Security 
Administration    came    in    later 


Ruth  Griggs 


and  built  "the  camps,"  com- 
munities of  simple  houses  for 
the  migrants,  nursery  build- 
ings were  included  in  each 
camp. 

Out  of  these  and  many  pio- 
neering efforts  there  has  de- 
veloped a  Migrant  Ministry 
under  the  National  Council  of 
Churches,  which  now  works 
in  thirty-three  states  and 
touches  about  one  tenth  of 
America's  million  migrants. 

The  churches  have  been 
working  with  migrants  under 
this  program  for  forty  years. 
As  one  Department  of  Labor 
person  said  recently,  "Wher- 
ever we  go  to  study  the  mi- 
grant situation  we  run  into  the 
Migrant  Ministry  with  its  feet 
in  the  dirt." 


The  Brethren  have  been 
working  in  the  Migrant  Minis- 
try for  eleven  years  with  two 
volunteer  service  units  in 
Florida  and  one  in  California. 

This  has  been  a  ministry  of 
mercy  tailored  to  fit  the  needs 
of  America's  most  forgotten 
people.  It  has  included  child 
care  in  many  places,  distribu- 
tion of  used  clothing,  relief 
when  necessary,  recreation 
and  crafts,  religious  services 
sometimes  in  a  building,  some- 
times in  a  bus,  sometimes  in 
the  open.  There  has  also 
been  visitation,  counseling, 
and  training  classes  of  various 
kinds. 

Along  with  these  direct 
services  to  migrants  has  come 
a  slow  awakening  of  the  gen- 
eral public  and  steady  pres- 
sure on  the  public  conscience 

MAY    21,    1960  9 


and  upon  government  to  sup- 
plement mercy  with  justice  to 
make  new  laws  and  enforce 
existing  codes  and  statutes  to 
the  end  that  a  better  life 
would  be  possible  for  mi- 
grants. 

President  Truman  made  the 
first  basic  government  study 
of  the  problem.  President 
Eisenhower  set  up  the  first 
President's  Committee  on  Mi- 
gratory Labor  to  study  the 
problem  and  give  recommen- 
dations. 

In  February  1959  Secretary 
of  Labor  James  P.  Mitchell 
came  out  most  courageously 
on  behalf  of  the  migrants.  "It 
is  intolerable  and  indecent  for 
a  society  to  produce  by  over- 
working and  underpaying  hu- 
man beings.  Even  if  the 
product  may  cost  more,  we  in 
this  country  usually  accept  the 
difference  in  cost  because  it  is 
the  man  that  counts,  not  the 
thing. 

"It  is  my  conviction  that  the 
migrant  farm  worker  will 
never  take  his  place  as  a  fully 
useful  citizen  and  never  be 
able  to  successfully  resist  ex- 
ploitation until  (1)  Federal 
legislation  guarantees  him  a 
decent  minimum  wage  upon 
which  he  can  build  a  decent 
and  independent  life;  (2)  un- 
less he  has  fairly  continuous 
employment;  (3)  until  he  re- 
ceives the  equal  protection  of 
all  federal  and  state  laws  such 
as  enforced  housing  codes,  en- 
forced safety  codes,  accessible 
health  services,  and  protection 
for  his  person  in  the  form  of 
compensation  for  injury  and 
unemployment.  ...  It  is  true 
enough  that  I  can  stand  here 
all  night  and  repeat  that  with- 
out anything  ever  coming  of 
it,  but  I  intend  that  something 
does  come  of  it." 

Powerful   farm    groups    in- 


10 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


eluding  the  Farm  Bureau,  im- 
mediately set  in  motion  heavy 
pressure  against  Secretary 
Mitchell's  program.  Large 
farmers  are  profiting  enor- 
mously from  cheap  labor  and 
naturally  they  oppose  any  gov- 
ernment "interference"  which 
would  bring  minimum  wage 
laws,  unemployment  compen- 
sation, regulations  on  how  mi- 
grants can  be  hauled,  provision 
for  rest  stops  in  transit,  etc. 
Brethren  members  of  Farm 
Bureau  might  seek  to  influence 
that  organization  so  that  it 
would  work  more  for  small 
farmers  and  agricultural  work- 
ers. 

The  average  agricultural  mi- 
grant gets  one  hundred  eleven 
work  days  a  year.  The  average 
wage  for  Florida  migrants  is 
75c  an  hour.  They  have 
no  residency  established  any- 
where; so  they  are  not  eligible 
for  welfare  benefits  which 
usually  help  the  poor  over 
rough  periods.  Unsatisfactory 
as  this  life  is,  many  native 
workers  are  crowded  off  the 
labor  market  by  imported 
labor  fed  by  misfortune  and 
lack  of  opportunity  abroad, 
such  as  Mexicans  in  Texas 
who  work  for  35c  an  hour. 

There  are  now  in  Congress 
bills  involving  minimum  wages 
and  federal  aid  to  education 
for  migrant  children  and 
adults.  This  is  a  good  time  to 
write  to  your  senators  and 
representatives  and  ask  what 
stand  they  are  taking  on  aid 
to  education  for  migrants  and 
minimum  wage  laws  for  field 
workers. 

We  hope  that  the  small 
crack  of  light  beginning  to 
shine  on  this  dark  problem  is 
the  start  of  an  open  window 
to  a  better  life  for  these  home- 
less wanderers  whose  labors 
bring  to  our  tables  almost 
everything  we  eat. 


Rural  Life   Sunday  — 

does  it  have  any  im- 
portance for  Indian 
Americans  in  the  South- 
west?  Some  Brethren, 
looking  at  our  efforts 
among  the  Navajos,  are 
asking 


IS  ITI 


INDIANS  are  just  naturally 
lazy  and  worthless.  Even 
when  they  have  gone 
away  and  gotten  an  education, 
they  go  back  to  the  blanket. 
It  just  isn't  worthwhile  to  try 
to  help  them."  Often  we  have 
heard  this  statement  made  by 
people  who  are  ignorant  of 
Indian  problems. 

I  spent  a  week  at  the  Ly- 
brook  Navajo  mission  and  the 
question  of  whether  or  not  the 
project  is  worthwhile  occurred 
to  me  again  and  again. 

It  was  Monday  morning.  At 
6:30  the  entire  staff  had  break- 
fast which  had  been  prepared 
by  the  BVS  girls.  The  fellows 
had  already  started  the  motors 
of  the  two  trucks  in  order  that 
they  would  be  warmed  up 
after  breakfast  and  ready  to 
go  in  two  directions  on  the 
highway,  and  into  camps  off 
the  highway,  to  pick  up  the 
thirty-seven  children  who  at- 
tend the  day  school.  When 
they  returned  to  the  mission, 
each  child  was  given  a  glass  of 


Navajo  children  ready  for  school  wait  by  their  hogan  for  the  school  truck 


ORTHWHILE? 


milk,  a  vitamin  pill,  and  some 
fruit  to  supplement  the  break- 
fast which  they  might  have  had. 
Twenty-two  of  the  children, 
regardless    of   age,    who   were 
first-grade  or  prefirst-grade  pu- 
pils, assembled  in  the  larger  of 
the  two  schoolrooms.   One  boy 
j  who    appeared    to    be    around 
!  thirteen  years  old  but  who  had 
I  never  had  an  opportunity  to  go 
l  to  school  was  there.  School  was 
opened     by     singing     several 
hymns,   having  prayer,   and   a 
reading  from  the  Bible.    Then, 
with  the  aid  of  pictures,  charts, 
and    blackboard,    the    teacher 
patiently    began    the    task    of 
teaching,   word   by  word,   the 
English     language     to     these 
American  children  who  could 
not  speak  or  understand  any  of 
it  in  September,  when  school 
opened. 

The  other  fifteen  children, 
who  are  in  grades  two  to  five, 
gathered  in  the  other  school- 
room. The  teacher  played  soft- 
ly on  an  autoharp  to  accompany 
the  hymns  that  were  sung.    A 


Edna  Phillips  Sutton 

Photos  by  Ora  Huston 

prayer  was  offered  and  a  Bible 
story  told  before  lessons  were 
begun.  The  teachers  are  open- 
ing the  door  to  a  new  world  for 
these  children,  the  world  which 
you  and  I  have  always  known 
but  one  which  is  strange  and 
foreign  to  them. 

At  noon  a  delicious,  balanced 
lunch  was  served  to  children, 
teachers,  and  helpers,  cooked 
by  the  BVS  girls  and  furnished 
by  the  national  school  lunch 
project.  The  children  learn  to 
like  wholesome  food  and  to  eat 
it  properly  with  knives,  forks, 
and  spoons. 

Many  of  these  children  do 
not  have  adequate  food  at  home 
or  decent  clothes  to  wear  to 
school.  In  order  to  assist  and 
encourage  children  in  school 
the  Navajo  Tribal  Council  has 
appropriated  a  fund  to  furnish 
each  child  with  an  outfit  of  new 
clothes.   These  clothes  are  sup- 


plemented by  some  from  the 
parents,  and  used  clothing  from 
New  Windsor  or  Modesto  is 
greatly  needed  and  appreciated. 
The  Tribal  Council  also  pays 
for  all  eyeglasses  or  dental  work 
which  any  school  child  may 
need. 

Anyone  who  is  unacquainted 
with  reservation  problems  may 
wonder  why  these  Navajo  chil- 
dren do  not  have  public  schools 
or  why  churches  maintain  them. 
The  government  has  really 
done  a  terrific  job  in  recent 
years  in  establishing  schools  off 
the  reservation  where  the  age 
of  admission  is  around  fourteen 
years.  Dormitories  are  furnished 
and  new  clothing  is  supplied  to 
all  of  them. 

Every  teacher  in  these 
schools  has  to  have  an  inter- 
preter, for  few  of  the  youth 
have  had  enough  contact  with 
people  who  speak  English  to 
understand  it.  If  they  stay  in 
these  schools  long  enough,  they 
receive  as  much  as  an  eighth 
grade  education  and  are  taught 
some  kind  of  a  trade  or  skill 
with  which  they  can  make  a 
living  in  the  white  man's  world. 

But  these  government  schools 
cannot  accept  or  accommodate 
very  young  children,  and  Nav- 
ajo parents  do  not  want  their 
small  children  sent  far  away 
among  strange  people  for  nine 
months  of  the  year  any  more 
than  Caucasian  parents  would. 

The  government  cannot  build 
a  great  number  of  schools  in  an 
area  which  is  sparsely  popu- 
lated and  where  the  people  are 
more  or  less  transient,  follow- 
ing their  flocks  wherever  they 
can  find  pasture.  There  are  a 
few  government  schools  and 
some  trailer  house  schools  and 
a  number  of  mission  day 
schools,  but  there  are  still  hun- 
dreds of  small  children  who  do 
not  have  access  to  any  primary 
school. 

MAY  21.  1960  11 


When  a  child  goes  back  to 
his  home  he  carries  his  new- 
found knowledge  with  him. 
What  he  learns  he  tells  his  home 
group,  and  thus  they  also  re- 
ceive the  benefit  of  his  teach- 
ing. His  family  can  visit  the 
school  and  take  a  firsthand  in- 
terest in  the  education  of  their 
child. 

If  the  child  does  not  learn 
English  until  after  he  is  four- 
teen years  old,  it  is  quite  un- 
likely that  he  will  ever  go  to 
high  school  or  get  the  training 
which  would  enable  him  to  de- 
velop his  abilities  and  help  him 
become  a  useful  citizen. 

Because  of  these  conditions 
lower  grade  schools  are  desper- 
ately needed.  The  mission 
schools  are  making  a  par- 
ticularly valuable  contribution 
because  they  can  teach  the 
Christian  religion  to  the  chil- 
dren when  they  are  young. 
Most  of  the  leadership  among 
Indians  today  comes  from  per- 
sons who  had  the  opportunity 
to  go  to  mission  schools  when 
young  and  then  continued  their 
education.  However,  these  mis- 
sion schools  do  cost  a  lot  of 
money.  Do  you  think  it  is 
worthwhile? 

On  Wednesday  evening  I 
went  to  a  Navajo  prayer  meet- 
ing. There  were  six  men,  seven- 
teen women,  and  ten  children 
and  babies  present.  A  Christian 
Indian  man  had  charge  of  the 
meeting.  One  of  the  BVS  girls 
played  the  piano  to  accompany 
the  hymns  which  were  sung  in 
Navajo  from  hymnbooks  trans- 
lated and  published  by  the 
Christian  Reformed  Church. 

The  leader  talked  about  John 
3 :  16.  Some  women  talked  about 
Rom.  9:1-12.  Several  others 
gave  talks,  testimonies,  and 
prayers.  The  children  ran  about 
and  played,  and  now  and  then 
a  baby  cried.  The  whole  serv- 
ice was  in  the  Navajo  language. 


I  wondered  what  it  means  to 
the  children  to  hear  the  Word 
of  God  and  the  hymns  of  the 
church  in  their  native  tongue, 
and  if  it  was  worthwhile  to  pro- 
vide a  room  for  such  a  prayer 
meeting. 

A  young  child  died.  The 
missionary  was  asked  to  take  a 
mission-made  casket  to  the  hos- 
pital twenty-five  miles  distant 
to  get  the  body  of  the  baby.  On 
the  way  home  he  stopped  at  the 
hogan  of  the  parents,  and  they 
and  a  group  of  their  friends 
rode  back  to  the  mission  in  the 
same  truck  with  the  dead  baby 
and  were  not  afraid. 

From  there  with  a  few  per- 
sons from  the  mission  we  rode 
over  the  rough  ground  to  a  plot 
that  has  been  set  aside  for 
burials.  There  were  already  six 
graves  there.  The  missionary 
read  from  the  New  Testament, 
prayed,  and  spoke  words  of 
comfort  and  hope  to  those 
present.  The  father  of  the  child 
helped  fill  the  grave  and  was 
not  afraid.  Navajos  who  have 
not  been  touched  with  Christi- 
anity have  terrifying  fears  and 
superstitions  about  the  dead. 
Again  the  question  came  to  me, 
Is  it  worthwhile  to  furnish  this 
service  to  the  Indians? 

To  the  old  Navajo,  all  days 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


bat 

lie-1 


F 


th 


are  alike  but  at  the  mission  one;  ^cC 
day  is  different,  set  apart  for;;]  ^ 
special  purposes.  That  day  isji'p 
Sunday.  Instead  of  trucks  pick-;!  ^ 
ing  up  children  in  the  morningj  to J 
they  go  later  in  the  day  andPe 
pick  up  people  of  all  ages.  In# 
the  fellowship  room  Christian 
worship  is  conducted  in  both 
Navajo  and  English.  The  ser- 
mon by  the  missionary  is  inter- j  to 
preted  by  an  English-speaking  | f 
Navajo. 

After  the  service  people  do 
not  go  home  but  stay  and  visit 
with  their  friends  on  the  day 
that  is  different.  The  children 
flock  to  the  school  playground 
for  a  round  at  their  favorite 
games.  Before  going  home  they 
all  gather  in  the  dining  room 
and  are  served  refreshments. 

Over  the  years  the  area  in 
which  the  Navajos  live  has  be- 
come increasingly  dry,  and  the 
land  has  been  overgrazed  so 
that  the  people  are  desperately 
poverty-stricken.  Now  valuable 
minerals  and  oils  are  being  de- 
veloped on  the  reservation  and 
the  Navajos  are  receiving  bene- 
fits from  that  source.  Youth  are 
flocking  to  the  government 
schools.  Old  religions  and  val- 
ues are  being  swept  away.  The 
reservation  is  being  flooded 
with  liquor,  and  alcoholism  has 


On  the  "day  that 
is  different," 
Navajo  fathers, 
mothers,  and 
children  come  to 
Lybrook  for 
worship  and 
fellowship 


lecome  a  major  problem. 
As  they  emerge  from  their 

irimitive  past  they  not  only 
(have  the  problem  of  adjusting 
Ito  a  new  and  complex  way  of 
nlife  but  are  confronted  face  to 
l  face  with  the  problems  of  the 
I  white  man  for  which  they  have 
(jhad  no  preparation,  and  the 
«jnew  problems  are  more  difficult 
<jto  solve  than  the  problem  of 
I  poverty.  During  this  transition 
I  period  they  need  most  desper- 
Jately  love,  understanding,  and 
I  guidance  in  finding  new  paths 
i  and  to  be  given  Christianity  to 
I  fill  the  spiritual  vacuum  left  as 
I  they  are  torn  from  their  old 
I  religion. 

To  whom  can  they  look  for 
I  these  things  except  Christian 
I  people?  Is  it  worthwhile? 


You  Have  Been  Called 

Continued  from  page  four 

and  learning,  one's  cooking  and 
cleaning,  one's  washing  and 
mending  should  all  express 
one's  devotion  to  God. 

Paul  admonishes  further:  "I 
bid  everyone  among  you  not 
to  think  of  himself  more  highly 
than  he  ought  to  think,  but 
think  with  sober  judgment." 
Moffatt  translates  it,  "Take  a 
sane  view  of  yourself." 

He  further  comments,  "We 
have  all  sinned  and  fallen  short 
of  the  glory  of  God."  Not  one 
of  us  is  perfect!  Only  as  we 
serve  others  can  we  be  humble 
and  gracious,  patient  and  for- 
giving. 

It  is  interesting  and  chal- 
lenging to  note  the  great  em- 
phasis that  Paul  places  upon 
the  fact  that  Christians  are 
members  of  a  community,  a 
community  of  believers.  In  his 
letters  to  the  Corinthians,  the 
Romans,  and  the  Ephesians,  he 
speaks  of  the  church,  not  as  a 
social  club,  not  as  a  "do-gooders 
group,"  but  as  believers  who 
are  faithful  to  Jesus  Christ.   He 


likens  the  members  of  the 
church  to  a  living  body  where 
the  organism  can  function  only 
as  all  parts  work  harmoniously 
together. 

Each  is  to  play  his  own  part 
for  the  help  of  all.  Paul  writes, 
"Having  gifts  that  differ  ac- 
cording to  the  grace  given  us, 
let  us  use  them:  if  prophecy, 
in  proportion  to  our  faith;  if 
service,  in  our  serving;  he  who 
teaches,  in  his  teaching."  There 
is  a  wide  range  of  service  open 
to  all  Christians.  It  is  impor- 
tant that  each  person  find  the 
way  in  which  he  can  serve  in 
the  best  and  most  useful  way. 

All  can  play  a  part  —  a  good 
and  useful  part  —  only  let  the 
parts  be  played  in  loyal  har- 
mony. He  did  not  expect  us 
all  to  agree,  but  he  did  expect 
men  in  Christ  to  live  out  their 
differences  together!  Paul  be- 
lieved in  diversity,  but  never  in 
disunity.  He  was  not  pleading 
for  uniformity,  but  in  diversity, 
unity,  and  harmony  together! 

Paul  speaks  much  about  love 
and  our  obligations  to  others. 
It  is  not  so  much  a  glowing 
emotion  to  be  enjoyed,  but  a 
duty  owed.  His  list  of  deeds 
which  love  may  do.  gave  to 
Paul's  listeners  specific  ex- 
amples or  suggestions  showing 
exactly  how  love  works  out  in 
practical  action.  What  can  love 
do?  It  is  everything  from  zeal 
to  reconciliation  put  into  the 
service  of  men.  Here  is  en- 
thusiasm, joy,  prayer,  generosi- 
ty, sympathy,  harmony,  lowli- 
ness, and  reconciliation,  This  is 
love  in  action,  with  its  head  in 
the  stars  and  its  feet  on  the 
ground.  Had  it  no  head  among 
the  stars,  it  could  not  see  afar, 
and  it  would  stumble  without 
purpose.  Had  it  no  feet  on  the 
ground,  it  would  airily  float  in 
useless  impracticality.  Here  is 
love  ideal  and  real,  love  that  is 
devotion  and  obligation,  love 
like  Paul's,  love  like  Christ. 

To  the  Romans,  Paul  wrote, 


"I  appeal  to  you  therefore, 
brethren,  by  the  mercies  of 
God,  to  present  your  bodies  as 
a  living  sacrifice,  holy  and  ac- 
ceptable to  God,  winch  is  your 
spiritual  worship."  With  the 
dedication  of  one's  self,  one's 
service  to  Christ  begins.  This 
service  is  not  rendered  merely 
in  worship  and  prayers.  These 
are  the  preparation  for  the  ac- 
tion, but  the  true  service  to  God 
lies  in  the  field  of  daily  duties, 
in  home  affairs,  in  business 
dealings,  and  in  neighborly  as- 
sociations. A  Christian  should 
make  every  act  of  his  life  ex- 
press his  devotion  and  gratitude 
to  God.  Not  often  does  one 
succeed  in  uniting  worship  and 
working  into  a  living  whole. 

This  is  but  a  part  of  the  ad- 
vice Paul  gave  to  the  members 
of  the  early  churches  at  Corinth, 
at  Rome,  at  Galatia,  at  Philippi. 
These  admonitions  are  still 
worthy  of  our  strivings  and  our 
endeavors.  Paul  would  say  to 
us  today,  as  he  did  long  ago  to 
the  members  of  the  church  at 
Ephesus :  "I  therefore,  a  prison- 
er for  the  Lord,  beg  you  to  lead 
a  life  worthy  of  the  calling  to 
which  you  have  been  called." 

Serving  Where  They  Live 

Continued  from  page  eight 

used  to  thinking  or  acting  for 
themselves  to  strike  out  on  new 
ways  that  will  improve  their  lot 
is  slow. 

Practical  men  will  ask,  "Why 
do  these  highly  educated  men 
with  training  and  skills  that 
would  command  high  salaries 
in  many  places  in  the  world 
struggle  here  against  such 
odds?" 

Only  Christians  will  under- 
stand that  they  have  heard  the 
Great  Commission  and  are 
preaching  the  gospel  in  the  way 
thev  best  can  —  bv  word  and 
deed,  in  love. 


MAY  21.  I960 


13 


Although  Billy  Graham  is  often  viewed  with  suspicion  by  the  established 
church  leaders  in  America,  in  a  predominantly  Muslim  country  like  Northern 
Nigeria,  all  Christians  are  glad  to  liave  Billy  Graham's  strong  Christian 
witness. 

Often,  the  organization  of  a  Billy  Graham  campaign  is  mentioned. 
Mary  Eikenberry  describes  this  organization  from  the  inside  as  she  tells 
about  the  campaign. 


:; 


Billy  Graham  Comes  to  Kadun 


IT  WAS  three  o'clock  on  Sunday 
afternoon,  Jan.  31,  and  the  people 
had  begun  to  assemble  in  prepara- 
tion for  the  first  session  in  the  week 
of  Billy  Graham  meetings.  The 
place  was  the  stadium  in  Kaduna, 
the  capital  of  Northern  Nigeria.  At 
one  side  of  the  stadium  a  platform 
had  been  built;  first-aid  grass  shel- 
ters were  on  either  side  of  the  stadi- 
um; and  temporary  latrines  had 
been  placed  at  accessible  locations. 

In  the  main  section  of  the  stadium 
the  120  men  who  were  to  serve  as 
ushers  were  getting  their  final  in- 
structions. They  had  come  from  all 
of  the  churches  and  had  volunteered 
for  this  service.  The  head  usher  was 
a  Britisher,  working  in  the  medical 
department,  and  those  with  him 
were  Nigerian  Christians. 

In  the  bleachers  the  choir  com- 
posed of  members  of  co-operating 
churches  was  assembling.  The  di- 
rector was  a  senior  inspector  from 
the  government  education  depart- 
ment. They  had  been  practicing  a 
month  to  get  ready  for  this  week. 

To  the  right  of  the  platform,  be- 
hind a  grass  mat  fence,  another 
group  of  a  little  over  150  people  was 
assembling.  This  was  the  counseling 
area.  Ivan  Eikenberry  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  which  was  re- 
sponsible for  this  part  of  the  Billy 
Graham  campaign.  This  group  of 
counselors  had  been  in  training  for 
this  job  for  six  weeks.  They  had 
each  attended  six  classes,  doing  Bi- 
ble study  lessons  each  week,  and 
they  had  had  a  heart-searching  and 
warming  experience. 

They  were  an  assorted  group, 
indeed:  Anglican,  Methodists,  Bap- 
tists, Assemblies  of  God;  men,  wom- 
en; pastors,  missionaries,  seminary 
men,  and  people  not  able  to  write 
very  well.  They  represented  dozens 
of  tribes,  speaking  Yoruba,  Ibo, 
English,    Hausa,    Tiv,    Effik.     They 


had  had  their  counseling  classes  in 
either  English  or  Hausa,  but  were 
divided  up  to  do  counseling  in  one 
of  the  four  most  widely  spoken 
languages. 

They  were  all  here  this  afternoon 
for  one  thing,  to  help  someone  find 
and  understand  Christ.  This  was 
serious  business.  This  was  truly  a 
great  opportunity,  and  they  were 
glad   to   be   among   the   counselors. 

Five  o'clock  (time  for  the  service 
to  begin)  and  the  loud  speaker  was 
playing  hymns  over  the  stadium. 
This  is  still  Nigeria  in  spite  of  all 
the  well-laid  plans  of  the  Billy 
Graham  campaign.  People  were 
coming,  but  late;  the  first  service 
began  twenty  minutes  late.  This 
didn't  bother  anybody  but  the  Billy 
Graham  team  and  the  missionaries. 

Two  thousand  people  attended 
the  first  night,  sat  on  the  ground 
in  a  very  orderly  fashion,  sang,  wor- 
shiped,    prayed,     and     listened     to 


Grady  Wilson,  the  associate  evange- 
list, speak.  Out  of  the  group  250  j 
came  forward  when  they  were  in-i 
vited  to  accept  Christ  as  their  per-!  ! 

sonal  Savior. 

HI 
The  services  had  to  be  over  by  j  s 

6:30  so  that  the  large  group  of  peo-  \ 
pie  could  be  out  before  dark  (police  I  ij 
orders).    The  250  remained  behind. U 
for  counseling. 

On  Friday  morning  of  this  same 
week  in  the  office  of  the  Northern 
Educational  Advisory  Committee,  of 
which  Ivan  is  education  secretary, 
Ivan  and  I  and  three  other  mission- 
aries were  busy  on  the  follow-up 
part  of  the  Billy  Graham  campaign. 
Each  day  following  the  evening 
meeting,  the  cards  of  those  people 
who  had  come  forward  were  sorted 
out  and  sent  to  the  pastors  of  the 
churches  in  Kaduna  for  which  they 
had  indicated  a  preference. 

The   pastors   had   met   the   week 


Wilbur  Martin 


14 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Billy  Graham  with  Christian  chiefs  in  Jos;  from  left:  Chief  of 
Kogoro,  Dr.  Graham,  the  Christian  leader  of  eight  church  groups  of 
which  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  one,  and  the  Chief  of  Jos 


before  and  had  discussed  the  meth- 
ods for  follow  up  within  the 
churches.  By  Friday  1,000  people 
had  come  forward,  and  there  were 
many  names  to  be  sent,  along  with 
the  address  and  language  used.  The 
rule  is  that  these  cards  are  to  be 
in  the  hands  of  the  pastors  within 
the  week. 

There  were  problems,  too.  On 
one  card  the  complete  name  was 
written  only  Musa;  others  also  had 
incomplete  names.  Many  people 
lived  in  sections  of  town  that  had 
no  street  names  or  house  numbers. 
Penmanship  was  so  poor  that  we 
couldn't  decipher  what  was  written. 

On  Friday  evening  after  the  eve- 
ning service,  the  Billy  Graham  team 
(nine),  missionaries  from  Kaduna 
and  mission  stations  within  sixty 
miles,  along  with  the  Nigerian  pas- 
tors of  the  Kaduna  churches  and 
the  bishop  (Anglican)  of  Northern 
Nigeria,  met  for  a  buffet  supper  in 
the  front  yard  of  the  Baptist  mis- 
sionaries' home.  There  were  seventy 
of  us  there.  We  all  had  a  chance  to 
meet  Billy  Graham  and  then  he 
spoke  to  us  a  little  about  his  cam- 
paign in  Nigeria.  He  told  us  of  his 
interview  with  the  premier  of 
Northern  Nigeria  that  morning. 
Good  food  plus  Christian  brother- 
hood plus  mixed  races  and  nation- 
alities added  up  to  a  good  evening. 

Finally,  came  Saturday  night,  the 
only  evening  that  Billy  Graham 
himself  spoke.  Many  people  had 
been  waiting  for  this  night.  They 
came  and  came,  about  9,000  of 
them.  The  population  of  Kaduna 
is  50,000  or  more.  It  is  the  capital 
of  a  region  which  is  strongly  Muslim 
in  its  government.  We  were  very 
pleased  to  have  9,000  people  out. 
Cliff  Barrows  led  the  singing.  Peo- 
ple sang  Blessed  Assurance  and  O 
Happy  Day  with  zest  and  joy.  Billy 
Graham  gave  a  very  good  message. 
People  listened.  The  invitation  was 
given,  and  460  came  forward. 

The  counseling  corner  was  a  full, 
busy  one,  indeed.  There  were  about 
fifty  children  under  twelve  in  one 
group  with  a  missionary  lady  help- 
ing them.  Every  counselor  had  from 
two  to  six  people  that  he  was  at- 
tempting to  lead  to  a  better  under- 
standing of  Christ. 

In  the  Ibo  section  was  a  very 
ardent  counselor  who  was  standing 
up  shaking  his  finger  at  the  two 
men  given  him.  As  I  walked  around 
through  the  crowd,  I  saw  here  a 
counselor  in  prayer  with  his  three 
people,  and  over  there  another  pray- 


ing with  his  group.  Other  counse- 
lors were  reading  portions  of 
scripture  from  their  open  Bibles. 

In  the  Hausa  section  was  a  wom- 
an counselor  with  her  year-old  child. 
She  had  three  men  she  was  counsel- 
ing. They  were  sitting  on  a  board 
bench  and  she  had  a  stool  in  front 
of  them.  She  had  her  open  Bible 
in  her  hands  and  was  earnestly  ex- 
plaining a  verse.  The  child  was 
standing  on  the  ground  between  her 
legs  nursing.  Who  noticed  it?  The 
Billy  Graham  team  man  who  was 
walking  around  through  the  crowd! 
The  rest  of  us  had  either  become 
accustomed  to  it  or  had  always  lived 
with  it. 

Thus  ended  the  Billy  Graham 
campaign  in  Kaduna  in  1960;  1460 
persons  made  a  confession  of  Christ 
as  Savior.  All  of  these  people  who 
could  be  found  have  been  counseled 
and  followed  up  by  church  members 
of  the  group  they  said  they 
preferred. 

Co-operation  of  all  Protestant 
church  groups  and  missionaries  has 
been  a  valuable  result  of  this  cam- 
paign. The  group  of  counselors 
have  had  a  very  enriching  experi- 
ence. Many  of  them,  for  the  first 
time,  were  asking  people  to  accept 
Christ  and  leading  people  to  accept 
him  —  not  to  become  a  Methodist, 
an  Assemblies  of  God  member,  or 
a  Baptist.  Hearts  have  been  newly 
given  to  Christ  and  many  nominal 
church  members  have  rededicated 
their  lives. 


But  the  entire  campaign  was  not 
such  a  well-oiled  machine.  When 
Billy  Graham  visited  Jos,  the  prin- 
cipal city  of  Northern  Nigeria,  he 
chose  to  include  H Merest  School  for 
missionary  children  in  his  itinerary. 
The  exciting  day  is  described  by  the 
chaplain, 


Wilbur  A.  Martin 

THE  CHILDREN  had  a  short 
out-of-doors  program  planned  by 
Wilma  Schrag,  principal,  and  her 
teaching  staff.  The  three-part  rendi- 
tion of  How  Great  Thou  Art  was 
so  well  done  by  our  fifth  and  sixth 
graders  that  Cliff  Barrows  took  a 
tape  recording  of  it  for  use  on  their 
radio  program  both  in  the  States 
and  in  Nigeria.  Presents  of  a  wood- 
en bowl  and  a  picture  of  the  student 
body  were  given  to  Billy  Graham. 

His  rapport  with  the  children  was 
most  apparent  as  he  spoke  to  them 
on  three  points:  (1)  choice  (choos- 
ing Christ),  (2)  change  (that 
change  that  Christ  makes  in  us), 
and  (3)  the  challenge. 

Since  he  had  a  few  unscheduled 
minutes  after  his  message,  he  shook 
hands  with  all  the  children,  staff, 
and  helpers.  Hillcresters  will  long 
remember  that  Dr.  Graham  said  he 
would  like  to  send  his  own  children 
to  school  here. 


*-»•*  s  g 


mm  m 


Billy  Graham 

preaching  to  the 

Hillcrest  school 

children,  staff, 

and  friends 


Martin 


MAY  21,  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Brotherhood  Fund  Giving 

First  seven  months,  1958-59    $812,122 

First  seven  months,  1959-60    $823,689 

Seven  months  budget  obligations  .  .  .  $962,500 

Annual  Conference  Offering,  May  22, 
Goal:  $250,000 

All  funds  sent  to  the  treasurer's  office  be- 
tween May  22  and  the  close  of  the  Annual 
Conference  on  June  19,  or  given  at  Annual 
Conference,  are  counted  in  the  Conference 
offering. 


Standing  Committee  delegates  not  previously  listed 
include  David  Rogers  and  Russell  Miller,  Eastern  Vir- 
ginia; C.  G.  Shull,  Second  India;  and  James  Bowman 
and  Charles  Bieber,  Nigeria. 

Dedication  services  for  the  Quakertown  church, 
Pa.,  originally  announced  for  May  18-22  have  had  to 
be  postponed.  Information  as  to  the  new  date  will 
appear  later. 

Ruth  Davidson,  formerly  of  McCune,  Kansas,  and  a 
McPherson  College  graduate,  will  become  youth  field 
worker  for  the  Central  Region  in  September.  Miss 
Davidson  currently  is  in  Brethren  Volunteer  Service 
in  Kassel,  Germany. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbert  Royer  of  Wichita,  Kan., 
will  begin  work  as  houseparents  at  the  Brethren  Fel- 
lowship House  in  Elgin,  111.,  on  the  first  of  June.  The 
Royers  previously  served  as  hosts  at  the  Brethren  Serv- 
ice Center,  New  Windsor,  Md. 

Forrest  Gordon,  who  can  be  addressed  at  Bethany 
Biblical  Seminary,  3435  W.  Van  Buren,  Chicago  24, 
111.,  is  interested  in  obtaining  a  copy  of  the  book 
Whither  Thou  Goest,  by  Ruth  B.  Statler.  Anyone 
willing  to  part  with  a  copy  may  write  to  him  at  the 
above  address. 

The  new  Interchurch  Center,  475  Riverside  Drive, 
New  York  City,  will  be  dedicated  May  29.  Bishop 
Hans  Lilje,  prominent  German  churchman  will  speak 
at  the  service,  to  be  held  in  Riverside  Church.  Late 
last  year  the  Interchurch  Center  became  the  head- 
quarters for  the  National  Council  of  Churches  and 
for  several  denominational  staffs. 

Merlin  E.  Garber  has  resigned  from  the  pastorate 
of  the  Central  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Roanoke,  Va., 
after  eleven  years  there.  He  will  go  with  his  wife  to 
Vienna,  Austria,  for  a  year  of  volunteer  service  with 
the  Brethren  Service  Commission.  They  will  leave  the 
States  in  August  to  take  the  work  of  overseeing  the 
completion  of  the  Karlsschule  project  in  Vienna. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  official  mailing  address  for  use  during  Annua] 
Conference  is  as  follows:  Church  of  the  Brethren  Con- 
ference,  Men's   Residence  Halls,   Champaign,   Illinois 

The  Elizabethtown  College  newspaper,  The  Etown- 
ian,  has  won  a  first-class  rating  from  the  Associated 
Collegiate  Press  in  national  competition  among 
comparable  college  publications.  The  rating  covers 
issues  published  during  the  first  semester  of  the  1959-'60 
academic  year. 

The  University  of  Illinois  has  made  certain  facilities 
available  for  Annual  Conference  use.  It  is  necessary 
for  groups  desiring  a  meeting  place  to  clear  with  the 
secretary  of  the  arrangements  committee,  S.  Loren 
Bowman.  During  Annual  Conference  request  may  be 
made  at  the  general  office  in  Clark  House. 

A.  Stauffer  Curry,  editor  of  church  school  publica- 
tions, will  be  on  the  faculty  of  the  thirteenth  annual 
Christian  Writers  and  Editors  Conference,  Green  Lake, 
Wisconsin,  July  2-9.  The  conference  is  sponsored  by 
the  American  Baptist  Convention  and  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  of  Christ. 

A  director  for  a  Brethren  Service  summer  work 
camp  in  an  urban  area  from  about  June  20  to  Aug.  20 
is  needed.  There  will  be  opportunity  to  work  with 
youth,  social  agencies,  and  churches.  This  would  be 
good  experience  for  a  social  studies  teacher  or  a  teacher 
in  some  other  field.  The  work  will  be  on  a  maintenance 
basis.  Interested  persons  should  contact  Social  Welfare, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Approximately  2,500  persons  had  requested  on- 
campus  accommodations  at  Annual  Conference  by  May 
1.  The  university  will  take  care  of  room  assignments 
at  the  time  of  registration.  Since  no  shortage  of  rooms 
on  the  campus  is  anticipated,  all  persons  who  have 
requested  lodging  there  are  assured  that  their  needs 
will  be  cared  for  even  though  no  letters  of  confirmation 
have  been  mailed  to  applicants. 

The  Truth,  a  thirty-two-page  booklet  dealing  with 
charges  made  against  the  churches  in  the  Air  Force 
manual,  sets  forth  factual  data  on  the  National  Council 
of  Churches,  on  its  member  churches,  on  the  Revised 
Standard  Version  of  the  Bible,  and  on  the  persons  mak- 
ing the  charges.  Individuals  or  organizations  may  order 
it  from  the  Office  of  Information,  National  Council  of 
Churches,  475  Riverside  Drive,  New  York  27,  N.  Y. 


A  caravan  is  scheduled  to  cross  the  United  States 
this  summer  campaigning  for  disarmament.  The  group, 
to  be  composed  mainly  of  college  students  who  will 
sign  up  for  at  least  a  month  at  a  time,  will  leave  New 
York  early  in  June  and  travel  by  car  across  the  country 
interviewing  community  leaders,  organizing  outdoor 
rallies  and  street  corner  meetings,  visiting  summer  con- 
ferences, and  collecting  signatures  for  a  disarmament 
platform  for  the  1960  elections.  Persons  interested  in 
participating  should  contact  Rev.  Curtis  Crawford, 
%  1960  Campaign  for  Disarmament,  17  E.  45,  New 
York  17,  N.  Y. 


Brotherhood  Theme:  Brethren  Under  the  Lordship  of  Christ 


Two  institutes  of  scientific  studies  for  the  prevention 
alcoholism  will  be  sponsored  by  the  National  Com- 

[ihittee  for  the  Prevention  of  Alcoholism  this  summer. 
/One  will  be  at  Washington,  D.  C,  July  25  —  Aug.  5, 
and  the  other  will  be  at  Loma  Linda,  Calif.  One 
scholarship  will  be  available  to  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  for  each  of  these  institutes. 
Interested  persons  should  contact  Social  Welfare, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

The  new  CBYF  Program  Kit,  Volume  7,  will  be 
ready  for  distribution  on  June  1  for  use  in  planning 
the  1960-61  youth  program.  The  Kit  has  several  units 
on  the  church  theme  for  the  coming  year,  "My  Calling 
to  Fulfill,"  as  well  as  others  on  vital  topics  for  youth 
to  consider.  Single  copies  of  the  Kit  may  be  ordered 
at  $3.00  or  three  copies  for  $8.00.  A  returnable  copy 
of  the  Kit  will  be  sent  to  youth  leaders  for  examination 
purposes. 

The  Children's  Home  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  has  been  sold 
and  will  be  vacated  by  July  1,  reports  Murray  Lehman, 
chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees.  The  prohibitive  cost 
of  remodeling  the  home  to  meet  state  standards  was 
the  reason  for  selling  the  home.  The  board,  though  it 
does  not  plan  to  continue  to  operate  a  home  at  present, 
is  interested  in  co-operative  efforts  with  the  Children's 
Aid  Society,  Neffsville,  Pa.  The  Southern  Pennsylvania 
(Carlisle)  Board  will  retain  its  agency  structure  and 
relationship  to  the  churches  of  the  district. 

Dale  and  Evelyn  Snell  of  McFarland,  California, 
members  of  the  March  BVS  unit,  have  been  assigned  as 
CWS-BSC  representatives  in  Haiti.  From  a  location 
at  Port-au-Prince  they  will  manage  the  distribution  of 
surplus  commodities  for  Church  World  Service.  Also 
they  will  explore  possibilities  for  additional  Brethren 
Service  relief,  agricultural  and  health  rehabilitation  in 
rural  areas.  Brethren  Service  has  in  the  past  given 
occasional  material  aid  and  other  assistance  to  Haiti, 
one  of  the  most  economically  depressed  and  underde- 
veloped areas  in  the  Western  hemisphere. 

John  Eberly  and  Arlene  Bucher  of  the  New  Windsor 
Brethren  Service  office  attended  the  board  meeting  of 
International  Christian  Youth  Exchange  at  the  Inter- 
church  Center  in  New  York  on  April  3-6.  Numbers  of 
students  for  1960-61  were  established  and  most  of  the 
student  and  family  assignments  were  made.  The  Breth- 
ren churches  whose  sponsoring  projects  were  approved 
at  the  meeting  include  Wenatchee,  Washington;  Plum 
Creek,  Pa.;  East  Chippewa,  Ohio;  Arlington,  Va.; 
Elgin,  111.;  Fredericksburg,  Pa.;  Middlebury,  Ind.;  La 
Verne,  Calif.;  Sunfield,  Mich.;  Mount  Hermon,  Va.;  and 
Rock  Run,  Ind.  Eight  of  these  are  two-way  exchanges. 
A  few  projects  are  yet  to  be  approved. 

Home-coming 

Henry  Fork  church,  Southern  Virginia,  home-com- 
ing, Sunday,  June  5. 

Anniversaries  and  Dedications 

Fort  McKinley  church,  Gettysburg  and  Salem 
Avenues,  Dayton,  Ohio,  centennial  homecoming,  Sun- 
day, May  29.  Paul  M.  Robinson  will  speak  at  morning 
(10:30  a.m.)  and  afternoon  (2:45  p.m.)  sessions. 
Carry-in  dinner  at  noon. 


Licensed  and  Ordained  to  the  Ministry 

Robert  E.  Keim,  ordained  in  the  Twin  Falls  church, 
Idaho,  which  he  serves  as  pastor. 

A.  Lester  Merkey,  M.  Ray  Gibble  and  Paul  M. 
Bashore  licensed  in  the  Fredericksburg  church,  Eastern 
Pennsylvania. 

Leonard  Snavely  licensed  in  the  Fostoria  church, 
Northwestern  Ohio. 

Dean  Shetler,  licensed  in  the  Brotherton  church, 
Brothersvalley  congregation,  Western  Pennsylvania. 

Calvert  Fulcher,  Jr.,  licensed  in  the  Mt.  Hermon 
church,  Southern  Virginia. 

The  Call  to  Discipleship  —  Daily  Prayer  Guide 

Pray  for  courage  to: 
May  23  endure  persecution  .  Matt.  5:10-12;  Luke  6:22 

24  risk  personal  safety Matt.  8:18-22 

25  be  treated  unjustly Matt.  10:16-23 

26  suffer  for  the  Lord Acts  9:10-16 

27  suffer  with  the  Lord 2  Tim.  2:1-13 

28  be  fully  committed Eph.  3:7-19 

The  Church  Calendar 

May  22 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Sincerity  in  Religious  Practices. 
Matt.  6:1-18;  Luke  18:9-14.  Memory  Selection:  The 
Lord  sees  not  as  man  sees;  man  looks  on  the  outward 
appearance,  but  the  Lord  looks  on  the  heart.  1  Sam. 
16:7  (R.S.V.) 

Rural  Life  Sunday 

June  5  Pentecost 

June  5-9  Leadership  training  camp,  Camp  Harmony, 
Pa. 

June   12  Children's  Day 

June  13-14  National  Youth  Cabinet  meeting,  Cham- 
paign, 111. 

June  14  Pastors'  conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  14-19  Annual  Conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  19  Annual  Conference  Sunday 

June  20-21  General  Council  of  Children's  Work 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 

Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  John  Stoll  of  Minot,  N.  Dak.,  in  the  Cando  church, 
N.  Dak.,  June  19-26. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Sparta 
church,  N.  C,  June  21  -  July  3. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Six  baptized  in  the  Colorado  Springs  church,  Colo. 
Eleven  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  Waterloo 
church,  Iowa.  Eight  baptized  in  the  Independence  church, 
Kan.    Three  baptized  in  the  Cando  church,  N.  Dak. 

Five  baptized  and  eight  received  by  letter  in  the 
Milledgeville  church,  111.  Seven  baptized  in  the  Shepherd 
church,  Mich.  Two  received  by  letter  in  the  Piqua  church, 
Ohio. 

Four  baptized  in  the  Welsh  Run  church,  Pa. 

Five  baptized,  three  received  by  letter,  and  two  received 
on  former  baptism  at  the  First  church,  Baltimore,  Md.  Four 
baptized  in  the  Johnsontown  church,  W.  Va. 


MAY   21,   1960 


17 


A  New  Hospital  for  Castaner 


SEVENTEEN  years  after  the 
formal  opening  of  the  first 
Castaner  General  Hospital  a 
new,  completely  modern  hospital 
will  be  dedicated  on  May  22  in 
Castaner,  Puerto  Rico.  The  new 
hospital  is  as  great  a  contrast  to 
those  temporary  barracks  buildings 
which  previously  housed  the  hos- 
pital program  as  is  the  contrast  be- 
tween the  beauty  of  this  island  and 
the  poverty  of  some  of  its  crowded 
population. 

$25,000  from  Church  of  the 
Brethren  CALL  funds  approved  in 
March,  1958,  provided  the  neces- 
sary assurance  for  receiving  Hill- 
Burton  Act  government  funds  and 
the  spark  of  encouragement  for  the 
Puerto  Rican  Fund  Raising  Com- 
mittee for  the  new  Castaner  Com- 
munity Hospital.  The  efforts  of  the 
Committee,  chaired  by  Dona  Ines 
Mendoza  de  Munoz  Marin,  wife  of 
the  Governor  of  Puerto  Rico,  re- 
sulted in  the  raising  of  the  addition- 
al $193,323  needed,  in  addition  to 
government  funds,  for  the  $556,000 
hospital   and   auxiliary  facilities. 

Dr.  Andrew  W.  Cordier,  execu- 
tive assistant  to  the  secretary  gener- 
al of  the  United  Nations,  and 
Governor  Luis  Munoz  Marin  of  the 
commonwealth  of  Puerto  Rico  will 
be  the  guest  speakers  at  the  dedica- 
tion service.  As  chairman  at  that 
time  of  the  Brethren  Service  Com- 
mittee, Dr.  Cordier  visited  Puerto 
Rico  in  April  and  May,  1942,  to 
investigate  possibilities  for  a  Civil- 
ian Public  Service  unit  on  the  island. 
On  May  11,  1942,  he  recommended 
a  program  to  the  Brethren  Service 
Commission  and  by  June  18,  David 
and  Janine  Blickenstaff  had  arrived 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


at  Castaner  to  prepare  for  the  new 
work.  Dr.  Daryl  Parker  and  four 
unit  members  arrived  in  Puerto  Rico 
on  August  2,  and  Dr.  Carl  Coffman, 
with  seven  additional  unit  members, 
arrived  on  August  9.  The  first  oper- 
ation was  performed  on  August  17, 
1942. 

Governor  Munoz  Marin  was  pres- 
ident of  the  Senate  of  Puerto  Rico 
at  the  time  the  Brethren  Service 
program  was  started.  Throughout 
these  years  he  and  his  wife  have 
kept  a  close,  personal  interest  in  the 
work  being  done  at  Castaner. 

In  its  March  1960  meeting  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board  favor- 
ably considered  the  report  of  the 
team  it  had  appointed  to  make  an 
administrative  visit  to  Puerto  Rico. 
The  team,  comprised  of  Norman  J. 
Baugher,  Galen  B.  Ogden,  E.  Myrl 
Weyant  and  W.  Harold  Row,  re- 
ported "that  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  now  presented  with  at- 
tractive opportunities  for  an  ex- 
panded and  creative  ministry,  both 
in  terms  of  valid  needs  and  earned 
respect  of  the  Puerto  Rican  Com- 
munity." 

The  team  found  that  "the  Breth- 
ren are  regarded  very  highly  in  the 
popular  mind  as  well  as  in  church 
and  government  circles,  as  a  result 
of:  (1)  the  very  solid  social  welfare 
services  rendered  in  the  Castaner 
community  over  the  past  nearly 
eighteen  years  and  the  essentially 
unselfish  institutional  policy  under- 
lying it;  (2)  the  novel  and  creative 
approaches  to  community  develop- 
ment undertaken  in  the  community; 
and  (3)  the  progressive  attitude 
and  helpful  actions  of  the  Puerto 
Rican  government,  both  insular  and 
local." 

In   addition   to   the   hospital   and 


public  health  projects,  the  program 
has  involved  an  academy  providing 
high  school  level  training,  commu- 
nity services  including  recreation 
and  adult  education,  an  experi- 
mental farm,  and  small  industries. 
Feeling  that  education  at  least 
through  the  twelfth  grade  is  the 
responsibility  of  the  government, 
the  Brethren  Service  Commission 
urged  the  Puerto  Rican  Department 
of  Education  to  consider  Castaner 
in  its  immediate  planning.  As  a  re- 
sult, one  of  the  first  public  rural 
high  schools  in  Puerto  Rico  was  es- 
tablished at  Castaner  in  1957.  Prior 
to  that  time  the  Brethren  Academy 
had  provided  the  only  high  school 
level  training  for  the  Castaner  valley. 

The  community,  with  the  support 
of  the  insular  government  has  pro- 
vided personnel  for  the  community 
services  programs  and  much  of  the 
farm  acreage  has  been  sold  to  a 
local  citizen  interested  in  coffee 
farming.  Thus  the  total  program  is 
moving  slowly,  but  steadily,  toward 
community  direction  and  support. 

Dr.  Franklin  Cassel,  another  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  program  at  Cas- 
taner, commented  recendy  after  a 
return  visit  to  the  island:  "At  Cas- 
taner we  also  observed  many 
changes.  The  beautiful  new  hos- 
pital which  is  nearing  completion  is 
a  magnificent  structure.  Compared 
to  the  little  hospital  made  from  a 
CCC  barracks,  in  which  we  worked 
fifteen  years  ago,  this  new  hospital 
will  make  possible  medical  care  be- 
yond our  greatest  dreams.  Piped 
oxygen  to  the  rooms,  stainless  steel 
equipment,  a  modern  kitchen  and 
laundry;  spacious  rooms  and  cor- 
ridors and  modern  quarters  for  doc- 
tors and  nurses  will  leave  nothing 
to  be  desired.  Little  difficulty  should 
be  encountered  in  finding  personnel 
to  work  there.  This  I  believe  repre- 
sents the  greatest  challenge  to  the 
Brethren  —  to  provide  the  quality 
and  quantity  of  workers  to  maintain 
such  an  establishment  at  its  peak 
of  efficiency. 

"The  other  great  change  noted  at 
Castaner  is  the  presence  of  a  lovely 
church  building  beside  the  hospital 
and  an  organized  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  This  provides  another 
and  perhaps  greater  challenge  to  the 
Brethren,  to  give  the  type  of  guid- 
ance and  support  to  the  new  congre- 
gation here  so  that  it  may  effectively 


administer  to  the  great  spiritual 
needs  of  the  people  and  truly  relate 
our  physical,  medical,  recreational, 
and  social  contributions  to  the  un- 
derlying spiritual  convictions  which 
give  real  meaning  to  life." 

W.  Harold  Row,  executive  secre- 
tary of  the  Brethren  Service  Com- 
mission, who  has  been  closely 
related  administratively  to  the  Cas- 
taner  project  since  its  beginning, 
will  represent  the  commission  at  the 
Dedication  Service  and  will  receive 
the  keys  to  the  hospital  from  the 
general  contractor,  Senor  Sastre. 
The  band  from  the  metropolitan 
area  of  Ponce  and  Maria  Esther 
Robles,  outstanding  Puerto  Rican 
soloist,  will  bring  special  music  for 
this  occasion.  Also  participating  in 
the  program  will  be  Dona  Ines 
|  Munos  Marin;  Ralph  Townsend, 
present  director  of  the  project;  Senor 
\  Francisco  Arrillaga,  prominent  Puer- 
l  to  Rican  attorney;  Senor  Jose  Fran- 
cisco, president  of  the  Castaher 
j  Community  Committee;  Dr.  Guiller- 
i  mo  Arbona,  secretary  of  health  of 
Puerto  Rico;  and  Dr.  Lee  Smith, 
medical  director  of  the  hospital. 
Several  former  workers  will  visit 
Puerto  Rico  for  this  occasion. 

Brethren  have  been  interested  in 
Puerto  Rico  since  1900  when 
Brother  Martin  G.  Brumbaugh  of 
Pennsylvania  became  the  first  com- 
missioner of  education  after  the 
island  was  annexed  to  the  United 
States.  The  appreciation  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Puerto  Rico  for  the  help  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  has  given 
is  evident  in  this  enthusiastic  re- 
sponse in  services  and  in  funds  for 
the  new  hospital. 


CHALMER  FAW 

to  Direct  Conference  Bible  Hour 

►  Bible  Hour  participants  at  Annual  Confer- 
ence, June  14-19,  will  focus  their  study  on 
the  call  as  set  forth  in  the  Book  of  Romans. 

Presenting  the  series  of  four  messages  will 
be  Bro.  Chalmer  E.  Faw,  professor  of  Biblical 
studies   at   Bethany   Seminary,   Chicago.     The 
former  pastor  and  missionary  will  discuss  par- 
ticularly the  scriptures  which  bear  on  the  call 
to  repentance,  the  call  to  new  life,  the  call  to 
full  commitment,  and  the  call  to  loving  service. 
As  a  Bible  scholar  Brother  Faw  has  written  frequently  in   Brethren 
curriculum  and  other  Brethren  publications.   In  addition,  he  has  had  articles 
published  in  professional  Biblical  journals.    He  is  author  of  a  chapter  in 
the  book,  The  Adventurous  Future. 

The  Bible  Hours  will  be  held  in  the  University  of  Illinois'  Huff 
gymnasium,  commencing  at  9  a.m.  Tuesday  and  continuing  through 
Saturday. 

NEW  EDITOR  APPOINTED 

►  Rev.  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  Klamath  Falls, 
Oregon,  will  become  assistant  editor  of  Chris- 
tian education  publications  for  the  Brother- 
hood later  this  month.  The  appointment  was 
announced  in  April  by  Norman  J.  Baugher, 
general  secretary  of  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board. 

A  graduate  of  Kent  State  University,  Kent, 
Ohio,  in  1953  and  of  Bethany  Biblical  Semi- 
nary, Chicago,  in  1957,  Brother  Brumbaugh 
has  served  as  pastor  of  the  Klamath  Falls  con- 
gregation in  Oregon  since  September  1958. 
He  formerly  was  assistant  pastor  of  the  Valley  View  congregation  in  South- 
ern California.  At  one  time  he  was  associated  with  the  National  Service 
Board  for  Religious  Objectors,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Brother  Brumbaugh,  who  grew  up  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  at 
Kent,  Ohio,  is  married  to  the  former  Eula  Rohrer.  They  have  a  son, 
Geoffrey  Gene,  and  a  daughter,  Caron  Lucille. 

He  will  succeed  Miss  Paula  Sheller,  assistant  church  school  editor,  who 
plans  to  return  to  her  home  in  California  this  spring. 


A  Peace  Drama 


Here  is  a  drama  to  jolt  the  com- 
placency of  any  listener.  Originally 
presented  by  the  American  Friends 
Service  Committee  on  a  nation-wide 
tour,  the  script  is  written  by  Philip 
C.  Lewis  and  based  on  the  Friends' 
document,  Speak  Truth  to  Power.  It 
employs  the  DocuDrama  technique, 
which  involves  the  use  of  a 
narrator,  and  three  members  of  the 
cast  in  a  series  of  short  interludes, 
flashbacks,  Socratic  discussions,  ar- 
guments with  a  heckler,  and  quota- 
tions from  various  sources  to  breathe 
life  and  immediacy  into  the  quest 
for  peace. 

While  much  of  the  success  of 
Which  Way  the  Wind  as  a  produc- 
tion depends  upon  a  skillful  cast,  a 


group  with  dramatic  talent  and  a 
willingness  to  work  will  find  this 
drama  a  powerful  tool  for  conveying 
the  urgency  of  working  for  peace 
to  many  types  of  audiences. 

A  copy  of  Which  Way  the  Wind 
for  examination  purposes  may  be  ob- 
tained from  the  Loan  Library, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Of- 
fices, Elgin,  111.  Permission  to  pro- 
duce requires  the  payment  of  a  $5.00 
registration  and  the  purchase  of  five 
copies  of  the  script  at  $1.00  each. 
Application  for  production  permis- 
sion and  purchase  of  scripts  may  be 
made  through  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices  also. 


MAY  21,  1960 


19 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Gift  Antibiotics  Airlifted 
to  Agadir  Disaster  Victims 

An  emergency  airlift  shipment  of 
antibiotics  left  Idlewild  Internation- 
al Airport  in  March  en  route  to 
disaster  victims  in  areas  of  refugee 
concentration  near  Agadir,  Morocco. 
The  medicines  were  sent  by  Church 
World  Service  and  were  put  to  im- 
mediate use  to  combat  typhoid, 
typhus,  plague,  cholera,  and  other 
epidemic  diseases  threatening  per- 
sons left  homeless  when  earthquakes 
and  a  tidal  wave  shattered  the  North 
African  resort  city  late  in  February. 

Atlanta  Ministers  Issue 
Call  for  Prayer 

One  hundred  and  thirty-four  At- 
lanta, Ga.,  ministers  have  issued  a 
call  for  prayer  throughout  their  state 
for  divine  guidance  in  solving  the 
conflict  between  local  and  federal 
laws  on  school  segregation.  The 
ministers  designated  two  days  in 
March  as  days  of  special  prayer 
in  all  churches  and  synagogues  in 
Georgia. 

The  pastors  said  the  gravest  prob- 
lem currendy  facing  Georgia  is  the 
question  of  public  schools.  State 
laws  presendy  authorize  the  gov- 
ernor to  close  any  school  that 
integrates. 

Italian  Pentecostals  Get 
Official  Recognition 

Italian  Pentecostals  have  obtained 
official  recognition  by  government 
authorities  and  will  now  be  known 
as  the  Assemblies  of  God  in  Italy. 

The  Pentecostal  leaders,  whose 
efforts  to  achieve  official  status  for 
the  group  began  at  the  end  of  World 
War  II,  expressed  deep  satisfaction 
over  their  new  advantages,  which 
include  authorization  to  own  real 
estate.  There  are  some  500  Pentecos- 
tal groups  or  communities  through- 
out Italy,  with  a  total  baptized 
membership  estimated  at  60,000 
persons. 

Religious  Revival  Among 
Russian  Youth  Reported 

The  Soviet  government  is  espe- 
cially worried  by  the  religious 
activities  of  Baptists,  Seventh-day 
Adventists,  and  Jehovah's  Witnesses, 
according  to  a  young  Russian  em- 
bassy official  who  recently  defected 
to  the  West. 

Alexander  Yurievich  Kaznacheyev 


who  in  1959  fled  his  post  in  the 
Soviet  embassy  at  Rangoon,  Burma, 
told  the  Senate  Internal  Security 
subcommittee  that  a  religious  re- 
vival is  occurring  among  Russian 
youth  because  of  their  disillusion- 
ment with  Communist  ideas  and 
philosophy.  The  young  Russian 
refugee  said  the  Soviet  government 
fears  the  Baptist,  Adventists,  and 
Witnesses  because  "these  sects  are 
more  appealing  to  the  Russian  peo- 
ple due  to  the  conditions  in  the 
Soviet  Union." 

He  also  testified  that  "for  the  past 
decade  the  Soviet  government  has 
been  especially  worried  by  the  fact 
of  the  growing  revival  of  religion  in 
the  Soviet  Union.  The  main  reason 
for  this  revival  is,  I  think,  the  grow- 
ing dissatisfaction  among  Soviet 
people,  especially  among  the  youth. 
Marxist-Leninist  doctrine  is  not  ap- 
pealing to  minds,  hearts,  and  to  the 
souls  of  people,  especially  the  young 
generation.  They  are  looking  for 
something  else  to  substitute,  to  fill 
this  vacuum,  and  many  of  them  turn 
to  religion." 

Dutch  Protestant  Churches 
Protest  Racial  Discrimination 

The  Dutch  Reformed  Church  and 
other  Protestant  churches  belonging 
to  the  Dutch  Ecumenical  Council 
have  decided  to  send  letters  of  pro- 
test to  the  churches  of  South  Africa 
against  racial  discrimination  in  that 
country. 

The  Dutch  Labor  Party  has  al- 
ready voiced  its  objections  to  the 
South   African    government's    apart- 


heid  policy   as   an   infringement  of  I 
human  rights.    An  identical  stand  has 
also  been  taken  by  the  Netherlands 
Union  of  Humanists. 

India  Churches  Back  Religious 
Instruction  in  Schools 

An  Indian  government  report  rec- 
ommending compulsory  teaching  of 
moral  and  spiritual  values  in  all 
schools  and  colleges  throughout  the 
country  was  commended  by  the  Na- 
tional Christian  Council  Review  to 
churches  for  study.  The  Review, 
which  is  the  official  organ  of  the 
National  Christian  Council  of  India, 
suggested  that  churches  take  a 
"sympathetic  and  understanding 
view  of  the  problems  which  the  re- 
port seeks  to  solve." 

The  council  is  the  representative, 
consultative  body  for  nearly  all 
Protestant  churches  in  India  and  has 
a  total  membership  of  more  than 
5,000,000. 

Church  Clothing  Contributions 
Show  Sharp  Increase 

Clothing  and  bedding  contributed 
by  American  Protestants  and  East- 
ern Orthodox  churchgoers  for  world 
relief  during  the  first  two  months 
of  this  year  totaled  824,993  pounds, 
an  increase  of  almost  100  per  cent 
over  the  same  period  last  year. 

The  amount  was  swollen  by  un- 
usually large  contributions  of  blan- 
kets in  Indiana  and  Illinois,  where 
a  special  blanket  appeal  was 
sounded  in  January.  Through 
Church  World  Service  American 
congregations  have  donated 
100,000  blankets. 


over 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Dr.  Ralph  E 
Baney,  a  Baptist 
minister  (right), 
and  Dean 
Ryther,  both  of 
Kansas  City, 
Kansas, 

check  equipment 
before 

descending  into 
the  Dead  Sea 
near  Khirbet 
Qumran,  Jordan, 
in  search  of 
the  lost  Biblical 
cities  of  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah. 
Initial  dives  to 
a  300-foot  level 
disclosed  traces 
of  a  twelve-foot 
wide  road  and  other  possible  evidences  of  underwater  ruins 


Churches  Aid 
Earthquake  Victims 

Photos,   courtesy  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches 

Food,  blankets,  and  medicines  were 

rushed  to  Agadir  and  distributed  to 

the  earthquake  sufferers  by  the 

volunteers  working  in  Morocco 


^^^^^^H 


The  roadside  is  the  resting  place  for 
these  two  orphaned  by  the  disaster 


This  eleven-year-old  boy  was  dug 
out  of  the  ruins  after  having  been 
pinned  on  his  back  for  a  week 
without  food  or  water 


IIIll 


These  Moroccan  children,  orphaned 
in  the  disaster  which  claimed  10,000 
lives,  are  flown  to  a  children's 
home  at  Rabat,  where  they  will 
begin  a  new  life 

Religious  News  Service 


MAY  21.  1960 


21 


Brethren  Want  to  Know 


Note:  If  you  have  a  question  concerning  some  phase  of  the  Brotherhood  program 
that  you  would  like  to  have  answered  here,  write  to  Department  of  Interpretation, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Please  indicate  name  and 
address  even  though  names  of  questioners  will  not  be  printed. 


Do  we  still  need  missionaries? 
If  so,  what  kind? 

Yes,  missionaries  are  needed  by 
our  church  to  strengthen  the  growing 
churches  of  India,  Nigeria,  Ecuador, 
and  Indonesia.  The  Church  of  the 
Brethren  now  maintains  ninety-eight 
career  (or  regular)  missionaries,  plus 
sixteen  volunteer  and  short-term 
workers  in  the  various  countries.  Dur- 
ing the  past  year  and  a  half,  eighteen 
more  missionaries  have  been  ap- 
pointed for  service.  Some  of  these 
will  go  to  fill  vacancies  left  by  re- 
tirement or  withdrawal  of  former 
missionaries.  Others  will  occupy  new 
posts  resulting  from  growth,  from 
changing  emphasis  in  our  work,  and 
from  the  opening  of  work  for  the 
first  time  in  Indonesia. 

As  the  overseas  churches  develop, 
they  produce  more  and  more  lead- 
ership of  their  own.  But,  at  the  same 
time,  the  concerns  of  these  churches 
become  larger  and  more  varied,  thus 
calling  for  a  greater  number  of  quali- 
fied workers  to  counsel,  aid,  train, 
and  encourage  them  as  they  set  out 
to  serve  and  win  their  own  people 
for  Christ. 

Missionary  assignments  are  now 
made  on  the  basis  of  specific  calls 
from  the  fields.  These  calls  originate 
from  those  working  in  the  particular 
field,  both  missionaries  and  national 
church  leaders  of  that  country.  Each 
call  states  the  nature  of  the  position 
to  be   filled,   training  required,   ex- 


perience needed,  special  personal 
qualifications,  date  needed,  and  or- 
der of  priority  in  relation  to  other 
calls  for  personnel  on  the  same  field. 
The  priorities  depend  upon  such 
things  as  program  needs,  available 
funds,  and  the  willingness  of  the 
host  government  to  admit  foreign 
personnel  for  a  particular  task. 

Current  calls  are  for  people  with 
professional  training  —  teachers, 
churchmen,  doctors,  nurses,  literacy 
workers,  and  business  managers. 
Also,  a  certain  number  of  people  with 
technical  skills,  such  as  builders  and 
mechanics,  are  needed  from  time  to 
time.  All  these,  in  addition  to  com- 
petence in  their  chosen  fields  of 
specialization,  are  called  upon  to 
witness  to  their  faith  and  to  embody 
in  their  lives  the  kind  of  loyalty  to 
Christ  and  his  church  which  they  at- 
tempt to  instill  in  others. 

Missionaries  like  these  will  prob- 
ably always  be  wanted  and  needed 
both  by  our  country  and  by  other 
countries  to  strengthen  and  bind  to- 
gether the  world-wide  church.  The 
nature  of  the  task  and  specific  re- 
quirements may  change  from  time 
to  time,  but  Christ's  great  outgoing 
purpose  for  the  church  does  not 
change. 

The  church  will  always  need  a 
certain  number  of  well-qualified 
people  who  are  committed  and  will- 
ing to  serve  wherever  they  are  sent. 
—  /.  Benton  Rhoades. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


Reading  the  Gospel  of  John.  James 
P.  Berkeley.  Judson,  1958.  290 
pages.    $3.75. 

This  book  is  the  fruit  of  many 
years  of  study  and  of  teaching  the 
"gospel  of  the  Son  of  God"  to  the- 
ological students,  pastors,  and 
laymen. 

Holding  that  John  was  written  to 


22 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


produce  belief  in  Jesus  Christ  and 
bring  life  to  the  believer,  the  author 
interprets  the  gospel  as  a  dramatic 
presentation  of  "the  self-manifesta- 
tion of  the  Son  of  God." 

Professor  Berkeley  sees  the  evan- 
gelist as  a  Greek-speaking  Jew 
whose  culture  was  basically  Hebraic 
but  whose  life  was  Hellenistic, 
whose  aim  was  to  translate  Hebrew 
thought  for  the  benefit  of  Greek 
Christians. 


While  Berkeley's  book  will  not 
satisfy  those  who  are  looking  for  the 
usual  type  of  commentary  or  whose 
point  of  view  differs  from  the  dra- 
matic and  literary  understanding 
held  by  the  author,  the  hearts  of 
many  will  be  warmed  by  the  depths 
of  spiritual  truth  set  forth  here.  — 
David  ].  Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 

Ways  of  Studying  Children.  Mil- 
lie Almy.  Columbia  University, 
1959.   266  pages.   $3.50. 

This  is  a  manual  primarily  for 
teachers  who  know  that  increased 
understanding  of  the  ways  children 
feel,  behave,  and  think  leads  to  in- 
creased teaching  effectiveness.  As 
one  teacher  put  it,  "The  more  care- 
fully you  observe,  the  more  you  see 
to  be  done,"  or  "The  more  carefully 
you  observe,  the  more  sure  you  are 
about  what  to  do  and  the  more 
effective  what  you  do  becomes." 
Child  study  for  teachers  is  not  an 
end  in  itself;  it  is  a  professional  skill 
which  has  as  its  aim  understandings 
that  can  be  used  in  improving  chil- 
dren's learning  in  school.  The  diffi- 
culties in  knowing  children  are  not 
very  different  from  those  inherent 
in  our  attempts  to  know  ourselves. 
We  also  have  potentialities  for 
growth;  we  also  have  things  to  learn. 
This  is  an  excellent  book  which 
leads  us  further  into  the  field  of 
human  understanding.  —  Glee  Yoder, 
McPherson,  Kansas. 

Calm  Delight.  Elsie  Chamberlain. 
Doubleday,  1960.   142  pages.   $2.50. 

This  book  provides  a  series  of 
devotional  meditations,  using  as  the 
basis  phrases  from  Thomas  Binney's 
hymn,  Eternal  Light.  The  writer  in 
her  own  contribution  reveals  the 
message  of  the  hymn  in  a  very 
pointed  and  inspiring  way.  The 
hymn  comes  "alive"  as  you  move 
from  day  to  day  with  your  reading. 

The  selected  readings  from  other 
writers  are  not  as  clearly  directed 
to  the  theme,  but  after  rereading 
the  material,  the  message  reveals  it- 
self. A  challenge  for  deep  spiritual 
truths,  too  often  neglected,  are  at 
the  heart  of  the  book's  message. 

We  are  not  often  given  the  privi- 
lege of  the  thinking  of  more  than 
one  writer  in  a  book,  but  the  author 
provides  the  reader  with  the  oppor- 
tunity of  becoming  acquainted  with 
two  or  more  writers  on  each  theme. 

The  book  should  be  valuable  in 
personal  devotions  for  those  who 
can  give  themselves  time  to  think 
through  and  allow  the  message  to 
be  absorbed.  —  Mary  K.  Hoff,  New 
Windsor,  Md. 


. 


Spiritual  Renewal  Through  Per- 
sonal Groups.  John  L.  Casteel.  As- 
sociation Press,  1957.  220  pages. 
$3.50. 

The  hunger  for  fellowship  is  deep 
and  perennial  and  likely  stronger 
now  than  before  the  industrial  revo- 
lution made  life  so  impersonal  for 
so  many  people.  It  is  refreshing  to 
see  efforts  to  remedy  this. 

The  author  of  this  readable  book 
picked  up  stories  of  many  groups 
and  told  them.  Friends  urged  him 
to  write  them  down.  He  did.  The 
book  gives  his  choice  of  the  nine 
most  helpful  ones  —  all  different. 

Small  groups  (from  three  to  six- 
teen persons,  usually  six  to  twelve) 
meeting  about  once  a  week  regularly 
for  Bible  study,  for  prayer,  for  shar- 
ing important  matters,  even  deep 
doubts  —  these  are  constant  factors 
in  the  varied  and  changing  groups. 
Some  began  with  vocational  inter- 
ests, e.g.,  physicians  and  teachers. 
But  usually  the  interests  are  varied, 
also.  Some  include  only  men,  some 
women,  some  mixed  —  with  youth 
and  oldsters. 

A  "center  of  trusting  love"  devel- 
ops or  the  groups  die.  And  people 
cannot  be  pushed  into  groups  or 
"organized."  Belonging  always  costs 
in  discipline,  including  a  commit- 
ment to  attend  all  sessions,  running 
from  six  to  twelve  weeks.  And  it 
always  takes  time  for  the  group  to 
find  itself.  The  best  groups  are 
turned  in  two  directions:  in,  to  help 
every  member,  and  out,  to  help 
somebody  else.  Instead  of  enlarging 
in  number  these  "cells"  divide  later, 
just  like  other  healthy  cells.  In  dura- 
tion they  last  only  as  long  as  they 
are  needed. 

Some  day  small  groups  like  these 
the  author  describes  —  or  better  ones 
—  may  transform  the  church,  and 
later,  the  world.  —  Dan  West,  Go- 
shen, Ind. 

Family  Prayers.  A.  Murray  Smith. 
Revell,  1959.    36  pages.    65c. 

This  is  an  attractive,  pocket-size 
book  of  suggested  Bible  readings 
and  prayers  for  a  thirty-one  day  cal- 
endar month.  The  materials  are 
adaptable  for  use  at  meals  or  at 
evening  time  when  the  family  mem- 
bers are  all  present.  For  those  who 
find  printed  prayers  helpful,  this  col- 
lection is  positive  and  simple. 

The  suggested  Scripture  readings 
cover  a  broad  scope  and  are  related 
to  the  proposed  prayers  so  as  to 
give  a  feeling  of  unity  to  the  mo- 
ments of  meditation. 

Three   or  four   short  prayers   are 


printed  for  each  day.  The  arrange- 
ment is  such  that  they  can  be  used 
successively  to  encourage  a  wider 
range  for  prayer  or  there  can  be 
a  selection  of  the  one  prayer  that 
most  nearly  meets  the  family  need 
or  one  or  more  of  the  printed  prayers 
may  be  used  to  inspire  additional 
prayers  by  members  of  the  family.  — 
S.  Lor  en  Bowman. 

A  Picture  Book  of  Prize-Winning 
Flower  Arrangements.  Jean  B.  Amer. 
Allied  Publications,  1959.  44  pages. 
$1.95. 

This  book  contains  more  than  sev- 
enty delightful  arrangements,  many 
of  them  pictures  in  color,  each  with 
brief  explanations  on  the  materials 
and  techniques  used.  Though  there 
is  a  rather  generous  use  of  unusual 
figurines  and  other  accessories  not 
readily  available  to  the  average  per- 
son, this  book  should  provide  inspira- 
tion to  the  beginner  to  copy 
prize-winning  arrangements.  For  the 
person  familiar  with  the  basic  prin- 
ciples of  flower  arrangement,  it  pro- 
vides a  stimulus  for  launching  into 
the  use  of  new  materials  and 
forms.  —  Grace  Hollinger. 

Light  Beyond  Shadows.  R.  Fred- 
erick West.  Macmillan,  1959.  160 
pages.    $3.75. 

This  book  is  a  warm  and  moving 
account  of  the  experiences  of  a  min- 
ister in  "a  nervous  breakdown."  It 
is  the  many  faceted  story  of  a  pastor- 
teacher  who  found  himself  in  a  men- 
tal hospital  and  of  how  he  not  only 
sought  the  answers  to  his  personal 
problems  but  also  rebuilt  relation- 
ships with  family,  friends,  and  his 
church. 

While  the  book  is  somewhat  emo- 
tional in  spots  and  is  written  in  very 
nontechnical,  simple  language,  the 
story  of  this  man  is  an  open  window 
through  which  we  can  observe,  study 
and  understand  the  experiences  of 
a  person  who  seeks  and  finds  the 
Christian  answer  to  mental  illness 
with  the  help  of  the  doctor,  psychol- 
ogist, and  counselor.  Recommended 
reading  for  clergy  and  laity.  —  James 
Renz. 

"They  Sang  a  New  Song.  Ruth 
MacKay.  Abingdon,  1959.  128 
pages.    $3.50. 

This  book  brings  stories  of  twenty 
hymns  and  their  writers.  The  stories 
vary  in  approach  —  some  deal  with 
incidents  of  the  writers'  lives,  some 
describe  the  historical  setting  of  the 
time  in  which  the  hymn  writer  lived, 
and   others   deal  more   closely   with 


the  circumstances  under  which  the 
particular  hymn  itself  was  written. 
Most  of  the  stories  highlight  the 
virtues  of  courage,  loyalty,  devotion, 
or  depict  noble  deeds. 

It  is  indicated  on  the  jacket  that 
the  book  is  for  children  of  nine  years 
of  age  and  over.  Likely  children 
under  twelve  would  find  the  book 
too  difficult  to  read  alone.  It  is  a 
book  that  parents  would  enjoy  read- 
ing to  their  children.  Music  teachers 
and  church  school  leaders  will  find 
it  very  helpful  for  resource  materials. 

Each  hymn  treated  is  simply  har- 
monized, so  that  children  can  enjoy 
playing  it  in  connection  with  the 
story.  One  stanza  is  printed  with 
music.  —  Mildred  M.  Etter. 

"Everywhere.  Rowena  Ferguson 
and  Claire  Randall.  Friendship 
Press,  1959.    64  pages.    75c. 

In  this  well-illustrated,  sixty-four- 
page  book,  the  author  traces  the  his- 
tory of  the  church  from  its  very 
beginning  to  the  present,  with  em- 
phasis on  the  ecumenical  endeavors 
through  the  National  and  World 
Councils  of  Churches.  Some  of  the 
chapter  and  section  headings  are: 
The  Church  and  the  Churches,  Unity 
in  Diversity,  How  Churches  Work 
Together,  Youth-Serving  Agencies, 
Ecumenical  Work  Camps,  and  One 
in  Worship.  This  can  be  an  excellent 
supplement  for  those  church  school 
classes  engaged  in  church  history  or 
for  those  who  like  to  engage  in  per- 
sonal reading  on  this  subject.  It  is 
written  for  young  people  and  will 
be  enjoyed  by  them  as  well  as  adult 
readers.  This  is  a  part  of  a  series 
by  Friendship  Press.  Other  books 
in  the  series  are  When  We  Pray,  and 
When  We  Share.  —  Paul  M.  Weaver. 

The  Child  in  the  Educative  Pro- 
cess. Daniel  A.  Prescott.  McGraw- 
Hill,  1957.    502  pages.    $4.95. 

This  book  has  four  parts.  The  first 
shows  that  learning,  development, 
and  adjustments  are  individual  mat- 
ters and  emphasizes  the  importance 
of  all  influencing  and  contributing 
persons.  Part  two  analyzes  the 
knowledge  and  skills  a  teacher  must 
have  to  understand  his  pupils  as  in- 
dividual, growing  persons.  The 
third  part  deals  with  the  explanation 
of  how  individuals  develop  and  why 
they  behave  as  they  do.  The  last 
part  describes  ways  in  which  schools 
are  attempting  to  implement  the  ed- 
ucative process.  —  Glee  Yoder,  Mc- 
Pherson,  Kansas. 


MAY  21.  1960 


23 


Conference  Program 


Conference  Theme:    "My  Calling  to  Fulfill" 

TUESDAY,  JUNE  14 

10:00  Pastors'  Retreat  (for  pastors  and  pastors'  wives). 
Smith  Music  Hall. 
Chairman:    Leland  A.  Nelson. 
Speaker:    Roy  A.  Burkhart. 
12:00  Pastors  and  Wives'  Luncheon. 
Chairman:    J.  Herbert  Miller. 
2:15  Afternoon  Session.    Smith  Music  Hall. 
Chairman:    A.  Joseph  Caricofe. 
Speaker:    Roy  A.  Burkhart. 

TUESDAY  EVENING 

7:00  General  Session.    Huff  Gymnasium. 
Chairman:    Earle  W.  Fike,  Jr. 
Address  of  Welcome. 
Response:    Paul  H.  Bowman,  Jr. 
Address:     God's    Call    to    Discipleship,    Robert 
Richards. 

WEDNESDAY  MORNING,  JUNE  15 

7:30  Postbreakfast  Conferences. 

1.  Men's  Fellowship.    Main  Auditorium. 
8:15  Youth  and  Junior  High  "Preview  of  the  Day." 

Lincoln  Theater. 
9:00  Bible  Hour.    Huff  Gymnasium. 
Chairman:   L.  Byron  Miller. 
Speaker:    Chalmer  E.  Faw. 
Topic:    Our  Call  to  Repentance. 
10:00  Our  Brotherhood  Witness  Through: 

1.  Brethren  Service.    Main  Auditorium. 

2.  Christian  Education.   Huff  Gymnasium. 

3.  Foreign  Missions.    Smith  Music  Hall. 

4.  Ministry  and  Home  Missions.    Lincoln   Hall 

Theater. 

WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON 

2:00  Business  Session.    Huff  Gymnasium. 

WEDNESDAY  EVENING 

7:00  Business  Session.    Huff  Gymnasium. 
Chairman:    Charles  E.  Zunkel. 
Moderator's    Address:     Called    to    Break    Bread 
Together,  Edward  K.  Ziegler. 
9:00  Youth     Fellowship     Period.      English     Building 
Gymnasium. 

THURSDAY  MORNING,  JUNE  16 

7:30  Postbreakfast  Conferences. 

1.  Children's  Workers.   Illini  Union  Building. 

2.  Men's  Fellowship.    Gregory  Hall. 

3.  Women's   Fellowship.    Main  Auditorium. 

4.  Brethren  Service.    Gregory  Hall,  Room   100. 
8:15  Youth  and  Junior  High  "Preview  of  the  Day." 

Lincoln  Theater. 
9:00  Bible  Hour.   Huff  Gymnasium. 
Chairman:    Mrs.  Harold  Baker. 
Speaker:    Chalmer  E.  Faw. 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Topic:    Our  Call  to  New  Life. 
10:00  Business  Session.   Huff  Gymnasium. 

THURSDAY  AFTERNOON 

1:00  Brethren  Medical  Workers.   Gregory  Hall,  Room 

223. 
2:00  Business  Session.   Huff  Gymnasium. 

THURSDAY  EVENING 

7:00  General  Session.   Huff  Gymnasium. 

Chairman:    Lester  E.  Fike. 

Address:   Called  to  Minister,  Morley  Mays. 
9:00  Youth    Fellowship     Period.      English    Building 
Gymnasium. 

FRIDAY  MORNING,  JUNE  17 

7:30  Postbreakfast  Conferences. 

1.  Children's    Workers.     Illini    Union    Building, 

Wedgewood  Lounge. 

2.  Men's  Fellowship,  Gregory  Hall. 

3.  Women's  Fellowship.    Main  Auditorium. 

4.  Brethren  Service.   Smith  Music  Hall. 

8:15  Youth  and  Junior  High  "Preview  of  the  Day." 

Lincoln  Theater. 
9:00  Bible  Hour.    Huff  Gymnasium. 
Chairman:    Linford  Rotenberger. 
Speaker:    Chalmer  E.  Faw. 
Topic:  Our  Call  to  Full  Commitment. 
10:00  Business  Session.   Huff  Gymnasium. 
12:15  Fraternal   Relations   Committee.     Illini    Student 
Union  Building. 

FRIDAY  AFTERNOON 

2:00  Business  Session.   Huff  Gymnasium. 

FRIDAY  EVENING 

7:00  General  Session.   Huff  Gymnasium. 
Chairman:    Wilbur  Hoover. 
Address:    Called  to  Be  Saints,  Frank  S.  Carper. 
9:00  Higher  Education.    Lincoln  Theater. 
9:00  Youth     Fellowship     Period.      English     Building 

Gymnasium. 
9:00  College      Student  -  Older     Youth     Fellowship. 
English  Building,  Upper  Gymnasium. 

SATURDAY  MORNING,  JUNE  18 
7:30  Postbreakfast   Conferences 

1.  Children's    Workers.     Illini    Union    Building 

Wedgewood  Lounge. 

2.  Men's  Fellowship   (meet  with  Women's  Fel- 

lowship). 

3.  Women's  Fellowship.   Main  Auditorium. 

4.  Association    of    Brethren    Welfare    Workers. 

Gregory  Hall,  Room  100. 

5.  BVS  Reunion.    Kinley  Hall,  Room  114. 
8:15  Youth  and  Junior  High  "Preview  of  the  Day." 

Lincoln  Theater. 
9:00  Bible  Hour.    Huff  Gymnasium. 
Chairman:    Ruth  Graham. 
Speaker:    Chalmer  E.  Faw. 
Topic:    Our  Call  to  Loving  Service. 
10:00  Business  Session.    Huff  Gymnasium. 


SATURDAY  AFTERNOON 

1:00  CPS  and  I-W  Fellowship.    Gregory  Hall. 
2:00  Business  Session.   Huff  Gymnasium. 
5:15  Youth  Picnic  and  Worship.  Stadium. 

SATURDAY  EVENING 

7:00  General  Session.   Huff  Gymnasium. 
Chairman:    Mrs.  D.  W.  Bittinger. 
Oration  by  the  Speech  Contest  Winner. 
Address:    Mission-U.S.A.,  Mrs.  James  D.  Wyker. 
9:00  Youth    Fellowship     Period.      English     Building 

Gymnasium. 
9:00  College      Student  -  Older     Youth      Fellowship. 
English  Building  Upper  Gymnasium. 

SUNDAY  MORNING,  JUNE  19 
9:00  Church  School  Sessions 

1.  Primary.     Illini   Union   Building,    Room    314 
(south). 


2.  Junior.    Illini  Union  Building,  Ballroom. 

3.  Junior  High.   Gregory  Hall,  Room  213. 

4.  Youth.    Lincoln  Theater. 

5.  College     Student  -  Older     Youth.      English 

Building,  Upper  Gymnasium. 

6.  Adults.    Huff  Gymnasium.    Speaker:    Carroll 

S.  Ringgold. 

10:30  Morning  Worship.   Stadium. 

Worship  Leader:    B.  Wayne  Crist. 
Sermon:    The  War  Between  the  Gods,  DeWitt 
L.  Miller. 

SUNDAY  AFTERNOON 

2:30  Church  Convocation.    Huff  Gymnasium. 
Chairman:    V.  F.  Schwalm. 
Address:    Called  According  to  His  Purpose,  Earl 

M.  Zigler. 
Consecration  Service. 
Conference  Offering. 


Statement  on  Church-Communist  Issue 


THE  Church  of  the  Brethren 
representatives  to  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches 
appointed  by  Annual  Conference 
have  followed  with  close  attention 
the  much  publicized  incidents 
surrounding  Air  Reserve  Center 
Training  Manual  NR  45-0050. 
The  manual  included  material 
alleging  Communist  infiltration 
among  the  churches,  certain 
churchmen,  and  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  in 
the  U.S.A. 

The  manual  and  its  contents 
were  challenged  by  the  National 
Council  of  Churches,  by  many 
Protestant  churchmen  and  denom- 
inational agencies,  and  by  Ortho- 
dox, Roman  Catholic,  and  Jewish 
individuals  and  groups.  The 
challenges  were  made  on  two 
grounds.  First,  indoctrination  by 
government  on  matters  of  religion 
is  a  fundamental  violation  of  the 
first  amendment  which  guaran- 
tees separation  of  church  and 
state.  Second,  the  manual  con- 
tains misrepresentations  regard- 
ing Communist  influence  in  the 
churches. 

Though  the  Air  Force  immedi- 
ately withdrew  the  manual  from 
use,  the  debate  on  the  wisdom  of 
the  withdrawal  and  allegations 
about  the  churches  continues  in 
many  places  and  through  various 
media. 


Your  representatives  to  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches  have 
studied  documents  relative  to  the 
whole  problem,  including  the  con- 
troversial manual  itself,  communi- 
cations between  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  and  govern- 
ment officials,  sources  and  nature 
of  the  controversial  accusations  in 
the  manual,  actions  taken  by 
many  church  groups  —  Protestant, 
Orthodox,  Roman  Catholic,  and 
Jewish  —  on  the  issue,  and  the 
analyses  made  of  the  controversy 
by  many  representatives  of  the 
secular  and  religious  press. 

We  conclude  that  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  has  rendered 
an  invaluable  service  on  behalf  of 
basic  freedoms,  the  separation  of 
church  and  state,  and  in  stemming 
trends  toward  a  garrison  state  in 
speaking  and  acting  forthrightly 
in  challenging  the  government's 
right  to  indoctrinate  on  religious 
matters.  We  have  written  to  the 
president  and  general  secretary  of 
the  National  Council  sustaining 
them  and  the  council  in  the  lead- 
ership given  in  this  basic  issue. 

We  conclude  also  that  the  man- 
ual's widely  publicized  allegations 
against  the  churches  and  the  Na- 
tional Council  are  almost  totally 
unwarranted.  Quotations  from 
writings,  statements,  and  citations 
of  organizations  with  which  per- 
sons are  supposed  to  have  been 


associated  are  almost  invariably 
out  of  context,  thus  not  conveying 
honestly  the  accused  person's  or 
church's  true  position,  and  ignor- 
ing completely  the  historical 
setting  of  the  years  when  the 
United  States  and  Russia  were 
allies  in  war.  When  these  and 
similar  factors  are  taken  into 
account,  we  do  not  believe  the 
accusations  generally  can  be  sub- 
stantiated. 

The  representatives  are  aware 
that  some  in  our  Brotherhood  may 
have  been  perplexed  over  the  en- 
tire incident.  We  shall  continue  to 
study  the  developments  and  give 
further  interpretation  in  our  re- 
port to  Annual  Conference  in 
June.  Meanwhile,  we  are  sharing 
this  information  so  that  the  issue 
may  be  better  understood.  We 
pray  that  unitedly  we  may  move 
forward  in  the  great  ongoing  wit- 
ness and  work  of  the  Brotherhood. 

Representatives : 
Norman  J.  Baugher 
Desmond  W.  Bittinger 
Vernard  M.  Eller 
James  H.  Elrod 
W.  Glenn  McFadden 
Paul  E.  Miller 
Raymond  R.  Peters 
Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr. 
Jesse  H.  Ziegler 
Dale  Hess,  alternate 
F.  Willard  Powers,  alternate 


MAY  21,  1960 


25 


CONFERENCE    BUSINESS 


Study  of  Bethany 
Training  School 

From  the  1959  report  of  Beth- 
any Biblical  Seminary  comes  this 
request: 

There  is  an  area  of  deep  concern 
which  the  board  of  directors  wishes 
to  share  with  the  church  through 
the  Annual  Conference.  It  is  related 
to  the  future  of  the  Bible  Training 
School.  The  standards  of  accredita- 
tion of  the  American  Association  of 
Theological  Schools  raise  an  increas- 
ing number  of  questions  about 
graduate  schools  that  are  organi- 
cally connected  with  undergraduate 
schools.  The  board  feels  that  the 
problem  is  sufficiently  urgent  to 
warrant  an  immediate  study. 

Therefore,  the  seminary  board  re- 
quests the  Annnal  Conference  to  ap- 
point a  special  committee  to  study 
the  future  of  the  Bible  Training 
School  and  to  bring  a  report  to  the 
next  Annual  Conference. 

Answer  of  1959  Annual  Confer- 
ence:   Request  granted. 

Committee:  S.  Loren  Bowman 
(chairman),  Moyne  Landis,  Morley 
Mays,  David  J.  Wieand,  Charles  E. 
Zunkel. 

1960  Report  of  the  Committee 

Introduction 

The  committee  sought  to  examine 
the  future  of  the  Bethany  Bible 
Training  School  as  it  affects  the  sem- 
inary relationship  to  the  American 
Association  of  Theological  Schools. 
While  this  concern  appeared  central 
in  the  assignment  of  Annual  Con- 
ference, the  committee  felt  that  it 
was  necessary  to  inquire  about  the 
role  of  the  seminary  in  the  church 
of  tomorrow  and  to  explore  the  rela- 
tionship of  the  training  school  to  the 
leadership  needs  of  the  church.  It 
seemed  clear  to  the  committee  that 
the  central  issue  could  not  be  re- 
solved apart  from  these  basic 
relationships. 

The  committee  received  helpful 
materials  from  the  seminary  admin- 
istrators and  from  the  office  of  the 
American  Association  of  Theological 
Schools  as  it  pursued  its  study.  In 
addition,  brief  consultations  were 
held  or  communications  exchanged 
with  the  seminary  faculty,  the 
Brotherhood  staff,  and  the  Commit- 
tee on  Higher  Education.    The  pur- 


26 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


pose  of  these  exchanges  was  to 
secure  reactions  on  the  nature  of  the 
problem  under  consideration  and  to 
receive  suggestions  regarding  the 
most  fruitful  solution  of  the  problem 
for  the  church.  These  exchanges  re- 
vealed a  wide  difference  of  opinion 
about  the  future  direction  of  the 
training  school  as  well  as  our  total 
program  of  professional  education 
for  the  ministry. 

As  a  result  of  its  study  the  com- 
mittee desires  to  outline  some  of 
the  determinative  factors  which 
should  be  considered  by  the  church 
in  the  resolution  of  this  problem. 
After  listing  some  of  these  factors, 
the  committee  wishes  to  describe 
the  alternatives  it  sees  and  to  pro- 
pose further  exploration  of  one  of 
these  alternatives  during  the  next 
year. 

Some  Determinative  Factors 

I.  The  Role  of  the  Seminary  in  the 
Church 

It  is  the  judgment  of  the  commit- 
tee that  the  church  is  under  the 
necessity  of  continuing  a  vital 
seminary  program  for  training  its 
future  professional  leaders.  A  fully 
equipped  ministry  will  demand  that 
the  seminary  be  strengthened  as  it 
enters  a  new  phase  of  its  service  to 
the  church.  The  committee  believes 
that  this  calls  for  concentration 
upon  a  graduate  program  at  the 
seminary  that  will  present  a  clear 
challenge  to  our  young  people, 
sharpen  the  role  of  Bethany,  and  as- 
sure the  church  of  a  quality  educa- 
tion for  its  ministry.  The  present 
graduate  and  undergraduate  rela- 
tionship at  Bethany  tends  to  cloud 
this  image  of  the  seminary  in  the 
life  of  the  church  —  especially  from 
the  standpoint  of  its  role  as  a  pro- 
fessional, graduate  school. 

II.  The     Problem    of    Institutional 
Relationships 

The  matter  of  relationships  comes 
into  sharp  focus  at  two  points: 

A.  The  on-campus  relationship 
Here  the  problems  are  those 
growing  out  of  maintaining  two  ed- 
ucational programs  on  the  same 
campus  under  a  single  administra- 
tion —  one  undergraduate  in  charac- 
ter and  the  other  graduate  in 
character.  The  peculiar  character  of 
each  educational  program,  the  re- 
sponsibility for  dual  administration, 
and  the  limited  resources  of  faculty 


and  finance  may  well  endanger  the 
effectiveness  of  both  programs  ofjflii 
study.  For  one  thing,  it  presendy 
limits  the  course  offerings  in  both 
schools  —  and  especially  so  in  the 
training  school. 

Likewise,   there   are   some  points  | 
of  tension  in  the  dual  situation  for 
campus    life    outside    the   academic 
program. 

B.  The  seminary  relationship  to 
the  American  Association  of  Theo- 
logical Schools. 

The  seminary  met  the  basic  stand- 
ards for  accreditation  by  the 
American  Association  of  Theolog- 
ical Schools  in  1940,  and  has 
been  fully  accredited  as  a  graduate 
school  of  theology  since  that  time. 
This  accreditation  is  quite  important 
and  should  not  be  jeopardized  in 
the  future. 

Even  though  the  seminary  is  now 
in  good  standing  in  the  American 
Association  of  Theological  Schools, 
it  is  assumed  that  standards  will  be- 
come more  demanding  as  greater 
emphasis  is  placed  upon  quality  ed- 
ucation in  professional  fields.  Con- 
ceivably the  present  tremendous 
increase  in  the  student  population 
and  the  rapidly  increasing  leader- 
ship needs  of  the  church  could  serve 
as  a  "holding  force"  to  keep  stand- 
ards at  their  present  level  for  a  time. 

Nonetheless,  it  appears  that  Beth- 
any should  move  in  the  direction  of 
a  sharper  separation  of  the  seminary 
and  the  training  school  in  order  to 
assure  the  accreditation  of  the  semi- 
nary and  to  provide  adequate  train- 
ing for  our  church's  ministry.  This 
separation  should  be  in  the  areas  of 
administration,  faculty,  finances,  and 
library.  As  relocation  approaches,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  make  a  decision 
on  these  matters  in  order  to  plan 
effectively  for  the  new  facilities. 

III.  The  Training  School  Record 
and  Training  Needs 
In  order  to  get  the  place  of  the 
training  school  into  perspective,  it 
is  necessary  to  review  its  enrollment 
during  the  last  decade  and  to  in- 
quire about  the  need  for  such  train- 
ing tomorrow. 

A.  Analysis  of  training  school 
enrollment  1949-59 

(1)  In  1949  there  were  78  stu- 
dents enrolled  in  the  training  school: 
18  were  ministers;  40  were  minis- 
ter's wives; 

(2)  In  1959  the  enrollment  was 
49;  17  were  ministers;  24  were 
ministers'  wives. 


These  facts  concerning  the  dec- 
ade stand  out  in  summary:  120  men 
were  registered  in  the  training 
school;  45  of  the  120  went  on  to 
college;  14  of  the  120  completed 
the  seminary;  53  of  the  120  are 
serving  as  pastors. 

B.  The  need  for  undergraduate 
training 

The  shortage  of  leaders  in  the 
church  is  acute,  with  about  fifty 
congregations  without  pastors.  It  is 
estimated  that  about  half  of  these 
are  part-time  situations  which  would 
hardly  support  a  seminary-trained 
person.  This  would  indicate  that  we 
will  continue  to  need  the  equivalent 
of  the  farmer-preacher  or  the  teach- 
er-preacher in  numerous  congrega- 
tions across  the  Brotherhood. 

Also,  some  seem  to  desire  training 
at  the  undergraduate  level  as  a 
means  of  preparing  for  leadership  in 
the  church.  It  is  possible  that  the 
church  may  lose  a  number  of  these 
persons  to  schools  outside  the  de- 
nomination unless  we  continue  to 
provide  such  an  opportunity  in  the 
Brotherhood. 

While  the  recent  training  school 
enrollment  has  been  quite  small,  the 
committee  feels  that  there  will  be 
a  continuing  need  for  this  level  of 
training  in  the  church  for  the  im- 
mediate future.  It  is  not  clear  how 
long  this  need  will  exist;  nor  is  the 
size  of  the  need  apparent  from  this 
limited  study. 

Possible     Alternatives     Before     the 
Church 

The  committee  desires  to  list  the 
following  live  options  for  the 
church's  consideration: 

I.  The  Continuation  of  the  Training 

School  at  Bethany 

This  suggests  the  continuation  of 
the  present  basic  pattern,  with  the 
training  school  as  an  adjunct  of  the 
seminary.  The  committee  believes 
that  if  this  is  done,  there  should  be 
a  separate  administration,  faculty, 
and  program  for  the  training  school. 
This  would  imply  additional  hous- 
ing in  Bethany's  over-all  plans  of 
relocation. 

While  this  choice  may  preserve 
the  "Bethany  fellowship,"  encourage 
homogeneity  in  theology,  and  con- 
tinue the  present  tradition,  it  would 
perpetuate  the  confusion  between 
the  seminary  and  training  school  in 
the  mind  of  the  church.  The  com- 
mittee feels  that  it  is  urgent  to  de- 
velop an  image  of  the  seminary  as 
our  graduate  school  for  the  church. 


II.  The  Establishment  of  a  Separate 
Institution  for  Undergraduate 
Training  in  Church   Leadership 

This  proposal  would  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  creating  a  clear  image 
of  the  training  school,  while  giving 
it  the  thrust  of  a  single  purpose. 

However,  in  the  light  of  the  small 
number  of  students  involved  and 
the  uncertainty  of  the  size  of  the 
training  school  need  in  the  future, 
the  investment  of  such  major  funds 
would  seem  to  make  this  proposal 
prohibitive. 

III.  The  Development  of  the  Equiv- 
alent of  a  Training  School  at 
the  College  Level 

The  provision  for  a  modest 
amount  of  vocational  training  for 
the  ministry  at  the  college  level  will 
require  some  adjusting  and  strength- 
ening of  course  offerings  in  the  col- 
lege department  of  religion. 

Such  a  transfer  in  location  would 
mean  the  loss  of  the  present  identity 
of  the  training  school  and  could  well 
discourage  some  of  our  more  mature 
members  from  engaging  in  special 
Bible  study. 

The  college  setting,  however, 
would  give  such  students  an  oppor- 
tunity to  work  at  the  same  academic 
level  as  all  other  members  of  the 
school  community.  The  college 
would  offer  the  possibility  of  an  en- 
riched curriculum  for  these  students. 
And  as  our  college  enrollments  in- 
crease a  group  of  students  in  the 
department  of  religion  would  not  be 
a  major  threat  to  the  unity  of  the 
student  body. 

The  Recommendation 

The  committee  recommends  to 
Annual  Conference  that  the  Com- 
mittee on  Higher  Education  be  re- 
quested to  explore  the  possibility  of 
developing  the  department  of  reli- 
gion in  one  or  more  of  our  colleges 
in  such  a  way  as  to  care  for  the 
church's  need  for  Bible  training  at 
the  undergraduate  level.  These  ex- 
plorations should  give  careful  con- 
sideration to  the  curriculum  needs 
and  financial  requirements  of  such 
training,  as  well  as  its  effects  upon 
the  total  college  program.  If  the 
general  proposal  seems  feasible  to 
the  Committee  on  Higher  Educa- 
tion, it  shall  nominate  the  college 
or  colleges  to  render  this  service  to 
the  church. 

The  findings  of  the  Committee  on 
Higher  Education,  including  the 
nomination  of  a  college  or  colleges, 
if  any,  shall  be  made  to  the  Annual 
Conference  committee.  Upon  the 
basis  of  these  recommendations  and 


further  study  of  its  own,  the  com- 
mittee will  bring  a   final  report  to 
the  1961  Conference. 
The  Committee 

S.  Loren  Bowman,  Chairman 

Moyne  Landis 

Morley  Mays 

David  J.  Wieand 

Charles  E.  Zunkel 

New  Business 
Amendments  to  the  Pension  Plan 

I.  In  the  judgment  of  the  Pension 
Board  it  is  desirable  and  necessary 
that  the  Ministerial  and  Missionary 
Pension  Plan  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  be  further  amended.  As 
provided  in  the  Pension  Plan,  there- 
fore, the  Pension  Board  has  adopted 
the  following  amendments,  ad  in- 
terim, and  presents  them  to  Annual 
Conference  of  1960  for  ratification: 

A.  That  Article  VII,  Section  A, 
paragraph  (a)  be  amended  to  read 
as  follows: 

(a)  Upon  the  retirement  of  a 
member  after  attaining  the  age  of 
sixty-five,  his  combined  accumula- 
tion shall  be  applied  as  the  actuarial 
equivalent,  according  to  the  table  of 
rates  adopted  by  the  Pension  Board 
for  such  purpose  and  then  in  force, 
to  provide  an  age-retirement  annuity 
for  the  member  on  the  joint -life  and 
survivor  basis  with  fifty  per  cent  of 
the  member's  annuity  continued  to 
the  widow,  if  their  marriage  took 
place  before  the  member  entered 
upon  such  age-retirement  annuity. 
However,  if  the  member  is  single  at 
the  time  of  his  retirement,  the  calcu- 
lation of  the  amount  of  such  retire- 
ment annuity  shall  be  upon  the 
single-life  basis. 

B.  That  Article  VII,  Section  C, 
be  amended  to  read  as  follows: 

In  the  event  of  the  death  of  a 
member  before  entering  upon  an 
age-retirement  or  a  disability  annu- 
ity, with  a  widow  surviving,  his 
combined  accumulation  shall  be  ap- 
plied as  the  actuarial  equivalent, 
according  to  the  table  of  rates 
adopted  by  the  Pension  Board  for 
such  purpose  and  then  in  force,  to 
provide  a  widow  annuity. 

II.  Based  upon  a  comprehensive 
study  of  other  Protestant  pension 
plans,  the  known  needs  of  retiring 
ministers  and  missionaries,  and  the 
known  inadequacy  of  benefits  of  our 
Pension  Plan  growing  out  of  the 
lowered  purchasing  power  of  the 
dollar,  the  Pension  Board  recom- 
mends to  Annual  Conference  of 
1960    that    the    Pension     Plan    be 


MAY  21,  1960 


27 


The 

STORY  OF 
OUR 
CHURCH 

Revised 

J.  E.  Miller 


Originally  published  in  1941, 
this  popular  and  useful  history 
of  the  Brethren  shows  what  led 
to  the  organization  of  the 
church  at  Schwarzenau  in 
1708,  what  drove  the  church 
to  America,  how  it  spread 
from  the  Atiantic  to  the 
Pacific,  who  some  of  its  lead- 
ers were,  and  how  it  came  to 
be  what  it  is  today.  $2.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  111. 


further  amended,  effective  Sept.   1, 
1960,  as  follows: 

A.  That  the  first  paragraph  of 
Article    IV    be    amended    to    read: 

Each  congregation  served  by  a 
member  shall  contribute  an  amount 
equivalent  to  eight  per  cent  of  the 
salary  of  such  member.  Such  con- 
tributions shall  be  items  of  current 
expense  and  not  of  benevolence. 

B.  That  the  following  be  added 
to  Article  VII,  Section  A,  as  para- 
graph (b)  —  with  the  present  par- 
agraph (b)  to  become  (c): 

(b)  A  member  shall  have  the  op- 
tion of  electing  a  reduced  annual 
age-retirement   annuity,   which   will 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


provide  that  after  his  death  a  pen- 
sion equal  to  75%  of  his  reduced 
age-retirement  annuity  shall  be  con- 
tinued to  the  widow,  provided  their 
marriage  took  place  before  the 
member  entered  upon  such  age- 
retirement  annuity. 

This  option  shall  be  elected  by  a 
member  before  he  attains  age  sixty. 
If,  after  attaining  age  sixty,  a  mem- 
ber desires  to  elect  this  option,  he 
must  do  so  at  least  six  months  prior 
to  the  date  on  which  benefits  are  to 
begin,  and  must  submit  evidence  of 
good  health  satisfactory  to  the  Pen- 
sion Board.  The  election  of  such 
option  shall  be  of  no  effect  if  the 
member's  wife  at  the  time  of  the 
election  dies  prior  to  the  member's 
retirement. 

Study  of  the  Consecration 
Service 

In  attempting  to  prepare  an  an- 
swer to  this  query  the  committee 
sought  the  counsel  of  those  most 
closely  related  to  the  consecration 
service,  including  several  mission- 
aries, pastors,  Brethren  Service 
workers,  related  staff  members,  offi- 
cers of  the  conference,  program 
committee  members,  and  others. 
The  committee  discovered  a  wide 
range  of  opinion  on  when,  where, 
and  how  this  service  should  be  con- 
ducted. After  giving  very  careful 
consideration  to  a  number  of  alterna- 
tives, it  became  increasingly  clear 
that  more  time  should  be  given  to 
the  study.  The  committee  therefore 
requests  another  year  to  prepare  its 
answer. 

A.   Stauffer  Curry,  Chairman 
Dean  L.  Frantz,  Secretary 
Galen  B.  Ogden 

Obituaries 

Fry,  Carrie  Bertha,  daughter  of  An- 
drew and  Elizabeth  Snider  Adamson, 
was  born  May  31,  1878,  at  Marshall- 
town,  Iowa,  and  died  Feb.  15,  1960. 
On  July  23,  1905,  she  was  married  to 
Ernest  Arthur  Fry.  They  came  to  Mo- 
desto, Calif.,  in  1919.  She  is  survived 
by  two  sons,  two  daughters,  three 
grandchildren,  three  brothers,  and  one 
sister.  —  Mrs.  Ralph  W.  Webber,  Mo- 
desto, Calif. 

Garber,  Lester,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Laura  Eversole  Carber,  was  born  Oct. 
4,  1884,  and  died  Feb.  18,  1960,  at 
Sarasota,  Fla.  On  Dec.  6,  1906,  he 
was  married  to  Ruth  Neff.  He  was  a 
long-time  member  of  the  church.  Sur- 
viving are  his  wife,  one  daughter,  three 
sons,  eleven  grandchildren,  three  great- 
grandchildren, and  one  sister.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  the  Brookville 
church,  Ohio,  with  Bro.  Fred  Hollings- 
head  officiating.  Interment  was  in  the 
Eversole  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  W.  Russell 
Miller,  Brookville,  Ohio. 


Garman,   Arthur   E.,   was   born  Oct. 
7,  1882,  and  died  Jan.  31,  1960.    He; 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Bertie  Harris.  I 
He    was    a    member    of    the    Paradise  '  ; 
church,  Calif.    Surviving  are  his  wife, 
three  sons,  one  daughter,  two  brothers, 
six     grandchildren,     and    three    great- 
grandchildren.   The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Rose  chapel  by  Bro.  !  • 
Joe  E.  Campbell.    Interment  was  in  the 
Paradise  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Dorothy  Reg- 
nier,  Chico,  Calif. 

Glessner,  Philip  H.,  son  of  Jefferson  i 
D.  and  Sadie  Weigle  Glessner,  was 
born  Aug.  1,  1901,  and  died  Feb.  26,  | 
1960.  He  was  preceded  in  death  by 
his  first  wife,  Esther  King.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Brotherton  church, 
Pa.,  and  an  ordained  minister  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  second  wife,  Mary  Shaffer 
Glessner,  eight  children,  five  grand- 
children, three  brothers,  and  two  sis- 
ters. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Brotherton  church,  with  Bro. 
Herald  V.  Seese  officiating.  Interment 
was  in  the  Somerset  County  Memorial 
Park.  —  Mrs.  Harry  Emerick,  Berlin, 
Pa. 

Goehler,  Charles,  son  of  Philip  and 
Mary  Elizabeth  Fundlinger  Goehler, 
was  born  Aug.  31,  1875,  and  died  Oct. 
15,  1959.  He  was  married  first  to 
Phoebe  Alice  Baker,  who  died  June 
29,  1909,  and  then  to  Minnie  Kuhnle, 
who  died  Nov.  11,  1945.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Manchester  church, 
Ind.  He  is  survived  by  one  daughter 
and  one  grandson.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  at  the  Pleasant  Hill  ceme- 
tery. —  Hubert  R.  Newcomer,  North 
Manchester,  Ind. 

Grabill,  Lawton  Maurice,  son  of 
George  A.  and  Grace  A.  Grabill,  was 
born  in  Frederick  County,  Md.,  on 
Aug.  4,  1912,  and  died  in  Baltimore, 
Md.,  Jan.  23,  1960.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  Ethel  Grabill,  his  mother, 
one  brother,  and  three  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  the 
undersigned  in  the  Union  Bridge 
church.  Interment  was  in  the  cemetery 
adjoining  the  church.  —  David  J.  Mar- 
key,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Gravestein,  Marten,  son  of  Dirk  and 
Dena  Gravestein,  died  in  Sierra  Vista, 
Ariz.,  Jan.  9,  1960,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  years.  He  was  a  native  of  Freeport, 
111.,  and  came  to  Arizona  in  1944.  In 
1938,  he  was  married  to  Theo  Norman. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Tucson 
church,  Ariz.  Surviving  are  his  wife 
and  one  son.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  from  the  Hubbard  mortuary 
by  Bro.  C.  V.  Coppock.  -  Sally  Fergu- 
son, Tucson,  Ariz. 

Graybill,  Joe  H.,  was  born  July  8, 
1884,  near  Nace,  Va.,  and  died  Feb. 
13,  1960,  at  Victoria,  Va.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Thomas  church,  Okla. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Cora,  five 
sons,  two  daughters,  three  brothers, 
two  sisters,  nine  grandchildren,  and 
one  great-grandchild.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Leedy  high 
school  by  the  undersigned  and  Rev. 
Merle  Jensen.  Interment  was  in  the 
Rhea  cemetery.  —  Byron  E.  Dell, 
Thomas,  Okla. 

Gruber,  Hazel,  daughter  of  John  and 
Ida  McKinny,  was  born  in  Beaverton, 
Mich.,  July  28,  1894,  and  died  in 
Tucson,  Ariz.,  Feb.  14,  1960.   Her  hus- 


band  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Tucson  church.  She 
is  survived  by  one  son,  two  brothers, 
one  sister,  and  three  grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  in  Tucson,  Ariz., 
was  conducted  by  Bro.  C.  V.  Coppock, 
and  at  Beaverton,  Mich.,  by  Bro.  Carl 
Hilbert.  —  Sally  Ferguson,  Tucson, 
Ariz. 

Hose,  Alta  V.,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Frances  Myers,  was  born  Dec.  23, 
1890,  and  died  Feb.  8,  1960.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Broadfording  church, 
Md.  She  is  survived  by  her  husband, 
seven  children,  one  stepson,  four  broth- 
ers, two  sisters,  twelve  grandchildren, 
and  two  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  in  the  Broad- 
fording  church  by  Brethren  Stanley 
Earhart  and  D.  B.  Petre.  Interment 
was  in  the  church  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Edith  Myers,  Hagerstown,  Md. 

Hosier,  Bay  Walter,  son  of  Marlin 
and  Mae  Longenecker  Hosier,  was  born 
Jan.  31,  1959,  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pa.,  and  died  Dec.  2,  1959.  He  is 
survived  by  his  parents,  three  brothers, 
and  two  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  in  the  Chiques  church 
by  Brethren  Bobert  O.  Hess  and  Beck- 
er Ginder.  Interment  was  in  the  ad- 
joining cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Abram  Zellers, 
Manheim,  Pa. 


Church  News 

Northern  Iowa,  Minnesota, 
and  South  Dakota 

Ivester  —  We  are  participating  in 
the  Call  to  Discipleship;  Bro.  Lee  Hogle 
heads  up  the  home  visitation.  Three 
deacons  elected  for  a  two-  or  three- 
year  trial  period  are  Brother  and  Sister 
Jay  Miller,  Brother  and  Sister  Lee 
Hogle,  and  Brother  and  Sister  Howard 
Sheller.  Two  babies  were  dedicated 
recently  at  a  Sunday  morning  service. 
Our  minister,  Bro.  C.  A.  Albin,  is  con- 
ducting a  membership  class.  Bemodel- 
ing  the  parsonage  is  a  major  project 
for  the  men's  fellowship.  The  women 
are  sewing  relief  bundles  and  making 
comforters.  The  father-son  banquet 
had  Max  Hibbs  as  guest  speaker.  A 
mother-daughter  banquet  is  scheduled 
for  the  first  of  May.  Our  church  will 
be  host  for  the  district  meeting,  which 
will  be  held  Aug.  26-28.  -  Mrs.  Bobert 
Katzer,  Grundy  Center,  Iowa. 

Kingsley  —  Our  church  entered  a  re- 
ligious float  in  our  community  diamond 
jubilee  parade.  Guest  speakers  during 
our  pastor's  absence  included  Bro.  Bay 
Schechter  and  Beverend  Hutchinson. 
Our  delegates  to  district  conference 
were  Kathryn  Oltman  and  Elda  Shever. 
Our  church  had  a  loyalty  supper  in 
connection  with  every-member  canvass. 
Our  pastor,  Berwyn  Oltman,  attended 
the  ministers'  seminar.  Our  church 
was  host  to  a  sectional  junior  high  rally. 
Our  church  was  well  represented  at 
the  Meadow  Star  EUB  church  to  view 
the  films  of  mission  work  in  Nigeria 
shown  by  Bro.  Harold  Boyer.  Fireside 
meetings  were  held  in  the  homes  in 
connection  with  Call  to  Discipleship. 
Representatives  from  McPherson  Col- 
lege were  here  for  an  educational 
clinic.  The  women's  fellowship  has 
made  comforters  and  baby  layettes  and 
rolled  bandages  for  relief.  Donna 
Forbes,   who   has   begun   her   work   in 


Edited  by  T.  K.  THOMPSON 


STEWARDSHIP 


in  Contemporary  Theology 


Stewardship  in  Contemporary  Theology  brings  together  nine  distin- 
guished American  theologians  who  apply  the  Biblical  and  the  ethical 
principles  of  Christian  stewardship  to  the  problems  confronting  the  in- 
dividual Christian  and  his  church.  Dr.  Morley  J.  Mays,  dean  of  Juniata 
College  says,  "Many  Christians  will  be  surprised  to  discover  as  they  read 
these  lectures  that  there  is  more  to  stewardship  than  the  question,  How 
much  shall  I  give  to  the  church?  Beneath  the  outward  forms  of  stew- 
ardship there  is  a  root  meaning,  which  if  understood  puts  all  questions 
of  giving,  the  tithe,  and  related  issues  in  their  proper  perspective.  This 
root  meaning  is  the  substance  of  these  thoughtful  lectures,  presented  by 
outstanding  leaders  of  Christian  thought  in  this  area  of  the  committed 
life." 

$3.50  cloth;  $1.50  paper 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


Nigeria,  was  guest  speaker  at  our 
women's  fellowship  meeting  on  March 
3.  Dr.  J.  O.  Nelson,  executive  secretary 
of  the  Iowa  Council  of  Churches,  was 
guest  speaker  at  one  of  our  union 
Lenten  services.  —  Mrs.  Harold  Graham, 
Kingsley,  Iowa. 

Northeastern  Kansas 
Richland  Center  —  We  held  our  regu- 
lar communion  service.  Bro.  Gorman 
Zook  and  his  wife  visited  our  church 
one  Sunday  and  Brother  Zook  preached. 
The  women's  fellowship  sent  a  dona- 
tion and  homemade  cookies  to  the 
Children's  League  in  Topeka.  We  plan 
to  hold  our  Bible  school  with  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  Summerfield 
again  this  year.  Our  pastor  attended  the 
vacation  church  school  clinic.  —  Mrs. 
Eva  Williams,  Summerfield,  Kansas. 

Western  Kansas 
Independence  —  Bro.  Lee  F.  Spitzer, 
began  his  work  here  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember. He  was  installed  on  Sept.  13 
with  our  fieldman,  Bro.  Gorman  Zook, 
in  charge.  Following  the  installation 
services  of  our  pastor,  Brother  Spitzer 
installed  our  church  officers.  Our 
pastor  and  his  wife  attended  the  re- 
gional conference.  We  now  have  Sun- 
day evening  services.  Our  pastor  has 
started  a  class  for  those  considering 
church  membership.  The  women's  fel- 
lowship has  divided  into  two  groups. 
The  women  have  packed  clothing  for 
relief,  tied  comforters,  and  rolled 
bandages.  Bev.  Jack  Baron,  pastor  of 
the    First    Christian    church,    spoke    at 


the  birthday  banquet  in  February.  Bob 
Layton,  an  active  Methodist  layman, 
was  the  speaker  for  the  men's  break- 
fast. During  Boy  Scout  Week  a  Boy 
Scout  troop  was  organized  in  our 
church.  On  Feb.  7  the  youth  had 
charge  of  the  morning  services;  three 
of  the  CBYF  spoke.  Some  of  our  youth 
attended  the  youth  conference  at 
McPherson  College  in  March.  —  Mrs. 
Andrew  J.  Sherman,  Independence, 
Kansas. 

Nebraska 
Enders  —  In  January  we  had  open 
house  at  the  parsonage.  Our  church  was 
host  to  the  Colorado-Nebraska  minis- 
ter's retreat.  The  church  sanctuary  has 
been  painted  and  new  carpeting  for 
the  stage  and  aisles  purchased.  Re- 
decorating of  the  basement  is  being 
done  also.  The  filmstrip,  Nigeria  Moves 
Ahead,  and  the  film,  Africa,  were  used 
in  connection  with  the  school  of  mis- 
sions study  on  Africa.  The  women  have 
sent  six  comforters  beside  clothing  to 
relief.  Our  church  is  active  in  the  Call 
to  Discipleship  program.  —  Mrs.  Inez 
Lehman,  Enders,  Nebr. 

Northern  Indiana 
Florence  —  The  women's  fellowship 
has  sent  eight  comforters  and  two 
hundred  pounds  of  clothing  to  the 
Church  World  Service  for  refugees. 
Our  love  feast  was  on  April  15.  Our 
delegates  to  the  Annual  Conference  are 


MAY  21,  1960 


29 


±1  ere  is  an 
attractive  EASEL 
with   many  uses. 

This  handy  turnover  easel  will 
aid  local  church  leaders  in  their 
work  of  planning.  Use  it  in  com- 
mittees to  present  an  idea  or  in 
developing  ideas  as  your  com- 
mittee does  its  planning.  Teach- 
ers will  find  pupils  attentive  in 
the  presentation  of  ideas  through 
the  use  of  this  turnover  chart. 
Excellent  for  use  in  the  every- 
member  canvass.  Your  own  imag- 
ination is  the  only  limiting  factor 
in  its  use.  The  paper  stock  is 
heavy  art  paper.  Cardboard  back 
with  sturdy  easel.  Spiral-bound 
for  convenient  use.  Order  sev- 
eral for  your  church.  $1.00 

Church   of   the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Brother  and  Sister  Frank  Mulligan.  We 
are  starting  a  building  fund  for  the 
new  addition  to  our  church.  Our  re- 
vival meetings  are  to  be  Oct.  2-9,  with 
Bro.  Wayne  Wheeler  as  speaker.  Our 
harvest  meeting  will  be  on  Sept.  25.  — 
Mrs.  Mildred  M.  Tschupp,  Pigeon, 
Mich. 

Northwestern  Ohio 

Tiffin  —  At  our  regular  council  meet- 
ing, Brother  and  Sister  Wilbur  Thomas 
were  elected  to  the  office  of  deacon. 
Sister  Ruth  Dickens  is  our  Annual  Con- 
ference   delegate.     On    March    6,    our 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


district  executive  secretary,  Bro.  A.  P. 
Mussleman,  helped  our  pastor  install 
Brother  and  Sister  Wilbur  Thomas  to 
the  office  of  deacon.  We  are  partici- 
pating in  the  Call  to  Discipleship  pro- 
gram. We  united  with  the  Tiffin 
churches  in  the  World  Day  of  Prayer. 
—  Mrs.  Elias  Eberly,  Fremont,  Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

Lower  Miami  —  A  number  of  our 
teachers  are  taking  advantage  of  the 
different  types  of  training  opportunities 
for  children's  workers.  Several  of  the 
children  received  recognition  for  per- 
fect attendance  this  past  year.  The 
women's  fellowship  is  sewing  for  relief, 
rolling  bandages  for  overseas  hospitals, 
and  making  comforters  for  relief.  Miss 
Arlene  Coy  told  us  about  the  Brethren 
Service  project  in  Puerto  Rico  and  also 
showed  her  colored  slides.  Bro.  Ray 
Noffsinger  was  appointed  director  of 
our  Call  program.  Bro.  Earl  Zigler, 
missionary  on  furlough  from  India,  was 
the  speaker  on  Feb.  7.  The  pastor's 
class  in  church  membership  meets 
each  Sunday  morning  at  the  Sunday 
school  hour.  Ardon  Denlinger,  Jr.,  was 
installed  as  Southern  Ohio  youth  field 
worker  at  district  conference.  —  Lulie 
Laprad,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Salem  —  We  held  our  school  of  mis- 
sions in  February  and  March.  A 
Christian  teaching  mission  with  other 
churches  co-operating  is  being  carried 
out;  350  homes  have  been  assigned  to 
our  church  for  the  visitation  program. 
Our  Easter  service  was  conducted  by 
our  pastor.  Dedication  services  are  held 
regularly  for  babies.  When  the  South- 
ern Ohio  women's  fellowship  met  at 
our  church,  Mrs.  Cora  Fisher  and  Mrs. 
Merlin  Shull  were  visiting  speakers. 
A  fund  to  be  used  to  assist  ministers  in 
training  has  been  started  in  memory 
of  our  former  pastor,  Bro.  Foster 
Bittinger.  Bro.  Warren  Groff  was  with 
us  in  a  week-end  institute.  The  women's 
fellowship  make  regular  visits  to  the 
Syler  rest  home.  Delegates  to  Annual 
Conference  are  our  pastor  and  Bro. 
Irvin  Baker.  Jon  Warner,  who  is  serv- 
ing in  alternate  service  in  Austria,  was 
selected  as  a  delegate  to  represent 
Karlsschule  unit  at  the  World  Youth 
Peace  Conference  to  be  held  at  Gene- 
va, Switzerland,  March  16-17.  —  Katie 
Flory,  Union,  Ohio. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 
Elizabethtown  —  Brother  and  Sister 
John  E.  Hilficker,  our  new  minister  of 
education,  began  their  work  officially, 
Dec.  1,  1959.  M.  R.  Zigler  preached 
one  Sunday  at  both  morning  and 
evening  services.  The  Board  of  Chris- 
tian Education  is  sponsoring  discussion 
groups  to  meet  twelve  consecutive  Sun- 
days, One  group  meeting  in  the  morn- 
ing will  study  the  nature  and  function 
of  the  church  and  another  group  meet- 
ing in  the  evening  will  study  theology. 
This  is  an  opportunity  for  intensive 
study  and  discussion  of  varied  aspects 
of  the  Christian  life  and  enterprise.  We 
are  having  a  six  weeks'  series  of  studies 
in  church  history  since  the  Reforma- 
tion. The  first  three  discussions  will  be 
led  by  Armon  C.  Snowden  and  the  last 
three  by  Robert  A.  Byerly.  The  theme 
for  the  school  of  missions  this  year  was 
Africa.  New  "flock"  leaders  from  our 
official  board  have  been  appointed  by 
the  committee  on  evangelism.  The  em- 
phasis  in   this   program   will   be   upon 


visitation  and  personal  contacts  with 
the  members  of  our  church.  One  of 
our  young  ministers,  Bro.  Harold 
Daveler,  has  been  elected  to  serve  on  [ 
the  National  Brethren  Student  Youth  I 
Cabinet.  He  presently  is  enrolled  at 
the  American  University,  Washington, 
D.C.  Our  church  had  a  prayer  vigil 
at  the  beginning  of  Lent.  A  father- 
daughter  banquet  was  held  on  March 
10,  and  a  mother-son  banquet  on  April 
29.  Instead  of  our  regular  Sunday 
evening  services,  fireside  meetings  were 
held  on  two  Sundays  in  March  in 
twelve  different  homes  for  Bible  study 
and  prayer.  Our  members  participated 
in  the  One  Great  Hour  of  Sharing. 
Since  September  the  women  have  re- 
paired, packed,  and  shipped  more  than 
1,500  pounds  of  clothing.  Pre-Easter 
services  were  held  the  week  before 
Easter  by  Bro.  M.  Guy  West.  During 
the  second  quarter  of  the  current  year, 
church  school  classes  will  consider  the 
meaning  of  discipleship.  —  Esther  W. 
Rohrer,  Elizabethtown,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 
Woodbury  —  A  school  of  missions  on 
Africa  was  held  in  January.  A  family 
life  course,  Making  Good  Marriages 
Better,  Basic  Doctrines  of  the  Chris- 
tian Faith,  and  a  membership  class  were 
conducted  by  our  pastor.  Guest  speak- 
ers were  Bro.  Enos  Heisey  and  Bro.  A. 
Lester  Bucher.  The  district  youth 
speech  contest  was  held  in  the  Wood- 
bury church.  Father-son  fellowships 
and  family  nights  were  held  in  the 
Curryville  and  Woodbury  churches. 
Bro.  Luke  Bowser  conducted  a  week 
of  meetings  in  the  Holsinger  house. 
The  Juniata  College  touring  choir  ren- 
dered a  program  of  sacred  music  in  the 
Curryville  house.  Since  our  pastor  has 
resigned,  the  congregation  which  con- 
sists of  the  Curryville,  Holsinger  and 
Woodbury  churches  has  voted  to  divide 
with  the  Curryville  and  Woodbury 
churches  becoming  separate  congrega- 
tions. Each  will  have  a  full-time  pastor. 
The  Holsinger  church  is  remaining  a 
separate  congregation  but  sharing  a 
joint  pastoral  program  with  the  Clays- 
burg  church.  The  Woodbury  congre- 
gation has  called  Bro.  Delbert  Hanlin 
of  Ohio  to  come  June  1.  A  combined 
junior  and  adult  Easter  musical  was 
given  at  Easter.  Jack  Clouse,  Mrs. 
Palmer  Miller,  Byron  Snyder  and  Rena 
Stayer  will  represent  us  at  Annual  Con- 
ference. —  Rena  R.  Stayer,  Martinsburg, 
Pa. 

North  Atlantic 

Ambler  —  Carrie  Ellis,  from  the  Nor- 
ristown  church,  was  the  guest  speaker 
at  a  women's  fellowship  meeting.  One 
of  the  fellowship  dinners  featured  in- 
ternational foods;  a  movie  of  Switzer- 
land was  shown.  The  district  youth 
fellowship  held  a  beatnik  party  at  Camp 
Swatara.  Four  children  have  been  dedi- 
cated. The  missions  and  Christian  serv- 
ice commission  and  women's  fellowship 
jointly  sponsored  a  missionary  meeting 
on  Tan.  14.  A  buffet  supper  was  served, 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Bieber,  missionary  to 
Africa,  spoke.  The  junior  choir  sang 
every  Sunday  morning  during  Advent. 
Our  former  parsonage  was  sold  and  a 
home  adioining  the  church  has  been 
purchased  for  the  future  parsonage.  — 
Mary  E.  Haring,  Lansdale,  Pa. 

Parker  Ford  —  We  have  been  taking 
advantage    of   having    our   missionary, 


Bro.  Charles  Bieber,  and  his  family  as 
guest  speakers  while  they  are  on  fur- 
lough. Brother  Bieber  was  speaker  for 
P  the  World  Day  of  Prayer  service  in  our 
a  church  with  seven  area  churches  co- 
ll operating.  Mrs.  Bieber  gave  a  book  re- 
|i  port  on  Which  Way  in  Nigeria?  Bonnie 
tl  Bieber,  ten-year-old  daughter  of  the 
I  missionaries,  gave  a  talk  in  Sunday 
d  school  on  mission  Sunday.  Seven  have 
I  been  received  by  baptism  and  three  by 
I  letter.  Our  people  gave  $1,000  to  the 
I  Paoli-Newton  fellowship.  Bro.  Ralph 
I  W.  Schlosser  of  Elizabethtown  con- 
I  ducted  the  annual  Bible  conference  on 
I  studies  in  the  Book  of  Romans.  The 
I  Undershepherd  plan  was  put  into  effect 
J  in  our  church  on  Jan.  19  with  thirteen 
I  persons  dedicating  themselves  to  the 
I  work  for  the  period  of  a  year.  Bro. 
I  Wayne  Dick  of  the  Green  Tree  church, 
I  spoke  at  the  Sunday  school  fellowship 
I  supper.  Other  speakers  have  been 
Brethren  John  Keiper  and  Warren  Esh- 
I  bach.  Samuel  D.  Swartz  preached  a 
sermon  for  Laymen's  Sunday.  In  re- 
cent evening  Bible  classes,  led  by  our 
Eastor,  Bro.  Alvin  S.  Alderfer,  we  have 
een  studying  the  Book  of  Galatians. 
I  Our  pastor's  wife,  Sister  Alderfer,  leads 
I  a  weekly  women's  prayer  group  which 
i  was  organized  over  a  year  ago.  —  Mrs. 
I  R.  L.  Willauer,  Parker  Ford,  Pa. 

Southern  Pennsylvania 
New  Fairview  —  Ten  have  been  bap- 
tized. The  evangelist  for  New  Fairview 
was  D.  I.  Pepple.  Some  of  our  guest 
ministers  have  been  Brethren  Arthur 
Hess  and  Paul  Newcomer.  Our  church 
observed  its  fiftieth  anniversary  with 
our  local  ministers  participating.  They 
spoke  on  the  history  of  our  congrega- 
tion, the  present  church,  and  what  the 
future  holds  for  the  church.  Our  men's 
fellowship  is  working  on  a  building  for 
summer  activities  in  the  church  grove. 
The  food  donated  at  the  harvest  home 
program  was  given  to  the  children's 
home  at  Carlisle  and  Old  Folks  Home 
at  Cross  Keys.  A  group  of  our  women 
went  to  New  Windsor  to  pack  clothing 
for  overseas  relief.  They  also  spon- 
sored a  missionary  program  at  which 
Brother  Bieber,  one  of  our  missionaries 
to  Nigeria,  spoke.  Mrs.  Bieber  also 
gave  some  very  interesting  remarks. 
Our  church  has  been  holding  classes 
for  the  study  of  the  Bible  and  of  the 
ordinances  of  the  church.  —  Charles  R. 
Cleaver,  York,  Pa. 

Western  Pennsylvania 

Ligonier  — A  program  of  music 
marked  the  resumption  of  our  regular 
weekly  Sunday  evening  services.  Our 
pastor,  along  with  several  other  church 
members,  attended  the  initial  district 
Brethren  Service  Conference.  The 
women's  fellowship  has  made  soap  and 
two  quilts  for  overseas  relief.  During 
March  and  April  thev  made  bandages 
and  gowns  for  the  Garkida  Leprosarium. 
At  the  Sunday  evening  service  on  Jan. 
24,  our  pastor,  Bro.  Wilbur  E.  Fether, 
was  ordained.  Bro.  Wilfred  N.  Staufer 
and  Bro.  Earl  Brubaker  were  in  charge 
of  the  service.  The  youth  rallv,  which 
was  held  on  Feb.  7,  included  choral 
numbers  presented  by  the  youth  of 
Ligonier  Valley  and  Bro.  H.  L.  Berkey's 
relating  his  overseas  experiences  during 
his  years  of  alternative  service.  Bro. 
Earl  Zigler,  missionary  now  on  fur- 
lough from  India,  showed  film  slides 
of  his  mission  work  during  the  church 


KITCHEN 
COMMUNION 


CORNELIA  M.  RENFROE 

Breakfast  —  dishes  —  beds  —  laundry  —  kids  —  dirt.  That's  all  many  a 
woman  can  think  of  when  she  gets  up  every  morning.  Is  it  any  wonder 
she  feels  she  can't  face  the  day?  The  Bible  verses,  prayers,  and  medita- 
tions of  this  devotional  booklet  are  interwoven  with  the  thoughts  and 
feelings  of  a  woman  searching  for  ways  to  make  her  life  more  meaning- 
ful. As  she  turns  from  one  page  to  another,  she  discovers  to  her  surprise 
that  she  can  talk  to  God,  that  he  listens  and  really  cares.  Although  still 
"so  pitifully,  awfully  human,"  she  knows  he  will  give  her  the  help  that 
she  needs.  Now  realizing  that  she  doesn't  love  enough,  give  enough, 
pray  enough,  believe  enough,  she  finds  that  the  little  booklet  has  started 
to  change  her  outlook  on  life.  But  one  thing  hasn't  changed.  "I  still 
don't  like  to  wash  dishes,"  she  sighs.  $1.50 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


school  hour  and  then  spoke  to  us  during 
the  morning  service.  The  World  Day 
of  Prayer  was  observed  by  a  prayer 
vigil.  This  marked  the  beginning  of 
our  1960  Call  to  Discipleship  program. 
The  mortgage  burning  and  dedication 
service  for  our  educational  wing  on 
March  20  was  an  outstanding  event. 
Participating  in  this  service  were:  Bro. 
Roy  C.  Myers,  who  gave  the  dedicatory 
address;  Bro.  Glenn  Bowlby;  Bro.  Earl 
Brubaker;  Bro.  Glenn  Heckman;  and 
Bro.  Ross  Kinsey.  —  Genetta  Wolford, 
Ligonier,  Pa. 

Johnstown,  Walnut  Grove  —  Our  year- 
ly revival  services  were  held  March 
6-13,  with  Bro.  Nevin  Zook  as  guest 
speaker.  The  A.M.E.  Zion  church  and 
our  church  exchanged  choirs  and  pas- 
tors on  Brotherhood  Sunday.  John 
Ellis  showed  pictures  of  his  recent  sum- 
mer trip  to  Europe  for  the  father-son 
banquet.  A  group  of  our  youth,  ac- 
companied by  our  interim  pastor,  Bro. 
Wm.  Stoneback,  attended  the  youth 
seminar  in  Washington,  D.  C,  and  the 
United  Nations  in  New  York.  Our 
church  choir  invited  a  neighboring 
church  choir,  the  Homestead  EUB,  to 
join  in  the  Palm  Sunday  evening  choral 
program.  Charlotte  Bosler  Ellis  ar- 
ranged an  original  reading  for  Carol 
Union  to  present  as  part  of  this  out- 
standing program.  Sister  Ellis  is  sched- 
uled to  be  the  speaker  for  the  annual 
mother-daughter  banquet.  Our  youth, 
under  the  direction  of  Helen  Foreman, 
presented  the  Easter  evening  service. 
The  women  of  the  church  have  been 
sewing  dresses  and  layettes  that  were 
sent  out  from  New  Windsor.  A  family 
night  supper  was  planned  for  Mav,  to 
welcome  all  the  new  members  of  the 
church.  The  pastor  had  thirty  enrolled 
in  his  church  membership  class.  Three 
persons,  one  the  pastor,  will  represent 


the  church  at  the  Annual  Conference. 
Our  pastor,  Brother  Carter,  has  re- 
signed after  serving  over  seven  years 
and  will  become  the  first  executive 
secretary  of  Middle  Pennsylvania. 
Bible  school  this  year,  owing  to  the 
summer  camping  schedule,  will  have 
to  be  all-day  sessions  for  one  week, 
July  5-9.  —  Mrs.  Margaret  R.  Shaffer, 
Johnstown,  Pa. 

Mount  Joy  —  A  student  deputation 
team  from  Juniata  College  conducted 
the  morning  worship  in  our  church  one 
Sunday.  Richard  Gardner  brought  the 
message  of  the  morning.  Two  men  and 
their  wives  were  installed  in  the  perma- 
nent office  of  deacon  and  two  other 
deacons  for  a  probationary  period.  Since 
Christmas  the  young  people  have  con- 
ducted devotional  services  in  the  homes 
of  several  shut-in  members.  Following 
one  of  these  services,  a  large  group  of 
members  gathered  in  the  church  base- 
ment in  observance  of  Brother  Geary's 
seventh  year  of  service.  Our  church 
was  privileged  to  have  Brother  and 
Sister  Zigler  give  us  a  firsthand  report 
of  the  work  of  the  church  in  India. 
Guest  ministers  who  served  during  the 
absence  of  our  minister  were  Brethren 
Charles  Palmer,  Raymond  Wenger,  J. 
E.  Jones,  and  Dale  Zimmerman.  Com- 
mencement exercises  were  held  for  six- 
teen members  who  completed  a  course 
in  teachers'  training.  —  Lois  Homer, 
Mount  Pleasant,  Pa. 

First  Virginia 
Roanoke,   Williamson    Road  —  O  u  r 

church  was  one  of  the  sponsoring 
churches  for  the  spiritual  life  mission, 
Jan.  24-29,  under  the  leadership  of  Dr. 
Frank  C.  Laubach.  The  school  of 
missions    was    held    Dec.    27-Jan.     17, 


MAY  21.  1960 


31 


PEWS,  PULPIT  a  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

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W    AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

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DEPT.  211    SCR  ANTON  2.  PA. 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 


Name    

R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


studying  Christianity  in  Africa.  A 
Brownie  troop  has  recently  been  or- 
ganized with  Mrs.  William  Clarkson  as 
leader.  The  ingathering  of  this  area 
Girl  Scouts  was  held  here  in  our  church 
April  3.  A  Bethany  Seminary  extension 
school  is  being  held  in  Boanoke  each 
Monday  night  from  March  7-May  30. 
Our  pastor,  Edward  K.  Ziegler,  is  teach- 
ing the  class,  Living  Beligions.  Plans 
are  being  made  for  the  vacation  Bible 
school  in  June  and  also  for  another 
kindergarten  school  next  fall.  —  Mrs.  T. 
E.  Scott,  Boanoke,  Va. 

Northern  Virginia 

Calvary  —  We  had  a  family  night 
supper  at  which  the  filmstrip,  Why  We 
Have  Thanksgiving,  was  shown.  On 
Jan.  24,  our  women's  fellowship  spon- 
sored a  program  after  which  we  viewed 
the  film,  Indian  American.  Fourteen 
of  our  members  attended  a  teacher's 
institute  at  Kernstown.  We  observed 
the  World  Day  of  Prayer.  A  film  was 
shown  that  night  entitled  Faith  of  Our 
Families.  —  Mrs.  Ora  L.  Foltz,  Win- 
chester, Va. 

Mill  Creek  —  A  Call  to  Discipleship 
visitation  was  made  in  all  homes.  Bro. 
Charles  Zunkel  and  his  wife  attended 
the  adult  seminar,  and  four  young 
people  the  youth  seminar.  Some  of  our 
members  were  present  at  the  spiritual 
life  institute  at  Bridgewater;  the  audio- 
visual workshop  at  Harrisonburg;  the 
women's  fellowship  rally  at  Timber- 
ville;  and  the  World  Day  of  Prayer  at 
the  Methodist  church,  Port  Bepublic. 
An  all-day  prayer  vigil  and  a  night 
prayer  service  was  held  at  the  church. 
Three  fireside  prayer  meetings  were 
held.  Speakers  during  the  Lenten  sea- 
son were  Bro.  Bobert  Sherfy,  Bro. 
James  Flora,  Bev.  Leon  Lawrence  and 
Bro.  Bernard  King.  Brother  and  Sister 
Earl  Zigler  spoke  on  India  mission 
work.  We  had  the  opportunity  to  see 
Frank  Huffman's  slides  of  Brethren 
Service  work  in  Europe  and  Garland 
Bowman's  slides  of  the  Inner-City  par- 
ish work.  The  women  made  comforters, 
rolled  bandages,  and  sewed  garments 
for  relief.  The  men  worked  one  day  at 
the  district  youth  camp.  A  member- 
ship class  was  conducted  by  our  pastor. 


The  church  plans  to  build  an  educa- 
tional unit.  —  Eulalia  L.  Miller,  Port  Be- 
public, Va. 

Second  Virginia 
Pleasant  Valley  —  Bro.  DeWitt  Miller 
of  Hagerstown,  Md.,  held  one  week  of 
evangelistic  services.  Our  church  was 
represented  at  the  leadership  training 
school  at  Bridgewater.  The  theme  of 
the  midwinter  school  was  the  Social 
Ministry  of  the  Church.  Our  pastor, 
Bro.  Wilmer  Q.  Crummett,  taught  three 
membership  classes.  Eight  have  been 
baptized  and  six  received  by  letter. 
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In  this  book  is  told  the  story  of  the  life  and  work  of  A.  C.  Wieand, 
co-founder  of  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary  and  its  first  president.  But 
it  is  more  than  the  relating  of  the  beginning  of  the  seminary.  It  is 
also  the  account  of  one  whose  churchmanship  spread  into  many 
other  areas.   Illustrated. 

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GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


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Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

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MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
EcumerJcal  Press   Service 

MAY  28,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  22 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Meditation  on  Hezekiah  6  and  Philip- 
pians    5    3 

Sleepers  Wake,  for  the  Night  Is  Flying     3 

The  General  Forum  — 

Christian      Unity.       Samuel      McCrae 

Cavert   4 

Pentecost    1960    5 

A  Woman  Zealous  in  Christian  Faith. 

Inez    Long    6 

Annual  Conference  Homework. 

Edward  K.  Ziegler  9 

Meeting  Problems.  R.  Vernon  Kinzie  11 
Summit  on  the  Nation's  Most  Valuable 

Resource.    Howard  E.   Royer    12 

Needed:    Trained  Ministers. 

Andrew  Holderreed   18 

Missionary   Spectrum   in   Africa. 

Robert    Bischof    19 

Reviews   of   Recent   Books    21 

Conference    Business     25 

News  — 

Kingdom    Gleanings    16 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    22 

Overseas  Report  From  Mediterranean 

World.    John  Barwick   24 

Church  News    29 


Dr.  Alan  Walker,  Australian  Metho- 
odist  evangelist:  "Until  the  age  of  six- 
teen and  seventeen  it  is  far  wiser  for 
young  people  to  seek  their  social  satis- 
factions in  group  activities  instead  of 
going  steady  with  one  person.  There  is 
something  pathetic  about  a  child  of 
twelve  starting  dating." 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


One-sided? 

The  recent  Overseas  Report  by 
Merle  Crouse  (April  9  issue)  would 
seem  to  vindicate  Castro.  .  .  .  This 
is  a  one-sided  article.  What  about 
the  elections  Castro  promised  and 
did  not  hold?  What  about  the  news- 
papers (fifty)  he  has  seized?  How 
can  Crouse  defend  a  process  where 
people  jump  from  the  frying  pan 
into  the  fire? 

South  Americans  or  Central 
Americans  have  always  settled  their 
immediate  problems  by  revolutions 
which  are  those  of  a  series  which 
compose  their  histories.  Crouse 
naively  says,  "Religious  leaders  in 
Cuba  and  thoughtful  Latins  else- 
where feel  that  Cuba  is  in  the  midst 
of  a  deep-rooted  revolution  which, 
if  continued,  will  give  her  a  new 
character,  from  that  of  old  Cuba, 
the  Spanish  colony,  to  that  of  the 
new  Cuba,  the  modern  nation." 
Governments  founded  on  revolu- 
tions based  on  arms  rather  than  on 
vote  can  never  be  stable.  Govern- 
ments based  on  a  single  revolution 
which  promised  justice  by  an  iron- 
clad constitution,  which  cannot  be 
suspended  in  every  imaginary  or 
real  emergency,  will  endure.  —  My- 
ron C.  Horst,  208  S.  Duke  St.,  York, 
Pa. 

Through  the  Paper  Curtain 

I  can  keep  still  no  longer.  Thank 
you  for  the  report  on  Cuba  on  page 
24  of  the  April  9  issue.  This  type 
of  report  sends  the  "political  news- 
caster" for  an  embarrassing  flip. 

How  we  in  America  need  to  get 
a  glimpse  through  our  paper  curtain 
more  often.  Other  Christian  states- 
men have  made  similar  encouraging 
remarks  concerning  Cuba  as  Merle 
Crouse  has  made. 

It  is  encouraging  to  know  there 
are  men  who  will  dare  to  tell  the 
other  side,  and  publishers  who  will 
print  it. 

I  am  for  the  U.S.A.  of  North 
America,  but  not  for  her  wrongs. 

Surely  with  our  form  of  govern- 
ment, our  social  and  scientific  stand- 
ards, and  our  freedom,  we  could 
work  out  some  plan  to  help  set  up 
a  free  (democratic)  state  in  Cuba, 
rather  than  to  continue  to  force  her 
to  become  a  doubtful  feudal  ally. 

Would  not  this  be  a  good  place 
for  our  Christianity  to  show?  — 
Glenn  N.  Rohrer,  Route  3,  Liberty, 
Ind. 


Order  and  Procedure 

The  ancient  custom  of  feet- 
washing  took  place  at  the  beginning 
of  a  meal,  so  Christ  washed  the 
disciples'  feet  after  supper  had  been 
served  but  before  it  was  eaten. 

The  disciples  had  been  disputing 
(Luke  22:24)  which  of  them  should 
be  accounted  the  greatest  and,  as 
indicated  by  Christ's  rebuke  (Luke 
22 :  27 ) ,  not  one  of  them  would  serve 
at  supper,  for  fear  of  being  thought 
inferior  to  the  others.  Jesus,  there- 
fore, after  waiting  a  little  for  one 
of  them  to  offer  to  serve,  himself 
rose  and  served  them  in  the  washing 
of  their  feet,  the  function  of  a  slave. 

There  are  three  reasons  why  feet- 
washing  should  take  place  before 
the  eating  of  supper: 

1.  Since  the  disciples  had  been 
disputing  among  themselves  which 
of  them  should  be  the  greatest,  they 
needed  to  wash  one  another's  feet 
prior  to  the  eating  of  the  supper 
in  order  to  prepare  them  for  it.  This 
condition  applies  to  all  people  who 
are  to  eat  the  Lord's  Supper. 

2.  Feet-washing  is  a  partial 
cleansing  from  one's  sins.  It  sym- 
bolizes the  forgivness  of  sins  com- 
mitted after  baptism. 

3.  Feet- washing  is  an  example  of 
humble  service  which  can  be  and 
should  be  performed  in  any  respect 
necessary.  —  E.  C.  Teeter,  628  S. 
14th  St.,  New  Castle,  Ind. 

Predictions  Fulfilled 

Long  before  the  Japanese  struck 
Pearl  Harbor,  Dr.  John  R.  Mott 
wrote  that  if  we  did  not  send  our 
Bibles  and  missionaries  then  we 
would  send  our  soldiers  and  rifles 
later.  If  those  Pacific  Islands  could 
talk  they  would  shout,  "Prediction 
fulfilled." 

Dr.  E.  Stanley  Jones,  in  his  book, 
Christ  or  Communism,  predicted 
that  we  must  Christianize  China 
soon  or  it  would  turn  communistic. 
Fulfilled?  Just  try  to  establish  a 
Christian  mission  in  China  today. 

Edwin  Markham,  while  gazing  at 
the  painting,  The  Man  With  the 
Hoe,  mused  on  this  question,  "How 
will  the  future  reckon  with  this  man, 
when  whirlwinds  of  rebellion  sweep 
all  shores?"  Have  the  whirlwinds 
struck?  News  from  South  Africa  is 
coming  on  television  and  in  the  pa- 
pers that  the  calm  before  the  storm 
is  over.  —  Elmer  Leckrone,  200  N. 
Chestnut  St.,  Osceola,  Ind. 


A  Meditation  on  Hezekiah  6  and  Philippians  5  editorials 


SUPPOSE  you  are  sitting  quietly  in  church 
and  you  hear  the  minister  calmly  announce 
that  his  Old  Testament  reading  this  morn- 
ing comes  from  Hezekiah  6.  The  words  may  not 
sound  exactly  familiar,  but  they  are  enough  like 
the  poetic  phrases  of  certain  prophets  that  you 
consider  them  appropriate.  Then  a  few  mo- 
ments later  you  learn  that  the  sermon  for  the 
morning  is  based  on  a  selection  from  Luke  25  as 
well  as  a  concluding  verse  from  Philippians  5. 

If  there  is  a  faithful  member  sitting  near  you 
who  always  follows  the  reading  in  his  Bible,  you 
will  soon  observe  his  distress.  Perhaps,  becom- 
ing a  little  suspicious  yourself,  you  take  out  your 
pocket  Testament  and  start  looking  for  the  texts. 
What  has  happened?  Is  there  a  typographical 
error  in  your  bulletin,  or  has  the  minister  con- 
cocted some  subversive  means  of  getting  across 
his  main  point? 

Listening  more  attentively,  you  learn  that  he 
actually  has  two  purposes  in  mind.  He  really 
does  want  to  discover  whether  the  members  of 
his  congregation  are  alert  to  his  devotional  read- 
ing (and  the  results  of  his  quick  survey  are  not 
too  encouraging:  most  of  his  hearers  just  as- 
sumed that  Hezekiah  sounded  enough  like  an 
Old  Testament  prophet  to  be  one)  but  far  more 
important  is  his  contention  that  some  chapters 
of  the  sacred  books  are  still  waiting  to  be  writ- 
ten. 

Take  Luke,  for  example.  In  one  sense  there 
is  a  chapter  25  and  it  includes  the  entire  Book  of 
Acts.  Luke  was  not  satisfied  to  end  his  gospel 
with  a  review  of  the  resurrection  appearances, 
with  a  great  commission  and  a  promise  of  power. 
His  second  volume  is  an  important  account  of 
what  happened  when  the  followers  of  Jesus  took 
their  commissioning  service  seriously,  waited  for 


the  Spirit  »o  come,  and  then  began  to  act  on 
what  they  believed. 

But  even  Luke  had  to  lay  down  his  pen  be- 
fore the  story  was  over.  There  is  a  twenty-ninth 
and  a  thirtieth  chapter  of  Acts  yet  to  be  written 
by  modern  apostles  who  have  been  also  activat- 
ed by  the  Holy  Spirit.  What  sermon  material 
can  be  found  in  the  chapter  you  are  writing? 

Consider  Paul's  letter  to  the  Philippians.  He 
could  not  write  all  he  wanted  to  say  in  one  letter. 
Twice  he  got  to  the  point  of  saying  "finally, 
brethren,"  but  even  then  Paul  found  it  hard  to 
stop.  Naturally  he  had  more  to  say  than  he 
could  ever  write  in  any  letter.  He  would  have 
to  depend,  as  he  wrote  once  to  his  Corinthian 
friends,  upon  men  and  women  who  themselves 
would  be  "a  letter  from  Christ,  delivered  by  us, 
written  not  with  ink  but  with  the  Spirit  of  the 
living  God,  not  on  tablets  of  stone  but  on  tablets 
of  human  hearts."  What  kind  of  an  epistle  are 
you? 

In  spite  of  the  wide  distribution  of  the  Bible 
today,  there  are  still  millions  of  persons  who  do 
not  know  the  difference  between  Hezekiah  6, 
Joshua  25  or  Isaiah  53.  They  may  seldom  open 
the  black  leather  bock  on  their  table,  but  they 
do  observe  the  gospel  according  to  their  neigh- 
bors and  they  can't  help  but  read  the  epistles 
that  some  Christians  write. 

Perhaps  if  these  nonreaders  saw  a  few  more 
examples  of  what  the  Holy  Spirit  was  writing 
in  the  lives  of  their  neighbors,  they  would  pay 
more  attention  to  printed  Scriptures.  Some  of 
them  seldom  enter  a  church  or  hear  an  inspiring 
sermon.  But  they  can  read  you  like  a  book.  Do 
you  offer  them  any  challenging  texts  from  the 
acts  of  present-day  apostles?  Does  your  daily 
record  ever  reflect  that  you  too  are  "a  letter  from 
Christ?"  —  k.m. 


Sleepers  Wake,  for  the  Night  Is  Flying 


THE  three  men  on  our  cover  this  week  had 
heard  the  call  to  discipleship  and  the  call 
to  witness.  They  had  been  close  com- 
panions of  their  Master  and  they  followed  him 
into  the  garden  of  prayer.  But  at  the  time 
when  he  most  needed  them,  they  fell  asleep. 
■They  could  not  watch  even  for  one  hour.  The 
spirit  was  willing,  but  the  flesh  was  weak. 

Brethren  have  also  heard  in  recent  months 
a  call  to  witness  and  a  call  to  discipleship.  We 
are  just  as  prone  to  give  way  to  weariness  in 
well-doing  as  were  Peter,  James,  and  John.  We 
may  also  become  sleepers  and,  therefore,  un- 


profitable disciples  when  our  Lord  most  needs 
us.  Annual  Conference  can  be  an  awakening 
experience  for  delegates  and  visitors  who  at- 
tend. But  all  of  us  can  share  in  the  life-giving 
program  that  is  undergirded  through  our 
Brotherhood  Fund  and  administered  by  the 
direction  of  Conference.  Through  our  gifts  and 
prayers  we  have  a  calling  to  fulfill.  By  our 
response  we  indicate  whether  we  are  among 
the  wide-awake  followers  or  remain  with  the 
sleepers.  —  k.m. 

MAY  28,  1960  3 


and  self-centered  efforts  end  at  last  in  chaos. 
They  result  not  in  the  longed-for  welfare  andi 
peace  of  society  but  in  discord  and  confusion.! 
We  usually  refer  to  the  Biblical  story  only  inj 
terms  of  "the  tower"  of  Babel  but  the  narrative 
in  Genesis  speaks  of  men  as  building  "a  city  and 
a  tower."  The  "city"  is  a  symbol  of  men  in  their 
associated  life,  as  the  "tower"  is  a  symbol  of  their 
vaulting  ambition.  The  Babel  of  the  story  was 
the  primitive  parallel  of  our  modern  metropolis 
with  its  skyscrapers.  The  word  Babel,  of  course, 
by  a  play  on  words,  suggests  Babylon,  the  proud 
capital  of  the  ancient  world,  the  city  of  which 
Nebuchadnezzar  said,  "Is  not  this  great  Babylon, 
which  I  have  built  by  my  mighty  power  and  for 
the  glory  of  my  majesty?"  (Dan.  4:30).  Like  the 
vainglorious  monarch  of  Babylon,  the  people 
who  set  out  to  build  "the  city  and  the  tower"  of 


HRISTIAN  UNITY 


Pentecost  affirms  the 

reality  of  the  basic  unity  of 

the  Christian  community 


Samuel  McCrae  Cavert 


IN  THINKING  of  Pentecost  we  naturally  turn 
to  the  Book  of  the  Acts  (Chapter  2),  where 
we  read  of  the  movement  of  the  Spirit  that 
led  to  the  emergence  of  the  Christian  church. 
But  we  shall  appreciate  its  significance  more 
fully  if  we  first  turn  to  the  story  of  Babel  (Gen. 
11:1-9)  as  a  picture  of  the  human  condition  that 
the  Spirit  at  Pentecost  overcomes. 

Babel 

The  account  of  the  tower  of  Babel  is  a  fasci- 
nating illustration  of  the  way  in  which  a  sym- 
bolic story  can  communicate  ultimate  truth  more 
deeply  than  a  literal  record  of  fact.  It  has  to  do 
with  man's  proud  assumption  that  he  can,  with- 
out any  reference  to  God  and  his  will,  build  a 
civilization  that  shall  "reach  to  heaven."  It 
drives  home  the  point  that  all  such  self-assertive 

Former   executive   secretary    of   the   New   York   office   of   the 
World  Council  of  Churches 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Babel  said,  "Let  us  make  a  name  for  ourselves!" 
The  old  story  is  one  that  has  clear  relevance 
for  any  secularistic  age,  most  of  all  for  a  nuclear 
age  which  has  reached  such  a  zenith  of  power 
that  the  self-assertiveness  of  man  can  completely 
destroy  his  civilization.  In  Babel  man  was  put- 
ting himself  in  the  place  of  God.  He  was  set  on 
achieving  an  imposing  culture  without  a  recog- 
nition of  any  power  or  purpose  higher  than  his 
own. 

But  thus  estranged  from  God,  man  soon 
found  himself  estranged  also  from  his  fellow 
man.  His  proud  effort  ended  in  chaos.  Under 
the  judgment  of  God  "Babel"  became  a  "babble." 
Instead  of  a  great  social  achievement  there  was 
such  division  and  strife  that  people  could  "not 
understand  one  another's  speech"  and  they  were 
"scattered  abroad  over  the  face  of  all  the  earth." 

Pentecost 

Over  against  this  Babel  which  comes  from 
man's  ignoring  God  and  rebelling  against  his 
will  stands  the  reality  of  Pentecost.  Pentecost 
affirms  that  there  is  a  Holy  Spirit  in  the  world 
which  can  overcome  man's  self-centeredness 
and  his  consequent  estrangement  from  both 
God  and  his  fellows. 

The  Spirit  at  Pentecost  brings  into  being  a 
new  kind  of  community,  a  koinonia  (to  use  the 
new  New  Testament  word)  which  is  centered 


around  the  mission  of  the  living 
Christ.  This  community,  the 
church,  is  not  something  merely 
of  man's  devising,  like  Babel, 
but  is  a  way  of  fulfilling  the  will 
of  God. 

Whatever  else  happened  at 
Pentecost,  the  permanent  result 
was  the  emergence  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  as  a  distinctive 
fellowship.  Of  this  the  New 
Testament  as  a  whole  is  evi- 
dence. This  koinonia  meant  a 
depth  and  quality  of  experience 
which  the  English  translation 
fellowship"  only  partially  and 
faintly  conveys.  What  we  call 
Christian  fellowship  today  is 
often  hardly  more  than  the  so- 
ciability of  those  who  sing  "the 
more  we  get  together  the  hap- 
pier we'll  be"  or  who  enjoy  a 
chummy  atmosphere  in  a  serv- 
ice of  worship  or  at  a  church 
supper. 

Koinonia  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, however,  is  the  experi- 
ence of  those  who  know 
Jthemselves  bound  together  not 
Iby  their  own  gregarious  im- 
Spulses  but  by  their  common 
(relation  to  Christ.  As  Dietrich 
iBonhoeffer,  the  young  German 
Imartyr  of  the  last  war  put  it, 
iour  community  with  each  other 
las  Christians  "Consists  solely  in 
|what  Christ  has  done  for  both 
lof  us." 

This  means  that  the  fellow- 
'iship  which  the  Spirit  creates 
Bmay  be  a  fellowship  with  peo- 
"ijple  with  whom,  on  the  level  of 
jmerely  human  preferences,  we 
^imight  prefer  not  to  have  any 
lifellowship  at  all.  It  is  only  as 
iwe  find,  in  our  common  relation 
jito  Christ,  a  oneness  so  deep  that 
lithe  natural  differences  of  cul- 
ture, class,  sect,  race,  and  na- 
tion no  longer  divide  us  into 
;  {exclusive  and  self-sufficient,  or 
'ijeven  conflicting,  groups  that  we 
Jllearn  the  unifying  work  of  the 
iHoly  Spirit  and  the  full  mean- 
sing  of  the  New  Testament 
1  koinonia. 

Continued  on  page  8 


W  W 


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it    It 


AS  PRESIDENTS  of  the  World  Council  of  Churches  we  greet 
our  brethren  in  all  the  member  churches  at  Whitsuntide. 
We  rejoice  in  the  gift  of  that  oneness  in  Christ  which  en- 
lightened his  followers  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come. 

As  we  recall  the  first  assembly  in  the  history  of  the  Christian 
church,  we  are  uplifted  by  visible  signs  of  that  oneness  renewed 
in  the  history  of  our  time.  As  members  of  one  body  all  over  the 
earth,  we  have  committed  ourselves  to  stay  together  and  to  grow 
together  toward  newness  and  fullness  of  life. 

This  year  we  are  confronted  with  the  spiritual  task  of  making 
straight  the  way  for  a  great  gathering,  the  first  assembly  to  be 
held  by  the  World  Council  of  Churches  in  Asia  in  1961.  While 
there  are  religions  and  philosophies,  new  and  old,  resurgent  in 
Asia  and  other  continents,  we  have  our  firm  foundation  in  the 
promise  given  by  our  Lord  on  the  day  of  his  ascension.  Wherever 
his  people  may  be,  they  shall  receive  strength  to  overcome  the 
world. 

When  he,  the  Holy  Spirit,  comes  in  our  midst,  we  are  new 
beings.  Our  self-absorption  and  our  fears  are  taken  away.  Our 
contentment  with  something  less  than  true  unity  in  the  church 
gives  way  to  a  deeper  and  fuller  appraisal  of  God's  design.  We  are 
thus  called  to  be  partners  all  with  one  accord  in  God's  creative 
work.  We  seek  each  other  in  a  new  way  because  God  has  found 
us  in  a  new  way.  For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit,  they  are  the 
sons  of  God. 

As  sons  and  fellow  workers  with  God,  we  become  true  broth- 
ers, bearing  one  another's  burdens.  The  church,  which  has  the 
promise  of  victory,  is  called,  with  one  spirit  and  one  heart,  to 
reach  out  to  the  millions  of  men  and  women  who  struggle  for  a 
life  free  of  fear,  hunger,  injustice,  dispossession,  persecution,  and 
political  or  spiritual  oppression. 

In  view  of  this  great  mission,  we  who  work  for  the  greater 
unity  and  strength  of  the  church  humbly  proclaim  this  year's 
Whitsuntide  as  a  day  of  universal  prayer,  so  that  God's  spirit  may 
be  brought  to  those  who  "were  far  off  and  peace  to  those  who 
were  near"  (Eph.  2:17,  R.S.V.). 

With  a  renewed  faith,  with  love  and  compassion,  we  call 
upon  all  the  churches  of  Christ  and  all  Christians  to  reconsider 
their  duty  in  the  light  of  the  Spirit  given  to  us,  and  to  rededicate 
themselves  as  witnesses  to  Christ. 

"Now  we  have  received  not  the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the 
spirit  which  is  from  God;  that  we  might  understand  the  gifts 
bestowed  on  us  by  God"  (1  Cor.  2:12). 

THE  PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  WORLD  COUNCIL  OF  CHURCHES 


Dr.  John  Bailie  —  Edinburgh 
Metropolitan   Juhanon    Mar   Thoma 

—  Tiruvella 
Bishop   Henry  Knox  Sherrill  —  Box- 
ford,  Massachusetts 


Bishop  S.  U.  Barbieri  —  Buenos  Aires 
Bishop  Otto  Dibelius  —  Berlin 
Archbishop  Iakovos  —  New  York 

MAY  28,  1960  5 


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'ISSffiii^.'" 

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IVIatilcl 


A  Woman  fiecdoud.  in  Gltsiiiiian  tyattk 


THE  black-eyed  woman 
looked  past  the  letter  in 
her  hand,  past  the  mis- 
sion school  buildings,  past  the 
mountainous  countryside  into 
the  distance  where  the  crosses 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  churches 
stood  sentinel  over  the  people 
below.  She  was  fifteen  miles 
from  Quito,  the  largest  and 
nearest  city.  But  the  church 
that  had  mothered  her  was  per- 
sistent in  finding  her. 

"You    are    a    good    woman, 
Matilde,"  stated  the  letter.    "I 

6  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Inez  Long 


beg  of  you  to  leave  the  Protes- 
tant mission  school."  The  letter 
was  signed  by  the  priest  who 
had  been  a  lifelong  friend  of 
her  family. 

In  an  instant,  like  those  mo- 
ments when,  floundering  for 
breath,  a  person  sees  an  entire 
lifetime  flash  before  him  in  re- 
view, Matilde  saw  herself  and 
who  she  was.  She  picked  up  the 
child  who  tugged  at  her  skirt. 
She  walked  straight  to  her 
house  and  straight  to  the  desk. 


On  a  sheet  of  stationery,  be- 
neath the  heading,  "Brethren 
Mission  School,"  she  addressed 
her  old  friend. 

"It  is  because  I  am  a  good 
woman  that  I  am  in  the  Protes- 
tant school,"  she  wrote.  She 
continued  until  she  had  given 
a  reason  for  the  new  faith  that 
was  in  her. 

That  faith  had  come  to  frui- 
tion from  seeds  scattered  on  the 
hacienda  where  her  father  had 
been  manager  when  she  was  a 
child.  No  older  than  the  warm- 
skinned  child,  so  like  herself, 
playing  at  her  feet,  she  grew  up 


on  a  farm  of  several  thousand 
acres  twenty  miles  west  of  the 
capital  city  of  Ecuador.  Her 
father  had  charge  of  a  hacienda, 
including  oversight  of  the  In- 
dian workers.  Matilde  grew  up 
with  the  children  of  the  work- 
ers. She  played  their  games. 
She  learned  their  language. 

She  was  far  more  interested 
in  them  than  in  the  wealthy 
land  owners  who  visited  the 
hacienda  to  check  up  on  the 
work  there.  She  did  not  enjoy 
their  bold  ways  as  they  sat 
down  to  indulge  in  her  moth- 
er's roast  guinea  pig  and  ta- 
males. 

Until  she  was  four  years  old, 
when  the  family  of  five  moved 
to  the  county  seat  of  Cayambe, 
Matilde  counted  her  Indian 
friends  her  best.  Later,  in  the 
town,  she  supervised  the  Indian 
workers  who  labored  for  her 
father,  and  in  that  way  she  re- 
tained the  language  and  under- 
stood the  needs  of  the  Indians. 

Her  mother  and  father  were 
in  a  class  different  from  the  In- 
dians. They  taught  Matilde 
never  to  forget  this  fact.  The 
father  was  better  educated  than 
most  and  in  Cayambe  he  be- 
came treasurer  of  the  county 
with  many  men  working  under 
him.  Her  mother  inherited 
property  through  her  grand- 
father, the  owner  of  a  mule 
train  in  Ecuador's  overland 
transportation  system. 

In  their  new  location,  the 
family  built  a  new  house  with 
eight  rooms  on  one  floor,  with 
a  creek  running  through  the 
court  of  the  house.  Matilde 
went  to  school  with  her  three 
sisters  and  brother.  She  at- 
tended the  Catholic  church 
with  her  mother  and  brother 
and  sisters  because  of  public 
opinion. 

Twenty  miles  south  of  Quito 
was  a  normal  school  for  training 
teachers.  Originally  it  had  been 
founded  for  the  instruction  of 
Indian  teachers  but  it  had  be- 


come a  school  of  mixed  races. 
By  the  time  Matilde  was  ready 
to  enroll  in  a  teacher  training 
school,  it  served  to  educate  all 
those  who  wanted  to  teach. 
The  fact  that  it  was  a  school 
where  the  education  of  Indians 
was  faced  openly  appealed  to 
Matilde. 

She  enrolled  and  prepared  for 
graduation.  While  she  was  a 
student  at  normal  school  she 
met  Juan  Benalcazar,  who  was 
also  a  student.  They  became 
very  friendly  before  graduation 
time  came,  when  he  left  to  be 
a  teacher  and  she  became  a 
teacher  in  a  school  where  most 
of  her  pupils  were  Indians.  It 
was  a  new  school  building,  in 
a  village  of  about  five  thou- 
sand. The  building  was  mod- 
ern, with  many  windows,  built 
with  brick. 

Immediately  she  felt  at  home 
in  the  school.  Her  Indian  pupils 
renewed  her  zest  for  helping  the 
Indians  who,  since  her  child- 
hood, had  been  like  her  own 
people.  She  knew  their  games. 
She  spoke  to  their  needs.  She 
was  one  of  them.  When  one  of 
the  Indian  boys  was  asked, 
"Why  do  you  like  Matilde  bet- 
ter than  the  other  teachers?"  he 


replied,  quite  simply,  "She 
knows  our  language." 

And  she  did,  in  many  ways. 
She  knew  them  as  no  professor 
can  teach  about  people  and 
their  needs.  She  knew  them 
from  being  one  of  them.  The 
Indians  had  grown  into  her  very 
own  being  in  the  early  years 
when  growth  is  rapid  and  free. 

While  she  was  teaching  in 
the  village,  she  went  to  mass 
regularly.  Yet  she  was  dissatis- 
fied with  the  religion  she  found 
there.  Meanwhile,  her  friend- 
ship with  Juan  continued.  This 
brought  its  problems,  too.  He 
taught  at  a  Protestant  mission 
school.  To  be  seen  with  Juan 
would  cause  talk  among  the  vil- 
lagers. So  they  wrote  letters  to 
each  other.  They  saw  each 
other  at  teachers'  meetings.  But 
whenever  Juan  wanted  to  make 
plans  for  marriage,  Matilde 
would  postpone  it  because  of 
money. 

Finally  Juan  would  accept  a 
postponement  no  longer.  When 
the  day  for  the  marriage  came, 
Matilde's  mother  solved  the 
problem  about  Juan's  religious 
association  with  the  Protestants. 
She  asked  a  priest  from  a  neigh- 
boring county,  a  priest  who  had 


Matilde  Benalcazar  teaches  reading  to  an  adult  literacy  class 
MAY  28,  1960 


SPACE  MISSILE 

EDITH  LOVEJOY  PIERCE 

No  god  was  ever  so  precisely  wrought 
Of  hammered  silver  or  of  beaten  gold. 
No  god  was  ever  so  intensely  sought 
For  hint  of  what  the  furthest  heavens  hold 

As  this  white  idol,  conjured  out  of  skill 

And  time  and  treasure  —  all  that  can  be  had. 

No  god  reigned  more  serenely  on  a  hill. 

Or  crashed  more  swiftly  from  his  launching  pad. 


been  a  friend  of  the  family,  to 
come  and  give  the  couple  a 
Roman  Catholic  service. 

After  the  wedding,  Matilde 
and  Juan  both  went  to  the  mis- 
sion school  to  teach.  This  made 
the  break  in  her  relationship 
with  her  mother  more  and  more 
acute.  And  her  father,  though 
seemingly  able  to  understand 
why  his  daughter  could  not  em- 
brace fully  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion,  told  her  openly  that  he 
could  not  follow  the  path  which 
she  had  chosen. 

One  night,  in  her  husband's 
absence,  Matilde  found  among 
his  books  the  Book  of  books 
which  was  a  great  revelation  to 
her.  She  read  zealously  until 
one  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
was  satisfied  that  at  last  she  had 
found  the  Bread  of  Life.  Mean- 
while, in  the  mission  school,  she 
paralleled  her  lessons  to  her 
pupils  with  lessons  for  herself 
on  Protestant  beliefs.  She  was 
a  quick  student. 

All  the  while  she  studied  the 
Protestant  faith,  she  attended 
mass  regularly.  Gradually  the 
answer  came.  It  came  as  a  re- 
sult of  many  influences:  the 
quality  of  teaching  at  the 
school,  the  freedom  between 
all  classes  at  the  school,  the 
family  life  of  the  Streichs, 
who  were  in  charge  of  the 
mission.  All  these  surrounded 
her.    Most  of  all,  she  felt  an 

8  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


irresistible  joy  in  Protestant 
worship  where  she  heard,  for 
the  first  time,  a  worship  service 
in  her  own  native  tongue. 

Meanwhile  her  husband  was 
eager  to  return  to  Quito  to  earn 
his  bachelor's  degree.  Before 
they  left  the  school,  she  asked 
Rev.  Paul  Streich  to  baptize 
her.  She  also  asked  him  to  con- 
tact a  Protestant  school  near 
Quito  where  she  could  grow  up 
in  the  faith. 

"So  we  came  to  the  Brethren 
school,"  wrote  Matilde  in  her 
story  to  the  priest.  "Rev.  Paul 
Streich  knew,  also,  that  I  was 
a  babe  in  the  faith.  He  sent  us 
to  Benton  Rhoades  and  the 
Brethren  mission.  While  Juan 
completed  his  studies,  I  taught 
in  the  school  here.  I  am  happy. 
Here  is  where  I  want  to  serve." 

Matilde  found  at  the  Breth- 
ren mission  the  attitudes  which 
she  had  looked  for  between 
teachers  and  Christians.  She 
saw  people  of  varying  rank  and 
education  work  together  at 
helping  human  need  because  of 
a  common  Lord  who  met  their 
needs.  She  saw  words  of  love 
carried  out  in  deeds  of  love. 
This  was  what  she  wanted  from 
the  church  for  her  own  people, 
the  Indians.  Not  finding  it  in 
the  traditional  church,  she  left 
the  Catholic  Church  and  en- 
tered into  a  fresh  new  world  by 
faith. 

That  faith  multiplied  beyond 
her    knowing.     In    the    eleven 


il 


years,  from  1948,  when  she  mar  I 
ried,  to  1959,  when  she  sat  al 
the  Annual  Conference  of  hei 
new  church  in  Ocean  Grove,  fai 
north  on  a  new  continent,  she' 
had  come  a  long,  long  way.  She 
had  four  children.  She  had  at- 
tended a  year  of  studies  at  Man- 
chester College.  She  faced  nevs 
responsibilities  upon  her  returr 
to  her  own  country. 

At  Manchester  College,  she 
and  Juan  studied  ways  in  whicr. 
to  help  the  people  of  Ecuador 
They  took  courses  to  prepare 
them  in  adult  education:  read- 
ing, writing,  cooking,  home 
making,  child  care,  and  first 
aid.  Matilde  states  her  hopes,  it 
for  her  students  at  the  Brethren 
school  near  Quito  in  minimal 
and  realistic  terms:  "If  we  can 
get  the  nationals  to  come  to  the 
Center,  we  know  they  are  not! 
with  liquor  or  with  women. 

Unknowingly,  when  Matilde 
speaks  of  her  Christian  faith, 
she  speaks  with  the  same  fresh- 
ness and  vigor  which  has  char- 
acterized the  language  of  men 
and  women  of  all  ages  who  have 
come  to  know,  firsthand,  a  di 
rect  and  persuasive  revelation 
of  God.  There  is  a  simplicity 
and  a  zeal  in  the  faith  of  Ma- 
tilde Benalcazar  which  marks 
it  as  the  real  thing. 


Christian  Unity 

Continued  from  page  5 

So  Pentecost  marks  not  only 
the  beginning  of  the  church  as 
an  organized  society  but  also 
the  recognition  of  its  unity. 
Since  there  is  only  one  Lord, 
from  whom  the  Spirit  comes, 
there  is  only  one  body  of 
Christ's  people.  What  this 
means  in  practice  may  be  only 
dimly  perceived.  How  to  ex- 
press it  adequately  we  may  not 
yet  know.  But  that  there  is  a 
basic  oneness  of  the  Christian 
community  is  a  reality  which 
Pentecost  never  allows  us  to 
forget. 


Delegates   and  visitors   are   encouraged 
to   get  busy   on  their 


Annual  Conference 
Homework 


E 


VERYONE  attending  An- 
nual Conference  should 

—  be  familiar  with  the  busi- 
ness of  Conference.  Issues 
which  are  discussed  and  decid- 
ed there  are  large  enough  that 
the  whole  church  should  know 
them,  and  be  aware  of  the  op- 
tions which  are  before  us,  the 
urgency  of  their  impact  upon 
the  church.  Reports  of  commit- 
tees which  have  been  appointed 
by  previous  Conferences,  and 
the  new  business  presented  in 
queries  have  been  printed  in 
the  Gospel  Messenger  so  that 
all  our  church  people  have  an 
opportunity  to  discuss  them, 
pray  about  them,  and  begin  to 
search  for  God's  answer  even 
before  Conference.  Every  del- 
egate, indeed  every  concerned 
member  of  the  church  should 
read  carefully  every  item  of 
Conference  business  that  has 
appeared  in  the  Gospel  Mes- 
senger. 

Some  churches  follow  the  ex- 
cellent procedure  of  having 
their  delegates  and  all  interest- 
ed members  spend  one  or  more 
evenings  discussing  Conference 
business  before  they  go  to  Con- 
ference. This  makes  for  under- 
standing, and  helps  delegates  to 
vote  more  responsibly.  It  is  not 
good  for  churches  to  vote  be- 
forehand, instructing  delegates 
how  to  vote  in  Conference.  For 
we  believe  that  the  Holv  Spirit 
works  in  the  Conference;  that 
as  we  worship  and  think  and 


talk  together,  God  can  show  us 
the  way  in  the  group  process. 
To  decide  on  questions  finally 
before  we  arrive  at  Conference 
would  seem  to  close  the  door 
against  new  light  that  God  may 
bring  through  Conference  de- 
bate. 

There  are  four  major  kinds 
of  business  before  Conference. 
First  is  the  "Unfinished  Busi- 
ness." Committees  and  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board 
bring  carefully-prepared  an- 
swers to  queries  and  business 
items  referred  to  them  by  for- 
mer conferences.  Let  us  look 
at  some  of  the  items  before  us 
this  year: 

Study  of  the 
Annual  Conference 

This  is  the  second  year's  re- 
port of  the  committee.  Major 
changes  proposed  are: 

a.  Rotating  Conference  in 
three  areas  instead  of  the 
present  five. 

b.  Administration  of  Confer- 
ence by  an  Annual  Con- 
ference Central  Commit- 
tee composed  of  the  offi- 
cers and  three  elected 
members-at-large. 

c.  Employment  of  an  Annual 
Conference  Manager 

d.  Two-year  tenure  for  Stand- 
ing Committee  members. 

e.  More  careful  selection  and 
preparation    of   delegates. 


Edward  K.  Ziegler 


f.   Shorter  speeches  in  Con- 
ference  business   sessions. 

Study  of  District  and  Regional 
Structure  and  Alignment. 

This  is  also  a  second-year  re- 
port. The  committee  is  recom- 
mending that  over  a  ten-year 
period,  districts  be  realigned 
and  consolidated  to  a  total  of 
twenty-one,  and  that  most  of 
the  functions  of  the  regional 
structure  be  carried  on  by  these 
larger,  better-staffed  district 
organizations.  A  change  in 
Standing  Committee  represen- 
tation is  proposed  to  keep  that 
committee  large  and  represen- 
tative. 

Election  and  Ordination 
of  Ministers 

In  this  query,  the  concern 
was  expressed  about  candidates 
for  the  ministry  in  our  church 
who  may  have  not  been  bap- 
tized by  trine  immersion.  The 
committee  has  studied  the  mat- 
ter and  brings  the  recommenda- 
tion that  it  be  most  strongly 
urged  that  all  such  persons 
should  receive  trine  immersion 
in  order  to  maintain  the  purity 
of  our  practice  of  baptism.  For 
the  deacon's  office,  since  it  is  a 
local  church  office,  wider  lati- 
tude is  suggested  by  the  com- 
mittee. 

MAY  28,  1960  9 


Review  of  Pastoral  Salaries 

A  committee  composed  en- 
tirely of  laymen  has  made  this 
study,  and  their  report  contains 
detailed  and  carefully  worked 
out  recommendations  on  deter- 
mining pastoral  salaries,  with  a 
scale  of  minimum  salaries.  On 
such  a  subject  responsible  dis- 
cussion by  laymen  in  confer- 
ence is  particularly  important. 

In  all  of  these  and  other  rec- 
ommendations, the  conference 
delegates  have  options.  If  the 
reports  seem  right  and  good, 
delegates  after  clarification  and 
discussion  will  vote  to  adopt 
them.  If  the  delegates  desire, 
they  may  amend  or  refer  them 
for  further  study.  Or  if  they 
disapprove,  they  may  vote  them 
down!  In  all  of  them,  it  is  ur- 
gent that  we  seek  out,  see  clear- 
ly and  discuss  thoughtfully  the 
real  issues.  Nothing  will  be 
"railroaded."  We  will  honestly 
and  earnestly  seek  the  right  and 
resolutely  follow  it.  There  will 
be  differences  of  opinion.  We 
shall  resolve  them  so  far  as  pos- 
sible. Then  when  we  vote  on 
issues  we  will  believe  that  God 
will  guide  the  Conference  to 
decide  aright. 

Elections 

The  second  major  kind  of 
business  is  the  election  and  ap- 
pointment of  persons  to  the  re- 
sponsible offices  of  the  church. 
The  Standing  Committee  serves 
as  a  nominating  committee, 
and  prepares  a  ballot.  Dele- 
gates elect  Annual  Conference 
officers,  members  of  the  Gener- 
al Brotherhood  Board  (usually 
five  each  year),  electors  of 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary,  rep- 
resentatives of  our  church  to 
ecumenical  bodies,  and  con- 
tinuing committees  of  the  Con- 
ference. We  also  approve 
nominations  of  officers  of  vari- 
ous   organizations    or    cabinets 


10 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


which  are  responsible  to  Annual 
Conference. 

Annual  Conference  elections 
are  above  politics.  There  is  no 
"running  for  office";  no  cam- 
paign speeches.  The  Confer- 
ence seeks  to  call  the  persons 
who  under  God's  guidance  can 
do  the  best  job  in  these  respon- 
sible positions.  Very  rarely  does 
a  person  decline  to  serve  in  a 
position  to  which  he  is  chosen 
by  the  Conference. 

Reports 

The  reports  which  come  to 
our  Annual  Conference  are  pre- 
pared with  very  great  care.  The 
longest  and  most  comprehen- 
sive is,  of  course,  the  report 
by  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board,  for  it  is  the  most  signifi- 
cant report  to  the  total  church 
of  the  world-wide  program  of 
the  Brotherhood.  Here  is  one 
opportunity  for  delegates  really 
to  learn  of  the  vast  scope  of  our 
total  program,  and  to  share  in 
its  direction. 

The  other  reports  given  are 
also  of  vital  interest.  There  are 
reports  from  — 

Bethany  Biblical  Seminary 

The  World  Council  of 
Churches 

The  National  Council  of 
Churches 

The  Fraternal  Belations 
Committee 

The  Pension  Board 

Bethany  Hospital 

The  auditors  of  all  our  ac- 
counts 

The  Besolutions  Commit- 
tee 

Conference  resolutions  can 
be  of  very  great  interest  and 
importance.  They  really  are  the 
message  of  the  assembled  con- 
ference to  the  churches,  and 
to  the  world,  and  far  from  be- 
ing an  empty  formality.  They 
should  be  studied  and  dis- 
cussed. 


per 

Bfttt 


* 


New  Business 

An  item  of  new  business  eacl 
year  which  deserves  resolute  a| 
tention  and  responsible  actior 
is  the  adoption  of  a  Brother 
hood  financial  goal  for  the  yeai 
ahead.  It  is  wrong  for  dele- 
gates to  pass  this  by  as  a  sort  ol 
rubber-stamp  procedure.  It 
should  be  debated  and  clearly 
understood.  Then  when  we  as 
a  Conference  adopt  a  goal,  we 
will  feel  responsible  all  across 
the  Brotherhood  for  its  full 
achievement. 

The  General  Brotherhood 
Board  is  presenting  this  year  a 
statement  on  the  church  and  its 
colleges.  From  time  to  time  the 
Board  prepares  a  paper  on  some 
major  aspect  of  the  church's  life 
and  work,  which  may  become  a 
major  policy  statement,  giving 
direction  for  years  ahead.  Such 
papers  should  receive  very  care- 
ful reading  and  it  is  hoped  we 
will  have  good  questions  and 
discussion  about  this  one. 

New  queries  are  handled  in 
this  manner:  First,  Standing 
Committee  studies  and  dis- 
cusses them  with  great  thor- 
oughness. Then  a  suggested 
answer  is  prepared  by  Standing 
Committee  and  presented  to 
the  Conference.  This  is  not 
necessarily  Conference's  final 
action  on  the  matter.  Rather 
Standing  Committee  proposes 
what  seems  the  best  option  in 
the  matter.  Conference,  after 
discussing  the  original  issue  and 
the  proposed  answer  by  Stand- 
ing Committee  may  accept  that 
proposal,  amend  it,  or  reject  it 
in  favor  of  another  plan  made 
in  Conference  discussion.  Many 
queries  call  for  studies  to  be 
made  preparatory  to  action. 
When  this  is  called  for  or  seems 
desirable,  Standing  Committee 
brings  recommendations  for  a 
Conference  committee  to  make 
the  study  or  to  refer  the  matter 
to  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board.    In  this  year's  agenda, 


he  I 


the  Board  itself  is  bringing  two 
^queries,  concerning  procedural 
at)  matters;  also  they  are  bringing 
ion  the  recommendation  on  the 
er,  Brotherhood  Goal,  and  the 
J  statement  on  the  church  col- 
I  leges.  The  Pension  Board  is 
( also    bringing    a    proposal    of 

amendments    to    the    Pension 


Meeting  Problems 


Plan. 

Four  new  queries  come  from 
districts.  They  have  to  do  with 

1.  Brotherhood  retirement  pol- 
icy, 

2.  A  call  for  a  committee  to 
study  the  process  of  ordina- 
tion to  the  ministry,  which 
seeks  to  bring  about  clear 
and  uniform  procedures  over 
the  Brotherhood, 

3.  A  call  to  explore  alternatives 
in  having  a  Church  of  the 
Brethren  office  in  Washing- 
ton, 

4.  A  call  for  a  study  of  the  fu- 
ture ministry  of  Bethany 
Hospital,  and  the  possibili- 
ties of  utilization  of  the 
present  Bethany  Seminary 
property  after  the  Seminary 
has  been  relocated. 

It  is  possible  that  other  items 
will  still  come  in  for  Conference 
action.  It  requires  special  Con- 
ference action  to  admit  late 
items  to  the  agenda,  and  they 
are  only  admitted  if  shown  to 
be  of  an  emergency  nature  and 
of  urgent  priority. 

Clearly,  in  many  of  these 
matters  there  are  very  definite 
live  options  before  us.  Confer- 
ence discussion  will  aid  us  in 
making  right  decisions.  It  is  our 
hope  and  prayer  that  through 
these  many  items  of  business, 
some  of  which  may  seem  not 
too  important,  the  moving 
Spirit  of  God  will  kindle  us  to 
courageous  and  concerted  ac- 
tion for  God's  Kingdom.  So  let 
us  do  our  homework  faithfully 
and  plan  for  God's  Spirit  to 
move  and  stir  the  church  in  a 
new  Pentecost. 


R.  Vernon  Kinzie 


WE  HAVE  come  to  real- 
ize that  a  great  many 
organic  diseases  have 
their  origin  in  or  are  aggravated 
by  our  state  of  mind.  This 
whole  area  which  we  call  psy- 
chosomatic medicine  includes 
such  diseases  as  peptic  ulcers, 
asthma  and  other  allergic  dis- 
orders, colitis,  certain  types  of 
dermatitis,  and  a  host  of  other 
ailments. 

A  recent  survey  has  shown 
that  at  least  a  third  of  the  pa- 
tients who  come  to  their  fam- 
ily physician  have  symptoms 
due  to  some  personal  problem 
which  they  have  failed  to  solve. 
Some  can  readily  see  this  rela- 
tionship when  it  is  explained, 
and  come  to  grips  with  the 
problem.  Others  find  it  difficult 
to  accept  the  idea  that  their 
skin  rash  may  be  due  to  some 
domestic  problem;  they  rush 
off  to  another  physician  in  the 
hope  of  finding  an  ointment 
that  will  cure  them. 

I  think  Christians  are  some- 
times like  this.  We  are  fre- 
quently willing  to  apply  the 
ointment  of  materialism  to  our 
rashes  but  unwilling  to  accept 
the  wisdom  of  God  when  his 
answers  do  not  conform  to  our 
own. 

A  recent  magazine  article 
listed  six  steps  in  meeting  per- 
sonal crisis. 

1.  Take  a  breather.  Don't 
make  a  decision  during  an  emo- 
tional turmoil. 

2.  Talk  it  out.  During  a  crisis 
a  fellow  needs  a  friend  to  talk 
to. 

3.  Understand  yourself .  Ana- 
lyze your  capabilities  and  your 
limitations. 


4.  Stay  healthy.  Even  a 
slight  illness  makes  your  prob- 
lems more  difficult. 

5.  Attack  one  point  at  a  time. 
A  difficult  problem  often  con- 
sists of  several  small  ones. 

6.  Be  prepared  for  a  change. 
I  think  these  suggestions  are 

excellent  and  I  recommend 
them  as  helps.  I  think,  how- 
ever, they  may  be  like  an 
ointment  applied  to  a  rash, 
soothing  but  not  necessarily  cur- 
ative. For  me  something  has 
been  left  out.  Therefore,  I  have 
taken  the  liberty  to  edit  them 
in  the  light  of  my  Christian  ex- 
perience. 

1.  Take  time  to  meditate  and 
to  pray.  Approach  the  problem 
with  concern  for  others. 

2.  Talk  it  out  with  God.  He 
is  our  ever-present  Friend. 

3.  Understand  yourself.  Look 
for  the  log  in  your  own  eye 
rather  than  the  splinter  in  your 
brother's  eye. 

4.  Stay  spiritually  healthy. 
Even  a  little  spiritual  illness 
makes  it  more  difficult  to  com- 
municate with  God. 

5.  Be  patient  if  the  total  an- 
swer does  not  all  come  at  once. 

6.  Be  prepared  for  a  change. 
Be  willing  to  accept  God's  an- 
swer to  your  problem  even 
though  it  does  not  conform  to 
your  own  desire. 

All  this  is  to  suggest  that  we 
dare  not  leave  God  out  in  at- 
tempting to  find  answers  to  our 
problems. 


MAY  28,  1960 


11 


Summit 
on  the 
Nation's 
lost  Valuable 


F, 


esource 


Howard  Iw  Bayer 


OREMOST  among  the  many  top-leveli 
meetings  recently  was  one  which  dealt  with  the 
nation's  most  precious  resource  —  its  children  andi 
youth.  Never  before  had  such  a  comprehensive^ 
attempt  been  made  to  evaluate  the  spiritual,  moral, 
social,  educational  and  economic  problems  and 
needs  of  America's  young  citizens. 

The  opening  speaker  at  the  summit  had  two 
qualifications  for  the  job.  First,  he  was  President 
of  the  United  States  and  as  such  host  to  the  1960 
golden  anniversary  White  House  Conference  on 
Children  and  Youth.  Second,  he  was  a  grandfather 
which,  as  he  explained,  made  him  an  expert  on 
the  subject  —  at  least  within  his  own  family. 

Among  the  thousands  assembled  in  the  Uni 
versity  of  Maryland  field  house  to  hear  President 
Eisenhower  kick  off  the  conclave  were  7,570  dele 
gates,  of  whom  at  least  a  dozen  were  members  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren.   They  rejoiced  as  the 
President  said: 

".  .  .  among  the  things  we  teach  to  the  young 
are  such  truths  as  the  transcendent  value  of  the 
individual  and  the  dignity  of  all  people,  the  futility 
and  stupidity  of  war  (italics  mine),  its  destructive- 
ness  of  life  and  its  degradation  of  human  values. 

".  .  .  the  surest  and  best  foundation  is  a  happy 
family;  one  that  finds  its  greatest  enjoyment  in 
such  things  as  the  family  picnic,  the  cookout  or 
the  home  movies." 

The  President  scored  further  with  this  ad- 
monishment: from  the  play  pen  to  the  campus, 
children  and  youth  must  be  taught  that  the  real 
values  are  those  earned.  "We  must  see  to  it  that 
our  children  grow  up  in  a  climate  that  encourages 
response  to  intellectual  challenge,  self-reliance,  in- 
itiative, and  a  healthy  regard  for  hard  work,"  he 
asserted. 

Generally,  there  was  agreement  with  and  en- 
thusiasm for  the  President's  address,  as  there  was 
for  the  230  other  speeches  which  were  delivered 
during  the  next  three  days  in  theme  assemblies 
and  forums.  Before  the  conference  was  half  over, 
however,  critics  were  charging  that  real  issues 
were  being  dodged  and  only  generalities  were  be- 
ing debated.  In  part,  their  negativism  centered  on 
the  broad  purposes  for  which  the  conference  con- 
vened —  "to  expand  the  creative  potential  of  our 
children  and  youth  in  freedom  and  dignity." 

One  participant,  William  G.  Carr,  executive 
secretary  of  the  National  Education  Association, 
became  so  irked  with  the  comprehensiveness  of 
the  theme  —  "Children  in  a  Changing  World"  — 
that  he  remarked  the  1970  conference  likely  would 
deal  with  "Children  in  a  Changing  Solar  System." 
Other  critics  claimed  the  delegates  seemed  to  be 
as  "uncommitted"  as  the  youthful  generation  they 
were  discussing. 

S.  Loren  Bowman,  executive  secretary  of  the 
Christian  Education  Commission,   cited  the  diffi- 

Photo  by  Religious  News  Service 


culty  of  arriving  at  specific  recom- 
mendations in  the  work  group  he 
attended  on  the  Significance  of 
Personal  Faith  for  Children  and 
Youth.  The  myriad  viewpoints 
represented,  the  unyielding  biases 
of  some  very  vocal  delegates,  and 
the  complexity  of  the  topic  tended 
to  hamper  a  deep,  constructive  ex- 
change of  ideas,  he  revealed. 

Illustrative  of  the  diverse  views 
were  those  expressed  in  work 
group  79  on  Children  and  Youth  of 
Minority  Groups.  The  chairman 
alluded  to  "certain  government- 
al policies"  which  discriminated 
against  minority  groups.  He  was 
Jewish.  Specifically,  he  objected 
to  Bible  reading  in  public  schools. 
When  a  New  Jersey  schoolteacher 
pointed  out  that  her  state  was 
fair  to  Christians  and  Jews  alike 
because  its  schools  selected  Bible 
readings  from  the  Old  Testament, 
a  teen-ager  replied,  "But  it  isn't 
fair  to  a  Buddhist." 

Among  the  resolutions  which 
Brother  Bowman's  group  passed 
was  one  calling  for  released  time 
in  public  schools  to  permit  re- 
ligious training  of  students  away 
from  school  premises.  Opponents 
argued  that  released  time  "creates 
a  division  between  pupils  which 
is  not  desirable  within  a  public 
agency."  Brother  Bowman  re- 
vealed he  supported  the  measure, 
though  he  felt  it  represented  no 
real  solution  to  the  need  for  wide- 
spread religious  instruction. 

In  many  of  the  210  work  groups 
like  Brother  Bowman's,  each  com- 
prised of  about  30  persons,  there 
was  general  recognition  that  not 
only  youth  is  "shook-up"  but  all 
of  society.  "The  social  revolution 
we  are  undergoing  is  more  exten- 
sive and  intensive  than  anything 
that  has  been  known  in  the  history 
of  mankind,"  declared  Rev.  Harold 
Haas  of  the  United  Lutheran 
Church.  "The  startling  thing  is 
that  we  can  no  longer  count  on 
tomorrow  being  like  today." 

Suburbanism  especially  came  in 
for  heavy  attack.  It  is  as  respon- 
sible for  turning  children  adrift 
as  "flotsam  and  jetsam  in  a  vast 
sea  of  impersonal  humanity"  as 
the  inner  city  which  suburbanites 
seek  to  escape,  said  Dr.  R.  H. 
Edwin  Espy,  the  associate  general 
secretary  of  the  National  Council 


Top:    Among  the  7,570  delegates  were  at  least    a  dozen 
Brethren,  several  representing  state  agencies.    Shown 
relaxing  above  are,  1.  to  r.:   Carl  S.  Smucker,  Rockford, 
111.;  Mrs.  Desmond  Bittinger,  McPherson,  Kansas,  and 
Dr.  Paid  H.  Bowman,  Jr.,  Quincy,  111. 

Circle:    Brethren  youth  had  as  their  official  representa- 
tives Sylvia  Middlekauff,  Juniata  College,  and  Warren 
Miller,  Bridgewater.    At  right  is  Larry  Ulrich,  a  Wabash 
College  student  and  Brethren  youth  from  Huntington, 
Ind.,  a  state  delegate 


of  Churches.  He  indicated  the 
fantastic  mobility  of  American 
families  (one  out  of  five  move 
each  year)  imposed  a  special 
strain  on  children  during  their 
growing  years. 

Dr.  Espy's  views  were  support- 
ed by  Prof.  Kimball  Wiles  of  the 
University  of  Florida.  In  describ- 
ing the  advantage  enjoyed  by  a 
child  who  grows  up  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  and  his  par- 
ents were  born,  surrounded  by 
grandparents,  uncles,  aunts  and 
cousins,  he  said,  "If  the  child 
doesn't  get  help  or  love  from 
brothers,  sisters,  or  parents,  he 
can  turn  to  other  members  of  the 
family.  He  feels  he  belongs.  He 
can  see  the  place  that  his  family 
holds  in  the  community  and  he 
knows  he  is  a  valued  part  .  .  . 

"When  a  child  moves  to  a  new 
community,  he  may  not  have  any- 
one who  values  him  or  his  family 
in  the  community.  They  have  not 


won  a  place  yet.  He  may  be  ridi- 
culed or  ostracized  because  of  the 
place  from  which  he  came.  He  is 
a  stranger  in  a  strange  land  with- 
out roots  or  loyalties." 

Wiles  explained  further  that  the 
children  of  suburbia  have  almost 
no  experience  with  diverse  age 
groups  or  with  varied  economic 
levels.  Finding  themselves  in  a 
society  in  which  all  people  seem 
much  like  them,  they  feel  "a  great 
need  to  conform  in  order  to  be 
accepted." 

In  spite  of  the  togetherness  that 
comes  in  the  family  picnic,  the 
"cookout"  and  the  home  movies 
alluded  to  by  President  Eisenhow- 
er, there  exists  a  lack  of  real  com- 
munication within  many  families, 
several  speakers  pointed  out. 

Dr.  Ralph  Witherspoon,  direc- 
tor of  the  Institute  of  Human  De- 
velopment, cited  particularly  the 


MAY  28,  1960 


13 


downgrading  of  dads.  "It  is  evi- 
dent that  the  roles  of  parents  have 
shifted  in  the  last  few  years,"  he 
said.  "Formerly  the  father  was  in 
control.  He  was  a  dictator.  To- 
day mother  has  taken  over  most 
of  the  bringing-up  of  children." 

"Women  have  gained  such  pow- 
er and  children  so  much  freedom 
today  that  the  man  in  the  modern 
home  is  often  a  bewildered  and 
discouraged  person,"  Dr.  David 
R.  Mace  of  the  Philadelphia  Mar- 
riage Council  told  delegates. 

One  of  the  "mountainous  paths" 
before  the  family  today  is  stand- 
ards of  sexual  morality,  Dr.  Mace 
contended.  "We  pay  lip  service 
to  one  set  of  ideas,  while  subtle 
social  pressures,  backed  by  mass 
media,  indoctrinate  our  youth 
with  completely  opposite  ideas. 
The  result  is  that  we  have  a 
generation  of  sexually  mixed-up 
parents  raising  a  generation  of 
sexually  mixed-up  teen-agers. 

"Early  marriage  poses  a  similar 
problem,"  he  went  on.  "Through 
the  peculiar  American  dating  cus- 
tom, young  people  are  pushed 
earlier  and  earlier  into  paired  re- 
lationships. Yet  when  teen-agers 
want  to  go  steady  and  get  mar- 
ried, parents  hold  up  their  hands 
in  shocked  disapproval." 

Responsibility  for  disintegrating 
moral  standards  falls  partly  upon 
theologians  "who  are  against  di- 
vorce" but  who  "contribute  to 
immorality"  by  telling  parishioners 
that  "extramarital  sex  relations 
are  less  sinful,  and  more  forgiv- 
able, than  divorce,"  declared  Dr. 
Milton  J.  E.  Senn,  director  of  the 
Child  Study  Center  of  Yale  Uni- 
versity. 

Without  respect  for  sacred 
cows,  Dr.  Senn  assailed  church- 
men who  "sell  privileges  to  those 
who  have  money  to  pay,"  who 
"bring  pressures  which  prevent 
doctors  (in  Connecticut)  from 
prescribing  contraceptives  to  those 
citizens  who  are  free  theologically 
to  plan  their  families,"  who  pa- 
rade slogans  like  "Put  Christ  back 
into  Christmas"  and  "Families 
that  pray  together  will  stay  to- 
gether" and  thus  give  people  the 
feeling   that   "we   are   acting   re- 


ligiously by  making  a  show  of 
piety,"  and  who  "rig  church  mem- 
bership statistics  by  "planting' 
parishioners  in  church  during  a 
Billy  Graham  revival." 

Dr.  Senn  averred,  "The  nature 
of  the  religious  revival  in  America 
today  seems  to  be  social  rather 
than  spiritual.  People  are  becom- 
ing church  members  in  an  effort 
to  gain  status  and  security  rather 
than  salvation. 

"Youth  groups  in  Sunday 
schools,"  he  said,  "taught  by 
successful  businessmen  who  use 
their  everyday  business  ethics 
as  standards  of  behavior,  are 
promised  success  if  they  follow 
certain  ritualistic  practices  such  as 
attending  church  regularly,  pray- 
ing before  a  business  deal  and 
calling  on  God  to  give  them  in- 


sight enough  to  outsmart  the  other 
fellow. 

"With  such  'religious'  practices,"; 
Senn  concluded,  "is  it  not  under- 
standable that  the  young  person, 
with  his  intense  feelings  of  right 
and  wrong,  his  search  for  leader' 
sihp  in  ethical  and  moral  move- 
ments, his  willingness  to  strive  for 
dynamic  causes,  is  disillusioned?" 

What  answers  did  the  White 
House  Conference  have  to  all  the 
questions  and  concerns  it  heard? 
To  find  them  one  needs  to  search 
through  1,600  recommendations 
that  were  passed.  On  some  issues 
the  delegates  were  in  unexpected 
accord  and  spoke  with  surprising 
articulation. 

Some  of  the  recommendations 
were: 

School  desegregation. 


The  for- 


Circle:  Unofficial  hosts  to  the  Brethren  were  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Phillip  E.  Norris,  of  nearby  University  Park,  Md., 
shown  near  the  conference  exhibit  with  Loren  Bowman 

Bottom:    Mrs.  Max  Murray,  Roanoke,  Va.;  Rev.  Joseph 
M.  Long  (seated),  Rev.  James  E.  Renz  (standing, 
upper  left)  and  Rev.  S.  Loren  Bowman,  Elgin,  111., 
view  a  government  publication  describing  the  conference 


■'  J':-:"      ■  :■■■... 

/*   :  '        0>0SmMi  "V, 


14 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


um  which  considered  the  resolu- 
tion calling  for  endorsement  of 
the  Supreme  Court  decision  on 
school  desegregation  and  for 
wholehearted  integration  in  edu- 
cation voted  its  approval  over- 
whelmingly. Deleted,  however, 
was  a  portion  of  the  resolution 
which  chided  the  President  for 
"lack  of  leadership"  in  urging  com- 
pliance with  the  Supreme  Court 
desegregation  decision. 

Sit-in  demonstrations.  Over- 
whelming "support  and  sympathy" 
were  given  to  persons  nonviolent- 
ly  protesting  segregated  lunch 
counters.  The  "no"  vote  on  the 
resolution  was  undistinguished. 

Birth  control.  Becoming  a  full- 
blown issue  in  the  family-life 
forum,  the  proposal  urging  that 
public  and  private  medical  advice 
and  services  should  be  available 
for  "child-spacing"  was  voted  233- 
65,  the  dissent  representing  almost 
exclusively  the  Roman  Catholic 
delegates. 

Federal  aid  to  education.  A 
resolution  was  passed  urging  Con- 
gress "at  this  session  to  affirm  the 
j  principle  of  Federal  support  .  .  . 
for  public  education  with  full 
control  remaining  at  the  state  and 
local  levels." 

Matters  of  religion.  One  forum 
recommended  by  acclamation  that 
"adults  foster  in  children  a  grow- 
ing consciousness  of  God  and  help 
the  child  grow  to  self-realization 
as  a  divinely  created  individual." 
Three  forums  adopted  similar 
recommendations  calling  on  all 
organized  religions  and  religious 
organizations  to  intensify  efforts 
to  enhance  understanding  of  the 
relation  of  spiritual  values  to 
family  health  and  stability.  One 
forum  called  for  the  furthering  of 
efforts  to  preserve  religious  liber- 
ty, freedom  of  conscience,  and 
separation  of  church  and  state. 

One  of  the  forums  also  passed 
with  minority  dissent  a  resolution 
suggesting  that  the  1970  White 
House  Conference  on  Children 
and  Youth  be  conceived  of  as  a 
prelude  to  a  world  conference  on 
children  and  youth  under  United 
Nations'  auspices.  This  resolution 
went  on  to  propose  that  the  1960 
Conference    findings    be    imple- 


mented by  the  establishment  of 
state  councils,  where  none  yet 
exist,  and  that  local  communities 
appoint  a  council  to  co-ordinate 
all  agencies  that  share  responsi- 
bility for  guiding  children  and 
youth  in  achieving  spiritual  and 
moral   values, 

In  retrospect  the  Brethren  dele- 
gation said  it  found  copious  sug- 
gestions to  try  to  implement  at 
home  through  church  and  com- 
munity efforts. 

For  example,  in  the  area  of 
recreation  they  heard  Edward  W. 
Aiton,  director  of  4-H  for  the 
Department  of  Agriculture,  com- 
ment, "A  'recreation  bromide' 
won't  solve  the  problems  of 
youngsters  alienated  from  socie- 
ty." He  called  for  youth  programs 
which  impart  "a  sense  of  personal 
and  social  obligation."  Dr.  Donald 
Ackland  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Sunday  School  Board  said  church- 
sponsored  recreational  programs 
"should  be  a  means  to  an  end  — 
to  inculcate  basic  moral  and 
spiritual  values  that  will  foster 
more  wholesome  personal  rela- 
tionships." Mr.  Ackland  told  of 
one  Baptist  congregation,  a  down- 
town church,  which  has  a  full- 
time  recreation  director  who 
conducts  a  program  in  which  the 
"well-to-do  members  who  live  in 
the  suburbs"  mix  with  "the  poorer 
members"  who  live  near  the 
church. 

Mrs.  Max  Murray,  Roanoke, 
Va.,  reported  a  growing  concern  of 
hers  which  the  conference  sharp- 
ened further  —  the  need  for  the 
church  to  intensify  its  religious 
education  programs  for  retarded 
children.  Also  paramount,  she  in- 
dicated, is  training  for  ministers 
in  counseling  the  parents  of  re- 
tarded children. 

James  E.  Renz,  director  of 
social  welfare  for  the  Brother- 
hood, commented  that  the  con- 
ference made  clear  that  the  church 
needs  to  take  its  part  in  an  or- 
chestration of  community  services 
to  the  needy,  rather  than  perform- 
ing its  welfare  program  alone  or 
in  competition  with  other  agen- 
cies. Because  many  Brethren 
utilize  migrant  workers,  he  felt 
this  represented  one  area  in  which 
church  members  could  help  im- 


prove employment  conditions. 

Carl  S.  Smucker,  Rockford,  111., 
county  court  probation  officer, 
recommended  that  Annual  Con- 
ference some  year  follow  the  ar- 
rangements of  the  White  House 
Conference,  opening  with  theme 
assemblies  and  forums  for  mass 
assemblies  followed  by  smaller 
work  groups  to  discuss  problems 
and  formulate  recommendations. 

"It's  been  so  wonderful  hearing 
so  many  people  talk  about  values 
we  Brethren  have  cherished  all 
along,"  one  delegate  exclaimed. 
Others  were  quick  to  point  out, 
however,  that  Brethren  hold  no 
exclusive  claims  to  creative  youth 
work. 

Perhaps  the  most  difficult  role 
assigned  to  any  of  the  Brethren 
was  that  handled  by  Sylvia  Mid- 
dlekauff,  one  of  the  900  youth 
delegates.  The  Juniata  College 
sophomore  met  with  a  work  group 
probing  the  Obligation  of  Military 
Service.  Finding  the  work  group 
well  stocked  with  military  enthusi- 
asts, Sylvia  followed  a  solitary 
path  of  conscientious  objector,  ex- 
pressing dissent  and  "no"  votes 
whenever  her  scruples  demanded. 
Once  an  individual  approached 
her  with  the  question,  "You're  not 
very  patriotic,  are  you?"  To  which 
she  retorted,  "If  I  didn't  love  my 
country,  I  wouldn't  be  here." 
Though  browbeaten,  she  emerged 
undismayed,  in  all  probability 
raising  more  serious  questions  in 
the  minds  of  her  fellow  partici- 
pants than  vice  versa. 

Coming  out  of  myriad  back- 
grounds and  approaches,  but 
bound  together  with  what  Presi- 
dent Eisenhower  termed  "an  un- 
shakable faith"  in  the  nation's 
children  and  youth,  the  con- 
ferees quite  naturally  entertained 
moments  of  frustration.  Perplex- 
ing though  frustration  may  be,  in 
the  end  it  may  be  good,  for  there 
are  inadequacies  in  American  fam- 
ily life,  in  community  programs, 
in  education  and  in  the  church, 
which  ought  to  disturb  the  nation. 
It  is  hoped  that  the  1960  White 
House  Conference  made  clearer 
just  what  these  inadequacies  are 
and  where  the  solutions  lie. 


MAY  28,  1960 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


A  housemother-cook  is  needed  for  the  World  Coun- 
cil team  in  Ioannina,  Greece,  for  an  indefinite  term  of 
service  on  a  semivolunteer  basis.  If  interested,  write 
the  Brethren  Service  Commission,  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Young  people  from  the  Kingsport  and  Pleasant  Hill 
churches  in  Tennessee  planted  about  100  pine  trees 
around  the  future  lake  at  Camp  Placid,  the  district 
camp,  on  April  2.  The  swamp  is  being  drained  in 
preparation  for  bulldozing. 

Elizabethtown  College  has  initiated  an  admissions 
policy  whereby  a  limited  number  of  students,  unable  to 
begin  their  studies  at  the  start  of  the  regular  fall  semes- 
ter, will  be  allowed  to  enter  college  at  the  start  of  the 
second  semester  in  February. 

C.  Walter  Warstler  of  Eaton,  Ohio,  has  recovered 
from  his  illness  of  a  year  ago  and  is  accepting  week- 
end engagements  and  calls  for  evangelistic  services, 
preferably  of  a  week's  length.  Any  church  interested 
in  his  services  should  write  him  at  1101  N.  Barron  St., 
in  Eaton. 

Commencement  at  Brethren  Colleges 

Dr.  Kenneth  I.  Brown,  executive  director  of  the 
Danforth  Foundation  and  a  former  college  president, 
will  be  the  speaker  at  Juniata  College's  commencement 
on  June  6. 

At  Manchester  College  the  commencement  address 
on  Monday,  May  30,  will  be  given  by  Dr.  Bussell  J. 
Humbert,  president  of  De  Pauw  University.  Dr.  DeWitt 
L.  Miller,  pastor  of  the  Hagerstown  church,  Md.,  will 
be  the  speaker  at  the  baccalaureate  service  on  Sunday 
evening,  May  29.  Dr.  William  M.  Beahm  will  speak 
at  the  all-alumni  dinner  on  Saturday,  May  28. 

Ezra  Taft  Benson,  U.  S.  Secretary  of  Agriculture, 
is  scheduled  to  speak  to  Elizabethtown  College  grad- 
uates at  commencement  services  on  May  30.  The 
baccalaureate  sermon  will  be  delivered  on  May  29 
by  Dr.  Harry  F.  Baughman,  president  of  Gettysburg 
Lutheran  Seminary.  Ernest  W.  Lefever,  graduate  of 
Elizabethtown  now  serving  as  consultant  to  the  interna- 
tional affairs  program  of  the  Ford  Foundation,  will  be 
the  principal  speaker  at  the  Alumni  Day  dinner  on  May 
28. 

Dr.  Galen  Saylor,  head  of  the  secondary  education 
department  at  the  University  of  Nebraska  and  a  Mc- 
Pherson  alumnus,  will  address  the  1960  McPherson 
class  in  commencement  services  on  May  29.  President 
Bittinger  will  speak  at  the  baccalaureate  services  earlier 
the  same  day. 

The  commencement  speaker  at  La  Verne  College 
on  June  1  will  be  Judge  W.  Tourney  Fox  of  the  District 
Court  of  Appeals  in  Los  Angeles.  President  Harold  D. 
Fasnacht  will  give  the  baccalaureate  address  on  Sunday, 
May  29. 

Stuart  T.  Saunders,  president  of  the  Norfolk  and 
Western  Bailway  Company  and  chairman  of  the  board 
of  the  Virginia  Foundation  for  Independent  Colleges, 
will  address  the  class  of  1960  of  Bridgewater  College 
at  the  commencement  on  Sunday  afternoon,  June  5. 
The  baccalaureate  service  will  be  held  the  same  day. 


A  loan  of  $400,000  for  the  construction  of  a  men's 
dormitory  was  recently  approved  for  Manchester  Col- 
lege by  the  National  Housing  and  Finance  Agency.  The 
building,  designed  to  house  120  men,  is  expected  to 
cost  between  $475,000  and  $500,000. 

Contributions  to  the  Richard  M.  Simpson  Memorial 
scholarship  fund  at  Juniata  College  now  total  $67,115, 
it  has  been  announced.  Income  from  the  fund  will  be 
used  by  the  college  for  "tuition  grants  to  deserving 
students." 

All  Church  of  the  Brethren  ministers  will  soon  be 
receiving  a  questionnaire  from  Eugene  G.  Carper  on 
Recruitment  and  Conservation  of  the  Ministry.  Minis- 
ters will  recall  that  the  Ocean  Grove  Conference  re- 
quested the  General  Brotherhood  Board  "to  undertake 
an  intensive  research  study  of  the  recruitment  and 
conservation  of  the  ministry,  with  particular  reference 
to  attractions  and  deterrents  to  the  ministry,  and  the 
causes  of  pastoral  withdrawal."  Eugene  G.  Carper, 
who  is  currently  completing  his  work  for  a  Ph.D. 
degree  at  Boston  University,  will  conduct  the  research 
phase  of  the  study.  Since  the  information  he  is  seeking 
is  vital  to  our  denominational  study,  all  ministers  are 
encouraged  to  fill  out  the  questionnaire  and  return  it 
to  him  as  soon  as  possible. 


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16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Coming  Next  Week 

The  June  4  Gospel  Messenger  will  be  de- 
voted to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 

The  first  article  and  the  editorial  lift  up 
the  ministry  as  a  calling.  Stewart  B.  Kauffman, 
director  of  ministry  and  evangelism  for  the 
church,  in  Called  to  Be  a  Pastor,  emphasizes 
that  the  pastor  is  called  to  serve  and  he  points 
out  ways  in  which  he  can  do  this.  Galen  B. 
Ogden,  secretary  of  the  Ministry  and  Home 
Mission  Commission  of  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board,  has  contributed  the  editorial. 

A  specific  example  of  a  minister  who  has 
served  his  people  is  found  in  the  story  of  Ross 
D.  Murphy's  years  of  pastoral  work.  James 
C.  McKinnell,  intern  minister  at  the  Hagers- 
town church,  Md.,  did  the  research  and  sup- 
plied the  pictures  for  A  Rich  and  Varied  Life. 

Have  you  wondered  what  happens  to  a 
man  who  goes  to  Bethany  Seminary?  Dean 
L.  Frantz  by  means  of  a  mythical  student  ex- 
plains the  growth  in  knowledge  and  spiritual 
stature  that  comes  in  the  three  years  at  the 
seminary  under  the  heading,  What  Happened 
to  Joe. 

Churches  in  choosing  a  pastor  should  con- 
sider not  only  what  they  want  in  a  pastor,  but 
also  what  they  have  to  offer,  Galen  T.  Lehman 
points  out  in  describing  a  meeting  of  a  church 
ministerial  board  with  the  regional  secretary. 

Charles  Nettleton's  yoked  parish  at  Slifer, 
Iowa,  furnishes  the  material  for  the  article, 
A  Man,  A  Church,  A  Challenge,  by  Berwyn 
Oltman.  Brother  Nettleton  serves  a  Congrega- 
tional church  as  well  as  the  Slifer  church. 


Central  Region  youth  will  hold  their  Regional  Youth 
Conference  July  10-12  at  Manchester  College.  Carl 
Smucker,  state  probation  officer,  Rockford,  111.,  will  be 
a  principal  leader.  A  Youth  Leaders'  Lab  will  follow 
the  conference,  July  13-18,  designed  to  offer  intensive 
training  to  the  more  mature  leaders  of  youth. 

A  new  sound  filmstrip,  To  Smoke  or  Not  to  Smoke, 
produced  by  the  American  Cancer  Society,  has  been 
added  to  the  audio-visual  library.  You  will  want  to 
see  this  filmstrip  which  shows  clearly  the  relationship 
between  cancer  and  smoking.  The  society  has  asked 
us  to  serve  only  the  state  of  Illinois  with  the  print  we 
have.  To  get  the  film  for  your  use,  if  you  live  outside 
Illinois,  order  from  your  local  or  state  cancer  society 
office.  The  filmstrip  is  rental  free;  it  is  something  all 
our  youth  and  adults  should  see. 

Robert  M.  Flora,  a  senior  at  Bridgewater  College 
from  Richmond,  Va.,  has  been  given  a  fellowship  in 
biochemistry  for  the  session  of  1960-61  by  the  School 
of  Medicine  of  Western  Reserve  University.  This 
school  annually  accepts  four  to  six  graduate  students 
in  the  field  of  biochemistry.  Flora  also  received  a 
student  trainee  research  grant  at  the  Oak  Ridge  Insti- 
tute of  Nuclear  Studies  for  this  summer.  He  was  at 
Oak  Ridge  last  summer  under  the  same  program.  He 
is  the  son  of  the  J.  P.  Floras  of  Richmond. 

Joel  Thompson,  now  serving  as  interim  director  of 
volunteer  services  for  the  Brethren  Service  Commission, 
has  been  reassigned  to  Indonesia  by  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sion Commission.  Originally  assigned  to  serve  as  a 
missionary  teacher  in  Indonesia,  he  was  asked  to  go 
to  Nigeria  when  the  application  of  a  visa  was  denied 
by  the  Indonesian  government.  However,  it  seems  now 
quite  certain  that  a  visa  will  be  granted.  The  reversal 
came  about  through  a  direct  appeal  to  the  highest 
political  authorities  in  the  government  by  the  church 
in  Indonesia.  Pending  favorable  action  on  their  visa 
application,  the  Thompsons  hope  to  depart  by  early 
fall. 

Dedication  and  Anniversary 

Painesville  church,  Northeastern  Ohio,  will  mark  its 
fifth  anniversary  by  dedicating  its  new  educational 
building  on  Sunday,  June  26.  Galen  B.  Ogden,  secre- 
tary of  the  Ministry  and  Home  Mission  Commission 
of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board,  will  deliver  the 
dedicatory   address. 

Rouzerville  church,  Southern  Pennsylvania,  will  ob- 
serve its  fiftieth  anniversary  on  Sunday,  May  29.  Ralph 
W.  Schlosser  of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  will  speak  in  the 
morning;  Reynolds  Simmons  of  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  in  the 
afternoon;  and  the  pastor,  Kenneth  L.  Franklin,  in  the 
evening. 

Missionary  Personnel  Arrive  in  States 

The  Harlan  ].  Brooks  have  returned  from  India. 
They  should  be  addressed  %  Foreign  Mission  Commis- 
sion, General  Brotherhood  Board,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.  En  route  home  the 
Brooks  visited  the  Albert  Hustons  in  Japan.  Mrs. 
Huston  is  the  former  Margaret  Brooks. 

Faye  Moyer,  recently  returned  from  Northern  Ni- 
geria, West  Africa,  should  be  addressed  at  165  Hudson 
St.,  Tiffin,  Ohio. 

The  Charles  Kraft  family  are  on  furlough  from  their 
work  in  Nigeria.  The  Krafts  are  Brediren  Church 
missionaries  serving  in  Nigeria. 


Daily  Prayer  Guide  —  The  Call  to  Discipleship 

Pray  for  your  discipleship  to  be: 

May  30  More  satisfying    Luke  10:17-20 

31  More  precious   Luke  18:18-30 

June     1  More  Christlike John  15:1-17 

2  More  faithful   John  14:18-24 

3  More  enduring 2  Tim.  4:1-9 

4  More  joyful 1  Peter  1:3-9 

5  More  spiritual   Rom.  8:1-8 

The  Church  Calendar 
May  29 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Treasures  in  Heaven.  Matt. 
6:19-34;  Luke  12:13-34.  Memory  Selection:  Lay  up 
for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth 
nor  rust  consumes  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  in 
and  steal.  For  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your 
heart  be  also.    Matt.  6:20-21  (R.S.V.) 

June  5  Pentecost 

June  5-9  Leadership  training  camp,  Camp  Harmony, 
Pa. 

June  12  Children's  Day 

June  13-14  National  Youth  Cabinet  meeting,  Cham- 
paign, 111. 

June  14  Pastors'  conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  14-19  Annual  Conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  19  Annual  Conference  Sunday 

June  20-21  General  Council  of  Children's  Work 

June  28-29  Central  Region  church  extension  conference, 
Manchester  College,  Ind. 

June  30  —  July  3  District  meeting,  Western  Canada, 
First  Irricana 


With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  William  H.  Loucks,  pastor,  in  the  Danville  church, 
Ohio,  May  29  -  June  5. 

Bro.  Perry  B.  Liskey  of  Clearville,  Pa.,  in  the  Columbia 
Furnace  church,  Woodstock  congregation,  Va.,  May  29  — 
June  12. 

Bro.  Jesse  W.  Whitacre  of  Keyser,  W.  Va.,  in  the  Salis- 
bury church,  Pa.,  June  5-12. 


Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Three  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  the 
Navarre  church,  Kansas.  Two  baptized  at  the  Olathe 
church,  Kansas.  Four  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter 
in  the  Fairview  church,  Iowa.  Four  baptized  and  one  re- 
ceived on  confession  of  faith  in  die  Sheldon  church,  Iowa. 

Two  baptized  in  the  Zion  Hill  church,  Ohio.  Sixteen 
baptized  and  nine  received  by  letter  in  Lima  church,  Ohio. 
Four  baptized  in  the  Silver  Creek  church,  Pioneer,  Ohio. 
Ten  baptized  in  die  Cedar  Creek  church,  Ind.  One  bap- 
tized in  die  Oakley  church,  Cerro  Gordo,  111. 

Three  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  Con- 
stance church,  Ky. 

Eleven  baptized  and  eleven  received  by  letter  in  die 
Rockhill  church,  Rockhill  Furnace,  Pa.  Six  baptized  and 
one  received  by  letter  in  the  Spring  Run  church,  McVey- 
town,  Pa.  Three  baptized  and  diirteen  received  by  letter 
in  the  Monroeville  church,  Pa.  Twenty-five  baptized  and 
six  received  by  letter  in  die  Walnut  Grove  church,  Johns- 
town, Pa. 


MAY  28,  1960 


17 


NEEDED:  Trained  Ministers 


Andrew  Holderreed 


THE  Christian  churches  in  In- 
dia do  not  have  enough  min- 
isters to  do  the  present  work. 
"More  than  half  the  baptized  adult 
membership  of  the  Church  of  South 
India  has  not  been  taught  and 
brought  through  confirmation  to  the 
Lord's  Table  in  communion,"  says 
Dr.  Rajiah  D.  Paul  in  The  First  Dec- 
ade: An  Account  of  the  Church  of 
South  India.  "With  the  present  sup- 
ply of  pastors,  it  will  take  more  than 
twenty  years  to  make  communicants 
of  the  majority  of  these  baptized 
members  —  even  if  there  were  no 
more  adult  admissions  to  the  church 
in  the  meantime!"  Dr.  Paul  estimates. 

Although  the  churches  in  North 
India  have  not  come  to  church  union, 
and  although  they  have  not  inherited 
a  problem  of  such  vast  proportions,  it 
is  still  a  fact  that  our  untaught  and 
uncared-for  members  give  us  great 
cause  for  concern.  The  late  Indian 
missionary,  Rev.  R.  H.  Gaikwad  of 
Ahmednagar  told  the  writer  that  the 
great  work  of  the  church  in  this 
fifty  years  is  to  "teach  and  evange- 
lize the  Christians."  We  need  more 
well-grounded  and  prepared  min- 
isters to  do  this  task. 

We  need  to  train  more  ministers 
just  to  maintain  the  present  standard 
of  life  and  worship.  Our  minis- 
ters, on  the  average,  are  called  to 
shepherd  from  seven  to  ten  flocks 
of  Christians,  and  in  some  areas  the 
pastor  is  called  to  stretch  his  serv- 
ices to  many  more. 

Our  present  pastors  are  certainly 
getting  older.  It  is  high  time  to  bring 
new  men  into  the  ranks  to  lighten 
the  load  a  bit,  to  give  experience  to 
the  younger,  and  to  bring  new  blood 
to  the  crop  of  leaders.  In  some  areas 
there  is  great  hesitation  to  put  in 
and  advance  the  younger  men,  and 
that  means  that  our  standards  will 
be  lowered.  To  maintain  the  present 
minimum  level,  we  must  have  more 
trained  pastors! 

We  need  ministers  to  lead  the 
church  into  the  forefront  of  the 
country's  battle  for  meaningful  and 
expanding  freedoms.  Perhaps  lay 
people  can  do  some  of  this.  Inspired 
ministers  should  do  some  of  it.   Fifty 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


or  more  years  ago,  the  church  was 
boldly  at  work  on  many  fronts,  mak- 
ing for  change  and  progress,  leading 
and  challenging  the  imaginations  of 
millions  of  people  here.  A  static, 
inward  facing  minority  group  is,  over 
a  matter  of  years,  a  dying  group.  We 
need  to  train  ministers  to  lead  us 
into  new  areas  of  service  to  the  peo- 
ple and  to  the  nation  —  and  to  new 
life  for  ourselves! 

If  we  seriously  accept  the  Great 
Commission  as  a  duty,  then  we  must 
set  ourselves  to  training  more  men 
for  evangelism!  Times  and  conditions 
have  changed,  and,  therefore,  the 
climate  and  place  for  effective 
evangelism  have  changed.  We  must 
make  our  stand,  not  largely  to  the 
oppressed  and  backward  groups,  but 
to  groups  at  many  levels  of  society. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  a  "Bible 
man"  or  "Bible  woman"  supplied 
the  needed  leadership.  That  is  not 
sufficient  today.  We  need  some 
highly  trained  pastors  to  meet  the 
needs  of  those  highly  trained  people 
in  public  life.  Others  are  needed 
who  can  minister  to  a  public  now 
more  literate  and  educated  than  ten 
years  ago. 

There  is  additional  need  for  young 
men  extremely  well  trained  for,  and 
skillful  in,  the  rural  ministry;  men 
who  can  guide  village  Christians  into 
a  more  meaningful  spiritual  ex- 
perience while  at  the  same  time 
providing  leadership  in  economic  im- 
provement. Village  life  is  no  place 
for  our  misfits  and  poorly  trained  or 
for  those  too  old  to  serve  the  larger 
churches!  If  we  want  sound  fruitage 
from  the  village  areas,  we  must  have 
more  sound  leadership. 

Where  do  we  get  the  men?  Where 
do  we  get  more  men  for  training? 
Our  seminary,  the  United  Theologi- 
cal College  of  Western  India,  does 
not  recruit  directly,  but  depends  on 
the  co-operating  churches  to  send  in 
candidates.  In  this  connection,  we 
try  to  lay  a  couple  of  things  on  the 
heart  and  conscience  of  the  church: 

1.  The  calling  of  young  men  to 
the  ministry  should  be  constantly  in 
the  minds  of  our  members  and  lead- 
ers. This  is  God's  work.  This  is  man's 
highest  calling.  Let  us  call  our  own 
young  men.    Every  church  that  has 


been  organized  for  ten  years  ought 
to  be  eager  to  send  a  man  or  woman 
for  training  to  serve  the  church. 

2.  Let  us  call  the  best  of  our  young 
men!  The  work  of  the  ministry  is  not 
a  last-resort  employment.  It  is  not 
a  steppingstone  to  security  or  to 
higher  jobs.  We  tend  to  send  our 
best  young  people  to  government  or 
to  the  city  for  high  salaried  positions. 
We  ought  to  find  the  men  of  sincere 
purpose  and  dedication  and  enable 
them  to  get  the  training  to  serve  their 
church. 

The  response  this  year  to  our  Sun- 
day for  Theological  Education  Em- 
phasis was  genuinely  thrilling. 
Reverend  Sojwal,  principal  of  United 
Theological  College,  sent  out  cir- 
cular letters,  printed  appeals,  and  a 
hundred  collection  cards.  This  year 
for  the  first  time,  many  individuals 
and  institutions  affiliated  with  the 
churches  have  joined  in  a  most  gen- 
erous response.  This  has  made  it 
possible  for  us  to  purchase  various 
items  of  badly  needed  equipment 
for  living  quarters,  offices,  and  li- 
brary. 

The  church  in  India  has  come  to 
her  own,  and  has  largely  emerged 
from  the  temporary  phase  of  "mis- 
sions." The  times  are  ripe  now  for 
a  vital  and  significant  growth  of  the 
church  throughout  the  entire  coun- 
try. Our  seminary  is  more  than  ever 
committed  to  the  proposition  that 
an  imperative  need  of  the  church  is 
more  well  trained  ministers.  To  that 
end,  our  staff  continues  to  work  with 
the  candidates  sent  for  training  and 
continues  to  enlarge  the  dream  of 
a  co-operative  ministerial  training 
center. 

Nigeria   News 

♦  The  annual  conference  of  the 
church  in  Nigeria  received  a  recom- 
mendation that  the  rural  develop- 
ment committee  be  composed  of 
three  missionaries  elected  by  annual 
meeting  and  three  Nigerians  elected 
by  Majalisa  (delegate  governing 
body  of  the  district). 

♦  In  1959  four  new  congregations 
were  organized  in  Nigeria:  Kwagu 
in  the  Shafa  area,  South  Margi  in  the 
Uba  area,  Billa  in  the  Marama  area, 
and  Margi  Annum  in  the  Wamdeo- 
Uvu  area. 

♦  Malam  Risku,  one  of  the  first 
Christians  baptized  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  area  in  Nigeria,  has 
been  appointed  to  be  the  district 
head  of  the  Gulak  area.  He  is  the 
first  Christian  to  be  appointed  to  a 
very  responsible  government  post  in 
our  mission  area. 


Brubaker 


Robert  Bischof  examines  an  inquirer  for  baptism 


Missionary  Spectrum  in  Africa 


ALTHOUGH  the  growth  of 
Christian  influence  in  North- 
ern Nigeria  is  exceeding  our 
expectations  in  many  places,  the 
Gulak  station   is   an  exception. 

The  adults  are  not  being  drawn 
to  Christ  as  they  should  be.  Every 
Sunday  morning  Malam  (which 
means  teacher)  Margima,  the  head- 
master of  the  school,  Malam  Bulama, 
teacher  in  the  school,  and  Malam 
Dzugwah,  the  church  evangelist,  and 
I  go  to  the  section  of  the  village 
called  Kirngu,  where  the  largest  por- 
tion of  the  population  is  concen- 
trated. First,  we  walk  through  the 
village,  stopping  at  one  compound 
after  another,  greeting  the  people 
and  inviting  them  to  the  services. 
Then  a  service  is  held  under  one  of 
the  large  trees. 

As  we  continue  greeting  the  peo- 
ple, one  finds  them  making  excuses 
for  not  attending  the  service.  Women 
usually  say,  "We  must  go  and  cut 
firewood";  men  will  say,  "We  must 
go  and  make  a  grass  mat  for  the  com- 
pound wall  or  a  grass  bundle  for  the 
house  roof,"  or  "We  must  go  to  the 
market  at  Hymbula."  But  they  say 
to  their  children,  "You  go  to  the 
church."  Occasionally  someone  says, 
"Is  the  service  for  women  also  or  for 
adult  men?" 

The  evangelist  then  asks,  "Do  you 
eat  food?  Do  you  eat  meat?  Or  is 


Robert  Bischof 

it  only  the  children  who  eat  food  and 
meat?" 

Of  course,  they  answer,  "All  of  us 
eat  or  else  we  would  die."  Then 
the  evangelist  declares,  "We  are 
bringing  you  food  —  for  the  spirit  — 
which,  if  you  eat,  you  shall  make 
sure  that  you  never  hunger  and  die, 
but  that  you  have  eternal  life." 

Even  then,  most  of  them  are  in- 
terested only  in  the  food  for  the  phys- 
ical body;  they  do  not  attend  the 
services.  Thus,  the  attendance  has 
been  mostly  children. 

But  now,  for  two  months,  four 
young  married  men  have  been  at- 
tending the  services  and  have  be- 
come concerned  about  Christianity. 
Hence,  even  in  the  midst  of  apathy 
in  the  village,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  work- 
ing. The  discouragements  of  the 
mission  field  are  the  same  as  those  at 
home;  but  many  times,  because  of 
the  number  here  who  are  continually 
accepting  Christ,  the  discourage- 
ments are  not  pointed  out. 

But  there  is  plenty  of  challenge 
here.  Gulak  station  is  on  the  frontier. 
All  around  us  is  village  after  village 
where  the  Word  of  God  has  not  yet 
been  preached.  During  the  past  sev- 
eral weeks,  the  members  of  the  Gu- 
lak church  committee  have  been 
studying  the  map  of  the  station  area, 


trying  thus  to  determine  where  it 
might  be  best  for  another  evangelist 
to  be  sent. 

This  is  hard  to  decide,  since  there 
are  so  many  villages  in  all  directions. 
To  the  north,  about  twelve  miles, 
there  is  the  Wagga  tribe,  where  no 
Christian  work  has  been  done;  to  the 
north  and  east  are  the  villages  of 
Wula,  Visik,  Sukur,  and  Midlu. 
These  are  known  as  the  villages 
where  many  of  the  Margi  clans  be- 
gan, but  as  yet  they  have  not  been 
reached. 

At  Midlu  we  have  had  an  evange- 
list for  about  eight  months,  and  the 
response  has  been  gratifying.  The 
people  were  eager  for  him  to  come 
to  their  village;  they  sent  people  to 
carry  his  loads,  built  him  a  com- 
pound, and  gave  him  some  grain  and 
land  in  which  to  plant  it. 

To  the  north  and  west  there  is  the 
village  of  Innagu;  a  distance  of  about 
thirty  miles  away  is  Mulgwe;  and 
even  farther  north,  Urga.  There  are 
likewise  important  Margi  historical 
villages  where  the  Word  has  not  been 
preached.  These  challenges  of  Gu- 
lak far  surpass  the  discouragements. 

Even  as  our  churches  at  home  need 
pastors,  Gulak  needs  evangelists.  The 
African  church  will  have  to  supply 
them.  The  mission  will  have  to  train 
them,  and  preparations  for  the  Bible 
school  are  heading  in  this  direction. 
With  a  clear  vision  of  the  need  plus 
the  vision  to  meet  it,  the  discourage- 
ments will  surely  be  overcome  by 
the  challenges. 


Nigeria   News 

During  the  past  ten  years  the 
growth  in  school  in  the  Brethren 
area  of  Nigeria  is  reflected  in  the 
following  statistics: 

Junior  Primary  Schools 
Schools     Teachers       Pupils 
1949  7  48  1,011 

1959  35  137  4,073 

In  other  words,  while  the  school 
buildings  increased  five  times  and 
the  number  of  teachers  nearly  three 
times,  the  number  of  pupils  in- 
creased more  than  four  times. 
Senior  Primary  Schools 
Schools  Teachers  Pupils 
1949  1  0  34 

1959  4  12  362 

In  the  same  period  the  senior  pri- 
mary schools  increased  four  times 
with  twelve  times  the  number  of 
teachers  and  ten  times  the  number 
of  pupils. 


MAY  28.  1960 


19 


REMITTANCE  BLANK 

Annual  Conference  Offering  —  Goal  $250,000 

I  (we)  wish  to  invest  in  the  world-wide  ministries  of 

our  church  through  this  gift  of  $ to  the 

Brotherhood  Fund. 

Name  

St.  or  RFD 

City 

Church  


tm  mmsam 


State  

District  

(Remit  to  the  General  Brotherhood  Board,   Church  of  the  Brethren,  Elgin,   111.) 


Do  You  Want 

to  Be 

Useful? 


Avail  yourself  of 

this   mission 

training   opportunity 

♦  Just  as  surely  as  school  age  chil- 
dren today  lack  enthusiasm  for  mar- 
vels such  as  jet  planes,  so  they  will 
lack  enthusiasm  for  missions  unless 
today's  leaders  get  up-to-date. 

To  catch  up  with  developments  in 
missionary  thought  and  behavior, 
women  and  girls  of  different  denomi- 


nations come  together  at  Lake  Gene- 
va, Wis.,  to  acquaint  themselves  with 
the  rush  of  new  ideas  and  techniques 
necessary  to  meet  changed  world 
conditions. 

"Missionaries  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  affiliated  with  many  different 
denominations,  come  as  guests  and 
resource  leaders,"  reported  Mrs. 
Charles  Bieber,  a  Church  of  the 
Brethren  missionary  to  Nigeria  who 
attended  the  Geneva  School  of  Mis- 
sions last  summer.  "For  one  hour 
each  afternoon  each  missionary  wom- 
an is  able  to  present  the  challenge  of 
the   work   in   her   particular   field." 

Besides  getting  a  modern  mission 
orientation,  those  who  attend  are 
thoroughly  informed  about  the  mis- 
sion study  themes  for  the  coming 
year.  Every  church  who  sends  a 
representative  to  the  Geneva  School 
of  Missions  obtains  in  return  a  good 
leader  for  its  school  of  missions. 


The  school  this  year  will  be  held 
July  31  to  Aug.  7.  The  setting  at 
Lake  Geneva  is  beautiful  and  in- 
spirational, affording  much  in  the 
way  of  recreation  to  help  those  who 
attend  get  the  most  from  their  studies 
and  devotions. 

Two  classes  for  children,  one  from 
kindergarten  through  sixth  grade, 
and  one  for  intermediate,  seventh  to 
ninth  grades,  will  be  provided  during 
the  morning  to  permit  mothers  to 
attend  the  school. 

The  Geneva  School  of  Missions  is 
an  important  training  opportunity. 
Churches  who  send  representatives 
there  can  hope  to  keep  abreast  of  the 
times  and  support  the  church's  mis- 
sionary endeavor  with  understanding 
and  intelligent  sympathy. 

Further  information  on  the  Geneva 
School  of  Missions  can  be  had  from 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Watkins,  1172  Larkin 
Ave.,  Elgin,  111. 


♦  The  second  tour  to  the  Inter- 
national Christian  University  in  Ja- 
pan, sponsored  by  the  Women's 
Planning  Committee  of  the  Universi- 
ty Foundation,  will  leave  Los  Ange- 
les on  Oct.  8  and  return  by  Nov.  1. 

The  Sarah  Marquis  Travel  Serv- 
ice will  handle  the  travel  arrange- 
ments, but  the  Women's  Planning 
Committee  is  already  at  work  pre- 
paring a  devotional  booklet  and  other 
materials  which  will  make  this  tour 
an  experience  of  Christian  fellowship 
and  inspiration. 

Seven  years  ago  a  fifty-year  dream 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Air  Tour  to  Japan 

of  church  leaders  on  both  sides  of 
the  Pacific  began  to  be  realized  when 
the  opening  ceremony  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Liberal  Arts  of  the  Inter- 
national Christian  University  in  Ja- 
pan was  held. 

The  International  Christian  Uni- 
versity is  unique  in  many  ways.  It 
has  successfully  introduced  the  bi- 
lingual system  of  instruction,  initiated 
a  program  of  student  guidance,  and 
pioneered  in  housing  all  students  and 
faculty  on  its  campus  —  a  plan  new  in 
Japan.  It  has  students  of  many  na- 
tionalities and  religions,  and  a  dis- 


tinguished international  faculty.  It 
has  the  largest  percentage  of  women 
enrolled  in  any  co-educational  col- 
lege or  university  in  Japan;  and  all 
of  its  trustees  and  full-time  teaching 
staff,  from  assistant  professors  up, 
are  Christian. 

Besides  visiting  the  university,  the 
tour  will  provide  opportunity  to 
spend  several  days  in  Hawaii,  and 
trips  to  Yokohama,  Kamakura,  Fuji- 
Hakone  national  park,  Tokyo,  Nikko, 
Kyoto,  Nara  and  the  Kegon  water- 
fall, and  Lake  Chuzenji. 

Tourist  class  rate  for  the  tour  is 
$1,112,  first  class  about  $300  more. 
The  tour  is  open  to  anyone  interested 
in  Christian  education. 


J.  Bowman  Takes  Mission  Education  Post 


♦  James  B.  Bowman,  missionary  in 
Nigeria  since  1946,  has  been  named 
director  of  mission  education  for  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board  for  a 
two-year  term. 

The  appointment  will  become  ef- 
fective early  in  June,  according  to  an 
announcement  last  month  by  Norman 
J.  Baugher,  general  secretary  of  the 
Board.  Brother  Bowman  will  suc- 
ceed Donald  L.  Fike,  missionary  on 
furlough  from  Ecuador,  who  has 
filled  the  position  in  mission  educa- 
tion since  the  transfer  in  March  of 
J.  Benton  Rhoades  to  a  new  respon- 
sibility as  director  of  leadership 
development. 

Brother  Bowman  and  his  wife, 
Merle,  opened  the  mission  work  at 
Gulak  in  northeastern  Nigeria  in  the 
early  years  of  their  ministry  abroad. 
At  Lassa  the  Bowmans  worked  on  the 
translation  of  the  New  Testament 
and  other  materials  into  Margi.  More 
recently  they  have  been  located  at 
Garkida  where  James  has  carried 
evangelism  and  general  church  re- 
sponsibilities, with  duties  ranging 
from  acting  secretary  of  the  district 
church  council  to  auto  mechanic,  and 
Merle  has  served  as  a  supervisor  in 
area  schools. 

James  graduated  from  LaVerne 
College  and  Bethany  Biblical  Semi- 
nary. He  held  pastorates  at  White 
Rapids,  Wis.,  Fresno,  Calif.,  and 
Laton,  Calif.  He  is  the  son  of  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Clinton  Bowman,  Paradise, 
Calif. 


Merle  is  a  graduate  of  La  Verne 
College  and  attended  Bethany  Bibli- 
cal Seminary.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Rev.  Harvey  W.  Allen,  Modesto, 
Calif. 

The  Bowmans  have  four  children: 
Ivan,  18;  Esther,  16;  James,  13;  and 
Carol,  9. 

The  Bowman  family  had  been 
planning  a  two-year  furlough  on  self- 
support  and  will  assume  the  position 
with  the  Foreign  Mission  Commis- 
sion as  missionaries  on  furlough. 

Brother  Baugher  announced  also 
that  in  a  realignment  of  responsi- 
bility, the  General  Brotherhood 
Board  has  assigned  the  work  of  mis- 
sionary recruitment,  formerly  carried 
by  the  director  of  mission  education, 
to  J.  Henry  Long,  executive  secretary 
of  the  Foreign  Mission  Commission. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 


Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


Authority  in  Protestant  Theology. 

Robert  Clyde  Johnson.  Westminster, 
1959.   224  pages.    $4.50.    ' 

I  began  reading  this  analysis  of 
the  "principle  of  authority"  in  Chris- 
tian history  with  little  enthusiasm. 
But  before  long,  I  was  buried  in 
interest  in  the  subject.  The  author 
is  concerned  basically  with  "author- 
ity" in  Protestant  theology  and  traces 
the  emphasis  through  Luther,  Cal- 
vin, the  nineteenth  century  revolt  in 
Schleiermacher,  Sabatier,  and  others, 
the  prophetic  reaction  of  Kierke- 
gaard and  Forsyth,  and  finally  Barth, 
Tillich,  Ferre,  with  an  attempted 
statement  of  the  meaning  of  author- 
ity in  the  Protestant  faith  of  today. 


This  is  a  good  statement  both  in 
its  analysis  and  construction.  Its 
brevity  is  one  of  its  values,  its  reada- 
bility another,  and  its  positive  clarity 
and  constructiveness  its  last.  A  nur- 
turing and  helpful  study  for  pastors, 
thoughtful  church  school  teachers, 
and  question-asking  laymen.  —  Glen 
Weimer,  Arlington,  Va. 

"The  Meaning  of  Worship.  Doug- 
las Horton.  Harper,  1959.  152 
pages.    $2.75. 

Dr.  Douglas  Horton,  dean  of  Har- 
vard Divinity  School,  in  the  famous 
Yale  lecture  series  adds  this  unique 
and  lasting  contribution  in  the  area 
of  worship. 


With  keen  insight  and  simple 
presentation,  he  discusses  the  es- 
sence of  religion  —  the  meeting  of 
God  and  man  —  and  interprets  how 
this  encounter  is  aided  by  the  use 
of  worthy  symbols.  Then  he  pro- 
ceeds to  show  the  dimensions  of  the 
God-man  relationship,  the  role  of  the 
minister  as  the  bearer  of  the  divine- 
human  conversation,  and  the  two- 
dimensional  aspect  of  his  ministry. 

Dr.  Horton  discusses  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  minister  as  the  leader 
of  worship  in  his  parish,  his  relation 
to  truth  and  doubt,  his  need  to 
subject  the  symbols  of  worship  to 
criticism,  and  the  task  of  the  con- 
gregation which  issues  out  of  its 
encounter  with  God  in  worship. 

In  the  closing  chapter,  the  rela- 
tionship of  worship  to  ecumenicity 
is  discussed  with  candor  and 
helpfulness. 

This  is  a  vital  and  lasting  contribu- 
tion to  the  understanding  of  worship 
which  will  enrich  every  reader,  espe- 
cially the  minister.  He  who  fails  to 
read  it  will  be  the  poorer  for  his 
neglect.  —  Charles  E.  Zunkel,  Port 
Republic,  Va. 

"Jesus  and  Human  Conflict.  Henry 
A.  Fast.  Herald  Press,  1959.  210 
pages.    $3.75. 

The  author  of  this  book  is  profes- 
sor of  Bible  and  Christian  education 
at  Bethel  College,  North  Newton, 
Kansas.  He  is  an  active  churchman 
in  the  General  Conference  Mennon- 
ites  and  has  served  in  pastorates. 
He  is  well  acquainted  with  the  Men- 
nonite  service  program,  having 
served  as  chairman  and  in  other  posi- 
tions of  responsibility. 

Dr.  Fast  has  written  a  compre- 
hensive study  of  the  scriptures  which 
deal  with  aggression,  hostility,  force 
and  violent  resistance.  The  jacket 
says  that  "he  examines  with  utmost 
care  the  relevant  New  Testament 
passages  in  the  light  of  the  historical 
occasion  in  which  they  were  uttered. 
Instead  of  using  individual  proof 
texts  taken  from  various  parts  of  the 
Bible,  the  author  examines  each  pas- 
sage within  its  social  context,  draw- 
ing upon  Jewish  and  other  literature 
that  takes  into  account  the  political, 
revolutionary,  and  social  movements 
of  the  time."  This  is  a  good  descrip- 
tion of  the  book.  Jesus'  own  reac- 
tions to  the  situations  of  conflict  in 
which  he  was  caught  are  dealt  with 
carefully.  It  is  a  book  to  be  read 
with  care  and  with  study.  —  W. 
Glenn  McFadden,  Elgin,  III. 


MAY  28.  1960 


21 


; 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


World  Council  Executives 
Appeal  to  Nuclear  Powers 
to  Ban  Testing 

An  appeal  to  the  nuclear  powers 
to  keep  working  for  an  agreement 
on  the  total  cessation  of  atomic  test- 
ing was  made  by  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches  at  a  semiannual  meeting 
in  Buenos  Aires.  Addressed  to  the 
United  States,  British,  and  Soviet 
governments,  the  appeal  urged  con- 
tinued efforts  at  Geneva  to  reach 
the  stated  aim  of  discontinuing  tests 
of  all  types  and  sizes. 

In  other  actions  the  committee  ap- 
proved designs  for  a  striking  con- 
temporary-style chapel  that  will  be 
the  central  feature  of  the  new 
$2,500,000  headquarters  of  the 
World  Council  in  Geneva,  Switzer- 
land. The  details  of  the  chapel, 
which  will  accommodate  400  per- 
sons, are  still  to  be  decided. 

The  executive  committee  also  re- 
viewed plans  for  the  Third  Assembly 
of  the  World  Council  which  is  sched- 
uled to  take  place  in  New  Delhi, 
India,  Nov.  18  -  Dec.  5,  1961.  It 
is  estimated  that  a  thousand  persons, 
of  whom  about  two  thirds  will  be 
voting  delegates,  will  participate  in 
the  assembly. 

Asian  churches  will  co-operate  in 
a  plan  for  assembly  participants  to 
visit  major  centers  in  their  respective 
countries  after  the  New  Delhi  ses- 
sions. This  will  be  a  part  of  a  gener- 
al program  aimed  at  strengthening 
East-West  church  co-operation  and 
understanding.  The  nonvoting  par- 
ticipants will  include  groups  of  ad- 
visers, special  guests,  officials  of 
youth  organizations,  and  fraternal 
delegates  from  various  bodies. 

The  assembly  theme  will  be  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Light  of  the  World.  It 
will  be  studied  by  local  congrega- 
tions of  the  council's  172  member 
churches.  A  preassembly  booklet 
dealing  with  the  main  theme  and 
subthemes  of  witness,  unity,  and 
service  will  be  printed  in  English, 
French,  and  German  and  translated 
into  many  other  languages. 

First  Ecumenical  Youth 
Assembly  Scheduled 

Some  1,700  Protestants  and  Ortho- 
dox youth  from  around  the  world  are 
expected  to  attend  the  first  Ecu- 
menical Youth  Assembly  in  Europe, 
which   is   scheduled   to  be   held   in 


Religious  News  Service 


Pony  Express  Bibles  like  this,  rare  today,  were  given  to  all  young  riders 
entering  the  employ  of  Messrs.  Russell,  Majors,  and  Waddell,  proprietors 
of  the  express,  whose  centennial  is  being  marked  on  July  19  in  eight  states 
from  Missouri  to  California.  Most  of  the  daring  riders  of  the  famous 
mail-carrying  service  were  very  young  men;  an  advertisement  seeking  riders 
stated,  "Wanted  —  young,  skinny,  wiry  fellows  not  over  18.  Must  be 
expert  riders,  willing  to  risk  death  daily.  Orphans  preferred.  Wages  $25 
a  week  .  .  ."  The  teen-aged  riders  were  also  required  to  take  an  oath 
not  to  indulge  in  intoxicating  liquors,  profanity,  or  quarrels 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Lausanne,   Switzerland,   July   13-24. 

The  meeting  will  be  the  first  major 
gathering  of  European  young  peo- 
ple across  denominational  lines  and 
national  borders  ever  held  under  au- 
spices of  the  churches.  It  is  being 
sponsored  by  the  World  Council  of 
Churches  Youth  Department  in  co- 
operation with  national  ecumenical 
youth  councils  in  Europe. 

Of  the  total  delegates,  about  1,400 
are  anticipated  from  more  than  15 
European  countries  and  the  rest 
from  Asia,  Africa,  the  Far  East,  the 
Middle  East,  North  America,  and 
Latin  America.  North  American 
churches  have  been  invited  to  send 
180  delegates.  The  theme  of  the 
assembly  will  be  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Light  of  the  World. 

Magazine  Publishers  Propose 
Plan  to  Fight  Pornography 

Major  magazine  publishers  have 
proposed  a  four-point  plan  to  con- 
gressional investigators  to  help  wipe 
pornography  from  the  nation's  news- 
stands.    The    Magazine    Publishers 


Association,  a  trade  organization, 
points  out  that  self-policing  will 
not  work  because  "the  principal 
offenders  among  periodicals  are  not 
legitimate  magazine  publishers." 

The  publishers  propose  the  enact- 
ment of  new  legislation  aimed  at 
pinning  responsibility  for  obscene 
publications  not  on  the  newsstand 
vendor  or  wholesale  distributor,  but 
on  "the  men  and  women  who  are 
behind  the  corporation." 

Brussels  to  Have  Protestant 
Information  Office 

An  information  office  to  serve 
Protestant  clergy  and  lay  people  from 
all  countries  soon  will  be  opened  in 
Brussels,  Belgium,  as  the  first  step 
toward  an  international  Christian 
Fellowship  Center  there. 

The  idea  for  the  center  sprang 
from  the  Protestant  Pavilion,  built 
for  the  1959  Brussels  World's  Fair 
by  contributions  from  all  over  the 
world.  The  new  Protestant  Center 
will  be  open  in  time  for  the  summer 
vacation  season. 


Mennonites  Sponsor  Russian- 
Language  Short-Wave  Program 

Mennonite  Broadcasts,  originating 
in  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  are  sponsoring 
their  first  Russian-language  short- 
wave program  beamed  to  listeners 
behind  the  Iron  Curtain.  The  fifteen- 
minute  weekly  program  is  sent  over- 
seas from  station  HCJB  in  Quito, 
Ecuador,  every  Tuesday. 

The  new  series  brings  to  eight  the 
number  of  foreign  language  broad- 
casts now  produced  or  sponsored  by 
the  Harrisonburg  Mennonites.  Dr. 
Ivan  Magal,  a  Mennonite  minister, 
writes  in  Russian  the  series  of 
stories.  The  broadcasts  are  taped  by 
the  doctor  at  the  Mennonite  studios 

p|  and    then    sent    to    the    station    in 

fi  Ecuador. 

India's  Parliament  Rejects 
Measure  to 
Regulate  Conversions 

The  Indian  Parliament  has  re- 
jected a  bill  which  would  have  reg- 
ulated conversions  from  Hinduism 
to  non-Indian  religions.  The  bill 
was  strongly  opposed  by  the  Protes- 
tant National  Christian  Council  of 
India  as  being  "both  discriminatory 
and  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the 
United  Nations  Declarations  of  Hu- 
man Rights  and  the  Constitution  of 
India." 

The  church  group  said  "conver- 
sion  from    one   religion   to    another 


should  be  entirely  voluntary  and 
free  from  any  outside  pressure  what- 
soever,  economic,   social,   or   legal." 

Revision  of  Anglican 
39  Articles  Advocated 

Dr.  W.  R.  Matthews,  dean  of  St. 
Paul's  Cathedral,  London,  recendy 
advocated  the  revision  of  the 
Church  of  England's  historic  Thirty- 
Nine  Articles.  He  said  the  16th  cen- 
tury document,  which  summarized 
Anglican  dogmatic  tenets  in  relation 
to  theological  controversies  at  that 
time,  does  not  represent  the  present 
mind  of  the  church. 

Pointing  to  one  article  which 
stated  it  was  lawful  according  to 
the  law  of  God  to  bear  weapons 
and  at  the  command  of  magistrates 
to  serve  in  wars,  Dr.  Matthews  com- 
mented that  "some  highly  respected 
Anglican  clergymen  preach  that  it 
is  unlawful  for  a  Christian  man  to 
do  anything  of  the  kind,  but  no  one 
so  far  as  I  know,  wishes  to  excom- 
municate pacifists.  Certainly  I  do 
not." 

German  Communists  Reported 
Driving  Farmers  to  Suicide 

Many  farmers  in  East  Germany 
are  fleeing  to  the  West  or  commit- 
ting suicide  as  a  result  of  Commu- 
nist tactics  to  collectivize  privately 
owned  farmland.  According  to  a 
report  in  Berlin,  Western  sources 
disclosed  that  sixty-two  per  cent  of 


Evangelist  Billy 

Graham  (right), 

holding  a  taper, 

visits  the  Church 

of  the  Holy 

Sepulchre  in 

Jerusalem. 

Accompanying 

him  is 

Cliff  Barrows, 

music  director 

for  the  Graham 

evangelistic  team. 

On  a  five-day 

visit  to  Israel, 

Mr.  Graham 

preached  in  four 

cities  and  made 

pilgrimages  to 

famous  Biblical 

holy  places 


Religious   News 
Service 


all  Soviet  Zone  farmland  is  now  con- 
trolled by  co-operatives  —  an  out- 
come of  economic  and  political 
pressure  being  exerted  by  Commu- 
nist officials  and  publications. 

Recently  the  Evangelical  Church- 
es in  the  Soviet  Zone  wrote  a  letter 
to  East  German  Premier  Otto 
Grothewohl  saying  that  the  church 
cannot  remain  silent  when  farmers 
are  forced  by  the  state  to  join 
co-operatives  and  must  even  sign 
that  they  did  so  voluntarily. 

Associated  Church  Press  Plans 
for  Expanded  Services 

Eleven  new  publications  were 
voted  into  membership  in  the  Asso- 
ciated Church  Press  at  its  41st  annual 
meeting  in  Washington,  D.C.,  bring- 
ing the  total  number  to  163  with  a 
combined  circulation  of  more  than 
16,000,000. 

Protestant  and  Orthodox  editors 
heard  a  progress  report  on  the  or- 
ganization's plan  to  expand  its  serv- 
ices including  a  new  headquarters, 
a  full-time  executive  and  a  monthly 
periodical.  The  site  of  the  new  head- 
quarters to  be  established  in  1961 
has  not  yet  been  chosen. 

Member  publications  were  called 
on  to  launch  a  united  program  of 
education  to  alert  Protestants  and 
Orthodox  to  the  problem  of  obsceni- 
ty. The  Associated  Church  Press 
adopted  a  resolution  asking  as  many 
publications  as  possible  to  designate 
September  1960,  for  emphasis  on 
this  issue. 

In  condemning  obscenity,  the  edi- 
tors declared  that  "traffic  in  porno- 
graphic material  has  reached  serious 
proportions  in  this  country  and  pub- 
lic apathy  is  to  be  explained  largely 
by  lack  of  information."  The  dele- 
gates said,  however,  that  while  they 
support  the  effort  of  the  U.S.  Post 
Office  Department  to  curb  distribu- 
tion of  "hard-core  pornographic  ma- 
terials," they  also  are  aware  of 
"hard-won  freedom  of  thought  and 
of  the  press." 

The  organization  also  adopted  a 
resolution  deploring  "irresponsible 
and  unscrupulous  attempts  to  spread 
suspicion  against  Protestant  clergy- 
men, their  churches,  and  their  agen- 
cies on  the  false  charge  of  sympathy 
for  Communism."  In  their  resolu- 
tion the  editors  said  that  the  National 
Council  has  been  the  target  of  "base- 
less charges"  and  has  shown  a  high 
sense  of  responsibility  in  carrying  out 
its  mission. 


MAY  28.  1960 


23 


Overseas  Report  From  the  Mediterranean  World 

John    Barwick 


■  The  World  Refugee  Year  is  being 
taken  very  seriously  here  in  southern 
Europe,  whether  or  not  it  is  in 
America.  England  has  set  a  goal 
of  almost  $12  million,  much  more 
than  that  of  the  United  States.  In 
all  good  faith  the  countries  friendly 
to  the  Occident  that  border  on  Com- 
munist countries  have  accepted  their 
obligations  to  act  as  hosts  and  grant- 
ors of  asylum  to  refugees  without 
limit  or  assistance  from  so-called 
free  countries  that,  being  at  a  great- 
er distance,  evade  their  share  of  the 
burden  all  too  readily.  This  poses 
one  of  the  most  serious  problems  of 
the  refugee  world:  What  is  to  be 
done  with  the  22,000  refugees  that 
no  country  will  accept? 

It  was  to  find  an  answer  to  this 
problem  that  the  Sardinia  project 
was  conceived  and  launched.  We 
accept  only  the  refugees  from  Italy 
and  only  a  small  part  of  them. 
Those  classed  as  "emigrable"  are  the 
most  fortunate.  Several  countries 
have  relaxed  the  strict  rules  first 
used  to  screen  the  candidates  for 
emigration  to  their  particular  coun- 
try. Sweden  has  recently  accepted 
many  who  were  seriously  handi- 
capped. Others  have  taken  post- 
T.B.  cases,  all  of  which  were 
rejected  until  now.  Many  refugees 
have  found  means  of  making  a  live- 
lihood here  in  Italy  and  are  now 
dependent  on  the  Italian  economy. 
The  remainder  constitute  the  major 
problem  and  are  the  chief  concern 
at  present  of  the  UN  high  com- 
missioner for  refugees. 

Some  have  served  prison  terms 
for  civil  or  political  crimes;  others 
help  make  up  the  most  unfortunate 
of  all,  the  post-T.B.  patients,  young 
men  who  left  some  Communist 
country  only  to  fall  ill  in  the  awful 
camps  to  which  they  were  ushered 
in  the  name  of  freedom;  still  others 
suffer  from  mental  unbalance;  and 
many  have  sought  a  further  escape 
in  alcohol.  Most  have  been  in 
camps  ten  to  fifteen  years  and  have 
come  up  before  emigation  boards  of 
many  countries,  only  to  be  rejected. 
This  probably  accounts  for  the  sul- 
len despair  that  is  characteristic  of 
almost  all. 

Practically  none  of  the  idealistic 
would    leave    communism    for    the 


24 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


"free  world"  again  no  matter  how 
attractive  it  was  made  to  sound. 
The  frightful  exaggeration  proga- 
ganda  bellowed  over  the  radio  Free 
Europe  in  promising  untold  oppor- 
tunity to  the  youth  of  the  Commu- 
nist countries,  tempting  them  over 
the  line  to  rot  in  infinitely  worse 
conditions  under  "freedom,"  has 
brought  a  disillusionment  we  pay 
for  each  day  in  our  community  and 
for  which  the  free  world  will  pay 
for  generations. 

Informed  observers  and  workers 
over  here  have  commented  to  me 
as  follows:  In  this  tragedy  of  errors 
the  chief  actor,  or  villain,  was  our 
own  country  (the  U.S.).  We  led 
the  band  parade  of  free  nations  in 
the  "escapee  program."  When  we 
screened  emigrants  who  might  qual- 
ify to  join  the  pitifully  meager  num- 
ber we  would  allow  in,  our  standards 
were  by  far  the  strictest.  Con- 
fronted with  the  question,  "What  is 
to  be  done  with  those  left  by  all 
free  nations?"  we  left  them  in  the 
host  countries  regardless  of  how 
able  these  little  and  poor  countries 
were   to   feed   and   to   house   them. 

It  can  be  said  without  any  fear 
of  being  disproved  that  we  skimmed 
the  cream,  rejected  the  helpless  or 
less  able  to  support  themselves, 
have  raised  less  for  the  World  Ref- 
ugee Year,  and  have  made  no  con- 
structive steps  for  solving  the 
problem  we  have  left.  Our  record 
is  shabby,  particularly  when  we  re- 
alize how  much  more  far  smaller 
countries  have  done  and  are  doing 
to  solve  the  riddle.  Now  those  who 
are  trying  to  do  something  must 
deal  with  people  who  have  become 
selfish  and  unscrupulous  in  ten  to 
fifteen  years  of  bitter  disillusion- 
ment; they  have  learned  from  those 
who  betrayed  them  to  return  the 
same  to  any  and  all  and  to  trust 
almost  no  one. 

B  The  Catholic  authorities  have 
been  concerned  with  the  serious  de- 
cline in  the  interest  the  working 
classes  show  in  religious  affairs.  In 
the  rural  districts  40%  to  60%  of 
the  people  attend  mass  regularly, 
while  in  the  industrial  areas  10%  to 
20%  only  are  faithful  to  the  church 
as  measured  in  attendance  and  gen- 
eral participation  in  the  life  of  the 
church.    The  principal  exception  to 


the  general  rule  is  the  depressed 
areas  of  southern  Italy;  for  example, 
Calabria  can  boast  only  10%  to  15%  . 
faithful  members.  In  Italy  there  is 
still  a  majority  of  the  inhabitants 
who  are  baptized  into  the  Church 
as  infants,  married  by  the  priest 
and,  at  least  occasionally,  partake  of 
communion  while  in  France  less 
than  25%  do  take  part  in  these  formal 
rites. 

There  is  a  relation  between  the 
activity  of  the  Communist  propa- 
gandists, the  membership  in  the 
Communist  Party  and  the  indiffer- 
ence to  religious  matters;  they  are 
in  direct  ratio  in  the  same  areas. 
The  spokesmen  for  the  church  do 
not  admit  that  the  workers  have  lost 
their  faith.  They  are  quoted  as  say- 
ing, "Atheism  is  a  phenomenon  of 
aristocracy." 

They  also  blame  the  growth  of 
indifference  to  the  interest  in  the 
"good  fife,"  "good"  here  meaning 
pleasant  rather  than  godly.  The  in- 
convenience of  the  hours  of  work, 
conflicting  with  many  activities  of 
the  church  community  is  another 
factor  cited  as  well  as  the  activities 
of  the  labor  organizations  and  their 
program  of  welfare  which  often 
duplicate  some  of  the  work  of  the 
church. 

■  The  press  of  the  Mediterranean 
area  shows  considerable  concern 
over  the  rivalry  between  the  U.S.A. 
and  the  U.S.S.R.  One  hardly  knows 
whether  the  interest  is  that  of  the 
spectator  who  likes  entertainment 
and  contests,  or  if  it  is  reflection 
of  anxiety  over  the  declining  pres- 
tige of  their  chosen  champion.  An 
influential  Greek  newspaper,  reflect- 
ing the  views  of  the  government, 
frequently  comments  critically  and 
is  obviously  well  informed  about  the 
missile  race  and  armaments  in  gen- 
eral in  this  global  contest. 

La  Vita,  the  Italian  weekly  that 
resembles  Time  extraordinarily  close- 
ly, has  been  running  a  series  of 
articles  on  the  Duello  America  Rus- 
sia and  covers  life  in  the  two  great 
countries  very  fully,  not  only  armies 
and  arms  but  all  forms  of  culture 
with  emphasis  on  the  materia  of  ed- 
ucation. They  are  well-written  and 
should  be  translated. 

■  Events  in  South  Africa  have  been 
thoroughly  covered  here  too  and  the 
tactics  of  the  South  African  govern- 
ment most  roundly  condemned. 
The  report  by  the  Anglican  Bishop 
in  South  Africa  that  the  police  had 
acted  inexcusably  cruelly  in  sup- 
pressing    the     demonstrations     was 


given  in  full  and  approved  cordially. 
In  contrast,  there  is  almost  no  news 
of  France's  fighting  in  Algeria  ex- 
cept for  brief  factual  statements. 

■  The  new  premier-designate  of 
Italy,  Fernando  Tambroni,  is  prob- 
ably a  new  face  for  many  foreigners 
but  at  fifty-eight  he  is  a  brilliant 
politician  of  many  years'  public  ex- 
perience. He  is,  as  was  his  prede- 
cessor, Antonio  Segni,  a  Christian 
Democrat,  that  is,  a  member  of  the 
church  party  but  is  from  the  left 
branch  of  it.  The  honest,  uni- 
versally respected  Segni,  was  prob- 
ably a  litde  right  of  center  and 
for  that  reason,  possibly,  no  longer 
represented  the  constantly  shifting 
needle  of  public  opinion.  Tambroni 
is  also  known  as  a  spender  in  com- 
parison to  the  orthodox  economic 
policy  of  Segni.  Italy  is  fortunate 
to  have  two  such  able  men  to  choose 
between. 

Note:  Fernando  Tambroni  resigned 
the  premiership  of  Italy  after  only 
a  week  in  office  since  the  above  was 
written.  —  Editor. 


Conference  Business 

Preliminary  Report  of  the 
Resolutions  Committee 

The  Call  to  Discipleship 

"It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that 
he  be  as  his  teacher  and  the  serv- 
ant as  his  Lord."    (Matthew  10:25) 

"Whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  own 
cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot 
be  my  disciple."     (Luke   14:21) 

"Go  ye  therefore  and  make  disciples 
of  all  nations."    (Matthew  28:19) 

"The  disciples  were  called  Christians 
first  in  Antioch."    (Acts  11:26) 

THE  GROUND  OF  OUR  DISCIPLESHIP 
CENTERS  IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 

He  is  the  revealer  of  who  God  is, 
and  we  see  the  light  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  glory  of  God  in  his 
face.  As  Son  of  the  living  God 
he  only  has  the  authority  to  claim 
the  allegiance  of  men. 

He  is  the  revealer  of  what  man 
through  him  may  become.  As  Son 
of  Man  and  our  elder  brother  he 
knows  what  is  in  man,  for  he  has 
been  in  every  respect  tempted  as 
we  are,  yet  he  was  without  sin. 

He  is  man's  redeemer  and  savior.  In 
him  we  have  forgiveness  of  our 
sins.  In  him  we  are  reconciled 
to  God  and  are  given  an  open 
pathway  to  God's  presence.  In 
him  we  are  given  renewal  of  fife 
and   the    continuing   presence    of 


the  Holy  Spirit.  We  are  not  our 
own,  for  we  are  bought  with  a 
price  and  all  men  are  our  brothers 
for  whom  Christ  died. 

He  is  man's  teacher  and  guide.  He 
has  given  in  parable  and  sayings 
a  body  of  ethical  teachings  which 
sets  forth  the  nature  and  motive 
of  right  living  for  men  and  na- 
tions. Having  traveled  and  taught 
the  path  of  discipleship,  he  calls 
men  to  follow  him  in  it. 

He  is  the  founder  of  the  church,  the 
new  community,  which  is  the 
brotherhood  of  disciples  and  into 
which  he  invites  all  men.  This 
community  of  disciples  is  to  fol- 
low the  way  of  righteousness  in  the 
face  of  persecution  or  indifference 
from  the  world.  It  is  called  to  be 
the  salt  of  the  earth  and  the  light 
of  the  world.  These  disciples  of 
the  way  are  the  Christians.  As 
Lord  of  the  church  he  calls  on 
his  disciples  to  walk  in  his  way, 
witness  to  his  truth,  serve  men 
by  his  love,  and  make  disciples 
of  all  nations. 

THESE  MARKS  OF  DISCIPLESHIP 
SHOULD     FORM     THE     PATTERN     OF 

our  LrvES: 
Being   arrested    by    his   declaration 
that  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  at 
hand,  and  responding  by  repent- 
ance and  belief  in  the  Gospel. 

Joyous  acknowledgement  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  Savior  and  Lord.  The 
gateway  to  discipleship  is  re- 
sponse to  his  forgiveness  of  our 
sins  and  allegiance  to  him  as  Lord 
of  our  lives. 

Loyal  dedication  to  following  his 
commands  and  to  walking  in  his 
ways.  The  disciple  is  one  who 
follows  after  Jesus  Christ  and 
walks  in  his  steps. 

Readiness  to  count  the  cost  and  pay 
the  price  of  discipleship.  The 
disciple  is  not  above  his  Lord,  and 
he  must  therefore  deny  himself 
and  take  up  his  own  cross.  This 
is  not  done  to  earn  salvation,  nor 
does  it  eliminate  the  need  for 
grace.  It  is  needed  lest  we  re- 
ceive the  grace  of  Christ  in  vain. 
He  laid  down  his  life  for  us,  and 
we  ought  also  to  lay  down  our 
fives  for  others.  The  life  of  disci- 
pleship is  not  one  of  cheap  grace. 

Living  together  in  love.  "By  this  all 
men  will  know  that  you  are  my 
disciples,  if  you  have  love  for  one 
another."  The  life  of  discipleship 
involves   the   discipline   of  loving 


fellowship  wherein  we  provoke 
one  another  to  good  works,  for- 
give one  another  for  Christ's 
sake,  and  grow  up  into  mature 
manhood. 

Compassion  for  those  in  need.  Jesus 
viewed  the  needy  as  sheep  with- 
out a  shepherd  and,  out  of  com- 
passion, fed  the  hungry,  healed 
the  sick,  befriended  the  outcast, 
and  defended  the  oppressed.  He 
enjoined  his  disciples  to  do  the 
same,  and  he  made  it  clear  that 
such  compassion  is  an  important 
criterion  of  ultimate  judgment. 
He  who  sees  his  brother  in  need 
and  withholds  such  compassion 
has  not  God's  love  in  him.  We 
love,  however,  because  he  first 
loved  us. 

WE  ARE  CALLED  TO  THE  LIFE  OF 
DISCIPLESHIP  AND  WE  RESOLVE  TO 
FULFILL  OUR  MISSION  IN  THE  FOL- 
LOWING   WAYS: 

(1)  We  resolve  to  bear  witness  to 
the  good  news  of  the  Kingdom 
and  to  make  disciples  of  all  the 
nations.  We  do  this  not  because 
we  are  superior  to  others,  but  be- 
cause we  wish  to  share  with  oth- 
ers what  has  so  freely  been  given 
to  us.  We  preach  Christ  and  not 
ourselves. 

(2)  We  resolve  to  share  our  goods 
and  privileges  with  those  who 
suffer  pain  and  want.  We  resolve 
to  do  so  in  creative  ways  which 
promote  self-respect  and  growth 
among  those  we  serve. 

(3)  We  resolve  to  seek  first  God's 
kingdom  and  his  righteousness  in 
all  areas  of  life: 

In  our  individual  lives  we  shall 
seek  by  work,  worship,  and  disci- 
plined living  to  grow  in  character 
and  in  worthy  service.  We  shall 
seek  to  be  true  disciples  of  the  King- 
dom also  in  our  families  and  in  our 
communities;  in  our  citizenship  and 
in  our  daily  labor. 

(4)  We  resolve  to  give  ourselves 
anew  to  the  life  of  discipleship  in 
the  fellowship  and  service  of  the 
church.  In  this  service  we  shall 
seek  ways  of  working  which  will 
enable  every  Christian  to  fulfill 
his  calling  in  the  priesthood  of  all 
believers. 

We  call  on  all  laymen  of  the 
church  to  exercise  this  priesthood 
by  their  personal  Christian  witness 
and  active  participation  in  the  tasks 
and  worship  of  the  church. 


MAY  28,  1960 


25 


i 


We  call  on  all  ministers  and  of- 
ficials of  the  church  to  exercise  this 
priesthood  in  the  offices  to  which 
they  are  called.  Formal  offices 
should  give  opportunity  to  enlarge 
the  life  and  activities  of  the  laity. 
These  offices  are  given  by  the  Spirit 
for  the  upbuilding  and  effectiveness 
of  the  whole  church. 

We  believe  that  the  harvest  is 
plenteous  and  that  the  laborers  are 
too  few.  We  therefore  call  for  a 
wide  consideration  of  the  claims  of 
the  ministry  and  of  other  full-time 
church  vocations.  We  call  for  a 
more  vital  program  of  recruitment 
and  training  to  prepare  a  sufficient 
corps  of  workers  for  service  in  the 
church. 

(5)  We  resolve  to  walk  as  behooves 
those  who  have  received  the  grace 
of  forgiveness.  We  resolve  to 
manifest  in  continued  repentance 
and  growth  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit. 
We  resolve  to  make  love  our  aim 
and  to  press  on  to  mature  man- 
hood in  Christ. 

WE  EXPRESS  OUR  DEEP  CONCERN 
ABOUT  THESE  PROBLEMS  OF  CRITI- 
CAL URGENCY  IN  OUR  TIME  AND 
WE  CALL  ON  ALL  OUR  BRETHREN 
TO  WORK  DILIGENTLY  TOWARD 
THEIR  SOLUTION: 

(1)  The  widespread  moral  break- 
down which  marks  private  and 
public  life  in  many  places. 

(2)  The  slow  pace  of  racial  integra- 
tion which  postpones  too  long  the 
time  when  this  nation  under  God 
achieves  liberty  and  justice  for  all 
and  which  damages  our  position 
among  the  nations. 

(3)  The  reluctance  of  many  to  exer- 
cise the  full  responsbilities  of 
citizenship. 

(4)  The  peril  in  our  public  educa- 
tion and  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
arts  by  bending  all  goals  to  the 
false  gods  of  materialism  and  mil- 
itary expediency. 

(The  committee  is  keeping  itself 
in  readiness  to  consider  and  to  pre- 
sent on  the  floor  of  Annual  Confer- 
ence additional  resolutions  which 
may  seem  relevant  and  urgent  at 
that  time.) 

Resolutions  Committee: 

Edward  K.  Ziegler,  Chairman 
Morley  J.  Mays,  Secretary 
William  M.  Beahm 
Inez  G.  Long 
Dale  W.  Brown 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


New  Business 
Amendments  to  the  Pension  Plan 

I.  In  the  judgment  of  the  Pension 
Board  it  is  desirable  and  necessary 
that  the  Ministerial  and  Missionary 
Pension  Plan  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  be  further  amended.  As 
provided  in  the  Pension  Plan,  there- 
fore, the  Pension  Board  has  adopted 
the  following  amendments,  ad  in- 
terim, and  presents  them  to  Annual 
Conference  of  1960  for  ratification: 

A.  That  Article  VII,  Section  A, 
paragraph  (a)  be  amended  to  read 
as  follows: 

(a)  Upon  the  retirement  of  a 
member  after  attaining  the  age  of 
sixty-five,  his  combined  accumula- 
tion shall  be  applied  as  the  actuarial 
equivalent,  according  to  the  table  of 
rates  adopted  by  the  Pension  Board 
for  such  purpose  and  then  in  force, 
to  provide  an  age-retirement  annuity 
for  the  member  on  the  joint-life  and 
survivor  basis  with  fifty  per  cent  of 
the  member's  annuity  continued  to 
the  widow,  if  their  marriage  took 
place  before  the  member  entered 
upon  such  age-retirement  annuity. 
However,  if  the  member  is  single  at 
the  time  of  his  retirement,  the  calcu- 
lation of  the  amount  of  such  retire- 
ment annuity  shall  be  upon  the 
single-life  basis. 

B.  That  Article  VII,  Section  C, 
be  amended  to  read  as  follows: 

In  the  event  of  the  death  of  a 
member  before  entering  upon  an 
age-retirement  or  a  disability  annu- 
ity, with  a  widow  surviving,  his 
combined  accumulation  shall  be  ap- 
plied as  the  actuarial  equivalent, 
according  to  the  table  of  rates 
adopted  by  the  Pension  Board  for 
such  purpose  and  then  in  force,  to 
provide  a  widow  annuity. 

II.  Based  upon  a  comprehensive 
study  of  other  Protestant  pension 
plans,  the  known  needs  of  retiring 
ministers  and  missionaries,  and  the 
known  inadequacy  of  benefits  of  our 
Pension  Plan  growing  out  of  the 
lowered  purchasing  power  of  the 
dollar,  the  Pension  Board  recom- 
mends to  Annual  Conference  of 
1960  that  the  Pension  Plan  be 
further  amended,  effective  Sept.  1, 
1960,  as  follows: 

A.  That  the  first  paragraph  of 
Article    IV    be    amended    to    read: 

Each  congregation  served  by  a 
member  shall  contribute  an  amount 
equivalent  to  eight  per  cent  of  the 
salary  of  such  member.  Such  con- 
tributions shall  be  items  of  current 
expense  and  not  of  benevolence. 

B.  That  the  following  be   added 


to  Article  VII,  Section  A,  as  para- 
graph (b)  —  with  the  present  par- 
agraph (b)  to  become  (c): 

(b)  A  member  shall  have  the  op- 
tion of  electing  a  reduced  annual 
age-retirement  annuity,  which  will 
provide  that  after  his  death  a  pen- 
sion equal  to  75%  of  his  reduced 
age-retirement  annuity  shall  be  con- 
tinued to  the  widow,  provided  their 
marriage  took  place  before  the 
member  entered  upon  such  age- 
retirement  annuity. 

This  option  shall  be  elected  by  a 
member  before  he  attains  age  sixty. 
If,  after  attaining  age  sixty,  a  mem- 
ber desires  to  elect  this  option,  he 
must  do  so  at  least  six  months  prior 
to  the  date  on  which  benefits  are  to 
begin,  and  must  submit  evidence  of 
good  health  satisfactory  to  the  Pen- 
sion Board.  The  election  of  such 
option  shall  be  of  no  effect  if  the 
member's  wife  at  the  time  of  the 
election  dies  prior  to  the  member's 
retirement. 


Obituaries 

Hamby,  Susie  F.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Alice  Bingham,  was  born  Aug.  24, 
1884,  and  died  Feb.  19,  1960.  She 
is  survived  by  eight  daughters,  five 
sons,  forty-seven  grandchildren,  sixty- 
six  great-grandchildren,  and  one  great- 
great-grandchild.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  Broadfording  church 
by  Brethren  Stanley  Earhart  and  D.  R. 
Petre.  Interment  was  in  the  adjoining 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Edith  Myers,  Hagers- 
town,  Md. 

Harter,  Emma,  daughter  of  J.  M. 
and  Rebecca  Ann  Sells  Abbott,  was 
born  Dec.  21,  1877,  and  died  Dec.  5, 
1959.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Man- 
chester church,  Ind.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  by  the  undersigned  and 
Rev.  Glen  Smouse  in  charge.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Mt.  Hope  cemetery. 
—  Hubert  R.  Newcomer,  North  Man- 
chester, Ind. 

Hartman,  Ida  Edna,  daughter  of 
Timothy  and  Harriet  Gray  Hartman, 
was  born  at  Sutton,  Nebr.,  June  20, 
1878,  and  died  at  Iola,  Kansas,  Feb. 
3,  1960.  On  Oct.  26,  1897,  she  was 
married  to  Lewis  Hartman,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  is  survived 
by  six  children,  twenty-eight  grand- 
children, and  thirty-three  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Mont  Ida  church  by 
Bro.  Ralph  Loshbaugh.  Interment  was 
in  the  Bethel  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Don 
Wiley,  Westphalia,  Kansas. 

Hartman,  Mary  D.,  wife  of  John  M. 
Hartman,  was  born  Sept.  25,  1894, 
and  died  Sept.  19,  1959.  She  united 
with  the  church  in  1916.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  husband,  three  sons,  and 
one  daughter.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  from  the  New  Fairview 
church  by  Brethren  J.  L.  Miller,  Mur- 
ray Lehman  and  Joseph  Baugher.  In- 
terment was  in  the  cemetery  adjoining 
the  church.  —  Charles  R.  Cleaver,  York, 
Pa. 


Hulvey,  John  William,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  C.  Hulvey,  died  Feb. 
6,  1960,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Williamson 
Road  church,  Roanoke,  Va.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  Lelia  Radford  Hulvey, 
two  sons,  his  mother,  three  sisters,  and 
two  half  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  at  the  Oakey's  chapel 
by  Brethren  Carson  M.  Key  and  Merlin 
E.  Garber.  Interment  was  at  Blue 
Ridge  Gardens.  —  Mrs.  T.  E.  Scott,  Ro- 
anoke, Va. 

Kurtz,  Annie,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Rebecca  Zug  Nissley,  died  Feb.  16, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years. 
She  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Richland  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  Michael  Kurtz,  three  sons, 
one  daughter,  nine  gi  andchildren,  two 
great-grandchildren,  one  brother,  and 
one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Richland  church  by 
Brethren  Paul  Hertzog  and  Jacob  N. 
Fahnestock.  Inteiment  was  in  the 
Tulpehocken  cemetery.  —  Lydia  Show- 
vaker,  Richland,  Pa. 

Kurtz,  Erline,  daughter  of  Marshall 
and  Hattie  Kehler  Williamson,  was 
born  Dec.  20,  1890,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-nine  years.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Manchester  church, 
Ind.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  Fred, 
one  son,  one  daughter,  and  two  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Manchester  church  by  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  at  the  Oak 
Lawn  cemetery.  —  Hubert  R.  Newcom- 
er, North  Manchester,  Ind. 

Lackey,  Don,  son  of  Henry  and  Sa- 
rah Lackey,  was  born  near  Lima,  Ohio, 
Sept.  26,  1887,  and  died  Feb.  10,  1960. 
He  was  married  to  Clara  Detrick  on 
Feb.  12,  1911.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Pleasant  View  church,  Ohio. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  two  daugh- 
ters, two  sisters,  two  brothers,  four 
grandchildren,  and  three  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted in  the  Pleasant  View  church 
by  Brethren  Edgar  Petry  and  David 
Wampler  and  Rev.  E.  A.  Leeson.  In- 
terment was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  Paul  Rusmisel,  Columbus 
Grove,  Ohio. 

Leftwich,  Gabriel  Nicodemus,  son  of 
James  and  Elizabeth  Easter  Leftwich, 
died  at  Mount  Airy,  N.  C,  Feb.  12, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years. 
He  was  married  to  Caroline  Reynolds. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Saint  Paul 
church,  N.  C.  Surviving  are  four  sons, 
four  daughters,  forty-three  grandchil- 
dren, several  great-grandchildren,  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Saint  Paul  church  by 
Bro.  G.  L.  Baker,  assisted  by  Bro.  D.  B. 
Osborne.  Interment  was  in  the  church 
cemetery.  —  W.  M.  Leftwich,  Mount 
Airy,  N.  C. 

Lichty,  Ray  W.,  son  of  W.  H.  and 
Sadie  Maust  Lichty,  was  born  May 
6,  1887,  and  died  at  Glendale,  Mo., 
Feb.  25,  1960.  On  Aug.  27,  1914, 
he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  McRob- 
erts,  who  preceded  him  in  death.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  South  Waterloo 
congregation,  Iowa.  Surviving  are  two 
sons,  one  daughter,  twelve  grandchil- 
dren, one  brother,  and  three  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  in 
the  South  Waterloo  church  by  his  pas- 
tor, the  undersigned.  Interment  was 
in  the  Orange  cemetery.  —  Clarence  D. 


Sink,  Waterloo,  Iowa. 

McMulin,  Arthur  Ray,  son  of  Joseph 
Ezra  and  Sophia  McMulin,  was  born 
in  Sumner  County,  Kansas,  March  28, 
1877,  and  died  in  Albia,  Iowa,  Feb. 
3,  1960.  On  Dec.  25,  1899,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Grace  Ellen 
Shupe,  who  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  and  his  wife  served  the  church 
most  of  their  married  life  in  the  office 
of  deacon.  Surviving  are  three  sons, 
five  daughters,  twenty-two  grandchil- 
dren, and  eleven  great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Lewis  funeral  home  by  Bro.  Elmer 
West.  Interment  was  in  the  Cuba 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ralph  Morris,  Avery, 
Iowa. 

Merkey,  Sallie  C.  Manbeck,  daugher 
of  Harry  R.  and  Elizabeth  Crouse  Mil- 
ler, was  born  April  18,  1896,  and  died 
March  2,  1960.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Frystown  church,  Pa.  Earl  Man- 
beck  was  her  first  husband,  and  Jacob 
Merkey  her  second.  Surviving  are  her 
father,  two  daughters,  one  son,  two 
stepdaughters,  five  grandchildren,  two 
sisters,  and  two  brothers.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  Frystown 
church,  with  Brethren  Curtis  Ziegler 
and  Conway  Bennett  officiating.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  church  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Carl  Brightbill,  Myerstown,  Pa. 

Miller,  Carrie,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Lucinda  Erbaugh  Coblentz,  was 
born  Nov.  26,  1881,  and  died  Aug.  1, 
1959.  She  was  married  to  Ira  Miller, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Manchester  church, 
Ind.  The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Mexico  church,  Ind.,  by  the  under- 
signed and  Rev.  Wm.  Visser  in  charge. 
Interment  was  in  the  Greenlawn  cem- 
etery. —  Hubert  R.  Newcomer,  North 
Manchester,  Ind. 

Miller,  Jesse  F.,  son  of  D.  Frank 
and  Katie  Downey  Miller,  was  born 
near  Keedysville,  Md.,  on  July  31, 
1901,  and  died  in  Baltimore,  Md., 
Feb.  18,  1960.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  First  church,  Baltimore.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  Kathryn,  two 
daughters,  one  brother,  and  five  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  by  the 
undersigned  at  the  Armacost  funeral 
home.  Interment  was  in  the  Woodlawn 
cemetery.  —  David  J.  Markey,  Balti- 
more,   Md. 

Morgan,  Ralph  S.,  son  of  J.  Roy  and 
Margaret  Appleby  Morgan,  was  born 
at  Neelyton,  Pa.,  Sept.  19,  1909,  and 
died  Jan.  29,  1960.  He  was  a  trustee 
of  the  Sugar  Run  church.  He  was 
married  to  Agnes  Garver  on  May  20, 
1931.  Surviving  are  his  parents,  two 
sons,  two  daughters,  three  grandchil- 
dren, five  brothers,  and  five  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Sugar  Run  church  by  his  pastor,  the 
undersigned,  assisted  by  Reverend  Utts, 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  church.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Germany  Valley  cem- 
etery. —  Albert  M.  Haught,  Mount 
Union,    Pa. 

Moyers,  Stella,  daughter  of  Jeremiah 
and  Nancy  Guthrie,  was  born  near 
Brandonville,  W.  Va.,  and  died  Jan. 
27,  1960.  On  May  16,  1920,  she  was 
married  to  Charles  C.  Moyers,  who 
preceded  her  in  death.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Shady  Grove  church, 
W.  Va.  Surviving  are  one  son,  three 
daughters,  five  brothers,  and  six  grand- 
children.   The  funeral  service  was  held 


Shepherd 

of  the 

Cowlitz 


EZRA  LEROY  WfflSLER 

and 
GERALDINE  C.  ELLER 

The  good  work  carried  on 
faithfully  by  Brethren  min- 
ister Ezra  Whisler  in  the 
Cowlitz  Valley,  Washington, 
during  his  lifetime  still  goes 
on  through  the  ministry  of 
this  attractive,  illustrated 
volume  which  tells  his  story 
of  devotion,  faith,  sacrifice, 
and  achievement.  You  will  be 
forced  to  examine  your  own 
life  stewardship  if  you  read 
this  book.  $2.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin.  111. 


at  the  Shady  Grove  church  by  Bro. 
Earl  D.  Dietz.  Interment  was  in  the 
Union  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Mae  Darby, 
Bruceton  Mills,  W.  Va. 

Myers,  William  L.,  son  of  William 
and  Mary  Myers,  was  born  at  Cearfoss, 
Md.,  Sept.  20,  1874,  and  died  Feb.  9, 
1960.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Broad- 
fording  church,  Md.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  one  son,  two  daughters, 
nine  grandchildren,  eight  great-grand- 
children, two  great-great-grandchil- 
dren, one  sister,  and  two  brothers. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Broadfording  church  by  Rev.  Robert 
Seek  and  Brethren  Stanley  Earhart  and 
D.  R.  Petre.  Interment  was  in  the 
cemetery  adjoining  the  church.  —  Mrs. 
Edith  Myers,  Hagerstown,  Md. 

O'Boyle,  Ruth  K.,  died  Feb.  27, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Lower  Miami 


MAY  28,  1980 


27 


What  IS 

BEHIND  the 

destruction  of 
schools  and  houses  of  worship?  .  .  . 

a  CHURCH,  a  SCHOOL 

RALPH  McGILL 


In  answer  to  the  question  above,  is  it  a  matter  of 
individual  rights  or  mob  lawlessness?  Why  would 
people  vote  to  end  education  for  their  children? 
These  are  issues  that  trouble  America  today,  and 
in  his  column  Ralph  McGill  faces  them  in  the  light 
of  a  daily  changing  scene.  The  columns  selected  to 
appear  in  this  book  are  concerned  with  the  major 
questions  of  education  and  regard  for  law  of  the 
land.  A  Church,  a  School,  named  after  his  Pulitzer 
Prize  winning  editorial  which  is  included  here,  is  a 
significant  contribution  by  a  courageous  editor  who 
has  never  hesitated  to  recognize  a  situation  and  take 
a  firm  stand.  $2.00 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


THE 
CHURCH 


as  EMPLOYER,  MONEY  RAISER, 

and  INVESTOR 

F.  Ernest  Johnson  and  J.  Emory  Ackerman 

Protestant  churches  have  made  many  pronouncements  concerning 
the  ethics  of  management,  labor,  and  government  personnel  as 
they  conduct  their  business  affairs.  In  this  little  book  the  search- 
light is  turned  on  the  churches  own  corporate  practices  as  em- 
ployer, money  raiser,  and  investor.  Persons  who  serve  on  an 
administrative  board  of  the  church  at  the  local,  district,  or  Brother- 
hood level  will  find  this  book  to  be  both  informative  and  helpful. 

$4.00 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


28 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


i 


church,  Ohio.  She  is  survived  by  three 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bro.  Edward  T.  Angeny. 
Interment  was  in  the  Mound  Hill  cem- 
etery. —  Lube    Laprad,    Dayton,    Ohio. 

Ohmart,  Martha  Hoover,  daughter  of 
Moses  and  Lucinda  Hoover,  was  bom- 
Jan.  26,  1869,  and  died  Feb.  4,  1960. 
In  1914  she  was  married  to  Loren 
Ohmart,  who  preceded  her  in  death. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  funeral  home  in  North  Manchester 
by  the  undersigned.  —  V.  F.  Schwalm, 
North  Manchester,  Ind. 

Orris,  Sophia,  daughter  of  Isaiah  and 
Christine  Blough  Holsopple,  was  born 
March  11,  1866,  in  Hollsopple,  Pa.,  and 
died  Feb.  16,  1960,  in  Windber,  Pa. 
She  was  preceded  in  death  by  her 
husband,  Joseph  Orris.  She  was  a 
member  of  Rummel  church,  Pa.  Sur- 
viving are  one  son,  one  daughter,  two 
sisters,  one  brother,  twenty-six  grand- 
children, sixty-seven  great-grandchil- 
dren, and  six  great-great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Meek  funeral  home  by  Bro.  A.  Jay 
Replogle.  Interment  was  in  the  Berkey 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  L.  Ernest  Ott,  Wind- 
ber, Pa. 

Parrill,  Hattie  H.,  daughter  of  Lewis- 
and  Amanda  Welch,  was  born  April  8, 
1889,  and  died  Feb.  9,  1960.  She 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Harry  E. 
Parrill  on  Aug.  27,  1913.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  husband,  one  sister,  a 
foster  daughter,  and  two  grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Sunnyside  church  by  Bro.  Owen  Stultz,. 
assisted  by  Bro.  Lowell  Rogers.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Indian  Mound  ceme- 
tery. —  Edna  Mott,  Antioch,  W.  Va. 

Petefish,  Betty,  daughter  of  Mrs. 
Nora  Hardman,  was  born  near  Center- 
ville,  Iowa,  Sept.  17,  1900,  and  died 
in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  Feb.  13,  1960. 
On  Sept.  26,  1920,  she  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Earl  Petefish.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  husband,  her  mother,  one 
brother,  one  daughter,  two  sons,  and 
four  grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  in  the  Cedar  Rapids 
church  by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  Cedar  Memorial  cemetery. 
—  Russell  Burriss,  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa. 

Poff,  Willard  W.,  was  born  Sept. 
23,  1901,  and  died  Feb.  16,  1960. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Trinity 
church,  Va.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Lionne  Wimmer  Poff,  one  daugh- 
ter, one  foster  son,  one  foster  daughter, 
four  brothers  and  four  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Trinity 
church  by  Bro.  E.  J.  Jacobs.  Interment 
was  in  the  Trinity  cemetery.  —  Mrs.. 
H.  B.  Layman,  Trouteville,  Va. 

Ruhl,  Fannie  B.,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Anna  Brubaker  Ruhl,  was  born 
June  23,  1865,  and  died  Jan.  24,  1960. 
She  was  the  oldest  member  of  the 
White  Oak  church,  Pa.  She  was  the 
widow  of  Hiram  F.  Ruhl.  Surviving  are 
one  granddaughter,  three  great-grand- 
children, and  a  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Longenecker 
church  by  the  home  ministers.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Alvin  Diffenderfer,  Manheim,  Pa. 

Shively,  John,  son  of  C.  H.  and 
Sarah  Garnand  Shively,  was  born  Jan. 
23,  1877,  and  died  July  29,  1959.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Manchester 
church,  Ind.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Susan  E.  Bingaman  Shively,  and 


iq 


three  grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Manchester  church 
by  the  undersigned  and  Bro.  D.  G. 
Berkebile  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  Oak  Lawn  cemetery.  —  Hubert  R. 
Newcomer,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 

Smith,  Chloe  D.,  daughter  of  Oliver 
and  Barbara  Ella  Replogle,  was  born 
near  Etna  Green,  Ind.,  on  June  17, 
1905,  and  died  Feb.  25,  1960.  She 
was  married  to  Roscoe  D.  Smith  on 
Nov.  24,  1921.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Syracuse  church,  Ind.  Surviving 
are  her  husband,  two  sons,  one  brother, 
three  sisters,  two  half  sisters,  and  two 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Syracuse  church,  with  the 
undersigned  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  New  Salem  cemetery.  —  W.  Har- 
lan Smith,   Milford,   Ind. 

Stout,  James  Albert,  died  Jan.  3, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Christina 
Parcel.  He  moved  to  Canada  in  1909. 
Surviving  are  two  daughters,  one  son, 
eleven  grandchildren,  and  fourteen 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  by  Bro.  R.  Truman 
Northup.  Interment  was  in  the  Queens 
Park  cemetery,  Calgary,  Canada.  — 
Mrs.  Barbara  Wade,  Lyalta,  Alberta, 
Canada. 


Church  News 

Northern  California 
Bakersfield  —  Our  school  of  missions 
closed  with  Bro.  Forrest  Eisenbise  tell- 
ing of  his  experiences  while  working 
with  an  American  leprosy  mission  in 
India.  Bro.  Graham  Lovelace  and  Bro. 
Sherlo  Shively  and  their  wives  were 
installed  as  deacons  with  Brother  Eisen- 
bise officiating.  Two  boys  doing  al- 
ternative service  in  BVS  and  working 
among  Spanish  migrants  at  Corcoran, 
Calif.,  told  of  their  work  one  Sunday 
morning.  The  junior  and  junior  high 
department  chose  as  a  project  to  buy 
a  goat  for  the  Ecuador  mission.  We 
voted  recently  to  observe  the  eucharist 
between  regular  love  feasts.  Three  of 
our  members  attended  regional  con- 
ference at  Nampa,  Idaho.  Work  is 
progressing  steadily  on  the  construction 
of  our  new  social  hall  and  several  Sun- 
day school  rooms.  The  women's  fellow- 
ship has  made  and  tied  relief  comfort- 
ers, rolled  bandages  and  sewed  cut 
garments  for  CWS.  —  Lottie  M.  Ross, 
Bakersfield,  Calif. 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 
Glendora  —  Our  school  of  missions 
with  Nigeria  as  the  theme  was  held 
during  the  Sunday  evenings  of  January. 
Bro.  Max  Baughman  showed  pictures 
of  Africa  one  evening.  Our  Sunday 
school  teachers  visited  the  Sunday 
school  classes  of  the  La  Verne  church, 
Jan.  17.  Our  women  were  guests  of 
the  women's  fellowship  of  La  Verne  on 
Jan.  26.  On  Jan.  31,  our  guest  minister 
was  Bro.  Herbert  Ruthrauff  of  La  Verne 
College.  During  the  month  of  Febru- 
ary, all  the  members  of  the  church 
were  visited.  Our  pastor,  Arthur  Bald- 
win, attended  the  regional  conference 
at  Nampa,  Idaho.  The  United  church 
women  of  Glendora  met  for  World  Day 
of  Prayer  in  our  sanctuary.  The  evening 
of  March  6,  the  a  cappella  choir  of 
La  Verne  College,  with  Douglas  Mc- 


AN    INVITATION 


Visit  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices  enroute  to  or  from  Annual  Confer- 
ence. Spend  a  few  moments  in  the  chapel  to 
pray  for  the  world-wide  work  of  the  church. 


Brethren  always  are  welcome  to  visit.  To 
accommodate  the  many  who  will  call  at  Con- 
ference time,  tours  will  be  conducted  at 
10  a.m.  and  2  p.m.,  Monday  through  Friday. 


TO  THE  BRETHREN 


Ewen  as  director,  gave  an  inspiring 
sacred  concert.  The  church  women 
furnished  refreshments  following  the 
concert.  About  once  a  month  we  enjoy 
the  junior  choir  with  Connie  Bowman 
as  director.  The  play,  Roger  Williams 
and  Mary,  was  presented  by  the  La 
Verne  College  Christian  association  on 
March  27.  Our  recreation  commission 
is  sponsoring  a  recreation  period  for 
members  and  friends  every  Thursday 
evening.  —  Mrs.  George  Ford,  San 
Dimas,  Calif. 

San  Diego  — The  mission  study 
groups  were  well  attended  during  the 
months  of  January  and  February.  The 
junior  high  CBYF  made  Christmas 
trees  of  foil  for  the  shut-ins.  They 
conducted  the  opening  devotions  for 
Sunday  school  one  Sunday  in  February. 


The  senior  high  CBYF  have  been  hav- 
ing some  very  helpful  and  inspiring 
talks  by  our  pastor,  Bro.  Niels  Esben- 
sen,  on  what  it  means  to  be  a  Christian. 
The  deacons  have  been  making  calls  to 
members  and  friends  before  each  meet- 
ing. Social  meetings  have  been  held  in 
the  church  basement  each  Sunday  eve- 
ning. Communion  was  held  on  World 
Communion  Sunday  and  April  3.  Bro. 
Donald  G.  Holsopple  spoke  on  the  rural 
and  the  urban  churches  at  one  of  the 
women's  fellowship  meetings.  A  prayer 
vigil  was  held  on  March  2.  Prayer 
chains  have  been  organized.  Since  Oc- 
tober we  have  shipped  451  pounds  of 
clothing  for  relief.    Our  annual  church 


MAY  28,  1960 


29 


3  '*  „ 

WINDOWS 


HALFORD  E.  LUCCOCK 

These  365  meditations  enable 
the  reader  to  look  out  upon  the 
world  through  a  different  win- 
dow —  with  a  fresh  thought  — 
each  day  of  the  year.  Dr.  Luc- 
cock  combines  vivid  illustrative 
material  with  his  own  sharp  ob- 
servations and  insights  to  produce 
devotions  that  are  alive  with  hu- 
man interest  and  vibrant  with 
wisdom.  Each  one  includes  a 
prayer  and  a  scripture  reference. 
$2.00 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  111. 


L 


birthday  dinner,  sponsored  by  the 
women  s  fellowship,  was  held  on  March 
11.  Bro.  Harry  K.  Zeller  spoke  at  this 
dinner  and  showed  pictures  of  his  trip 
to  Russia.  Professor  Dayton  E.  Root  of 
La  Verne  College  gave  the  morning 
sermon  on  Feb.  7.  A  pulpit  Bible  was 
presented  to  our  church  in  memory  of 
Brother  and  Sister  Clarence  Allen.  Bro. 
Claude  F.  Dadisman  of  Waterford, 
Calif.,  has  accepted  the  call  to  be  our 
pastor.  Brother  J.  F.  Burton  was  our 
giiest  speaker  on  Feb.  28.  Since  Octo- 
ber we  have  received  into  our  member- 
ship six  by  letter  and  two  by  baptism. 
A  new  church  constitution  and  by-laws 
was  adopted  at  our  March  council 
meeting.  —  Anna  Schriefer,  San  Diego, 
Calif. 

South  Bay  Community  —  During  the 
month  of  January,  we  held  a  school  of 
missions  on  Africa.    Some  of  our  guest 


30 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


speakers  were:  an  exchange  student 
from  Kenya,  Africa,  now  attending  La 
Verne  College;  a  Pepperdine  College 
student  from  Nigeria,  Africa;  and  Sister 
Lona  Hartley,  who  has  been  in  Africa 
recently.  Our  undershepherds  group 
was  reactivated  in  conjunction  with  the 
Call  program.  They  work  under  the 
leadership  of  our  pastor,  Bro.  Orville 
Gardner.  A  building  committee  of 
eight,  plus  four  ex-ofBcio  members,  was 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  inaugurating 
a  program  for  the  building  of  our  new 
sanctuary.  Last  church  year  we  re- 
ceived forty-two  new  members.  A  new 
membership  class  was  started  Feb.  21, 
with  an  enrollment  of  sixteen.  Our 
women  meet  three  times  a  month  mak- 
ing comforters,  rolling  bandages  and 
making  soap  for  relief.  Brigetta  Sigel, 
a  high  school  senior  from  Bittegheim, 
Germany,  is  making  her  home  with 
Lynn  and  Icel  Tilley  in  Torrance,  Calif. 
During  the  month  of  March  we  were 
one  of  three  churches  participating  in 
a  tri-church  preaching  mission.  Speak- 
ers were  Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr.,  Dr.  Allan 
Hunter,  Mary  Louise  Hooper,  and  C. 
Eugene  Sill.  —  Mrs.  Carl  J.  McBride, 
Redondo  Beach,  Calif. 

Colorado 

Bethel  —  We  had  our  special  mis- 
sionary services  each  Sunday  evening 
during  the  month  of  January.  Sister 
Mildred  Saffer  had  charge  of  the  serv- 
ices. Brother  Brain  was  our  guest 
speaker  one  evening.  During  the  month 
of  February,  our  theme  was  temperance 
and  clean  living.  Sister  Fike  had  charge 
of  the  evening  services.  At  the  last 
meeting  of  the  combined  boards  of  the 
church,  they  extended  the  call  for 
Brother  and  Sister  Fike  to  remain  for 
another  year.  Bro.  Carl  Beckwith  was 
our  guest  speaker  for  our  Holy  Week 
services.  We  had  cottage  prayer  meet- 
ings the  previous  week.  The  women's 
fellowship  has  sent  clothing  to  the  re- 
lief center.  —  Mrs.  Avon  Saffer,  Flagler, 
Colo. 

Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 

Lanark  —  The  Sunday  school  put  on 
a  Christmas  program  which  included  a 
pageant,  The  Tree  of  Life.  Our  pastor 
and  family  held  open  house.  Fellow- 
ship suppers  were  held  in  January, 
February,  and  March.  The  women's 
fellowship  had  several  work  days  dur- 
ing the  winter  to  make  comforters  for 
relief,  and  to  sew  for  the  Charles  Bieber 
family  who  will  be  going  back  to  the 
field  in  June.  The  communitv  gave 
generously  to  the  call  for  blankets. 
Valentine  baskets  were  sent  to  shut-ins 
by  the  women's  fellowship.  The  com- 
munity World  Day  of  Prayer  was  held 
in  our  church.  Several  of  our  members 
attended  the  special  meeting  called  at 
Polo  in  regard  to  the  new  Mt,  Morris 
home.  Our  pastor  is  conducting  a  mem- 
bership class.  The  father-son  banquet 
was  held  March  11.  On  March  18,  our 
church  led  the  worship  service  at  the 
Shannon  nursing  home.  —  Mrs.  Robert 
Livengood,  Lanark,  111. 

Milledgeville  —  Our  pastor  has  been 
conducting  membership  classes  for  the 
children.  Several  attended  the  Brethren 
Service  Training  Conference  held  in 
our  church.  Julius  Belser,  from  the 
West  Side  Christian  Parish  in  Chicago, 
and  a  BVS  worker,  gave  us  a  special 
program  on  a  Sunday  morning  and  af- 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in 
dividuals  or  families  to  relocate  oi 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com-j 
munities.  It  does  not  provide  for  the; 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  foij 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad-j 
vertising  may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Dl. 

No.  447.  Brethren  Service  needs  a 
director  on  a  maintenance  basis  for 
a  summer  work  camp  in  an  urban  area 
from  about  June  20  to  Aug.  20.  Op- 
portunity to  work  with  youth,  social 
agencies,  and  churches,  and  to  do  other 
things.  This  would  be  good  experience 
for  a  social  studies  or  other  teacher. 
Contact:  Social  Welfare,  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin, 
111. 

No.  448.  Needed:  Child-care  work- 
er between  ages  25  and  50  to  work 
with  group  of  junior  boys.  Person 
would  live  in  Larkin  Home  for  Chil- 
dren, 1212  Larkin  Avenue,  Elgin,  111. 
Phone,  SHerwood  2-1535.  Contact: 
Mr.  Fred  G.  Wells,  Executive  Director. 

No.  449.  Wanted:  Dentist  to  locate 
in  a  farming  community  within  ten 
miles  of  a  larger  city  of  25,000.  No 
other  dentist  nearby.  Located  within ; 
four  miles  of  a  newly  remodeled 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Contact:  Mr. 
Joseph  F.  Piesen,  303  E.  Pearl  St., 
Lanark,  111. 

No.  450.  Available  soon:  Adminis- 
trative assistant  or  office  manager. 
Twenty  years  experience  in  various  ad- 
ministrative positions.  Experienced  in 
sales,  personnel,  procurement,  and 
multiplant  administrative  liaison.  Ac- 
tive in  local  and  district  Church  of  the 
Brethren  activities.  Prefer  Dayton, 
Ohio,  area.  Contact:  Brethren  Place- 
ment Service,  Elgin,  111. 

No.  451.  Needed:  Housekeeper  in 
the  50's  for  a  male  adult.  Prefer  a 
person  from  Eastern  Pennsylvania. 
Reply  to  Box  3,  R.  2,  Hummelstown, 
Pa. 

No.  452.  Wanted  immediately:  Two 
men  to  work  in  cut  stone  yard  and 
plant.  Outdoor  —  indoor  work.  Steady 
year-round  employment.  Wages  begin 
at  $2.00  an  hour  with  good  opportunity 
for  advance.  Men  should  be  high 
school  graduates  or  be  good  at  arith- 
metic. Farm  or  construction  back- 
ground desirable.  Work  near  congenial 
and  active  York  Center  church.  Con- 
tact: Louis  Shirky,  18W514  14th  St., 
Lombard,  111. 


b 


C; 


ternoon.  Thirty-six  blankets  were  given 
for  the  emergency  relief.  Bro.  Merle 
Hawbecker,  Bro.  Clarence  A.  Stogsdill 
and  Bro.  Ray  Lubbs  have  been  guest 
ministers.  Our  pastor,  Bro.  Baldner  at- 
tended the  Midwest  seminar  on  alco- 
holism. Nine  books  have  been  added 
to  our  growing  library.  Two  of  our 
youth,  Joyce  Reiff  and  Sylvia  Kreider, 
attended  youth  seminar  at  Washington, 
D.C.  Our  church  is  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  religious  survey  in  the  com- 
munity. Groups  from  the  women's 
fellowship  visit  and  work  at  the  nursing 
home  one  afternoon  a  month.  We  held 
special  services  on  Tuesday  and  Wed- 
nesday nights  of  Easter  week  with  our 
communion  on  Thursday  evening.  — 
Mrs.  L.  W.  Kreider,  Milledgeville,  111. 

Polo  —  We  held  a  New  Year's  Eve 
fellowship  and  watch  night  service.  A 
class  on  peace  and  Brethren  service  was 
taught  by  our  pastor,  Brother  Zigler. 
Africa  was  the  country  studied  in  Janu- 
ary in  our  school  of  missions.  Fifty- 
four  blankets  were  given  from  our 
church.  During  the  month  of  February, 
our  church  fellowship  met  in  selected 
homes  for  a  church  at  home  series. 
Brother  Zigler  held  a  membership  class 
for  youth  and  adults.  Our  annual  fami- 
ly night  was  held.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Bow- 
man showed  their  pictures  of  Africa 
they  took  while  traveling  there.  The 
evangelistic  emphasis  meeting  with  Dr. 
Ralph  Holdeman  was  very  well  attend- 
ed and  very  inspirational.  The  annual 
bronze  medal  speech  contest  on  tem- 
perance was  held  and  one  of  our  church 
members,  Sheryl  Shank,  received  the 
prize.  —  Mrs.  Elery  Shank,  Polo,  111. 

Southern  Illinois 

Champaign  —  Our  church  observed 
World  Communion  Sunday.  We  held  a 
reception  for  the  eighteen  members 
coming  into  the  church  fellowship.  A 
successful  every-member  canvass  was 
completed  under  the  direction  of  Bro. 
Dan  Merrifield.  Bro.  Earl  Traughber  is 
our  moderator  for  the  current  year. 
Annual  Conference  delegates  are  Sister 
Margaret  Taylor  and  Bro.  Chris  Johan- 
sen.  A  church  directory  was  published 
this  year.  Services  are  held  Sunday 
evenings  with  emphasis  on  missions, 
temperance,  peace,  evangelism,  home 
and  family  life.  Elmer  Ward,  a  local 
policeman,  spoke  on  alcoholism  and 
gambling.  Fred  Gleason,  local  proba- 
tion officer,  spoke  on  juvenile  delin- 
quency. A  panel  of  mixed  races 
discussed  education,  housing  and  em- 
ployment. A  church  membership  class 
is  being  held  by  the  pastor.  Brother 
and  Sister  Harold  Royer  recently 
showed  pictures  and  lectured  on  their 
work  in  Africa.  —  Mrs.  Mary  Slade, 
Savoy,  111. 

Northeastern  Ohio 

Ashland  City  —  Eighty-five  youth  at- 
tended the  sub-district  watch  party  and 
service  with  our  CBYF  group  as  hosts. 
The  high  light  of  the  African  school  of 
missions  held  in  January  was  the  eve- 
ning Nora  Vesper,  a  retired  missionary 
after  forty  years  of  service  to  Free- 
town, Seirra  Leone,  Africa,  showed  pic- 
tures of  her  work.  We  held  a  day  of 
prayer,  Feb.  3,  for  the  work  of  our 
church.  This  was  followed  on  Sunday 
with  the  dedication  of  our  new  Sundav 
school  annex  with  Bro.  William  Beahm 
as   speaker.    The   west    section    of   our 


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on  your  vacation  trip 

Here  you  will  see  the  poly- 
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district  had  their  leader's  training  school 
Feb.  11-March  15  in  our  church.  Lead- 
ers were  Dr.  Bruce  Stark,  Bro.  Phil 
Learsch,  Sister  Mary  Lou  DeLong,  and 
Dr.  J.  P.  Prather.  The  pastor  led  the 
mid-week  Lenten  services.  Pre-Easter 
service  speakers  were  Dr.  Bruce  Stark, 
Bro.  J.  Ray  Klingensmith,  Bro.  LaFurd 
Young  and  Bro.  William  Walters.  Bap- 
tism was  held  in  the  evening  on  Palm 
Sunday.  These  meetings  culminated 
with  communion  and  love  feast  on 
Maundy  Thursday.  The  clean  life 
committee  is  co-operating  with  the 
district  to  revitalize  the  church  and  co- 
operating also  with  the  decent  literature 
committee  of  the  city.  Charles  Reinke 
is  in  1-W  work  in  a  Cleveland  mental 
hospital.  Eight  have  been  baptized  and 
three  received  by  letter.  —  Mrs.  Robert 
Carter,  Ashland,  Ohio. 

New  Philadelphia  —  Our  pastor,  Alvin 
Kintner,  was  on  the  radio  each  day  in 
connection  with  the  local  ministerial 
association.  A  special  evening  service 
was  conducted  by  the  CBYF  as  the  be- 
ginning of  youth  week.  Two  films  were 
shown,  One  Love  and  One  God.  On 
Jan.  31,  our  youth  was  in  charge  of 
morning  service.  On  March  1,  the 
Brethren  service  truck  made  pickups  for 
New  Windsor,  Md.  Also,  Bro.  Chalmer 
Shull,  a  veteran  missionary  in  India  for 
four  decades,  had  charge  of  evening 
service.  A  covered  dish  supper  was 
held  at  the  church.  A  special  evening 
service  was  held  by  CBYF  on  March 
13.  They  presented  the  play,  Your 
Church  and  Mine.    The  offering  went 


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THE  GREAT  DAY  — ARMAGED- 
DON (Rev.  16:13-14).  By  F.  O. 
Shank.  In  this  book  it  is  shown 
that  the  Book  of  Revelation  is  an 
expansion  of  the  little  apocalypse 
(Matt.  24;  Mk.  13;  Lu.  21;  2  Thess.  1 
and  2,  and  others.)  It  should  be 
read  by  every  thoughtful  Christian 
in  this  time  of  world  crisis.  Many 
ministers  are  praising  it.  List  $2.00 
Now  only  60  cents  postpaid,  while 
they  last.  Send  order  to:  F.  O. 
Shank,  421  Market  St.,  Brookville, 
Ohio 


to  the  heifer  fund.  Revival  services 
were  held  the  week  of  March  14-20. 
Bro.  Berkey  E.  Knavel  of  Roaring 
Springs,  Pa.,  was  the  evangelist.  —  Mrs. 
Robert  Goudy,  New  Philadelphia,  Ohio. 


MAY  28,  1960 


31 


Then  He  said  to  them,  "My  soul  is  very  sorrowful 
even  to  death;  remain  here  and  watch  with  me.  .  .  ." 
and  he  came  to  the  disciples  and  found  them  sleep- 
ing. 

Disciples  from  every  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
we  have  walked  with  Him  countless  miles  for  many 
centuries. 

We  have  endeavored  to  help  others;  filled  empty 
cups,  bound  up  wounds,  taught  the  scriptures  and 
preached  the  good  news. 

But  to  follow  Christ  today  demands  so  much  of  us; 
somehow  we  do  not  seem  to  have  the  strength.  .  .  . 
then  persistently,  relentlessly,  comes  the  thought  — 
dare  we  sleep  at  this  hour? 

"Could  you  not  watch  with  me  one  hour?"  One  hour, 
this  hour. 


'. .  •.M^:J&at$MiiM 


ARE  YOU  SLEEPING? 


The  future  depends  on  what  we  do,  what  the  world-wide  church 
does:  How  deep  in  Christ,  how  great  and  widespread  our  ministry. 
We  have  one  future;  what  will  it  be?  Will  Christians  of  "the  whole 
inhabited  world"  keep  watch  with  Christ  and  pray?  Or  will  we  be 
at  fault  by  default? 

Your  gift  through  the  Brotherhood,  given  as  an  expression  of  your 
gratitude  for  Christ's  love,  will  sustain  a  witness  transformng  lives 
in  hundreds  of  communities  over  the  earth. 


JUNE  4,  1960 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS   WRITE  .  .   .   to   the   editoi 

The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  ant 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JUNE  4,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  23 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

The   Ministry   As  a  Vocation. 

Galen   B.   Ogden    5 

Food  for  Peace    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Called   to   Be   a   Pastor. 

Stewart   B.   Kauffman    3 

A  Rich  and  Varied  Life. 

James  C.  McKinnell  6 

Voice  of   a   Seminary  (verse). 

Ernestine  Hoff  Emrick   9 

What  Happened  to  Joe. 

Dean  L.  Frantz    10 

A  Man,  A  Church,  A  Challenge. 

Berwyn  L.  Oltman  14 

Qualifications  of  a  Pastor. 

Galen  T.   Lehman    18 

How  Does  Your  Preaching  Grow? 

Charles  Bieber   20 

News  — 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 
World    24 

Overseas  Report  From  Central  Europe. 
Dale   Aukerman    25 

•        •        • 

About  Our  Contributors  — 

Stewart  B.  Kauffman  —  director  of 
ministry  and  evangelism  for  the 
Brotherhood. 

Galen  B.  Ogden  —  secretary  of  the 
Ministry  and  Home  Mission  Commis- 
sion of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board 
and  a  former  pastor. 

James  C.  McKinnell  —  intern  minis- 
ter at  the  Hagerstown  church  for  the 
year  1959-60. 

Dean  L.  Frantz  —  member  of  the 
Bethany   Seminary   faculty. 

Berwyn  L.  Oltman  —  pastor  of  the 
Kingsley  church,  Iowa. 

Galen  T.  Lehman  —  secretary  of  the 
Central  Region. 

2  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


The  Unity  of  the  Spirit 

I  was  much  interested  in  your 
editorial  in  the  March  5  issue. 
Would  to  God  some  way  could  be 
found  to  make  every  member  among 
our  102,000,000  (more  or  less)  pro- 
fessing Christians  believe  that  the 
real  church,  the  bride  of  Christ,  is 
not  the  often  too  ornate  buildings 
said  to  be  dedicated  to  God.  Yet 
often  these  are  looked  upon  by  one 
or  all  the  members  who  contribute 
labor  or  money  to  the  building  as 
"my"  or  "our"  church  with  no  one 
else  welcome  there. 

The  church  of  "one  Lord,  one 
faith,  one  baptism"  (Eph.  4:4-6), 
"one  body,  one  spirit,  one  God  and 
Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and 
through  all,  and  in  you  [us]  all," 
is  not  a  building,  nor  is  it  even  the 
assembled  association  of  some  par- 
ticular sect  or  creed.  It  is  that  unity 
of  spirit  Paul  strove  to  implant  in 
the  apostolic  churches. 

When  any  people  regardless  of 
their  secular  beliefs  or  nonbeliefs 
erect  a  building,  plain  or  otherwise, 
and  dedicate  it  to  God,  it  does  not 
in  any  sense  belong  to  them  for  any 
other  purpose  but  to  God  only.  All 
rich,  poor,  high,  low,  regardless  of 
race,  color,  or  creed,  social  and  eco- 
nomic status,  political  beliefs,  even 
those  considered  by  its  members  so 
ignorant  or  evil  they  should  be 
shunned,  should  be  made  welcome 
so  long  as  they  make  no  disturbance. 
They  should  find  there  the  precepts 
and  example  that  exemplifies  those 
of  Christ  not  only  for  the  few  hours 
the  members  spend  inside  its  walls, 
but  all  the  time.  —  Lottie  M.  Bolling- 
er, Vestaburg,  Mich. 

Help  on  Current  Issues 

I  am  a  housewife  and  I  am  inter- 
ested very  much  in  the  legislative 
department  of  our  church.  Even  if 
I  had  time  to  read  all  the  material 
concerning  the  issues  one  should 
write  to  one's  congressman  about, 
I  don't  think  I  could  get  it  straight 
enough  to  write  intelligently. 

Now  here  is  my  idea.  Would  it 
be  asking  too  much  to  ask  that 
someone  who  understands  the  issues 
reduce  the  material  to  plain  English 
for  folks  like  me? 

Maybe  more  people  would  be  en- 
couraged to  do  their  Christian  duty 
toward  political  issues. 

Perhaps  if  you  would  publish  this 
in  Readers  Write  you  could  get  an 


idea  whether  my  idea  would  be  pop 
ular.  —  Mrs.  Roland  Harding,  Si' 
Joe,  Ind. 

We  appreciate  Mrs.  Harding's  de 
sire  to  keep  up  on  current  issues  am 
her  desire  to  receive  a  simple,  cleai 
and  brief  description  of  the  issue 
in  order  that  she  might  effectiveh 
contact  her  legislators  and  he 
neighbors  on  current  political  issues 

Our  peace  and  social  education 
department  occasionally  distribute 
action  sheets  on  current  issues  be 
fore  Congress  and  the  country.  W< 
try  to  prepare  these  action  sheets  h 
as  simple,  clear  and  brief  a  way  a 
possible.  They  are  distributed  ti 
each  pastor  and  local  Brethren  serv 
ice  commission  and  to  others  upoi 
request.  We  will  add  Mrs.  Harding 
to  our  mailing  list. 

During  the  last  several  months  Wi 
have  prepared  and  distributed  actior 
sheets  on  the  following  topics:  De 
pressed  Areas  Legislation;  Shoult 
the  United  States  Give  Away, 
H-Bombs?;  Nuclear  Test  Ban 
Needed  Now:  Liberalized  Immigra 
tion  Policy  and  Compassionatt 
Refugee  Legislation;  Disarmamen 
and  a  Nuclear  Test  Ban. 

Pastors  and  local  Brethren  servici 
leaders  are  continually  encourages 
to  post  or  to  share  their  copie. 
of  the  action  sheets  with  the  mem 
bers  of  their  congregation  and  t( 
urge  appropriate  action.  —  Ralph  E 
Smeltzer 

Not  Closed  Off 

The  editorial,  "Lunch  Counte: 
and  Lord's  Table,"  brought  to  nr; 
mind  a  wonderful  experience  tha 
occurred  several  weeks  ago. 

I  am  very  happy  to  say  that  th< 
Brethren  churches  in  this  particula: 
district  don't  "close  the  Lord's  tabic 
off  to  some  worshipers." 

Communion  services  were  held  ii 
several  of  the  churches  here  durinj 
Holy  Week.  We  members  wen 
eagerly  waiting  to  participate. 

About  a  week  before  one  of  thi 
services  was  to  be  held  one  of  th< 
girls  here  at  the  YWCA  asked  i 
she  could  go  along  and  participatt 
in  the  communion  supper.  (She  at 
tends  a  church  that  has  weekly  com 
munion,  just  the  bread  and  wine.) 

On  our  arrival  home  the  girl 
rushed  out  in  the  hall  wonderinj 
where  we  had  been.  A  very  gooc 
discussion    developed   which   lastec 

Continued  on  page  8 


}, 


k 


to  catch  this  meaning  of  the  call 
of  God  in  the  life  of  the  Chris- 
tian when  he  wrote:  "I  there- 
fore .  .  .  beg  you  to  lead  a  life 
worthy  of  the  calling  to  which 
you  have  been  called,  with  all 
lowliness  and  meekness,  with 
patience,  forbearing  one  an- 
other in  love,  eager  to  maintain 
the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace"  (Ephesians  4: 
1-3). 

In  other  words,  men  are 
called  to  be  Christians  before 
they  are  called  to  be  farmers  or 
teachers,  carpenters  or  preach- 
ers, and  their  occupation  is  a 


he  emphasized  this  aspect  of 
the  minister's  life  when  he 
wrote:  "For  what  we  preach  is 
not  ourselves,  but  Jesus  Christ 
as  Lord,  with  ourselves  as  your 
servants  (or  slaves)  for  Jesus' 
sake"  (2  Corinthians  4:5).  To 
those  of  us  who  are  called  to  be 
ministers,  did  anyone  make  it 
clear  at  our  ordination  that  we 
were  accepting  a  life  of  servant- 
hood  —  or  even  stronger,  of 
slavery?  Nevertheless,  this  is  it. 
It  is  not  to  be  dreaded,  it  is  a 
high  privilege.  Our  Lord  was 
a  servant,  and  as  servants  of 
the  Servant  we  have  no  other 


CALLED 


to  be  a 
Pastor 


Stewart  B.  Kaurfman 


HE  New  Testament  says 
clearly  that  Christians  are 
those  who  have  answered 
he  call  of  God.  This  is  a  call 
o  a  redemptive  relationship 
vith  our  fellow  men. 

The  question  every  Christian 
nust  answer  is  whether  or  not 
lis  days  are  being  lived  in  ful- 
nillment  of  this  over-all  calling, 
poes  he  have  a  sense  of  Chris- 
tian vocation  so  that  his  occu- 
pation is  used  for  the  glory  of 
[ijod?  The  apostle  Paul  seemed 


high  calling  of  God  because  it 
is  used  to  help  fulfill  the  over- 
all call  to  be  Christian. 

But  within  this  general  call 
of  God  that  comes  to  all  Chris- 
tians, persons  do  have  specific 
vocational  calls.  Paul  recog- 
nized that  in  saying,  "His  gifts 
were  that  some  should  be 
apostles,  some  prophets,  some 
evangelists,  some  pastors  and 
teachers,  for  the  equipment  of 
the  saints,  for  the  work  of 
ministry,  for  building  up  the 
body  of  Christ"  (Ephesians  4: 
11-12).  The  purpose  of  this 
article  is  to  recognize  the  high 
calling  of  the  pastor  in  today's 
church,  and  to  do  so  within  the 
atmosphere  of  Paul's  statement 
that  the  Christian's  controlling 
goal  is  to  build  up  the  body  of 
Christ. 

Essentially  the  pastor  is 
called  to  be  a  servant.  His  ex- 
ample is  his  Lord  who  came  not 
to  be  served  but  to  serve.  Of 
this  the  apostle  was  certain,  and 


career.  "As  the  Father  has  sent 
me,  even  so  I  send  you"  (John 
20:21). 

Basically  the  pastor  serves 
Jesus  Christ,  but  there  are  two 
aspects  of  his  service. 

First,  he  serves  .  with  the 
church.  Too  often  there  has 
been  the  mistaken  view  that  the 
pastor  is  called  to  do  the 
church's  work.  But  this  is  as 
wrong  as  to  say  to  parents  that 
all  of  their  life  thev  will  do 
their  children's  work.  Good  par- 
ents recognize  that  they  will 
serve  their  children  best  by 
helping  them  to  carry  their  own 
responsibility  willingly  and  ef- 
ficiently. Likewise  the  pastor  is 
called  to  help  the  church  to  see 
and  understand  its  responsibil- 
ity, and  to  act  in  relation  to  it 
as  the  Master  Servant  would. 
But  the  pastor  does  not  do  the 
church's  work;  neither  is  there 
a  false  separation  between  the 

JUNE  4,  1960  3 


m 


llillli 


llSill 


llllii 


The  pastor  helps  the  church  deepen  its  commitment  through  his  preaching 


pastor  and  the  church  so  that 
one  points  the  finger  of  respon- 
sibility to  the  other;  rather  they 
serve  together. 

In  the  second  place,  there  is 
a  real  sense  in  which  the  pastor 
serves  the  church.  He  does  this 
without  apology  for  he  is  called 
and  trained  for  the  purpose  of 
helping  the  individual  member 
of  the  church,  as  well  as  the  en- 
tire fellowship,  to  find  his  high- 
est fulfillment  in  a  life  of  right 
relationship  with  God  and  his 
fellow  man.  He  cannot  legislate 
or  dictate  people  into  this  rela- 
tionship, but  he  can  seek  to 
gain  an  understanding  of  God 
and  his  will,  of  persons  and 
their  needs,  of  the  brokenness 
of  the  world  and  its  potential 
wholeness,  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  the  church's  task  with- 
in it;  and  he  can  serve  the 
church  in  ways  that  will  help  it 
to  lay  hold  of  God's  will  and 
purposes. 

This  he  does  as  one  who  loves 
God  and  who  loves  the  church 
of  God;  and  he  will  gladlv  give 
the  fullness  of  his  energy  and 
ability  to  serve  God  with  the 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


church,  and  to  serve  the  church 
for  God. 

Granted  that  the  pastor  is 
called  to  serve  to  the  end  that 
the  church  experiences  God's 
purpose  in  its  life,  how  does  he 
serve?  What  is  the  pastor's 
task?  His  role  can  be  stated 
under  three  main  headings. 

The  pastor  begins  where 
every  other  Christian  begins, 
and  that  is  to  give  serious  at- 
tention to  the  task  of  growing 
in  his  commitment  to  God 
through  Christ.  The  statement 
is  often  heard,  "The  pastor  is 
only  human!"  This  is  a  fact 
which  no  one  knows  better  than 
he.  But  so  is  the  church  only 
human,  and  the  glory  of  its  ex- 
perience is  that  it  has  been 
touched  by  the  mercy  and  pow- 
er of  God  to  which  it  is  now  a 
living  witness.  The  same  thing 
is  true  in  the  life  of  the  pastor; 
and  when  talking  about  his  role, 
it  is  right  to  begin  by  recog- 
nizing that  his  first  task  is  to 
seek  to  grow  in  his  personal 
commitment  to  God. 

James  H.  Robinson  observed: 
"The  right  to  say,  'Thus  saith 
the  Lord'  is  not  conferred  with 
the   degree   from   a   seminary, 


nor  by  a  process  of  osmosis  dui 
ing  the  laying  on  of  hands  ii 
the  ceremony  of  ordination.  I 
is  merited  by  a  pure  life,  conse 
cration  of  self,  discipline  c 
mind  and  soul,  faithful  listen 
ing,  and  a  willingness  to  b 
amenable  to  the  will  of  God." 

His  second  task  encompasse 
most  of  the  activity  of  his  day 
—  it  is  to  help  the  church  1 
grow  in  its  redemptive  relation 
ship  with  its  fellow  men.  I: 
order  to  do  this,  he  employs  cei 
tain  important  means: 

Preaching  is  one.  While 
great  deal  is  said  about  th 
foolishness  of  preaching,  it  sti] 
is  and  will  remain  one  of  th 
pastor's  chief  tasks.  Because  c 
its  importance,  it  deserves 
major  part  of  his  time  am 
energy  in  order  that  what  h 
says  is  worth  saying,  and  tha 
it  glorifies  God  and  edifies  th 
church.  The  pastor  is  a  preach 
er  and  he  may  never  dodge  th 
responsibility  of  being  the  bej 
preacher  possible.  For  he  an 
the  church  are  the  possessors  c 
the  most  glorious  truth  there  i 
and  it  must  be  shared  effective 

Counseling  is  another.  Be 
ing  in  the  position  of  the  paste 
he  has  the  sacred  privilege 
being  in  touch  with  real  lif 
problems  of  individuals  an 
families.  In  a  sense  he  is  in 
counseling  role  most  of  th 
time.  For  when  he  preaches  I 
visits,  teaches  or  meets  wit 
committees,  the  alert  pastor  : 
not  only  counseling  directly  e 
indirectly,  but  he  is  always  coi 
scious  of  developing  relatioi 
ships  that  may  be  helpful  1 
persons  and  the  church  in  tire 
of  need.  As  a  counselor  he  o 
ten  goes  to  people:  he  visits  tt 
sick,  comforts  the  sorrowirj 
and  aged.  In  many  other  cas< 
people  come  to  him:  when  the 
are  seeking  the  way  of  forgivi 
ness,  when  they  are  discou 
aged,  when  they  have  troub 

Continued  on  page  8 


The  Ministry  As  a  Vocation 


Guest  Editorial  by  Galen  B.  Ogden 


B  BELIEVE  in  the  Christian  ministry.  I  be- 
lieve it  is  one  of  the  finest,  if  not  the  finest 
vocation  any  young  man  can  choose.  It  is 
interesting,  difficult,  challenging,  rewarding. 

The  call  to  the  Christian  ministry  is  a  high 
ailing.  Indeed,  it  is  a  calling  from  on  high. 
t  comes  to  us  in  various  ways.  Some  men  from 
arly  youth  have  an  inner  conviction  that  this 
is  what  God  wants  them  to  do.  Others  hear  the 
all  through  the  church  as  it  seeks  out  men  of 
good  report,  lays  hands  on  them,  and  commis- 
sions them  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Still 
others  see  the  tragic  need  of  people  on  every 
land  and,  knowing  the  liberating  power  of 
Christ,  they  say  with  the  apostle  Paul,  "Woe  is 
me,  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel." 

A  call  to  the  ministry  implies  a  definite 
awareness  of  one's  relationship  to  God.  A  per- 
son may  be  involved  in  any  one  of  a  hundred 
Other  Christian  vocations  without  necessarily 
eing  aware  of  God's  presence  in  his  life,  but  it 
s  difficult  to  conceive  of  how  any  one  could  give 
Ihis  life  to  the  ministry  without  in  some  unique 
sense  feeling  that  God  has  called  him  to  this 
vocation.  The  very  nature  of  the  work  almost 
demands  it.  I  like  to  feel  that  the  words  of 
Christ  spoken  to  the  disciples  also  apply  to 
the  minister:  "You  did  not  choose  me,  but  I 
have  chosen  you,  and  appointed  you  that  you 
should  go  and  bear  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit 
should  abide." 

Now  I  do  not  mean  to  imply  that  the  minis- 
try is  the  only  Christian  vocation.  In  fact,  I 
am  quite  certain  that  there  are  hundreds  of 
other  vocations  that  are  just  as  Christian,  but 
I  cannot  think  of  a  single  one  that  is  more 
important.    The  ministry  is  a  high  calling. 

It  is  a  high  calling  which  challenges  a  man 
to  use  every  talent  that  God  has  given  him. 
No  one  has  too  many  talents  for  the  ministry. 
Most  of  us  have  too  few.  I  cannot  think  of 
a  single  talent  that  cannot  be  used  in  the 
ministry  —  preaching,  teaching,  singing,  drama, 
art,  recreational  leadership,  personal  counseling, 
office  management,  fund  raising,  landscape 
gardening,  radio,  television  —  you  name  it. 
Whatever  it  is,  be  assured  that  it  can  be  used 
in  the  Christian  ministry.  So  many  jobs  in  our 
day  require  only  one  or  two  specialized  skills, 
allowing  the  others  to  he  dormant,  but  here  is 
a  vocation  in  which  one  can  work  up  to  capacity 
all  the  time. 

The  ministry  is  a  high  calling  that  challenges 
a  man  to  use  all  of  his  abilities  to  serve  the 
whole  of  life.  The  minister's  work  is  not  limited 


to  any  particular  age  group.  He  has  the  re- 
sponsibility of  serving  the  whole  family  of  God 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 

Moreover,  there  is  scarcely  any  human  prob- 
lem that  is  beyond  the  scope  of  his  concern. 
He  helps  people  buy  property,  negotiate  loans, 
make  out  wills,  and  fill  out  their  income  tax 
returns.  He  is  vitally  interested  in  health,  edu- 
cation, and  social  welfare.  He  counsels  with  his 
members  regarding  the  marriage  relationship, 
the  disciplining  of  children,  the  care  of  the 
aged,  and  getting  along  with  in-laws.  People 
turn  to  him  in  times  of  crisis  —  when  there  is 
unemployment,  serious  illnes,  or  a  tragic  acci- 
dent. 

In  fact,  in  this  day  of  specialization,  the 
minister  is  about  the  only  general  practitioner 
we  have  left.  Even  the  "family  doctor"  is  rapid- 
ly becoming  a  thing  of  the  past.  Our  society 
is  more  and  more  in  need  of  men  who  see  life 
steadily  and  see  it  whole  —  men  who  can  pull 
our  fragmentary  lives  together  and  give  them 
meaning  and  purpose.  The  Christian  minister 
is  such  a  person. 

Finally,  the  work  of  a  minister  is  of  eternal 
significance,  since  he  deals  with  the  souls  of 
men.  Millions  of  men  are  assigned  to  jobs  that 
are  designed  only  to  please  passing  fancies  or 
whims,  but  the  vocation  of  the  Christian  min- 
istry is  a  high  calling  that  requires  us  to  use  all 
of  our  abilities  in  directing  the  eternal  destiny 
of  men  toward  God. 

Food  for  Peace 

PROTESTANT  and  Roman  Catholic  spokes- 
men have  hailed  the  recent  food  pact 
with  India  as  a  bold  measure  for  putting 
our  surplus  grain  to  constructive  use.  In  the 
next  four  years  a  total  of  seventeen  million  tons 
of  grain  will  be  sold  to  India  for  about  one  and 
a  quarter  billion  dollars.  Most  of  the  money 
will  be  put  into  economic  development  projects 
in  India.  This  is  the  kind  of  overseas  aid  that 
church  leaders  have  long  been  advocating. 

Such  a  constructive  move  in  the  direction  of 
using  our  food  resources  for  peace  deserves  the 
enthusiastic  support  of  all  Christians.  Further- 
more, it  should  be  extended  to  benefit  many 
other  countries.  Why  not  drop  a  note  to  Presi- 
dent Eisenhower  commending  him  for  his 
leadership  in  this  area?  —  k.m. 

JUNE  4.  1960  5 


In  retrospect  Ross  Murphy 
regards  his  fifty-six-year  ministry 


as  a 


Rich  and  Varied  Life 


IN  1904  an  all-day  council 
meeting  was  held  on 
Thanksgiving  Day  in  the 
Shade  Creek  church  of  Somer- 
set County,  Pennsylvania.  Be- 
fore the  day  was  over  the 
church  had  called  to  the  minis- 
try a  young  man  preparing  at 
Juniata  College  for  a  teaching 
career.  The  call  came  as  a  sur- 
prise to  Ross  Murphy.   He  had 


no  idea  that  the  church  was 
considering  him  as  a  candidate 
for  the  ministry,  and  he  had  not 
even  come  home  for  the  day. 
Nevertheless,  the  call  issued  by 
the  Shade  Creek  church  moved 
Dr.  Ross  D.  Murphy  into  a 
varied  fifty -six -year  ministry 
that  he  is  continuing  today  in 
the  Shippensburg  church  in 
southern  Pennsylvania. 


James  C.  McKinnell 


The  experience  of  being 
called  by  a  group  of  devout 
people  was  a  decisive  element 
in  the  shaping  of  Ross  Murphy's 
life  and  ministry.  "Their  confl 
dence  in  me  in  choosing  me  had 
as  much  to  do  with  my  accept 
ance  of  the   ministry  as   any 


ling 
|roi 

»y 

Sa 

d 

K«i] 

inc: 
was 

fflri 

Am 
fag  i 

Sun: 
jest 


itsii 
pasi 


thing.  The  Lord  called  me 
through  them.  I  couldn't  be- 
tray their  trust." 

Salaried  pastors  were  prac- 
tically unknown  when  Dr. 
Murphy  entered  the  ministry, 
and  until  a  salaried  pastorate 
was  opened  he  taught  school 
and  served  the  Plum  Creek 
church  as  supply  pastor.  Dur- 
ing the  summers  he  worked  as 
Sunday  school  secretary  in 
western  Pennsylvania.  Then  in 
1911  the  Roaring  Spring  church 
called  Brother  Murphy  to  be  its 
full-time  pastor.  Since  that  time 
he  has  served  the  church  and 
its  institutions  on  a  professional 
basis.  He  worked  in  Elgin  as 
field  secretary  of  the  General 
Mission  Board,  and  organized 
mission  study  classes  in  many 
churches.  In  1916  he  became 
fthe  first  salaried  pastor  in 
^southern  Pennsylvania  at  the 
HShippensburg  church. 

Following  his  pastorate  at 
JShippensburg,  Dr.  Murphy  en- 
■tered  the  educational  field  for 
■three  years  by  assuming  the 
jfipost  of  acting  president  of  Blue 
■Ridge  College.  He  then  moved 
■to  Philadelphia  where  he  served 
■the  First  Church  of  that  city 
Jpnd  held  an  assistantship  in  the 
■psychology  department  of  the 
BUniversity  of  Pennsylvania.  Dr. 
BMurphy  worked  in  Philadelphia 
Ijfor  twenty-three  years  and 
■there  developed  from  experi- 
pence  some  convictions  that  have 
Hbeen  vitally  important  in  his 
jjministry  and  in  his  concepts 
■  'about  the  ministry. 

Brother  Murphy  began  his 
djministry  in  Philadelphia  during 
■bis  early  forties.  The  fruitful- 
Id  ness  of  his  years  there  has  con- 
Hvinced  him  that  life  really 
'-(begins  at  forty  for  the  minister. 
NBy  then  a  man  has  developed 
lathe  ability  and  maturity  needed 
llto  meet  the  varied  demands  of 
lathe  church's  ministry.  At  forty 
a  minister  should  have  had 
I  enough  experience  to  enable 
lljhim  to  meet  the  problems  of 


the  church  and  of  people  with 
creativity. 

Important  in  this  growth 
toward  maturity,  says  Dr. 
Murphy,  is  a  broad  and  expand- 
ing knowledge  of  life,  involving 
an  intimate  understanding  of 
human  personality.  He  places 
a  high  value  on  his  educational 
and  learning  experiences  in  this 
regard.  He  entered  the  ministry 
trained  in  the  field  of  educa- 
tion, which  fitted  him  well  for 
the  task  of  communicating  the 
gospel  through  teaching  and 
preaching.  His  studies  in  psy- 
chology and  psychiatry  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  en- 
abled him  to  work  far  more  ef- 
fectively with  persons  both  of 
his  church  and  of  the  city.  He 
did  a  great  deal  of  counseling 
with  what  he  calls  "borderline" 
people  during  his  ministry 
in  Philadelphia.  Dr.  Murphy 
heartily  recommends  to  every 
minister  training  in  the  area  of 
human  personality  since  his 
basic  work  will  be  with  human 
beings. 

Living  with  people  and  learn- 
ing to  know  them  intimately 
has  been  the  strongest  point  in 
Dr.  Murphy's  ministry,  in  his 
opinion.  Every  aspect  of  the 
ministry,  from  evangelism  to 
education,  from  worship  to  ad- 
ministration is  made  easier  and 
more  effective  by  knowing  and 
loving  the  people. 

One  way  in  which  Dr.  Mur- 
phy has  expressed  this  convic- 
tion has  been  in  his  work  with 
young  people,  particularly  boys. 
While  in  Philadelphia  he  rented 
a  cabin  on  a  creek  or  lake  each 
summer  and  took  several  small 
groups  of  boys  for  weeklong 
camping  trips.  There  he  could 
develop  friendly  relations  in 
leisurely  hours  of  fishing,  swim- 
ming, and  Bible  study.  He  con- 
tinued this  practice  in  modified 
form  while  at  Greencastle  from 
1947-1954  by  making  an  effort 
to  take  each  boy  in  his  church 
and  teach  him  the  art  of  fishing. 


This  approach  to  outdoor  life 
with  Christian  young  people  is 
encouraged  by  Dr.  Murphy, 
since  it  maintains  flexibility 
while  meeting  human  need.  He 
feels  that  more  of  the  efforts  of 
the  church  to  develop  personali- 
ty and  Christian  relationships 
would  be  more  effective  if  flexi- 
bility and  common  interest  were 
maintained. 

The  years  in  Philadelphia 
have  convinced  Brother  Mur- 
phy of  the  importance  of  the 
ministry  in  the  city.  Not  only 
are  there  more  opportunities 
for  service,  but  a  city  minister 
can  accomplish  more  and  have 
a  richer  experience.  "Neverthe- 
less," he  adds,  "it  will  wear  you 
out." 

Some  of  the  opportunities 
that  his  city  ministry  presented 
were  truly  remarkable.  For  in- 
stance, he  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Philadelphia  federa- 
tion of  churches  shortly  before 
World  War  II  began,  and  he 
was  able  to  use  his  influence  to 
keep  the  churches  of  the  city 
from  being  stampeded  into  the 
sale  of  war  bonds. 

Being  able  to  transform  op- 
portunity into  advantage  for 
Christ  and  the  church  has  been 
important  in  Brother  Murphy's 
ministry.  The  predicament  of 
many  Brethren  boys  at  the  out- 
break of  World  War  II  was  an 
opportunity  for  him  to  take  part 
in  the  formation  of  the  first 
committee  to  offer  counsel  to 
conscientious  objectors.  The 
work  of  the  committee  was  in- 
strumental in  creating  Civilian 
Public  Service  camps.  His  hob- 
by, fishing,  and  his  time  away 
from  his  churches  have  been 
for  him  opportunities  to  serve 
and  enrich  the  lives  of  others. 

One  of  the  more  recent  op- 
portunities presented  to  Dr. 
Murphy  was  upon  his  retire- 
ment in  1954  when  a  call  came 
from  the  Shippensburg  church. 

JUNE  4.  I960  7 


The  Murphys  relax  by  the  fireplace  in  their  Shippensburg  home 


The  church  was  in  the  middle 
of  a  building  program,  heavily 
in  debt,  and  unable  to  support 
a  full-time  pastor.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Murphy  agreed  to  come  to  the 
church  on  a  maintenance  wage 
of  $1500  per  year,  and  since 
their  coming  to  Shippensburg 
the  church  has  recovered  its 
morale,  completed  the  building, 
and  is  rapidly  working  its  way 
out  of  debt.  These  have  been 
the  happiest  years  of  Dr.  Mur- 
phy's ministry  because  he  has 
sacrificed  most  in  this  work  and 
has  seen  a  church  resurrected. 

Dr.  Murphy  strongly  urges 
all  ministers  who  have  their 
health  upon  retirement  to  lay 
hold  of  the  opportunity  to  pro- 
vide smaller  churches  with  a 
full-time  ministry  at  low  cost. 
It  will  call  for  careful  steward- 
ship throughout  life  in  order  to 
have  resources  to  enter  upon 
such  a  ministry,  but  the  rich- 
ness of  the  experience  both  for 
pastor  and  church  is  well  worth 
the  effort. 

Looking  over  his  own  experi- 
ence, Dr.  Murphy  sees  several 
other  elements  necessary  for 
achievement  in  the  ministry.  A 
minister  must  be  good  and  de- 
vout, living  in  communion  with 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


God  and  doing  his  will.  Integ- 
rity must  be  reflected  in  the 
minister's  attitudes.  His  way  of 
talking  and  dealing  with  people, 
his  manner  of  walking,  stand- 
ing, and  sitting  all  indicate 
something  of  the  quality  of  his 
personality. 

A  minister  must  have  a  good 
wife  if  his  ministry  is  to  be 
effective  and  satisfying.  Mrs. 
Murphy  has  been  just  such  a 
companion  for  Dr.  Murphy 
throughout  the  years  of  his 
ministry.  She  has  been  under- 
standing and  loving  in  all  her 
relationships.  Her  training  in 
the  field  of  psychology  has 
helped  Dr.  Murphy  greatly  in 
his  personal  counseling. 

The  ministry  has  been  a  chal- 
lenging and  satisfying  experi- 
ence for  Dr.  Ross  Murphy.  It 
has  provided  a  rich  and  varied 
life  that  he  would  gladly  live 
again. 


Readers  Write 

Continued  from  page  2 

approximately  thirty  minutes.  It 
was  very  interesting  to  find  out  how 
everyone  felt  about  it.  The  girl  who 
participated  in  it  stated,  "It  does 
seem  as  though  communion  should 
be  done  that  way.  Why  don't  all 
churches  have  it  like  that?"  —  Pa- 
tricia Brate,  YWCA,  9th  and  Wal- 
nut, Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


Called  to  Be  a  Pastor 

Continued  from  page  4 

at   home,    or    when    they    are 
planning  for  marriage. 

Education  is  another.  The 
pastor  is  a  teacher  or  a  religious 
educator  in  small  churches  oi 
large.  In  most  situations  there 
is  no  one  better  prepared  tc 
teach  the  principles  of  the 
Christian  faith  than  the  pastor. 
While  the  pastor  usually  la- 
ments the  fact  that  he  cannot 
spend  more  time  in  the  actual 
teaching  task,  yet  he  is  func- 
tioning as  an  educator  in  num- 
erous situations.  He  teaches  in 
the  pulpit  and  at  the  prayei 
meeting,  in  the  home  and  class- 
room, in  the  classes  for  prepa- 
ration for  church  membership 
and  in  the  administration  of 
the  membership's  business.  In 
many  situations  he  is  able  to 
share  his  insights  and  faith,  and 
in  this  sense  he  is  a  teacher 


lith 
feacl 
fflii 
pa) 

Joct 

Mill 

me 
lirt 
is  to 
U\ 
iny 
soti 
le 
lid 
pi 
F 

liti 
ih 
an 

a 

V'O 

to 
jay 
Lor 


Administration  is  another. 
The  pastor  is  partly  responsible 
to  see  that  the  business  of  the 
church  is  conducted  in  a  clear 
and  orderly  fashion.  He  may 
not  ignore  it  in  order  to  "pay 
attention  to  more  spiritual 
duties,"  for  it  is  part  of  his  high 
calling  to  involve  the  member- 
ship in  work  that  is  appropriate 
and  meaningful,  and  to  help  the 
work  of  the  church  to  be  con- 
ducted in  a  businesslike  man- 
ner. But  this  is  one  area  of 
the  pastor's  task  where  much 
thought  needs  to  be  given.  For 
if  the  pastor  is  not  careful,  he 
can  give  most  of  his  time  to 
program  promotion.  This  is] 
especially  true  if  he  has  a  sub- 
conscious fear  of  preaching  or 
calling;  teaching  or  counseling. 
So  it  is  very  necessary  for  him 
to  see  administration  in  the 
right  perspective  for  it  is  an 
essential  part  of  his  ministry. 

The  third  aspect  of  the  pas- 
tor's role  is  to  be  a  leader  of 
worship.  This  is  purposely  not 
mentioned   under    the    second 


ex- 


iles 


tas 


H'f 


ai 


sei 


Il 


heading  as  a  part  of  his  task, 
for  it  should  not  be  equated 
iwith  preaching  and  counseling, 
iteaching  and  administration. 
While  these  aspects  of  his  work 
may  exist  within  a  worship  ex- 
perience, worship  is  not  con- 
ducted as  a  means  to  preach, 
counsel  or  teach,  but  worship  is 
an  end  in  itself.  Therefore,  the 
third  aspect  of  the  pastor's  role 
is  to  understand  the  art  of  wor- 
ship as  well  as  or  better  than 
any  person  in  the  congregation 
so  that  he  will  help  to  develop 
the  relationship  of  the  church 
with  God  in  the  sacred  hour  of 
worship. 

For  worship  means  the  recog- 
nition of  that  which  is  an  object 
of  worth.  The  word  comes  from 
J  In  old  English  form  meaning 
"worth-ship."  And  in  the  sanc- 
tuary of  the  church  on  any  Sun- 
day   morning,    or    during    the 
Lord's  Supper  or  a  service  of 
baptism,  the  church  is  there  to 
i  worship  God  through  the  use 
'I  of  appropriate  means  and  sym- 
he  bols.  For  worship  is  the  baring 
4  of  one's  whole  life  unto  God. 
a)  It  is  not  merely  ritual,  but  it  is 
using  the  best  means  possible 
in  order  to  experience  a  holy 
i  relationship    with    God.     And 
il  even  if   congregations   do  not 
iff  understand  it  or  express  it,  they 
he  desire  their  pastor  to  lead  them 
id  into   a   vital   relationship   with 
God  so  that  they  not  only  stand 
on    holy    ground    occasionally, 
cl  3ut    together    they    constantly 
oi  live  on  it! 

if      To  be  called  to  serve  in  any 
tj  task  in  today's  world  is  no  little 
matter.    But  the  church  must 
always  be  in  earnest  in  the  call- 
ing of  a  pastor.    For  when  it 
does  so,  it  is  asking  God  to  send 
a  man  who  will  serve  it  to  the 
end    that    they    together    may 
serve  and  worship  him. 
•       •       • 
Dr.  Alan  Walker,  Australian  evan- 
I  gelist:      "America    has    the    highest 
'  standard  of  living  in  the  world,  but 
™  it  has  probably  the  lowest  standard 
iDJ  of  satisfaction  in  living.' 


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Voice  of  o  Seminary 

Ernestine  Hoff  Emrick 

Give  me  your  sons,  your  manhood's  finest  flower  — 
Their  God  has  need  of  them  in  such  an  hour. 

Here  wisdom  waits,  to  crown  the  brow  of  youth; 
Here,  soil  where  rooting  faith  may  grow  erect, 
And  nourishment  when  thirsting  intellect 
Draws  deeply  from  the  ample  breast  of  truth. 

Here  is  that  holy  ground  where  men  behold 
Their  burning  bush.    And  I  have  pastures  where 
Apprentice  shepherds  learn  to  tend  with  care 
Their  little  flocks,  and  bring  them  to  the  fold. 

They  shall  have  tongues,  clear  as  a  sounding  bell 
Whose  utterance  is  eloquent  delight, 
That  pulpit  voice  and  steeple  chime  unite 
In  one  immortal  song,  and  sing  it  well. 

Such  mighty  dreams  as  prophethood  demands 
Are  mine  to  give,  and  wings  for  fledgling  prayers 
To  soar  upon.    Christ's  ministry  is  theirs 
Who  wear  their  love  as  gloves  on  serving  hands. 

The  posture  of  the  cross  becomes  their  own 
Whose  arms  reach  wide  to  every  fellow  man 
And  eyes  look  to  their  God.    In  such  a  span 
Meet  earth  and  heaven,  this  their  common  zone. 

I  point  to  holy  footprints  that  inspire 
A  pilgrimage  of  life.    And  I  shall  mold 
All  into  such  a  vessel  as  will  hold 
Wine  of  His  spirit,  flame  of  His  living  fire. 

These  are  your  servants,  more  than  manhood's  flower: 
I  give  them  back  to  you  for  such  an  hour. 

A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  >,' 

JUNE  4,  1960 


//  you  want  to  know 

what  seminary  training  does  for  a 

man,  start  reading  here 

and  discover 


WHAT   HAPPENED  TO  JOE 


Meet  Joe  Johnson  —  fresh  out 
of  college  —  and  fresh  out  of 
ready  money!  His  local  church 
has  called  him  to  the  ministry 
and  he  is  anticipating  his 
theological  training  at  Bethany 
Biblical  Seminary,  the  only 
graduate  seminary  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Joe  has  been  licensed  for  al- 
most a  year.  He  has  preached 
once  or  twice  in  his  local  church 
and  has  spoken  occasionally  to 
the  CBYF.    But  this  is  about 

DURING  Joe's  first  few 
days  on  campus,  a  be- 
wildering amount  of 
information  is  tossed  at  him  dur- 
ing orientation  sessions.  But  Joe 
quickly  discovers  that  Bethany 
is  more  than  an  academic  insti- 


10 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


the  extent  of  his  experience. 
And  as  he  contemplates  semi- 
nary, he  frankly  is  frightened. 
Joe's  mood,  as  he  fills  out  his 
application  for  admission,  is  a 
curious  mixture  of  anticipation 
and  uncertainty.  What  kind  of 
experiences  are  in  store  for  him? 
What  new  adventures  await? 
What  revolutionary  ideas  will 
be  thrust  upon  him?  A  thou- 
sand and  one  questions  flood 
his  mind.  But  let  us  follow  Joe 
and  see  what  happens  to  him. 

tution.  It  is  a  fellowship  of 
those  who  are  engaged  in  a 
quest  for  truth,  of  a  student 
body  and  faculty  who  are 
sharers  together  in  a  great  ad- 
venture of  finding  God,  and  the 
meaning  which  he  imparts  to 
every  aspect  of  life. 

As  Joe  looks  over  the  curricu- 


Decm  L.  Frantz 


lum  at  Bethany  he  notices  a 
good  many  courses  in  Bible.  He 
knows  that  the  school  is  called 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary  and 
recalls  that  one  of  his  dreams 
before  coming  was  that  of  learn- 
ing "all  there  was  to  know" 
about  the  Bible. 

He  soon  finds  himself  en- 
rolled in  survey  courses  in  Old 
and  New  Testaments.  "All  there 
is  to  know  about  the  Bible" 
keeps  growing  and  growing! 
There  is  the  history  of  the  times 
described  in  the  Bible,  and  the 
interesting  story  of  how  its  dif- 
ferent parts  came  to  be  written. 
There  are  the  customs  of  the 
people  reflected  in  its  pages 
and  many  interesting  lines  of 
research  about  which  he  has 


heard  only  faint  echoes  before: 
1  archeology,  the  study  of  ancient 
manuscripts,  the  intricate  prob- 
lem of  sources,  the  task  of 
translation  and  the  differences 
lamong  translations.  Soon  he 
'begins  to  get  hold  of  great 
central  threads  holding  the 
Scriptures  together:  the  mighty 
acts  of  God,  the  call  and  prepa- 
ration of  a  people  of  God,  the 
decisive  redemptive  work  in 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  rise  of  the 
church. 

Joe's  Biblical  horizons  lift 
faster  than  his  knowledge 
grows.  The  more  he  learns  the 
II  more  he  discovers  there  is  yet 
II  to  learn!    On  and  on  he  goes, 

I  beyond  survey  to  more  ad- 
Hvanced  studies  in  this  book  of 

II  the  Bible  and  that,  on  into  Bib- 
II  lical  theology,  into  preaching 
||  values  in  the  Bible,  into  special 
II  seminars  and  research  courses 
j|  suited  to  his  needs  and  abilities. 

As  he  comes  up  to  graduation 
he  looks  back  and  realizes  that 
since  he  entered  seminary  he 
has  come  a  long  way  in  his  ap- 
preciation of  the  contents  and 
meaning  of  the  Scriptures.  As 
he  looks  forward,  he  knows  that 
what  he  has  received  is  really 
just  a  starter,  but  the  beginning 
of  a  lifelong  ministry  of  the 
Word. 


Joe  came  to  Bethany  suppos- 
ing that  he  could  fill  in  the 
empty  spots  in  his  theology  with 
the  Brethren  "party  line."  Is  he 
ever  surprised  to  discover  an 
almost  bewildering  variety  of 
opinions  and  currents  in  the 
theological  world :  neo-ortho- 
doxy,  liberalism,  conservatism, 
existentialism.  And  what  is 
worse  —  in  this  battle  of  "isms," 
Joe  cannot  find  a  "party  line." 
While  Joe  is  being  exposed  to 
various  theological  positions,  he 
also  has  the  opportunity  to  see 
and  hear  men  who  represent 
these  positions.  Chapel  be- 
comes, in  a  very  real  way,  the 
anvil  for  his  faith.  Here  he  can 
participate  in  a  union  of  intel- 
lectual and  spiritual  faith  as  he 
encounters  such  men  as  Charles 
Wells,  Kermit  Eby,  Alan  Red- 
path,  William  Hordern,  Edward 
Ziegler  and  a  host  of  other  men 
on  the  frontiers  of  the  Christian 
ministry.  Sometimes  a  more  ex- 
tended meeting  takes  place  at 
the  time  of  special  lectureships. 
Bryan  de  Kretser  of  Ceylon, 
Reuel  Howe,  W.  F.  Albright  are 
just  a  few  of  the  great  men  he 
can  engage  in  conversation. 

Joe  soon  loses  his  feeling  of 
bewilderment.  His  new  insights 
and  experiences  instead  give 
him  the  opportunity  and  free- 


dom to  work  through  his 
doubts,  his  misgivings  and  his 
indecision.  Joe  never  does  de- 
velop a  "party  line,"  but  as  he 
talks  with  other  seminary  stu- 
dents in  the  Chicago  area  at 
basketball  games  and  inter- 
seminary  fellowships  he  soon 
realizes  that  he  does  indeed 
belong  to  a  specific  tradi- 
tion. Bewilderment,  struggle, 
encounter,  give-and-take  —  all 
lead  to  a  mature  Joe  not  only 
ready  but  eager  to  share,  not 
just  some  words,  but  the  Word, 
the  "good  news"  which  comes 
to  have  increasing  meaning  for 
him. 

Joe  enters  his  first  preaching 
class  with  fear  and  trembling. 
How  can  he  preach  in  front  of 
the  whole  class  —  and  then  lis- 
ten to  an  evaluation  of  his  ser- 
mon? Joe  is  humble  enough  to 
know  that  he  is  desperately  in 
need  of  help  in  writing  and  de- 
livering his  sermons.  But  to 
preach  and  then  have  his  ser- 
mon evaluated  by  his  friends 
seems  like  an  invasion  of  his 
privacy.  He  soon  learns  that 
there  is  nothing  private  about 
preaching! 

And  strangely  enough,  he  dis- 
covers that  practice  preaching 
is  not  a  fearful  experience.  In 
fact,  it  proves  to  be  quite  exhil- 
arating. Here  is  a  group  of  men 
like  himself  —  each  of  whom  is 
struggling  with  the  problem  of 
how  to  communicate  the  truth 
of  God  through  his  own  per- 
sonality. Here  he  leams  the 
meaning  of  being  "members  one 
of  another."  Here  Joe  learns 
what  it  means  to  speak  the  truth 
in  love,  to  share  his  honest  re- 
actions with  another's  preach- 
ing in  such  a  way  that  each 
member  of  the  class  is  built  up 
in  Christ. 

Here  Joe  discovers  a  growing 
confidence  in  himself.  He  learns 
that  he  has  a  message  to  pro- 
claim, and  that  God  has  granted 


C.  E.  Faw  meets  his  class  on  the  History  and  Message  of  the  New  Testament 


JUNE  4,  1960 


11 


Faculty  members  are  available  for  personal  counseling 


him  resources  for  the  preaching 
of  the  good  news.  He  also  dis- 
covers that  he  is  not  a  silver- 
tongued  Peter  Marshall,  nor  a 
persuasive  Billy  Graham,  but 
he  is  Joe  Johnson,  a  preacher  in 
his  own  right.  And  he  learns 
that  one  cannot  preach  effec- 
tively, until  one  has  accepted 
himself,  and  has  dedicated  his 
own  particular  abilities  to  the 
high  calling  of  preaching.  So  he 
concludes  his  practice  preach- 
ing course  by  saying,  "I  thought 
this  was  just  a  course  in  sermon- 
building,  but  I  have  discovered 
that  there  is  much  more  in- 
volved —  it  is  a  time  when  a 
man  finds  himself,  and  learns 
how  his  total  personality  can 
become  a  channel  for  the  proc- 
lamation of  the  gospel  of  good 
news." 

Joe  finds  himself  faced  with 
tensions  which  he  had  not  an- 
ticipated. He  discovers  that 
graduate  study  involves  longer 
and  more  concentrated  hours  of 
study  than  he  had  in  college. 
He  is  aware  that  marriage  and 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


learning  to  live  with  another 
personality  demands  a  whole 
host  of  readjustments.  He  learns 
that  the  close  fellowship  on 
campus  raises  problems  of  inter- 
personal relationships.  As  he 
comes  face  to  face  with  the 
reality  of  actually  becoming  a 
pastor  soon,  older  unresolved 
personal  problems  haunt  him. 
He  begins  to  examine  his  mo- 
tives for  entering  the  ministry. 
As  Joe  faces  these  tensions, 
he  has  several  opportunities  to 
obtain  help  with  them.  As  the 
weeks  go  by  Joe  begins  hearing 
about  a  course  that's  different 
from  every  other  class  in  the 
seminary.  The  students  call  it 
the  "Human  Relations  Lab." 
He  really  begins  to  listen  when 
he  hears  his  good  friend  Bill 
say,  "This  is  the  greatest  thing 
that  has  hapened  to  me  in  my 
whole  life."  So  Joe  presses  his 
friend  to  find  out  what  he 
means.  Bill  says,  "For  the  first 
time  I  have  come  to  see  myself 
as  I  am.  I  used  to  think  that 
the  basic  problem  was  with  the 
other  fellow,  but  now  I  know 
that  my  fundamental  problem 


is  with  myself,  my  attitudes,  my 
sensitivity,  my  insight."  Joe 
thinks  that  sounds  great.  Bill 
goes  on.  "We  are  also  learning 
what  makes  groups  tick  and 
how  we  can  help  small  groups 
improve  their  functioning."  So 
Joe  enrolls  for  the  course,  Group 
Dynamics,  in  which  he  has  a 
chance  to  test  his  attitudes  and 
actions  with  a  group  who  under- 
stand and  accept  him.  He  also 
learns  that  faculty  members  are 
available  for  personal  counsel- 
ing individually  or  in  groups. 
Or,  within  the  student  fellow- 
ship there  are  opportunities  for 
informal  discussions  with  other 
students,  as  a  check  on  his  own 
ideas. 

Strangely  enough,  Joe  finds 
that  when  he  is  able  to  solve 
some  of  his  personal  tensions, 
some  of  his  theological  prob- 
lems are  also  solved. 

But  what  about  Joe's  inner 
life,  the  very  soul  of  him?  It 
would  be  sheer  tragedy  if  he 
were  to  "gain  the  whole  world" 
in  the  field  of  scholarship,  learn 
the  techniques  of  preaching, 
teaching  and  counseling,  but  in 


the  process  fail  to  develop  the 
spiritual  life  which  must  ener- 
gize all  his  other  activities. 
Bethany  provides  opportunities 
for  growth  in  the  life  of  the 
spirit,  too.  Perhaps  the  most 
enriching  experience  for  Joe 
is  the  privilege  of  attending 
chapel  services  three  times  a 
week.  Surrounded  by  windows 
that  depict  the  history  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  al- 
so its  outreach  in  service  all 
over  the  world,  he  is  thrilled  to 
join  in  singing  such  as  no  other 
seminary  campus  knows,  often 
led  by  Bethany's  superb  choir. 
He  hears  inspiring  messages, 
not  just  from  faculty  members 
but  from  leaders  of  Christian 
thought  and  experiences  in  all 
parts  of  the  world.  He  decides 
to  join  one  of  the  voluntary 
prayer  "cells"  of  which  there 
are  many  on  the  campus.  He 
also  enrolls  in  a  class  which 
studies  the  great  classics  of  de- 
votion which  are  the  heritage  of 
all  Christians.  So  Joe  discovers 
that  just  as  Bethany  was  con- 
ceived in  prayer  when  Brothers 
E.  B.  Hoff  and  A.  C.  Wieand 
sat  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  over- 
looking Bethany,  so  Bethany 
today  is  undergirded  by  prayer 
—  not  only  the  prayers  of  the 
students  and  faculty,  but  by 
the  prayers  of  people  all  over 
the  Brotherhood. 

Joe  soon  becomes  aware  that 
not  all  his  time  is  spent  in  the 
r  library  during  his  seminary  ex- 
perience. Part  of  his  curriculum 
is  on-the-job  training.  The 
seminary  calls  this  field  work. 
He  learns  that  this  is  a  very 
significant  aspect  of  his  training 
for  the  ministry.  Here  is  an  op- 
portunity to  test  some  of  his 
new-found  theories.  Here  is  a 
chance  to  gain  practical  experi- 
ence in  a  church-related  setting, 
along  with  his  work  in  the  class- 
room. These  opportunities  in- 
clude work  with  community 
children  in  the  club  program  of 
a  local  church,  teaching  in  re- 


leased-time  classes  in  weekday 
religious  education,  or  serving 
as  a  regular  teacher  of  a  Sunday 
school  class. 

He  also  learns  that  a  great 
human  laboratory  like  Chicago 
offers  numerous  opportunities 
for  various  kinds  of  Christian 
service,  teaching  classes  of  boys 
in  a  school  to  which  the 
court  sends  delinquent  children, 
preaching  in  rescue  missions  on 
Skid  Row,  visiting  newcomers 
of  other  racial  backgrounds  who 
come  to  the  city,  and  working 
in  hospitals  as  chaplains.  There 
are  also  opportunities  to  serve 
as  assistant  pastors  or  youth 
workers  in  churches  of  many 
denominations  throughout  the 
city. 

In  addition  to  these  many 
opportunities,  Joe  learns  that 
every  student  is  expected  to 
serve  in  two  summer  pastorates. 
After  his  first  summer,  where 
for  the  first  time  he  has  com- 
plete charge  of  a  church,  he 
writes  back  to  the  seminary  in 
glowing  terms,  "This  has  been 
a  very  rewarding  experience  — 
to  be  able  to  share  for  a  few 
short  weeks  the  lives,  sorrows, 
joys  and  worship  of  a  wonder- 
ful group  of  people." 

Information  is  also  shared 
with  Joe  regarding  the  intern 
program.  This  is  an  elective 
program  between  the  middler 
and  senior  years,  in  which  some 
students  are  able  to  serve  a 
year's  internship  in  a  local 
church  under  the  direction  and 
supervision  of  a  qualified  pas- 
tor. He  realizes  that  this  will 
add  another  year  to  his  semi- 
nary work  but  he  looks  forward 
to  the  possibility,  because  it  is 
an  excellent  opportunity  to  see 
firsthand  the  working  of  a  local 
church,  and  to  receive  counsel 
at  the  hands  of  one  who  has 
served  his  church  and  his  Lord 
for  many  years. 

At  this  point  we  must  leave 
Joe.  But  you  will  be  seeing  him 
somewhere  in  the  Brotherhood. 


A  few  years  from  now,  he  will 
be  one  of  the  group  of  gradu- 
ates from  Bethany  Biblical 
Seminary  who  go  forth  to  serve 
Christ  and  his  church.  So  be 
looking  for  Joe,  for  he  may  be 
the  pastor  of  your  church.  But 
wherever  he  is,  you  will  know 
that  he  has  been  given  the  finest 
preparation  for  the  Christian 
ministry  that  the  church  can 
provide.  He  does  not  know  all 
the  answers,  but  he  does  say 
with  humility  and  with  deep 
conviction,  "I  know  whom  I 
have  believed  and  I  am  sure 
that  he  is  able  to  guard  until 
that  Day  what  has  been  en- 
trusted to  me"  (2  Tim.  1:12). 


Concerning  the  Cover 

+  The  United  Christian  Youth 
Movement  developed  symbols  repre- 
senting the  five  program  areas  of  the 
youth  fellowship  organization,  one 
of  which  appears  on  the  cover  of 
this  issue.  Vernard  Eller,  then  youth 
editor,  wrote  interpretation  for  each 
of  the  seals.  Excerpts  from  his  writ- 
ing interpreting  the  symbol  for  Wit- 
ness follow: 

This  symbol  .  .  .  displays  strong 
verticals  of  white  in  the  background. 
They  speak  of  God's  presence,  for 
he  is  the  content  of  our  witness;  it 
is  the  flame  of  his  Spirit  that  moti- 
vates our  witness;  and  it  is  in  the 
power  of  his  grace  that  we  endure 
the  exaction  of  witnessing. 

.  .  .  the  unclothed  human  figure 
.  .  .  bears  no  hint  of  indecency; 
it  is  unclothed  for  a  purpose  —  in 
order  that  it  might  represent  all  men, 
not  just  those  who  wear  a  certain 
style  of  clothing.  For  the  highest 
gift,  the  gift  of  the  Christian  witness, 
is  available  to  all;  it  is  your  privilege 
—  and  responsibility  —  to  make  it 
your  own. 

The  posture  of  the  man  is  signifi- 
cant. He  bears  a  cross;  he  knows 
what  is  at  the  heart  and  core  of  the 
Christian  witness.  Christ  said,  "And 
I,  when  I  am  lifted  up  from  the 
earth,  will  draw  all  men  to  myself" 
(John  12:32).  The  man  is  doing  his 
share  of  the  lifting,  in  order  that 
Christ  may  be  seen  and,  once  seen, 
he  may  save.  It  is  not  an  easy  job, 
this  lifting;  .  .  .  But  his  attitude, 
though  that  of  strain,  is  not  that  of 
defeat.  It  is  in  the  power  of  God 
that  he  witnesses;  and  no  one  can 
look  upon  him  without  declaring  that 
God  is  really  at  hand. 


JUNE  4,   1960 


13 


Berwyn  L.  Oltman 


What  does  it  take  to 

provide  a  rural  ministry? 

In  Slifer,  Iowa,  they  say 

it  is  a  combination  of 


A  Man,  A  Church,  > 


TAKE  an  unexpected  op- 
portunity, then  work  to 
meet  the  challenge  —  this 
has  been  the  experience  of  the 
Slifer  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  northern  Iowa. 

Recently  the  Slifer  church 
was  enlarged  and  remodeled. 
The  project  began  back  in  1956 
with  an  informal  conversation 
about  a  vacated  Danish  Luther- 
an Church,  which  was  located 
three  miles  northeast  of  Slifer. 
Charles  Nettleton,  the  pastor  of 
the  Slifer  church  and  a  man 
who  has  a  remarkable  record  of 
facing  challenges,  talked  to  a 
member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
Church. 

A  few  days  later  the  Luther- 
an people  informed  members 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 


14 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


that  they  had  voted  to  sell  their 
building  to  the  Brethren.  They 
were  asking  $5.00  for  the  trans- 
action. It  seemed  like  a  golden 
opportunity  to  provide  needed 
space  for  Christian  education 
in  the  Slifer  church.  Five 
dollars  for  a  sanctuary,  com- 
plete with  beautiful  stained- 
glass  windows! 

The  Slifer  Brethren  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  great  opportuni- 
ty to  improve  their  facilities. 
They  also  faced  the  challenge 
of  hard  work  and  extra  expense. 
There  was  the  task  of  getting 
the  vacant  building  ready  to 
move,  the  work  of  digging  a 
basement  and  preparing  a  new 
foundation,  the  expense  of  mov- 
ing the  building,  and  the  prob- 
lem of  adapting  the  two  parts 
of  the  enlarged  building  for 
their  new   uses.    By  planning 


and  working  and  sharing,  they 
fashioned  a  church  which  will 
serve  well  the  rural  community. 
The  Slifer  people  and  Charles 
Nettleton    first    met    in    1940. 


Charles  Nettleton  in  the  pastor's 
study,  which  is  conveniently 
located  off  the  foyer 


The  Slifer  Church  of  the  Brethren  as  it  appears  today.  An  unused 
building  of  a  Danish  Lutheran  congregation  was  secured,  moved, 
and  joined  to  the  Slifer  church  with  a  large  foyer  and  the  tower 


Photo  by  The  Gowrie  News 


Challenge 


Jefferson  Mathis,  who  at  that 
time  was  serving  as  part-time 
i  district  fieldman  and  also  as 
pastor  of  Charles'  home  church, 
|  had  persuaded  Charles  to  visit 


the  Slifer  church  to  do  some 
"peace  education."  At  that  time 
Charles  Nettleton,  a  college 
graduate,  was  farming  and 
thinking  about  going  into  the 
teaching  field.  He  went  to  Slifer 
with  the  idea  that  he  would 
lead  some  discussions  and  do 
some  peace  counseling,  but  the 
Slifer  Brethren  thought  that 
they  were  getting  a  summer 
pastor!  This  was  indeed  an  un- 
expected and  surprising  oppor- 
tunity for  the  genial  young  man 
from  Minnesota.  Thus  it  came 
about  that  Charles  Nettleton 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  the 
Slifer  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
His  topic  was  "Meeting  Life 
Unafraid."  "But  I  was  scared 
stiff,"  Charles  adds. 

He  did  his,  best  to  meet  the 
challenge  of  being  a  minister, 
but  he  soon  realized  that  he 
would  need  more  training  for 
this  important  work.  He  en- 
rolled in  Bethany  Biblical 
Seminary  and  persuaded  Lola 
Harbaugh,  a  young  lady  whom 
he  had  met  at  McPherson  Col- 
lege, to  go  to  Bethany.  In  1943 
Charles  and  Lola  were  married. 


The  Slifer  women  are  proud  of  their  large  new  church  kitchen.   Mrs. 
Nettleton  washes  dishes  and  Mrs.  Carl  Schneider,  Mrs.  Beryl  Vinchattle,  and 
Mrs.  N.  A.  Erritt  assist.  Four-year-old  Charla  Mae  peeks  over  the  sink 

The  Gowrie   News 

■■'■■■■        ■:'.'.  "  {:{;         : 


During  his  seminary  days 
Charles  commuted  to  Slifer 
part  of  the  time  on  a  bi- 
monthly schedule.  When  the 
Nettletons  were  graduated  from 
Bethany  in  1945,  they  respond- 
ed to  the  call  to  return  to  Slifer. 

Soon  after  the  Nettletons  had 
moved  to  Slifer  there  arose  an 
opportunity  to  purchase  an 
abandoned  school  building.  The 
church  had  no  parsonage,  and 
Charles  Nettleton  saw  the  va- 
cant building  as  the  answer  to 
a  real  need.  With  the  help  of 
other  Brethren  men  from  the 
area  the  Slifer  men  completely 
remodeled  the  building,  trans- 
forming it  into  a  comfortable 
two-story  parsonage. 

A  few  years  later  the  church 
had  an  unexpected  opportunity 
to  move  into  a  yoked-parish 
arrangement.  The  Congrega- 
tional church  in  nearby  Farn- 
hamville  was  without  pastoral 
leadership  following  the  death 
of  its  minister.  Since  the  Slifer 
congregation  is  too  small  to  ade- 
quately support  a  full-time  pas- 
tor, it  seemed  logical  that  it 
could  share  the  services  of  its 
pastor.  A  satisfactory  schedule 
was  arranged  for  Sunday  serv- 
ices. Pastor  Nettleton  meets 
with  boards  and  committees  in 
both  churches,  and  Mrs.  Nettle- 
ton works  with  both  women's 
groups.  For  almost  ten  years 
this  yoked-parish  has  been  in 
existence.  Both  churches  feel 
that  they  have  a  full-time  pas- 
tor. 

Charles  Nettleton  and  his 
parishioners  are  aware  of  some 
tremendous  problems  which  are 
facing  rural  people  today. 
Farms  are  getting  larger,  and 
several    families    have    moved 


JUNE  4,  I960 


15 


away.  Young  people  leave  the 
farm  to  find  work.  There  is  the 
problem  of  absentee  ownership. 
Although  most  of  the  farm 
people  have  satisfactory  tenant- 
owner  relationships,  there  is 
not  the  feeling  of  stability 
which  comes  with  ownership  of 
the  land.  The  reduction  in  farm 
income  has  also  created  some 
problems.  More  farm  men  are 
working  in  town,  and  some  of 
the  wives  are  working.  Un- 
doubtedly the  surplus  of  farm 
commodities  has  something  to 
do  with  the  problems.  The 
Slifer  people  are  very  much 
aware  of  the  surplus  situation; 
their  church  is  surrounded  by 
government  storage  bins  filled 
with  corn.  Members  of  the 
Slifer  church  belong  to  two  dif- 
ferent national  farm  organiza- 
tions. There  is  often  spirited 
discussion  about  farm  problems 
and  policies. 

Add  to  the  problems  which 
all  farm  people  are  facing  the 
problems  of  a  small  rural  church 
in  an  indefinite  community,  and 
you  come  up  with  some  big 
challenges  which  the  Slifer 
Church  of  the  Brethren  faces 
today.  The  church  is  situated 
just  one  mile  from  the  county 
line;  thus  the  members  are 
pulled  different  directions  to 
transact  business.  For  several 
years  three  or  four  different 
telephone  companies  served  the 
community,  and  that  led  to 
complications  in  communica- 
tion. Different  schools  divide 
the  community  also.  Recent  re- 
organizations have  reduced  the 
number  of  schools  but  have  not 
eliminated  the  division.  Pastor 
Nettleton  served  on  the  school 
board  at  the  time  the  reorgan- 
ized district  which  includes 
Somers,  Rinard,  and  Farnham- 
ville  was  established.  The  two 
older  Nettleton  children,  Roger 
and  Donna,  and  several  other 
children  in  the  church  fellow- 


ship attend  schools  in  this  dis- 
trict. But  other  children  in  the 
church  go  to  Gowrie.  In  spite 
of  all  of  the  divisive  factors, 
however,  there  is  a  definite 
community  spirit.  The  people 
have  different  addresses,  but 
they  all  say  with  pride,  "We're 
from  Slifer."  A  Farm  Bureau 
hall  has  served  as  a  center  for 
neighborhood  gatherings,  and 
the  large  new  social  rooms  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  are 
being  used  more  and  more. 

The  growth  of  the  Slifer 
church  has  been  slow  but 
steady  since  it  was  established 
in  1909.  The  area  is  strongly 
Lutheran,  and  the  Brethren 
have  often  been  misunderstood 
and  regarded  as  "peculiar."  But 
the  witness  has  been  effective. 
Dedicated  men  like  Lee  Fisher, 
a  minister  and  for  many  years 


owner  and  operator  of  a  grocer)) 
store  in  Rinard,  have  won  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the 
people  in  the  area.  Pastor  Net- 
tleton is  convinced  that  people 
in  a  small  church  need  to  work 
a  lot  harder  to  win  the  un-i 
churched  people  of  the  com- 
munity. "Three  families  came 
into  our  church  because  they 
were  contacted  by  neighbors," 
he  reports.  There  are  several 
different  denominational  back- 
grounds in  the  fellowship,  but 
membership  classes  and  years 
of  experience  in  the  work  of 
the  church  have  made  these 
people  strong  Brethren. 

The  Slifer  Brethren  seem  to 
be  just  as  prepared  to  cope  with 
economic  and  sociological  prob- 
lems as  they  were  ready  to 
take  on  some  unique  building 

Continued  on  page  26 


Ol 

charte 


and 
unit 
Ud 
in  th 

me 


cm 


Right,  the 

Congregational 

church  in 

Farnhamville, 

which  Charles 

Nettleton  also 

serves 

Below,  Pastor 

Nettleton  (right) 

meets  with  the 

trustees  of  the 

Congregational 

church 


The  Gowrie  News 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


On  June  5  the  District  of  Northeastern  Kansas  will 
charter  the  Cherokee  Hills  Community  church,  Over- 
land Park,  Kansas  City.  Begun  in  1957,  the  work  there 
has  been  a  home  missions  project;  on  Pentecost  Sunday 
it  becomes  an  officially  recognized  church.  Leland 
Wilson  is  pastor. 

James  Tomlonson,  a  junior  at  Manchester  College 
and  a  former  BVS'er,  will  be  director  of  the  summer 
unit  at  the  National  Institutes  of  Health,  Bethesda, 
Md.  Approximately  thirty  college  youth  will  participate 
in  the  normal  control  program  which  begins  there  on 
June   6. 

An  Interracial  Action  Institute,  sponsored  by  the 
Congress  for  Racial  Equality,  will  be  held  in  Miami, 
Fla.,  August  14  to  Sept.  5.  The  institute  will  partici- 
pate in  direct,  nonviolent  action  projects  against  dis- 
crimination. Contact  CORE,  38  Park  Row,  New  York 
38,  N.  Y.,  for  additional  information  and  application 
forms. 

A  voter  registration  project  will  be  sponsored  by 
the  American  Friends  Service  Committee,  June  10  — 
July  9,  in  Montgomery,  Ala.  The  purpose  of  the  project 
is  to  assist  the  Montgomery  Improvement  Association 
to  stimulate  and  encourage  the  registration  of  qualified 
Negro  voters.  Interested  persons  should  contact  the 
A.F.S.C,  20  S.  12th  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Brethren  Tours  will  have  a  party  of  thirty  under 
the  leadership  of  L.  W.  Shultz  leaving  on  June  17, 
1960,  from  Montreal  for  a  two-month  tour  of  Europe. 
A  fall  tour  of  Europe  and  Palestine  is  scheduled  for 
Sept.  15  —  Nov.  7,  1960.  There  is  yet  room  for  six 
more  in  this  party.  A  1961  tour  of  thirty-six  days, 
to  include  the  Long  Beach  Conference  (four  full  days) 
and  the  West  as  far  north  as  Lake  Louise  in  Canada, 
is  now  assured.  One  air-conditioned  bus  is  planned. 
If  interested  write:  L.  W.  Shultz,  North  Manchester, 
Ind. 

Of  the  9,286  boys  who  last  year  received  special 
church  awards  in  connection  with  the  Boy  Scout  pro- 
gram twenty-six  were  members  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  The  scouts  and  explorers  fulfilled  a  course 
of  study  and  action  for  a  period  of  at  least  a  year  in 
five  areas:  Christian  faith,  witness,  outreach,  citizenship, 
and  fellowship.  Protestant  churches  continue  to  be 
the  largest  users  of  the  Boy  Scout  program.  At  the 
close  of  1959  there  were  46,886  cub  scout  packs,  scout 
troops,  and  explorer  units  sponsored  by  Protestant  and 
Orthodox  churches;  141  of  these  are  sponsored  by  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  congregations. 

Daily  Prayer  Guide  —  The  Call  to  Discipleship 

Pray  for  willingness: 

June     6  To  respond  to  God's  call Matt.  28:16-20 

Acts  1:8 

7  To  follow  Jesus John  1:25-42 

8  To  tell  the  good  news Mark  5:14-20 

9  To  witness  fearlessly Acts  2:37-42 

10  To  be  disturbed Acts  8:26-39 

11  To  face  danger Acts  22:1-21 

12  To  be  obedient Acts  26:19-23 


First  Irricana  church,  Alberta,  Canada,  will  observe 
its  fiftieth  anniversary  at  the  time  of  the  district  meet- 
ing (see  The  Church  Calendar),  which  will  be  held  in 
that  church. 


The  Church  Calendar 

June  5 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  The  Golden  Rule.  Matt.  7:1-12; 
Luke  10:25-37.  Memory  Selection:  Whatever  you  wish 
that  men  would  do  to  you,  do  so  to  them.    Matt.  7:12 

(R.S.V.) 

Pentecost 

June  5-9  Leadership  training  camp,  Camp  Harmony, 
Pa. 

June  12  Children's  Day 

June  13-14  National  Youth  Cabinet  meeting,  Cham- 
paign, 111. 

June  14  Pastors'  conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  14-19  Annual  Conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  19  Annual  Conference  Sunday 

June  20-21  General  Council  of  Children's  Work 

June  28-29  Central  Region  church  extenstion  confer- 
ence, Manchester  College,  Ind. 

June  30  —  July  3  District  meeting,  Western  Canada, 
First  Irricana 

July  4  Independence  Day 

July  8-10  Central  Region  youth  conference,  Manches- 
ter College 

July  8-10  District  meeting,  North  Dakota  and  Eastern 
Montana,  Cando 

July  10-15  Southeastern  Region  conference,  Bridge- 
water,  Va. 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Pleasant 
Grove  church,  N.  G,  July  5-17. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Three  baptized  in  the  First  Irricana  church,  Alberta, 
Canada.    Eight  baptized  in  the  San  Diego  church,  Calif. 

Three  baptized  and  ten  received  by  letter  in  First 
church,  Chicago,  111.  Four  baptized  in  the  Bremen  church, 
Ind.  Eight  baptized  in  the  Upper  Fall  Creek  church,  Ind. 
Nine  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  and  one  by 
reaffirmation  of  faith  in  the  Flint  church,  Mich.  Three 
baptized  in  the  Sugar  Ridge  church,  Mich.  Twenty-three 
baptized  and  fourteen  received  by  letter  in  the  Trotwood 
church,  Ohio.  Eleven  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter 
in  the  Troy  church,  Ohio. 

Three  baptized  in  the  Bedford  church,  Pa.  Three 
baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  Hollidaysburg 
church,  Pa.  Six  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter  and 
one  on  former  baptism  in  the  Ligonier  church,  Pa.  Five 
baptized  in  the  Mingo  church,  Pa.  Eight  baptized  and 
thirteen  received  by  letter  in  the  Roaring  Spring  church,  Pa. 
Seven  baptized  in  the  Roxbury  church,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Five  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter  in  the  Bush 
Creek  church,  Md.  Six  baptized  and  seven  received  by 
letter  in  the  Round  Hill  church,  Va. 


JUNE  4,  1960 


17 


You  are  invited  to  listen  in 

on  a  meeting  of  a 

ministerial  committee  discussing 


Qualifications 

of  a 
Pastor 


Galen  T.  Lehman 


18 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


john  jones:  I  am  glad,  Brother  Secretary,  that 
you  were  able  to  meet  with  our  ministerial  com- 
mittee this  evening,  for  we  are  faced  with  a  very 
important  assignment  in  trying  to  find  a  new  pastor. 

regional  secretary:  It  is  always  a  pleasure 
to  meet  with  committees  faced  with  this  problem. 
Perhaps  it  would  be  well  for  us  to  begin  by  trying 
to  discover  the  type  of  pastor  that  Trinity  Church 
feels  would  best  serve  their  needs.  Have  any  of 
your  people  expressed  themselves  along  this  line? 

homer  smith:  Yes,  quite  a  few  have  indicated 
the  land  of  pastor  they  would  desire.  We  haven't 
been  able  to  hold  our  young  people  too  well  and 
they  seem  to  think  we  need  a  young  pastor  who 
can  appeal  to  the  youth  and  young  adults. 

Mary  carr:  Several  of  the  women  insist  that 
the  pastor's  wife  be  a  good  housekeeper,  and  en- 
tertainer. We  had  some  trouble  at  that  point  with 
the  last  pastor's  wife.  She  would  not  keep  our 
evangelist  for  a  week,  and  she  was  not  even  very 
active  in  the  Aid  Society. 

homer:  The  pastor  should  not  have  a  large 
family  for  we  have  only  two  bedrooms  in  the 
parsonage,  and  we  can  hardly  support  a  pastor 
well  enough  so  that  he  can  afford  to  have  many 
children.  It  is  very  important  too  that  the  children 
be  well-behaved. 

john:  Most  of  the  members  want  someone 
who  is  a  good  mixer,  and  takes  well  with  all  classes 
of  people  so  he  can  put  our  church  on  the  map. 
Some  of  our  pastors  have  been  too  reserved;  it 
helps  when  he  is  active  in  community  activities 
and  meets  people  well.  We  feel  a  pastor  should 
do  a  lot  of  calling  if  the  church  is  to  grow  and 
prosper. 

secretary:  This  is  helpful.  Are  there  other 
suggestions? 

homer:  Of  course  we  will  want  a  man  who 
is  strong  in  the  pulpit,  and  who  preaches  sermons 
that  are  popular  and  will  draw  people  to  the 
church.  We  have  some  rather  well  educated  people 
in  the  church  and  they  know  the  difference  be- 
tween a  good  sermon  and  a  poor  one. 

mary:  Some  people  here  feel  that  we  do  not 
get  enough  gospel  preaching. 

homer:  We  can  hardly  expect  a  man  to  sat- 
isfy our  congregation  unless  he  has  college  and 
seminary  training.  The  pastor  has  to  hold  his  own 
in  our  community  with  some  very  strong  preachers 
in  the  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  churches. 

mary:  The  people  in  our  church  don't  like 
a  pastor  who  insists  on  the  members  taking  part 
in  too  many  activities,  for  they  are  very  busy 
people.  Our  folk  refused  to  co-operate  in  the  Call 
program  because  they  do  not  like  to  ask  people 
for  money.  They  feel  that  it  is  the  pastor's  business 
to  win  people  to  Christ  and  the  church. 

john:  A  pastor  here  needs  to  be  pretty  dip- 
lomatic, for  we  have  factions  in  our  church.  I  hope 
we  can  get  a  pastor  who  can  stay  a  while.  We 
have  had  four  pastors  in  the  last  twelve  years,  and 
none  has  stayed  over  four  years. 


secretary:  If  that  is  the  case,  it  would  seem 
that  you  will  need  a  seasoned  and  mature  pastor 
rather  than  a  young  man.  It  takes  time  and  ex- 
perience to  learn  the  art  of  negotiating  differences, 
and  our  younger  men  should  not  undertake  sit- 
uations too  difficult  where  they  would  become 
unduly  discouraged.  Sometimes  we  forget  that 
congregations  can  make  or  break  a  preacher,  de- 
pending upon  their  spirit  or  attitude. 

homer:  I  hadn't  thought  about  that.  But,  how 
about  the  young  people? 

secretary:  A  pastor's  effectiveness  with  young 
people  does  not  depend  upon  his  age  but  upon 
his  attitude  and  spirit.  Some  of  the  best  youth 
workers  I  know  are  past  middle  age. 

john:  It  will  be  necessary  for  the  pastor  who 
comes  here  to  be  ready  to  make  some  sacrifice. 
We  simply  can't  pay  too  large  a  salary. 

mary:  I  think  preachers  these  days  are  entirely 
too  mercenary.  All  they  can  think  about  is  money, 
money,  money!  Many  are  even  harping  on  giving 
from  the  pulpit.  I  have  always  said  that  if  they 
preach  the  gospel  and  develop  the  spiritual  life 
of  the  congregation,  you  would  not  have  to  worry 
about   getting  the  money. 

secretary:  I  assume  that  this  is  a  rather  poor 
congregation   judging   from    your    conversation. 

john:  Well,  we  don't  have  any  really  poor 
people;  some  of  the  farmers  are  not  making  too 
much  money,  but  many  of  these  work  on  the 
side  in  factories.  But  you  see  we  have  only  180 
members.  We  have  been  paying  our  present  pastor 
$3600  per  year,  besides  the  church's  share  of  the 
pension  and  insurance.  Last  year  we  even  paid 
his  way  to  Conference.  We  can  hardly  make  our 
budget  now,  and  I  don't  see  how  we  can  increase 
the  present   salary. 

secretary:  If  your  congregation  has  an  average 
income  and  the  people  tithe,  you  can  raise  a  total 
of  at  least  $36,000  per  year.  Last  year,  according 
to  your  annual  report,  your  congregation  gave  to 
all  causes  $7,740  for  an  average  of  $43  per  member, 
against  an  average  for  our  entire  region  of  $75 
per  member.  Your  salary  is  currently  about  $1,000 
less  than  the  average  full-time  pastor  is  receiving, 
and  salaries  are  bound  to  be  considerably  higher 
next  year.  Isn't  it  a  pretty  big  order  to  expect 
me  to  find  a  pastor  with  all  the  qualifications  you 
mentioned,  at  the  figure  you  expect  to  pay?  Sac- 
rifice is  a  two-way  street,  and  applies  to  the  con- 
gregation  as   well  as  the  minister. 

mary:  But  what  can  we  do  when  the  people 
won't  give  any  more  money? 

secretary:  Discard  your  outmoded  pattern  of 
giving  and  church  finance.  Put  on  a  real  program 
of  stewardship  education  and  follow  this  with  a 
carefully  organized  every-member  canvass  where 
every  member  is  asked  to  prayerfully  indicate  what 
he  purposes  to  give  to  the  Lord  each  week  in  the 
light  of  what  Christ  has  done  for  him  and  would 


expect  of  him.  Provide  weekly  offering  envelopes 
for  each  member.  If  you  would  do  this,  you  would 
find  it  easier  to  pay  your  pastor  $5500  than  $3600 
you  are  now  doing,  and  in  addition  you  would 
have  money  for  benevolences  and  the  rest  of  your 
church  program.  You  would  also  experience  a 
spiritual  revival  in  your  church.  Until  your  church 
becomes  more  interested  in  saving  souls  than  in 
saving  money,  you  won't  even  be  able  to  attract 
a  poorly  qualified  pastor,  to  say  nothing  of  the  kind 
you  have  suggested. 

john:  Well,  if  such  a  program  gets  good  re- 
sults in  other  congregations,  I  believe  it  would  be 
worth  trying  in  our  church. 

homer:  Out  of  your  experience  as  regional 
secretary,  can  you  think  of  any  qualifications  for 
a  pastor  that  we  have  not  mentioned? 

secretary:  There  are  several  others  that  I 
would  rate  as  extremely  important.  It  is  essential 
that  he  be  a  man  of  God,  a  committed,  loyal, 
and  faithful  Christian.  If  he  has  basic  integrity 
and  a  love  for  Christ  and  people,  he  may  be 
lacking  in  some  of  the  other  qualifications  so  often 
considered  desirable,  and  still  prove  quite  effective 
as  a  pastor.  If  he  lacks  these,  he  may  have  the 
qualifications  you  previously  mentioned  and  still 
be   ineffective. 

mary:  I  never  thought  of  that  but  I  guess  you 
are  right. 

secretary:  Besides  being  a  man  whom  every- 
one can  love  and  respect,  it  is  very  helpful  if  the 
pastor  is  a  good  churchman.  He  will  love  and 
appreciate  the  church,  promote  its  program,  attend 
church  conferences  and  training  schools,  and  learn 
to  know  its  leaders.  You  can't  build  up  a  strong 
local  church  by  being  negative  towards  the  church, 
its  program  and  leadership.  It  is  helpful  if  he  is 
a  good  administrator,  for  "it  is  more  important  to 
put  ten  people  to  work  than  to  do  the  work  of 
ten."  The  church  can't  prosper  if  the  pastor  does 
all  the  work.  Tact  and  good  judgment  are  also 
valuable  assets  for  a  pastor. 

homer:  It  appears,  Brother  Secretary,  that  you 
understand  the  qualifications  we  need  in  a  pastor. 
I  can  say  "amen"  to  everything  you  mention. 

secretary:  Pastors  have  their  strengths  and 
their  weaknesses  like  everyone  else.  It  is  remark- 
able how  marvelously  the  Lord  has  been  able  to 
use  some  very  ordinary  people  in  the  pastoral 
ministry  when  they  are  sincere,  dedicated  Chris- 
tians, given  to  prayer,  surrendered  fully  to  do  the 
Master's  will.  You  can  be  assured  that  I  will  do  mv 
part  to  trv  to  find  a  well-qualified  pastor  to  serve 
your  church,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  want  to  en- 
courage the  church  to  do  its  part  in  supporting 
him  with  your  prayers,  generous  offerings,  and 
co-operation,  so  that  he  can  serve  most  effectively. 

john:  Thank  you,  Brother  Secretary.  This  has 
been  very  helpful.    We  see  things  in  a  new  light. 


JUNE  4,  1960 


19 


wpyiwuwm 


ll^i:  v^^^^^^^^S 


'ow  Does  Your  Preaching  Grow? 


Charles  Bieber 


PREACHING  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  Nigeria  is  the 
work  of  laymen.  Preaching 
schedules  are  prepared  in  the  aver- 
age congregation  to  indicate  who 
will  fill  the  pulpit  for  the  worship 
services  of  the  next  quarter.  In 
nearly  every  case  (less  often  where 
there  is  one  of  the  half-dozen  trained 
pastors  or  where  a  missionary  is  in 
residence),  the  preacher  is  a  layman. 
These  lay  preachers  are  self- 
trained  and  self-taught;  or  perhaps 
it  would  be  better  to  say  they 
are  Spirit-trained  and  Spirit-taught. 
Some  of  their  messages  are  garbled 
or  confused.  Often  their  ideas  are 
shallow  or  show  a  misunderstanding 
of  either  doctrine  or  people.  Some- 
times it  is  difficult  to  see  how  a 
particular  illustration  fits  a  subject. 
But  even  this  inept  preaching  seems 
effective,  and  some  of  the  messages 
are  excellent. 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


The  more  effective  messengers 
have  a  simple,  probably  a  one-point 
message.  They  illustrate  their  mes- 
sages from  the  world  with  which 
their  people  are  familiar.  They  in- 
tend for  their  messages  to  be  Bibli- 
cal; usually  they  have  looked  up, 
and  quote,  a  number  of  scriptural 
passages  on  the  same  point.  Their 
delivery  is  uninhibited  and  dramat- 
ic, with  a  real  person-to-person 
quality. 

These  better  messages  may  open 
in  one  of  several  different  ways: 

1.  "The  thing  I  want  to  talk  to 
you  about  today  is  .  .  ."  It  may  be 
"the  two  ways,"  "truth,"  "Satan," 
"God  loves  us,"  or  some  similarly 
basic  subject. 

2.  "There  is  a  certain  fable  which 
I  want  to  tell  you  this  morning." 
Where  these  fables  come  from  I  have 
never  been  able  to  decide.  Some 
are  familiar  folktales,  but  more  of 
them  seem  to  be  stories  deliberately 
devised    to    make    the    point.     The 


speaker  will  quote  from  the  other 
fable  may  be  only  a  selected  short 
subject;  or  it  may  be  the  full, 
feature-length  production  making  j 
up  the  entire  sermon. 

Two  well-known  African  fables 
will  illustrate  this  technique: 

A  young  African  Christian  named 
Sanji  suffered  severe  persecution 
from  relatives  who  left  him  one  day 
in  the  bush  bruised  and  bleeding. 
He  was  brought  by  friends  to  a 
Christian  hospital  for  treatment  and, 
after  remaining  there  for  only  a 
short  time,  Sanji  appeared  one 
morning  with  his  kit  packed  and 
ready  for  the  road.  The  missionary 
who  had  treated  him  tried  to  dis- 
suade him  from  returning  without 
further  treatment,  but  Sanji  stood 
firm,  and  justified  his  action  by  re- 
lating "The  Fable  of  the  Tortoise." 

During  a  year  of  drought  when 
all  the  rivers  and  springs  had  dried 
up,  the  forest  animals  came  together 
to  hold  a  conference  to  decide  what 
to  do.  The  big  animals  stood  in  a 
great  circle  and  solemnly  declared 
that  they  could  do  nothing,  that  all 
must  die. 

Just  then  a  humble  tortoise  who 
had  slowly  crawled  into  the  ring, 
croaked  out  that  it  was  not  neces- 
sary to  die  for  he  knew  where  they 
could  find  water.  On  hearing  this, 
the  leopard  attacked  the  tortoise, 
throwing  him  outside  the  conference 
ring.  But  the  tortoise  rose  and 
crawled  back,  repeating,  "I  know 
where  there  is  water." 

It  was  now  the  elephant's  turn 
to  show  his  indignation  against  the 
tortoise  for  daring  to  lift  his  voice 
in  such  an  august  assembly.  He 
threw  him  out  with  his  trunk.  But 
the  tortoise  only  crawled  back  and 
repeated,  "I  know  where  there  is 
water."  This  time  the  hippopotamus 
trod  on  the  tortoise.  But  the  sand 
was  soft  and  his  shell  hard  and  when 
the  hippo  removed  his  foot,  the  tor- 
toise rose  and  returned  to  the  great 
assembly  still  croaking,  "I  know 
where  there  is  water." 

This  time  a  thirsty  antelope  low- 
ered his  head  and  huskily  asked  the 
tortoise  to  lead  him  to  the  water. 
Off  the  two  started,  and  there,  in 
an  underground  cavern,  the  antelope 
drank  deeply  of  the  perennial  spring 
and  bounded  back  to  call  all  the 
other  animals. 

"Now,"  said  Sanji,  "my  village 
folk  may  treat  me  as  they  like;  I 
must  go  back  to  them  for  I  know 
where  there  is  water."1 


1  Adapted  from  The  Missionary  Month- 
ly, March,  1960,  page  5. 


Another  pastor  illustrated  the 
text,  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  his  righteousness  and  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  unto 
you,"  by  offering  a  bit  of  forest  lore: 

In  the  old  days  hunters  went  far 
afield  seeking  big  game,  such  as 
elephants,  hoping  to  come  back 
laden  with  tusks  which  they  would 
sell  for  high  prices.  The  wise  hunter 
keeps  Njamba  the  elephant,  first  in 
his  mind. 

If  a  litde  antelope  or  a  hare  should 
cross  his  path,  he  will  not  shoot  it, 
lest  he  exhaust  his  scanty  supply  of 
powder.  He  does  not  practise  shoot- 
ing birds  in  the  trees.  When  he 
comes  to  Njamba's  abode  in  the  for- 
est, he  stealthily  creeps  toward  the 
animal  and,  taking  careful  aim, 
brings  down  the  mighty  beast. 

He  sought  first  the  elephant,  let- 
ting the  unimportant  animals  go; 
now  that  he  has  the  elephant,  he 
has  all  things.  The  tusks  are  his, 
and  this  is  a  great  treasure.  But 
in  addition  he  can  exchange  the 
meat  for  all  the  antelope  he  may 
desire  as  well  as  meal  and  wax  and 
rubber.  "Seek  first  .  .  .  and  all  other 
things  shall  be  added."1 

3.  "In  our  midweek  service,  our 
brother  talked  to  us  about  the  tithe. 
Last  Sunday  morning  we  heard 
about  how  God  sent  His  Son,  Jesus. 
Last  Sunday  evening  we  were  re- 
minded of  how  clever  Satan  is.  To- 
day I  want  to  talk  about  the  Bible." 
A  sermon  begun  in  this  way  often 
weaves  together  the  four  different 
messages;  again  and  again  the 
three,  and  these  quotes  will  be  his 


basic  illustrations  for  his  discourse. 

4.  A  series  of  questions,  to  which 
the  congregation  is  expected  to  give 
spontaneous,  vocal  answers.  Ques- 
tion: Where  does  the  rain  come 
from?  Answer:  From  God.  Ques- 
tion: What  is  the  biggest  blessing 
we  receive  from  God?  Answers: 
Food.  Life.  Friends.  And  the 
speaker  goes  on  to  tell  of  God's  only 
Son,  his  greatest  gift  to  man. 

With  his  sermon  well  launched, 
the  Nigerian  preacher  has  two  prin- 
cipal sources  for  his  illustrations: 
the  familiar  stories  and  objects  of 
everyday  life,  and  his  memory.  Very 
few  of  his  illustrations  come  from 
his  reading;  what  would  he  read? 
But  he  may  remember  an  incident 
that  occurred  two  months  ago,  or 
a  story  which  Sara  Shisler  told  in 
a  sermon  ten  years  ago. 

Or  he  may  bring  with  him  into 
the  pulpit  a  head  of  guinea  corn, 
display  one  grain,  say,  "Once  there 
was  only  one,  but  then,"  holding  up 
the  full  head  of  grain,  "it  became 
many."  A  rope  tying  his  leg  to  the 
pulpit  may  illustrate  how  one  is 
bound  by  sin.  The  ant  which  helped 
the  crow  in  the  folktale  may  illus- 
trate that  even  the  smallest  of  us 
can  help  in  God's  work. 

The  three  favorite  texts  are  the 
stories  of  the  widow's  mite,  Ananias 
and  Sapphira,  and  the  two  ways 
(broad  and  narrow).  I  have  heard 
three  successive  sermons  in  the  same 
church  by  different  men  on  the 
widow's  mite;  the  second  and  third 
speakers  each  felt  the  others  had 
done  well,  but  had  left  some  salient 


"Mm 


points  unsaid. 

The  conclusion  is  equally  abrupt, 
and  sometimes  as  unplanned,  as  the 
rest  of  the  sermon.  The  speaker 
may  draw  his  message  to  a  careful 
end,  and  very  often  will  require  a 
conscious  (though  not  a  public)  de- 
cision by  his  hearers.  Or  he  ^  may 
simply  stop,  with  the  words,  "That 
is  what  I  wanted  to  tell  you  today," 
or  "I  don't  have  anything  else  to 
say,"  .  .  .  and  sit  down. 

But  better  than  any  of  the  mes- 
sages of  the  illustrations,  I  remem- 
ber the  humility  of  one  messenger. 
As  he  reached  the  pulpit  prepara- 
tory to  giving  the  message,  he 
paused.  He  went  to  the  side  of 
the  pulpit,  fell  on  both  knees  before 
the  congregation,  and  clapped  his 
hands  to  them  in  the  same  way  the 
commoner  humbles  himself  and 
kneels  before  the  chief.  "Usi!  Usi! 
Usi!"  said  he.  "Thank  you  .  .  . 
thank  you  .  .  .  thank  you,  for  letting 
me  speak  and  for  being  willing  to 
listen  to  such  a  common  person  as 
I." 

With  this  understanding  of  the 
ways  of  preaching  in  Nigeria,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  Bvwa  D.  Balami, 
one  of  the  Brethren  students  at  the 
one-year-old  United  Theological 
College  of  Northern  Nigeria,  reports: 

"There  is  one  subject  to  which 
I  want  to  draw  your  attention  and 
about  which  the  students  at  Theo- 
logical College  are  impressed.  Early 
in  the  year  we  began  to  study 
homiletics. 

"This  study  indicated  several 
things  and  set  us  forth  on  the  way 


»,  MM.%  MM; ■  MMMM-Mi/i^MM'-'MMsssA iss,:,:.  ■:•■■:■■.■  »«.-'-fc„;iv:r'  s  ■*      ■  mM^.k  ' ' 


ims, 


HH 

111 


A  Sunday  worship  service 
at  the  Lassa  church.    Some 
of  the  Christmas  decora- 
tions are  still  in  evidence 


JUNE  4.  I960 


21 


REMITTANCE  BLANK 

Annual  Conference  Offering  —  Goal  $250,000  .  .  .  ttc  sties 

I  (we)  wish  to  invest  in  the  world-wide  ministries  of  >!v  M,  m  s 

our  church  through  this  gift  of  $ to  the  mm' 

Brotherhood  Fund. 

Name   

St.  or  RFD 

City State  ... 

Church  District 


(Remit  to  the  General  Brotherhood  Board,   Church  of  the  Brethren,  Elgin,   111.) 


to  prepare  sermons.  It  indicated  our 
weak  points  in  preaching  and  the 
errors  we  have  been  making  in  ser- 
mon delivery.  Homiletics  study  re- 
vealed to  us  the  love  of  this  fine 
and  wonderful  art.  Furthermore, 
our  inspiration  to  become  ministers 
became  greater.  In  fact,  the  love 
of  preaching  will  not  be  cultivated 
unless  one  has  studied  homiletics. 

"Another  subject  with  which  we 
were  very  much  impressed  was  ser- 
mon preparation  and  delivery.  In- 
deed, it  was  difficult  for  us  to  put 
our  homiletic  notes  into  action  until 
we  had  this  course.  Our  difficulty 
lay  in  the  selection  of  a  subject,  of 
a  text.  Moreover,  the  interpretation 
of  a  text  was  difficult.  I  am  sure 
that  those  who  fail  to  love  to  preach 
can  be  encouraged  by  the  study  of 
homiletics." 

This  Theological  College  has  been 
the  guest  of  the  Sudan  United  Mis- 
sion at  Gindiri  until  a  campus  at 
Bukuru,  near  Jos,  can  be  surveyed 
and  buildings  constructed. 

The  site  of  the  college  campus 
is  in  an  area  which  is  expected  to 
develop  rapidly  and  the  Fellowship 
of  Churches  (Tarayya)  did  not  ex- 
pect the  prompt  issuing  of  the  grant 
to  buy  the  land.  Now  that  it  has 
come  without  time-consuming  argu- 
ment, arrangements  are  being  made 
for  building  as  quickly  as  possible. 

In  the  meantime  the  prime  busi- 
ness of  the  college  —  the  training  of 
ministers  —  is  being  carried  forward 
in  temporary  quarters.  Given  the 
enthusiasm  of  consecrated  students 
plus  sound  training,  the  future  of 
the  Nigerian  church  looks  bright. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (•).  —  Editor. 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


*A  Treasury  of  Poems  for  Worship 
and  Devotion.  Edited  by  Charles 
L.  Wallis.  Harper,  1959.  378  pages. 
$4.95. 

Here  are  460  poems  to  lift  the 
heart  and  stimulate  the  mind  as  man 
ever  seeks  to  sustain  his  worship 
of  God.  The  poems  are  selected  from 
a  wide  range  of  time  and  style.  The 
collection  includes  familiar  poems 
but  more  that  are  new,  many  of  them 
never  having  been  anthologized. 
The  arrangement  is  for  ready  refer- 
ence and  convenient  use  and  is 
focused  on  themes:  God,  Christ,  na- 
ture, the  home  circle,  the  enlarging 
brotherhood,  the  personal  disciplines 
in  assurance,  chastening,  gratitude, 
lengthening  shadows,  prayer  itself. 
There  is  an  index  of  titles,  first  lines, 
authors,  subjects,  special  days  and 
occasions.  "Superior  to  most  of 
the  books  of  devotions  being  pub- 
lished," says  Gerald  Kennedy.  — 
Edith  Barnes,  Elgin,  III. 

The  Status  Seekers.  Vance  Pack- 
ard. McKay,  1959.  376  pages. 
$4.50. 

The  author,  who  also  wrote  Hid- 
den Persuaders,  focuses  the  beam  of 
research  and  analysis  on  the  status 
and  class  structure  of  our  society. 
His  findings  indicate  that  class  lines 
are  more  subtle  than  we  ever 
imagine.  More  important  than  the 
varied  ideas,  persons,  or  things  we 
hold  are  the  car  we  drive,  the  words 
we  use,   the  street  number   of  our 


house,  the  political  party  we  favor. 
Such  class  fines  are  not  softening, 
but  hardening  and  broadening. 

With  a  combination  of  insight, 
humor,  and  penetrative  analysis,  Mr. 
Packard  has  done  a  skillful  job  of 
dissecting  our  American  society.  He 
has  provided  the  mirror  by  which 
we  may  view  how  modern  American 
society  really  looks,  even  though  we 
may  not  like  the  picture  we  see.  — 
James  Renz. 

Devotional  Programs  About  Peo- 
ple and  Places.  Ruth  C.  Ikerman. 
Abingdon,  1960.    158  pages.    $2.00. 

This  book  contains  forty  inspira- 
tional programs  of  people  and  places 
around  the  world,  compiled  by  a 
former  newspaper  woman.  Stories 
of  warm,  personal  experiences,  each 
with  a  feeling  of  goodness,  hope, 
faith,  love  and  of  common  needs 
of  people  in  Malaya,  Ceylon,  Mex- 
ico, Nassau,  Hong  Kong,  Canada 
as  well  as  "in  the  homeland."  Each 
program  begins  with  a  scripture  and 
leader's  introduction,  then,  the  story, 
and  ends  with  a  prayer.  Such  tides 
as  Ceylon's  Fragrant  Rain,  Cuban 
Climber,  Basketweavers  of  Nassau, 
Hymn  Power,  Buying  Times,  Unseen 
Mountains,  and  others  challenge  one 
to  want  to  help  build  better  under- 
standing among  people  and  strength- 
en Christian  faith  and  fellowship 
around  the  world  through  more  ef- 
fective Christian  acts  in  day-to-day 
living.    Women's  groups  would   es- 


pecially  appreciate  this  meditation 
book.  —  Esther  K.  Crouse,  Queen 
Anne,  Md. 

The  Refugee  and  the  World  Com- 
munity. John  G.  Stoessinger.  Uni- 
versity of  Minnesota  Press,  1956. 
239  pages.    $4.50. 

This  is  a  scholarly,  technical,  well- 
written  and  well-documented  history 
of  the  refugee  problem.  It  examines 
the  role  of  international  organization 
as  a  new  technique  which  our  gen- 
eration has,  for  the  first  time  in  his- 
tory, brought  to  bear  on  the  refugee 
problem.  It  follows  the  activities  of 
the  League  of  Nations,  the  United 
Nations  Relief  and  Rehabilitation 
Administration,  the  International 
Refugee  Organization,  and  the  High 
Commissioner  for  Refugees  in  the 
United  Nations. 

The  author  has  used  the  tools  of 
political  and  social  science  to  analyze 
the  refugee  problem  and  the  re- 
sponse of  the  world  community  to 
it.  The  book  is  a  real  contribution 
to  the  understanding  of  this  signifi- 
cant issue  in  international  relations, 
and  it  provides  keen  insight  into  the 
activities  of  the  international  organ- 
izations created  to  deal  with  it. 

Dr.  Stoessinger,  a  native  of  Vien- 
na, is  a  professor  of  government  at 
Babson  Institute.  He  has  been  a 
refugee  from  both  Nazi  and  Com- 
munist governments  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1947.  The  book 
is  written  out  of  wide  knowledge 
with  deep  understanding  and  com- 
passion. —  Ruth  Early,  New  York, 
N.Y. 

Psychology  of  Religion  (revised). 
Paul  E.  Johnson.  Abingdon,  1959. 
304  pages.  $5.00. 

Professor  Johnson  has  in  this  book 
expanded    and    revised    his    earlier 
work  under  the  same  tide.    As   in 
the   earlier  volume,   the   author   ex- 
plores the  religious  dimension  of  hu- 
man   experience   from    the   vantage 
point    of    interpersonal    psychology. 
He  believes  the  clue  to  religious  be- 
havior lies  in  the  realm  of  the  im- 
pulse to  relationship.    The  need  of 
all  persons  is  for  relationship   with 
'lother  persons.     But  it   goes   deeper 
'I  than     mere     human     relationships. 
I  What  lies  at  the  center  of  real  refi- 
ll gion  is  dynamic  personal  encounter, 
ctwhat  Martin  Buber  and  others  have 
■called     the     "I-Thou"     relationship. 
iThis  is  to  say  that  persons  need  to 
Flbe  related  to  others  as  persons  (sub- 
B'ject),  not  as  things  (object).   Profes- 
■sor  Johnson  sets  forth  his  viewpoint 
'fin  some  introductory  chapters  deal- 


ing with  the  broad  field  of  psycho- 
logical inquiry  into  religion,  and  then 
proceeds  to  spell  out  the  implications 
of  this  viewpoint  with  regard  to  spe- 
cific areas  of  religious  behavior. 

If  one  is  drawn  to  the  psychologi- 
cal approach  to  religion,  this  book 
ought  to  provide  a  valuable  guide 
not  only  to  a  respected  position  with- 
in the  field  of  psychology,  but  also 
to  the  findings  of  the  larger  field 
itself.  Much  of  the  book's  helpful- 
ness is  due  to  the  short  but  pene- 
trating summaries  given  of  the  main 
currents  of  psychological  under- 
standing as  they  relate  to  religious 
phenomena.  However,  a  basic  ques- 
tion must  be  faced  right  at  the  start: 
How  much  can  psychology  teach  us 
about  the  dynamics  of  a  specific 
faith,  for  example,  Christian  faith? 
A  psychology  of  religion  does  help 
us  to  uncover  the  motivation  which 
lies  back  of  some  otherwise  mysteri- 
ous religious  phenomena,  as  well  as 
provide  clues  as  to  the  dynamics  of 
man's  universal  religious  impulse. 
But  what  it  can  never  do  is  penetrate 
the  reality  which  convinced  ad- 
herents to  specific  faiths  believe  to 
be  at  the  center  of  their  allegiance. 
That  is  why  Johnson's  book,  while 
important  for  students  of  the  psy- 
chology of  religion  and  especially 
those  influenced  by  interpersonal 
theory,  will  not  contribute  anything 
new  to  those  who  are  genuinely 
searching  for  a  real  encounter  be- 
tween psychology  and  theology.  The 
author  never  seems  to  get  to  the 
heart  of  any  theological  issues. 

Nevertheless,  the  book  merits  seri- 
ous attention  from  any  who  are  in- 
terested in  this  area  of  study,  namely 
the  psychological  approach  to  reli- 
gion. —  Richard  A.  Bollinger,  To- 
peka,  Kansas. 

Everyday  Prayers.  William  Bar- 
clay. Harper,  1960.  128  pages. 
$2.50. 

This  is  a  marvelous  little  book. 
Dr.  Barclay  is  a  distinguished  scholar 
and  a  great  preacher.  He  writes  reg- 
ularly for  the  British  Weekly,  and 
lectures  at  Glasgow  University.  He 
is  one  of  the  most  gifted  and  most 
widely  read  of  English  writers. 

Interesting  reviews  of  this  book 
have  appeared  in  recent  issues  of 
the  Christian  Century  and  other  reli- 
gious journals.  These  prayers  are 
simple,  yet  terse  and  most  profound. 
They  dig  deep  into  one's  very  soul, 
searching  the  inner  recesses  of  the 
heart.  They  are  expressive  of  every 
human  need  and,  when  prayerfully 
read,   lead   one   into   most   intimate 


communion  with  God.  And  they  ex- 
press the  finest  ideals  of  human 
relationships.  The  book  consists  of 
prayers  for  morning  and  evening 
along  with  wisely  selected  scriptures. 
There  are  special  prayers  for  four 
different  Sundays.  These  will  great- 
ly enrich  the  Lord's  day  for  all  who 
meditate  upon  them.  Then,  finally, 
the  author  closes  with  special  prayers 
and  scriptures  for  special  days  of 
the  year  and  significant  events  in 
family  life.  A  real  gold  mine  for 
family  inspiration  and  an  ideal  hand- 
book for  the  pastor.  —  Merlin  Shull, 
Elgin,  III. 

Letters  of  Direction.  Abbe  de 
Tourville.  Thomas  Y.  Crowell,  1959. 
112  pages.    $1.00. 

This  is  the  type  of  book  that 
Christians  need  to  read.  It  deals 
with  the  total  range  of  the  spiritual 
life  and  is  a  real  help  in  providing 
guidance  for  spiritual  growth.  The 
book  was  added  to  my  library  several 
years  ago  and  I  cherish  it  as  one  of 
a  few  classics  that  can  profitably 
be  read  and  reread  with  benefit. 
It  will  deepen  your  sense  of  God's 
presence,  and  of  the  promise  and 
possibilities  of  human  nature  under 
the  guidance  of  God.  The  author 
belonged  to  that  group  of  French 
teachers  and  directors  of  the  spiritual 
life  who  have  greatly  enriched  our 
Christian  heritage.  This  book  will 
help  ministers  and  laymen  in  prac- 
ticing the  presence  of  God  and  in 
keeping  their  life  with  God  alive 
and  forward  moving.  —  Glen  Wei- 
mer,  Arlington,  Va. 

Teaching   Kindergarten   Children. 

Lois  Horton  Young.  Judson,  1959. 
Ill  pages.   75c. 

The  author  ties  in  the  goal  of 
Christian  education  and  the  experi- 
ence of  the  kindergarten  child  in  the 
church  school  in  an  excellent  way. 
Through  the  various  activities  de- 
scribed, it  is  shown  how  best  a  child 
can  experience  growth  in  these  areas. 
In  easy-to-read  outline  form  the  fol- 
lowing are  listed:  the  behavior  we 
can  expect  from  four-  and  five-year- 
olds,  in  light  of  this  what  leaders 
will  do,  and  last  the  concepts  or  ideas 
we  hope  will  grow  out  of  the  kinder- 
garten child's  experiences.  In  a  sim- 
ple and  rather  brief  style,  the  author 
makes  one  feel  that  teaching  kinder- 
garten children  is  one  of  life's  most 
exciting  adventures.  —  Glee  Yoder, 
McPherson,  Kansas. 


JUNE  4.   1960 


23 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Religious   News   Service 

Public  halls  and  auditoriums  in  Tokyo  were  reported  jammed  as  the  Ameri- 
can-produced movie,  Martin  Luther,  was  shown  with  a  Japanese  sound  track 
for  the  first  time  in  Japan.  More  than  9,000  persons  saw  the  several  pre- 
mieres held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Japanese  Lutheran  Literature  Society 


Over  Two  Billion  Spent 
for  Cigarettes  Last  Year 

Production  of  cigarettes  in  the 
United  States  reached  nearly  one- 
half  trillion  in  1959,  according  to 
the  U.S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 
The  total  value  of  the  cigarettes  was 
$2,187,000,000  before  state  and  fed- 
eral excise  taxes. 

The  U.  S.  tobacco  industry  ex- 
ported nearly  20  billion  cigarettes 
and  2.5  billion  more  were  shipped  to 
Puerto  Rico  and  other  U.S.  territories 
overseas.  Some  13.7  billion  cigar- 
ettes were  sent  to  U.S.  armed  forces 
overseas. 

Ban  on  Foreign  Teachers  Hits 
Indonesian  Mission  Schools 

Indonesia's  recently  -  announced 
ban  on  foreign  teachers  in  the  coun- 
try's schools  has  created  a  serious 
problem  for  mission  schools. 

In  Central  Java  the  military  com- 
mander has  issued  temporary  orders 
permitting  religious  teachers  from 
abroad  to  teach  in  secondary  schools. 
He  explained  that  their  withdrawal 
would  have  a  serious  effect  on  Indo- 
nesian children  and  is  contrary  to 
the  country's  national  interest. 

Under  a  new  government  law, 
nearly  all  missionaries  in  Indonesia 
have  applied  for  naturalization  as 
Indonesian  citizens,  but  the  process- 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


ing  has  been  so  slow  that  so  far  not 
a  single  foreign  missionary  has  yet 
obtained  Indonesian  nationality. 

Government  and  Church  Leaders 
to  Consider  "Degree  Mills" 

Dr.  Arthur  S.  Flemming,  Secretary 
of  Health,  Education  and  Welfare, 
has  disclosed  plans  to  confer  with  re- 
ligious leaders  on  the  problem  of 
"degree  mills"  in  the  field  of  educa- 
tion. Accompanying  his  statement 
was  a  list  of  30  alleged  "degree 
mills,"  most  of  them  so-called  Bible 
schools,  theological  seminaries  or 
divinity  schools. 

Commenting  on  the  secretary's  an- 
nouncement, Dr.  Jesse  H.  Ziegler, 
associate  director  of  the  American 
Association  of  Theological  Schools, 
said  that  the  association  would  be 
extremely  interested  in  and  would 
welcome  a  study  of  the  questionable 
schools.  The  A  ATS  is  the  recognized 
accrediting  agency  for  theological 
schools  in  this  country. 

Church  Groups  Help  Children 
of  Occupation  Troops 

Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic 
groups  in  West  Germany  have  joined 
non-denominational  charity  and  so- 
cial organizations  in  an  effort  to 
smooth  the  way  into  adult  life  for 
some  1,500  illegitimate  children  of 
German  mothers  and  Negro  fathers 
from  U.S.  occupation  forces.    These 


children  will  leave  school  this  year 
at  the  age  of  14. 

There  is  a  total  of  about  72,000 
West  German  children  fathered  by 
foreign  occupation  troops,  including 
some  6,000  by  Negro  soldiers.  One 
of  the  chief  concerns  of  the  religious 
groups  has  been  to  find  jobs  in  ap- 
prenticeships for  the  youngsters  and 
break  down  general  prejudices. 

Unitarians  and  Universalists 
Approve  Forthcoming  Merger 

The  proposed  merger  of  the  Amer- 
ican Unitarian  Association  and  the 
Universalist  Church  of  America  has 
been  given  overwhelming  approval 
by  the  two  groups.  The  next  step  is 
recommendation  of  the  union  pro- 
posal for  final  adoption  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Unitarian  body  and 
at  a  special  meeting  of  the  Uni- 
versalist group's  General  Assembly. 

If  the  plan  is  ratified  at  both  meet- 
ings, the  merger  will  become  effec- 
tive in  May  1961.  To  be  known  as 
the  Unitarian  Universalist  Associa- 
tion, the  new  church  body  will  com- 
bine some  100,000  Unitarians  and 
75,000  Universalists. 

Vigil  at  Fort  Detrick 

Continues  Appeal  to  Conscience 

About  thirty  eastern  theological 
professors  and  students  joined  in  the 
vigil  and  appeal  at  Fort  Detrick, 
Frederick,  Maryland.  In  addition 
to  standing  on  the  vigil  line,  the 
participants  from  seven  seminaries 
and  two  colleges  visited  local 
churchmen  and  citizens  and  shared 
in  a  discussion  regarding  "the  morals 
of  extermination." 

The  purpose  of  the  vigil  which  is 
continuing  for  ten  hours  each  day 
since  July  1,  1959  and  has  drawn 
nearly  1,000  participants,  is  to  ap- 
peal to  the  conscience  of  all  men  in 
order  that  work  on  biological  and 
chemical  weapons  might  be  stopped. 

More  than  half  of  the  participants 
in  the  vigil  to  date  have  come  from 
the  historic  peace  churches.  But  all 
major  Protestant  denominations  have 
been  represented. 

Mutual  Good  Faith  Urged 
on  Religious  Liberty  Issue 

A  plea  that  both  Protestants  and 
Roman  Catholics  learn  to  approach 
the  subject  of  religious  freedom 
"without  bitterness"  was  made  in  a 
World  Council  of  Churches  report. 
Written  by  Dr.  Angel  F.  Carrillo  de 
Albornoz  of  Geneva,  Switzerland, 
the  report  was  prepared  for  the  use 


of  a  fourteen-member  commission 
making  a  study  of  religious  liberty 
under  the  auspices  of  the  World 
Council. 

Dr.  Carrillo,  a  Spaniard,  was 
formerly  a  Catholic  priest  and  is 
now  a  layman  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States.  The  report  said  that  "it  is 
most  unfortunate  that  the  question 
of  religious  freedom  has  so  frequently 
been  treated  in  the  general  atmos- 
phere of  suspicion  and  distrust  so 
far  as  the  doctrine  of  the  Roman 
Catholic   Church   is   concerned." 

Too  many  Protestants,  it  said, 
"seem  to  believe  that  all  Roman 
Catholics  (even  those  who  defend 
religious  liberty)  are  of  bad  faith." 
As  for  Roman  Catholics,  the  report 
also  indicated  that  many  of  them 
also  seem  to  think  that  Protestants 
raise  the  question  of  religious  liberty 
merely  as  a  pretext  to  attack  the 
Catholic  hierarchy." 

The  report  pointed  out  that  "there 
is  a  growing  number  of  Roman  Cath- 
olic theologians  who  defend  a  new 
theory  in  favor  of  religious  liberty 
which  is  quite  different  from,  and 
even  opposite  to,  the  old  doctrine." 
This  new  theory,  it  emphasized,  has 
not  been  condemned,  but  on  the 
contrary,  is  supported  by  "very  im- 
portant members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  hierarchy. 

Trenton  Council  of  Churches 
Observes  "Truth  Month" 

To  help  answer  questions  of  both 
clergy  and  laymen  about  recent  at- 
tacks on  the  churches,  the  Council 
of  Churches  of  Greater  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  designated  April  as  "Truth 
Month."  Garnet  E.  Phibbs,  execu- 
tive secretary  of  the  council,  an- 
nounced plans  for  a  month-long  pro- 
gram of  "facts  and  faith." 

Mr.  Phibbs,  a  minister  in  the 
Church  of  the  Rrethren,  said,  "We 
can  be  assured  that  ultimately  this 
crisis  will  prove  to  have  been  a  bless- 
ing by  clearing  the  air  and  exposing 
the  enemies  of  Christian  co-operation 
who  are  now  grasping  at  every  straw 
as  they  go  down." 

Three  Lutheran  Bodies  Merge 
Into  New  Denomination 

A  three-way  handclasp  before  an 
altar  on  the  stage  of  the  Minneapolis 
municipal  auditorium  brought  The 
American  Lutheran  Church  into  ex- 
istence. 

The  new  denomination  of  2,258,- 
092  members  was  officially  consti- 
tuted as  presidents  of  the  three 
merging  bodies  joined  hands  in  "a 


visible  sign  and  witness  of  this  new      Lutheran  bodies  in  this  country  from 


unity."  Witnessing  the  handclasp 
were  1,000  delegates  from,  the  three 
uniting  bodies  and  thousands  of 
spectators. 

The  union  reduces  the  number  of 


sixteen  to  fourteen.  A  second  mer- 
ger of  four  other  Lutheran  bodies  — 
scheduled  for  1962  or  1963 -will 
reduce  the  number  to  eleven. 

The     new     American     Lutheran 


Overseas  Report  . . .    from  Central  Europe 


Dale  Aukerman 


The  rearming  of  West  Germany, 
now  with  atomic  weapons,  has 
brought  about  a  stormy  split  in  the 
German  Evangelical  Church.  Though 
total  pacifists  are  still  a  very  small 
minority,  a  sizable  segment  of  the 
church,  including  probably  a  ma- 
jority of  the  ablest  leaders,  is  con- 
vinced that  Christians  must  say  an 
absolute  No  to  nuclear  war. 

Things  grew  stormier  still  when 
Otto  Dibelius,  head  bishop  of  the 
church,  made  the  claim  that  the 
Romans  13  teaching  on  governments 
being  instituted  by  God  does  not 
apply  to  communist  ones  and  that 
therefore  Christians  in  the  East  are 
under  no  obligation  to  obey  even 
traffic  rules.  The  bishop's  opponents, 
believing  that  his  militant  anticom- 
munism  is  a  perversion  of  Christian- 
ity, say  that  atheism  must  "be  loved 
to  death"  through  proclaiming  and 
showing  Christ's  love. 

The  All-German  synod  of  the 
Evangelical  church  in  March  was 
not  able  to  resolve  the  conflict.  It 
expressed  itself  as  standing  by  Bishop 
Dibelius,  who  has  come  under  fresh 
attack  by  East  German  authorities; 
but  it  kept  careful  distance  from  his 
views  on  Romans  13.  Tensions  were 
eased  somewhat  by  the  Bishop's  an- 
nouncement that  he  would  retire  next 
year. 

West  Germany  is  reveling  in  an 
economic  boom  which  gives  the 
country  a  much  different  psycho- 
logical tone  than  it  had  even  five 
years  ago.  Few  ruins  from  World 
War  II  remain.  Buildings  are  going 
up  everywhere.  Most  storefronts  and 
pedestrian  streams  could  pass  for 
American.  The  typical  German  is 
frantically  making  money  to  pay  for 
a  new  home,  a  new  car,  for  all 
sorts  of  new  things.  A  newcomer  to 
such  prosperity,  he  is  more  vigorous- 
ly materialistic  than  the  average 
American.  In  Germany  as  in  America 
abundance  lulls  most  people  into 
forgetting  the  precarious  state  of 
world  affairs. 

The  Third  Prague  Christian  Peace 


Conference  is  planned  for  September 
6-9,  1960.  This  represents  a  con- 
tinuing effort,  largely  under  the  in- 
itiative of  Eastern  churchmen,  to 
bring  together  Christians  from  East 
and  West.  Through  several  meetings 
this  summer  Christian  leaders  from 
the  competing  power  blocks  will  be 
making  preparations  for  the  Univer- 
sal Christian  Peace  Conference  to 
be  held  in  1961. 

Most  Americans  would  be  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  the  churches  in 
the  communist  countries  are  still  to 
a  large  extent  state  supported.  Even 
church  conferences  are  often  paid 
for  by  atheistic  governments.  It 
comes  as  heartening  evidence  of 
the  sincerity  and  earnestness  of  our 
Eastern  brethren  that  $25,000  has 
already  been  given  in  congregational 
collections  throughout  the  communist 
countries  specifically  for  this  wide 
effort  at  bringing  together  politically 
separated  Christians.  Thus  the  com- 
ing conferences  can  be  financially 
independent  of  government.  West- 
ern Christians  who  have  so  far  par- 
ticipated in  the  East-West  encounters 
report  discovering  a  unity  in  Christ 
that  has  crucial  relevance  for  our 
divided  world. 

A  number  of  Western  observers 
estimate  that  about  twenty-five  mil- 
lion people  in  the  Soviet  Union  go  to 
church.  Not  counting  thirty-five 
million  Moslems,  Buddhists,  etc.,  this 
makes  twenty-five  million  out  of 
180  million,  a  higher  proportion  than 
in  Western  Europe.  This  figure  does 
not  compare  too  unfavorably  with 
the  situation  in  America. 

Because  of  the  Christian  advance, 
the  attitude  of  the  Eastern  govern- 
ments has  stiffened.  Propaganda  ef- 
forts against  "superstition"  have  been 
intensified.  There  are  again  in  news- 
papers many  crude  tales  describing 
stupidity  and  vice  among  believers. 

In  communist  theory  Christianity 
was  supposed  to  fade  away,  but  it 
does  not. 


JUNE  4,  1960 


25 


Church  is  the  first  major  union  of 
Lutheran  bodies  crossing  lines  of 
national  origin.  The  old  American 
Lutheran  Church  is  of  German  back- 
ground and  itself  the  product  of  a 
merger  in  1930;  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  was  formed  by 
merger  of  three  Norwegian  Lutheran 
bodies  in  1917,  and  the  United 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
formed  in  1896,  is  of  Danish  back- 
ground. 

Dr.  Frederick  A.  Schiotz  was 
elected  as  first  president  of  the  new 
church.  His  election  came  shortly 
after  the  new  denomination  was  of- 
ficially constituted.  He  had  been 
president  of  the  former  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  since  1954. 

Swedish  Lutheran  Church 
Ordains  First  Women  Ministers 

In  ceremonies  broadcast  by  radio 
and  television  in  Sweden  and  Eu- 
rope, The  Swedish  State  Lutheran 
Church  recently  ordained  its  first 
women  ministers  in  its  443-year  his- 
tory. The  three  women  were  all 
educated  at  Uppsala  University, 
the  principal  Swedish  theological 
faculty. 

The  ordination  services  were  aired 
by  the  Swedish  Radio  and  the  British 
Broadcasting  Corporation.  In  addi- 
tion, record  crowds  observed  the 
ceremonies  which  were  hailed  by  the 
press  as  a  signal  event  in  the  Luther- 
an Church's  history. 

Ordination  of  women  was  a  con- 
troversial issue  within  the  denomina- 
tion for  years.  In  1958  the  Church's 
General  Assembly  endorsed  their 
ordination  after  a  bill  permitting 
women  pastors  was  passed  by  the 
Riksdag  or  Parliament. 

Congressmen  Speak  Out  in 
Defense  of  National  Council 

Spirited  defense  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  and  denuncia- 
tion of  charges  that  the  Protestant 
agency  is  communist-infiltrated  ech- 
oed through  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives   recently. 

A  score  of  Congressmen  from  dis- 
tricts throughout  the  country  took 
the  floor,  or  inserted  statements  in 
the  Congressional  Record  to  answer 
critics  of  the  Council  who  recently 
testified  before  the  House  Commit- 
tee on  un-American  Activities  on  the 
now-withdrawn  Air  Force  manual 
which  impugned  the  loyalty  of  the 
Protestant  body. 

Among  those  who  spoke  out  in 
support  of  the   Council  were   Rep. 


26 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Edith  Green  of  Oregon,  Robert 
Kastenmeier  of  Wisconsin,  Byron 
Johnson  of  Colorado,  James  G. 
O'Hara  of  Michigan,  John  Brademas 
of  Indiana,  William  H.  Meyer  of 
Vermont,  Henry  Ruess  of  Wisconsin, 
Joseph  Barr  of  Indiana,  Jeffery  Cohe- 
lan  of  California,  Ken  Hechler  of 
West  Virginia,  Walter  Judd  of  Min- 
nesota, John  Lindsay  of  New  York, 
Clem  Miller  of  California,  James 
Quigley  of  Pennsylvania,  Fred 
Schwengel  of  Iowa,  Stewart  Udall  of 
Arizona,  Al  Ullman  of  Oregon, 
Charles  Vanik  of  Ohio,  Leonard  Wolf 
of  Iowa  and  Jim  Wright  of  Texas. 

Church  World  Service  Aids 
Poverty-stricken  Japanese 

Japan  Church  World  Service  re- 
cently launched  a  four-week  stopgap 
project  of  material  relief  to  aid  health 
and  morale  of  poverty-stricken  Ja- 
panese coal  miners  and  their  families. 

Thousands  of  mine  laborers  have 
been  laid  off  and  thousands  more 
face  unemployment  in  an  industry 
depression  resulting  from  a  shift 
from  coal  to  oil  as  a  major  fuel.  The 
relief  agency  sent  an  initial  shipment 
of  500,000  pounds  of  flour  and  10,- 
000  pounds  of  milk  to  the  Tagawa 
City  area  of  Northern  Kyushu. 

Among  the  hunger  victims  are 
2,000  pre-school-age  children  for 
whom  the  agency  established  four 
milk  stations. 

Methodists  Celebrate  75th 
Anniversary  in  Korea 

Three  Korean  Methodist  annual 
conferences  at  joint  sessions  in  Seoul 
celebrated  the  75th  anniversary  of 
the  coming  of  the  first  American 
Methodist  missionaries  to  that 
country. 

One  highlight  of  the  five-day  ses- 
sion was  the  awarding  of  certificates 
honoring  missionaries  and  nationals 
who  served  thirty  or  more  years  in 
the  Korean  church.  Honored  were 
seventy  Korean  pastors,  nine  mis- 
sionaries active  in  Korea,  and  thirty- 
one  missionaries  now  retired  in 
America. 

Another  highlight  was  the  ordina- 
tion of  a  record  class  of  forty-three 
clergy  candidates.  The  Korean 
Methodist  Church  now  has  a  mem- 
bership of  more  than  45,000. 

Navy  Ships  Carry 
Relief  Supplies 

U.  S.  navy  ships  stationed  in  Long 
Beach,  Calif.,  are  acting  as  carriers 
for  relief  supplies  going  to  Hong 
Kong  and  Japan.  Protestant  and  Ro- 
man Catholic  relief  agencies  in  both 
places  will  benefit.    Civilian  organi- 


zations  in  the  California  area  do- 
nated 430  cases  of  cereal  which 
were  placed  aboard  the  USS  Cimar- 
ron for  delivery  to  Church  World 
Service  and  the  Catholic  welfare; 
center  at  Hong  Kong. 


News  Briefs 

An  Italian  Court  of  Appeal  has 
ruled  that  Protestant  denominations 
are  free  to  criticize  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  publicly  as  long  as  the 
criticism  is  not  insulting.  All  reli- 
gions in  Italy  are  "equally  free  be- 
fore the  law"  but  an  article  of  the 
State's  penal  code  makes  it  illegal 
for  anyone  to  "publicly  insult"  the 
state  religion,  Roman  Catholicism. 

A  total  of  $2,600,000  will  be 
made  available  by  the  West  Berlin 
government  this  year  for  the  support 
of  recognized  churches  and  religious 
denominations,  according  to  the 
1960  budget.  Another  $1,000,000 
was  earmarked  to  finance  religious 
instruction  which  is  an  integral  part 
of  the  curriculum  in  West  Berlin 
schools. 

Triple  anniversaries  are  being 
celebrated  by  the  Fellowship  of 
Reconciliation  this  year.  These  are 
the  45th  anniversary  of  the  religious 
pacifist  organization  in  the  U.S.A., 
the  25th  year  of  Fellowship,  its 
semimonthly  peace  magazine,  and 
the  75th  birthdays  of  two  FOR  vet- 
eran peace  leaders,  A.  J.  Muste 
and  Nevin  Sayre. 

There  are  still  about  two  million 
persons  in  Korea  who  need  help 
desperately  if  they  are  to  maintain 
themselves  at  a  bare  subsistence 
level,  reports  William  Gale,  who  has 
served  as  director  of  material  aid 
for  Korea  Church  World  Service  for 
three  years. 

Over  $25,000  was  the  total  value 
of  contributions  to  CROP  given  dur- 
ing 1959  by  persons  living  in  Mc- 
Pherson  County,  Kansas.  This  made 
it  the  leading  county  in  the  nation 
in  its  support  of  CROP. 


A  Man,  A  Church 

Continued  from  page  16 

projects.  The  people  have  vision 
and  enthusiasm  and  a  growing  sense 
of  stewardship.  Certainly  the  capable 
and  steady  leadership  of  their  pastor 
is  a  help  and  an  inspiration  to  them. 
And  the  Nettietons  want  to  continue 
to  serve  the  small  rural  church  be- 
cause they  love  the  people,  sense 
their  need  for  leadership,  and  appre- 
ciate the  challenges  which  confront 
them. 


Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  Ashcroft,  Sr., 
Copemish,  Mich.,  celebrated  their  gold- 
en wedding  anniversary  on  Dec.  13, 
1959.  They  have  seven  children  and 
seventeen  grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Roy 
McRoberts,  Copemish,  Mich. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  A.  Cody  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  anniversary,  Oct. 
18,  1959,  at  the  home  of  their  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Theron  Garst.  —  Mrs.  Norman 
E.  Flora,  Salem,  Va. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guy  Farmwald  cele- 
brated their  fifty-fifth  wedding  anniver- 
sary on  March  16,  1960.  They  have 
two  children,  four  grandchildren,  and 
two  great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Lewis 
Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Funderburg 
celebrated  their  seventieth  wedding 
anniversary  on  Dec.  27,  1959,  with 
open  house  at  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. They  have  one  son.  —  Mrs.  John 
Musselman,  New  Carlisle,  Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Greek  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  anniversary,  Nov. 
21,  1959.  They  have  two  sons,  one 
daughter,  eleven  grandchildren  and 
two  great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Leona 
Johnson,  Nezperce,  Idaho. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  B.  Hidey  of 
New  Philadelphia,  Ohio,  celebrated 
their  sixty-third  wedding  anniversary  on 
March  24,  1960.  -  Mrs.  Robert  Goudy, 
New  Philadelphia,  Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  M.  Jackson  of 
Pomona,  Calif.,  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary  on  Feb.  2,  1960. 
They  have  three  sons,  three  daughters, 
twenty-three  grandchildren,  and  four 
great-grandsons.  —  Elsie  E.  Jackson, 
Pomona,  Calif. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  L.  Jordan  cel- 
ebrated their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  20,  1959.  —  Verna 
Coplen,  Flora,  Ind. 

Brother  and  Sister  J.  E.  Manning  of 
near  Libertyville,  Iowa,  celebrated  their 
fifty-sixth  wedding  anniversary  on  Feb. 
24,  1960.  -  Mrs.  I.  A.  Ogden,  Batavia, 
Iowa. 

Brother  and  Sister  Harry  I.  Metz 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary, April  3,  1960,  with  open 
house.  They  are  members  of  the  Worth- 
ington  church.  They  have  six  children 
and  twenty-one  grandchildren.  —  Mrs. 
Buell  Adolph,  Worthington,  Minn. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Myer  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  anniversary  on 
Jan.  24,  1960. -Verna  Coplen,  Flora, 
Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Everett  Pentecost 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  29,  1959.  —  Mrs.  Rich- 
ard Stevens,  Liberty,  Ind. 

Brother  and  Sister  Herman  H.  Ritter 
celebrated  their  sixty-sixth  wedding  an- 
niversary on  Jan.  30,  1960.  They  have 
one  son  and  his  family.  —  Mrs.  Harley 
F.  Hoover,  Lebanon,  Oregon. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Sheets  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Dec.  22,  1959.  —  Mrs. 
Richard  Stevens,  Liberty,  Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  E.  Smith  celebrated 
their  seventieth  wedding  anniversary 
on  March  5,  1960.  —  Winona  M.  Dag- 
gett,  Lawrence,   Kansas. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sam  Welty  celebrated 
their    golden    wedding    anniversary    on 


Jan.  24,   1960. —Verna  Coplen,  Flora, 
Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  A.  Whisler,  Low- 
point,  111.,  celebrated  their  fifty-second 
wedding  anniversary  on  March  8, 
1960.  -  Mrs.    D.    Hays,   Lowpoint,    111. 


Obituaries 


Amery,  Beth  Ann,  eleven-month-old 
daughter  of  Donald  and  Pauline  Miller 
Amery,  died  at  Richmond,  Mo.,  Jan.  30, 
1960.  Surviving  are  her  parents,  one 
sister,  one  brother,  and  three  grand- 
parents. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Bethany  church,  Mo.,  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  in  the 
Braymer  cemetery.  —  Harold  G.  Correll, 
Hardin,  Mo. 

Anthony,  Hayes  Leroy,  son  of  John 
A.  and  Lydia  Livingston  Anthony,  died 
at  Abbottstown,  Pa.,  Jan.  8,  1960, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  His  wife, 
Mabel  Griest  Anthony,  preceded  him 
in  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Upper  Conewago  church,  Pa.  Surviv- 
ing are  two  sons,  two  grandchildren, 
one  brother,  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Pittenturf  funer- 
al home,  with  Bro.  George  W.  Hull 
officiating.  Interment  was  in  the  Sunny- 
side  cemetery.  —  Frances  E.  Shaffer, 
East  Berlin,  Pa. 

Berkheimer,  Ross  R.,  son  of  Isaac 
and  Elnora  Rice  Berkheimer,  was  born 
at  New  Enterprise,  Pa.,  March  19,  1889, 
and  died  March  14,  1960.  He  was 
twice  married,  first  in  1914  to  Esther 
Rhodes,  who  died  in  1933,  and  in  1936 
to  Esther  Stayer.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Roaring  Spring  church, 
Pa.,  where  he  served  as  a  deacon  for 
many  years.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Roaring  Spring  church, 
with  Bro.  Berkey  E.  Knavel  in  charge. 
Interment  was  in  the  Fairview  ceme- 
tery. —  Margaret  E.  Geyer,  Roaring 
Spring,  Pa. 

Blocher,  Evalena,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Powell  B.  Porter,  was  born 
in  Jewell  County,  Kansas,  June  6,  1878, 
and  died  at  Pomona,  Calif.,  March  21, 
1960.  She  was  married  to  Henry  Dave 
Blocher  on  June  6,  1900.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Pomona  church.  A 
memorial  service  followed  the  Sunday 
worship  service  in  the  Pomona  church. 
Interment  services  were  held  previous- 
ly at  the  Evergreen  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Arthur  C.  Keim,  Pomona,  Calif. 

Blough,  Elsie,  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Matilda  Baker  Harkcom,  was  bom 
Aug.  1,  1889,  and  died  March  18,  1960. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Brotherton 
church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  Irvin  W.  Blough,  two  daugh- 
ters, two  sons,  twelve  grandchildren, 
and  twelve  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Wilbur 
Miller  funeral  home  by  Bro.  Herald  V. 
Seese.  Interment  was  in  the  Middle 
Creek  church  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Harry 
J.  Emerick,  Berlin,  Pa. 

Booz,  Janet  Mary,  daughter  of  Nevin 
and  Mary  Pfaltzgraff,  was  born  Dec. 
5,  1921,  and  died  at  York,  Pa.,  June  25, 
1959.  She  was  a  member  of  the  First 
church,  York,  Pa.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  Charles  C.  Booz,  one  daugh- 
ter, one  son,  one  brother,  one  sister, 
and  her  mother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  First  church  by  Bro. 
M.  Guy  West,  assisted  by  Brethren  A. 
C.  Baugher  and  Kenneth  Miller.    Inter- 


ment was  in  the  Prospect  Hill  cemetery. 
—  Mary  A.  Lehman,  York,  Pa. 

Bosserman,  Grace,  daughter  of  Lewis 
and  Susan  Gochenour  Bosserman,  died 
at  Hanover,  Pa.,  Feb.  2,  1960,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one  years.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Upper  Conewago 
church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  one  brother 
and  one  sister.  The  funeral  was  held 
at  the  Wetzel  funeral  home,  with  Bro. 
George  W.  Hull  officiating.  Interment 
was  in  Mummerts  meetinghouse  ceme- 
tery. —  Frances  E.  Shaffer,  East  Berlin, 
Pa. 

Caskey,  Olaf  C,  son  of  W.  G.  and 
Almeda  Caskey,  was  bom  Dec.  8, 
1890,  and  died  March  20,  1960.  After 
being  called  to  the  ministry  he  served 
churches  in  Southern  Iowa,  except  for 
three  years  as  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Des  Moines,  Iowa.  Surviving  are  his 
wife,  Martha,  two  sons,  one  daughter, 
five  brothers,  fourteen  grandchildren, 
and  one  great-grandchild.  The  funeral 
was  held  in  the  Cutler  funeral  home, 
with  Bro.  Fred  Coley  officiating.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Walnut  Hill 
cemetery.  —  Homer  F.  Caskey,  Council 
Bluffs,  Iowa. 

Cassell,  Josephine  C,  died  Feb.  20, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
Her  husband,  Harry  Cassell,  preceded 
her  in  death.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Salem  church,  Ohio.  Surviving  are 
two  daughters,  six  sons,  twenty-nine 
grandchildren,  and  fourteen  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Salem  church  by  Bro.  D. 
Alfred  Replogle.  Interment  was  in  the 
Bethel  cemetery.  —  Katie  Flory,  Union, 
Ohio. 

Click,  Charles  A.  son  of  Christian  M. 
and  Barbara  Hess  Click,  was  born  Oct. 
14,  1883,  and  died  at  Sangerville,  Va., 
Nov.  10,  1959.  On  May  13,  1906,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Maggie  H. 
Vint,  who  preceded  him  in  death  on 
Nov.  20,  1919.  On  June  11,  1921,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Fannie  R. 
Miller.  For  thirty-five  years  he  served 
as  a  minister;  he  was  active  in  home 
mission  work.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
six  children,  thirteen  grandchildren, 
and  one  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  Sangerville  church  by 
Bro.  I.  J.  Garber,  assisted  by  Bro. 
Beverly  A.  Smith.  Interment  was  in 
the  church  cemetery.  —  Ruth  F.  Miller, 
Davton,  Va. 

dinger,  Edith,  daughter  of  Thomas 
A.  and  Annie  Clinger,  was  born  March 
13,  1881,  and  died  Feb.  4,  1960,  in 
Johnstown,  Pa.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Walnut  Grove  church,  Johnstown, 
Pa.  She  is  survived  by  three  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Geisel  funeral  home  by  Bro.  Wm.  J. 
Stoneback.  Interment  was  in  the 
Grandview  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Margaret 
R.  Shaffer,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Coffman,  John  William,  was  born  in 
Rockingham  County,  Va.,  Jan.  31,  1878, 
and  died  in  Louisiana,  Nov.  6,  1959. 
In  1922  he  was  married  to  Clara  Haugh. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  three  sons, 
two  daughters,  and  eleven  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Brethren  Edward  Murray 
and  Glenn  Harris.  Interment  was  in 
the  Woodlawn  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Paul 
H.  Metzger,  Iowa,  La. 

Cooper,  Amos  B.,  was  born  in 
Goshen,  Ind.,  Aug.  4,   1875,  and  died 


JUNE   4,   1960 


27 


For  junior 
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readers  .  .  . 

STORY  OF 
BRETHREN 

S.  Fisher 

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Church 

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Offices, 

Jan.  18,  1960.  On  June  16,  1901,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma 
Berkey,  who  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Middlebury  church,  Ind.  Surviving  are 
five  daughters,  six  grandchildren,  seven 
great-grandchildren,  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Middlebury  Yoder  funeral  home  by  Bro. 
Richard  A.  Burger.  Interment  was  in 
the  West  Side  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Adam 
Kwilinski,  Middlebury,  Ind. 

Eisenbise,  Anna  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  and  Harriet  Myers  Springer,  was 
born  Oct.  23,  1868,  near  Lanark,  111., 
and  died  at  La  Verne,  Calif.  Feb.  28, 
1960.  She  and  her  husband,  Elder  T. 
A.  Eisenbise,  celebrated  their  sixty- 
fifth  wedding  anniversary  in  1954.  She 
united  with  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  early  girlhood.  She  is  survived  by 
™e  son,  five  daughters,  nine  grand- 
children, sixteen  great-grandchildren, 
three  great-great-grandchildren,  and 
one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Todd  Memorial  chapel 
by  the  undersigned.  Interment  was 
m,  ,,  e  P,?mona  cemetery.  -  Galen  K. 
Walker,  Glendora,  Calif. 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Eller,  Alice,  daughter  of  Jonas  and 
Catherine  Snyder  Graybill,  was  born 
Nov.  1,  1866,  in  Botetourt  County,  Va., 
and  died  in  Chicago,  111.,  Aug.  4,  1959. 
She  was  married  to  D.  Newton  Eller 
on  Sept.  17,  1890.  She  is  survived  by 
three  daughters,  two  sons,  eight  grand- 
children, and  fourteen  great-grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held  in 
the  Daleville  church,  Va.,  where  she 
had  always  had  her  membership,  with 
the  pastor,  Paul  D.  Crumley,  and  D. 
Price  Hylton  of  Roanoke  officiating.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Daleville  cemetery. 

—  Lois  Eller,  Chicago,  111. 

Fisher,  Walter  Gilbert,  was  born  in 
Mexico,  Ind.,  Jan.  6,  1890,  and  died 
March  6,  1960.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Tampa  church,  Fla.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  Laura,  three  sons, 
ten  grandchildren  and  three  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Gentry-Morrison 
chapel  by  Bro.  B.  B.  Ludwick  and  the 
undersigned  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  Socrum  cemetery,  Lakeland,  Fla. 

—  John  W.  Meyers,  Tampa,  Fla. 
Flora,  Clara  Ikenberry,  was  born  Oct. 

11,  1888,  at  Quinter,  Kansas,  and  died 
Sept.  4,  1959,  at  Bakersfield,  Calif.  She 
was  a  long-time  member  of  the  La 
Verne  church,  Calif.  She  is  survived 
by  her  husband,  Benjamin  F.  Flora, 
one  son,  three  daughters,  and  twelve 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  LaVerne  church  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  made  in 
the  Evergreen  cemetery.  —  Harry  K. 
Zeller,  Jr.,  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Frick,  Frieda  E.,  daughter  of  August 
and  Clementine  Anding,  was  born  in 
Chicago,  111.,  July  26,  1888,  and  died 
at  Braidwood,  111.,  March  1,  1960.  In 
1906,  she  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Walter  C.  Frick,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  Surviving  are  four  children, 
four  grandchildren,  and  one  sister.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Patter- 
son funeral  home.  Interment  was  in 
Hills  of  Rest  cemetery,  Joliet,  111.  — 
Hope  Frick,  Braidwood,  111. 

Fyock,  Galen,  son  of  Orland  and  Ida 
Fyock,  was  born  Feb.  19,  1918,  and 
died  Feb.  3,  1960,  in  Johnstown,  Pa. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Walnut  Crove 
church,  Johnstown,  Pa.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  Dorothy,  two  sisters,  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Meek  funeral  home  by  Bro. 
C.  L.  Carter.  Interment  was  in  the 
Berkey  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Margaret  R. 
Shaffer,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Garland,  Samuel  W.,  was  born  in 
Balaver,  Pa.,  May  12,  1888,  and  died 
at  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.,  March  4, 
1960.  Survivors  are  his  wife,  Lena 
Garland,  one  daughter,  two  grand- 
children, and  three  brothers.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Colo- 
rado Memorial  Gardens  by  Bro.  Jack 
L.  Havice.  —  Lois  Ketchum,  Colorado 
Springs,  Colo. 

Geyer,  Pearl,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Sarah  Brower  Fuller,  was  born  near 
Milford,  Ind.,  July  26,  1876.  In  August 
1897,  she  was  married  to  Milo  Geyer, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Bethany  church, 
Ind.  Surviving  are  two  daughters,  one 
grandson,  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Bethany  church 
by  Bro.  Israel  Gorden.  Interment  was 
in  the  Milford  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Marion 
Deeter,  Milford,  Ind. 

Gibble,  Willis  W.,  son  of  Cyrus  W. 
and  Lizzie  Wenger  Gibble,  was  born 


in  Brunnerville,  Pa.,  Oct.  15,  1886,  and 
died  at  Lititz,  Pa.,  March  4,  1960.  He 
was  founder  of  the  a  cappella  choir  of 
East  Petersburg  and  a  member  of  the 
Gideons.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  Mar- 
garet Bushong  Gibble,  a  son,  two- 
sisters,  and  two  granddaughters.  —  Mrs. 
Eugene  Ludwig,  Lititz,  Pa. 

Glock,  E  stella  K.,  daughter  of  John- 
and  Louisa  Lambert,  was  born  in  Val- 
ley Falls,  Kansas,  Dec.  29,  1873,  and 
died  at  Lawrence,  Kansas,  March  15,, 
1960.  On  Jan.  29,  1893,  she  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Fred  Glock,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  was  baptized 
into  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
1931.  She  is  survived  by  three  sons, 
four  daughters,  thirteen  grandchildren, 
and  nine  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  the  Ramsey 
funeral  home.  Interment  was  in  the 
Pleasant  View  cemetery.  —  Edna  Amos, 
St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

Gnagey,  Milton  S.,  Sr.,  son  of  Daniel 
and  Savilla  Saylor  Gnagey,  was  born 
July  9,  1889,  and  died  at  Meyersdale, 
Pa.,  Feb.  4,  1960.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Summit  Mills  church,  Pa.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  Matilda  Bowman 
Gnagey,  two  daughters,  two  sons,  seven 
grandchildren,  two  brothers,  and  four 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Summit  Mills  church  by  Breth- 
ren Maurice  Knavel  and  Arthur  Hunn. 
Interment  was  in  the  Lichty  cemetery. 

—  Martha  Schrock,  Meyersdale,  Pa. 
Gochenour,  Roy  Milton,  son  of  Moritz-. 

and  Martha  Baker  Gochenour,  was. 
born  in  Woodstock,  Va.,  Sept.  26,  1895. 
and  died  March  8,  1960.  On  March  6, 
1919,  he  was  married  to  Emma  Rebecca 
Peer.  He  had  been  a  faithful  member 
of  the  Valley  Pike  church,  Va.,  since 
boyhood.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  two- 
sons,  one  foster  son,  two  daughters, 
four  sisters,  and  eight  grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Dellinger  chapel  by  Bro.  Cecil  O. 
Showalter,  assisted  by  Bro.  Mark 
S.  Roller.  Interment  was  in  the 
Valley  Pike  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Glenna 
Showalter,  Woodstock,  Va. 

Goebel,  Anna  Coletta,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiram  Roe,  was  born  in 
Stevens  Point,  Wis.,  Tune  21,  1875,  and 
died  at  Covina,  Calif.,  March  16,  1960. 
She  was  married  to  William  Henry 
Goebel  in  1898.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  her  son,  two  grandchildren, 
two  great-grandchildren,  two  brothers, 
and  three  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  in  the  Custer-Christian- 
san  mortuary  by  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Oakdale  cemetery. 

—  Arthur  M.  Baldwin,  Glendora,  Calif. 
Good,    Phoebe    Teeter,    daughter   of 

Abraham  and  Mary  Ritchie  Miller,  was- 
born  near  Honey  Creek,  Ind.,  Dec.  28, 
1871,  and  died  Feb.  24,  1960.  On 
Oct.  3,  1895,  she  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Lewis  L.  Teeter,  who  died  March  6, 
1934.  On  Dec.  6,  1934,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Samuel  D.  Good,  who  preceded 
her  in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Upper  Fall  Creek  church,  Ind.  Sur- 
viving are  seven  stepchildren,  three 
sisters,  and  three  brothers.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Upper  Fall 
Creek  church  by  Bro.  Lewis  Deardorff. 
Interment  was  in  the  Miller  cemetery. 

—  E.  C.  Teeter,  New  Castle,  Ind. 
Gordon,  Nellie  K.,  daughter  of  Calvin 

and  Margaret  Trumpower,  was  bom 
May  24,  1891,  and  died  March  8,  1960. 
She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  four 
sons,   one  daughter,  eleven  grandchil- 


dren,  one  great-grandchild,  one  sister, 
and  one  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  Broadfording  church, 
Md.,  by  Brethren  Stanley  Earhart  and 
D.  R.  Petre.  Interment  was  in  the  ad- 
joining cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Edith  Myers, 
Hagerstown,  Md. 


Church  News 

Middle  Indiana 

Flora  —  We  had  an  every  member 
visitation  Sunday  as  part  of  the  Call 
program.  Our  homecoming  was  held 
with  Dr.  William  M.  Beahm  as  the 
speaker.  Brother  and  Sister  Ray  Shank, 
from  Covington,  Ohio,  were  guests  one 
Sunday.  Our  fall  love  feast  was  ob- 
served. The  Altruist  Class  chartered  a 
bus,  and  sixty  people  attended  the  Billy 
Graham  crusade  at  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Our  pastor,  Bro.  Charles  Dumond,  Sr., 
held  meetings  at  Peru,  Nov.  1-8.  Bro. 
Robert  Tully,  camp  leader  and  youth 
director,  was  the  speaker  at  the  father- 
son  banquet.  Brethren  service  training 
conference  for  the  district  was  Dec.  13. 
Supper  was  served  by  the  rainbow 
class.  Bro.  Ora  Huston  spoke  at  the 
regular  church  hour.  Other  speakers 
in  the  afternoon  were  Bro.  Harold  Row, 
Bro.  Ralph  E.  Smeltzer  and  Bro.  James 
E.  Renz.  The  sectional  youth  rally  of 
this  section  of  the  middle  district  of 
Indiana  was  held  in  our  church.  The 
women's  fellowship  sent  Christmas  gifts 
to  the  Mexico  home.  We  held  a 
candle  light  communion  in  January.  — 
Verna  Coplen,  Flora,  Ind. 

Hickory  Grove  —  We  have  had  a  gas 
furnace  installed.  Our  CBYF  meets  on 
Thursday  evenings.  Ten  of  our  young 
folks  attended  the  spring  conference. 
Five  of  our  work  group  attended  the 
spring  rally  at  Flora.  Our  church  sent 
eight  blankets  to  the  world-wide  blan- 
ket project.  Our  young  adult  class  has 
refinished  and  painted  the  basement. 
Our  pastor,  Galen  Gerdes,  is  one  of 
several  church  pastors  to  hold  services 
at  Lewis  Nursing  home.  Bro.  John 
Taylor  was  elected  delegate  to  Annual 
Conference  and  Bro.  Alva  Johnson  al- 
ternate. Plans  were  made  at  council 
meeting  for  daily  vacation  Bible  school, 
June  6-10.  Our  annual  parent's  banquet 
will  be  June  5.  We  had  union  pre- 
Easter  services  with  Portland  and  Beth- 
el Center  with  communion  services  on 
Thursday  evening.  Good  Friday  serv- 
ices were  held  at  Friend's  church  and 
Easter  sunrise  services  at  the  Church 
of  God  in  Pennville.  —  Mrs.  Edna  Hud- 
son, Dunkirk,  Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 

Four  Mile  —  Bro.  Glenn  Rohrer  came 
in  October  to  serve  as  our  pastor.  In- 
stallation services  were  conducted  by 
Bro.  Richard  Speicher.  Our  women's 
fellowship  conducted  a  bazaar  with  the 
proceeds  going  to  the  Brotherhood 
Fund.  Brother  Rohrer  was  the  speaker 
for  our  community  Thanksgiving  pro- 
gram with  Hannas  Creek  church.  He 
showed  slides  and  spoke  on  Flat  Creek 
mission  for  a  family  night  program.  The 
junior  high  class  took  part  in  the 
church  worship  on  Feb.  14.  The  Call 
to  Discipleship  emphasis  is  progressing. 
Our  pastor  has  outlined  a  prayer  study 
period  for  every  person  of  the  congre- 
gation to  participate.    Teams  will  re- 


TEACHING  MANUALS 


TEACHING  NURSERY  CHILDREN 


Jessie  B.  Carlson 


An  excellent  book  for  nursery  school  workers  and  for  parents  with 
children  in  this  age  group. 

TEACHING  KINDERGARTEN  CHILDREN  Lois  H.  Young 

Emphasizing  the  vital  responsibility  of  teachers   and   parents  in 
helping  children  in  religious  growth. 

TEACHING  PRIMARY  CHILDREN  Florence  B.  Lee 

How  to  make  the  best  use  of  the   Bible   and  other  curriculum 
resources  in  teaching  primary  children. 

TEACHING  JUNIORS  Faye  DeBeck  Flynt 

Provides  teaching  aid  and  help  on  objectives.    Describes  proper 
use  of  rooms  and  equipment. 

TEACHING  JUNIOR  HIGHS  Alice  E.  Cornell 

Excellent  aids  for  leaders  in  their   guidance   of  junior   highs  as 
they  develop  as  Christians. 

TEACHING  SENIOR  HIGHS  Paul  T.  Losh 

To  help  in  understanding  and  teaching  senior  highs.    Their  in- 
terests, problems  and  yearnings. 

TEACHING  OLDER  YOUTH         F.  Fordham  and  V.  Alessi 

Consideration  of  eight  areas  of  need.    Helps  in  planning,  evaluat- 
ing and  teaching  sessions. 

TEACHING  ADULTS  Alton  G.  Snyder 

Valuable  insights  into  group  relations  and  experiences,  suggestions 
on  effective  teaching  of  adults. 

YOU  CAN  TEACH  James  P.  Berkeley 

A  book  that  can  prove  to  you  that  you  can  teach.    Encouragement 
and  instruction  for  the  inexperienced. 

Each  book  75c. 
CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


ceive  instruction  prior  to  our  every- 
member  visitation.  Membership  classes 
will  be  held.  There  was  a  week  of 
pre-Easter  meetings.  Our  young  people 
planned  the  Easter  sunrise  service.  — 
Mrs.  Richard  Stevens,  Liberty,  Ind. 

Muncie  —  Sister  Anna  Mow  held  a 
week's  service  with  us  Jan.  10-17.  One 
member  was  added.  Bro.  Joe  Nickles 
from  the  Church  of  Christ,  spoke  to  us 
in  February.  He  represented  the  Indi- 
ana temperance  league.  On  Feb.  14, 
we  held  a  family  night  fellowship  sup- 
per. We  held  a  special  council  to  view 
tentative  plans  and  share  ideas  for  the 
new  church.  Spring  communion  was 
held  May  1.  Vera  Cavanaugh  received 
a  certificate  for  attending  the  school 
of  Christian  living  conducted  by  the 
Muncie  churches.  —  Elizabeth  Sprinkle, 
Muncie,  Ind. 

Indianapolis,  Northview  —  Our  pas- 
tor, Floyd  Biddix,  is  conducting  mem- 
bership classes  in  his  study  each 
Sunday  for  juniors  and  junior  highs. 
Baptism  will  follow  the  completion  of 
the  courses.  The  adult  choir  presented 
a  cantata  on  the  first  Sunday  in  April, 
under  the  direction  of  the  choir  director, 
Joan  LeValley.  Following  the  worship 
service    on    Palm    Sunday,    baptismal 


services  were  held.  Our  love  feast  and 
communion  service  was  held  April  14. 
Work  continues  at  the  church  each 
Saturday  morning  for  the  men.  The 
recreation  program,  under  the  direction 
of  Bro.  Gene  Hawkins,  is  being  out- 
lined for  the  summer.  The  Brethren 
relief  truck  piled  up  several  bags  of 
clothing  and  blankets  to  send  to  the 
needy  overseas.  Our  church  partici- 
pated in  the  one  great  hour  of  sharing. 
—  Annis  Heiny,  Noblesville,  Ind. 

Michigan 

New  Haven  —  On  Loyalty  Sunday  the 
missioners  were  commissioned  to  call 
on  every  member  of  the  church.  Our 
harvest  meeting  and  homecoming  was 
held  with  Dr.  Charles  Anspach  as 
guest  speaker.  In  January  a  school  of 
missions  was  held.  A  father-son  ban- 
quet was  held.  We  observed  Easter 
Sunday  with  a  sunrise  service  and 
breakfast.  Bro.  Harley  Townsend  was 
in  charge.  April  24-30,  our  evangel- 
istic meetings  were  held  with  Bro.  Paul 
Hoffman  as  the  evangelist.  —  Lena 
Bosserman,  Middleton,  Mich. 


JUNE  4,  1960 


29 


TENSIONS 

OUR*  CHILDREN 
LIVE  WITH 

edited  by 
DOROTHY  T.   SPOERL 

There  are  many  home,  church 
and  public  school,  camp,  club,  and 
vacation  church  school  situations 
where  this  book  can  be  used  by 
the  discerning  adult  who  wants 
to  help  children  and  junior  high 
youth  with  their  social  relations 
and  ethical  problems.  It  is  easy 
to  capture  interest  with  these  53 
stories  of  boys  and  girls  facing 
situations  of  tension.  The  fact 
that  many  of  the  problem  situa- 
tions are  left  open-ended,  lends 
them  to  animated  discussion  and 
probable  role  play  or  acting  out 
endings.  All  the  stories  and  situ- 
ations are  alive  with  real  boys 
and  girls  and  will  hold  their  in- 
terest as  well  as  help  develop  a 
social  awareness  and  sense  of 
values  as  they  listen  to  or  act 
out  problems. 

Refreshing  and  stimulating. 
Brethren  will  particularly  be  in- 
terested in  the  treatment  of  war 
games  and  conscientious  objec- 
tion. $3.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  111. 


Rodney  —  We  regret  losing  our  pas- 
tor, Dale  Aukerman,  who  is  working  on 
the  peace  program  in  Europe.  Our  new 
pastor,  Brother  Mahon,  his  wife  and 
two  girls  arrived  on  Sept.  1,  and  we 
are  very  grateful  for  their  services.  We 
have  gained  some  new  members  by  let- 
ter. The  men  are  going  to  build  a 
utility  room  on  the  parsonage.  We  held 
our  spring  communion  on  Thursday 
evening  before  Easter.  Many  of  our 
young  people  attended  the  junior  high 
rally  held  at  the  Detroit  Trinity  church. 
Our  women's  fellowship  has  done  a  lot 
of  relief  work  and  finished  several 
quilts.  —  Emma  Jehnsen,  Rodney,  Mich. 

Northwestern  Ohio 
Adrian  —  Since  our  last  report,  seven 
have  been  baptized   and  one  received 
by  letter.    On   March   11,   the  WCTU 


30 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


held  their  annual  speech  contest  at  the 
Adrian  church.  Our  pastor's  wife, 
Bertha  Mulligan,  is  president  of  the 
local  WCTU  in  Adrian.  A  father-son 
banquet  was  held  on  March  22.  Law- 
rence Ehinger  from  the  Friend's  church, 
who  is  home  on  furlough  from  the 
Belgium  Congo,  showed  colored  slides 
of  his  work  there.  Our  three  neighbor- 
ing churches  of  the  Brethren  arranged 
fellowship  Lenten  services.  On  March 
27  we  met  with  the  Swan  Creek  church. 
A  film  on  the  life  of  Christ  was  shown 
April  3  at  the  Fairview  church.  Swan 
Creek  rendered  an  Easter  cantata.  On 
Good  Friday  evening  we  were  at  Adrian 
church  with  Bro.  Pearl  Powers  telling 
the  story  of  the  Crucifixion  in  flannel- 
graph.  On  April  13,  we  had  Holy  Week 
services  at  our  church  and  April  14 
our  communion  service.  —  Lulu  Kintner, 
Adrian,  Mich. 

Eagle  Creek  —  Our  homecoming  was 
held  with  Sister  Harriet  Bright  as  our 
guest  speaker.  We  had  installation  of 
officers  and  teachers,  and  promotion 
day,  Oct.  4,  and  our  love  feast  on  the 
evening  of  the  same  day.  The  women's 
fellowship  had  charge  of  a  family  night 
program.  Our  pastor,  Raymond  Risden, 
attended  regional  conference  at  Man- 
chester. The  community  Thanksgiving 
service  was  at  Eagle  Creek.  The  com- 
bined youth  choirs  of  Riley  Creek  and 
Eagle  Creek  presented  a  cantata  at 
each  of  the  churches  at  Christmas  time. 
The  women's  fellowship  met  at  the 
parsonage  at  Christmas  time  and  pre- 
pared dishes  of  cookies  and  candy  for 
each  of  the  guests  at  the  Brethren  home. 
Over  600  pounds  of  relief  clothing  have 
been  sent  out  in  the  last  two  pick-ups. 
The  women's  fellowship  have  made 
several  comforters,  children's  garments 
and  layettes.  They  have  been  sent  out 
to  needy  families.  Also  two  heifers  for 
relief  were  sent  out  from  the  church 
farm.  A  new  entrance  is  being  built 
and  the  basement  of  the  church  is  be- 
ing entirely  remodeled.  Our  spring  love 
feast  was  held  April  14.  A  community 
youth  choir  presented  a  cantata  on 
Good  Friday  evening.  —  Mrs.  Roy 
Thomas,  Williamstown,  Ohio. 

Poplar  Ridge  — Our  homecoming 
service  was  held  with  Bro.  Glenn  Rust 
as  guest  speaker.  We  observed  com- 
munion services  on  world  communion 
Sunday.  Our  regular  business  meeting 
was  held  at  which  time  church  and 
Sunday  school  officers  were  elected,  and 
Verne  H.  Leininger  was  re-licensed  to 
the  ministry.  Several  of  our  members 
attended  the  district  conference  and 
regional  conference.  Our  revival  meet- 
ing was  conducted  the  first  week  of 
February  by  Bro.  Cletus  Myers  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  Seven  were  convert- 
ed. On  Palm  Sunday  seven  babies 
were  consecrated  and  seven  persons 
were  baptized.  Our  annual  birthday 
supper  was  held  on  April  8.  —  May  C. 
Garner,  Stryker,  Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

Beech  Grove  —  The  Hollansburg 
council  of  churches  had  charge  of  the 
planning  for  our  January  school  of 
missions  which  was  held  in  our  church. 
On  Jan.  10  we  used  the  color  movie, 
None  Goes  His  Way  Alone,  followed 
by  age-group  discussion.  On  Jan.  17, 
the  speaker  was  William  Brandt.  A 
film  was  shown  and  discussion  followed. 
A  play,  Acres  to  Cross,  was  given  by 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free  l 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  447.  Brethren  Service  needs  a 
director  on  a  maintenance  basis  for 
a  summer  work  camp  in  an  urban  area 
from  about  June  20  to  Aug.  20.  Op- 
portunity to  work  with  youth,  social 
agencies,  and  churches,  and  to  do  other 
things.  This  would  be  good  experience 
for  a  social  studies  or  other  teacher. 
Contact:  Social  Welfare,  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin, 
111. 

No.  448.  Needed:  Child-care  work- 
er between  ages  25  and  50  to  work 
with  group  of  junior  boys.  Person 
would  live  in  Larkin  Home  for  Chil- 
dren, 1212  Larkin  Avenue,  Elgin,  111. 
Phone,  SHerwood  2-1535.  Contact: 
Mr.  Fred  G.  Wells,  Executive  Director. 

No.  449.  Wanted:  Dentist  to  locate 
in  a  farming  community  within  ten 
miles  of  a  larger  city  of  25,000.  No 
other  dentist  nearby.  Located  within 
four  miles  of  a  newly  remodeled 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Contact:  Mr. 
Joseph  F.  Piesen,  303  E.  Pearl  St., 
Lanark,   111. 

No.  450.  Available  soon:  Adminis- 
trative assistant  or  office  manager. 
Twenty  years  experience  in  various  ad- 
ministrative positions.  Experienced  in 
sales,  personnel,  procurement,  and 
multiplant  administrative  liaison.  Ac- 
tive in  local  and  district  Church  of  the 
Brethren  activities.  Prefer  Dayton, 
Ohio,  area.  Contact:  Brethren  Place- 
ment Service,   Elgin,  111. 

No.  451.  Needed:  Housekeeper  in 
the  50's  for  a  male  adult.  Prefer  a 
person  from  Eastern  Pennsylvania. 
Reply  to  Box  3,  R.  2,  Hummelstown, 
Pa. 

No.  452.  Wanted  immediately:  Two 
men  to  work  in  cut  stone  yard  and 
plant.  Outdoor  —  indoor  work.  Steady 
year-round  employment.  Wages  begin 
at  $2.00  an  hour  with  good  opportunity 
for  advance.  Men  should  be  high 
school  graduates  or  be  good  at  arith- 
metic. Farm  or  construction  back- 
ground desirable.  Work  near  congenial 
and  active  York  Center  church.  Con- 
tact: Louis  Shirky,  18W514  14th  St., 
Lombard,   111. 


the  Cedar  Grove  young  people.  Dr. 
Donald  Royer,  head  of  the  department 
of  sociology  at  Manchester  College, 
was  our  speaker  on  Jan.  31.  Each 
meeting  was  followed  by  a  fellowship 
period  in  the  basement.  A  large  group 
from  our  church  attended  the  mission 
rally  at  the  Greenville  church.  A  father- 
son  banquet  was  held  the  evening  of 
Feb.  10.  Several  attended  the  district 
school  of  Christian  living  at  the  Bear 
Creek  church.  The  three  churches  of 
our  community  observed  the  World 
Day  of  Prayer  service  at  the  Hollans- 
burg  church.  Our  speaker  was  Russell 
Rees.  Family  night  program  was  ob- 
served with  a  carry-in  supper.  The 
newly  purchased  projector  was  dedi- 
cated. Two  short  films  were  shown. 
One  Great  Hour  of  Sharing  was  ob- 
served at  our  morning  service  on  March 
27.  —  Mrs.  Everett  Druley,  Hollansburg, 
Ohio. 

Springfield  —  In  our  council  meeting 
we  adopted  the  method  of  electing  our 
deacons  for  a  seven-year  tenure  of 
office.  Brother  and  Sister  John  Keeling 
are  our  first  deacons  to  be  elected  under 
this  plan.  A  women's  chorus  has  been 
formed.  The  board  of  Christian  edu- 
cation had  charge  of  the  Christmas 
program  and  treats  for  the  children. 
Our  junior  high  class  presented  the 
play,  Merry  Christmas,  Crawfords!  The 
women's  fellowship  had  an  informal 
meeting  on  race  relations  with  Bro. 
Edward  Angeny  as  speaker.  Our  mis- 
sion topic  this  year  was  Africa.  First 
Sunday,  we  had  a  film,  Report  From 
Africa;  second  Sunday,  Bro.  Walter 
Bowman  showed  color  slides  of  his  re- 
cent trip  through  Nigeria;  and  we  con- 
cluded with  a  panel  discussion  on  The 
Way  in  Africa.  Our  ladies  aid  sent 
twelve  layettes  to  New  Windsor.  Our 
church  sponsored  basketball  for  the 
high  school  age  boys  of  our  church. 
Our  CBYF  planned  the  Easter  sunrise 
service  with  the  homebuilder's  class 
serving  breakfast.  Our  church  has  par- 
ticipated in  the  Call  program  and  every 
member  canvass.  —  Barbara  J.  Hinkle, 
Springfield,  Ohio. 

West  Alexandria  —  Our  church  de- 
livered six  baskets  of  food  to  families 
in  need  in  our  community  and  remem- 
bered the  sick  and  shut-ins  with  a  fruit 
plate  at  Christmas  time.  Our  pastor, 
Emory  Smith,  and  Stanley  Buchanen, 
who  is  chairman  of  the  Call  program, 
attended  a  meeting  at  the  Pleasant  Hill 
church.  The  devotional  life  program 
of  our  women's  fellowship  for  January 
was  prepared  by  Velma  Smith.  At  our 
February  meeting  O.  F.  Artopoeus 
showed  pictures  and  gave  a  very  in- 
teresting talk  on  his  work  as  mis- 
sionary in  a  leper  colony  in  India. 
During  youth  week  our  young  people 
conducted  a  panel  during  the  Sunday 
morning  worship  hour.  Arden  Den- 
linger  has  been  here  working  with  our 
youth.  The  junior  high  fellowship  par- 
ticipated in  our  Sunday  morning  wor- 
ship on  Feb.  14.  The  fellowship  class 
of  older  adults  gave  a  worship  program 
at  the  County  Old  Folk's  home.  We 
have  had  several  meetings  on  the  Call 
program.  Our  church  was  the  host  for 
the  World  Day  of  Prayer  service  in  the 
West  Alexandria  area  with  six  churches 
participating.  Our  church  observed 
Ash  Wednesday  as  the  day  of  prayer 
with  an  all-day  prayer  vigil,  closing 
with   a  congregational  meeting   in   the 


HARRY 

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FOSDICK 

A  BOOK 
OF  PUBLIC 
PRAYERS 


For  many  years  people  from  all  corners  of  the  nation  have  asked 
for  a  book  of  Fosdick  prayers.    It  is  now  available. 

His  excellent  examples  which  fill  his  book  illustrate  the  thesis  stated 
in  the  preface:  that  the  prayers  heard  from  Protestant  pulpits  today  are 
too  often  vague,  dreamy,  unaware  of  the  hard  realities  facing  members 
of  the  congregation,  and  often  unconcerned  with  social  applications  of 
religion.  So  he  has  gathered  here  three  groups:  pastoral  prayers  suitable 
for  any  Sunday  morning  service;  prayers  for  special  occasions;  and 
finally  a  section  of  litanies  on  special  subjects.  All  have  the  kind  of 
grace,  cadence  and  sonority  that  well  fit  the  sanctuary,  plus  the  Fosdick 
turn  of  language  and  grasp  of  solid  reality  that  marks  all  his  religious 
writing.  $3.00 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


evening.  Bro.  Ray  O.  Shank  was  the 
guest  speaker.  We  held  Lenten  services 
each  Sunday  evening  in  co-operation 
with  the  First  Evangelical  and  Re- 
formed church  with  the  pastors  ex- 
changing pulpits.  The  union  Good 
Friday  service  was  held  at  our  church 
with  Charles  Sorrell  as  our  guest  speak- 
er. We  held  communion  on  Palm  Sun- 
day. The  young  adults  had  a  sunrise 
service  on  Easter  morning  which  was 
followed  with  a  breakfast  served  by  the 
Fellowship  class  of  older  adults.  Enroll- 
ment has  begun  for  a  pastor's  class  in 
preparation  for  church  membership. 
There  will  be  classes  for  children  and 
for  adults.  The  women's  fellowship 
have  been  sewing  for  the  Bethany  hos- 
pital and  for  relief.  Melody  Eiken- 
berry,  daughter  of  Brother  Ivan  and 
Sister  Mary  Eikenberry,  missionaries  to 
Nigeria,  was  our  guest  speaker,  March 
27.  —  Mrs.  Arthur  Henry,  West  Alex- 
andria, Ohio. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Fredericksburg  —  Bro.  Earl  Forney 
was  guest  speaker  at  our  Thanksgiving 
Day  service.  Cans  of  fruit  juice  were 
taken  to  the  children's  home  at  Neffs- 
ville  by  the  junior  class  of  Meyer 
church  Sunday  school.  Our  mission  to 
the  members  was  made  on  Dec.  6. 
Three  letters  of  membership  were  re- 
ceived. Regular  church  council  was 
held  Dec.  7.  A  Christmas  musical  pro- 
gram was  rendered  by  the  Fredericks- 
burg chorus  in  the  Fredericksburg 
church.   The  annual  Christmas  program 


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by  the  Meyer  church  Sunday  school 
was  presented  Dec.  20.  Dr.  Timothy 
S.  Chang  was  guest  speaker  at  the 
Christmas  program  in  the  Fredericks- 
burg church.  Bro.  Conway  Bennett  was 
guest   minister    at    the    Christmas    Day 


JUNE  4,  1960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  .  .  . 


Name    

R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change   in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


service  in  the  Meyer  church.  Demas, 
a  religious  drama,  was  presented  in 
the  Meyer  church  by  a  student  depu- 
tation from  Elizabethtown  College.  A 
musical  program  by  local  groups  was 
rendered  in  the  Meyer  church  by  the 
Willing  Workers.  Faye  Gibbel  has  be- 
gun her  BVS  work  near  Falfurrias, 
Texas.  One  of  our  young  people  served 
as  delegate  to  the  youth  seminar  in 
Washington,  D.C.,  and  New  York.  Dr. 
Roy  Pfaltzgraff,  medical  missionary, 
showed  pictures  of  his  work  among  the 
lepers  of  Africa.  Thirty  members  at- 
tended the  midweek  classes  in  doctrine 
at  Midway  church.  Our  Lenten  season 
revival,  March  6-13,  was  held  by  Bro. 
Luke  H.  Brandt.  The  district  youth 
fellowship  sponsored  an  oratorical  con- 
test held  in  the  Meyer  church.  Music 
institute  was  held  with  Prof.  Nevin 
Fisher  as  instructor.  Eight  were  re- 
ceived by  baptism.  —  Grace  E.  Meyer, 
Ono,  Pa. 

Spring  Creek  —  Some  of  our  choir 
members  were  part  of  a  150-voice 
choir  which  presented  the  Messiah  on 
Jan.  3.  Our  minister  of  music,  Bro. 
Paul  G.  Fisher,  was  the  director.  Our 
church  had  a  food  concession  at  the 
Pennsylvania  farm  show.  The  proceeds 
were  used  for  the  building  fund  and 
missions.  Bro.  DeWitt  L.  Miller,  pastor 
of  the  Hagerstown  church,  was  the 
speaker  for  the  week  of  prayer  services 
in  the  Hershey  churches.  Dr.  Roy 
Pfaltzgraff,  medical  missionary  to  Ni- 
geria, Africa,  was  with  us  Jan.  17.  Bro. 
George  Evans  was  with  us  in  March, 
and  so  was  Bro.  Robert  C.  Mock. 
Marian  Poff  began  a  year  of  BVS.  A 
group  of  fourteen  women  assisted  in 
making  drapes  and  bedspreads  for  the 
Neffsville  children's  home.  Blanket 
Sunday  was  sponsored  by  the  junior 
high  department  resulting  in  over  fifty 
blankets  being  donated  for  world-wide 
relief.  We  have  resumed  the  midweek 
Bible  study.  A  recent  relief  shipment 
included  1440  cakes  of  soap,  fifty  shirts 
for  a  leper  colony  in  Nigeria,  Africa, 
fourteen  new  comforters,  ten  cartons  of 
clothing  and  one  carton  of  shoes.  — 
Mrs.    N.    Emerson    Meashey,    Hershey, 

32  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Eastern  Maryland 
Pipe  Creek  —  Youth  Sunday  was  ob- 
served in  Pipe  Creek  with  several  of  the 
youth  participating  as  leaders  for  Sun- 
day school  and  church.  A  week  of 
prayer  services  were  held  in  the  Union- 
town  community  churches  with  services 
being  held  at  Pipe  Creek.  The  month 
of  January  was  given  to  mission  study 
of  Nigeria.  R.  Sydney  Abernathy,  Jr., 
brought  the  sermon  to  our  congrega- 
tion on  Race  Relations  Sunday.  A  panel 
discussion  on  mental  health  was  held 
in  our  church  March  13,  with  Dr. 
Gertrude  Gross,  Dr.  J.  H.  Caricofe, 
Bro.  H.  Austin  Cooper,  and  Bro.  W. 
Ray  Kyle  participating.  Lenten  services 
are  being  held  in  all  of  our  churches 
until  April   10  with   exchange  pastors. 


^ 


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Our  women  were  guests  of  the  Piney 
Creek  women's  fellowship.  A  song 
sermon  was  held  in  our  church  on 
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appearance  of  the  boy  Jesus  when  he  talked 
with  the  elders  in  the  Tdmple,  and  end  with 
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Gospel 


MESSENGER 


JUNE  11.  1960 


O  thou  who  once  did  call  men 

From  their  daily  tasks  to  be  disciples. 

Ambassadors  of  light  to  every  nation  — 

Now  let  thy  Spirit  move  again 

Among  thy  people  gathered  here 

In  answer  to  thy  summons  and  thy  call. 

O  thou  whose  all-embracing  love 
Opens  the  arms  of  mercy  wide  and  sure 
Make    these,    thy    members,    ministers    of 

grace — 
That  they  may  speak  and  act  here  freely. 
Firm  in  their  faith,  sound  in  their  thinking. 
Strong  in  their  courage,  bold  to  defend 
And  ready  to  advance  thy  kingdom. 

Bless  thou  these  people  in  their  coming. 

In  their  assembling  and  their  going. 

That  they  may  serve  the  present  age 

And  witness  to  their  generation. 

Bless  thou  each  congregation  represented, 

Each  fellowship  of  trust,  each  family. 

Each  soul  aspiring  to  fulfill  bis  calling. 

Bless  them  as  now  unitedly  and  humbly 

They  wait  upon  thee,  listening  and  watching 

For  the  flutter  of  wings 

And  the  divine  wind 

And  the  holy  fire 

And  the  heavenly  voice 

Speaking  thy  great  commissions.  Amen. 


Gospel  Messenger  READERS    WRITE 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


to   the   editor  I 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and( 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 


JUNE  11.  1960 


Volume     109 


Number  24 


In   This   Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Is  to  Be  Caught  the  Only  Crime? 5 

Refugees  Reported  to  Be  Good  Risks  .      5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Why  Do  We  Go  to  Worship? 

Bernard  N.  King   3 

Father  and  His  Family. 

Grant   and   Ruth   Stoltzfus    6 

Swifter  Than  a  Weaver's  Shuttle. 

Dale    Aukerman    10 

A  Stubborn  Optimist.    Dan  West 12 

Dialog     Beween     a     Doctor     and     His 

Conscience.  Fred  W.  Wampler,  M.D.  15 
Milestones  on  the  King's  Highway. 

David  J.  Wieand 18 

700  Leprosy  Cures  Annually 19 

Blazing  an  Educational  Trail. 

Sara   Shisler    21 

Previewing  the  July  Leader   22 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books 22 

News  — 

Kingdom    Gleanings    17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    24 

Church  News 28 

•        •        • 

Our  Contributors  — 

Bernard  King,  pastor  of  the  Bridge- 
water  church,   Virginia. 

Grant  and  Ruth  Stoltzfus  conduct 
family  life  conferences  and,  under  the 
name  of  Concord  Associates,  have 
placed  family  life  advertisements  in 
newspapers  throughout  the  country. 
Mr.  Stoltzfus  teaches  sociology  at  East- 
ern Mennonite  College,  Harrisonburg, 
Virginia. 

Dale  Aukerman,  a  Brethren  Service 
representative  in  Europe. 

Dan  West,  a  former  Brotherhood 
staff  member,  now  retired. 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Integration 

The  Catholics  outdistanced  the 
Protestants  in  the  matter  of  integra- 
tion when  the  Bishop  of  Georgia 
handed  down  the  decision,  "There 
is  no  color  in  souls,"  and  by  that 
decree  integration  became  the  order 
of  the  day  for  all  Catholic  churches. 
Negroes  have  been  joining  the  Cath- 
olic Church  by  the  hundreds. 

Will  it  be  the  Catholic  or  Protes- 
tant faith  that  carries  the  Christian 
message  to  the  races  of  color  across 
the  future  decades? 

Why  don't  we  ask  a  dozen  Negro 
leaders  what  a  church  of  250,000 
members  could  do  as  a  group  project 
to  register  Christian  goodwill  to  our 
neighbor  race  or  races?  An  offer  to 
relocate  families  through  our  reset- 
tlement service  and  a  dozen  or  two 
Negroes  in  our  colleges  are  about  all 
we  have  done  to  date. 

We  have  staunch  admirers  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  among  the 
colored  ministers.  I'd  like  to  hear 
them  suggest  what  they  feel  our 
group  could  be  doing  in  their  behalf. 
—  Galen  Barkdoll,  Fairvale  Farm, 
Copemish,  Mich. 

Discrimination 

Sometime  ago  I  was  in  Birming- 
ham. It  was  about  two  o'clock  and 
I  had  not  eaten  lunch.  I  entered  a 
large  restaurant  and  asked  for  some- 
thing to  eat.  The  waitress  said  she 
would  ask  the  manager  to  see  me. 
There  was  no  one  eating  at  the  time. 

The  manager  entered  and  said  he 
was  sorry  he  could  not  give  me  serv- 
ice, but  the  restaurant  was  "for  col- 
ored only."  The  manager  was  a 
white  man. 

I  suppose  I  should  have  said  I 
had  been  discriminated  against  for 
being  refused  service.  I  entered  the 
restaurant,  not  knowing  it  was  for 
colored  only. 

Now,  colored  young  people  know- 
ingly enter  "white  only"  restaurants, 
and  because  they  are  not  given  serv- 
ice they  are  being  discriminated 
against. 

There  are  many  restaurants  in  the 
South  "for  colored  only,"  where 
white  people  are  refused  service. 

We  wonder  just  who  is  being 
discriminated  against.  —  Glen  W. 
Petcher,  Citronelle,  Ala. 


Our  family  will  no  longer  patron- 
ize   any    store    that   we   know    dis- 


criminates against  persons  because! 
of  race  or  color.  You  who  feel  that 
discrimination  is  evil  might  write  to 
the  local  managers  of  chain  stores 
discriminating  against  Negroes,  stat- 
ing your  opposition  to  such  policies 
and  your  unwillingness  to  patronize 
their  stores.  —  Edson  Sower,  8625 
W.  Stork  St.,  Milwaukee  18,  Wis. 

Review  of  Pastors'  Salaries 

I  am  writing  to  make  a  few  com- 
ments on  the  Conference  report, 
"Review  of  Pastors'  Salaries"  (May 
14).  My  major  comment  is  on  II. 
Observations,  paragraph  two.  I 
question  the  factual  accuracy  of  the 
key  observation  that  many  of  our 
pastors  make  less,  in  effect,  than 
they  did  in  1939.  The  $7,035  salary 
in  1959  to  equal  $3,000  in  1939  is 
2.345  times  the  $3,000. 

I  do  not  know  any  pastor  whose 
salary  in  1959  was  not  as  much  as 
2.345  times  his  salary  in  1939.  Nor 
do  I  know  any  church  which  was 
not  paying  as  much  as  2.345  times 
in  1959  as  it  paid  in  1939.  I  know 
some  pastors  who  are  getting  three 
or  four  times  what  they  got  in  1939, 
and  many  churches  which  are  paying 
from  three  to  four  times  now  what 
they  paid  in  1939. 

According  to  the  series  of  articles 
in  the  Messenger  last  fall  on  "The 
State  of  the  Ministry,"  only  eleven 
pastors  in  the  Central  Region  were 
getting  less  than  $3,500,  the  lowest 
$3,060.  In  1939  quite  a  number  of 
pastors  were  getting  around  $1,200, 
and  some  less. 

I  do  not  have  the  figures,  but  I 
am  reasonably  sure  that  the  average 
salary  now  is  more  than  2.345  times 
that  of  1939,  probably  much  more. 
I  am  wondering,  therefore,  whether 
the  observation  referred  to  above  is 
based  on  a  study  of  the  actual  facts 
or  just  a  broadside  assumption  with- 
out careful  investigation. 

If  the  salary  schedule  proposed  is 
seriously  intended  to  be  reached 
within  five  years  it  seems  to  be 
utterly  unrealistic.  And  I  doubt  the 
wisdom  of  officially  adopting  an 
idealistic  schedule  entirely  beyond 
the  prospects  of  realization.  I  am 
definitely  in  favor  of  more  adequate 
remuneration  for  our  ministers,  but 
I  fear  there  is  danger  of  overdoing 
the  matter  and  producing  severe 
and  unfortunate  reaction  from  many 
members.  —  Marvin  E.  Clingenpeel, 
Grottoes,  Va. 


1 


True  worship  begins  with  the  affirmation,  "In  the  beginning  God'' 


MODERN  man  is  not  inclined  to  go  to 
church  for  the  same  reason  that  moti- 
vated his  ancestors.  Ancient  man  wor- 
shiped with  fear  and  superstition.  Science  has 
given  us  more  of  an  attitude  of  independence 
and  self-sufficiency.  With  our  multiplicity  of 
clubs,  lodges,  and  organizations  fewer  people 
go  to  church  for  social  reasons.  Junior  may  go 
because  of  family  pressure.  Some  husbands  go 
to  please  their  wives  or  because  it  is  a  respect- 
able thing  to  do.  Others  may  go  to  enjoy  the 
music  or  to  hear  the  preacher,  but  sounder 
reasons  are  needed  to  go  regularly  and  faith- 
fully.     . 

One  of  our  aims  in  the  Call  to  Discipleship 
emphasis  is  to  create  a  better  understanding  of 
worship  and  to  develop  skills  in  this  fine  art. 
So  the  question  again,  Why  do  we  go  to  public 
worship? 

Basically,  the  only  sound  reason  is  to  wor- 
ship God.    "Worship"  is  a  transitive  verb.    We 


Bernard  N.  King 


do  not  simply  worship;  we  worship  something, 
or  someone.  True  worship  has  an  object  in 
view.  Are  we  subjective  or  objective  in  the 
sanctuary?  How  do  we  think  of  God?  Do  we 
find  in  the  hymns,  scripture,  prayers,  architec- 
ture, symbols,  and  sermon  meaningful  concepts 
of  God?  Are  we  Christ-centered  in  worship? 

Many  seem  to  think  in  this,  the  new  space 
age,  that  man's  explorations  and  scientific 
achievements  belittle  or  make  obsolete  tradi- 
tional faith.  They  believe  that,  given  more  time, 
scientists  will  explain  away  the  mysteries  of  the 
past.  This  is  a  superficial  view.  Great  souls, 
including  our  smartest  scientists,  never  cease  to 
wonder.  Science  is  not  the  death,  but  the  birth 
of  mystery,  awe,  and  reverence.  The  great 
mystery  of  the  origin,  nature,  and  purpose  of 


life  will  always  remain  to  tease, 
to  stimulate  us.  Robert  Milli- 
gan  once  said,  "I  have  never 
met  a  thinking  man  who  didn't 
believe  in  God." 

People  still  go  to  church  to 
worship  God.  Science  jolts  us 
and  forces  us  to  adjust  our  new 
ideas  of  space,  matter,  and  God, 
but  it  does  not  make  religious 
faith  obsolete.  Religion  deals 
with  values,  philosophies,  and 
faith.  Science  deals  more  with 
matter,  method,  and  facts.  They 
do  not  conflict;  both  contribute 
to  the  welfare  of  humanity. 

We  need  to  worship  God  to 
fill  this  vacuum  of  the  mystery 
of  Me.  George  Washington 
Carver,  Negro  scientist,  used  to 
tell  this  story.  "When  I  was 
young  I  said  to  God,  'God,  tell 
me  the  mystery  of  the  universe.' 
But  God  answered,  'That  is  re- 
served for  me  alone.'  So  I  said 
to  God,  'Tell  me  the  mystery  of 
the  peanut.'  Then  God  said, 
'Well,  George,  that's  more  near- 
ly your  size,'  and  he  told  me." 

We  begin  our  worship  with 
the  affirmation  of  the  Bible,  ac- 
cepted by  Jesus,  "In  the  be- 
ginning God."  He  is  the  answer 
to  our  ignorance,  our  loneliness, 
and  our  waywardness.  He  is 
our  light,  our  salvation,  and  the 
strength  of  our  lives. 

We  go  to  worship  to  be  recon- 
ciled to  God  and  to  man.  Both 
divine  and  human  relations  tend 
to  become  estranged,  cold,  and 
insulated.  Jesus'  reason  for 
coming  into  the  world  is  one 
reason  why  we  worship.  "God 
was  in  Christ  reconciling  the 
world  to  himself,  not  counting 
their  sins"  (2  Cor.  5:17).  This 
great  word  reconciliation  is 
sometimes  translated  atone- 
ment, which  means  oneness, 
harmony,  and  fellowship. 

Jesus  makes  it  clear  in  the 
model  prayer  and  in  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  that  true  worship 
is  both  vertical  and  horizontal; 

4  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Courtesy  of  Religion  In  American  Life 

The  Religion  In  American  Life  poster  which  will  be  used  in  the  campaign 
during  November  to  increase  attendance  at  all  churches  and  synagogues 


one  cannot  have  right  relations 
with  God  without  having  loving 
relations  with  people.  The  gift 
at  the  altar  will  not  be  accepted 
by  God  until  we  make  things 
right  with  our  neighbor;  at  least 
we  must  be  willing  to  do  all  we 
can  (Matt.  5:23-24). 

Perhaps  the  most  difficult  and 
hazy  element  in  worship  is  con- 
fession of  sin.  Modern  man 
brushes  aside  sin  and  talks 
about  inhibitions,  complexes,  or 
perversions.  When  he  gets  into 
a  jam,  he  is  likely  to  blame  his 
heredity  or  his  environment  and 
excuse  himself  of  all  responsi- 
bility. When  one  gets  caught 
in  sinful  relations  he  is  simply 
"unlucky,"  or  made  a  "slip."  We 
tend  to  rationalize  our  failures 
and  sins.  We  create  alibis. 
What  people  need  is  counsel- 
ing, not  conversion,  some  say. 
But  an  honest  confession  is  still 
good  for  the  soul. 

The  element  of  penitence  and 
confession  continues  to  be  a 
part  of  vital  worship.  Our  souls 
need  washing  even  as  our 
bodies  do,  again  and  again. 
Attending  worship  faithfully 
sharpens  our  sense  of  sin  and 
helps  us  to  pray,  "Lord,  be 
merciful  to  me,  a  sinner."  We 
rest  on  that  precious  promise, 
"If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is 
faithful  and  just,  and  will  for- 
give our  sins  and  cleanse  us 
from  all  unrighteousness"  (1 
John  1:9). 


We  worship  to  warm  our 
hearts  in  Christian  fellowship. 
In  church  we  feel  that  we  are 
among  friends,  both  living  and 
dead.  There  are  bonds  of 
friendship  that  need  to  be  re- 
newed and  strengthened,  and 
this  is  accomplished  in  true 
worship. 

Blest   be   the   tie   that   binds 
Our  hearts   in   Christian   love; 
The    fellowship    of    kindred    minds  - 
Is  like  to  that  above. 

A  service  of  worship  fitly 
framed  together  reminds  us  of  i 
our  spiritual  kinship  with  the 
saints  of  all  ages.  We  sense  that* 
we  are  "surrounded  with  a  great! 
cloud  of  witnesses."  When  we 
read  or  hear  the  ancient  Scrip- 
tures, we  are  inspired  by  the 
faith  and  belief  of  great  souls 
far  back  into  the  past.  When 
we  sing  the  Gloria  Patri  we  pull 
the  cord  of  Christian  continuity 
through  at  least  eighteen  cen- 
turies. Since  the  12th  Century, 
Christians  of  many  creeds  have 
been  singing,  "Jesus,  the  very 
thought  of  thee." 

God-inspired  Scriptures, 
helpful  hymns,  and  classical 
creeds  give  us  a  precious  sense 
of  belonging  to  a  beloved  com- 
munity that  moves  toward  that 
city  whose  maker  and  builder  is 
God.  We  need  this  sweet  satis- 
faction of  being  a  part  of  some- 
thing that  is  big  and  eternal, 
with  power  to  endure  through 
the  ages. 

Continued  on  page  9 


Is  to  Be  Caught  the  Only  Crime? 


EDITORIALS 


WHEN  Charles  Van  Doren  confessed 
several  months  ago  to  having  deceived 
the  public  in  a  fixed  quiz  show,  he  was 
universally  condemned  not  only  for  his  decep- 
tion but  for  his  attempts  at  first  to  cover  up  by 
lying.  Most  persons,  whether  they  spoke  pub- 
licly or  privately,  took  a  dim  view  of  the  kind 
of  public  morality  that  the  incident  revealed. 
Only  a  few  cynical  commentators  insisted  that 
deceit  was  all  a  part  of  the  game  —  and  Van 
Doren's  mistake  was  not  that  he  sinned  but 
that  he  got  caught. 

When  an  American  pilot  recently  was  dis- 
covered to  have  been  on  an  espionage  mission 
over  Soviet  Russia  some  government  officials 
attempted  to  cover  up  by  issuing  a  denial.  But 
the  truth  came  out.  It  was  necessary  to  admit 
that  we  were  engaged  in  spying,  but  all  kinds 
of  excuses  were  given  for  the  practice.  We 
were  told  that  every  nation  does  it.  It  is  really 
the  Soviet  Union's  fault  because  they  are  so 
secretive.  If  the  pilot  had  just  followed  the 
code  of  his  calling,  he  would  have  destroyed 
himself,  and  our  nation  would  not  then  have 
been  embarrassed.  In  most  of  the  comment 
there  was  little  concern  for  public  morality,  only 
regret  that  the  pilot  failed  in  his  mission.  In- 
deed, one  reporter  observed  that  the  pilot  had 
broken  "the  eleventh  commandment"  —  in  al- 
lowing himself  to  be  caught. 

If  we  are  going  to  accept  such  an  eleventh 
commandment  —  "Thou  shalt  do  whatever  thy 
superiors  order  thee  but  under  no  conditions 
must  thou  get  caught  and  embarrass  them"  — 


then  we  might  as  well  forget  about  the  original 
ten.  But  perhaps  in  accepting  the  philosophy 
that  any  means  are  justified  to  obtain  our  ends 
—  and  some  Christians  argue  for  such  a  neces- 
sity —  we  may  have  already  undercut  the  basic 
commandments  on  which  our  private  and  pub- 
lic morality  is  based. 

If  the  only  test  is  whether  or  not  one  is 
caught,  what  kind  of  moral  example  are  we 
setting  for  children  and  young  people?  They 
must  learn  not  only  that  crime  does  not  pay, 
but  that  it  is  wrong  whether  it  is  detected  or 
not,  whether  it  succeeds  or  not.  If  govern- 
ments try  to  cover  up  their  blunders  by  issuing 
falsehoods,  the  young  person  who  lies  to  his 
parents  may  feel  fully  as  justified  in  deceiving 
them  —  so  long  as  he  does  not  get  caught. 

We  have  often  condemned  the  espionage 
tactics  used  by  the  Communists  —  and  rightly 
so.  But  our  own  standing  in  the  eyes  of  a  criti- 
cal world  will  be  no  better  if  we  follow  the 
same  tactics  —  and  then  try  to  justify  them  by 
the  same  philosophy  that  any  method  is  right  so 
long  as  it  works  and  wrong  only  if  it  fails. 

"Spying,"  observes  Walter  Lippman,  "is  in 
its  very  nature  a  dirty  business,  outside  the  law 
and  outside  the  moral  code.  The  only  crime 
recognized  in  the  spy  business  is  to  be  caught." 
If  such  a  business,  outside  the  law  and  outside 
the  moral  code,  is  sanctioned  by  a  nation's 
leaders,  how  can  that  nation  effectively  stand 
for  the  moral  law  it  claims  to  be  defending? 
What  is  criminal  at  home  does  not  cease  to 
be  criminal  when  you  cross  a  boundary.  —  k.m. 


Refugees  Are  Reported  to  Be  Good  Risks 


II:: 


REFUGEES  are  good  financial  risks  and 
most  of  them  develop  into  solid  citizens. 
This  is  the  conclusion  reached  by  the 
National  Lutheran  Council,  which  has  aided 
about  59,000  persons  to  resettle  in  the  United 
States  in  the  past  twelve  years. 

Hundreds  of  Brethren  churches  have  helped 
to  resettle  many  hundreds  of  refugee  families. 
They  would  testify  also  that  refugees  are  good 
risks. 

Resettling  in  a  strange  land,  adjusting  to 
new  working  conditions,  learning  a  new  lan- 
guage and  accepting  new  cultural  patterns  are 
difficult  steps  for  most  persons  to  take.  There 
have  been  some  casualties,  some  disappoint- 
ments, and  some  failures.  But  Brethren,  speak- 
ing from  their  own  experience,  will  agree  with 


the  Lutheran  agency  that  "the  overwhelming 
majority  of  refugees  have  resettled  with  a  mini- 
mum of  difficulty." 

If  Americans  were  better  informed  about  the 
remarkable  record  of  refugees  and  immigrants 
in  this  country,  they  would  surely  support  the 
proposal  of  President  Eisenhower  that  Congress 
approve  legislation  to  allow  308,000  immigrants 
to  enter  the  country  annually.  They  would 
agree  to  revise  the  quota  basis  that  still  hampers 
our  immigration  system.  Some  such  steps  are 
essential  if  we  are  to  do  more  than  merelv  pay 
lip  service  to  the  aims  of  the  World  Refugee 
Year  that  ends  on  June  30.  —  k.m. 

JUNE  11,  1960  5 


Doing    dishes    together    is    an    opportunity 
for     children     to     share     news     of     the 
day's   happenings  and  to  talk  about 
questions      that      perplex      them 


I 


Religious  News  Service 


Grant  and  Ruth  Stoltzfus 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Father 
and 
His  Family 


THERE  are  no  perfect 
fathers.  All  of  them  must 
feel  at  times  that  their 
job  is  bigger  than  they  ever 
thought  it  could  be.  But  father's 
role  is  important.  It  is  im- 
portant for  the  welfare  of  the 
family  while  the  children  are 
still  at  home.  It  is  important, 
too,  in  view  of  the  concepts  of 
father  that  the  children  will 
carry  with  them  when  they 
marry  and  establish  homes  of 
their  own. 

As  boys  and  girls  grow  up 
in  a  home,  unconsciously  they 
'(form  ideas  as  to  what  a  father 
Jis  like  (a  mother,  too,  of 
Jcourse).  How  does  a  man  treat 
'jhis  wife  and  children?  What 
■responsibility  does  he  take  in 
■family  living?  What  regard 
Idoes  he  have  for  God,  the  Bible, 
■the  church,  the  law,  the  neigh- 
bors, the  dog,  the  cat? 

Day  in  and  day  out,  fathers 

lare  interpreting  to  their  grow- 

ijing  boys  and  girls  the  answers 

jto   these    questions.     And    the 

children  will  carry  these  mental 

images  to  their  own  marriages. 

=•'  Sons  who  marry  will  tend  to 

ajrepeat  the  pattern  set  by  father. 

JiDaughters  will  look  for  father's 

[qualities  in  their  husbands. 

Father's  role  is  important,  the 
Imodern-day  comics,  cartoons, 
Istories,  radio,  television  pro- 
grams notwithstanding.  Think 
[of  the  many  instances  today 
pwhere  father  is  pictured  as  a  be- 
hwildered,  embarrassed,  helpless 
[•victim  of  circumstances,  with 
ittle  more  judgment  or  com- 
mand of  a  situation  than  a  child 
or,  at  best,  a  confused  adoles- 
cent. 

Contrast  this  distorted  pic- 
ture of  father's  role  with  the 
true  picture  taught  in  the  Bible. 
•The  Word  teaches  that  the 
father  is  to  be  a  man  of  true 
(strength  and  leadership.  He  is 
the  head  of  his  wife,  loving  her 
with  pure,  self-sacrificing,  for- 
giving love.  By  example  and 
teaching   he   is   the   leader   in 


spiritual  things  at  home.  He 
has  the  chief  responsibility  for 
the  training  and  discipline  of 
the  children. 

In  a  world  of  tight  schedules, 
how  can  a  father  be  what  he 
should  be  to  his  family?  Aside 
from  his  task  as  breadwinner, 
it  takes  time  for  him  to  be  a 
good  lover  to  his  wife,  a  com- 
panion and  loving  disciplinar- 
ian to  his  children,  a  spiritual 
leader  in  the  home  as  God  has 
ordained.  But  figured  accord- 
ing to  the  scale  of  true  values, 
these  are  all-important  parts  of 
his  role  as  a  father  and  well 
worth  some  extra  study  and 
effort. 

What  can  father  do?  He  can 


IT 

\_  e  shall  turn  the  heart 
of  the  fathers   to   the  chil- 
dren, and  the  heart  of  the 
children    to    their    fathers." 
Malachi  4:6 


keep  up  a  good  relationship 
with  his  wife.  This  is  important 
not  only  for  the  happiness  of 
themselves  as  husband  and 
wife.  The  children's  welfare  is 
at  stake  too.  They  need  to  feel 
secure  in  the  assurance  that 
father  and  mother  truly  love 
each  other.  It  is  in  this  atmos- 
phere that  children  develop 
the  ability  to  love  and  under- 
stand others. 

He  can  enjoy  his  children.  A 
father  said,  after  his  children 
were  grown,  that  if  he  could 
relive  the  past  he  would  enjoy 
his  children  more.  Nothing  is 
more  important  to  the  growing 
boy  or  girl  than  to  feel  wanted, 
loved,  understood,  and  appreci- 
ated. For  a  father  to  greet  his 
child  with  a  bright  "Good 
morning!"  at  breakfast  time  or  a 
cheerful  "Hello!"  when  he  re- 


turns from  work,  may  seem  like 
small  things.  But  they  can 
mean  much  to  children. 

He  can  share  time  with  his 
children.  Here  it  is  not  so  much 
the  quantity  of  time  as  the 
quality.  The  father  who  must 
be  absent  for  work  keeps  this  in 
mind.  When  he  is  at  home  he 
belongs  to  the  family.  This  is 
not  always  easy  after  a  heavy 
day's  work.  But  he  had  better 
lay  down  the  newspaper  to 
listen  to  the  children,  laugh  and 
play  with  them,  and  pick  up 
the  paper  after  they  are  in  bed. 

A  father  will  show  an  interest 
in  his  child's  schoolwork  at 
times  other  than  just  report  card 
time.  If  there  is  difficulty  with 
schoolwork,  or  if  his  child  is 
chosen  last  for  a  ball  game,  he 
will  enter  into  the  problem  sym- 
pathetically. A  wise  father  will 
understand  that  ill-tempered 
scolding  can  actually  stop  a 
child's  learning  processes  and 
increase  the  emotional  problem 
that  may  be  the  cause  of  poor 
schoolwork  in  the  first  place. 

Father  will  want  to  supple- 
ment the  school  program  by 
taking  the  children  with  him 
to  town,  to  the  museum,  the 
zoo,  or,  as  suitable,  to  the  place 
where  he  works.  And  he  should 
not  forget  that  his  own  early 
home  has  quite  a  fascination  to 
his  children.  He  ought  to  walk 
with  them  through  the  mead- 
ows where  he  once  drove  in  the 
cows.  He  ought  to  show  them 
the  place  in  the  cornfield  where 
he  shot  his  first  pheasant. 
Stories  of  what  father  did  when 
he  was  a  boy  (other  than  mis- 
demeanors) can  furnish  many 
pleasant  and  profitable  mo- 
ments for  the  children.  Some- 
how these  stories  build  better 
family  solidarity. 

It  is  thought  that  from  the 
time  a  child  is  about  four  until 
he  is  six  he  has  a  special  affec- 
tion for  the  parent  of  the  op- 

JUNE  11,  I960  7 


5««l 


liifei. 


Harold  Linder  from  A.  Devaney 


Father  commends  each  child  for  schoolwork  well  done  without  comparison 
to   other  members   of   the   family   and   encourages   each   to   do   his   best 


posite  sex.  This  means  that  the 
little  daughter  is  likely  to  be 
unusually  fond  of  her  father 
during  that  time  of  her  life.  A 
father  who  takes  an  interest  in 
his  little  girl,  who  spends  time 
reading  and  talking  to  her  and 
listening  to  her  small  talk,  is 
doing  much  more  than  he  may 
realize  toward  her  immediate 
security  and  future  happiness. 
What  about  father's  life 
with  his  boys?  It  seems  that 
the  father's  golden  opportunity 
with  his  son  is  while  he  is  be- 
tween the  age  of  eight  and 
fourteen.  During  those  six  years 
a  boy  looks  to  his  father  in  a 
way  that  he  never  will  again. 
This  is  the  time  for  periods 
of  relaxed  companionship  —  an 
easy  flow  of  words  or  happy 
silence  just  as  father  and  son 
desire.  This  is  the  time  for 
frank  talks  on  sex  or  any  ques- 
tion that  may  concern  a  boy. 

8  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


These  are  the  years  especially 
important  for  building  worthy 
ideals  through  the  bonds  of  en- 
joyable father-son  companion- 
ship. 

A  twelve-year-old  boy  per- 
suaded his  father  to  go  ice  skat- 
ing with  him.  "Daddy  fell 
down  only  twice,"  he  proudly 
reported  to  Mother  when  they 
returned.  Daddy  himself  said, 
"At  first  I  was  as  stiff  as  ten 
boards  nailed  together,  but  I 
soon  limbered  up  and  had  a 
good  time."  The  son's  smiling 
lips  and  glowing  eyes  spoke 
their  thanks  for  one  of  the 
greatest  things  in  his  life  —  his 
father's  companionship. 

He  can  let  his  children  be 
themselves.  A  wise  father  will 
not  force  his  children  into  a 
mold.  Together  with  his  wife 
he  will  study  the  intelligence, 
abilities,  interests  of  each  child 
and  allow  for  individual  differ- 
ences. John  may  be  an  avid 
reader,  but  Ralph  excels  most 


in  working  with  tools.  Although 
efforts  will  be  made  to  help  the 
boys  to  be  well-rounded  per- 
sonalities, each  will  be  encour^ 
aged  in  the  thing  he  enjoys 
most  and  can  do  the  best. 

At  report  card  time  father 
will  not  compare  one  child 
unfavorably  with  another  but 
will  help  each  one  to  compete 
with  his  own  record,  trying  to 
do  better  next  month  than  he 
did  this  month. 

He  can  be  levelheaded  in  the 
the  discipline  of  his  children. 
Good  discipline  begins  with 
parents  who  are  self -disciplined. 
Someone  has  said  that  it 
is  amazing,  in  this  day  of 
supposed  enlightenment,  how 
many  fathers  still  think  that 
discipline  is  a  matter  of  muscle 
If  a  father  takes  measures 
against  his  children  to  relieve 
his  inner  frustrations,  more  is 
wrong  with  him  than  with  the 
child  he  is  correcting.  If  he 
rules  chiefly  by  force  or  the 
threat  of  force,  he  need  not  be 
surprised  if  his  children  later 
defy  all  authority.  If  he  does 
not  help  them  to  develop  inner 
control  at  home  they  will  not 
exercise  proper  control  away 
from  home. 

While  avoiding  the  extreme 
of  overstrictness,  father  will 
avoid  the  other  extreme  of  be 
ing  too  lenient.  Children  want 
and  need  kind  yet  firm  control 
for  the  sake  of  their  own  securi- 
ty. Although  it  sounds  like  a 
flat  contradiction,  children  do 
not  want  to  do  everything  that 
they  want  to  do. 

Though  he  makes  mistakes 
and  misjudges  at  times,  father 
can  achieve  his  goals  if  he 
truly  loves  his  children.  True 
love  and  concern  for  the  chil- 
dren is  what  matters  most  of 
all.  It  will  keep  him  from  being 
overstrict  or  overindulgent.  It 
will  prevent  both  coddling  and 
cruelty. 

The  Bible  speaks  of  this  love 


that  motivates  a  father's  disci- 
pline: "Whom  the  Lord  loveth 
he  correcteth;  even  as  a  father 
the  son  in  whom  he  delighteth." 
Out  of  deep  love  and  concern, 
father  disciplines  wisely  for  the 
best  welfare  of  the  child.  And 
he  will  remember  that  in  his 
authority  as  a  father,  he  is 
subject  to  the  authority  of  a 
heavenly  Father. 

He  will  take  the  lead  in  mak- 
ing religion  a  reality  in  home 
life.  As  head  of  the  home  this 
is  his  duty  and  privilege.  He  is 
head  of  the  home  not  as  a  ty- 
rant or  dictator  for  his  personal 
comfort  and  advantage  but  as 
leader  in  everything  worthwhile 
—  a  leader  whose  example  and 
teaching  can  be  safely  followed. 

The  father  leads  in  family 
worship,    in    churchgoing,    in 


showing  example.  "The  way  to 
have  a  good  son  is  to  be  a  good 
father." 

Young  children  have  a  way 
of  looking  up  to  father  with  al- 
most unbelievable  admiration. 
One  day  a  little  girl  found  her 
pet  kitten,  limp  and  almost 
lifeless,  beside  the  road  where 
it  had  been  hit  by  a  car.  But 
she  was  not  greatly  upset. 
"Daddy  can  fix  it,"  she  said. 

Think  of  the  wisdom  of  God 
in  ordaining  that  father,  to 
whom  the  children  look  with 
such  admiration,  should  be  the 
one,  chiefly,  who  should  teach 
them  the  Word  of  God  and  lead 
them  to  the  Savior.  Since  fa- 
ther's words  carry  extra  weight 
with  the  children,  it  is  a  pity 
when  he  does  not  seize  the  op- 
portunity to  speak  about  God 


Religious  News  Service 

It  is  a  father's  privilege,  as  well  as  duty,  to  speak  about  God  and 
his  Word  and  to  lead  the  family  in  meaningful  worship  experiences 


and  his  Word  and  lead  the  fam- 
ily in  meaningful  worship  ex- 
periences. There  is  no  greater 
blessing  to  children  and  "chil- 
dren's children"  than  Christian 
teaching  of  parents  at  home 
backed  up  by  happy,  con- 
tagious, consistent  Christian 
living. 

From  Christian  Living  maga- 
zine by  courtesy  of  the  Nation- 
al   Sunday    School    Association 


Why  Do  We  Go 
to  Worship? 

Continued  from  page  4 

The  Church  is  the  body  of 
Christ.  In  spite  of  our  human 
frailties,  there  is  no  more  in- 
spiring, stimulating,  and  pro- 
tective fellowship  than  what  we 
experience  in  the  church.  Christ 
is  eternal,  and  to  be  Christlike 
is  to  have  the  hope  of  heaven 
here  and  now. 

Recall  that  heart-warming 
story  of  a  deaf  old  saint.  When 
asked,  "Grandpa,  why  do  you 
keep  going  to  church  when  you 
can't  hear  a  word  that  is  said?" 
he  replied,  "What  would  the 
neighbors  think  if  they  saw  me 
sitting  on  the  front  porch  rock- 
ing on  a  Sunday  morning?  I 
keep  on  going,  even  if  I  don't 
hear,  because  I  want  people  to 
know  whose  side  I'm  on." 

People  judge  us  by  the  com- 
pany we  keep.  My  best  friends 
and  acquaintances  go  to  church 
regularly  and  I  need  them  for 
balanced  and  abundant  living. 
Before  the  altar  of  God  I  also 
feel  the  presence  of  faithful 
kinfolk  and  friends,  the  memory 
and  presence  of  whom  blesses 
and  sanctifies. 

We  worship  to  find  strength 
to  overcome  temptations  and  to 
do  the  tasks  of  everyday  living. 
The  ultimate  test  of  vital  wor- 
ship is  how  it  is  related  to  life. 
True  worship  builds  character 
and  translates  ritual  into  right- 
continued  on  page  14 

JUNE  11,  1960  9 


tt/ecutez' & 


Vi 


tai 
'  use 

tra 


IjHH 

sill 


AT  AN  Austrian  inn  a  few 
years  ago  Don  Murray 
and  I  were  finding  it 
difficult  to  talk  because  over  in 
another  corner  of  the  large 
room  a  group  of  men  and  wom- 
en were  laughing  and  singing, 
drinking  and  shouting.  I  was 
irritated;  but  Don  after  a  while 
shook  his  head  sadly  and  com- 
mented, "They  are  trying  so 
hard  to  have  a  good  time." 
That  is  the  epitaph  which 
could  be  written  across  most 
lives:  They  tried  so  hard  to 
have  a  good  time  —  and  failed. 
A  favorite  song  of  the  Ger- 
man pre-Lenten  festival  period 
has  the  emphatic  refrain,  "Oh, 
how  beautiful  life  is!"  Individ- 
ually and  in  mass  people  try 
desperately  to  convince  them- 
selves of  that,  and  never  quite 
succeed.  "Eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry"    (and    shun    the    other 


10 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


phrase).  We  want  so  much  to 
be  happy,  to  get  the  most  out 
of  life.  At  times  we  yearn  to 
be  done  with  letting  life  slip 
emptily  away.  But  often  when 
we  do  hug  life,  it  turns,  limp  in 
our  embrace.  We  shuffle  along 
failing  to  live  with  more  than 
a  fraction  of  the  reverence, 
sensitivity,  love,  and  joy  pos- 
sible. 

Time  moves,  and  we  with  it. 
There  is  no  halting,  no  going 
back.  An  eternity  is  behind  us, 
an  eternity  ahead,  and  we  have 
only  the  ever-ending  moment,  a 
moment  which  as  we  think  on 
it  has  already  slipped  into  the 
past.  More  and  more  of  our  life 
glides  into  the  past.  The  time 
comes  when  we  can  know  that 
most  of  our  life  lies  behind  us. 
The  moment  comes  when  all 
our  life  slips  into  the  past,  and 
we  are  past. 

Many  refugees  can  tell  of  a 
usual   concentration   camp   ex- 


liliiiltlltt 

Jllfllita 
■■■■■■ 


Godsey  from  Monkmeyer 


Dale  Aukerman 


perience.  Each  morning  guards 
came  in  and  read  off  some 
names;  these  persons  were  then 
led  out  and  shot.  The  prisoners 
lived  in  continual  dread  that 
their  names  would  be  called  out 
the  next  morning.  This  seems 
to  us  a  terrifying  situation;  it  is 
really  an  image  of  our  own 
existence.  Many  die  today, 
many  on  each  new  today.  For 
every  one  of  us  the  day  is  com- 
ing when  death  enters  and  calls 
our  name. 

A  frequent  theme  in  fiction  is 
how  a  person  with  little  time 
left  to  live  spends  it.  We  read 
of  the  mortally  ill  frittering 
away  their  days,  of  soldiers  who 
spend  their  last  night  drinking 
and  carousing,  of  prisoners  who 
in  the  boredom  of  their  final 
hours  play  cards.  It  seems  in- 
credible   that    men   would    so 


aste  the  scant  time  left  them 
incredible  until  we  see  that 
e  do  the  same  thing.  We  dis- 
ard  our  lives  in  empty  work, 
seless  chatter,  humdrum  fam- 
ly     living,     joyless     pleasures, 
rashy  reading,  stupid  TV  pro- 
rams.    We  rush  around  trying 
o  live,  but  are  calloused  and 
sensitive  to  the  flow  of  ex- 
eriences.     We    kill    time  —  a 
errible  phrase  that  is  —  we  kill 
fe's   fleeting   hours.     Thoreau 
as  said:  "As  if  you  could  kill 
ime  without  injuring  eternity." 
Dostoevski  in  his  novel,  The 
diot,  describes  an  experience 
hich    he    himself    had    gone 
hrough.  A  man  was  sentenced 
to  death.    He  and  some  others 
were  led  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion.   When  the  man  saw  that 
he  had  only  about  five  minutes 
left  to  live,  he  decided  he  would 
divide  the  time  up :  for  two  min- 
utes he  would  say  good-by  to 
his    friends;    two    minutes    he 
would  spend  thinking  for  the 
last  time;  and  the  last  minute 
he  would  look  around. 

He  bade  warm  farewell  to  his 
condemned  friends.  Then  he 
thought  and  tried  to  understand 
how  it  could  be  that  now  he 
was  thinking,  but  in  two  min- 
utes he  would  be  a  thing  fit  only 
for  burial.  He  looked  around 
and  saw  a  church  tower  gleam- 
ing in  the  sun,  and  the  thought 
came:  What  if  he  were  not  to 
die,  what  if  he  were  to  have 
many  minutes,  hours,  years,  to 
live  yet?  How  would  he  live 
them?  How  could  he  endure  to 
live  them?  A  messenger  rushed 
up  with  a  stay  of  execution. 
The  man  lived  longer  —  and 
wasted  much  time. 

We  know  that  time  is  running 
out.  To  some  extent  we  all  want 
to  live  life  intensely,  live  it  to 
the  full.  What  we  hardly  know 
is,  How  can  we?  Usually  we 
are  only  half  alert;  we  do  not 
see  very  much,  feel  very  much, 
experience  very  much. 

On  what  occasions  have  you 


been  most  acutely  alive?  When 
you  were  closest  to  Christ  (if 
you  are  a  Christian).  At  such 
times  we  seem  to  embrace 
existence  and  glimpse  the  glory 
and  mystery  of  our  living.  In 
him  is  life.  He  wants  us  to  have 
this  acute  awareness,  not  just 
once  in  a  while,  but  continu- 
ously. 

Jesus  confronts  you  this  mo- 
ment, you  now  in  your  half- 
aliveness.  He  is  Lord  of  all 
time,  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega, 
the  Beginning  and  the  End. 
This  present  moment  is  his;  he 
gives  it  to  you.  You  are  to  see  it 
as  coming  from  his  hand.  And 
through  your  looking  toward 
him  your  receiving  becomes 
giving  it  back  to  him.  This  mo- 
ment becomes  the  glorious  blaz- 
ing spark  between  the  finger 
reaching  down  and  the  hand 
stretched  out. 

Do  you  have  beyond  this  mo- 
ment twenty  minutes  a  day  at 
the  least  for  prayer  and  Bible 
study?  If  not,  it  is  natural  that 
people  be  for  us  little  more 
than  pieces  of  furniture.  They 
are  around;  we  make  use  of 
them;  but  we  hardly  notice 
them.  We  say  hello;  we  chat  a 
bit;  but  we  do  not  really  see 
them.    With  a  nod  or  a  shrug 


Take  time  for 

marveling  at  the 

resurgence  of  life 

in  the  spring, 

to  see  the  sunsets, 

to  survey  the  clouds 

and  stars, 

to  listen  to  bird  and 

insect  symphonies 


we  pass  by  the  other  being 
in  whom  is  grandeur  and  an- 
guish of  longings,  guilt,  deep 
thoughts,  gropings. 

Jesus  was  not  as  we  are.  His 
eyes  saw  into  the  heart  of  each 
person,  he  felt  the  marvel  and 
misery  in  each  human  being. 
Through  watching  him  we  be- 
gin to  turn  our  vision  toward 
where  his  is  directed. 

Thus  there  is  an  either  /or 
which  zigzags  through  every 
part  of  our  existence.  Marriage 
can  be  a  dull  routine  with  hus- 
band and  wife  never  really 
communicating,  never  sharing 
their  highest  thoughts,  their 
darkest  doubts.  Or  the  two  can 
be  alive  to  each  other,  and  feel, 
think,  talk  together,  and  enfold 
perishing  time  in  their  abiding 
embrace. 

Children  can  be  thoughtless- 
ly given  life  and  casually 
brought  up.  Or  parents,  per- 
ceiving that  their  children  will 
soon  go  from  them,  can  prayer- 
fully, unhectically  fill  the  short 
years,  that  their  going  may  be 
toward  God,  not  away. 

Middle-aged  people  may  neg- 
lect their  elderly  parents.  Or 
they  may  cherish  and  spend 
much  time  with  those  to  whom 

Continued  on  page  16 


Griggs 


JUNE  11,  1960 


11 


' 


A 

Stubborn 
Optimist 


Dan  West 


The  city  of  Kassel,  Germany,  contains  about  as 
many  people  as  there  are  members  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  It  was  bombed  steadily  during 
the  war  by  both  British  and  American  planes.  From 
26,000  to  40,000  people  were  killed  by  that  work, 
and  from  70  to  80  per  cent  of  the  dwelling  houses 
were  destroyed  (accurate  figures  are  hard  to  get). 
In  one  night,  October  22, 1943,  an  estimated  10,000 
persons  were  killed. 

Susanne  Windisch  was  one  of  the  survivors  of 
the  blasting,  the  explosions,  the  burning  of  the 
asphalt  in  the  streets.  Because  she  is  sensitive  and 
loyal  to  her  German  people,  the  terror  and  spiritual 
agony  were  heavy  for  her,  but  she  is  not  bitter. 
However,  she  is  sober  about  the  past  and  concerned 
about  the  future.  After  the  war  she  worked  for 
several  branches  of  the  military  government  as  its 
program  developed.  When  that  program  was  end- 
ed, she  answered  a  request  for  help  in  the  work 
camp  office  in  Brethren  House. 

After  more  than  six  years  of  enthusiastic,  effi- 
cient, and  generous  help  in  several  offices  there, 
she  left  last  year  to  take  more  work  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Marburg.  It  has  long  been  a  dream  of  hers 
to  become  a  teacher,  and  this  training  is  in  the 
direction  of  that  dream. 

My  wife  and  1  talked  to  her  often  at  Kassel, 
asking  her  many  questions  about  her  impressions 
of  the  Brethren  Service  program  with  which  she 
has  been  associated.  Susanne  graciously  answered 
the  questions  we  put  to  her. 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


What  has  impressed  you  about  Brethren  \ 
Service  work  here  in  Germany? 

When  I  first  came  into  contact  with  Breth- 
ren Service  work  the  war  and  postwar  situation  I 
had  not  quite  been  ended  and  there  were  many 
memories  yet  in  our  minds.  I  had  never  met 
a  group  that  belonged  to  what  we  call  a  free 
church.  Of  course,  I  knew  of  Baptists  and 
Methodists,  but  I  never  had  any  real  informa- 
tion about  them.  When  I  first  started  working 
for  Brethren  Service  I  did  not  realize  what  the 
goals  of  this  organization  were.  Quickly  I 
learned  and  I  am  still  learning. 

I  think  the  thing  that  impressed  me  most 
was  the  fact  that  the  program  reached  far 
beyond  the  normal  activities  of  the  church,  that, 
for  instance,  in  your  camps  you  admitted  youths 
from  all  countries  and  also  from  all  races  and 
all  religions.  You  could  be  expected  to  work 
on  a  more  limited  basis  because  of  the  size  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethern  but  the  fact  that 
you  admitted  Christians  and  non-Christians  in 
your  work  camps  was  something  that  impressed 
me  very  much.  I  could  easily  understand  how 
you  hand  material  aid  and  relief  goods  to 
people  in  need  without  asking  what  their  re- 
ligion is  but  in  a  work  camp  or  in  peacetime  it 
is  different. 

How  do  Brethren  differ  from  the  state 
church? 

In  the  past  our  state  church  had  a  tendency 
to  look  at  free  churches  as  sects.  Our  state 
church  was  once  rather  rigid  in  its  interpreta- 
tion of  what  should  be  a  church  and  what  was 
in  a  church,  but  I  think  in  these  days  we  have 
come  to  respect  free  churches  whose  faith  and 
belief  is  based  on  the  interpretation  of  the 
New  Testament.  As  I  see  it,  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  definitely  a  church  and  not  a  sect. 

What  other  things  have  you  observed  about 
the  Brethren? 

What  surprised  people  here  in  Germany  was 
the  fact  that  a  small  church  of  only  200,000 
people  that  came  from  another  continent  had 
a  program  so  far-reaching. 

In  what  ways  was  it  far-reaching? 

Geographically  and  spiritually.  After  ten 
years  of  the  operation  of  Brethren  Service  in 
Germany  we  can  see  how  far-reaching  this  pro- 
gram has  been  because  it  is  being  accepted  by 
our  state  church  and  by  organizations  that  are 
especially  concerned  with  religion.  The  ma- 
terial-aid program  services  organizations  and 
groups  within  the  church  as  well  as  outside. 


Raffensperger 

Susanne  Windisch,  who  was  with  Brethren  Service  in  Germany  from  1953  to   1959,  has  perhaps  the  best 
knowledge  of  the  program  of  Brethren  Service  activities  in  recent  years.    She  was  secretary  to  the  director 


This  wideness  of  the  spirit  and  the  ideas  is 
what  impressed  me  very  much.  I  come  from  a 
home  where  my  parents  always  tried  to  bring 
us  up  in  this  wide  spirit  and  tried  to  prevent 
our  becoming  too  narrow.  I  could  see  how  such 
a  small  group  as  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
could  become  narrow,  but  I  never  noticed  it  in 
my  work  here. 

You  responded  to  the  work  camp  program 
because  you  saw  in  it  something  new  and  good. 
How  about  others? 

Yesterday,  when  I  was  about  to  go  home 
from  Brethren  House,  I  met  a  young  boy,  and 
I  was  not  sure  whether  he  was  German  or 
American.  We  introduced  ourselves.  Then  I 
found  out  he  was  a  German  boy,  and  I  asked 
him  how  he  happened  to  come  here.  He  said, 
"I  was  in  Dan's  work  camp  last  year."  He  said 
this  in  such  a  natural  way  that  I  had  to  stop 
and  think  that  he  referred  to  Dan  Raffensberger. 
This  is  the  way  he  had  his  first  contact  with 
Brethren  Service,  and  now  he  is  here  in  Brethren 
House. 

This  has  happened  with  many  young  people 


that  I  have  seen  coming  and  going.  Although 
we  are  a  relatively  small  center  here,  the  many 
contacts  we  have  made  throughout  the  years 
are  reflected  also  in  our  work  camp  files.  We 
did  not  publicize  our  work  in  newspapers  or 
magazines,  but  interest  grows  as  one  young 
person  tells  another  person. 

What  are  some  of  the  weaknesses  and  the 
liabilities  of  the  Brethren  Service  work  here  as 
you  see  it? 

I  do  not  think  I  would  have  any  criticism. 
But  two  things  might  be  said.  I  would  be  afraid 
that  one  day  your  organization  would  become 
rigid  like  some  church  organizations.  If  the  or- 
ganization becomes  the  end  and  not  the  means, 
I  have  seen  how  that  kills  the  life  of  the  church. 
The  other  concern  is  how  an  organization  like 
Brethren  Service  will  know  when  to  stay  on 
here  and  when  to  go  somewhere  else  and  where 
to  put  the  emphasis. 

It  is  difficult  at  times  to  see  the  need  of 
working  in  a  given  area  because  there  are  so 


JUNE  11.  I960 


13 


many  areas  throughout  the  world  and  some  may 
call  more  for  material  aid;  some  others  may  call 
more  for  spiritual  aid.  I  do  not  know  whether 
we  have  the  right  to  ask  an  organization  like 
yours  to  stay  here  with  us  only  because  we 
feel  we  are  weak  spiritually  and  need  some  ex- 
ample and  inspiration  to  help  us  build  up  an- 
other barrier  against  the  idea  that  has  been 
erected  east  of  the  Iron  Curtain.  So  often  our 
young  people  have  asked  the  question,  "What 
do  we  have  to  put  up  against  this  idea  the 
Communist  youth  have?" 

Do  the  Brethren  have  something  to  offer? 

I  would  think  so.  Because  it  seems  to  me, 
after  I  thought  about  it  many  times,  that  the 
only  way  of  gaining  strength  to  put  up  some- 
thing against  communism  is  through  the  Chris- 
tian religion. 

Would  you  say  that  Brethren  should  be 
building  churches  in  Germany? 

I  do  not  know  how  to  answer  this  question. 
I  think  if  there  would  be  a  genuine  desire  for 
it  I  would  not  see  anything  wrong  with  it,  but 
if  there  is  no  genuine  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
people  then  I  would  consider  it  something  of 
a  vision.  If  Brethren  had  come  here  with  a 
mission  purpose,  they  would  not  have  reached 
as  many  people  as  they  have  reached  in  the 
past  ten  years.  They  would  not  have  reached, 
for  instance,  the  people  in  our  own  state  church, 


I  m 


Because  of  her  ability  with  languages,  Susanne  handled 
most  of  the  translations  needed  at  Kassel  House 


and  when  I  say  reach, 
hearts. 


I  mean  reaching  their 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


But  will  this  last  throughout  the  years  with- 
out something  to  renew  it? 

I  think  that  it  would  be  good  if  there  would 
be  some  sort  of  a  follow-up  because  we  have 
seen  this  happen.  One  generation  goes  through 
a  certain  experience,  and  the  next  generation 
who  has  not  gone  through  it  may  turn  in  an 
entirely  different  direction.  So  far  you  have 
reached  two  generations,  the  parents  and  their 
children.  The  children  are  growing,  and  they 
will  carry  these  ideas  with  them,  especially 
those  who  have  participated  in  the  exchange 
program  or  the  work  camp  program,  but  I 
think  there  should  be  some  way  of  continuing 
this  work.  Maybe  this  is  selfish  of  me,  but  I 
can  see  that  the  time  has  not  yet  come  to  dis- 
continue it  completely.  When  I  think  of  the 
beginning  peace  movement  in  Germany  and  of 
all  the  problems  we  face  with  regard  to  the 
nearness  of  communism,  there  is  still  a  big  task 
for  Brethren  if  they  can  stay  here  or  come  back 
with  some  other  program. 


Why  Do  We  Go  to  Worship? 

Continued  from  page  9 

eousness,  ceremony  into  Christian  conduct. 
Character  is  being  made  and  remade  constantly. 
We  come  to  church  to  help  one  another  and 
to  give  God  a  chance  to  repair  our  moral 
structures. 

Last  summer,  Ezra  Taft  Benson,  distin- 
guished churchman  and  Secretary  of  Agricul- 
ture in  President  Eisenhower's  cabinet,  toured 
Bussia.  One  Sunday  he  worshiped  in  a  crowded 
Baptist  church.  The  pastor  insisted  that  he 
enter  the  pulpit  and  speak.  His  voice  choked 
with  emotion  as  he  beheld  such  a  congregation, 
and  he  spoke  of  divine  love,  faith,  and  hope. 
The  press  quoted  him  as  saying,  "I  believe  very 
firmly  in  prayer.  It  is  possible  to  reach  out  and 
tap  that  unseen  Power  which  gives  us  strength 
and  is  an  anchor  in  time  of  need."  One  member 
of  that  party  said,  "That  was  my  greatest 
spiritual  experience." 

If  you  want  to  find  God  a  very  present  help 
in  time  of  need,  fill  the  pews  of  your  choice 
regularly,  translate  the  Word  of  God  into  daily 
living,  cherish  the  fellowship  of  Christian 
people,  and  crown  Christ  as  Lord  and  Savior. 
Corporate  worship  in  the  church  of  your  choice 
thus  becomes  a  "gate  of  heaven." 


If  you  think  a  missionary  never  has  any  questions, 
any  doubts,  any  misgivings  about  his  witness, 
listen  in  on  this 


Dialog  Between  a  Doctor  and  His  Conscience 


conscience:  Doctor,  what  are 
you  doing  here? 

missionary  doctor  (proud- 
ly ) :  I'm  here  in  India  perform- 
ing a  challenging,  worthy  task 
of  missionary  medicine  for 
which  I  have  prepared  all  my 
life.  I  feel  as  if  I  have  finally 
arrived!   It's  a  great  calling. 

c:   It  is? 

md:  Certainly!  Christ  not 
only  preached  to  people,  but  he 
healed  the  sick.  In  choosing 
medicine  as  my  field  of  service, 
I  felt  that  it  would  enable  me 
to  be  more  like  him  in  serving 
my  fellow  men. 

c:  Christ  also  fed  the  hungry. 

md:  But  I  can't  do  every- 
thing. In  spite  of  my  best  ef- 
forts, I  fall  short  of  his  example. 

c:  You  admit  that  you  fall 
short  of  Christ's  example,  but 
except  for  that  you  feel  pretty 
proud  of  yourself,  don't  you? 

md  ( slightly  hurt ) :  Well,  I'm 
trying  to  do  the  best  I  can.  For 
an  ordinary  human  I  have  tried 
hard.  As  I  said,  I  feel  as  if  I'm 
doing  a  really  vital  work. 

c:  Strange,  how  all  doctors 
seem  to  think  of  themselves  as 
nothing  less  than  indispensable. 
Are  you  really  accomplishing  so 
much?  Tell  me,  why  did  you 
come  out  here? 

md  (thoughtfully) :  Well,  the 
primary  task,  of  course,  is  to 
spread  the  good  news  of  Christ. 
But  to  round  out  our  Christian 
witness,  we  try  to  minister  to 
physical  as  well  as  spiritual 
needs.  By  this  we  show  forth 
the  love  of  Christ.  And  the  min- 
istry to  the  body's  need  for 
healing  gives  us  a  powerful  op- 


Fred  W.  Wampler,  M.D. 


portunity  to  speak  to  people  of 
Christ. 

c:  You  have  a  pretty  smooth 
line,  don't  you?  How  many 
patients  have  you  spoken  to 
about  Christ? 

md  ( indignantly ) :  But  I 
don't  know  the  language  yet! 

c:  And  haven't  you  heard 
that  some  investigators  think 
that  medical  missions  have 
yielded  very  few  converts? 

md:  Yes,  but  that  may  be 
just  one  side  of  the  story.  And 
even  if  true,  don't  we  have  an 
obligation  to  love  and  serve  our 
fellow  men,  even  though  we 
don't  win  so  many  converts? 

c:  But  you  said  your  primary 
reason  for  coming  here  was  to 
spread  the  good  news  of  Christ. 
Haven't  you  gotten  a  bit  side- 
tracked? 

md:  You  don't  make  me  feel 
very  good.  Here  I  thought  I 
was  doing  the  most  important 
work  in  the  world,  and  you 
have  me  thinking  I  have  missed 
the  boat.  Leave  me  alone  for 
a  while! 

c  (pressing  the  attack) :  Not 
yet.  You  said  that  through  your 
work  you  show  forth  the  love 
of  Christ.  You  know  how  these 
people,  especially  some  Chris- 
tians, hate  to  pay  their  bills. 
How  do  you  show  the  love  of 
Christ  while  trying  to  wring 
money  out  of  them? 

md:  Well,  you  should  know 
that  we  have  to  have  money  to 
run  the  hospital.  And  experi- 
ence has  shown  that  it  doesn't 


pay  to  give  away  everything. 
Christians  used  to  get  all  their 
medical  care  free  here  and  they 
came  to  expect  it  as  a  right; 
they  expected  it  in  the  same 
way  a  child  expects  his  parents 
to  care  for  him.  We  are  trying 
to  get  them  to  grow  up  now 
and  experience  the  joy  of  being 
self-sufficient  and  of  being  a 
giver  sometimes  instead  of  a 
continual  recipient. 

c:  And  how  successful  has 
this  been? 

md:  In  the  church  they  give 
fairly  well. 

c:  And  what  about  hospital 
bills? 

md:  We  still  have  a  hard 
time  getting  them  to  pay.  But 
you  must  give  them  time. 
Growth  requires  time. 

c:  You  said  that  you  try  to 
minister  to  their  physical  as 
well  as  spiritual  needs.  What 
physical  needs  are  you  meeting 
in  the  town  where  you  are? 

md:  The  people  here  get  sick 
just  as  they  do  anywhere  else. 

c:  I  don't  mean  that.  There 
are  other  doctors  and  hospitals 
in  town.  Can  you  really  answer 
any  needs  that  can't  be  met  by 
facilities  already  there? 

md:  The  town  needs  a  sur- 
geon —  that's  a  need  I  can  fill. 

c:  But  since  you  arrived, 
another  better  trained  surgeon 
has  come  to  town. 

md:  I  know,  but  we  can't 
just  stop  now.  We  have  land, 
a  hospital  building,  people  who 
are  dependent  on  it  for  em- 
ployment, and  the  prestige  of 


JUNE  11,  I960 


15 


the  church  to  maintain.  We 
can't  just  close  down! 

c  ( pressing  the  advantage ) : 
Now  you  are  really  vulnerable! 
You  admit  you  have  an  institu- 
tion on  your  hands  and  don't 
know  what  to  do  with  it.  The 
mission  begat  a  thing  that  has 
become  an  end  in  itself.  It  has 
to  keep  going  because  no  one 
can  bear  to  close  it.  You  have 
gotten  enmeshed  in  administra- 
tion of  an  institution  and  it 
requires  all  your  time. 

md  ( irritated ) :  Now  wait  a 
minute!  The  hospital  still  can 
serve  the  church.  It  can  be  a 
place  where  patients  get  loving, 
careful  attention  and  help.  It 
can  show  a  contrast  between 
the  Christian  hospital  and  other 
hospitals  that  is  a  tremendous 
witness  to  the  love  of  Christ. 

c:  And  does  your  hospital 
show  that  contrast?  How  about 
the  way  the  nurses  quit  giving 
sponge  baths  to  the  patients 
when  the  missionaries  went 
home  on  furlough?  Weren't 
you  embarrassed  the  day  a  pa- 
tient who  had  been  in  the  hos- 
pital for  ten  days  asked  you  for 
permission  to  get  some  hot 
water  so  he  could  take  a  bath? 

md:  But  these  good  qualities 
take  time  to  develop  in  the  hos- 
pital staff.  You  aren't  being  fair. 

c:  But  that  is  the  only  reason 
you  have  been  able  to  give  for 
the  continued  existence  of  the 
hospital,  as  far  as  Christian  out- 
reach is  concerned,  and  you  ask 
for  time  to  achieve  that.  How 
long  must  the  church  continue 
to  pour  money  into  this  hospital 
and  your  work  before  it  starts 
to  fulfill  even  this  one  dubious 
function? 

md  ( puzzled ) :  Why  do  you 
say  "dubious"? 

c:  Because  how  worthwhile 
is  it  to  run  a  hospital  in  a  place 
where  there  is  other  medical 
care  available,  just  to  show  the 
difference    between    Christian 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Dr.  Fred  Wampler,  missionary  doc- 
tor at  Bulsar  Hospital,  India,  where 
he   has   been   for  less   than   a   year 

and  non-Christian  concern?  Es- 
pecially when  missionaries  have 
been  there  for  many  years 
showing  that  difference.  The 
church  makes  little  gain  there. 
Don't  you  think  you  are  spend- 
ing your  time  gleaning  a  field 
that  has  already  been  harvested 
when  there  are  fields  beyond  to 
which  a  sickle  has  never  been 
laid?  Why  don't  you  move  on 
and  work  in  some  area  where 
there  is  no  other  good  medical 
care  available,  where  you  will 
be  more  likely  to  get  more  con- 
verts, where  your  message  is 
fresher?   Why  don't  you? 

md:  But  aren't  you  falling 
victim  to  this  psychology  of 
numbers  —  "the  one  with  the 
most  converts  deserves  the  most 
praise"?  It  isn't  always  those 
who  make  the  most  noise  or 
show  the  most  impressive  sta- 
tistics who  do  the  best  work. 
Each  soul  is  of  infinite  value 
with  God,  so  if  I  glean  one  from 
a  field  already  harvested,  I  have 
done  as  well  as  the  man  who 
reaps  a  thousand  from  an  un- 
harvested  field.  After  all,  a 
thousand  times  infinity  is  still 
infinity. 

c:  You  weary  me  with  your 
mathematics  and  other  diver- 
sions. I  think  you  are  missing 
the  real  issues. 

md:  But  one  must  also  be 
practical.    What  would  we  do 


with  all  the  employees  who  de 
pend  on  the  hospital  if  we  were 
to  close  it  and  try  to  find  a  more 
fruitful  witness? 

c:    I'm  not  here  to  answer! 
your  questions;  I'm  just  here  to 
remind  you  of  your  shortcom- 
ings. 

md:  Well,  if  we  don't  soon 
find  some  doctors,  we  might 
have  to  close  the  hospital 
whether  we  want  to  or  not.  The 
hospital  work  interferes  with 
my  language  study.  And  there 
is  no  end  in  sight.  Yes,  you 
might  get  your  way  yet  if  we 
can't  find  another  doctor  soon. 

c:  I  didn't  say  that  I  want 
the  hospital  to  close.  After  all, 
I'm  just  a  conscience.  I'm  only 
trying  to  make  you  think. 


Swifter  Than 
a  Weaver's  Shuttle 

Continued  from  page  11 

they  owe  their  very  existence, 

A  congregation  can  be  an  as-  [ 
sortment  of  persons  who  have 
meetings  and  rather  like  each 
other,  while  remaining  rather 
indifferent  to  one  another.  Or 
the  members  can  be  truly  mem- 
bers of  one  another,  cells  bound 
together  in  Christ's  body,  really 
seeing  each  other  and  Christ  in 
each  other. 

We  can  flutter  through  life 
three-quarters  blind,  three- 
quarters  deaf.  Or  we  can  take 
time  for  sunsets,  time  to  survey 
clouds,  stars,  a  winter  tree 
against  the  sky,  time  for  marvel- 
ing at  grass,  the  grain  in  wood, 
insect  symphonies,  the  individ- 
uality of  dogs. 

This  is  a  fallen  world  —  but 
God's  world.  The  persons 
around  us  are  fallen,  but  not 
lower  than  Jesus  has  come . 
down.  Because  he  has  broken 
through  to  us,  we  are  enabled 
to  break  out  of  ourselves  into 
one  another  and  all  this  uni- 
verse that  he  has  made  and  died 
for.  Look  to  him  and  live  your 
fleeting  life  intensely. 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


The  Brethren,  Mennonites,  and  Friends  in  Wichita, 
Kansas,  have  gone  together  to  purchase  a  copy  of  the 
film  Alternatives,  which  portrays  the  provisions  in  the 
Selective  Service  law  for  conscientious  objectors.  They 
"are  using  the  film  for  showing  in  schools,  civic  clubs, 
and  churches. 

A.  Ray  Showalter  will  close  his  work  as  assistant 

I  in  the  ten-year  development  program  of  Bridgewater 

College  on  July  1,  1960.    He  will  be  open  for  revival 

meetings  or  stewardship  institutes  after  July  10.    Those 

|  desiring  his   services  should  write  him   at  309   Broad 

St.,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

Wooster,  Ohio,  is  the  place  chosen  by  Northeastern 
Ohio  for.  its  next  church  extension  project.  Walter 
Bowman  has  been  chosen  to  spearhead  the  work  there. 
Brother  Bowman  has  served  as  pastor  at  Lanark,  111., 
and  at  the  Ft.  McKinley  church,  Dayton,  Ohio.  He  will 
begin  his  new  work  on  Sept.  1. 


An  Action  Sheet  on  Disarmament  giving  sugges- 
tions for  action  in  view  of  the  summit  collapse  has  been 
mailed  to  pastors  and  Brethren  Service  leaders.  See 
one  of  these  persons  for  this  information  or  write  to 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111., 
to  have  your  name  added  to  the  special  list  to  receive 
these  mailings. 

M.  R.  Zigler  may  be  addressed  as  follows  until 
Sept.  1,  when  he  expects  to  sail  for  the  States:  in  June, 
Vastervik,  Sweden,  %  Dr.  Kit  Colfach;  during  July, 
Brethren  Haus,  Witzenhauserstrasse  5,  Kassel,  Ger- 
many; during  August,  St.  Andrews,  Fife,  Scotland, 
%  Central  Committee,  World  Council  of  Churches. 
Brother  Zigler  writes  that  he  expects  to  spend  the 
longest  day  of  the  year  north  of  the  Arctic  Circle. 

Two  election  fliers,  Christian  Responsibility  in  the 
1960  Elections  and  Election  Issues  That  Make  a  World 
of  Difference,  have  been  mailed  to  pastors  and  Brethren 
Service  leaders.  Additional  copies  are  available  at  10 
cents  each  or  in  quantity  rates.  An  article  giving  sug- 
gestions for  a  study  of  election  issues  appears  in  the 
June  issue  of  Brethren  Service  News. 

Two  hundred  fifty-nine  leaders  from  fifty-three  con- 
gregations attended  the  Western  Region  series  of 
Brethren  Service  training  conferences  held  May  10-15. 
The  meetings  were  held  at  Pueblo,  Colo.,  Oklahoma 
City,  Okla.,  Newton,  Kansas,  Overland  Park,  Kansas, 
Lincoln,  Nebr.,  and  Adel,  Iowa.  The  team  of  Brethren 
Service  staff  members  touring  the  region  were:  W.  Har- 
old Row,  Ralph  Smeltzer,  Ora  Huston,  James  Renz,  and 
W.  Ray  Kyle. 

Daily  Prayer  Guide  —  The  Call  to  Discipleship 

Pray  for  understanding  of: 
June  13  Jesus'  authority Mark  6:1-6 

14  Jesus'  concern Luke  5:1-11 

15  Jesus'  compassion Luke  5:27-32 

16  Sacredness  of  work Acts  18:1-4 

17  Influence  of  work Acts  19:23-27 

18  God's  work John  5:10-17 

19  Importance  of  work 2  Thess.  3:6-13 


Ordained  to  the  Ministry 

Martin  Gauby  and  Dean  Kagarise,  ordained  in  the 
First  church,  Chicago,  Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin. 

The  Church  Calendar 
June  12 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  The  Two  Ways  (Temperance). 
Matt.  7:13-14;  Luke  15:11-32.  Memory  Selection: 
In  all  your  ways  acknowledge  him, 

and  he  will  make  straight  your  paths. 

Prov.  3:6  (R.S.V.) 
Children's  Day 

June  13-14  National  Youth  Cabinet  meeting,  Cham- 
paign, 111. 

June  14  Pastors'  conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  14-19  Annual  Conference,  Champaign,  111. 

June  19  Annual  Conference  Sunday 

June  20-21  General  Council  of  Children's  Work 

June  28-29  Central  Region  church  extension  confer- 
ence, Manchester  College,  Ind. 

June  30  —  July  3  District  meeting,  Western  Canada, 
First  Irricana 

July  4  Independence  Day 

July  8-10  Central  Region  youth  conference,  Manches- 
ter College 

July  8-10  District  meeting,  North  Dakota  and  Eastern 
Montana,  Cando 

July  10-15  Southeastern  Region  conference,  Bridge- 
water,  Va. 

July  11-16  Central  Region  youth  leaders  laboratory 
school,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

July  14-17  District  meeting,  Texas  and  Louisiana, 
Falfurrias 

July  15-16  Southeastern  Region  district  youth  cabinets 
training  conference,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

July  17-23  Human  Relations  laboratory,  Manchester 
College 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 

Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Jesse  W.  Whitacre  of  Keyser,  W.  Va.,  in  the  Cop- 
per Hill  church,  Va.,  June  26  —  July  10;  in  the  Locust 
Grove  church,  Pa.,  July  11-24. 

Bro.  Elmer  Ebersole  of  Martinsburg,  Pa.,  in  the  Mt. 
Olivet  church,  Pa.,  July  17-24. 

Bro.  Abram  N.  Eshelman  of  Mt.  Joy,  Pa.,  in  the  Maple 
Grove  church,  N.  C,  July  18-24. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Six  baptized  in  the  San  Diego  church,  Calif. 

Seven  baptized  in  the  Thomas  church,  Okla. 

Eight  baptized  in  the  Olivet  church,  Ohio. 

Twelve  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the 
Myerstown  church,  Pa.  Six  baptized  and  one  received  on 
former  baptism  in  the  West  Conestoga  congregation,  Pa. 
Two  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  Second 
church,  York,  Pa. 

Eight  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter  in  the  Union 
Bridge  church,  Md.  Twenty-three  baptized  and  thirteen 
received  by  letter  in  the  Mt.  Pleasant  church,  Va.  One 
baptized  in  the  Martinsburg  church,  W.  Va. 


JUNE   11.  1960 


17 


vineyard,  neither  will  we  drink 
water  from  a  well;  we  will  go 
along  the  King's  Highway,  we; 
will  not  turn  aside  to  the  right 
hand  or  to  the  left,  until  we  have 
passed  through  your  territory." 
Even  though  the  Children  of 
Israel  offered  to  pay  for  food  and 
drink,  passage  through  Edom  and 
Moab  was  refused. 

Derekh  ha-Melek  (the  "King's 
Way")  ran  from  Ezion-geber 
(Elath)  on  the  northeastern  arm 
of  the  Red  Sea  to  that  fabulous 
oasis  of  the  north,  the  ancient 
city  of  Damascus. 

The  milestones  in  the  picture 
date  from  the  Roman  reconstruc- 
tion of  this  ancient  road  by  Trajan 
(98-117  A.D.)  as  a  part  of  the  net- 


Milestones  on  the  King's  Highway 


WHEN  you  take  your  trip 
to  Petra,  romantically 
called  the  "rose-red  city 
half  as  old  as  time,"  on  the  south 
slope  of  the  tremendous,  breath- 
taking canyon  known  as  the  Wady 
Mojib  (Arnon)  you  will  pass  these 
milestones  (see  photograph)  which 
bear  silent  testimony  to  the  great- 
ness of  Rome.  Far  from  the 
Eternal  City  these  lone  sentinels 
still  mark  the  King's  Highway. 
Measuring  about  four  feet  in 
height  they  are  inscribed  with  the 
tides  and  the  name  of  the  em- 
peror, Trajan,  and  with  the  dis- 
tance and  year  of  erection. 

Long  before  the  Romans  erect- 
ed milestones  on  Palestinian  roads 
the  King's  Highway  was  in  exist- 
ence. Hoary  with  age,  it  first 
comes  to  our  attention  in  the 
Bible  in  the  story  of  Abraham's 
rescue  of  Lot  and  his  family 
from  the  four  kings  (Genesis  14): 
Amraphel,  King  of  Shinar;  Arioch, 
King  of  Ellaser;  Chedorlaomer, 
King  of  Elam;  and  Tidal,  King  of 
Nations.  Successful  in  their  puni- 
tive raid  against  the  kings  of  the 
city  states  of  the  Plain  (probably 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  Dead  Sea) 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


they  had  the  misfortune  of  taking 
Lot  captive  and  thus  incurring  the 
wrath  of  Abraham. 

By  dint  of  a  surprise  night  at- 
tack Abraham  and  his  three  hun- 
dred eighteen  armed  and  trained 
servants  rescued  the  captives  and 
brought  them  back.  Here  in  the 
triumphal  scenes  that  follow  we 
meet  for  the  first  time  that  mys- 
terious and  intriguing  character, 
Melchizedek,  King  of  Salem  (Jeru- 
salem?), who  plays  such  an  impor- 
tant role  in  later  Jewish  and 
Christian  allegorical  thought  (He- 
brews 7). 

It  was  a  fateful  day  when 
Melchizedek,  priest  of  the  Most 
High  God,  blessed  Abraham  the 
Patriarch,  father  of  the  Hebrews! 
While  not  actually  mentioned  in 
the  Genesis  account  the  King's 
Highway  was  most  likely  one  of 
the  main  roads  employed  by  the 
four  raiding  kings. 

Our  next  encounter  with  this 
famous  road  comes  in  Numbers 
20.  The  Children  of  Israel  having 
fled  Egypt  and  wandered  for 
some  forty  years  in  the  wilderness, 
bound  for  Canaan,  sent  messen- 
gers to  the  King  of  Edom  saying, 
"Let  us  pass  through  your  land. 
We  will  not  pass  through  field  or 


David  J.  Wieand 


work  of  military  roads  that  finked 
the  far-flung  corners  of  the  empire 
to  Rome.  Petra,  caravan  city  and 
Nabataean  emporium  that  fell  to 
the  imperial  armies  in  106  A.D., 
became  the  administrative  center 
for  the  new  Roman  province  of 
Arabia. 

Roman  roads  were  built  to  last. 
On  a  foundation  of  rubble  flat 
stones  were  laid  in  lime  mortar.  A 
second  layer  of  rubble  was  topped 
by  paving  blocks  of  volcanic  rock, 
silex  or  basalt.  Elevated  for  good 
drainage  they  stood  the  test  of 
time  as  most  of  our  macadam  and 
concrete  highways  will  not.  The 
fabulous  sum  —  for  ancient  times 
—  of  about  four  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars  per  Roman  mile 


(4,850  feet)  permitted  the  con- 
struction of  highways  of  such  dur- 
ability that  sections  of  them  may 
still  be  seen  in  the  lands  bordering 
the  Mediterranean  basin. 

The  modern  Tariq  es-Sultani 
(the  "Road  of  the  Sultan")  in 
Transjordan,  partially  reconstruct- 
ed by  the  Jordanian  government 
of  King  Hussein,  follows  closely 
—  and  at  times  is  built  directly 
on  —  Trajan's  road. 

Prior  to  the  coming  of  the  Ro- 
mans Palestinian  roads  were  truly 
"ways,"  that  is,  tracks  leading 
from  one  town  to  another  across 
the  countryside.  Adequate  in  dry 
weather  for  foot  travel  or  riding 
on  donkey  or  camel  or  for  an 
occasional  oxcart  and,  in  valley  or 
plain,  for  chariots  of  war  they 
frequently  became  impassable  in 
the  rainy  season. 

Seeing  the  marshy  condition  of 
the  Plain  of  Esdraelon  in  modern 
times  suggests  that  the  defeat  of 
Sisera  with  his  nine  hundred  char- 
iots of  iron  (Judges  4:4  —  5:31) 
may  well  have  been  facilitated  by 
the  soft  condition  of  the  "ways." 
At  least  Sisera,  Canaanite  com- 
mander of  Jabin's  army  found  it 
more  expeditious  to  abandon  his 
chariot  and  flee  on  foot.  The  Song 
of  Deborah  pictures  the  situation 
in  these  words, 


"From  heaven  fought  the  stars, 
from  their  courses  they  fought 
against  Sisera. 

The  torrent  Kishon  swept  them 
away, 
the  onrushing  torrent,  the  tor- 
rent Kishon. 

March  on,  my  soul,  with  might!" 

In  the  case  of  King  Ahab  the 
scripture  is  even  more  specific.  At 
the  dramatic  contest  on  Mt.  Car- 
mel  between  Elijah,  prophet  of 
the  Lord,  and  the  four  hundred 
prophets  of  Baal,  the  prayer  of 
God's  faithful  spokesman  brought 
"a  great  rain"  from  the  western 
sea.  Elijah  warns  Ahab,  "Prepare 
your  chariot  and  go  down,  lest  the 
rain  stop  you."  What  is  more  re- 
markable is  that  Elijah  on  foot 
could  arrive  ahead  of  Ahab  at  the 
entrance  of  Jezreel. 


700 
Leprosy 

Cures 
Annually 


Nurse  giving  injection  at 
the   Garkida  leprosarium 


II        1 


:x&A 


TRADITIONS  of  stigma  and 
despair  that  have  been  asso- 
ciated for  centuries  with  per- 
sons suffering  from  leprosy  are  being 
effectively  challenged  by  Dr.  Roy 
Pfaltzgraff  as  he  speaks  to  American 
audiences. 

As  director  of  the  Garkida  Ni- 
geria, Leprosarium,  Dr.  Pfaltzgraff 
has  become  well  acquainted  with  the 
disease  and  the  fact  and  fiction  con- 
nected with  it.  Although  Dr. 
Pfaltzgraff  went  to  Nigeria  in  1945, 
he  did  not  take  over  direction  of 
the  leprosarium  until  1955  "be- 
cause," he  said,  "there  was  no  one 
else  to  do  it."  It  was  then  that  he 
began  to  lose  his  misconceptions 
about  leprosy.  Today  he  wonders, 
"Why  don't  all  doctors  specialize  in 
leprosy?  I  can't  think  of  a  more 
fascinating   subject." 

"Contrary  to  popular  opinion,"  he 
emphasizes,  "leprosy,  if  found  early, 
can  be  cured  in  about  two  years' 
time  by  treatment  with  Dapsone,  a 
drug  related  to  sulpha." 

One  of  the  many  paradoxes  about 
leprosy  has  been  that  the  stigma  and 
revulsion  against  leprosy  patients  is 
weakest  in  the  areas  of  least  educa- 
tion, according  to  Dr.  Roy. 

As  a  result,  he  says,  primitive 
people  walk  miles  to  be  treated  at 
the  leprosarium,  which  is  one  of 
about  fifteen  in  the  British  colony. 
Patients  are  allowed  to  leave  to  visit 
their  families,  and  when  cured, 
there  generally  is  no  stigma  attached 
to  them  when  they  return  home  for 
good. 

But  ignorance  fosters  the  disease 
because  it  seems  to  flourish  amid 
filth    and    lack    of    sanitation    and 


where  living  conditions  are  crowded. 
It  is  not  known  just  how  leprosy 
is  contracted,  but  it  is  the  least  con- 
tagious  of   diseases.     It   is   thought 


wmk.  .*J 


Leland  Brubaker 


Farm     woman     harvesting     her 
crop  at  the  Garkida  leprosarium 


JUNE  11,  1960 


19 


Dr.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff  examining  a  patient  while  on  tour  of  inspection 


that  prolonged  skin  contact  may 
produce  it  and  the  fact  that  many 
people  wear  no  clothes  but  carry 
their  babies  on  their  backs  in  con- 
stant skin  contact  may  contribute 
to  the  spread  of  leprosy. 

"We  can  cure  leprosy  if  we  get 
it  early  enough,"  Dr.  Pfaltzgraff 
stressed.  "We  send  about  700  pa- 
tients home  each  year  cured.  Pre- 
vention is  largely  a  matter  of 
hygienics." 

At  present  he  and  his  wife,  a 
graduate  nurse  whom  he  first  met 
at  Elizabethtown  College,  are  the 
sole  medical  staff  in  charge  of  the 
leprosarium  which  treats  approxi- 
mately 650  patients  on  the  2,500 
acre  reservation,  plus  6,000  out- 
patients. 

This  doctor-nurse  team  have  been 
doing  surgical  work  which  helps  re- 
habilitate patients  who  have  been 
crippled  by  leprosy.  "In  the  worst 
cases,"  he  says,  "surgery  can  be 
done  without  anesthesia  because  of 
the  nerve  deadening  effects  of  the 
disease." 

When  the  Pfaltzgraffs  return  to 
Nigeria  in  June,  they  expect  a  two- 
man  British  team  to  assist  in  this 
surgical  job. 

Fortunately,  most  of  the  patients 
can  care  for  themselves  and  even 
grow  their  own  food  while  being 
treated. 

The  patients  also  are  trained  to 
care  for  their  fellows  and  two  full- 
time  Negro  male  nurses  have  been 
educated  and  assist  in  the  60-bed 
hospital  which  is  financed  by  the 
British  government  and  the  Ameri- 


can Leprosy  Mission,  a  nondenomi- 
national  agency  interested  in  work 
with  lepers. 

Dr.  Pfaltzgraff  tells  how  the  work 
with  lepers  recently  was  given  a 
boost  by  the  World  Health  Organi- 
zation of  the  United  Nations  which 
is  striving  to  get  more  qualified  per- 
sonnel into  the  field. 

In  a  WHO  medical  priority  list, 
experts  in  leprosy  were  given  top 
priority.  This  is  because  there  are 
only  about  500  physicians  in  the 
world  who  are  specialists  in  leprosy. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  about 
20  million  persons  in  the  world  af- 
flicted with  the  disease. 

In  Nigeria,  about  one  in  every 
ten  persons   has  leprosy.     In  some 


areas  of  the  colony  the  rate  is  as 
high  as  30%.  In  contrast,  there  are 
approximately  3,000  lepers  in  the 
United  States. 

With  the  help  of  dedicated  work- 
ers, the  day  may  come  when  this 
disease  which  has  scourged  man- 
kind since  before  Bible  times,  will 
be  controlled. 

Cloverdale  Congregation 
Gives  Site  for  New  Church 

The  Cloverdale  congregation,  Va., 
has  challenged  other  congregations 
in  the  Brotherhood!  At  its  January 
council  meeting,  this  old  established 
church  voted  to  purchase  a  tract 
of  land  in  the  Summerdean  area 
north  of  Roanoke  and  donate  it  to 
the  new  congregation  which  is  to 
be  organized  there  in  the  fall  of 
1960.  This  is  to  be  the  first  of  sever- 
al new  churches  which  the  district 
of  First  Virginia  plans  for  the  Ro- 
anoke area. 

In  connection  with  its  long-range 
plans  for  church  extension,  the  First 
Virginia  district  church  extension 
commission  has  asked  each  congre- 
gation in  the  district  for  four  things: 

1.  The  privilege  of  appearing  be- 
fore the  church  council  and  explain- 
ing the  church  extension  program. 

2.  The  prayers  and  financial  sup- 
port of  the  other  churches  in  the 
district. 

3.  Wholehearted  encouragement 
of  the  transfer  of  members  who  are 
living  in  that  area. 

4.  Pastoral  co-operation  in  giving 
membership  lists  and  in  the  creation 
of  positive  relations. 


u  ; 


mmmmm&m 


■:■:■■..■■■■.■■■■■■■■  '■'■■''■  ''"''■■ 


20 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


To  be  recognized  at  Annual  Conference  for  a  total  of  one  hundred  eighteen 
years  in  Christian  higher  education  will  be,  left  to  right:  Dr.  Carl  W.  Holl, 
Dr.  C.  Ray  Keim,  and  Dr.  Charles  S.  Morris,  all  of  Manchester  College.  At 
right  is  Dr.  R.  V.  Bollinger,  chairman  of  the  Christian  Education  Commission 
of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board.  Dr.  Holl  and  Dr.  Morris  will  receive 
their  awards  June  19  at  the  Urbana  Conference,  and  Dr.  Keim  will  receive 
his  at  the  Long  Beach  Conference,  California,  in  1961 


.. 


MU 


.      i  ':■<' 


:^M«*!''y^y 


V«:i?M*i 


Bitrus  Mshelsawa  (left) 
and  Dr.  C.  Ernest  Davis 
observe  the  work  of  a 
student  at  Waka  Teacher 
Training  Center 


Bob  McKay 


Blazing  an  Educational  Trail 


EDUCATION  is  still  a  highly 
prized  rarity  in  Nigeria.  Only 
one  student  from  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  mission  area  is  doing 
advanced  study  in  England.  His 
name  is  Bitrus  Mshelsawa,  a  member 
of  the  Bura  tribe. 

The  son  of  one  of  the  first  four 
people  baptized  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  mission,  Mr.  Bitrus 
grew  up  in  a  Christian  home  at 
Garkida  and  thus  had  the  privilege 
of  beginning  school  at  the  proper 
age.  He  finished  with  the  elemen- 
tary school  and  the  elementary 
teachers'  training  course  at  Garkida. 
After  teaching  two  years,  he  went 
to  the  Sudan  United  Mission  train- 
ing center,  where  he  took  two  more 
years  of  training  which  qualified 
him  for  the  higher  elementary  teach- 
ers' certificate. 

The  next  two  years  he  taught  in 
the  Lassa  senior  primary  school,  do- 
ing such  an  excellent  job  that  the 
school  inspector  recommended  in 
his  report  that  Mr.  Bitrus  apply  for 
a  scholarship  to  a  special  teachers' 
course,  Associateship  Course,  at 
the  University  College  in  Ibadan, 
Nigeria. 

He  spent  a  year  there,   finishing 


near  the  top  of  his  class.  Then  he 
joined  the  Waka  teaching  staff.  But 
the  director  of  the  Associateship 
Course  was  so  well  impressed  with 
Mr.  Bitrus'  work  that  he  recom- 
mended him  to  the  Scholarship 
Board  of  the  Northern  Region  for 
a  scholarship  to  England.  This  was 
speedily  granted  and  Mr.  Bitrus 
went  to  London. 

He  left  behind  him  his  wife, 
Nkwarfaku,  daughter  of  one  of  the 
first  two  Christian  women  in  our 
mission  area.  Two  little  boys  are 
also  left  with  their  mother.  Mrs. 
Bitrus  is  teaching  in  the  Women's 
School  at  Waka  until  it  is  certain 
what  courses  her  husband  will  take. 
She  hopes,  if  he  stays  in  England, 
that  she  can  take  the  children  and 
join  him  early  next  year. 

The  length  of  time  he  will  spend 
in  England  is  still  indefinite  and  de- 
pends upon  the  kind  of  course  he 
takes.  Mr.  Bitrus  is  a  good  student 
and  he  can  probably  get  a  scholar- 
ship for  three  years  in  a  university 
after  he  has  had  two  years  of  uni- 
versity preparation.  This  will  make 
five  years  in  all  if  he  wants  to  spend 
that  much  time  in  training.  It  is  our 
hope  that  he  will  continue  in  school 


Sara  Shisler 

as  long  as  the  Scholarship  Board  is 
willing  to  sponsor  him.  Waka  needs 
to  get  Nigerian  teachers  on  her  staff. 

In  March  Mr.  Bitrus  wrote  from 
London,  "If  God  helps  me  and  I 
am  able  to  pass  the  diploma  exami- 
nation, the  Scholarship  Board  ap- 
proved that  I  should  go  to  the 
London  University  Tutorial  College 
for  one  year  to  qualify  me  for 
university  entry." 

The  teachers  here  at  Waka  are 
continually  praying  for  Mr.  Bitrus. 
We  understand  that,  besides  the  dif- 
ficult studies  he  is  undertaking,  he 
is  also  having  to  learn  how  to  live 
in  London  away  from  his  family  and 
the  familiarity  of  home.  This  mul- 
tiple adjustment  demands  the  high- 
est type  of  person,  and  we  are 
confident  Mr.  Bitrus  is  one  of  the 
best. 

If  he  can  finish  his  training,  he 
will  have  blazed  a  trail  for  others 
to  follow,  looking  toward  the  day 
when  a  college  education  will  be 
available  to  all  Nigerian  youth  able 
and  eager  to  try  to  get  it. 


JUNE  11,  1960 


21 


Previewing 

July 


for  all- Church   Workers 


Below  are  a  few  of  the  articles 
readers  will  find  in  their  July 
Leader: 

What  Are  Teen-agers  Like? 

by  Elaine  Holcomb 

A  survey  of  1,286  teen-agers  from 
churches  of  six  different  denomina- 
tions gives  some  answers  to  the 
types  of  problems  met  by  teen-agers 
in  home,  school,  and  church. 

The  survey  points  to  some  basic 
differences  between  junior  and  sen- 
ior highs  —  differences  of  particular 
importance  to  youth  workers  and  a 
church  concerned  with  its  youth. 

The  Found  Week  End 

by  Esther  Mohler 

Want  to  try  a  week-end  work 
camp?  The  Found  Week  End  de- 
scribes what  many  churches  and 
youth  groups  are  gaining  and  giving 
through  week-end  work  camps  and 
how  other  churches  and  individuals 
may  start  them. 

Beginning  a  Family  Program 
by  William  H.  Genne 

"Always  remember  a  family  pro- 
gram is  not  a  lot  of  extra  added 
meetings  and  organization.  Rather 
it  is  largely  a  movement  .  .  .  ,"  says 
Dr.  William  Genne  —  and  follows  by 
outlining  the  nature  and  makings  of 
such  a  movement. 

The  author  sets  forth  some  basic, 
essential  thinking  for  those  interested 
in  strengthening  the  family  life  of 
their  church. 

A  Serious  Approach  to  Adult 
Education 

by  Mrs.  Elaine  Lubbers 

What  has  happened  when  in  one 
year  adult  church  school  attendance 


leaps  from  50  to  200,  and  parents 
will  ask  to  teach  church  school 
classes? 

Here  is  the  story  of  a  church's 
earnest  encounter  with  adult  educa- 
tion —  and  the  amazing  results. 

A  People  of  God 

by  Howard  Royer 

When  does  a  church  truly  serve 
its  older  youth-young  adult  group? 

Older  youth  and  young  adults 
must  find  a  "basic  reason  for  their 
coming  together,"  suggests  our 
author. 

Here  are  some  concrete  sugges- 
tions of  ways  in  which  young  adults 
and  older  youth  may  find  fulfillment 
in  their  church  experience. 


A  Local  Church  Pioneers  in 
Unique  Emphasis 

by  M.  Guy  West 

For    eight    days    a    local    church  i 
concentrated  on  exploring  the  entire  j 
area  of  wills,  bequests,  and  related 
matters. 

Interest  even  among  young  people 
was  high,  and  the  discoveries  of  this 
pioneering  church  make  helpful 
reading. 

Planning  the  Christian  Education 
Program 

by  S.  Loren  Bowman 

Helpful  how's  and  wherefore's  are 
provided  in  this  article  by  the  secre- 
tary of  the  Christian  Education 
Commission. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


The  Pastor  and  Community  Re- 
sources. Charles  F.  Kemp.  Bethany 
Press,   1960.    96  pages.     $1.50. 

Pastors  are  called  on  for  all  kinds 
of  ministries.  The  problems  they 
face  demand  resources  of  varying 
nature  and  intensity.  Most  commu- 
nities, either  locally  or  in  the  larger 
area,  provide  most  of  the  social  serv- 
ices necessary  to  an  adequate  pas- 
toral ministry.  But  oftentimes  pastors 
have  not  been  sufficientiy  in  contact 
with  such  agencies  or  do  not  know 
proper  procedures  to  tap  their 
resources. 

The  author  of  this  excellent  work- 
ing companion  for  a  pastor  has  pro- 
duced a  guide  to  discovery  of 
community  resources,  a  handbook  of 
local  and  national  resource  agencies, 
and  then  provides  work  sheets  for 
the  pastor  to  list  various  types  of 
agencies  in  the  community,  their  ad- 
dress, phone,  and  other  pertinent  in- 
formation. This  can  be  an  excellent 
resource  and  work  book  to  aid  a 
pastor  in  his  social  service  ministry 
in  parish  and  community.  —  James 
E.  Renz. 

The  Story  of  Christian  Hymnody. 

E.  E.  Ryden.   Augustana  Book  Con- 
cern, 1959.   670  pages.   $5.95. 

This  book  is  by  the  author  of  The 
Story  of  Our  Hymns,  a  well-known 
volume  which  appeared  about  thirty 
years  ago.  Mr.  Ryden,  a  prominent 
Lutheran,  had  much  to  do  with  the 
publication,  in  1958,  of  that  denomi- 
nation's Service  Book  and  Hymnal. 
Now  in  the  greater  maturity  of  his 


judgment  and  scholarship,  he  has 
given  us  one  of  the  world's  most 
valuable  books  on  hymnology.  This 
volume  is  both  extensive  and  in- 
clusive, but  in  actual  reading  it  does 
not  convey  the  impression  of  being 
voluminous.  It  is  a  gold  mine  of 
information  but  is  written  basically 
from  the  standpoint  of  appreciation 
and  devotion.  The  treatment  of  its 
subject  matter  is  historical,  yet 
personal. 

There  are  over  100  chapters  of 
only  three  to  five  pages  each,  carry- 
ing such  interesting  headings  as  An 
Invalid  Who  Blessed  the  World. 
More  than  1,100  hymns  are  dis- 
cussed or  placed  in  their  historical 
or  biographical  setting.  Practically 
all  "standard"  hymns  are  described 
and  indexed.  This  book  will  serve 
two  purposes  excellently:  as  a  source 
of  reference  and  as  an  inspiration 
for  reading  in  one  of  the  most  fas- 
cinating fields  of  Christian  creativity. 
—  Nevin  W.  Fisher,  Elizabethtown, 
Pa. 

*  Adolescence  and  Discipline.  Ru- 
dolph M.  Wittenberg.  Association 
Press,  1959.    318  pages.    $4.95. 

The  best  informed  parents  are  still 
reading.  And  so  are  thinking  par- 
ents. Informed  and  thinking  parents 
should  read  this  book.  Why  read 
this  book?  Because  I  know  of  no 
better  volume  written  recentiy  on 
one  of  the  basic  concerns  of  parent- 
hood, namely  discipline. 

Every  honest  parent  raises  such 
questions  with  regard  to  his  teen- 


ager:  What  is  a  man?  What  is  a 
woman?  What  place  athletics,  how 
much  study,  what  are  normal  teen- 
age disturbances,  what  are  unusual 
and  abnormal  behavior  patterns, 
why  are  peer  groups  so  important 
to  teen-agers,  what  kind  of  discipline 
is  necessary  in  this  and  that  situation, 
when  do  parents  stop  trying,  do  par- 
ents, and  when  do  they  "go"  for 
help  and  where,  and  many  other 
questions. 

To  help  answer  these  questions, 
Wittenberg,  a  practicing  psycho- 
therapist, a  father  of  two  teen-agers, 
and  a  former  worker  with  youth 
groups,  provides  some  practical 
guidance  for  troubled  parents  and 
other  leaders  of  teen-agers.  Witten- 
berg's illustrations  come  from  famil- 
iar situations  in  the  home  and  school. 
Throughout  the  book  there  is  an  in- 
formed appreciation  of  everyday 
problems  and  a  deep  respect  for 
both  parents  and  youth. 

The  book  begins  with  the  devel- 
opmental patterns  and  needs  of  ado- 
lescence and  moves  to  a  review  of 
the  typically  common  adult  attitudes 
toward  these  patterns  and  needs. 
The  last  half  of  the  book  is  a  rather 
complete  and  detailed  "how"  section, 
giving  parents  and  other  adult  lead- 
ers assistance  in  directing  teen-agers 
toward  building  for  themselves  an 
inner  balance  and  a  wholesome  as- 
similation of  the  world  about  them. 

Every  teen-ager,  parent,  and  lead- 
er of  teen-agers  will  want  to  read 
this  book  and  refer  to  it  often.  — 
Robert  Mock,  New  Windsor,  Md. 

Sermons    on    the    Prodigal    Son. 

Thomas  A.  Whiting.  Abingdon, 
1959.    112  pages.    $2.00. 

When  one  hears  the  words  prodi- 
gal son  one  is  moved  to  say,  "Oh, 
I  have  heard  that  parable  from  Sun- 
day school  days  and  from  preachers! 
What  new  truth  could  I  possibly 
gain?"  Yet,  these  selfsame  folks, 
upon  reading  this  book  devoted  to 
twelve  sermons  given  by  Thomas  W. 
Whiting  in  his  Methodist  parish,  will 
soon  come  to  exclaim,  "What  nug- 
gets of  truth  this  man  can  find  in 
one  parable!"  Moreover,  Christians 
who  pride  themselves  upon  not  com- 
mitting sins  of  the  flesh  will  soon 
feel  conscience-stricken  as  the  writer 
reveals  sins  of  the  spirit.  Before  the 
reader  knows  it,  he  is  in  the  midst 
of  a  temptingly  served  portion  of 
theology  on  the  definition  of  sin, 
pursuing  the  riddle  of  why  we  sin. 
Nor  will  the  reader  put  the  book 
down  before  he  finds  out  the  steps 
of  true  forgiveness  or  has  his  eyes 


opened  to  the  difference  between 
confession  and  repentance.  Any 
counselor,  pastor,  or  anyone  who 
would  want  to  know  how  to  get 
rid  of  a  sense  of  guilt  ought  to 
have  this  book  well  read,  marked, 
and  available  as  a  ready  reference. 
It  is  written  in  the  layman's 
language.  —  Clyde  L.  Carter,  Johns- 
town, Pa. 

The  Idea  of  Equality,  An  An- 
thology. George  L.  Abernethy.  John 
Knox,  1959.    351  pages.    $6.00. 

This  book  offers  a  panoramic  view 
of  the  idea  of  equality  as  it  relates 
to  political,  social,  economic,  nation- 
al, and  religious  history.  Writings 
are  included  in  the  anthology  that 
range  from  the  Old  Testament  to 
the  1954  Supreme  Court  decision  on 
segregation  in  public  education.  The 
development  of  the  idea  is  traced 
from  one  of  its  primary  roots  in  the 
covenant  experience  and  thought  of 
the  Hebrews  through  the  Greco- 
Roman,  Medieval,  Early  Christian, 
Reformation,  and  the  modern  peri- 
ods. The  seventy-four  selections  are 
representative  samplings  of  the 
thought  of  the  Western  world  on 
the  theme  of  equality.  A  brief  intro- 
duction by  the  editor  helps  to  pro- 
vide guidelines  for  the  primary 
sources.  The  selections  are  well 
chosen.  They  are  given  in  sufficient 
length  to  provide  continuity  and 
breadth.  They  include  both  repre- 
sentative religious  and  secular 
thinkers. 

This  book  will  be  a  handy  refer- 
ence volume  for  ministers,  students, 
and  general  readers.  For  all  who 
are  interested  in  the  basic  ideas  of 
our  Western  world  this  volume  tells 
a  challenging  and  important  story.  — 
Warren  F.  Groff,  Chicago,  III. 

The  Holy  Sword.  Robert  Payne. 
Harper,  1959.  335  pages.   $6.00. 

The  brilliant  writer,  Robert  Payne, 
has  here  written  a  popular,  fascinat- 
ing, and  authentic  history  of  Islam 
from  Mohammed  to  the  present. 
Here  the  stark  reality,  fascination, 
and  fury  of  the  Arab  conquests  con- 
front the  Christian. 

Islam  is  on  the  rise  in  our  present- 
day  world.  The  vast  empire  of  the 
Mohammedan  stretches  from  Moroc- 
co on  the  Atlantic  across  North  Af- 
rica and  the  Middle  East  to  Pakistan, 
India,  Indonesia,  and  the  Philippines. 

In  the  modern-day  challenge  that 
the  Moslem  revival  presents  to  the 
gospel,  Christians  cannot  afford  to 
be  ignorant  of  the  history  of  Islam.  — 
David  J.  Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 


The  Bible  in  the  Making.  Geddes 
MacGregor.  Lippincott,  1959.  447 
pages.    $6.00. 

Even  among  those  not  ignorant 
on  the  content  of  the  Bible,  there 
is  general  ignorance  as  to  how  it 
has  come  down  to  us  through  the 
past  two  thousand  years.  This  book 
sketches  the  whole  lively  drama: 
Jewish  scribes,  who  were  not  allowed 
to  copy  even  a  single  letter  from 
memory;  the  hermit  Jerome,  trans- 
lating in  the  desert;  the  division  into 
chapters  and  verses;  King  James  I 
and  the  men  who  revised  an  older 
version  for  him;  opposition  to  their 
version;  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  bringing 
the  Geneva  Bible  with  them  rather 
than  the  King  James;  the  guiding 
principles  behind  the  Revised  Stand- 
ard Version.  The  120-page  appendix 
ranges  from  a  passage  for  compari- 
son from  several  dozen  translations, 
to  a  list  of  836  languages  into  which 
the  Bible  or  portions  of  it  have  been 
translated,  to  selections  from  the 
Dead  Sea  Scrolls.  Though  some  as- 
pects of  MacGregor 's  short  treatment 
of  the  Biblical  period  are  open  to 
question,  he  gives  us  a  spirited  ac- 
count of  the  history  of  the  book 
since  then.  —  Dale  Aukerman,  Bonn, 
Germany. 

"More  New  Testament  Words. 
William  Barclay.  Harper,  1958.  160 
pages.    $3.00. 

The  eager  and  widespread  ac- 
ceptance and  the  well-deserved 
praise  of  the  author's  A  New  Testa- 
ment Wordbook  led  the  publishers 
to  invite  Professor  Barclay  to  offer 
More  New  Testament  Words  to  the 
public. 

The  high  caliber  and  fascination 
of  the  former  volume  is  equally  pres- 
ent here  as  the  Scottish  professor 
with  confident  mastery  and  thrilling 
simplicity  sets  forth  the  "personal- 
ity" and  significance  of  twenty-four 
New  Testament  words  for  Christian 
life  and  teaching. 

His  method  is  to  show  how  the 
meanings  of  these  words  in  classical 
Greek  and  in  the  Hellenistic  writings 
of  New  Testament  times  were 
molded  and  enriched  in  the  crucible 
of   the   early   Christian   community. 

As  Barclay  so  well  says,  words 
are  of  basic  and  fundamental  im- 
portance. On  their  meaning  every- 
thing depends:  Christian  ethic, 
belief,  and  action.  Laymen  and 
ministers  will  find  much  food  for 
Christian  living  and  proclamation  in 
this  slender  volume.  —  David  }. 
Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 


JUNE   11.  1960 


23 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Celebrate  Anniversary  of 
Greek  Orthodox  Sanctuary 

Celebrations  have  been  scheduled 
for  1962  to  mark  the  1,000th  anni- 
versary of  the  foundation  of  the 
first  monastery  on  Mount  Athos,  of- 
ten called  the  Holy  Mountain,  which 
ranks  as  one  of  the  most  revered 
Greek    Orthodox    sanctuaries. 

The  monastic  population  of  Mount 
Athos  was  around  15,000  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  century,  but  it  has 
declined  to  about  3,000  at  present. 
When  not  engaged  in  religious  serv- 
ices the  monks  occupy  themselves  in 
handicrafts  and  various  self-support- 
ing endeavors.  Women  are  not  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  sacred  precincts 
of  the  monasteries. 

Goodwill  Industries  Increase 
Services  to  Handicapped 

More  than  38,000  handicapped 
persons  were  served  in  1959  through 
the  rehabilitation  and  employment 
programs  of  Goodwill  Industries  of 
America.  The  total  was  an  increase 
of  5,000  over  the  number  served  in 
1958. 

Goodwill  Industries  is  the  nation's 
largest  group  of  nonprofit  private 
vocational  and  rehabilitation  services 
for  the  handicapped.  Founded  by  a 
Methodist  minister  in  Boston  in  1902, 
it  is  affiliated  with  the  Methodist 
Church  through  the  Department  of 
Goodwill  Industries  of  the  Division 
of  National  Missions,  Board  of  Mis- 
sions. 

Study  Shows  Interracial 
Housing  Not 
Predominantly  Negro 

Interracial  developments  do  not, 
as  is  commonly  believed,  become 
predominantly  Negro  over  the  years, 
according  to  a  study  of  mixed  hous- 
ing financed  by  a  Fund  for  the  Re- 
public grant.  The  study  was 
compiled  by  research  specialists, 
George  and  Eunice  Grier. 

Published  by  the  University  of 
California  Press,  the  survey  covers 
a  variety  of  interracial  projects  over 
a  three-year  period  in  twenty-one 
cities  in  metropolitan  areas.  The 
study  points  out  that  "almost  two 
thirds  of  the  known  communities 
built  with  a  deliberate  intent  to  at- 
tract an  interracial  market  have  a 
majority  of  whites."  In  only  a  small 
number  of  these  was  the  white  ma- 
jority  obtained  by  quotas  or  other 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


occupancy  controls.  In  most  it  was 
the  natural  result  of  market  forces. 
The  study  also  noted  that  al- 
though interracial  projects  are  small 
in  proportion  to  the  total  volume 
of  building,  they  are  becoming 
steadily  more  common. 

College  Students  Polled 
on  Religious  Attitudes 

Results  of  a  poll  of  1,500  secular 
college  students  show  that  while  90 
per  cent  believe  in  God,  86  per  cent 
think  it  is  not  necessary  to  attend 
church  regularly  to  have  an  ade- 
quate religious  life.  The  survey  was 
made  under  auspices  of  the  Dan- 
forth  Foundation  to  determine  stu- 
dent moral  values  and  social  life  in 
relation  to  religion. 

Students  who  evidenced  deeper 
religious  attitudes  were  found  in  the 
study  to  be  more  likely  to  plan  fu- 
tures in  such  service  professions  as 
teaching,  welfare,  or  medicine. 
Nonchurchgoers  expressed  prefer- 
ence for  careers  in  the  arts,  business, 
or  industry. 

National  "Citizens  for 
Decent  Literature"  Formed 

A  national  Citizens  for  Decent 
Literature  organization  has  been  es- 
tablished to  enlist  individual  citizens 
in  a  campaign  against  obscenity  in 
communities  throughout  the  nation. 

At  a  recent  conference  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  the  organization  set  forth 
its  basic  purposes:  (1)  To  create 
public  awareness  of  the  nature  and 
scope  of  the  problem  of  obscene 
and  pornographic  literature;  (2)  to 
encourage  the  reading  of  decent  lit- 
erature; (3)  to  expect  the  enforce- 
ment of  laws  pertaining  to  obscene 
and  pornographic  literature;  (4)  to 
serve  as  a  medium  for  the  accumula- 
tion and  dissemination  of  informa- 
tion pertinent  to  the  problem. 
Headquarters  of  the  group  will 
be  maintained  temporarily  in 
Cincinnati. 

New  York  to  Be  Headquarters 
for  Merged  Lutheran  Church 

The  new  Lutheran  Church  in 
America,  which  will  be  established 
in  June  1962  by  the  union  of  four 
Lutheran  bodies,  will  have  its  main 
offices  located  in  New  York  City. 

The  Joint  Commission  on  Luther- 
an Unity  has  also  agreed  that  certain 
boards,  auxiliaries,  commissions,  and 
agencies  of  the  3,000,000-member 
church  should  be  located  at  Phila- 


delphia, Chicago,  and  Minneapolis. 

The  commission  completed  work  ! 
on  all  union  documents  that  will 
be  submitted  to  this  year's  conven- 
tions of  the  four  uniting  bodies. 
These  documents  are  the  new 
church's  constitution  and  bylaws, 
synod  constitution,  and  a  model  con- 
stitution for  local  congregations. 

The  Lutheran  groups  that  will  be 
merging  are  the  United  Lutheran 
Church  in  America,  Augustana  Lu- 
theran Church,  Finnish  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  and  American 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

Members  of  the  majority  party, 
however,  agreed  to  withdrawal  for 
the  sake  of  peace  within  the  550,- 
000-member  church.  The  reconcili- 
ation was  realized  after  a  series  of 
discussions  among  representatives  of 
the  two  divided  groups. 

Dome  of  the  Rock 
Gleams  Again 

Once  again  the  ancient  Mosque 
of  Omar,  which  is  also  called  the 
Dome  of  the  Rock,  gleams  with  a 
golden  splendor  in  Jerusalem.  When 
viewed  from  the  New  City,  the 
dome's  gilt  aluminum  plates,  newly 
installed  by  Turkish  and  Egyptian 
engineers,  stand  out  starkly  against 
green  olive  trees  and  gray  walls  and 
domes  of  other  structures. 

Built  around  691  A.D.  to  protect 
the  famed  Holy  Rock,  which  is 
sacred  to  Islam,  where  the  prophet 
Mohammed  arrived  after  a  miracu- 
lous night  journey,  the  Mosque  of 
Omar  is  the  earliest  existing  monu- 
ment of  Moslem  architecture. 

German  Christian  Youth 
Volunteer  for  Work  Abroad 

A  group  of  young  Protestants  from 
West  Germany  left  Berlin  for  Greece 
as  the  third  contingent  of  volunteers 
who  are  working  abroad  in  repent- 
ance for  suffering  caused  by  the 
Nazis  before  and  during  World  War 
II.  They  will  build  a  cistern  in 
Servia,  a  small  community  near  the 
road  connecting  Saloniki  with  Athens 
which  was  severely  damaged  during 
the  war,  and  has  no  public  water 
supply  system.  They  also  will  help 
build  a  school  and  several  homes  for 
distressed  people  there. 

The  group  left  shortly  after  an- 
other contingent  had  returned  from 
Norway  where  they  had  helped  in 
the  construction  of  a  home  for  men- 
tally retarded  children  near  Narvik, 
in  the  north  of  the  country.    The 


first  contingent  had  co-operated  in 
rebuilding  a  one-time  inundated  area 
in  Holland  early  last  year. 

Sponsored  by  the  Evangelical 
Church  in  Germany  the  project  is 
known  as  "Token  of  Repentance  Ac- 
tion." It  was  initiated  in  1958  by  the 
president  of  the  Synod  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church  in  Saxony. 

Academic  Standards 
Not  Lowered  by 
School  Desegregation 

Desegregation  of  schools  has 
W  neither  harmed  the  academic  prog- 
ress of  white  students  nor  lowered 
el  academic  standards,  according  to 
wtwo  reports  released  by  the  Southern 
Regional   Council,   a   biracial   group 

«  working  toward  better  race  relations. 
One  of  the  reports  analyzed  the 
!  findings   of   tests   conducted   in   At- 
i  lanta   in    1956   by  the  Educational 
(Testing  Service  of  Princeton,  N.  J., 
jand  the  experience  of  the  desegre- 
I  gated  schools  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
!The  second  report  summarized  the 
testimoninal  of  twelve  administrators 
;  I  of  the  segregated  school  systems  be- 
fore the  U.  S.  Commission  on  Civil 
!  Rights. 

The  first  study  showed  that  under 

I  a    segregated    system,    more    white 

,  than  Negro  pupils  met  standards  set 

for  the  top  fifty  per  cent  of  the  na- 

1  tional  test  group.   However,  the  sur- 

■  vey    also    showed    that    differences 

i:i  within  any  racial  group  are  greater 

than  differences  between  groups.    In 

the  report  of  administrators  of  de- 

sj  segregated  school  systems,  not  one 

A\  who   dealt   with   the   question    said 

that  desegregation  had  harmed  the 

;•  academic  progress  of  white  students 

or  had  lowered  academic  standards. 

Audio-visual  Developments  Aid 
i  Overseas  Protestant  Work 

Of  the  153  trained  technicians  and 

missionaries     working    full-time     in 

i  Protestant  overseas  broadcasting  and 

ui  audio-visual    ministries,    a    total    of 

4i  140  are  nationals. 

A  major  development  in  interna- 
tional Christian  broadcasting  in  1959 
6'  was  Ethiopia's  granting  of  a  radio 
I!  franchise    to    the    Lutheran    World 
Federation  for  a  station  to  be  built 
*  near  Addis  Ababa.    To  share  in  the 
|!  station's  programing  for  African  and 
I  Asian  listeners  is  the  interdenomina- 
1  tion   Near   East   Christian   Council. 
Another  highlight  of  the  year,  was 
the  inauguration  of  the  world's  first 
i   Christian   radio   network   in   Korea. 
t  Other  progress  in  the  field  included 
I   a  training  program  for  technicians, 


producers  and  writers  in  the  South 
East  Radio  Project,  and  the  purchase 
of  new  equipment  by  churches  in 
Burma  and  Thailand  for  increased 
Christian  broadcasts  in  those  coun- 
tries. 

These  activities  were  encouraged 
through  the  Radio,  Visual  Educa- 
tion and  Mass  Communication  Com- 
mittee related  to  the  Division  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches. 

West  Germany  Observes 
Brotherhood  Week 

West  German  President  Heinrich 
Luebke,  speaking  in  Cologne,  Ger- 
many, at  the  inauguration  of 
Germany's  Brotherhood  Week,  ap- 
pealed to  all  citizens  in  his  country 
to  work  for  good  Christian-Jewish 
relations  by  promoting  "mutual  re- 
spect, tolerance,  and  fraternal  love." 

The  over-all  theme  of  the  week 
was  You  Are  Responsible.  Observ- 
ances were  scheduled  for  all  major 
cities  of  the  federal  republic.  Local 
programs  were  arranged  in  almost 
all  the  West  German  cities  by  the 
Council  of  Christians  and  Jews,  in 
co-operation  with  religious  and  civic 
leaders. 

Crop  Donors  Aid  CWS 
Surplus  Food  Program 

Contributors  to  CROP,  Christian 
Rural  Overseas  Program,  made  pos- 
sible the  distribution  of  64,950,000 
pounds  of  surplus  food  valued  at 
$3,652,390  in  1959  among  hungry, 
destitute  people  in  29   countries. 

More  commodity  gifts  and  cash 
donations  and  more  overseas  ship- 
ments were  made  in  the  1959  CROP 
campaign  than  in  any  year  since 
1951,  while  costs  for  organizing,  ed- 
ucation, and  promotion,  and  for  ad- 
ministration were  lowest  since 
1953-54. 

Illinois  ranked  highest  among 
states  in  its  contributions  to  the 
program.  Next  in  order  were  Kan- 
sas, Ohio,  and  Indiana. 

Church  Membership  in  Japan 
Reported  at  678,258 

Church  membership  in  Japan 
reached  a  total  of  678,  258,  or  0.7 
per  cent  of  the  population  last  year. 
Of  this  total,  Protestants  number 
376,357  in  3,100  churches.  Previous 
reports  indicated  that  church  mem- 
bers accounted  for  but  0.5  per  cent 
of  the  population. 

The  current  percentage  figure 
does  not  represent  the  proportion  of 
all  Christians  to  the  population,  but 
only  those  who  belong  to  organized 


church  bodies.  Since  there  is  no  re- 
ligious census  in  Japan,  there  are 
no  reliable  statistics  on  the  actual 
number  of  believers  in  any  of  the 
religions. 

News  Briefs 

The  biennial  General  Conference 
of  the  Reorganized  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  meeting 
at  its  world  headquarters  in  Inde- 
pendence, Missouri,  adopted  a  rec- 
ord budget  of  more  than  $2,300,000 
for  1960.  The  amount  is  about  20% 
higher  than  the  previous  year.  The 
conference  learned  that  expansion  of 
foreign  missionary  work  by  the 
church  will  be  accelerated  in  the 
near  future. 

Plans  for  complete  revision  of  the 
Korean  Bible  were  announced  at 
Protestant  celebrations  marking  the 
50th  anniversary  of  the  translation 
of  the  entire  Scriptures  into  Korean. 
Efforts  will  be  made  to  launch  actu- 
al revision  work  this  year  following 
current  organization  of  personnel 
and  resources  for  the  task,  according 
to  the  interdenominational  Korean 
Bible  Society.  Last  year  the  Society 
distributed  a  total  of  711,856  copies 
of  the  Scriptures. 

French  objectors  to  military  serv- 
ice in  Algeria  are  organizing  in  an 
attempt  to  provide  mutual  aid  and 
to  secure  assistance  from  other 
sources.  Many  such  objectors  are 
scattered  all  throughout  Europe, 
and  especially  in  the  countries  bor- 
dering on  France. 

Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic 
authorities  in  East  Germany  have 
condemned  as  a  violation  of  human 
rights  the  compulsory  farm  collec- 
tivization campaign  which  has  been 
finally  completed  there.  During  the 
Easter  holidays,  2,500  East  Ger- 
mans, mostly  farmers  and  small 
shopkeepers,  fled  to  West  Germany. 
This  was  the  largest  number  of 
refugees  ever  recorded  in  such  a 
short  period. 

Holy  Week  services  were  widely 
observed  in  Communist  Yugoslavia 
despite  the  fact  that  they  were  ob- 
ligatory working  days.  Thousands 
of  Roman  Catholics  and  Orthodox 
crowded  churches  on  Good  Friday 
and  many  Orthodox  waited  in 
queues  for  the  traditional  custom  of 
kissing  an  effigy  of  Christ  crucified. 
Easter  Sunday  witnessed  overflow 
congregations  at  Orthodox  and 
Catholic  churches  throughout  the 
country. 


JUNE  11,  1960 


25 


H»Hv:\p   W 


Anniversaries 

Mr.    and    Mrs.    Elinas    Brubaker    of 

Hollidaysburg,  Pa.,  celebrated  their 
sixtieth  wedding  anniversary  on  Feb. 
20,  1960.  They  have  served  as  deacons 
in  the  Hollidaysburg  church  for  many 
years.  They  have  ten  children,  forty- 
one  grandchildren,  and  twenty  great- 
grandchildren. —  Elmer  J.  Brubaker, 
Hollidaysburg,  Pa. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellis  Butterbaugh 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary, March  20,  1960,  in  the  Lin- 
colnshire church,  Ind.  They  have  two 
daughters,  six  grandchildren,  and  two 
great-grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  O.  E.  Hol- 
lenberg,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  W.  Hinkle 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  April  10,  1960,  with  open 
house  at  the  Navarre  church,  Kansas. 
They  have  two  sons,  one  daughter, 
seven  grandchildren,  and  two  great- 
grandchildren. —  Mrs.  Roy  Rock,  En- 
terprise, Kansas. 

Brother  and  Sister  Paul  Mohler 
celebrated  their  sixtieth  wedding  anni- 
versary on  April  10,  1960,  with  open 
house  at  the  Pasadena  church,  Calif. 
They  have  two  children,  four  grand- 
children, and  six  great-grandchildren.  — 
Mrs.  Betty  Cohick,  Pasadena,  Calif. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Irvin  Schrock 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  March  27,  1960,  with  open 
house  in  the  home.  They  are  charter 
members  of  the  Pasadena  church, 
Calif.,  and  have  served  as  deacons  for 
many  years.  They  have  one  daughter 
and  four  grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Betty 
Cohick,   Pasadena,   Calif. 


Obituaries 


Grimley,  Sara  E.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Martha  Bechtel,  was  bom  at  Roy- 
ersford,  Pa.,  Oct.  31,  1890,  and  died 
at  Norristown,  Pa.,  Feb.  20,  1960.  She 
was  preceded  in  death  by  her  husband, 
Oliver  K.  Grimley.  Surviving  are  two 
sons,  a  daughter,  eight  grandchildren, 
three  sisters,  and  one  brother.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Norris- 
town church,  Pa.,  with  Bro.  Harold  F. 
Keppen  conducting.  Interment  was  in 
the  Green  Tree  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Wm. 
Haldeman,  Norristown,  Pa. 

Harbold,  George  William,  son  of 
Henry  and  Sarah  Zeigler  Harbold,  died 
March  6,  1960,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Upper 
Conewago  church,  Pa.,  where  he 
served  as  a  deacon.  Surviving  are  his 
wife,  Sue  Trimmer  Harbold,  one  son, 
two  daughters,  fifteen  grandchildren, 
and  eleven  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Pitten- 
turf  funeral  home  with  Brethren  George 
W.  Hull  and  Bruce  Anderson  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  Latimore  meeting- 
house cemetery.  —  Frances  E.  Shaffer, 
East  Berlin,  Pa. 

Herbst,  Mary  A.,  widow  of  Jacob  Y. 
Herbst,  died  at  York,  Pa.,  Jan.  23,  1960, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Upper  Conewago 
church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by  one 
daughter.   The  funeral  service  was  held 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


at  the  Morgan  E.  Frey  funeral  home  by 
Brethren  Arthur  Hess  and  George  Hull. 
Interment  was  in  the  Prospect  Hill 
cemetery.  —  Frances  E.  Shaffer,  East 
Berlin,  Pa. 

Herbster,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Eliza  Baird  Steinbarger,  was 
born  in  Derry  Township,  Pa.,  July  13, 
1878,  and  died  Dec.  11,  1959.  Her 
husband,  Cloyd  Herbster,  preceded  her 
in  death.  Surviving  is  one  stepson,  two 
brothers,  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  Bro.  Lee 
Weaver  at  the  Barr  funeral  home.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Maitland  cemetery. 
—  Ada  C.  White,  Lewistown,  Pa. 

Hess,  Mary  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Hess,  was  born  Jan. 
28,  1900,  and  died  at  Goshen,  Ind., 
March  15,  1960.  Surviving  are  her 
mother  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Goshen  City 
church,  Ind.,  with  Bro.  Clarence  B. 
Fike  officiating.  Interment  was  in  the 
Oak  Ridge  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Lewis 
Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Hoke,  Lauretta,  was  born  in  Law- 
rence, Kansas,  Dec.  29,  1876,  and  died 
at  Roanoke,  La.,  Dec.  27,  1959.  She 
was  married  to  Joseph  Frank  Hoke. 
Surviving  are  three  sons,  one  daughter, 
and  six  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  Bro.  Edward 
Murray  and  Brother  Reed.  Interment 
was  in  the  Oaklawn  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Paul  H.  Metzger,  Iowa,  La. 

Holler,  Harry  Walter,  son  of  Perry 
E.  and  Susan  Ullery  Holler,  was  born 
June  12,  1878,  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  and 
died  Feb.  23,  1960.  He  was  married 
to  Laura  Mumma  on  Feb.  20,  1901. 
He  was  a  retired  minister  and  elder  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  two  daughters,  two  sons, 
two  grandchildren,  one  sister,  and  two 
brothers.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Trotwood  church,  with  Bro.  Paul 
W.  Kinsel  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  David  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
G.  Flora,  Trotwood,  Ohio. 

Bkenberry,  Henry  C,  was  born  Feb. 
14,  1879,  and  died  in  Sebring,  Fla., 
March  6,  1960.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  two  daughters,  three  sons,  two 
brothers,  one  sister,  and  eight  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Stephenson  Memorial  chapel  by 
the  undersigned  and  E.  Myrl  Weyant. 
Interment  was  in  the  Pinecrest  ceme- 
tery. —  Ralph  W.  Brumbaugh,  Sebring, 
Fla. 

Johnston,  Louisa  Staples,  was  born 
at  Corning,  Iowa,  July  12,  1896,  and 
died  Feb.  23,  1960.  On  July  12,  1916, 
she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Roscoe  E. 
Johnston.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Mt.  Etna  church,  Iowa.  Surviving  are 
her  husband,  three  daughters,  one  son, 
and  eight  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Mt.  Etna 
church  by  Brethren  W.  B.  Gahm  and 
Leonard  Lutz.  Interment  was  in  the 
Mt.  Etna  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Lula  Knee, 
Mt.  Etna,  Iowa. 

Kelley,  James  H.,  son  of  Thomas  D. 
and  Louisa  Kelley,  was  born  at  Garnet, 
Kansas,  May  10,  1885,  and  died  at 
Grand  Junction,  Colo.,  Feb.  29,  1960. 
He  was  married  to  Berma  Norton  in 
1907.  He  was  received  into  the  First 
Grand  Valley  church,  Colo.,  when  a 
young  man.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
one  daughter,  three  sons,  nine  grand- 
children, and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  Martin's  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Foster  Myers.    Interment 


was  in  the  Crown  Point  cemetery.  — 
Berma  V.  Kelly,  Grand  Junction,  Colo. 

McLeary,  Estella,  daughter  of  John 
and  Nancy  Beam,  was  born  Jan.  14, 
1882,  and  died  Dec.  4,  1959.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Walnut  Grove  church, 
Johnstown,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by  two 
daughters,  two  sons,  one  sister,  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  C.  L.  Carter  at  the 
Geisel  funeral  home.  Interment  was  in 
the  Richland  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Margaret 
R.  Shaffer,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Mahoney,  Effie  Catherine,  was  born 
at  Muncie,  Ind.,  Jan.  29,  1880,  and  died 
in  Pomona,  Calif.,  March  8,  1960.  Her 
husband  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  La  Verne  church, 
Calif.  Surviving  are  three  sons,  three 
sisters,  one  brother,  and  seven  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Todd  Memorial  chapel  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  in  the 
Evergreen  cemetery.  —  Harry  K.  Zeller, 
Jr.,  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Mohler,  John  W.,  was  born  Nov. 
17,  1880,  and  died  April  7,  1960.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  First  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Mechanicsburg,  Pa.  He 
is  survived  by  one  sister  and  several 
nieces  and  nephews.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  in  the  Myer's  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  D.  Luke  Bowser.  Inter- 
ment was  at  the  Mechanicsburg  cem- 
etery. —  Edward  Burket,  Grantham, 
Pa. 

Morris,  Grace,  daughter  of  George 
and  Josephine  Conwell,  was  born  in 
White  County,  Ind.,  May  17,  1900,  and 
died  Jan.  15,  1960.  She  was  married 
to  Ben  Morris  on  Dec.  14,  1916.  Sur- 
viving are  her  husband,  one  daughter, 
two  grandchildren,  two  great-grand- 
children, one  brother,  and  one  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Buffalo  church  by  Bro.  B.  D.  Hirt  and 
the  undersigned.  Interment  was  in 
the  Buffalo  cemetery.  —  Ira.  H.  Frantz, 
Monticello,  Ind. 

Myers,  Frank  J.,  son  of  Jacob  M.  and 
Margaret  Stermer  Myers,  was  born  Dec. 
27,  1887,  and  died  March  6,  1960.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Codorus  church, 
Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Gertie 
E.  Ness  Myers,  two  children,  eight 
grandchildren,  ten  great-grandchildren, 
one  sister,  and  three  brothers.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Codorus 
church  by  Brethren  David  Wilson  and 
Joseph  Baugher.  Interment  was  in  the 
church  cemetery.  —  Ruth  B.  Hartman, 
York,  Pa. 

Patrick,  Samuel,  was  born  in  Fishing 
Creek  Valley,  Pa.,  April  6,  1877,  and 
died  at  Campbelltown,  Pa.,  Jan.  1, 
1960.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  for  over  fifty  years.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  two  sons,  two 
daughters,  twenty  grandchildren,  and 
twenty-three  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Frank  S.  Carper  and  the  undersigned 
at  the  Bowser  funeral  home.  Interment 
was  in  the  Spring  Creek  cemetery.  —  J. 
Herbert  Miller,  Hershey,  Pa. 

Payne,  Kathleen,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Annie  H.  Reid,  was  born  in  Dan- 
ville, Va.,  March  7,  1919,  and  died 
March  12,  1960.  She  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  First  church,  Norfolk, 
Va.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  James 
E.  Payne,  her  mother,  one  daughter, 
and  one  son.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Holloman-Brown  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Frank  E.  Williar.    Inter- 


Si  is 


ment  was  in  the  Rosewood  Memorial 
park.  —  Susie  Pyle,  Norfolk,  Va. 

Pentecost,  Mary,  daughter  of  John 
and  Anna  Hawkins  Sheets,  was  born 
Oct.  2,  1881,  and  died  Jan.  24,  1960. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Four  Mile 
church,  Ind.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  George  Pentecost,  three 
daughters,  one  son,  two  sisters,  and 
three  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Glenn  Rohrer  at  the 
Fosdick  funeral  home.  Interment  was  in 
the  Liberty  cemetery.  —  Albert  Brown, 
Liberty,  Ind. 

Pfoutz,  Bessie  C,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Kate  G.  Miller  Hawbacker,  was 
born    in    Chambersburg,    Pa.,    May    3, 

1876,  and  died  at  Franklin  Grove,  111., 
March  7,  1960.  She  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Harvey  E.  Pfoutz  on  Nov. 
18,  1901.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  husband,  three  sons,  ten 

Sandchildren,  eleven  great-grandchil- 
en,  and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Hicks  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Ralph  Anderson.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Chapel  Hill  cemetery. 
-Edith  Wilder,  Franklin  Grove,  111. 

Pierce,  Florence  May,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Mary  Knotts  Bishoff,  was 
born  in  West  Virginia,  Nov.  20,  1881, 
and  died  Feb.  18,  1960.  On  Aug.  21, 
1897,  she  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Arthur  Pierce,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  Surviving  are  five  daughters, 
fifteen  grandchildren,  and  twenty  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Fairview  church,  Ohio, 
by  Brethren  J.  A.  Guthrie  and  Willard 
L.  Grant.  Interment  was  in  the  Fair- 
field cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Willard  L.  Grant, 
Metamora,  Ohio. 

Rader,  Mrs.  W.  H.,  was  born  Jan.  14, 

1877,  and  died  at  Roanoke,  Va.,  March 
15,  1960.  Surviving  are  two  daughters, 
one  son,  two  brothers,  nine  grandchil- 
dren. —  J.  Weldon  Myers,  Troutville, 
Va. 

Sayler,  Emma  M.,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Laura  Geiselman,  died  at 
Union  Bridge,  Md.,  March  15,  1960,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  her  husband,  Isaac  W.  Sayler, 
eight  children,  fourteen  grandchildren, 
and  fourteen  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Glen  Baird  at  the  Union  Bridge  funeral 
home.  Interment  was  in  the  Pipe  Creek 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Maurice  McDaniel, 
New  Windsor,  Md. 

Smith,  Grattan  Addison,  son  of  Henry 
Addison  and  Lessie  Robinson  Smith, 
was  born  in  West  Rockingham,  Va., 
May  3,  1905,  and  died  at  Harrisonburg, 
Va.,  March  7,  1960.  On  Oct.  20,  1932, 
he  was  married  to  Mary  Hess.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Harrisonburg  church. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  four  children, 
one  grandson,  four  sisters,  and  three 
brothers.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Harrisonburg  church  by  Bro.  L. 
Sherfy.  Interment  was  in  the  Sanger- 
ville  Brethren  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Nelson 
Hess,  Harrisonburg,  Va. 

Stevens,  Cora  L.,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Mary  Allen  Moss,  was  born  Oct. 
17,  1869,  and  died  Oct.  23,  1959.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Four  Mile  church, 
Ind.  Surviving  are  one  daughter,  one 
sister,  one  brother,  three  grandchildren, 
and  seven  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Stegall- 
Berheide-Orr  funeral  home.  Interment 
was  in  the  Earlham  cemetery.  —  Albert 
Brown,  Liberty,  Ind. 


Steward,  George  W.,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Delilah  Ragor  Steward,  was 
born  May  5,  1885,  near  Johnstown,  Pa., 
and  died  at  Denton,  Md.,  Feb.  25, 
1960.  He  was  married  to  Sadie  Gregg 
in  1911,  who  died  in  1948.  In  1949,  he 
was  married  to  Rose  Breeding.  He  was 
a  trustee  of  the  Denton  church  for  over 
twenty  years.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
seven  children,  twelve  grandchildren, 
four  great-grandchildren,  three  step- 
sons, four  sisters,  and  four  brothers. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Denton  church  by  Bro.  Galen  R. 
Blough.  Interment  was  in  the  Denton 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  S.  H.  Krabill,  Denton, 
Md. 

Stewart,  Edgar,  son  of  Harry  and 
Lydia  Barber  Stewart,  was  born  at 
Fairfield,  Mich.,  Jan.  19,  1863,  and  died 
Feb.  26,  1960.  On  June  28,  1896,  he 
was  married  to  Capitola  Stone,  who 
died  on  April  12,  1932.  On  April  10, 
1935,  he  was  married  to  Lorena  Mc- 
Kimmy,  who  preceded  him  in  death  on 
July  5,  1950.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Fairview  church,  Ohio.  Surviving  is 
one  stepson.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  funeral  home  by 
Brethren  Willard  L.  Grant  and  J.  A. 
Guthrie.  Interment  was  in  the  Pleasant 
View  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Willard  L. 
Grant,  Metamora,  Ohio. 

Sweitzer,  Henry  M.,  died  at  Landis- 
ville,  Pa.,  Feb.  24,  1960,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Salunga  church,  Pa.  His  wife, 
Fannie  Geibe  Sweitzer,  preceded  him 
in  death.  He  is  survived  by  two  daugh- 
ters, two  sons,  seven  grandchildren,  and 
eight  great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  in  the  Salunga 
church  by  Brethren  N.  L.  Bowers  and 
M.  L.  Hershey.  Interment  was  in  the 
Salunga  Mennonite  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Stanley  W.  Hosier,  Salunga,  Pa. 

Thomas,  Ralph,  son  of  George  W. 
and  Martha  Thomas,  was  born  Dec.  22, 
1883,  in  Boone,  Iowa,  and  died  at 
Nezperce,  Idaho,  Feb.  27,  1960.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Cynthia 
Hoover  on  Oct.  17,  1907.  He  was  a 
long-time  member  of  the  Nezperce 
church.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
two  sons,  one  daughter,  and  three 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Nezperce  First  Christian 
church,  with  Rev.  Howard  L.  Hake 
officiating.  Interment  was  held  in  the 
Nezperce  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Leona  John- 
son, Nezperce,  Idaho. 

Van  Horn,  Margaret  Arlena,  was 
born  in  1869  in  Kansas.  She  became 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren at  a  young  age  and  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Bakersfield  congregation, 
Calif.  She  is  survived  by  her  husband, 
one  daughter,  three  sons,  eleven  grand- 
children, twenty-one  great-grandchil- 
dren, five  great-great-grandchildren,  and 
two  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Greenlawn  chapel  by  Bro. 
Ralph  Click.  Interment  was  in  the 
Greenlawn  Memorial  park.  —  Lottie  M. 
Ross,  Bakersfield,  Calif. 

Waggoner,  Barbara  Ann,  daughter  of 
John  G.  and  Fannie  Conrad  Heisel,  was 
born  Oct.  7,  1860,  at  Hershey,  Pa.,  and 
died  Jan.  15,  1960,  at  Morland,  Kansas. 
She  was  united  in  marriage  to  Timothv 
Waggoner  on  Aug.  17,  1884.  She  had 
been  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  since  1880  and  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Quinter  church.  Sur- 
viving   is    her    husband.     The    funeral 


service  was  held  at  the  Morland  Meth- 
odist church  with  Bro.  Glenn  J.  Fruth 
and  Rev.  Hobart  Young  officiating.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Morland  cemetery. 

—  Lila  Reinecker,  Quinter,  Kansas. 
Weaver,  Ernest  Frank,  son  of  Emma 

and  Abram  Weaver,  was  born  Jan.  2, 
1890,  at  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  and  died 
March  14,  1960,  at  Fruita,  Colorado. 
His  first  wife,  Ruby  Glandon  Weaver, 
died  in  1931.  He  married  the  former 
Nellie  Kinsely  in  1933.  He  was 
ordained  as  a  minister  in  the  First 
Grand  Valley  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  one  son,  a 
daughter,  a  brother  and  five  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  First  Grand  Valley  church  with 
Bro.  Ira  Metzker  and  Bro.  Foster  Mey- 
ers officiating.  Interment  was  in  the 
Orchard  Mesa  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Berma 
V.  Kelley,  Grand  Junction,  Colo. 

Weddle,  Debra  Jo,  daughter  of 
Brother  and  Sister  G.  Curtis  Weddle, 
was  born  Sept.  12,  1959,  and  died 
March  27,  1960.  She  is  survived  by 
her  parents.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  the  undersigned  from  the 
Boyer  funeral  home.  Interment  was  in 
the  Mechanicsburg  cemetery.  —  Nevin 
H.  Zuck,  Elizabeth  town,  Pa. 

Widdowson,  James,  son  of  E.  B.  and 
Susan  Ober  Widdowson,  was  born  in 
Indiana  County,  Pa.,  June  18,  1873, 
and  died  in  York,  Pa.,  Aug.  23,  1959. 
He  was  a  lay  minister  of  the  First 
church,  York.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
Ethel  Sollenberger  Widdowson,  three 
sons,  two  sisters,  and  one  brother.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
Waynesboro  church  by  Brethren  M. 
Guy  West  and  George  M.  Detweiler. 
Interment  was  in  the  Green  Hill  ceme- 
tery. —  Joseph  M.   Baugher,  York,  Pa. 

Williams,  O.  W.,  was  born  Dec.  4, 
1893,  at  New  Castle,  Ind.,  and  died 
April  9,  1960.  He  was  married  to 
Mildred  Kelver,  Nov.  27,  1926.  Sur- 
viving are  his  wife,  two  sons,  two 
grandchildren,  four  sisters,  mother  and 
stepfather.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  E.  Wayne  Gerdes  at 
Pine  Creek  church.  —  Mrs.  D.  Stanley 
Houser,   North  Liberty,  Ind. 

Winters,  Robert  Carl,  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Raymond  Winters,  was  born 
August  21,  1906,  and  died  Feb.  19, 
1960.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pine 
Grove  Church  of  Swallow  Falls,  Md. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  Mary  Kathleen 
Winters,  one  son,  three  daughters,  five 
grandchildren,  one  brother  and  three 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  Pine  Grove  church  with  Bro.  Jonas 
Sines  officiating  and  assisted  by  Bro. 
Donald  Matthews.  —  Pleasant  Rinker, 
Oakland,  Md. 

Wise,  Thomas  K.,  was  born  in  Juni- 
ata County,  Pa.,  Nov.  9,  1931,  and 
died  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Feb.  18,  1960. 
He  was  married  June  9,  1956,  to 
Martha  Lowe  Brandt.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  one  daughter,  his  parents, 
six  sisters  and  two  brothers.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  from  the  Port 
Royal  Presbyterian  church  by  Brother 
McAban  and  Brother  E.  S.  Kipp.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Lutheran  cemetery. 

—  Mrs.  Ada  Brandt,  Millerstown,  Pa. 
Wolfgang,   Charles   H,   son  of   Tohn 

and   Sara   Moore   Wolfgang,   was  born 


JUNE   11.  1960 


27 


WABASH  CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 


5% 


BUILDING  BONDS 


Special  Premium  or  Discount  Offer 


Interest  from  January  1,  1960 

on  $9,000  of  17  and  18  year  bonds 

Pay  by  July  5,  1960 


For  further  information  write  or  call: 

ELDEN  YOHE  729  LaFontctine  Ave.,  Wabash,  Indiana 
Phone:  Day,  620         Evening,  441 


North   Manchester,    Indiana 

For  COMFORT  that  is 

posture   correct, 

for  QUALITY  that  is 

^■■^established, 

and  time  enduring  BEAUTY 

in  CHURCH  SEATING  and 

CHANCEL  FURNITURE. 

Write  or  phone  199 

North  Manchester,  Indiana, 

tor  complete  suggestions 


Dec.  21,  1884,  at  New  Castle,  Pa.,  and 
died  March  13,  1960.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Greensburg  church,  Pa.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  Emma  Miller 
Wolfgang,  three  daughters,  two  sons, 
thirteen  grandchildren,  six  great-grand- 
children, one  brother,  and  one  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Wade  E.   Tompkins   funeral   home   by 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Bro.  Wilfred  N.  Staufer.  Interment 
was  in  the  Brush  Creek  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Galen  M.  Bittner,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Workman,  Catherine  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Mary  Brehm 
Burkholder,  was  born  Feb.  2,  1872,  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  died  March  14, 
1960,  in  Bushville,  111.  She  was  mar- 
ried on  Sept.  15,  1904,  to  John  D. 
Workman,  who  preceded  her  in  death. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Woodland 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are 
two  sons,  two  daughters,  eleven  grand- 
children, eighteen  great-grandchildren 
and  one  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  Astoria  church  by  Bro. 
E.  Gifford  Ammermann  and  Bro.  D. 
Edwin  Bodabaugh.  Interment  was  in 
the  South  Fulton  cemetery.  —  Emilee 
Kessler,  Astoria,  111. 

Yeatter,  Edward,  son  of  Bobert  and 
Fanny  Gill  Yeatter,  was  born  in  Yeager- 
town,  Pa.,  Aug.  16,  1883,  and  died 
Jan.  29,  1960.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Grace  E.  Crawshaw,  and  one 
grandchild.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Heller  and  Baudox 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  Lee  Weaver.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Maitland  cemetery. 
—  Ada  C.  White,  Lewistown,  Pa. 


Church  News 

Northern  California 
Empire  —  Edna  Switzer  showed 
slides  on  her  work  in  Ecuador.  During 
evening  meetings  in  January  our  pastor 
led  a  study  on  basic  Christian  beliefs. 
Hazel  Trent  directed  our  mission  study. 
The  men's  group  sponsored  a  church 
dinner  at  which  Dr.  J.  H.  Carson  talked 
about  his  recent  trip  to  Bussia.  On 
March  13,  Forest  Eisenbise  preached 
in  the  morning  and  showed  slides  on 
Palestine  in  the  evening.  Several  from 
our  church  attended  the  regional  con- 
ference. On  Palm  Sunday  two  girls 
were  baptized.  The  La  Verne  choir 
gave  their  program  on  April  11.  Stan- 
ley Sutphin  preached  during  Holy 
week.  A  new  microphone  was  pre- 
sented to  the  church  in  memory  of 
Lloyd  K.  Fike.   We  had  a  three-session 


school    of    family    living.  —  Pearl    Kap- 
pler,  Modesto,  Calif. 


ayj 

:C- 


El! 


Lindsay    Community  —  The    Lenten 
season  commenced  with  a  prayer  vi_ 
and    communion    on    Ash    Wednesday 
and   the  first  Sunday   of  Lent   respec-i    Q 
tively.    Four  persons  have  been  bap.  ' 
tized     following     instruction     in     the 
pastor's  class.    During  Holy  Week  sev- 
eral of  the  youth  shared  in  a  vacation 
Bible    school    for    children    in    Strath' 
more.    Work  should  soon  be  completed 
on  remodeling  the  church  kitchen  un- 
der the  direction  of  Mrs.  Paul  Fairley 
and    Oliver    Bogers.     A    new    electric 
range    was    donated    to    the    church 
Plans   are  being  made  for  a  team  of 
students  to  serve  in  the  church  during 
the    summer.     Vacation    church   school 
will  be  the  week  of  June  27.    Gradu- 
ates  who    attend    our    church    will   be 
honored  with  a  dinner.    The  pastor  will: 
serve   on   the    Standing    Committee   at 
Annual   Conference.  —  Ward   E.   Pratt, 
Lindsay,  Calif. 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 

Glendale  (Ariz.)  —  Several  of  our 
church  members  in  preparation  for  an 
evangelistic  campaign  attended  evan- 
gelism training  workshops.  As  a  result 
of  the  visitation  teams,  nineteen  per- 
sons, including  new  commitments  to 
Christ  and  transfers  of  membership, 
enrolled  in  the  pastor's  class.  In  line; 
with  the  Sunday  evening  mission 
studies  the  film,  Nigeria  Moves  Ahead, 
was  shown.  Gertrude  Baugher,  who 
is  in  BVS,  is  being  supported  by  the 
church.  Our  pastor,  Glen  Harmon,  and 
his  wife  attended  a  district  planning 
meeting  in  Pasadena,  Calif.  In  his  ab- 
sence, Bro.  Walter  Coffman  occupied 
the  pulpit.  A  reception  for  new  mem- 
bers was  held  on  April  10.  Two  were 
baptized.  Easter  was  marked  by  music 
by  the  combined  adult  and  children's 
choirs,  and  a  message,  The  Power  of: 
the  Besurrection,  by  the  pastor.  Plans 
are  under  way  for  a  family  camp  this 
summer  at  Camp  Tontozona.  —  Mrs. 
Don  Heatwole,  Glendale,  Ariz. 

Colorado 

First  Grand  Valley -The  school  of 
missions  ended  with  a  supper,  at  i 
which  Kalseye  Demena,  an  Ethiopian 
student  of  Mesa  College,  was  the 
speaker.  Our  pastor,  Foster  Meyers, 
conducted  a  study  class  on  the  mean- 
ing of  church  membership.  Edward 
Duncan  conducted  a  training  class  for 
church  officers.  A  mixed  quartet  from 
McPherson  College  gave  a  program  at 
the  church.  Several  of  our  members 
attended  a  world  peace  seminar  in 
Grand  Junction.  Nine  youth  and  three 
adults  from  here  attended  the  regional 
youth  conference.  Two  of  our  members 
were  sent  as  delegates  from  this  district 
to  the  political  seminar  in  Washington, 
D.C.  The  aid  service  of  our  women's 
fellowship  has  made  woolen  comforters 
to  be  given  away.  The  women's  fel- 
lowship sponsored  the  father-son  ban- 
quet. A  mother-daughter  banquet  was 
on  May  26.  Our  young  people  s  group 
has  been  conducting  the  service  at  the 
state  home  on  the  Sunday  afternoon 
that  has  been  assigned  to  our  church, 
Fruita  church  joined  us  in  our  love 
feast  service.  —  Mrs.  Berma  V.  Kelley, 
Grand  Junction,  Colo. 


Eastern  Pennsylvania 

1 1  East  Fairview  —  During  the  month  of 
i  February  a  series  of  Bible  studies  cen- 
tered on  Christ  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
1H.  W.  Schlosser  and  Bro.  Armon  Snow- 
ien.  Bro.  David  Gibble  spoke  one 
|  Sunday  morning.  An  African  student 
[  ,it  Messiah  college,  Enos  Sibanda,  was 
,;vith  us  one  evening.  The  women  have 
(Ijeen  busy  sewing  at  a  Lancaster  hos- 
9  pital,  knotting  comforters,  rolling 
Ipandages  and  ironing  and  mending  at 
She  Neffsville  orphanage.  On  race  rela- 
j'tions  Sunday  Bro.  Glenn  Crago,  super- 
jlintendent  of  the  orphanage,  told  us  of 
Ibis  interesting  work  with  the  children. 
[Mildred  Snavely  participated  in  the 
l|eastern  district  CBYF  oratorical  con- 
litest.  Our  new  educational  wing  was 
I  dedicated  with  Bro.  Frank  Carper  as 
lispeaker.  Open  house  was  held  in  the 
■afternoon,  and  in  the  evening  Bro. 
I  Olden  Mitchell  brought  the  tenth  anni- 
versary message.  Paul  Myers  is  in  BVS 
liat  New  Windsor.  A  large  group 
hmotored  to  New  Windsor  to  process 
[(clothes  one  day.  Community  Lenten 
^services  were  held  in  our  church  with 
Bro.  Murray  Wagner  as  speaker.  The 
Hmen  attended  district  men's  fellowship 
pin  the  Ephrata  church.  Bro.  Nevin 
;  Smith  spoke  at  the  father- son  fellow- 
ship. The  young  adults  planned  a 
.week-end  trip  to  Flat  Creek  mission  in 
tjKentucky  on  Memorial  Day  week  end. 
The  young  people  gave  an  inspiring 
bplay,  Is  It  I,  Lord?  Men's  fellowship 
phelped  with  the  general  repair  work 
|jat  the  Neffsville  children's  orphanage. 

—  Mrs.  Mahlon  Graybill,  Manheim,  Pa. 
Hatfield  —  A  student  deputation  team 

from    Elizabethtown    college    rendered 
an  evening  program.    A  child  dedica- 
tion service  was  held.    Our  school  of 
missions  studying  Africa  was  held  dur- 
ing   January    and    February.     Former 
workers  in  Africa,  Ronald   Moyer   and 
Verda    Moyer,    were    guest    speakers. 
The    church    filmstrip,    Nigeria    Looks 
Ahead,  was  shown  at  the  last  session. 
Four    of    our   young    people    attended 
the  Brethren  youth  seminar  and  gave 
I  a  report  to  the  church  on  youth  Sun- 
day.   Our  Sunday  school  voted  to  par- 
ticipate  in   the    support    of    two    more 
missionaries     so     that     we     contribute 
■  toward  one   of   each   of  our   Brethren 
I  fields.    We  participated  in  the  commu- 
i  nity   world    day   of   prayer.     Both    our 
Sunday  school  and  church  participated 
3  in  the  one  great  hour  of  sharing.    The 
I  film,  Alternatives,  was  shown  on  a  Sun- 
i  day  evening.    A  group  of  men  attended 
the  district  men's  fellowship  at  Ephrata 
rj  and  fourteen  young  adults  went  to  the 
'  spring     fellowship     at     Elizabethtown. 
Our    church    participated    and    helped 
sponsor   a   religious   census   by   five   of 
our    local    churches.     Two    have    been 
received  by  letter  since  our  last  report. 

—  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Nyce,  Lansdale,  Pa. 
Big  Swatara  -  Dr.  Roy  E.  Pfaltzgraff 

spoke  and  showed  slides  of  his  work 
i  in  Africa  and  the  leprosy  colony.  A 
dinner  was  served  for  the  official  board 
and  their  wives,  in  honor  of  the  two 
newly  elected  deacons  and  their  wives. 
Bro.  Harold  Bomberger  was  guest 
speaker.  Our  women  made  comforters 
for  relief.  The  women  met  with  the 
women  at  the  Palmyra  church  and  pre- 
sented a  playette,  Grace  Women  of 
Christian  Faith.  A  movie  entitled, 
!   Split-Level  Family  was   shown   at   our 


women's  fellowship  meeting.  Our  CBYF 
presented  a  play  entitled,  The  Beloved 
Exile.  Bro.  Allen  Hollinger  was  guest 
speaker  at  our  Good  Friday  services. 
Sister  Bernice  Stoner  met  with  the  sen- 
ior adult  Bible  class  meeting  and 
showed  slides  and  spoke  of  her  work 
in  Puerto  Rico.  For  our  Easter  pro- 
gram we  had  music  by  our  adult 
chorus  and  instrumental  music  by  some 
of  our  younger  group.  —  Mrs.  John 
Swope,  Union  Deposit,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 

New  Enterprise  —  The  CBYF  con- 
ducted devotions  at  the  Morrison's 
Cove  home.  A  number  of  new  books 
have  been  added  to  our  church  library. 
Willis  Detwiler  was  licensed  to  the 
ministry  for  one  year.  J.  H.  Tice  was 
guest  speaker  at  Waterside  and  New 
Enterprise.  Also  Dr.  William  Wilt  was 
welcomed  to  our  pulpit.  Several  of  our 
youth  attended  the  seminar  in  Wash- 
ington and  New  York.  Our  CBYF  held 
its  recreation  music  workshop  in  the 
social  room  of  our  church.  The  region- 
al CBYF  cabinet  members  from 
Bridgewater,  Va.,  were  honored  guests 
and  speakers.  Our  CBYF  entertained 
them  Sunday  at  a  covered  dish  lunch- 
eon. The  school  of  missions  ended 
with  a  light  meal  of  African  foods. 
The  Elizabethtown  college  choir  and 
the  Bridgewater  college  choir  each 
presented  a  program  of  sacred  music  in 
our  church.  Mrs.  Charles  Weaver, 
regional  director  of  children's  work, 
was  the  speaker  at  the  district  meeting. 
—  Mrs.  James  A.  Davis,  Loysburg,  Pa. 

Glendale  —  On  Easter  Sunday  eve- 
ning a  service  of  dedication  was  held 
by  a  representative  of  the  deacon 
board  and  the  young  people's  group 
and  the  pastor.  We  have  just  installed 
new  pews  and  a  pulpit.  This  was  the 
climax  of  a  number  of  remodeling  jobs 
and  improvements  to  our  church  plant. 
Thursday  preceding  Easter  we  re- 
ceived one  member  by  baptism,  and 
in  the  evening  fifty-nine  took  part  in 
our  love  feast.  On  Easter  Sunday  in 
our  morning  worship  six  small  children 
were  consecrated  to  the  Lord  by  their 
parents.  Our  church  took  part  in  the 
union  sunrise  service  in  the  high  school 
auditorium.  —  John  H.  Buffenmyer, 
Cumberland,  Md. 

Southern  Pennsylvania 

Lower  Conewago  —  A  mother-daugh- 
ter fellowship  supper  was  held  at  the 
East  Berlin  Reformed  church.  The 
speaker  was  Dorothy  Hauser.  The 
youth  of  the  southern  district  spon- 
sored a  sports  night  at  the  YWCA. 
Sergeant  Violet  White,  a  policewoman 
from  Baltimore,  visited  our  church  and 
spoke  on  juvenile  delinquency.  Our 
missionary  committee  sponsored  Helen 
Herr  of  York,  at  which  time  she 
showed  slides  of  her  work  in  Greece. 
A  play  was  given  by  members  of  the 
church  in  honor  of  our  missionary 
child,  Judith  Horning.  Bro.  Harry  Nell 
spoke  at  our  evening  worship  service 
sponsored  by  our  youth  fellowship.  He 
was  also  guest  minister  at  the  harvest 
home  program.  All  donations  were 
sent  to  the  Brethren  home  at  Cross 
Keys.  Bro.  J.  Henry  Long  of  Elgin, 
111.,    spoke   about    Being   Christians   in 


THESWngi 

SEHEB; 
!  WNCj 
PACKARD 


affiu«><  i 


THE  STATUS 
SEEKERS 


I 


VANCE  PACKARD 

A  top  best  seller  within  a 
month  after  publication,  Vance 
Packard's  The  Status  Seekers  has 
received  a  response  from  the 
critics  and  bookbuyers  even 
more  enthusiastic  than  that  giv- 
en his  The  Hidden  Persuaders. 
An  exploration  of  class  behavior 
in  America  today,  this  book  pin- 
points the  hidden  barriers  that 
keep  some  people  up,  some 
down.  $4.50 

Church   of   Ihe    Brethren 
General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois 


Tough  Times.  Bro.  Elmer  Hoover  was 
guest  minister  for  one  week  in  evange- 
listic meetings.  He  officiated  at  our 
fall  love  feast.  Bro.  Ollie  Hevener  con- 
ducted meetings  at  the  Wolgamuth 
church,  and  our  Bermudian  choir  par- 
ticipated. Sister  Wilma  Lewis  from 
Swarthmore,  Pa.,  was  speaker  and 
leader  for  the  spiritual  life  institute. 
The  youth  of  our  church  responded 
to  the  call  from  New  Windsor  to  help 
process  clothing  for  relief.  The  south- 
ern district  youth  banquet  and  speech 
contest  was  held  in  the  Carlisle  church. 
Dr.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff  and  family  visited 
us.  Our  school  of  Christian  education 
began  March  28  with  Dr.  Ralph  W. 
Schlosser  as  our  teacher.  Brother  J.  W. 
Baugher  and  Bro.  George  Hull,  elders 
of  our  district,  conducted  the  ordina- 
tion to  the  eldership  of  Bro.  Glenn  and 
Sister  Grace  Julius.    The  women's  fel- 


JUNE  11,  1960 


29 


YOUR 
k  FAMILY 
GOES 

CAMPING 


DORIS  T.  PATTERSON 


Writing  specifically  for 
the  family  that  wants 
to  go  camping,  the  author 
begins  with  the  planning 
stage  of  outdoor  adventure. 
Stressing  simple,  inexpensive 
equipment,  she  tells  what  to 
take,  how  to  take  it,  and 
what  to  do  with  it  upon 
arrival.    There  are  recipes, 
illustrations,  maps,  games, 
crafts,  and  an  entire  chapter 
devoted  to  taking  baby  to 
camp  in  comfort  and  safety. 
In  addition,  there  is  an 
appendix  with  six  suggested 
tent  tours  and  another  which 
tells  where  to  write  for 
information  on  state  and 
national  parks. 

Cloth,  $2.50;  paper,  $1.50 


Church  of  the  Brethren! 
,       General  Offices 
X      Elgin,  Illinois 

%, 


lowship  began  a  study  of  the  women 
of  the  Bible.  Our  Bermudian  choir 
presented  the  Easter  hymn  cantata, 
The  Glory  of  the  Cross.  Our  youth 
fellowship  sponsored  the  filmstrip,  The 
Bible  Story  of  Easter,  at  our  Easter 
Sunday  evening  worship.  —  Mrs.  Mary 
Groce,   Willsville,   Pa. 

Knobsville  Mission  —  Our  evangelis- 
tic meetings  were  held  by  Bro.  George 
W.  Keeney.  Bro.  Maurice  Mentzer  was 
the  guest  minister  for  our  love  feast. 
The  happy  cousins  quartette  brought 
us  a  musical  program.  The  young  peo- 
ple from  New  Fairview  packed  and 
presented  baskets  of  food  for  the  needy 
and  shut-ins  of  our  church  at  Christ- 
mas time.  Our  Christmas  program  con- 
sisted of  recitations,  special  singing 
and  the  showing  of  the  film,  The  Savior 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  447.  Brethren  Service  needs  a 
director  on  a  maintenance  basis  for  a 
summer  work  camp  in  an  urban  area 
from  about  June  20  to  Aug.  20.  Op- 
portunity to  work  with  youth,  social 
agencies,  and  churches,  and  to  do  other 
things.  This  would  be  good  experience 
for  a  social  studies  or  other  teacher. 
Contact:  Social  Welfare,  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin, 
111. 

No.  448.  Needed:  Child-care  work- 
er between  ages  25  and  50  to  work 
with  group  of  junior  boys.  Person 
would  live  in  Larkin  Home  for  Chil- 
dren, 1212  Larkin  Avenue,  Elgin,  111. 
Phone,  SHerwood  2-1535.  Contact: 
Mr.  Fred  G.  Wells,  Executive  Director. 

No.  449.  Wanted:  Dentist  to  locate 
in    a    farming    community    within    ten 


miles  of  a  larger   city  of  25,000.    Nci 
other   dentist   nearby.     Located   within! 
four    miles     of     a     newly     remodeled;  A3 
Church  of  the  Brethren.    Contact:    Mrj'ff 
Joseph    F.    Piesen,    303    E.    Pearl    St.j 
Lanark,  111. 

No.  450.  Available  soon:  Adminis- 
trative assistant  or  office  manager, 
Twenty  years  experience  in  various  ad- 
ministrative positions.  Experienced  in 
sales,  personnel,  procurement,  and 
multiplant  administrative  liaison.  Ac- 
tive in  local  and  district  Church  of  the 
Brethren  activities.  Prefer  Dayton, 
Ohio,  area.  Contact:  Brethren  Place- 
ment Service,  Elgin,  111. 


j : 

n 
In 


No.  451.  Needed:  Housekeeper  in 
the  50's  for  a  male  adult.  Prefer  a 
person  from  Eastern  Pennsylvania* 
Reply  to  Box  3,  R.  2,  Hummelstown, 
Pa. 

No.  452.  Wanted  immediately:  Two 
men  to  work  in  cut  stone  yard  and 
plant.  Outdoor  —  indoor  work.  Steady 
year-round  employment.  Wages  begin! 
at  $2.00  an  hour  with  good  opportunity 
for  advance.  Men  should  be  high! 
school  graduates  or  be  good  at  arith- 
metic. Farm  or  construction  back- 
ground desirable.  Work  near  congenial 
and  active  York  Center  church.  Con- 
tact: Louis  Shirky,  18W514  14th  St., 
Lombard,  111. 

No.  453.  Young  man,  nearly  16, 
desires  work  on  Midwest  farm,  in 
a  Brethren  community,  for  summer 
months.  Inexperienced,  but  willing  to 
learn.  Room,  board  and  small  salary 
desired.  Contact:  Mrs.  Raymond  Bow- 
man, 407  S.  Kirkwood,  Kirkwood  22, 
Mo. 

No.  454.  Wanted.  Middle-aged  lady 
to  keep  house  for  working  daughter 
and  mother.  Room  and  board  and  $18 
a  week.  Write  to  Rev.  Wilmer  R. 
Hurst,   Collinsville,  Va. 


k 
cente 

Ikei 
at  N 

:ei:;! 


Is  Born.  Three  have  been  baptized 
since  our  last  report.  We  had  a  pro- 
gram on  Easter  evening  with  the  young 
men's  quartette  from  New  Fairview 
bringing  special  music,  poems,  read- 
ings and  special  singing  by  some  local 
folks  and  our  pastor  used  slides  show- 
ing scenes  of  Holy  Week.  Our  spring 
love  feast  was  held  on  May  8.  We  are 
looking  forward  to  our  revival  meeting 
with  Bro.  Robert  L.  Cocklin  as  evange- 
list. —  Sara  J.  Martin,  Chambersburg, 
Pa. 

Upper  Codorus  —  Our  annual  Bible 
institute  was  held  with  Bro.  Earl  Kurtz 
as  speaker.  At  our  council  meeting, 
Bro.  George  Brant,  Bro.  George  Hamm, 
Bro.  Noah  Sterner,  Bro.  Albert  Werner 
and  Bro.  John  D.  Myers  were  elected 
to  the  deacon's  office.  Bro.  Earl  K. 
Ziegler  of  Woodberry,  Pa.,  was  called 
as  our  first  full-time  pastor.  Installa- 
tion services  were  conducted  by  Bro. 
Harold  Bomberger  and  Bro.  Vernon 
Grim.  A  musical  program  was  held 
April  24.  Evangelisic  meetings  were 
held  from  May  15-21  and  the  love  feast 
on  May  22.  Brother  Ziegler  was  the 
evangelist.  The  women's  fellowship 
made  comforters  and  sewed  readycut 
garments  for  relief.  —  Lydia  M.  Ress- 
er,  Manchester,  Md. 


York,  Madison  Ave.  —  Dr.  Roy  Pfaltz- 
graff,  a  medical  missionary  to  Africa, 
spoke  on  his  work  in  Nigeria  with  the 
leprosarium.  During  youth  week  a  film 
The  Rim  of  the  Wheel,  was  shown. 
Bro.  Ed  Crill  met  with  our  youth  at  the 
parsonage  and  led  the  evening  discus- 
sion on  BVS.  Brother  Eller  conducted 
a  service  at  the  Cross  Keys  Old  Folk's 
home,  and  on  Feb.  22  our  women 
served  dinner  to  them.  A  number  of 
our  ladies  attended  the  annual  district 
spring  rally  at  the  Chambersburg 
church,  and  the  district  spiritual  life 
retreat  at  New  Windsor,  Md.  The 
men's  organization  was  represented  at 
the  adult  seminar  in  Washington,  D.C., 
and  New  York,  by  Bro.  Raymon  Eller 
and  Bro.  Robert  Eichelberger.  Brother 
Eller  and  Bro.  Ronald  Mummert  were 
elected  delegates  to  Annual  Conference. 
Bro.  M.  Richard  Jacobs  was  elected  as 
our  alternate  moderator.  The  under- 
shepherd  plan  was  launched  by  the 
deacon  board.  Bro.  Arthur  Dean  met 
with  our  new  planning  committee.  — 
Mrs.  Annie  M.  Waser,  Manchester,  Pa. 

Western  Pennsylvania 
Sipesville  —  Our    pastor,     Earl    Bru- 
baker,  is  teaching  a  weekly  Bible  study. 
Our    delegates    to    Annual    Conference 


Gr 


\  ire    Sister    Earl    Brubaker    and    Sister 
4i  \uth   Mason.    Our  church   along  with 
tifl  )ther  churches  in  our  community  ob- 
\  ;erved  World  Day  of  Prayer.    A  week 
Si  )f    prayer     observance    was    held     in 
somerset  in  the  First  Christian  church. 
Bro.  Charles  Hostetter  was  the  speaker. 
V  Brethren  Service  training  conference 
was  held  in  our  church.    Our  women's 
fellowship  has  been  busy  making  com- 
forts   and    bandages    for    relief,     also 
\  juilting.     In    observance    of    National 
louth  Week,  the  CBYF  had  charge  of 
the  Sunday  services.    Dean  Forney  was 
the  speaker.    Two  have  been  received 
by  letter.    We  completed  plans  for  our 
entennial     anniversary,     May     13-15. 
There  were  seventeen  who  spent  a  day 
at  New  Windsor,  Md.,  for  work  at  the 
relief   center.     The   choir   rendered   an 
Easter  cantata  on  Palm  Sunday.    Serv- 
ices  during   Holy   Week   were   by   our 
pastor.    Easter  Sunday  we  had  our  love 
east    and    communion.  —  Mrs.    A.    G. 
Maust,  Sipesville,  Pa. 

Westmont  —  Our  church  was  repre- 
sented by  eight  women  at  the  last 
women's  fellowship  rally  in  Somerset. 
Bro.  Glenn  Bowlby  was  in  charge  of 
our  service  for  the  dedication  of  nine 
babies.  He  also  conducted  a  special 
evening  service,  discussing  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  international  work  camp 
movement,  and  lifted  up  concerns  re- 
garding the  refugee  situation  in  Ger- 
many and  Austria.  To  illustrate,  he 
showed  colored  slides  which  were  taken 
abroad  on  a  BVS  assignment  in  Kassel, 
Germany.     Our    adult    choir   presented 

program  of  Christmas  music.  For 
our  December  family  night  fellowship 
we  had  a  covered  dish  supper  after 
which  our  young  people  presented  the 
play,  The  Other  Wise  Man.  Our  wom- 
en's fellowship  and  the  commission  of 
missions  and  service  prepared  a  pro- 
gressive mission  dinner  representing 
Africa,  India,  Philippine  Islands,  South 
America  and  home  missions.  Our 
speaker  was  Donald  Phillips,  who  was 
home  on  furlough  from  his  work  in 
the  Philippines.  In  the  Call  to  Disci- 
pleship  phase  our  church  has  been  con- 
ducting fireside  devotional  group 
meetings  in  various  homes.  The  Juni- 
ata choir  gave  a  program  of  music  in 
our  church.  Bro.  Louis  Baptiste 
preached  to  us  on  Power  Failure  and 
his  choir  sang  Negro  spirituals  for  an 
evening  service.  Our  pastor  has  been 
conducting  special  membership  classes. 

Loretta  Park,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Middle  Maryland 

Longmeadow  —  A  school  of  missions 

was    held    in    January.     Cottage    study 

and  prayer  meetings  were  held  dirough 

January  and  February.    Bible  study  has 

again  been  resumed  at  the  church  since 

March    1.     Our    pastor,    Bro.    Harold 

\  Kettering,     conducted     a     membership 

I  class   during   the    Sunday    school    hour 

I  through  the  past  quarter.    Our  pastor's 

!  wife  has  been  conducting  a  junior  and 

I  senior    choir.     The    senior    choir    pre- 

j  sented  a  hymn  sing  one  Sunday  evening 

to  introduce  new  hymns  to  the  congre- 

I  gation.   A  film,  The  Long  Stride,  which 

I  depicts     the     refugee     situation,     was 

|  shown   one   Sunday  evening.     Bro.    Ira 

I  Petre,  missionary  from  Africa,   showed 

i  slides    and    spoke    one    evening    about 

I  the    missionary    work    in    Africa.     The 

women's    work   visited    Fahrney-Keedy 


A  reply  to  the 

question: 

Does  God  care? 


The  Providence  of  GOD 


GEORGIA  HARKNESS 

Among  many  Christians  today  there  remains  a  sense  of  disquietude 
concerning  the  efficacy  of  prayer  —  particularly  petitionary  and 
intercessory  prayer  —  the  possibility  of  miracle,  and  the  reality  of 
God's  providential  guidance  and  care  in  events  that  seem  en- 
meshed in  a  network  of  casual  relations.  From  a  human  and  prac- 
tical viewpoint,  Dr.  Harkness  seeks  to  dispel  these  points  of 
uneasiness  for  the  Christian  by  presenting  clearly  and  simply,  the 
reasons  for  her  stanch  belief  in  divine  providence.  $3.50 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  111. 


Resources   for  ivorship 


MY  HEART  an  ALTAR 

MARGARET  HOYT  and  ELEANOR  HOYT  DABNEY 

A  spirit  of  worship  runs  through  each  page  of  this  diversified  anthol- 
ogy of  stories,  poems,  scripture  selections,  prayers,  and  hymns.  Included 
are  poems  by  Emerson,  Van  Dyke,  Whittier,  and  Coleridge  as  well  as 
modern-day  poets  such  as  Grace  Noll  Crowell.  Among  the  stories  — 
many  of  them  not  easily  available  elsewhere  —  are  experiences  of  Mary 
Slessor,  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  William  Colgate.  This  collection  of 
worship  resources  provides  devotional  aids  for  more  than  40  themes 
and  special  occasions.  $3.50 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  111. 


JUNE  11.  1960 


31 


PEWS,  PULPIT*  CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

j  write  for  Free  catalog 

W    AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

J.RRedington&Co. 


DEPT.  211  SCRANTON  2,  PA. 


•WY     INtW    AUUKtOO    IO    .    .    .  mother-daughter  banquet  in  May.    Our 

week  of  meetings  was  held  April  24  — 
Nam©   May  1.    The  message  each  night  was 

brought  by  Bro.  Paul  Fike  of  Clover- 
R.  D.  or  St dale,  Va.    Twenty-one  from  our  church 

went  to  New  Windsor,  Md.,  one  day 

P.  O Zone  State  to  help  pack  relief  clothing.    We  have 

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in  a  building  committee  which  is  busy 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address.  working  out  plans  for  the  addition  of 

Sunday  school  rooms.  —  Mrs.  George 
H.  Sonafrank,  Nokesville,  Va. 


home.  Twenty-one  large  comforters 
and  twenty-four  infant  comforts  were 
completed  for  relief.  Twelve  people 
spent  a  day  at  New  Windsor  packing 
clothing  for  relief.  —  Mrs.  Galen  Strite, 
Boonsboro,  Md. 


Western  Maryland 

Cumberland,  Living  Stone  —  Eleven 
of  our  youth,  along  with  Brother  and 
Sister  Chaney,  attended  the  district 
youth  roundtable  held  at  Westernport, 
Md.  Our  school  of  missions  on  Africa 
was  very  successful.  We  were  privi- 
leged to  have  Bro.  Earl  Zigler  and  his 
wife  with  us  in  connection  with  this 
mission  school.  The  youth  class  pre- 
sented a  playlet,  Edge  of  the  Village, 
and  a  consecration  candle  lighting 
service  was  held  for  missions.  Sister 
Eston  Turner  and  Sister  Mary  Ann 
Ludwick  were  elected  to  serve  as  dele- 
gates to  Annual  Conference.  In  ob- 
servance of  youth  week,  our  youth  were 
in  charge  of  the  morning  worship, 
which  was  broadcast  over  radio  station 
WCUM.  Our  pastor  and  wife  attended 
the  Spiritual  Life  institute  at  Bridge- 
water  College.  Seven  students  from 
Bridgewater  College  directed  the  morn- 
ing worship  on  Feb.  28,  after  which 
a  covered  dish  dinner  was  held  in  the 
fellowship  hall.  The  Bible  class  ob- 
served a  self-denial  service  at  their 
regular  monthly  meeting.  A  continu- 
ous prayer  vigil  was  observed  on  Ash 
Wednesday.  Our  church  fellowship 
supper  was  held  on  March  11.  Brother 
A.  R.  Showalter,  representative  from 
Bridgewater  College,  was  guest  speaker 
on  Sunday  morning  and  evening,  March 
13.  Our  area  leadership  training  school 
began  on  March  28,  at  the  Wiley  Ford 
church.  There  were  five  courses  of- 
fered. -  Mrs.  Gene  G.  Weber,  Cumber- 
land, Md. 


Eastern  Virginia 

Nokesville  —  Our  spring  lovefeast 
was  held  Easter  Sunday  night.  Our 
church  has  a  vacation  Bible  school 
every  summer  for  children,  ages  three 
through  the  third  primary,  and  day 
camp    for    the   juniors.     We    held    our 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Mew  Bietken  Bwk 


*r* 


ALBERT  CASSEL  WIEAND        v.  f.  schwalm 


A.  C.  Wieand  felt  a  divinely  imposed  compul- 
sion to  start  and  develop  a  Bible  training  school 
for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  gave  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  to  that  task.  Bethany 
Biblical  Seminary  is  the  outcome  of  his  efforts 
and  those  of  his  associate,  Emanuel  B.  Hoff. 
For  the  first  time  Dr.  Wieand's  part  in  this 
work  is  told  in  book-length  form.  Also  noted 
and  discussed  are  his  other  significant  contri- 
butions to  the  church  as  a  writer,  a  preacher, 
a  Bible  teacher,  and  a  man  of  prayer.  It  is  an 
informal,  realistic  and  appreciative  story.  In- 
troduction by  David  J.  Wieand.  $2.75 


BRETHREN  TRAIL  BLAZERS 


r\LU(il'L 

Wwaiuh 


MARY  GARBER  and  OTHERS 

Here  are  35  sketches  of  varying  lengths,  slanted 
primarily  toward  older  junior  and  junior  high 
readers,  which  tell  of  the  significant  contribu- 
tions made  by  nearly  40  different  people  to 
the  life  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and 
through  it  to  the  church  at  large.  In  historical 
range  the  subjects  extend  from  Alexander 
Mack  to  Dan  West.  As  to  the  types  of  work 
represented,  ministers,  schoolmen,  musicians, 
editors,  writers,  and  missionaries  are  included 
along  with  others.  $2.50 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


CAateA erf £k<z$ielwieas 

Gospel 


MESSENGER 


JUNE  18,  1960 


An  earnest  group  of  Bible  students  gather  around  a  study  table  to  search  the  Scriptures  and  consider 
their  daily  application.    Included  are  Ecuadorian  laymen  training  for  leadership   in   their   church 

Read  the  story  on  page  8 


Laymen  Train  for  Leadership  in  Ecuador 

Report  on  a  new  project  by  MERLE  CROUSE 

Called  to  Break  Bread  Together 

Moderator's  address  at  Conference,  by  EDWARD  K.  ZIEGLER 

Pattern  for  Community  Action 

The  La  Verne  story,  as  told  by  WILLIAM  L.  ROPER 

A  Look  at  Soviet-American  Relations 

Some  pre-Summit  observations,  by  THURL  METZGER 


Gospel  Messenger  READERS    WRITE 

'Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


to   the   editoi 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,   articles   ant 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


10 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:     The   Associated   Church   Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service. 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JUNE  18,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  25 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Let  This  Mind  Be  in  You   3 

Can     Jazz    Make     a     Contribution     to 
Worship?      3 

The   General  Forum  — 

Called  to  Break  Bread  Together. 

Edward   K.    Ziegler    4 

All   That    Makes    Life    Worthwhile. 

Glen    Weimer    7 

Training  Lay  Leaders.    Merle   Crouse     8 

Pattern   for   Community   Action. 

William  L.   Roper    11 

A  Look  at  Soviet-American  Relations. 
Thurl  Metzger   14 

Coming    Into    Focus    on    Church    Ex- 
tension.   Galen  B.   Ogden    16 

Bethany    Biblical    Seminary     Presents 
the  Class  of  1960.      Paul  M.  Robinson  18 

A  Letter  to  Redondo  Beach  21 

Reviews   of   Recent    Books    22 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World      24 

Church  News    28 

•        •        • 

Our  Contributors  — 

Edward  K.  Ziegler,  moderator  of  An- 
nual Conference,  1960. 

Glen  Weimer,  pastor  of  the  Arlington 
church,  Eastern  Virginia. 

Merle  Crouse,  mission  worker  in 
Ecuador,  South  America. 

Thurl  Metzger,  executive  secretary, 
Heifer  Project,  Inc. 

Galen  B.  Ogden,  secretary,  Ministry 
and  Home  Mission  Commission  of  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board. 

Paul  M.  Robinson,  president  of 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary. 

2  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Another  Mother  Looks  at  Pacifism 

The  look  Mrs.  Kuns  took  at  paci- 
fism in  the  Feb.  20  Messenger  has 
kept  disturbing  me  so  much  that 
I  have  to  raise  some  questions  even 
though  four  months  have  gone  by. 
I  am  reluctant  to  take  issue  with 
her  because  she  and  I  are  both 
pacifists,  we  are  both  mothers,  and 
we  both  hope  that  our  children  will 
be  pacifists  when  they  grow  up  be- 
cause we  believe  the  hope  of  the 
world  is  in  substituting  love  for  hate 
in  solving  problems. 

Where  I  differ  is  in  her  optimism 
about  how  a  peaceful  world  could 
be  had  if  mothers  taught  their  chil- 
dren to  settle  disputes  "by  peaceful 
means."  Her  illustration  showed 
this  teaching  to  be  done  by  the 
mother  entering  the  fight  and  having 
"conversation"  until  "agreement  is 
reached." 

The  first  consideration  I  think 
Mrs.  Kuns  has  ignored  is  that  little 
boys  are  made  to  express  their  emo- 
tions physically.  They  need  to  settle 
their  differences  by  violent  physical 
action.  One  firsthand  experience 
teaches  more  than  a  thousand 
sermons. 

I  want  the  same  end  result  Mrs. 
Kuns  does  —  a  boy  who  chooses  the 
way  of  love  in  his  adult  life.  The 
small  percentage  of  Brethren  boys 
who  are  pacifists  gives  me  no  confi- 
dence in  the  "no  guns  and  fighting" 
school  to  achieve  my  dream  for  my 
sons.  I  think  the  built-in  aggressions 
of  a  small  boy  have  to  be  released 
before  there  will  be  room  in  his 
heart  and  mind  for  the  "more  ex- 
cellent way."  If  a  child  is  permitted 
to  behave  as  he  normally  should  at 
each  stage  of  development,  he  re- 
leases the  need  for  that  behavior 
rather  than  fixates  it. 

My  view  of  personality  develop- 
ment is  much  the  same  as  my  view 
of  physical  growth.  No  mother  tries 
to  determine  the  size  and  shape  her 
child's  body  will  become.  She  is 
satisfied  to  know  that  all  she  can 
do  is  furnish  the  best  possible 
nourishment  to  enable  that  body  to 
develop  its  full  potential. 

I  think  God  as  surely  puts  a 
personality  potential  in  each  of  his 
creatures  as  he  does  a  physical 
growth  pattern.  One  ingredient  is 
needed  to  help  this  potential  devel- 
op fully  —  that  is  love.  Real  love 
will  furnish  the  environment  that 
will  make  possible  the  full  develop- 


ment of  a  child's  God-given  person 
ality.  It  involves  a  great  deal  o 
faith  in  God  and  his  purposes  ant 
a  willingness  to  co-operate  with  hin 
in  fulfilling  his  plan.  It  demand 
no  faith  at  all  in  ourselves  a 
the  creators  of  our  children' 
personalities. 

A  mother  who  accepts  her  chile 
with  understanding,  who  stand 
ready  to  protect  him  from  actua 
physical  harm,  but  who  knows,  also 
that  he  must  learn  by  workinj 
through  his  personal  battles  on  hi; 
own,  lays  a  foundation  of  securit; 
and  trust  without  which  a  pacifis 
cannot  develop. 

For,  after  all,  the  basic  ingredien 
in  a  pacifist  is  a  trust  in  the  powe: 
of  love,  and  this  is  not  a  thing  tha 
can  be  arrived  at  intellectually  un 
less  our  emotions  are  strong  and  sun 
through  a  lifetime  of  confidence  ii 
the  love  that  has  surrounded  us 
With  that  kind  of  undergirding, 
young  man  can  naturally  embrace 
pacifism. 

A  mother  who  can  help  her  so^ 
accept  himself  because  she  accept 
him  will  give  him  a  foundation  fron  to  i 
which  he  can  say  with  confident 
that  he  will  behave  in  a  certain  waj 
regardless  of  how  his  fellows  behave 
This  is  a  mature  decision  and  no 
a  supine  following  of  the  "Brethrei 
way"  because  that  is  how  he  hai 
been  taught.  Most  mothers  woulc 
rather  have  a  son  who  chooses  t( 
be  a  pacifist  than  one  who  is 
pacifist  because  he  was  taught  tha. 
way.  There's  a  world  of  different 
in  the  two  reasons.    And,   I   think 


But 


Dt( 


i 


Just 


To 


a  world  of  difference  in  the  impac 
of  two  pacifists  with  those  differen 
reasons  for  their  pacifism. 

I  sympathize  so  strongly  with  Mrs 
Kuns  and  her  hopes  for  her  children 
and  I  feel  so  strongly  that  her  con 
fidence  in  the  method  she  describee 
is  misplaced  that  I  hope  the  oppositt 
view  will  help  her  realize  that  he 
simple  solution  is  not  good  enougl 
for  a  complex  problem.  —  Ruth  Nel 
son,  328  Congdon  Ave.,  Elgin,  111 

Thanks 

Thanks  for  the  fine  article  b] 
Lois  Teach  Paul,  "Back  to  Teachinj 
at  55."  Similar  articles  should  ap 
pear  in  the  Messenger.  There  is  ; 
place  for  all  of  us  in  the  work  o 
the  Lord.  Age  need  never  discour 
age  us.  The  church  needs  "Calebs 
now.  —  An  Old  Reader. 


k 


H 


Let  This   Mind  Be  in  You  (Phil.  2:1-11) 


EDITORIALS 


To  think  with  the  mind  of  Christ 

Is  not  to  comprehend  the  vast  reaches  of  the 

unknown, 
But  rather  to  share  in  the  spirit  of  One 
Who  inhabits  the  familiar  world  of  men 
While  he  seeks  to  transform  it 
Into  the  kingdom  of  God. 


* 


To  think  with  the  mind  of  Christ 
s  not  to  gaze  with  unclouded  vision 
On  the  hidden  secrets  of  God, 
But  rather  to  look  with  compassion 
Into  the  troubled  hearts  of  men, 
Like  One  who  gave  his  place  in  heaven 
For  a  dwelling  among  creatures 
fust  lifting  their  heads  from  the  dust  of  the 
earth. 

To  think  with  the  mind  of  Christ 


Is  to  live  in  the  presence  of  One 

Who  seeks  the  lost, 

Who  feeds  the  hungry, 

Who  sets  free  the  burdened, 

Who  gives  his  whole  life  to  the  undeserving. 

It  is  to  take  the  form  of  a  servant, 

Bending  low,  kneeling  to  minister, 

Waiting  to  help  and,  if  need  be,  to  die. 

It  is  to  set  aside  one's  own  claims  to  status, 

To  empty  oneself  of  all  pride  in  position, 

To  count  others  better  and  oneself  as  less. 

To  think  with  the  mind  of  Christ 

Is  to  walk  humbly  in  the  way  of  the  servant, 

To  love  mercy,  to  do  justly  — 

And  thereby  to  discover  the  undisclosed  glory 

Of  the  name  above  every  name, 

And  thereby  to  learn  why  the  Servant  Lord 

Is  also  the  Lord  of  earth  and  heaven.  —  k.m. 


Ian  Jazz  Make  a  Contribution  to  Worship? 


D 


OES  modern  jazz  have  a  place  in  a  wor- 
ship service?    Most  of  our  readers,  re- 
calling the  latest  rock  and  roll  they  hear 
sndlessly  played  on  the  radio,  will  be  inclined 
01  to  shout  an  emphatic  No! 

«  A  few  church  leaders  have  been  willing  to 
fl!  sxperiment  with  the  use  of  jazz  in  their  services. 
1  f  Last  year  a  Connecticut  church  sponsored  a 
m  Derformance  of  a  Twentieth  Century  Folk  Mass, 
lu  in  which  vocal  parts  were  sung  by  a  choir  and 
n  :he  instrumental  music  was  provided  by  piano, 
st  saxophone,  bass,  and  drums.  More  recently  a 
ls,  Texas  composer  offered  a  contemporary  jazz 
,„,  jetting  for  John  Wesley's  Order  for  Morning 
Prayer.  Some  Methodists  thought  it  quite  ap- 
pj  aropriate,  but  others  believed  it  to  be  out  of 
16  jlace  in  churches.  There  are  honest  differences 
)f  opinion  between  those  who  consider  jazz  as 
,  i  legitimate  type  of  music  capable  of  expressing 
c,  "eligious  feelings  and  those  who  think  of  it 
ilj  mly  in  terms  of  its  association  with  questionable 
oa  bntertainment. 

In  fairness  we  must  point  out  that  lively 

Ij  •hythms  have  long  had  a  place  in  church  wor- 

(  ihip.    The  passing  of  the  years  has  a  way  of 

naking  yesterday's  dance  measures  seem  less 

,  worldly  than  today's.    We  quickly  forget  that 

cjj  he  Lutheran  chorale  tunes  that  seem  so  staid 

ji  today  were  once  folk  songs,  that  some  of  the 

:is  melodies   first   matched   with  metrical   psalms 


:; 


iind   still  current   in   our  hymnals   were   once 
*  called  "Geneva  jigs,"  and   that   many   of  the 
Dopular  gospel  songs  of  the  last  centurv  use 


rhythms  that  are  almost  as  toe-tapping  as  any- 
one can  hear  in  a  night  club. 

Sometimes  in  our  churches  the  most  re- 
spected hymns  get  a  jazzed-up  treatment.  We 
remember  the  lilting  waltz  measures  in  which 
a  girl's  trio  sang  the  old  favorite,  Love  Lifted 
Me.  Some  singers  emphasize  the  polka-time 
beat  of  a  standard  song  like  My  Hope  Is  Built. 
And  often  on  the  platform  of  a  Bible  confer- 
ence or  youth  assembly  you  can  watch  a  song 
leader,  who  would  object  strenuously  to  appear- 
ing on  a  dance  floor,  keep  time  with  his  feet 
as  well  as  with  flowing  gestures  to  the  steady 
"beat"  of  a  religious  popular  song. 

If  we  agree  with  Martin  Luther  that  Chris- 
tians should  not  let  the  devil  have  all  the  good 
tunes,  we  will  not  automatically  reject  every 
new  experiment  in  worship.  We  will,  however, 
be  concerned  to  maintain  in  our  sanctuaries  the 
kind  of  atmosphere  that  is  reverent  as  well  as 
open  to  a  variety  of  tastes  in  music.  The 
psalmist  who  called  on  trumpets,  timbrel, 
strings  and  pipe  —  even  the  loud  clashing 
cymbals  —  to  praise  the  Lord  in  his  day  may 
have  been  criticized  then  for  making  the  temple 
service  too  noisy.  But  we  quote  him  now  be- 
cause his  basic  purpose  was  not  to  exploit  any 
particular  style  of  music  but  rather  to  praise 
the  Lord  with  the  instruments  that  were  at 
hand.  This  same  purpose  can  guide  Christians 
today  in  choosing  appropriate  music.  —  k.m. 

JUNE  18.  1960  3 


THE  emergence  of  a  world- 
wide fellowship  in  Christ 
is,  as  William  Temple  so 
movingly  said  in  1942,  the  great 
fact  of  our  time.  Christ  is  call- 
ing us  not  to  make  or  achieve 
unity,  but  to  become  aware  of 
and  live  by  a  deep,  basic  unity 
in  Christ  of  all  believers. 

This  was  so  much  on  the 
Savior's  mind  and  heart  that  it 
becomes  the  chief  burden  of  his 
high  priestly  prayer  in  John  17. 
We  shall  not  attain  to  the  full 
unity  of  his  body  until  he  re- 
turns fully  to  consummate  his 
kingdom;  but  we  are  called  to 
recognize  our  oneness  and  to 
live  by  it  here  and  now,  to  dem- 
onstrate how  God  in  Christ 
reconciles  all  men  to  himself 
and  then  to  one  another.  This 
incomplete  unity  of  which  we 
are  now  a  part,  is  a  unity  of  the 
road. 

THE   PRESSURE   OF   OUR   CALLING 

Four  times  in  John  17,  Christ 
prayed  for  the  unity  of  all  those 
who  should  believe  in  him  and 
be  his  church  (verses  11,  21,  22, 
and  23).  To  hold  lightly  or  to 
spiritualize  away  the  very  deep 
and  obvious  concern  of  our 
Lord  is  a  denial  of  him.  And 
this  is  only  the  most  pointed 
and  obvious  reference  to  his 
concern.  He  had  earlier  said, 
"On  this  rock  I  will  build  my 
church."  Notice,  not  churches, 
but  my  church! 

The  unity  for  which  Christ 
prays  is  three  dimensional.  It 
is  unity  upward;  its  real  basis  is 
unity  with  God.  Our  sense  of 
belonging  to  one  another  as 
Christian  brethren  comes  from 
our  common  sonship.  We  are 
children  of  God  first.  In  him 
and  his  holy  will  is  our  peace 
and  our  unity. 

And  it  is  a  unity  of  time.  We 
are  surrounded  by  a  great  cloud 
of  witnesses.  From  Jesus'  day 
to  this  present  year,  the  church 
militant  and  the  church  tri- 
umphant  are   one.    And  from 


here  on  to  the  end  of  time,  we 
are  still  one  with  all  who  shall 
in  future  years  be  Christ's  men. 
He  is  Lord  of  our  history,  and 
his  church  is  "praying  yet,  a 
thousand  years  the  same." 

This  unity  in  Christ  is  a  unity 
of  breadth.  Throughout  the 
world  all  who  shall  believe  are 
included.  The  unity  of  Christ's 
church  transcends  all  barriers 
of  race  and  nation  and  tongue. 
And  under  his  providence,  it 
may  well  include  infinite  bil- 
lions of  sentient  beings  on 
planets  and  worlds  far  out  in 
the  outer  reaches  of  deep  space. 
He  calls  us  to  a  unity  which  is 
notably  more  exciting  than  all 
social  or  political  or  racial  uni- 
ties; it  is  a  unity  which  over- 
comes all  barriers. 

The  Apostle  Paul  is  the 
prophet  of  Christian  unity. 
Again  and  again  he  pleads  and 
prays  in  his  epistles  for  the 
unity  of  the  church.  Nothing 
could  so  quickly  bring  anguish 
to  his  heart  and  a  rebuke  to  his 
lips  as  a  faction  or  division  in 
the  church.  In  1  Corinthians  1 
and  3,  he  pleads  for  the  healing 
of  the  rifts  caused  by  party 
strife.  Galatians  2  is  his  version 
of  the  long  and  bitter  contro- 
versy over  circumcision. 

But  the  letter  to  the  Ephe- 
sians  is  the  crowning  argument 
for  the  unity  of  the  church.  The 
unity  purchased  so  dearly  and 
founded  so  unshakably  by 
Christ  is  the  major  theme  of  the 
book.  The  first  half  presents  the 
invincible  theological  founda- 
tion for  the  new  order  of  God. 
Our  text  pleads  for  the  unity  of 
the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace, 
a  deep  unity  based  on  our  call 
from  Christ,  on  our  being  mem- 
bers of  one  body,  called  to  one 
hope,  servants  of  one  Lord, 
bearers  of  one  faith,  cleansed  by 
one  baptism,  worshipers  and 
sons  of  one  God  and  Father. 

Here  again  we  find  the  three 
dimensions  of  unity.  The  verti- 
cal dimension  is  found  in  verse 


13,  as  we  share  in  the  fullness  of 
Christ.  The  horizontal  dimen- 
sion in  time  finds  expression  in 
verses  4-5  in  the  affirmation: 
one  body,  one  faith,  one  bap- 
tism. The  dimension  of  breadth 
is  found  throughout  the  epistle, 
but  especially  in  the  reference 
to  the  all  in  "one  God  and 
Father  of  us  all,  who  is  above 
all  and  through  all  and  in  all." 

Paul  could  not  condone  fac- 
tions and  schisms  because  of  his 
exalted  concept  of  the  church. 
The  church  was  God's  temple, 
and  in  it  there  could  be  but  one 
shrine.  It  was  Christ's  body, 
and  that  body  must  not  be 
maimed  by  amputation.  It  was 
the  bride  of  Christ,  and,  of  all 
marriages,  none  more  than  that 
of  Christ  and  his  church  would 
be  indivisibly  monogamous. 

The  rise  of  factions,  splits  in 
the  church,  to  Paul  were  gravest 
sin,  because  they  dismembered 
the  body  of  Christ,  wrecked  the 
temple,  made  the  marriage  a 
blasphemous  bigamy.  So  Paul 
risked  his  very  life  to  maintain 
the  unity  of  the  church.  How 
else  can  one  explain  the  deep 
concern  that  the  great  relief 
offering  should  be  properly  pre- 
sented and  understood,  even 
though  it  meant  imprisonment 
and  death?  This  project  played 
a  most  important  role  in  Paul's 
lifework. 

Cullman  says  that  when 
insoluble  doctrinal  differences 
split  whole  sections  of  the 
church  in  two  camps,  the  apos- 
tles, while  recognizing  these 
differences  in  a  frank  and  sin- 
cere manner,  created  neverthe- 
less a  bond  of  love,  namely  the 
collection  for  the  poor  of  the 
Jerusalem  church.  Thus  it  be- 
came a  witness  to  the  solidity  of 
the  bond  between  all  who  be- 
long to  Christ. 

Other  than  these  scriptural 
pressures  for  the  unity  of  the 
church  of  Christ,  there  are  pres- 

JUNE  18,  1960  5 


sures  from  without.  How  can 
a  hopelessly  divided  church 
make  a  powerful  impact  on 
the  minds  of  men  when  a 
monolithic  communism  con- 
fronts them?  Only  a  church 
which  recognizes  and  demon- 
strates her  essential  unity  in 
Christ  can  speak  convincingly 
of  God's  order  to  a  world  torn 
by  racial  animosities,  by  class 
struggles,  a  world  divided  by 
iron  and  bamboo  curtains.  Only 
the  church  which  is  one  in 
Christ  can  provide  a  truly 
unifying  Christian  fellowship 
which  transcends  all  the  fron- 
tiers of  the  emerging  nations  of 
the  world  in  our  generation. 

And  only  a  church  which  is 
determined  to  stay  together  in 
bonds  of  Christian  unity  can 
withstand  the  vicious  attacks  of 
the  renegade  apostles  of  dis- 
cord on  her  very  flanks,  who 
emerge  in  troubled  times  to 
shout  raucously  their  slanders 
of  atheism  and  communism 
against  the  real  spiritual  lead- 
ers. 

Thus  the  pressure  for  a  closer 
Christian  brotherhood  in  Christ 
comes  from  the  clear,  insistent 
call  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  it 
is  the  burden  of  his  prayer  for 
us.  It  is  central  in  the  ministry 
and  teaching  of  St.  Paul.  It  is 
the  effect  of  a  true  reading  of 
the  New  Testament  account  of 
the  early  church.  And  the  im- 
mense challenges  of  a  crazy, 
disordered  world  in  which  de- 
monic forces  are  at  work  drives 
us  to  stand  together,  lest  we  be 
scattered  and  fall  separately. 

THE   NATURE   OF   CHRISTIAN 
UNITY 

The  unity  for  which  Christ 
prayed,  and  for  which  I  plead, 
is  a  real,  vital,  demonstrable 
unity,  immeasurably  exciting 
and  yet  really  attainable.  It  is 
not  the  establishment  of  a  vast, 
complex  machine  served  by  a 

6  GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


host  of  spiritual  bureaucrats.  It 
is  not  a  corral  in  which  all  of  us 
must  be  driven  against  our  will. 
It  is  not  an  intellectual  strait 
jacket,  binding  us  into  hard  and 
fast  dogmatic  fetters.  It  is  not 
a  dead  uniformity. 

Where  there  is  true  Christian 
unity  there  is  great  liberty  of 
thought  and  the  opportunity  to 
exercise  live  options  in  doctrine, 
patterns  of  worship,  and  group 
life.  Unity  does  not  mean 
bringing  all  of  us  in  faith  and 
practice  down  to  some  common 
low  level,  a  least  common  de- 
nominator of  the  spiritual  life. 
And  let  it  be  clearly  said  that 
this  unity  is  not  and  of  right 
cannot  be  a  man-made  unity, 
something  which  we  engineer. 
But  as  shown  in  the  majestic 
structure  of  Paul's  thought  in 
Ephesians,  our  real  unity  is  in 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  He  is  our 
peace;  he  has  broken  down  all 
the  high  walls  between  Jew  and 
Gentile,  bond  and  free,  male 
and  female.  Through  the  blood 
of  his  cross,  he  has  done  away 
forever  with  all  the  enmities, 
first  between  man  and  God, 
then  inevitably  between  man 
and  man. 

The  church  which  he  pur- 
chased with  his  precious  blood 
can  never  be  rightly  divided. 
He  is  the  divine  Savior  and 
Lord  of  the  church.  It  is  un- 
thinkable that  those  who  speak 
in  his  name  should  rend  his 
seamless  robe,  dismember  his 
body,  set  up  rival  altars  in  his 
temple,  make  his  marriage  to 
his  chosen  bride  a  base  polyga- 
my! 

This  unity  in  Christ  is  the 
gift  of  God.  We  cannot  create 
it.  It  is  inherent  in  the  New 
Testament  doctrine  of  the 
church.  It  is  for  us  to  realize 
it,  accept  it,  and  live  together 
as  true  members  of  that  body. 

HOW   TO   REALIZE   AND 
PRACTICE    UNITY 

1.  We   Brethren  must  truly 


L 


fET   us   break   bread   to- 
gether, 
On  our  knees,  on  our  knees; 
Let  us  break  bread  together' 
On  our  knees,  on  our  knees. 

Let  us  praise  God  together, 
On  our  knees,  on  our  knees; 
Let  us  praise  God  together 
On  our  knees,  on  our  knees. 


cc 
shark 
sacrif 

seel; 

wlicl 
is  tc 

Cto 
wen 

5. 

br- 


and humbly  repent  of  our  sins 
of  divisiveness.  If  we  have  for- 
gotten our  Lord's  vision  and 
prayer,  if  as  persons  we  have 
been  proud  and  have  hoarded 
our  light,  if  as  a  church  we  have 
been  more  concerned  to  main- 
tain a  tight,  complacent  fellow- 
ship than  to  lose  ourselves  in 
witness  and  service,  God's  call! 
is  to  repent. 

2.  Paradoxically,  we  can  only 
make  our  best  contribution  to: 
Christian  unity  by  being  deeply 
loyal  to  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  appreciating  our  heri- 
tage, contributing  proudly  what 
God  has  revealed  to  us,  work- 
ing wholeheartedly  through  our 
own  church  program. 

3.  We  should  frankly  recog- 
nize, gladly  accept  and  praise 
God  for  the  vast  diversity  of 
spiritual  gifts  within  our  church 
and  others,  and  steadfastly 
strive  for  the  full  liberty  of 
Christian  brethren  to  exercise 
all  these  spiritual  gifts  as  a  con- 
tribution to  the  nurture  of  the 
body  of  Christ  "until  we  all  at- 
tain to  unity  of  the  faith." 

4.  We  must  learn  to  live  with 
and  accept  as  a  part  of  the  pro- 
cess of  Christian  creative  inter- 
action, all  kinds  of  divergent 
views.  Paul's  answer  to  the 
problem  of  divergent  convic- 
tions in  the  church  was :  Do  not 
turn  your  back  on  those  whose 
convictions  differ  from  yours; 
confront  them  with  the  truth 
you  have  received  from  God; 
try  your  best  to  arrive  at  real 
agreement;  manifest  your  lov- 


er: 


are 


Ct 


ing  concern  for  them  in  acts  of 
sharing  and  service;  make  such 
sacrifices  as  you  can  without 
going  against  your  conscience; 
seek  to  maintain  the  fellowship 
which  is  essential  if  the  church 
is  to  show  forth  the  fullness  of 
Christ's  reconciling  work.  Shall 
we  not  follow  him  in  this? 

5.  We  ought  to  stand  up  and 
be  counted  in  the  ecumenical 
movement.  We  belong  in  the 
councils  of  churches  and  should 
not  be  apologetic  about  it.  All 
our  brethren  should  know  what 
are  the  sources  of  the  recurrent 
attacks  upon  the  councils  and 
their  leaders.  Surely  all  thought- 
ful Brethren  will  feel  more 
at  home  spiritually  with  the 
churches  which  are  in  the  coun- 
cils than  with  the  kinds  of  or- 
ganizations and  men  who  are 
keeping  up  a  religious  Mc- 
Carthyism  and  heeding  the 
voices  of  the  apostles  of  discord. 

6.  Certain  corollaries  of  this 
stand  in  the  ecumenical  move- 
ment are  of  practical  impor- 
tance. As  responsible  churches 
within  the  councils,  we  should 
maintain  serious  conversations 
with  one  another  and  with 
churches  which  are  not  in  the 
councils.  As  Brethren  we  have 
spiritual  gifts  to  bestow  upon 
others,  but  we  may  hope  to 
receive  spiritual  gifts  also. 
We  have  much  to  learn,  and 
we  may  humbly  learn  from 
churches  of  very  wide  variety  of 
traditions.  Every  church  in  the 
world,  including  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  stands  in  need  of 
the  great  enrichment  which 
would  come  if  it  should  open 
mind  and  heart  to  the  gifts  of 
grace  which  it  can  receive 
through  the  ministry  of  other 
churches. 

7.  We  should  make  our  An- 
nual Conference  an  outstanding 
demonstration  of  Christian  uni- 
ty. We  cannot  do  this  by 
rubber-stamping  recommenda- 
tions, bypassing  the  processes 
of  Christian  democracy,  or  "rail- 


roading" through  our  pet  plans 
and  programs.  Paul's  way  of 
dealing  with  divergent  convic- 
tions is  pointedly  relevant  to 
the  conduct  of  Conference  busi- 
ness. We  will  hear  one  another 
in  love. 

No  one  whose  convictions 
differ  from  those  of  the  majority 
may  be  considered  a  maverick 
or  bad  boy  because  he  speaks 
them  in  earnestness  and  love. 
The  Conference  abides  by 
Robert's  Rules  of  Order  so  that 
every  person  may  have  the  right 
to  speak  his  convictions  and  if 
he  can,  move  the  Conference  to 
the  truth  as  he  sees  it.  We  be- 
lieve that  if  we  earnestly  seek 
through  prayer,  study,  and 
earnest  debate  to  find  the  will 
of  God  on  any  issue,  we  shall 
find  it.  We  believe  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  can  work  through 
the  processes  of  Christian  de- 
bate. 

Honest  controversy  when  car- 


ried forward  with  love  and 
prayer,  will  lead  toward  unity, 
not  away  from  it.  The  Confer- 
ence of  the  Brethren  should  this 
year  greatly  strengthen  the 
bonds  of  unity  in  Christ  among 
us  and  prepare  us  to  see  and 
practice  unity  on  a  wider  scale 
among  our  Christian  brethren. 
8.  We  must  break  bread  to- 
gether on  our  knees.  The  break- 
ing of  bread  together  is  a  beau- 
tiful symbol  of  our  unity.  We 
are  at  one  family  table.  On  our 
knees  we  are  in  worship.  Only 
as  we  join  with  our  brethren  in 
worship,  and  even  in  the  com- 
munion, can  we  come  into  the 
fulness  of  the  Christian  grace  of 
unity.  As  people  of  divergent 
Christian  backgrounds,  of  all 
races  and  colors  break  the  bread 
of  God  together,  they  will  know 
that  the  Christ  whose  body 
they  symbolically  break,  is  the 
true  source  of  their  common 
life. 


All  That  Makes   Life  Worthwhile 

Glen  Weimer 

God  gives  all  that  makes  living  worthwhile, 

glorious  and  joyous. 
God's  love  is  never  absent  from  any  life,  anytime 

or  anywhere. 
Even  in  life's  hard  experiences  He  enters  into 

our  suffering,  desolation,  discouragement,  defeat. 
God  enables  us  to  use  all  that  happens  to  us,  in 

the  making  up  of  our  lives. 
God  is  always  arousing  us  to  a  larger  hope, 

to  a  wider  vision  of  the  unrealized  good, 

to  an  awareness  of  unlived  ideals, 

to  a  purer  devotion, 

to  a  deeper  love, 

to  a  more  universal  reverence, 

to  a  broader  and  more  personal  sympathy  with 
suffering, 

to  a  surer  confidence  in  the  victory  of  truth, 
goodness  and  love  in  this  world. 
How  often  God  awakens  us  to  the  meaning  of  life 

through  a  new  born  babe,  a  growing  child,  a 

seeking  youth,  a  maturing  adult. 
God's  deepest  work  in  our  hearts  always  takes  form 

in  prayer. 
O  God,  kindle  our  hearts  with  the  fame  of  love  that 

will  never  die.    Amen. 

JUNE  18,  1960 


TRAININ 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


♦  "What  is  there  about  Constantine's  ac 
cepting  Christianity  as  the  religion  of  the 
state  that  started  the  faith  downhill  into 
corruption?" 

"Do  the  ignorant,  savage  Indians  of  the 
eastern  jungle  who  have  never  heard,  the 
Word  of  God  and  our  hardhearted  neigh 
hors  here  in  Calderon  who  have  heard  the 
gospel  many  times  but  reject  it  suffer  the 
same  punishment  after  death?" 

"What  is  the  relationship  between  Luci- 
fer and  the  anti-Christ?' 

"If  these  little  images  and  patron  saints 
of  the  Roman  Church  are  not  the  real  saints, 
then  who  were  those  referred  to  in  Acts 
9:13  and  other  places  in  the  Bible?' 

THESE  questions  and  many  others 
just  as  challenging  were  passed  back 
and  forth  across  the  broad  wooden  table 
in  the  weaving  shop  of  the  Brethren 
mission  near  Calderon.  The  questioners 
were  a  group  of  ten  to  fifteen  Ecuador- 
ian Christian  laymen  meeting  together 
each  weekday  evening  for  a  month  to 
study  these  matters. 

The  answerers?  During  the  forty 
classes,  five  different  teachers  took  the 


w 
hi 

k 

der; 


Iay  leaders 


chair  to  lead  the  thinking  and 
guide  the  discussions,  but  often 
student  would  answer  student 
and  sometimes  student  even 
taught  professor. 

Jaime  Parra  and  Anibal  Arias 
were  two  of  the  eager  learners 
in  the  group.  Jaime  is  from 
Ascazubi,  a  mountain  village 
twenty-two  miles  north  of  Cal- 
deron.  Anibal  is  from  Las 
Delicias,  the  small  jungle  ham- 
let 120  miles  west  of  Calderon 
which  was  host  to  the  inter- 
national volunteer  work  camp 
group  of  last  summer. 

Jaime  became  interested  in 
the  Gospel  nearly  two  years  ago 
when  his  family  bought  a  radio 
and  began  listening  to  the 
Lutheran  Hour.  He  was  con- 
verted in  October  of  1959 
through  the  Brethren  ministry 
in  Guaillabamba,  a  nearby 
town,  and  was  baptized  just  be- 
fore Christmas. 

Anibal     was     the     first     of 


twenty-five  persons  to  be  con- 
verted through  the  ministry  of 
the  work  camp  in  Las  Delicias 
and  he  plans  to  be  baptized  this 
month. 

Both  of  these  young  men  are 
single,  twenty-four  years  old, 
and  have  heard  a  call  to  Chris- 
tian service.  The  four-week  in- 
stitute for  lay  workers  held  at 
Calderon  in  March  and  April 
was  the  starting  place  for  their 
preparation. 

The  institute  was  an  experi- 
ment which  the  mission  chose 
to  try  as  a  means  of  giving  Sun- 
day school  teachers,  lay  preach- 
ers, and  potential  pastors  a 
better  foundation  in  the  basics 
of  the  Christian  faith  and  of 
church  life. 

The  large  majority  of  evan- 
gelical churches  in  Ecuador  are 
small  and  have  a  membership 
of  poor  people  so  that  the  full 
support  of  a  pastor  is  not  yet  a 
possibility  for  most  of  them.  In 


Merle  Crouse 


Photos  by  John  Horning 

One  of  the  participants  in  the  lay 
training  institute  puts  his  newly 
learned  theory  into  practice  by 
leading  a  Sunday  morning  worship 

His  machete  stuck  in  the  ground 
beside  him,  Anibal  Arias  learns  to 
use  another  practical  tool  for  daily 
use,  the  Bible 

Mealtimes  were  periods  of  fellowship 
for  Anibal  Arias  (center)  and  Jaime 
Parra  and  the  Mosquera  family  with 
whom  the  men  took  their  meals 

Jaime  Parra,  a  recent  convert,  rests 
from  an  afternoon  of  work  by  pre- 
paring himself  for  participation  in 
another  evening  session  of  the 
lay  training  institute 


order  to  provide  an  adequate 
rural  ministry  for  the  churches 
without  depending  on  funds 
from  the  States,  the  Brethren 
mission  is  encouraging  the  de- 
velopment of  a  part-time  minis- 
try. The  institute  was  organized 
to  help  locate  and  train  men 
who  could  serve  in  this  way  as 
the  work  grows. 

Most  of  the  students  who 
lived  in  the  immediate  com- 
munity had  their  daily  bread  to 
earn  and  could  not  leave  their 
work  to  study.  Therefore,  the 
classes  were  planned  for  each 
weekday  evening  after  the  sup- 
per hour.  Four  men,  including 
Anibal  and  Jaime,  who  lived  too 
far  away  to  commute,  slept  in 
the  mission  school,  ate  with  the 
family  of  Mr.  Mosquera,  a 
teacher  in  the  school,  and 
worked  for  several  hours  each 

JUNE   18,   I960  9 


day  in  the  eucalyptus  woods  of  the  Foundation, 
thus  earning  their  food  and  some  extra  money. 
Many  mornings  there  was  scripture  in  the 
air  and  deep  thoughts  being  processed  as  bare- 
foot Anibal  and  little,  moustached  Jaime  toiled 
up  the  wooded  slope,  slashing  at  the  brush  with 


From  top: 

Senor  Andrade,  president  of  the  National  Association  of 
Evangelical  Churches  in  Ecuador,  teaches  institute 
participants  about  the  history  of  Protestantism  in  their 
country  and  the  nature  of  the  national  association 

Manuel  Tupiza  (left)  and  Gabriel  Portilla  were  among 
the  ten  to  fifteen  laymen  at  the  institute 

George  Kreps  (standing)  uses  a  graphic  outline  to 
illustrate  the  ups  and  downs  in  the  historic  advance 
of  the  church 


10 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


their  machetes  and  discussing  at  length  some 
of  the  problems  left  over  from  class.    Both  fel 
lows  spent  their  afternoons  in  extra  study  —  pre 
paring  sermons,  reading  religious  novels,  and] 
working  on  the  evening  Bible  lessons. 

On  Sundays,  Anibal  and  Jaime  got  their 
turns  with  others  in  speaking  from  the  pulpit 
of  the  Calderon  church  and  in  leading  worship. 
Later  their  fellow  students  and  teachers  re- 
viewed the  experience  with  them  to  give  them 
encouragement  and  suggestions  for  improve- 
ment. 

Pastor  Walter  Mahan  from  the  Green  Hill 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  Mardela  District, 
U.S.A.;  Sunday  School  Superintendent  Matilde 
Benalcazar,  Calderon;  Radio  Preacher  Jose 
Andrade,  president  of  the  Ecuadorian  As- 
sociation of  Evangelical  Churches,  Quito;  and 
Missionaries  George  Kreps  and  Merle  Crouse 
provided  institute  leadership.  Their  classes  in- 
cluded sessions  of  Bible  study,  a  survey  of  i 
church  history,  discussions  of  personal  devo- 
tions, personal  evangelism,  preaching  and 
church  organization. 

The  discussions  flowed  from  Rome  to  the 
Reformation,  from  priests  to  pietists,  from  the 
law  to  the  love  feast,  from  women  in  the  church 
to  wine  for  Timothy  (1  Tim.  5:23),  from  the 
closed  canon  to  the  open  chancel,  from  sin  to 
salvation.  One  evening  the  brethren  got  to  a 
point  in  a  mock  business  meeting  where  some- 
one moved  to  close  the  discussion  on  the 
amendment  to  the  original  motion  which  had 
proposed  that  the  church  spend  all  the  money 
in  the  treasury  for  a  fiesta  next  Sunday.  Need- 
less to  say,  that  particular  session  was  both 
educational  and  fun. 

The  folks  who  participated  in  this,  the  first 
such  institute  that  the  mission  has  sponsored, 
have  big  hopes  for  the  kind  of  results  that  will 
become  evident.  They  are  looking  forward  to 
a  more  responsible  laity  that  is  capable  of  carry- 
ing its  responsibilities.  They  expect  to  see  a 
faster  growing  church  that  will  spread  into  new 
areas  and  reach  new  people  with  a  convincing 
message  because  of  more  enthusiastic  members. 

They  are  preparing  to  organize  soon  a  type 
of  "district  board"  with  representatives  from 
each  church  and  outpost  related  to  the  mission's 
outreach  and  they  expect  this  board,  made  up 
predominantly  of  Ecudorians,  to  decide  on  mat- 
ters of  policy  and  planning  related  to  evan- 
gelism and  church  extension  under  the  auspices 
of  the  mission  and  the  national  church. 

The  not-too-distant  future  should  tell  us  how 
many  of  the  Jaimes  and  Anibals  in  this  group 

Continued  on  page  21 


: 


Pattern  J 

fli 

for 


Commun  y  Action 


1 


*7Ae  JlaVeine  £t&uf 


\J;. 


WHAT  can  a  community 
do  to  protect  its  young 
people  from  the  delin- 
quency-breeding, morally  cor- 
rupting situation  created  by 
more  and  more  liquor  bars  be- 
ing located  near  schools  and 
college  campuses?  In  Califor- 
nia, where  this  problem  has 
been  a  source  of  growing  pa- 
rental concern  for  several  years, 
a  key  may  have  been  found. 
La  Verne,  a  small  college  city 
some  thirty  miles  northeast  of 
Los  Angeles,  has  shown  the 
way. 

There,  through  well-organ- 
ized and  concerted  action,  an 
aroused  citizenry  has  given  the 
powerful  liquor  industry  a  sig- 
nificant defeat  which  may  have 
far-reaching  effect.  For  the  in- 
dustry, which  has  been  striving 
by  every  lobbying  and  legisla- 
tive device  to  extend  its  tenta- 
cles into  all  the  residential  areas 


of  the  state,  this  is  a  major  set- 
back. 

The  La  Verne  story  began  in 
1957.  A  large  chain  market  con- 
cern with  headquarters  in  Los 
Angeles,  established  a  branch 
retail  store  at  2125  Fouth  Street, 
a  busy  downtown  location  next 
door  to  La  Verne's  oldest  and 
largest  church,  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Also  the  store 
was  only  a  short  two  blocks 
from  La  Verne  College,  a  rapid- 
ly growing,  sixty-year-old  insti- 
tution sponsored  by  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren. 

Liquor  dealers  had  been  eye- 
ing the  vicinity  eagerly  for 
some  time,  surveys  having 
shown  that  La  Verne  was  one 
of  the  few  dry  areas  left  in  the 
state.  Knowing  this,  officials  of 
the  grocery  chain  decided  to 
"crack"  the  community  by 
getting  a  license  to  sell  alco- 
holic beverages. 


William  L.  Roper 

Their  first  application  for  a 
license  was  denied,  after  Galen 
B.  Ogden,  who  was  then  pastor 
of  the  next  door  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  and  members  of  the 
church  expressed  vigorous  op- 
position. But  the  market  opera- 
tors did  not  give  up.  Convinced 
that  a  liquor  license  for  the 
store  would  bring  them  big 
returns,  they  quickly  filed  a 
second  application. 

What  if  a  few  Brethren  had 
objected?  That  was  to  be  ex- 
pected. There  were  many  new 
residents  of  the  city  who  were 
not  Brethren,  and  among  them 
the  market  men  were  certain 
they  would  find  many  thirsty 
customers. 

For  although  La  Verne  had 
been  founded  by  church  people 
and  had  once  been  known  as 
"Lordsburg,"  the  operators  felt 


JUNE  18,  1960 


11 


La  Verne  College  joined  the  community  to  defeat  the  attempt  to  establish  liquor  outlets  near  the  campus 


that  the  community  had  out- 
grown the  religious  pattern  of 
its  founders.  In  a  short  time 
the  community  would  drop  its 
opposition,  the  market  opera- 
tors believed,  and  give  in,  as  so 
many  other  California  cities  had 
done  in  recent  years. 

The  State  Alcoholic  Beverage 
Control  Board  set  December  6, 
1957,  as  the  date  for  a  public 
hearing  on  the  second  applica- 
tion. It  was  to  be  held  in  the 
city  hall. 

Notice  of  the  meeting  came 
as  a  shock  to  many  Christian 
people  in  the  community.  They 
had  assumed  that  the  battle  had 
been  won  when  the  first  appli- 
cation was  denied.  Now  they 
began  to  realize  that  they  had 
a  real  fight  on  their  hands,  and 
that  California's  politically  pow- 
erful liquor  industry  did  not 
quit  with  the  first  knockdown. 

Harold  D.  Fasnacht,  presi- 
dent of  La  Verne  College,  and 
church  leaders  were  among  the 
first  to  realize  the  seriousness  of 
the  challenge.  At  their  first 
meeting  in  the  study  of  Elias  D. 
White,  pastor  of  the  First  Breth- 
ren   church    of    La    Verne,    J. 


12 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Marion  Roynon  was  named 
chairman  of  a  committee  to  be- 
gin planning  resistance  to  the 
liquor  encroachment. 

There  was  sound  reasoning 
behind  Roynon's  choice.  For 
thirty-one  years  he  had  been 
superintendent  of  the  schools. 
In  this  long  experience  with  the 
city's  school  system,  he  had 
established  warm  and  friendly 
contacts  with  local  churches 
and  civic  groups.  And  having 
recently  retired  from  this  post, 
he  had  enough  leisure  to  do  the 
needed  contact  and  organiza- 
tional work. 

A  modest,  friendly  man  and 
the  father  of  six  grown  daugh- 
ters, Roynon  immediately  got 
busy  in  enlisting  the  aid  of 
other  Protestant  churches  and 
civic  and  temperance  groups. 
The  Lions  Club,  the  only  serv- 
ice club  in  the  city,  joined 
Roynon's  team,  and  the  local 
Baptist  and  Methodist  churches 
sent  representatives  to  Roynon's 
strategy  meetings,  pledging  as- 
sistance. 

When  the  public  hearing  was 
held  in  the  La  Verne  city  hall 
on  December  6,  1957,  the  audi- 
torium was  filled  with  sober- 
faced,  determined  people.   The 


men  who  met  to  plan  the  fa- 
mous Boston  Tea  Party  or  the 
minutemen  who  defied  an  in- 
vading army  at  Lexington  were 
probably  no  more  serious.  They 
had  assembled  to  defend  their 
home  city,  La  Verne,  one  of  the 
last  clean,  dry  cities  of  Califor- 
nia, against  invasion. 

At  the  hearing,  however,  the 
people  were  given  to  un- 
derstand that  the  decision  of 
the  Alcoholic  Beverage  Control 
Board  would  not  be  influenced 
by  their  wishes,  but  strictly  in 
accordance  with  state  law  — 
and  the  law  clearly  favored  the 
applicants  seeking  the  liquor 
license.  Even  La  Verne's  city 
attorney,  Morgan  W.  Lowery, 
explained  that  under  the  Cali- 
fornia law  the  old  right  of  local 
option  no  longer  existed,  and 
that  the  A.B.C.  Board  could 
only  follow  the  law. 

So  the  decision  of  the  board 
on  December  23,  1957,  re- 
versing its  prior  decision  and 
granting  the  store  operators' 
application  for  a  liquor-selling 
license,  was  not  too  great  a  sur- 
prise to  many  of  La  Verne's 
citizens.  At  that  point  several  of 
those  fighting  the  license  were 
discouraged  and  ready  to  quit. 


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"We  cannot  fight  our  own 
state  government,"  some  said. 
We're  licked.  How  can  we 
hope  to  prevent  the  store  from 
getting  a  liquor  license,  when 
hundreds  of  protesting  com- 
munities have  had  them  thrust 
upon  them?" 

In  view  of  California's  recent 
history,  there  was  justification 
for  the  gloom.  For  years  the 
legislature  had  been  dominated 
by  a  powerful  liquor  lobby. 

As  early  as  1938,  the  Phil- 
brick  report  had  exposed  this 
corrupt  domination  of  the 
state's  legislative  machinery  by 
the  liquor  lobby.  Yet  the 
people  of  the  state  were  never 
adequately  alerted  to  the  situa- 
tion. The  Philbrick  report  it- 
self was  expurgated  and  soon 
forgotten. 

This  bit  of  background  his- 
tory helps  to  explain  the  hope- 
lessness of  many  La  Verne 
citizens  in  December  1957, 
when  the  A.B.C.  Board  ruled 
against  them.  Many  of  them 
realized  that  a  bad  state  of  af- 
fairs existed,  but  their  leaders 
were  not  quitters. 

"This  is  no  time  to  quit,"  de- 
clared Dr.  Fasnacht.  "We  must 
fight  on." 

It  was  at  this  point  that 
the  generalship  of  Dr.  Fas- 
nacht's  right-hand  man,  J.  Onis 


Leonard  began  to  make  it- 
self felt.  Leonard,  a  former 
Y.M.C.A.  secretary,  now  public- 
relations  director  of  La  Verne 
College  and  assistant  to  the 
president,  had  been  handling 
organizational  strategy  with 
Roynon,  chairman  of  the  Peo- 
ple's Committee.  Leonard  real- 
ized that  the  battle  must  be 
won  in  the  field  of  public  opin- 
ion, regardless  of  the  legal  out- 
come. He  set  about  marshaling 
those  forces.  He  talked  with 
newspapermen,  other  college 
officers,  and  state  officials. 

He  wrote  numerous  letters 
and  sent  telegrams,  rallying  the 
defense,  not  only  in  La  Verne, 
but  throughout  the  West. 

"I  knew  we  must  convince 
people  living  outside  of  La 
Verne  that  this  was  not  a  local 
matter,  that  an  important  prin- 
ciple was  at  stake,"  Leonard  ex- 
plains. "This  college  represents 
an  investment  of  more  than  two 
million  dollars.  It  has  been 
operating  as  a  college  for  more 
than  sixty  years.  It  has  some 
2,000  alumni,  mostly  in  Califor- 
nia. Many  of  them  are  persons 
of  influence,  key  businessmen 
in  their  communities." 

In  addition  to  impressing 
local  residents  with  these  facts, 
Leonard  began  enlisting  the 
moral,   political,   and   financial 


support  of  these  loyal  outside 
friends  of  the  college.  A  flood 
of  mail,  supporting  the  college's 
stand,  reached  the  desks  of  key 
officials  in  Sacramento. 

On  January  29,  1958,  the 
A.B.C.  Board  reopened  the 
case,  on  its  own  motion.  After 
reviewing  the  case,  it  again  re- 
versed itself,  denying  the  li- 
cense on  July  17,  1958.  Once 
again  La  Verne  opponents  of 
the  license  relaxed.  Many  be- 
lieved the  fight  was  won. 

But  the  store  owners,  eager 
for  liquor  profits  they  hoped  to 
make  by  "cracking"  the  state's 
driest  city,  filed  an  appeal  on 
August  25,  1958,  with  the 
A.B.C.  Appeals  Board.  On  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1959,  the  Appeals 
Board  again  reversed  the  lower 
board  and  ordered  the  store's 
application  granted. 

But  meanwhile  something 
strange  and  almost  unbeliev- 
able had  happened  to  the 
branch  grocery  market,  located 
in  a  modern  building  valued  in 
excess  of  $50,000  —  next  door  to 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  It 
had  closed  its  doors!  It  had 
won  a  liquor  license,  but  lost  its 
business.  Even  though  the 
market  had  closed,  the  La 
Verne  Committee  filed  a  new 
appeal  from  the  last  decision. 

Explaining  the  market's  clos- 
ing, Kenneth  S.  Be  van,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  the  Market 
Wholesale  Grocery  Company, 
said,  "During  the  past  year,  the 
business  of  the  market  fell  off 
sixty  per  cent." 

Bevan  added:  "In  effect  the 
church  has  won  its  battle,  al- 
though the  appeal  before  the 
A.B.C.  is  still  pending.  We're 
not  mad  about  that.  We're  just 
sorry  the  store  was  not  a  suc- 
cess." 

A  Pasadena  law  firm,  Snyder, 
O'Neil,  and  Hancock,  which  has 
specialized  in  similar  cases,  is 
handling  the  case  for  the  La 


The  La  Verne  Church  of  the  Brethren,  California 


JUNE  18,  1960 


13 


Verne  Committee.  This  group 
has  raised  a  fund  to  continue 
its  fight  against  the  granting  of 
the  license. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren 
has  17,000  members  in  the  col- 
lege's regional  area,  which  in- 
cludes Oregon,  Washington, 
Idaho,  Arizona,  and  western 
Canada,  as  well  as  California. 
Many  of  these  members  have 
indicated  their  willingness  to 
assist  in  the  college's  fight  to 
keep  its  campus  area  free  of 
liquor  outlets. 

While  they  have  been  suc- 
cessful in  blocking  one  lone 
beachhead  near  a  campus 
sought  by  the  politically  power- 
ful liquor  industry,  they  know 
a  battle  of  this  kind  is  never 
completely  won,  and  that  their 
fight  has  shown  the  inadequa- 
cies of  state  laws  that  aid,  rather 
than  control,  the  liquor  trade. 

They  know  that  the  liquor 
laws  of  California  need  a  com- 
plete revision  and  tightening, 
and  that  no  campus  is  secure 
from  the  contamination  of  li- 
censed outlets  under  the  present 
laws  that  nullify  past  safe- 
guards. And  as  they  and  many 
others  have  pointed  out,  this  is 
a  job  for  organized,  dedicated 
Christian  action. 

Meanwhile,  the  California 
Restaurant  Association  carried 
on  a  new  campaign  to  get  li- 
censes for  so-called  "bona  fide" 
restaurants  located  near  college 
campuses,  a  new  assault  on  cer- 
tain dry  areas. 

La  Verne's  victory,  achieved 
by  organized  Christian  action, 
has  established  a  new  pattern 
for  fighting  the  liquor  invasion 
of  dry  campuses.  It  shows  once 
again  the  power  of  aroused  pub- 
lic opinion,  and  it  demonstrates 
that  liquor  sellers  and  would-be 
liquor  sellers  can  be  made  to 
feel  that  pressure. 

Reprinted    by    permission 
from  the  magazine,  Listen 


From  the  vantage  point  of  an  interdenominational 
relief  agency,  Thurl  Metzger,  executive  secretary 
of  the  Heifer  Project,  takes 


14 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


A  Look  J 


DOUGLAS  STEERE,  speaking  several  years  ago  after  return- 
ing from  a  tour  of  Africa,  observed  that  Americans  suffer 
from  hardening  of  the  categories.  If  this  is  true  of  our  atti- 
tudes toward  Africa,  it  is  probably  even  more  true  in  our  relations 
with  the  Soviet  Union.  We  see  the  Soviets  only  as  Communists  and 
they  see  us  as  capitalists,  and  so  our  communications  consist  of  hurl- 
ing these  words  back  and  forth  in  a  constant  effort  to  offend  each 
other.  Probably  neither  of  us  understand  the  meaning  of  these  terms. 

We  seem  to  think  that  capitalism  is  God's  plan  of  producing 
and  distributing  goods  and  that  communism  is  the  creation  of  the 
devil.  The  Soviets  see  it  differently.  Perhaps  neither  of  us  know 
what  the  other  is  talking  about.  Adam  Smith  would  probably  roll 
over  in  his  grave  were  he  aware  of  modern  American  capitalism  and 
Karl  Marx  would  tear  his  beard  were  he  to  see  the  Soviet  system  of 
communism.  We  have  had  to  consent  to  the  bargaining  power  of 
organized  labor  and  to  numerous  regulations  of  government.  The 
Russian  government  has  had  to  make  provisions  for  personal  in- 
centives. 

Americans  also  like  to  state  categorically  that  the  Soviets  are 
atheists  while  we  are  Christian.  How  many  times  have  we  heard 
ministers  stand  in  the  pulpit,  raise  their  voices  heavenward,  and 
thank  God  that  we  are  not  like  the  Russians.  Yet  they  and  their 
congregations  will  consent  to  pay  more  to  send  a  monkey  to  the 
moon  than  a  soul  to  heaven  or  more  for  ballistic  missiles  than  the 
abundant  life. 

In  recent  years  our  major  foreign  policy  aim  has  been  to  contain 
Russia,  and  to  do  this  we  reason  that  we  must  use  the  same  methods 
that  Russia  uses.  So  we  thank  God  that  we  are  different,  but  in  our 
contacts  we  react  as  they  do. 

Now  we  are  afraid  that  Russia  will  outproduce  us,  and  though 
we  are  not  clear  how  that  will  affect  us,  we  know  that  the  end  is 
evil.  Khrushchev  croaks  his  "outproduction"  theme  and  plays  on 
his  interpretation  of  history  for  support.  We  panic  and  spend  more 
for  rockets  and  missiles. 

We  would  do  ourselves  a  service  if  we  could  drop  these  hard- 
ened attitudes  and  take  an  objective  look  at  ourselves  and  at  the 
Russians.  It  would  be  a  double  benefit  if  the  Soviets  would  do  like- 


wise. 


They,  for  example,  would  see:  (1)  that  the  capitalist  they  are 
describing,  if  he  existed  at  all,  lived  during  the  19th  century  and 
that  there  are  very  few  traces  of  him  in  the  20th;  (2)  with  great  diffi- 
culty, for  they  cannot  comprehend  freedom  of  speech  and  press,  that 
the  bellicose  bellows  of  a  few  generals  or  the  views  of  alarmed 
politicians  do  not  represent  the  total  American  attitude;  (3)  that 
democracy  is  more  than  a  form  of  government.  It  is  a  spirit  that 
is  reflected  in  the  way  people  live  and  work  together. 

It  is  not  my  intention  here  to  suggest  to  the  Soviets  what  they 


c 


oviet- American  Relations 


would  see  were  it  not  for  their 
blind  spots  but  to  help,  if  I  can, 
to  clear  our  own  international 
vision. 

Here  are  a  few  things  that  I  be- 
lieve we  should  be  aware  of: 

There  are  other  people  living  on 
this  planet  besides  Russians  and 
Americans.  We  should  be  giv- 
ing more  attention  to  relating 
ourselves  in  a  constructive,  friend- 
ly fashion  to  the  vast  population  of 
Asia,  Africa,  and  Latin  America. 
Nor  should  our  relationship  to 
them  depend  on  their  current  at- 
titude toward  the  Soviet  Union. 
For  too  long  our  foreign  policy  has 
been  merely  reacting  to  Soviet  ac- 
tion even  in  our  relationships  to 
other  countries. 

Changes  are  being  compelled 
inside  the  Soviet  Union.  Some 
forces  which  their  government 
must  reckon  with  are: 

Demand  for  consumers'  goods. 
After  an  experiment  of  forty-two 
years,  life  is  still  drab  and  dark 
for  the  average  citizen.  The  stock 
excuses  for  failure  will  not  hold 
much  longer.  Their  government 
may  continue  to  try  to  divert  the 
attention  of  people  to  threats  from 
the  outside  but  this  cannot  be 
done  indefinitely. 

Growing  intellectualism.  The 
government  has  emphasized  edu- 
cation and  provided  free  schools 
for  all  children.  The  first  response 
was  one  of  appreciation  for  mil- 
lions of  peasant  children  who  had 
no  chance  of  going  to  school  be- 
fore the  revolution  and  can  now 
attend  at  state  expense.  However, 
as  minds  develop  they  are  more 
difficult  to  control.  Most  of  the 
questions  about  the  infallibility  of 
the  gospel  of  Lenin,   Marx,  and 


Stalin  are  being  asked  by  univer- 
sity students. 

Religion.  Persecution  of  the 
church  reached  its  height  during 
the  1930s.  Even  then  the  com- 
missar of  education  who  led  the 
attack  make  this  admission,  "Re- 
ligion is  like  a  nail,  the  harder 
you  hit  it  the  deeper  it  goes  into 
the  wood."  The  gates  of  hell  have 
tried  to  prevail  against  the  church 
and  have  not  succeeded.  The 
church  is  coming  back  stronger. 

Curiosity  created  by  glimpses 
of  the  outside  world.  The  Soviet 
soldiers  got  the  first  look  beyond 
the  borders  when  they  came  on 
European  soil  during  the  war 
and  remained  there  as  occupa- 
tion forces.  Recently  there  have 
been  several  cultural  exchanges. 
Though  these  contacts  are  not 
adequate  from  the  standpoint  of 
comparison  of  living  standards,  it 
has  had  the  important  effect  of 
discrediting  the  Soviet  official 
view  of  other  countries  and  espe- 
cially of  the  United  States.  Amer- 
ican laborers  can  no  longer  be 
pictured  as  chained  to  their  ma- 
chines. 

The  productive  challenge  hurled 
by  Khrushchev  is  not,  as  he  de- 
scribes, a  test  between  two  sys- 
tems. Our  problems  are  different. 
The  Soviets  have  and  will  con- 
tinue to  have  for  some  time  an 
economy  of  scarcity.  We  Amer- 
icans know  how  to  manage  such 
a  situation.  We  know  how  to 
mass  produce  goods  and  to  farm 
efficiently.  If  Soviet  consumers 
had  purchasing  power  their  fac- 
tories and  farms  could  probably 
produce  at  full  capacity  for  twen- 
ty years  before  reaching  the  satu- 


ration point.  And  if  they  work  out 
favorable  trade  arrangements  with 
the  thickly  populated  countries 
which  they  border,  the  economic 
boom  could  be  extended  indefi- 
nitely. 

Ours  is  a  much  more  difficult 
problem.  How  are  we  to  adjust 
to  an  economy  of  plenty?  We  do 
not  have  the  answer  to  this  one. 
We  try,  by  shortening  working 
hours  and  taking  acres  out  of  cul- 
tivation, to  restate  the  problem  so 
the  old  answers  will  fit,  but  all 
the  time  we  are  bothered  in  con- 
science because  we  know  the 
world  needs  the  things  we  can  and 
are  not  producing. 

How  can  we  provide  full  pro- 
ductive employment  for  all  labor- 
ers so  that  they  can  avoid  the 
humiliation  of  being  paid  while 
their  work  is  done  by  automation? 
How  can  we  let  our  farms  produce 
the  maximum  consistent  with 
good  soil  fertility  practices?  How 
can  we  get  the  produce  of  farm 
and  factory  to  those  in  need  with- 
out economic  or  social  harm  to 
others?  A  breakthrough  here 
would  probably  do  more  to  ad- 
vance the  cause  of  peace  and 
freedom  than  missile  races  and 
debates  with  Khrushchev. 

It  seems  trite  to  suggest  that  we 
are  living  in  a  period  of  revolution 
but  I  doubt  that  in  our  comfort  we 
have  comprehended  this  condi- 
tion. It  has  been  easier  to  believe 
that  a  disturbance  anywhere  in 
the  world  was  created  by  Com- 
munists. We  are  better  equipped 
by  heritage  and  resources  than 
any  other  nation  to  influence  the 


JUNE   18,  1960 


15 


direction    of    political    and    eco- 
nomic change. 

Our  foreign  policy,  as  has  our 
domestic  policy,  should  start  with 
the  basic  assumption  that  "all 
men  are  created  equal;  that  they 
are  endowed  by  their  Creator 
with  certain  inalienable  rights; 
that  among  these  are  life,  liberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness." 
Our  objectives  should  be  to  ex- 
tend these  fundamentals  of  living 
as  far  as  possible. 

Point  Four  was  the  beginning  of 
such  activities,  but  unfortunately 
the  program  lost  much  of  its  posi- 
tive charge  to  negative  political 
pressure. 

We  are  less  articulate  in  speak- 
ing to  universal  hopes  and  aspira- 
tions because  we  have  lost  from 
our  vocabulary  such  key  words  as 
peace  and  democracy.  We  are  al- 
most afraid  to  use  them  now  for 
fear  of  being  suspect.  Obviously, 
we  need  the  courage  to  shout 
these  words  and  give  them  mean- 
ing. 

In  addition,  we  need  to  empha- 
size others,  such  as  peaceful  co- 
operation and  partnership.  We 
could  then  answer  the  Russian 
challenge  of  peaceful  competition 
until  one  or  the  other  experienced 
economic  death  with  a  program 
designed  to  bring  abundant  life  to 
all  people.  We  could  challenge 
them  with  a  joint  program  of 
technical  assistance  hoping  to  en- 
large the  UN  efforts  in  that  field. 

Love  as  a  quality  of  religion 
that  compels  compassion  or  con- 
cern for  other  people  is  probably 
better  comprehended  by  the 
churches  of  America  than  in  any 
other  country.  It  is  probably  also 
true  that  our  churches  have  had 
a  greater  influence  on  foreign 
policy  here  than  anywhere  else. 
However,  considering  the  moral 
and  spiritual  issues  that  are  in- 
volved, when  peace  or  war  are 
equated  with  life  or  death,  the 
church  does  not  have  the  influence 
it  should  have.  Christians  in  the 
past  have  been  able  to  change  the 
tend  of  history  after  considerable 

lersecution.  We  could  probably 
do  it  now  without  so  high  a  price 
if  we  had  the  will. 


Coming  Into  Focus 
on  Church  Extension 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Galen  B.  Ogden 


IT  IS  the  responsibility  of  the 
Christian  church  to  proclaim 
the  gospel  to  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  This  is  our  mission;  this 
is  the  mandate  which  we  have  re- 
ceived from  Christ  himself. 

We  who  are  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  share  this 
responsibility  with  all  other  Chris- 
tians. It  is  imperative  that  we 
communicate  the  whole  gospel  to 
the  whole  man  in  the  whole  of 
society.  If  we  are  to  fulfill  this 
mission  we  must  not  only  sense 
the  urgency  and  the  magnitude  of 
our  task  but  we  must  also  be  will- 
ing to  adapt  our  program  and 
policies  to  meet  the  needs  of  a 
changing  society. 

The  urgency  of  our  mission  can 
be  measured  in  various  ways.  One 
way  to  measure  it  is  in  terms  of 
the  sin  and  evil  within  our  present 
society.  Pick  up  a  metropolitan 
newspaper  on  any  given  day  and 
you  will  find  expressions  of  lust, 
greed,  prejudice,  and  bigotry  blat- 
antly advertised  on  every  page. 

Add  together  the  juvenile  de- 
linquency, broken  homes,  sex 
crimes,  bribery,  graft,  deceit,  race 
riots,  prejudice,  and  hate,  and  you 
will  begin  to  feel  the  terrible 
weight  of  sin  which  drags  upon 
our  society.  All  men  everywhere 
need  to  be  released  from  this 
crushing  burden.  It  is  through  the 
gospel  that  we  find  our  release. 
Yes,  "the  spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus  has  [set  us]  free  from  the 
law  of  sin  and  death." 

The  magnitude  of  our  task  can 
best  be  measured  in  terms  of  peo- 
ple. There  are  approximately  two 
billion  people  in  the  world  today. 
Only  a  small  percentage  of  these 
are  Christians.  In  our  country  we 
have  nearly  one  hundred  eighty 
million  people;  only  sixty  per  cent 
belong  to  any  organized  church, 


r 


and  many  who  do  belong  are  only 
nominal  Christians. 

It  is  estimated  that  within  the 
next  ten  years  the  population 
within  America  will  increase  to 
two  hundred  ten  million.  In  order 
to  keep  pace  with  our  mobile  and 
expanding  population,  Protestants 
need  to  establish  five  thousand 
new  churches  per  year.  At  the 
present  time  we  are  establishing 
about  one  thousand  per  year.  This 
reflects  something  of  the  magni- 
tude of  our  task. 

Recently  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board  has  attempted  to 
bring  our  whole  program  of 
church  extension  into  sharper 
focus  in  order  that  the  impera- 
tives of  the  gospel  may  be  more 
effectively  implemented.  As  a  re- 
sult, a  number  of  new  policies; 
have  been  agreed  upon.  These 
will  be  listed  in  the  October  issue 
of  The  Leader,  but  we  would  like 
to  take  this  opportunity  to  share 
the  following  excerpts: 

1.  Churches  should  be  built  in 
clusters  rather  than  in  isolation. 

2.  The  districts  and/or  the 
Brotherhood  should  take  the  in- 
itiative in  selecting  and  purchas- 
ing new  sites. 

3.  The  program  should  be 
Christ-centered    and    evangelical. 

4.  The  program  should  seek  to 
serve  the  community  rather  than 
to  have  the  community  serve  the 
church.  It  should  develop  as 
many  fellowship,  study,  service, 
and  recreation  groups  as  are 
necessary  to  provide  a  full  min- 
istry. 

5.  The  first  building  unit  should 
be  large  enough  and  attractive 
enough  to  allow  the  congregation 
to  grow  strong  enough  to  build 
the  second  unit. 

6.  The  districts  should  bear  the 
major  responsibility  for  making 
grants  to  new  churches,  and  the 
Brotherhood  should  bear  the 
major  responsibility  for  loans. 

7.  In  order  to  make  more  loan 

Continued  on  page  20 


ieh 


Sco 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Brotherhood  Fund  Giving 

First  eight  months,  1959-60 $915,670 

First  eight  months,  1958-59 $908,107 

Eight-month  budget  obligations    ..$1,100,000 


A  series  of  pictures  on  the  love  feast  at  the  Center 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  near  Louisville,  Ohio,  was 
featured  in  the  Cleveland  Plain  Dealer,  May  15.  Bro. 
John  H.  Blough  is  pastor  of  the  congregation. 

Single  men  and  small  families  —  Dutch-Indonesian 
refugees  —  are  urgently  in  need  of  sponsorship  for  reset- 
tlement. Some  are  available  immediately.  Many 
skills  are  represented  in  this  group  of  industrious  people. 
If  you  or  your  congregation  can  sponsor  a  family  or  a 
young  man,  contact  the  Immigration  Services  Office, 
Brethren  Service  Center,  New  Windsor,  Md. 

The  Reverend  David  Reid  Easton  of  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  will  be  the  guest  minister  at  the  Hagerstown 
church,  Md.,  on  Sunday,  July  3,  as  part  of  a  pulpit 
exchange  program  sponsored  by  the  National  Council 
of  Churches  and  the  British  Council  of  Churches.  The 
Reverend  Mr.  Easton,  who  is  active  in  both  religious 
broadcasting  and  telecasting,  is  the  minister  of  St.  Paul's 
Parish  church  in  Edinburgh,  which  has  a  membership 
of  1,300.  He  will  be  the  guest  of  the  Hagerstown 
congregation  until  July  5. 

Chile  Disaster 

Through  the  public  press  everyone  has  become 
aware  of  the  tragic  earthquake  disaster  in  Chile.  To 
help  meet  the  Church  of  the  Brethren's  share  in  provid- 
ing medicine,  clothing,  and  temporary  shelter,  the  Gen- 
eral Brotherhood  Board  through  the  Brethren  Service 
Commission  has  made  available  $3,000  from  the 
emergency  reserve  fund  to  Church  World  Service. 

Those  desiring  to  assist  in  this  disaster  emergency 
may  send  their  contributions  to  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.  Any  funds  received  beyond 
the  $3,000  will  be  held  in  the  emergency  reserve  fund 
for  possible  use  in  meeting  additional  disaster  needs  in 
Chile  or  some  other  emergency  need  which  may  arise. 

There  is  also  need  for  clothing  and  blankets.  Over 
100,000  pounds  of  clothing  and  80,000  pounds  of  corn- 
meal,  flour,  and  milk  from  warehouses  in  the  U.S.  are 
already  on  the  way  to  the  stricken  cities  in  Chile. 
Churches  are  urged  to  send  additional  clothing  and 
blankets  through  their  regular  pickup  channels. 

Daily  Prayer  Guide  —  Call  to  Discipleship 

Thank  God  for: 
June  20  Christian  homes    Luke  10:38-42 

21  Members  of  the  family Eph.  5:21-33 

22  Joys  of  the  family Eph.  6:1-4 

23  Love  of  families Col.  3:12-25 

24  Instruction  at  home 2  Tim.  3:10-17 

25  Forgiveness   Luke  6:37-38 

26  Unlimited  love Luke  15:11-24 


Graduates  and  former  students  of  Mt.  Morris  College 
will  have  a  reunion  at  Camp  Emmaus  on  Sunday,  July 
10.  There  will  be  a  potluck  dinner  at  noon. 

The  Church  Calendar 
June  19 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Bearing  Good  Fruit.  Matt.  7: 
15-23;  25:31-46;  Luke  13:6-9;  Gen.  1:1-11.  Memory 
Selection:  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch 
cannot  bear  fruit  by  itself,  unless  it  abides  in  the  vine, 
neither  can  you,  unless  you  abide  in  me.  John  15:4 
(R.S.V.) 

Annual  Conference  Sunday 

June  20-21  General  Council  of  Children's  Work 

June  28-29  Central  Region  church  extension  confer- 
ence, Manchester  College,  Ind. 

June  30  —  July  3  District  meeting,  Western  Canada, 
First  Irricana 

July  4  Independence  Day 

July  8-10  Central  Region  youth  conference,  Manchester 
College 

July  8-10  District  meeting,  North  Dakota  and  Eastern 
Montana,  Cando 

July  10-15  Southeastern  Region  conference,  Bridge- 
water,  Va. 

July  10-17  Western  Pennsylvania  pulpit  exchange  for 
district  and  Brotherhood  interpretation 

July  11-16  Central  Region  youth  leaders  laboratory 
school,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

July  14-17  District  meeting,  Texas  and  Louisiana, 
Falfurrias 

July  15-16  Southeastern  Region  district  youth  cabinets 
training  conference,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

July  17-23  Human  Relations  laboratory,  Manchester 
College 

July  20  Middle  and  Western  Pennsylvania  women's 
camp,  Camp  Harmony 

July  22-23  District  meeting,  Western  Pennsylvania, 
Camp   Harmony 

July  24-29  Central  Region  children's  workers'  labora- 
tory school,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

July  24-30  Eastern  Region  laboratory  schools  and  work- 
shop, Elizabethtown  College,  Pa. 

July  24-30  Bethany  summer  extension  school,  Elizabeth- 
town  College,  Pa. 

July  26-28  District  meeting,  Southern  Virginia,  Chris- 
tiansburg 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Owen  Preston  of  Burlington,  W.  Va.,  in  the  Harness 
Run  church,  W.  Va.,  June  21  —  July  1;  in  the  Tear  Coat 
church,  W.  Va.,  July  21-31. 

Bro.  John  Jackson  of  Grantsville,  Md.,  in  the  Brick 
church,  Greenland  congregation,  W.  Va.,  July  4-17. 

Bro.  W.  Owen  Horton,  Sr.,  of  Maysville,  W.  Va.,  in  the 
Bean  Settlement  church,  W.  Va.,  July  18-31. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Pleasant 
Hill  church,  Va.,  July  19-31;  in  the  Mill  Creek  church, 
N.  C,  Aug.  1-7. 


JUNE  18,  1960 


17 


Faus 


Fritter 


Gauby 


Kagarise 


Kimmel 


Lowdermilk 


McFadden 


Bethany  Biblical  Seminary  Presents  the  Class  of  I960 


AT  THE  fifty-fifth  annual 
commencement  exercises  of 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary, 
thirty-nine  students  were  graduated 
from  the  various  courses  of  instruc- 
tion. One  was  given  the  degree, 
Master  of  Theology.  Of  the  twenty- 
six  recipients  of  the  Bachelor  of  Di- 
vinity degree,  twenty-two  were 
Brethren  students.  Four  were 
awarded  the  degree,  Master  of  Reli- 
gious Education,  all  of  whom  were 
Brethren. 

In  the  Bible  Training  School,  one 
received  the  degree,  Bachelor  of 
Sacred  Literature,  and  seven  re- 
ceived the  Two-Year  Certificate. 
All  of  these  were  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

The  student  who  received  the 
Master  of  Theology  was  Anthonie 
van  den  Doel,  who  graduated  with 


Paul  M.  Robinson 


Robert's  home  church  is  University 
Park  in  Eastern  Maryland,  and  he 
graduated  from  Bridgewater  Col- 
lege. He  is  married  to  Joanne  Lee 
Newkirk,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  D.  Newkirk  of  the  Hagerstown 
church,  Middle  Maryland.  They  will 
remain  in  Chicago  as  the  associate 
pastor  at  the  First  church. 

Martin  Allen  Gauby,  son  of  Har- 
vey Gauby  of  the  Falfurrias  church, 
Texas,  in  the  District  of  Texas  and 
Louisiana.  He  graduated  from  Mc- 
Pherson  College.  Mrs.  Gauby  was 
formerly  Edith  Buckingham,  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Bucking- 
ham of  Batavia,  Iowa.  Her  home 
church  was  the  Libertyville  congre- 


home  church  the  First  church  of 
Chicago.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Penn 
State  University.  Mrs.  Kimmel  was 
formerly  Joan  Stuckey,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Stuckey  of 
Mountain  View,  Okla.  The  Kim- 
mels  will  continue  in  the  pastorate 
of  the  Cherry  Grove  church,  North- 
ern Illinois. 

Donald  Lee  Lowdermilk,  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orie  A.  Lowdermilk 
of  Brownsville,  Pa.  His  home  con- 
gregation is  Uniontown,  Western 
Pennsylvania,  and  he  is  a  graduate 
of  Juniata  College.  He  is  married 
to  Margery  Hazen,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  James  M.  Hazen  of  the 
Uniontown  church,  Western  Penn- 
sylvania. They  begin  their  ministry 
in  the  First  Central  church,  Kansas 
City,  Kansas. 


David  Miller         Dean  Miller  Morgan 

the  Bachelor  of  Divinity  degree  last 
year.  He  is  currently  engaged  in  doc- 
toral studies  at  Garrett  Biblical  In- 
stitute and  Northwestern  University. 
The  Brethren  students  receiving 
the  Bachelor  of  Divinity  degree 
were: 

Robert  Eugene  Faus,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  G.  Faus,  of  the 
Chiques  church,  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  is  a  graduate  of  Eliza- 
bethtown  College  and  is  entering 
the  pastoral  ministry. 

Robert  Nolan  Fritter,  son  of  Mrs. 
Anna    M.    Hays,    Hyattsville,    Md. 


Mummert 


Petry 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


gation  in  Southern  Iowa.  The 
Gaubys  will  assume  the  pastorate  in 
the  Weston  church,   Oregon. 

Dean  Allen  Kagarise,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Robert  Kagarise  of  Tow- 
son,  Md.  His  home  church  is  Sams 
Creek  in  Eastern  Maryland  and  he 
is  a  graduate  of  Towson  State 
Teacher's  College.  He  is  married  to 
the  former  Janet  Miller  of  the 
Brookville  church  in  Southern  Ohio. 
They  will  begin  their  pastorate 
in  the  Arbutus  church  in  Western 
Pennsylvania. 

Theodore  Ecroyd  Kimmel,  son  of 
Mrs.  Harry  O.  Kimmel,  of  the  Plum 
Creek  church,  Shelocta,  Western 
Pennsylvania.      Ted     considers     his 


Puflenberger  Rittenhouse 

Ralph  Glenn  McFadden,  son  of 
the  Reverend  and  Mrs.  W.  Glenn 
McFadden  of  the  Highland  Avenue 
church,  Elgin,  Northern  Illinois.  He 
is  a  graduate  of  Manchester  College. 
He  is  married  to  the  former  Barbara 
Peters,  daughter  of  the  Reverend 
and  Mrs.  Raymond  R.  Peters  of  the 
Mack  Memorial  church,  Dayton, 
Ohio.  Barbara  considers  her  home 
church  the  Trotwood  congregation 
in  the  same  district.  The  McFad- 
dens  will  continue  in  the  pastorate 
of  the  Lafayette  church  in  Southern 
Indiana. 

David  LeRoy  Miller,  son  of  the 
Reverend  and  Mrs.  DeWitt  L.  Mill- 
er of  the  Hagerstown  church,  Mid- 


Sauls 


Shared 


Smith 


Wampler 


Wenger 


West 


die  Maryland.  David  graduated 
from  Bridgewater  College.  His  wife 
is  the  former  Donna  Zirkle,  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  P.  Zirkle 
of  Broadway,  Va.  David  is  entering 
postgraduate  studies  at  Drew  Uni- 
versity, Madison,  N.  J. 

Dean  Market)  Miller,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  George  E.  Miller  of  West 
Alexandria,  Ohio.  His  home  church 
is  the  Eaton  congregation,  Southern 
Ohio,  and  he  is  a  graduate  of 
Wheaton  College.  His  wife,  Alice 
Falk  Miller,  is  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clarence  Falk  of  Monroe, 
Wis.  The  Millers  will  be  entering 
the  pastorate  of  the  Tucson  church 
in  Arizona  in  Southern  California 
and  Arizona. 


of  the  Eastwood  church,  Akron,  in 
Northeastern  Ohio.  He  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  Manchester  College.  His  wife 
was  Beverly  Tobias,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Paul  M.  Tobias  also  of 
the  Eastwood  congregation.  The 
Petrys  have  accepted  the  pastorate 
of  the  Kokomo  church  in  Southern 
Indiana. 

William  Vernon  Puffenberger,  son 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vernon  A.  Puffen- 
berger of  the  Washington  City 
church  in  Eastern  Maryland.  He  is 
a  graduate  of  Bridgewater  College. 
He  is  married  to  the  former  Mary 
Katherine  Garber,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  William  J.  Garber  of  the 
Bichmond  church,  First  Virginia. 
William  will  pursue  postgraduate 
studies  at  Harvard  University. 


and  Mrs.  Alton  Sherred  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace  congregation,  Den- 
ver, Colo.  He  graduated  from  Mc- 
Pherson  College.  His  wife  was 
formerly  Vivian  Oliver,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  A.  Oliver  of  Liber- 
tyville,  Iowa.  The  Sherreds  plan  to 
enter  the  pastoral  ministry. 

Richard  Allen  Smith,  son  of  Mrs. 
Dorena  Allen  of  Akron,  Ohio.  His 
home  church  is  the  Walnut  church 
in  Northern  Indiana,  and  he  is  a 
graduate  of  McPherson  College. 
His  wife  is  the  former  Edna  Mae 
Weaver,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Alvin  Weaver  of  Rochester,  Ind. 
Her  home  church  is  also  the  Walnut 
congregation.  The  Smiths  will  enter 
the  pastoral  ministry. 

Guij  Edgar  Wampler,  Jr.,  son  of 


Wratchford 


Border 


Hilficker 


Ingram 


Robbins 


'%*:!<!- 


Rittenhouse 


Carmichael 


Ronald  Keith  Morgan,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clinton  E.  Morgan  of  the 
Ligonier  congregation  in  Western 
Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
Juniata  College.  He  is  married  to 
Dorla  Kinsey,  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Herman  H.  Kinsey,  also  of  the 
Ligonier  church.  He  has  accepted 
the  pastorate  of  the  Community 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  Hutchin- 
son, Western  Kansas. 

Harlan  Dale  Mummert,  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Mummert  of 
Daly  City,  Calif.  Harlan  comes 
from  the  San  Francisco  church  of 
Northern  California  and  is  a  grad- 
uate of  La  Verne  College.  He  is 
married  to  Mary  Ellenberger, 
daughter  of  Mrs.  A.  J.  Ellenberger 
of  La  Verne,  Calif.  The  Mummerts' 
plans  for  next  year  are  uncertain. 

Ronald  Dean  Petry,  son  of  the 
Reverend  and  Mrs.  Wilmer  A.  Petry 


Joseph  Samuel  Rittenhouse,  of 
the  Peach  Blossom  church,  Easton, 
Md.,  in  the  Mardela  District.  Joseph 
is  a  graduate  of  Blue  Ridge  College. 
He  is  married  to  Estelle  Beahm  of 
the  Connellsville  church,  Western 
Pennsylvania.  He  will  be  re-entering 
the  pastoral  ministry,  serving  in  the 
Pleasant  View  congregation,  North- 
ern Virginia. 

Albert  Lee  Sauls,  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Eric  B.  Sauls,  Sr.,  of  Hampton, 
Va.  His  home  church  is  the  New- 
port News  congregation  in  Eastern 
Virginia  and  he  is  a  graduate  of 
Bridgewater  College.  He  is  married 
to  Loretta  Smith,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  G.  W.  Smith  also  of  the 
Newport  News  congregation.  Albert 
and  Loretta  will  be  entering  the 
pastorate  of  the  Peter's  Creek 
church,   Roanoke,  in  First  Virginia. 

Lyall   Ross   Sherred,    son   of   Mr. 


the  Reverend  and  Mrs.  Guy  E. 
Wampler,  Sr.,  of  Bridgewater,  Va. 
His  home  church  is  the  Greenmount 
congregation,  Northern  Virginia,  and 
he  is  a  graduate  of  Bridgewater  Col- 
lege. Guy  will  become  the  assist- 
ant pastor  in  the  Ephrata  church, 
Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

Harold  Paul  Wenger,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Alvin  M.  Wenger  of  Quar- 
ryville,  Pa.,  and  of  the  Mechanic 
Grove  church  of  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania. Harold  is  a  graduate  of  Eliz- 
abethtown  College  and  is  married 
to  Lois  Mumma,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  LeRoy  G.  Mumma  of  the 
First  church,  Harrisburg,  Pa.  The 
Wengers  will  begin  pastoral  service 
in  the  Woodland  church,  District  of 
Michigan. 

Joel  Dan  West,  son  of  Mr.   and 


JUNE   18,  1960 


19 


Mrs.  Dan  West  of  the  Middlebury 
church,  Northern  Indiana.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  Manchester  College. 
He  is  married  to  Janet  Beeghley, 
daughter  of  Mrs.  Mary  Beeghley  of 
the  Piqua  church  in  Southern  Ohio. 
Joel  will  enter  Garrett  Biblical  Insti- 
tute and  Northwestern  University  to 
continue  his  graduate  studies. 

Donald  Rutt  Witters,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  Witters  of  Ephrata, 
Pa.  His  home  church  is  the  West 
Conestoga  congregation,  Eastern 
Pennsylvania,  and  he  is  a  graduate 
of  Elizabethtown  College.  His  wife 
was  Faye  Smith,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jacob  Smith  of  the  Pal- 
myra church,  Eastern  Pennsylvania. 
Don  will  continue  his  studies  at 
Pennsylvania  State  University. 

Eugene  Philip  Wratchford,  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ervin  Wratchford  of 
Moorefield,  W.  Va.  His  home 
church  is  the  Walnut  Grove  church 
of  First  West  Virginia.  Eugene  is 
a  graduate  of  Berea  College.  His 
wife  was  formerly  Charlotte  Mitch- 
ell, daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Santa  Mitchell  of  the  Smith  Creek 
congregation,  Northern  Virginia. 
Eugene  will  enter  Boston  University 
for  further  graduate  studies. 

Those  receiving  the  degree,  Mas- 
ter of  Religious  Education,  were: 

Donald  William  Border,  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  A.  Border  of 
the  Living  Stone  church,  Cumber- 
land, in  Western  Maryland.  He  is 
a  graduate  of  Bridgewater  College. 
He  is  married  to  Mildred  Wine, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  Wine 
of  the  Timberville  church,  Northern 
Virginia.  He  will  continue  to  serve 
the  Wenatchee  Valley  church, 
Washington,  as  director  of  Christian 
education. 

John  Edward  Hilficker,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  E.  G.  Hilficker  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.  John  is  a  graduate  of 
Franklin  Marshall  College.  He  is 
married  to  Nancy  Ginder,  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herman  Ginder  of 
the  Salunga  congregation,  Eastern 
Pennsylvania.  John  is  now  serving 
the  Elizabethtown  church  in  East- 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


ern    Pennsylvania,    as     director    of 
Christian  education. 

Phyllis  Ann  Ingram,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hugh  Ingram  of  the 
Spring  Creek  church,  Hershey,  in 
Eastern  Pennsylvania.  Phyllis  is  a 
graduate  of  Elizabethtown  College. 
Her  plans  for  next  year  are 
uncertain. 

Marjory  Ellen  Robbins,  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilford  M.  Robbins 
of  Sacramento,  Calif.  Her  home 
church  is  the  Meadowview  congre- 
gation in  Northern  California,  and 
she  is  a  graduate  of  La  Verne  Col- 
lege. She  will  begin  her  duties  as 
administrative  assistant  in  the  Mc- 
Farland  church,  Northern  California. 

The  degree,  Bachelor  of  Sacred 
Literature,  was  conferred  upon 
Estelle  Beahm  Rittenhouse,  whose 
husband,  Joseph  S.  Rittenhouse,  is 
a  member  of  the  senior  seminary 
class. 

Those  receiving  the  Two-Year 
Certificate  from  the  Bible  Training 
School  were: 

Ralph  Adam  Bream  (not  pic- 
tured, son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ralph 
A.  Bream  of  the  Huntsdale  church 
in  Southern  Pennsylvania.  He  is 
married  to  Nancy  Shanck,  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris  Shanck  of 
the  Potsdam  congregation,  Southern 
Ohio.  Their  plans  for  service  are 
indefinite. 

Mark  Joseph  Carmichael  of  Pay- 
ette, Idaho.  He  is  married  to  Sarah 
Landis,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Will  Lan- 
dis  of  the  Morrill  congregation, 
Northeastern  Kansas.  The  Car- 
michaels  will  serve  the  congregation 
in  Sunnyside,  Wash. 

Forrest  Benjamin  Gordon,  son  of 
Joseph  Gordon  of  the  Dunnings 
Creek  congregation  in  Middle  Penn- 
sylvania. He  is  married  to  Anna 
Weible  of  the  same  congregation. 
They  will  enter  the  pastoral  ministry 
at  the  Lost  Creek  church  in  South- 
ern Pennsylvania. 

Martha  Ann  Harrington,  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Harring- 
ton of  the  Ridgely  congregation, 
Md.,  in  the  Mardela  District.  Martha 
expects  to  be  married  in  the  summer 


Gordon 

Harrington 

Kaucher 

Manges 

Stern 


and  to  enter  La  Verne  College  in 
the  fall. 

Howard  Leroy  Kaucher,  son  of 
Mrs.  Howard  Kaucher  of  the  Read- 
ing congregation  in  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania. His  wife  was  formerly 
Elva  Martin,  daughter  of  the  Rever- 
end and  Mrs.  Noah  Martin  of 
Ephrata  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania. 
The  Kauchers  will  enter  the  pastoral 
ministry  in  the  Mountain  Valley 
church,  Tenn. 

Edgar  Lynn  Manges,  son  of  Mrs. 
Uriel  Manges  of  the  New  Paris  con- 
gregation, Middle  Pennsylvania.  His 
wife  is  the  former  Minnie  Gohn  of 
the  same  congregation.  The  Man- 
geses  will  remain  in  Chicago  on  the 
staff  of  Bethany  Seminary. 

Carrie  Showalter  Stern,  of  the 
First  church,  Chicago,  in  Northern! 
Illinois.  As  the  wife  of  Charles  V. 
Stern  of  Villa  Park,  111.,  she  will 
continue  her  duties  as  a  homemaker. 


Coming  Into  Focus 

Continued  from  page  16 

funds  available  to  new  churches 
the  Brotherhood  Church  Exten- 
sion Investment  Fund  will  be  in- 
creased to  two  million  dollars 
over  a  seven-year  period. 

8.  Individuals,  local  churches, 
and  districts  are  encouraged  to 
invest  in  the  Brotherhood  Church 
Extension  Loan  Fund.  The  inter- 
est rate  is  4M%  on  funds  invested 
after  April  1,  1960. 

9.  The  maximum  loan  to  a 
church  will  be  increased  to 
$65,000.  The  interest  rate  will  be 
5%  for  the  first  seven  years;  there- 
after it  will  be  increased  to  6%. 

10.  Principal  and  interest  pay- 
ments will  be  kept  to  a  minimum 
during  the  early  years  of  the 
church's  life  but  congregations 
will  be  encouraged  to  liquidate 
their  indebtedness  or  renegotiate 
their  loans  as  rapidly  as  possible 
in   order   that   these   funds   may 


Lore 
grea 

and 
new 

Of,: 


CU 


I  in    turn    be    available    to    other 
(churches. 

The  above  policies  reflect  the 

,  I  Board's   eagerness   to   invest  the 

'.  Lord's   money   in   the   places    of 

;  greatest    need    and    opportunity, 

i  and  at  the  same  time  give  our 

I  new  church  fellowships  the  kind 

of  assistance  that  will  enable  them 
I  to  become  self-supporting  within 

a  few  years. 

Every  member  is  invited  to  give 
I  our  church  extension  policies  care- 
|  ful  consideration.  Questions  and 
I  suggestions  for  improvement  may 
]  be  directed  to  the  Ministry  and 
'  Home  Mission  Commission  of 
I  the  General  Brotherhood  Board, 

Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
1  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


Training  Lay  Leaders 

Continued  from  page  10 

of  masons,  carpenters,  bakers,  ac- 
countants, teachers,  and  banana 
workers,  Christians  all,  will  go  on 
to  take  the  reins  of  the  prospering 
Ecuadorian  church  and  guide  her 
toward  the  rich  fields  of  spiritual 
harvest  that  await  her  tending. 
There  are  people  in  Ecuador  who 
pray  that  this  recent  institute  may 
become  for  the  national  Christians 
a  point  of  reference  for  future 
learning,  a  steppingstone  across 
the  uncertain  waters  of  spiritual 
immaturity,  and  a  key  for  liberat- 
ing Ecuadorians  from  depending 
on  foreigners  in  the  life  of  the 
Ecuadorian  church. 


A  Letter  to  Redondo  Beach 


"It  is  surprising  that  in  this  day 
i  of  awakened  unity  and  growing  co- 
I  operation  among  various  churches, 
we  Protestants  are  still  denomina- 
i  tional,"  a  Church  of  the  Brethren 
congregation  said  to  the  residents 
i  of  its  community  in  Southern 
!  California. 

The  congregation,  the  South  Bay 
!  Community  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
listed  in  a  flier  distributed  through- 
out nearby  Redondo  Beach  the  vari- 
,  ous  aspects  of  the  Christian  fellow- 
i  ship  of  which  it  is  a  part.  The  list 
j  included  the  Southern  Califomia- 
ij  Arizona  District,  the  Pacific  Coast 
!  Region,  and  the  world-wide  ministry 
j  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  —  all 
I  denominational  ties;  the  Church 
I  Federation  of  Los  Angeles;  the 
|  Southern  California  Council  of 
j  Churches;  and  the  National  and  the 
i  World  Councils  of  Churches. 

"In  fact,   a  person   must   belong 

j   to  a  denomination  in  order  to  belong 

to  any  of  these  larger  groups  fisted 


above,"  the  statement  explained. 
"Thank  God,"  it  read,  "that  churches 
these  days  are  striving  to  unite  rather 
than  divide." 

Delivered  by  laymen  to  2,100 
homes  the  day  before  Palm  Sunday, 
the  simple  but  compelling  mimeo- 
graphed folder  announced  the  order 
of  services  at  the  South  Bay  church 
and  invited  all  persons  to  attend. 
Some  3,000  or  4,000  additional 
homes  within  a  one-mile  radius  were 
to  be  reached  by  "occupant  mailing." 

The  statement  indicated  that  the 
South  Bay  church  aspires  to  serve 
as  a  community  church,  applying  its 
252  years  "of  rich  heritage  as  a  solid 
foundation  and  existing  fellowship" 
through  which  to  serve  the  commu- 
nity "with  a  vital  gospel  of  Christ 
which  is  bound  by  no  particular 
creed,  but  rather  founded  upon  New 
Testament   discipleship   for   Christ." 

The  invitation  asserted:  "Freedom 
of  individual  religious  conviction  is 
an  abiding  principle  with  us.    Con- 


structive tolerance  and  understand- 
ing among  individuals  of  different 
beliefs  and  backgrounds  is  certainly 
God's  will." 

The  statement  expressed  the  con- 
viction that  no  one  tradition  can 
have  all  the  fight.  Members  of  other 
denominations  not  presendy  active 
in  a  church  were  invited  to  share 
with  the  South  Bay  congregation 
"the  light  you  have  been  given 
through  experience  in  the  rich  heri- 
tage from  which  you  come." 

Pastor  of  the  congregation  for  two 
years  now  is  Orville  L.  Gardner, 
native  Pennsylvanian,  Bethany  Sem- 
inary graduate,  and  holder  of  a  mas- 
ter's degree  in  psychology  and 
counseling  from  Boston  University. 
In  a  more  personal  expression  of 
unity,  the  flier  commented  in  an  in- 
troductory note  of  the  pastor  and 
his  wife,  Ardith,  a  native  Calif or- 
nian:  "They  tell  us  they  believed 
in  uniting  the  East  and  West." 

As  an  accommodation  to  early 
worshipers  and  to  parents  of  chil- 
dren in  the  church  school,  the  con- 
gregation provides  an  early  worship 
service  during  the  Sunday  school 
hour,  9:30  to  10:30.  A  regular  serv- 
ice of  worship  follows  at  eleven 
o'clock. 

"In  our  message  to  the  community 
we  wanted  to  highlight  something 
new,  a  special  service  for  those  with 
less-than-religiously-oriented  sched- 
ules here  in  the  'land  of  eternal  sun' 
and  of  'ocean  rhythm,' "  Pastor 
Gardner  explained.  "For  this  reason 
we  made  the  earlier  service  of  wor- 
ship available  so  that  at  least  a  por- 
tion of  the  parents  who  deliver  their 
children  to  Sunday  school  might 
come  shaven  and  dressed  to  remain 
for  worship. 

"Thus  they  can  do  it  with  a  'one- 
trip  Bumstead'  in  one  hour." 

Pastor  Gardner  added  that  in  the 
area  where  a  few  years  ago  there 
was  hardly  a  house  within  a  mile 
of  the  church,  and  where  families 
are  young  with  two  to  four  children, 


one  of  the  urgent  tasks  is  to  help 
parents  to  want  from  the  church 
more  than  a  "baby-sitting  Sunday 
school."  The  new  schedule  of  serv- 
ices, he  said,  is  intended  to  involve 
whole  families  and  thus  provide 
spiritual  experiences  for  more  of  the 
homes. 

To  get  the  right  message  to  Re- 
dondo  Beach  people  is  difficult  in 
light  of  literature  hand-out  cam- 
paigns of  Jehovah's  Witnesses  and 
Mormons  in  the  area,  the  church 
found.  In  the  flier  it  prepared  the 
church  sought  "just  enough  interpre- 
tation to  answer  the  fears  or  ques- 
tions the  secular  public  holds  about 


'those  church  people.' "  The  litera- 
ture rack  in  the  church  provides  an 
interpretive  folder  with  fuller  infor- 
mation on  the  church's  local  and 
world  program. 

"Our  challenge  is  to  follow  up 
the  message  in  the  flier  with  a  pro- 
gram that  carries  out  its  implica- 
tions," said  the  pastor.  "We  must 
pray  and  work  to  get  the  ideas  off 
paper  into  lives."  To  this  end  the 
South  Bay  Brethren  are  striving  for 
a  ministry  that  fulfills  the  motto  they 
have  chosen: 

"The  church  in  the  heart  of  the 
community  with  the  community  at 
heart." 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


The     Gospel     of    the     Kingdom. 

George     Eldon     Ladd.      Eerdmans, 
1959.    144  pages.    $2.75. 

This  is  a  scholarly,  conservative 
interpretation  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.  The  author  is  very  well  versed 
in  contemporary  views.  Yet  he 
writes  in  a  clear  readable  style  which 
can  be  easily  understood.  The 
scheme  is  threefold:  The  kingdom 
came  with  Christ,  will  come  at  the 
beginning  of  the  millennium,  and 
will  come  in  complete  victory  at  the 
end  of  the  millennium.  However, 
unlike  many  premillennialists,  the 
author  stresses  the  present  manifes- 
tations of  the  kingdom,  including 
very  good  sections  on  the  righteous- 
ness and  demands  of  the  kingdom. 
As  a  Brethren  I  objected  to  the 
author's  interpretation  of  the  non- 
resistance  and  oath  sections  of  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  as  "radical 
metaphors  which  were  not  intended 
to  be  taken  with  rigid  literalness," 
especially  when  the  author  inter- 
prets many  passages  in  the  Book 
of  Revelation  with  this  same  rigid 
literalness.  These  expositions  on  the 
kingdom  of  God  provide  a  real  ex- 
ample of  what  has  been  termed 
"fundamentalism  in  transition."  — 
Dale  W.  Brown,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

°My  Heart  Has  Seventeen  Rooms. 

Carol    Bartholomew.     Macmillan, 
1959.    177  pages.   $3.50. 

This  is  a  fascinating  account  of 
day-by-day  experiences  ef  the  author 
as  she  found  fife  in  India.  An  unusu- 
ally sensitive  person,  Carol  Barthol- 


22 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


omew  tells  of  the  things  about  India 
and  Indian  life  that  captured  and 
held  her  affections. 

Giving  a  full  eight-hour  day  as  a 
social  service  worker  in  a  seventeen- 
room  hospital,  Mrs.  Bartholomew  re- 
calls in  vivid  scenes  the  people  she 
met  and  cared  for  as  patients  and 
as  people.  They  came  from  all  walks 
of  life  —  from  the  lowliest  Tibetan 
laborer  to  a  visiting  dignitary. 
Through  her  contact  with  so  many 
and  her  deep  sensitivity  to  the  In- 
dian people,  she  gained  an  insight 
that  few  Ameriacns  have  the  oppor- 
tunity to  do. 

Mrs.  Bartholomew  is  the  wife  of 
an  engineer  who  was  an  American 
adviser  for  the  building  of  the 
Bakhra  Dam.  In  her  account  she 
tells  of  their  family's  adjustment  to 
Indian  life,  of  interesting  trips,  but 
foremost  of  the  people  she  met  and 
loved. 

This  book  is  warmly  written  and 
uniquely  informative.  —  Edythe  B. 
McDowell,  Elgin,  III. 

Teaching  Alcohol  Education  in  the 
Schools.  Atkins  and  Gwynn.  Mac- 
Millan,  1959.    190  pages.    $3.20. 

The  authors  do  not  look  upon  al- 
cohol education  as  a  new  subject  to 
be  brought  into  the  school  curricu- 
lum. Instead,  it  is  a  subject  that 
should  be  encountered  naturally  in 
many  ways  in  a  school  program  that 
provides  for  information  in  the  fields 
of  health,  safety,  and  social  prob- 
lems. An  effective  program  of  al- 
cohol education  must  be  centered 
around  the  problems  created  in  soci- 
ety by  the  use  of  alcoholic  bever- 


ages. Among  these  problems  the 
major  ones  are:  (1)  the  disease  of 
alcoholism,  (2)  the  problems  of  the! 
use  of  alcoholic  beverages  and  traf- 
fic control,  and  (3)  inebriety  as  it 
affects  industry,  the  family,  the  com- 
munity. Pupils  should  be  led  to 
formulate  for  themselves  acceptable 
standards  with  regard  to  the  prob- 
lems of  alcohol  based  on  accurate 
information  and  upon  the  demands 
of  society.  —  Glee  Yoder,  McPher- 
son, Kansas. 

°A  History  of  Israel.  John  Bright. 
Westminster,  1959.  524  pages. 
$7.50. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  forms 
a  part  of  the  people  of  God.  In 
our  concern  to  emphasize  that  we 
are  a  New  Testament  church,  to  our 
peril  and  contrary  to  the  example  of 
Alexander  Mack,  we  often  neglect 
the  Old  Testament.  John  Bright's 
book  can  provide  a  needed  correc- 
tive for  this  situation. 

Solidly  based  on  the  results  of 
archaeological  research  and  scholarly 
investigation  this  volume  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  reviewer  is  the  first 
satisfactory  full-scale  history  of  Is- 
rael. Placing  Israel  in  her  ancient 
Oriental  setting  the  author  convinc- 
ingly allays  the  fears  that  had  been 
raised  by  scholars  of  past  generations 
and  sets  forth  the  essential  historicity 
of  the  Old  Testament  accounts. 

As  seen  by  Dr.  Bright  the  Old 
Testament  leads  one  up  to  the  de- 
cisive question  posed  by  Jesus  to  his 
disciples,  "Who  do  you  say  that  I 
am?" 

The  serious  minister  and  enlight- 
ened layman  will  find  here  an  in- 
dispensable resource  book  which  can 
provide  him  with  a  solid  historical 
framework  for  reading  any  section 
of  the  Old  Testament.  —  David  J. 
Wieand,  Chicago,  III. 

"The  Bible  Speaks.  Robert  David- 
son. Thomas  Y.  Crowell,  1960.  258 
pages.   $3.95. 

Robert  Davidson,  lecturer  in  Bibli- 
cal study,  University  of  Aberdeen, 
here  presents  the  finest,  clearest, 
most  persuasive  study  I  have  yet 
seen  of  what  the  Bible  really  says. 

Beginning  with  the  creation,  he 
points  up  God's  purposes,  unfolding 
them  in  the  developing  experience 
of  the  Hebrew  people.  He  points 
up  vividly  man's  rebelliousness  but 
God's  persistent,  steadfast  love.  He 
shows  how  the  prophets  encourage 
the  faith  of  their  people  —  not  an 
easy  optimism,  but  a  realistic  faith  — 
in  times  of  greatest  rebelliousness,  in 


captivity  and  seeming  oblivion. 

Coming  to  the  close  of  the  Old 
Testament,  he  shows  how  God's  pur- 
poses for  man   are  still  unrealized. 

Beginning  with  the  New  Testa- 
ment he  shows  how  the  Old 
Testament  themes  are  picked  up 
in  the  New  Testament  and  carried 
throughout.  There  is  the  expectation 
that  God  will  act,  answered  in  send- 
ing his  Son,  who  is  seen  variously 
in  the  thought  life  of  the  people: 
to  the  Jews,  as  a  sacrifice  for  our 
sins;  to  the  Greeks  and  Romans  as 
the  redemption  from  our  slavery  to 
sin  and  as  the  justification  before 
the  Law  of  God. 

Looking  at  Jesus'  own  thought 
concerning  himself,  we  see  that  he 
regards  himself  as  the  Suffering 
Servant,  ushering  in  the  kingdom  of 
God;  that  he  goes  to  a  cross  to  re- 
deem us  and  complete  a  new  cove- 
nant. This  covenant  is  symbolized 
by  the  bread  and  the  cup  —  the  body 
and  the  blood  (or  life). 

Finally  there  is  the  abolition  of 
death  and  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth. 

Throughout  all  of  his  presentation, 
the  author  lets  the  "Bible  speak," 
quoting  generously  the  appropos 
passages. 

Here,  then,  one  gets  a  compre- 
hensive unfolding  of  this  Biblical 
revelation  —  presented  in  most  un- 
derstandable terms.  This  is  a  book 
worthy  of  every  minister's  time  and 
presented  in  such  a  way  that  every 
Christian  can  better  understand  the 
Book  of  books  and  God's  purposes 
for  us.  —  Charles  E.  Zunkel,  Port  Re- 
public, Va. 

The  Way  of  Man.  Martin  Buber. 
Pendle  Hill,  1959.    32  pages.    35c. 

The  Pendle  Hill  pamphlet  series 
has  performed  a  real  service  in  mak- 
ing available  in  an  inexpensive  edi- 
tion this  classic  by  the  greatest 
Jewish  philosopher  of  our  day.  This 
pamphlet  is  interpreted  according  to 
the  teachings  of  Hasidism.  This 
word  in  Hebrew  means  piety.  It 
refers  to  the  popular  reform  mystical 
movement  that  swept  through  the 
communities  of  East  European  Jewry 
in  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth 
centuries.  This  movement  was  con- 
temporaneous with  Pietism,  the 
movement  from  which  Brethrenism 
emerged.  Martin  Buber,  strongly  in- 
fluenced by  this  movement,  has 
made  it  famous  today. 

He  begins  each  section  with 
Hasidic  tales,  each  with  a  lesson 
which  forms  the  basis  for  his  com- 
ments.  Here  is  valuable  homilectical 


material.  Yet  this  classic  is  more 
than  an  interpretation  of  Hasidism, 
for  it  contains  Buber's  own  themes 
of  the  uniqueness  of  man,  the  con- 
cept of  the  total  man,  and  the  hal- 
lowing of  our  relationship  with  all 
things.  Hasidism  is  a  mysticism 
which  hallows  community  and  every- 
day life  rather  than  withdrawing 
from  it.  —  Dale  W.  Brown,  McPher- 
son,  Kansas. 

*  Questions  People  Ask  About  Re- 
ligion. W.  E.  Sangster.  Abingdon, 
1960.    142  pages.    $2.25. 

In  one  hundred  brief  homilies, 
one  of  England's  foremost  Methodist 
ministers  deals  in  a  practical  manner 
with  many  of  the  common  questions 
people  ask  about  religion  in  general 
and  the  Christian  faith  in  particular. 

Some  sample  questions  are:  "Can 
the  existence  of  God  be  proved?" 
"Can't  I  be  moral  without  religion?" 
"Why  is  Christ  called  'Savior'?" 
"Can't  I  be  a  Christian  and  not  a 
member  of  the  church?"  "Is  there  a 
hell?" 

Although  the  answers  Dr.  Sang- 
ster gives  to  these  questions  are 
quite  simply  expressed,  they  do 
serve  to  give  the  casual  reader  much 
basic  information  about  Christian 
doctrine  and  theology.  The  section 
on  Religion  could  have  been  written 
by  any  religionist,  Christian  or  oth- 
erwise, but  the  section  on  Jesus 
Christ  does  deserve  acclaim  for  the 
way  it  states  the  historic  doctrines 
about  Christ  and  conveys  under- 
standing to  those  who  would  be 
overcome  by  deeper  material.  The 
format  gives  the  appearance  of  a 
collection  of  daily  newspaper  col- 
umns written  to  answer  the  ques- 
tions of  readers,  but  there  is  at  the 
same  time  a  continuity  that  holds 
attention.  The  average  church 
school  teacher  will  find  this  a  simple 
volume  to  read  and  a  helpful  aid 
to  his  lesson  preparation.  —  Floyd  E. 
Bantz,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

Anthems  for  the  Junior  Choir, 
Book  4.  Edited  by  W.  Lawrence 
Curry.  Westminster,  1959.  64  pages. 
$1.10. 

This  fourth  volume  of  Anthems 
for  the  Junior  Choir  maintains  the 
high  quality  of  sacred  music  found 
in  the  former  volumes  in  the  West- 
minster series. 

Even  though  most  of  the  numbers 
are  written  for  two-part  vocal  har- 
mony, they  can  be  sung  in  unison. 
There  are  several  new  features  in 
this  volume  of  junior  choir  music. 
One  is  the  inclusion  of  suggestions 
for  using  the  adult  and  junior  choirs 


together  on  a  dozen  numbers. 

Some  choric  speech  numbers  are 
included.  One  number  also  provides 
an  opportunity  to  use  a  bell  choir 
along  with  a  singing  and  speech 
choir.  Even  though  hand  bells 
might  not  be  available,  the  number 
can  be  used  by  substituting  organ 
chimes. 

Children's  choir  leaders  will  wel- 
come this  fine  volume  in  their  li- 
braries of  choir  music.  —  Mildred  M. 
Etter. 

°A  Year  of  Evangelism  in  the  Lo- 
cal Church.  Gordon  Pratt  Baker, 
Edward  Ferguson,  Jr.,  editors.  Tid- 
ings, 1960.  224  pages.  $1.50,  or 
$5.00  for  4. 

This  book  was  produced  by  Tid- 
ings as  a  practical  manual  to  assist 
local  churches  in  their  yearly  and 
continued  ministry  of  evangelism.  It 
is  really  a  "how  to"  book  that  con- 
tains chapters  by  twenty-eight 
authors  on  such  practical  subjects 
as:  How  to  Motivate  the  Local 
Church  for  Evangelism  (Sweazey); 
How  to  Plan  a  Yearly  Program  of 
Evangelism  (Benz);  How  to  Con- 
duct a  Religious  Census  (Quick); 
How  to  Conduct  a  Total  Visitation 
Program  (Spain);  How  to  Conduct 
an  Effective  Prayer  Circle  (Staats); 
How  to  Take  a  Registration  of  At- 
tendance in  the  Local  Church.  The 
Brethren  will  appreciate  noting  a 
chapter  by  Edward  K.  Ziegler  on 
How  to  Evangelize  the  Rural 
Church. 

While  the  book  contains  tech- 
niques with  which  pastors  are  quite 
familiar,  it  is  sprinkled  with  many 
new  thoughts  and  has  the  advantage 
of  placing  many  significant  ideas 
under  one  cover.  Pastors  and  evan- 
gelism committees  will  want  to  have 
this  book.  —  Stewart  B.  Kauffman. 

The  Master's  Men.  William  Bar- 
clay. Abingdon,  1960.  128  pages. 
$2.00. 

There  seems  to  be  an  increasing 
interest  in  the  twelve  disciples,  and 
a  number  of  books  have  been  pub- 
lished within  the  past  year.  In  this 
reviewer's  opinion  this  is  one  of  the 
good  ones,  readable,  scholarly,  in- 
clusive in  that  it  takes  note  of  the 
many  legends  associated  with  these 
famous  disciples.  I  recommend  it 
to  ministers,  teachers,  and  laymen 
who  have  an  interest  in  learning  to 
know  more  intimately  tiiese  men 
who  were  so  closely  associated  with 
their,  and  our,  Master.  —  W.  Glenn 
McFadden,  Elgin,  III. 


JUNE   18.  1960 


23 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Two  Per  Cent  of  National  Income 
Urged  for  Economic  Assistance 

At  least  two  per  cent  of  this 
country's  national  income  should  be 
devoted  to  economic  assistance  pro- 
grams for  underdeveloped  countries, 
according  to  Dr.  Ray  Gibbons,  the 
director  of  the  Council  for  Christian 
Social  Action  of  the  United  Church 
of  Christ. 

He  told  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives Foreign  Affairs  Committee  that 
"it  is  intolerable  for  us  to  enjoy  such 
wealth  and  advantage  as  we  do  in 
the  United  States  without  making 
every  effort  to  help  other  peoples 
lift  themselves  out  of  their  poverty, 
overcome  their  illiteracy,  and  im- 
prove their  health." 

French  Pastors  Refuse 
Reserve  Call 

Several  pastors  of  the  French 
Reformed  Church  last  October  re- 
turned their  military  papers  to 
authorities,  indicating  that  they 
were  no  longer  prepared  to  be  called 
up  as  reservists. 

For  this  infringement  of  the 
French  conscription  law,  one  pastor 
received  a  suspended  sentence  and 
three  months'  imprisonment.  He 
said  in  court,  "I  am  here  on  trial 
for  an  offense  which  has  its  origin 
in  the  New  Testament,  for  I  am 
unable  to  preach  peace,  forgiveness, 
and  reconciliation  and  at  the  same 
time  give  the  impression  that  I  per- 
mit the  army  to  call  upon  me  to 
inflict  death." 

Committee  Urges  Return  of 
Confiscated  Japanese, 
German  Property 

The  Committee  for  Return  for 
Confiscated  German  and  Japanese 
Property,  an  American  civic  group, 
has  urged  the  return  of  postwar 
vested  assets  in  the  United  States 
as  a  "gesture  of  confidence  in  the 
wholesome,  democratic  forces  which 
are  currently  under  strain  in  Ger- 
many." At  its  annual  meeting  the 
committee  urged  the  President  and 
Congress  to  carry  out  the  return, 
support  for  which  was  promised  by 
the  White  House  in  July  1957. 

Italians  Ban  Film  About 
Conscientious  Objectors 

State  movie  censors  in  Rome  have 
banned  filming  on  Italian  soil  an 
Italo-French      production      entitled 


24 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


"Thou  Shalt  Not  Kill,"  a  story  about 
conscientious  objectors.  The  project 
was  quashed  on  recommendation  of 
the  Italian  Ministry  of  Defense, 
which  declared  that  the  problem  of 
conscientious  objection  does  not  ex- 
ist in  Italy. 

The  Ministry  said,  "We  do  not 
want  films  which  might  teach  our 
young  men  the  existence  of  this  prob- 
lem. We  already  have  enough  prob- 
lems with  military  recruiting." 

Offer  More  Religious  Help 
for  Retarded  Children 

Religious  instruction  for  retarded 
children  is  being  stepped  up  by  Pro- 
testant, Roman  Catholic  and  Jewish 
groups  throughout  the  United  States, 
according  to  a  report  from  a  field 
representative  for  the  National  As- 
sociation for  Retarded  Children. 

Allan  R.  Menefee  said  that  "in- 
creasing numbers  of  children  who 
might  have  been  overlooked  in  past 
years  now  are  making  their  first 
Communions  as  a  result  of  religious 
instruction.  Only  ten  years  ago,  we 
knew  of  no  Bible  or  Catechism 
classes  held  especially  for  retarded 
children.  Now  there  are  hundreds  of 
them.  One  of  the  strengths  of  the 
mentally  retarded  child  is  his  reli- 
gious faith.  It  expresses  his  own 
worth  as  a  human  being  and  gives 
him  identity  in  his  love  for  others." 

Mr.  Menefee  said  that  there  is 
a  great  need  for  more  training  for 
clergymen   in  this  specialized  field. 

Political  Conditions  Affect 
Churches  in 
Rhodesia,  Nyasaland 

Concern  over  the  future  of  the 
churches  caught  up  in  the  political 
ferment  in  the  Federation  of  Rho- 
desia and  Nyasaland  was  voiced  by 
a  British  clergyman  who  recently 
returned  from  a  visit  to  the  Federa- 
tion. 

Ronald  K.  Orchard,  secretary  in 
London  of  the  International  Mis- 
sionary Council,  stressed  the  need 
for  maintaining  "Christian  integrity" 
in  the  face  of  a  rising  African  nation- 
alism challenging  white  European 
privilege.  He  said  the  political  issue 
stemmed  largely  from  the  fact  that 
the  Federation  is  regarded  by  the 
great  majority  of  Africans  as  an  in- 
strument for  perpetuating  the  politi- 
cal supremacy  of  the  European 
section  of  the  community  and  that  it 
has  become  "the  focus  of  all  their 
frustrations." 


Communists  Criticize 
Baptists  and  Mennonites 
in  the  Soviet  Union 

A  Moscow  radio  broadcast  to  areas 
of  the  USSR  occupied  by  Germans 
accused  Baptist  and  Mennonite 
groups  of  urging  the  people  there 
"to  take  no  part  in  the  building  of 
Communism,"  but  to  think  instead 
about  "preparing  for  the  afterlife." 
The  broadcast,  which  was  in  Ger- 
man, said  that  "steps  have  been 
taken  to  eradicate  the  situation." 

The  Moscow  radio  commented 
that  Soviet  German  working  people 
were  working  for  the  fulfillment  of 
the  government's  economic  plans  and 
will  not  allow  preachers,  clergymen 
or  others  "to  go  beyond  the  prac- 
tice of  their  religion  by  trying  to 
alienate  honest  Soviet  people  from 
the  building  of  communism." 

Quakers  Press  for 
Point  Four  Youth  Corps 

The  creation  of  a  Point  Four 
Youth  Corps  to  enable  American 
young  people  to  volunteer  for  service 
in  helping  to  raise  the  standards  of 
living  in  underdeveloped  nations  of 
the  world  has  been  urged  by  a 
spokesman  for  the  Religious  Society 
of  Friends. 

Mrs.  Ruth  H.  Replogle,  vice- 
chairman  of  the  American  Section  of 
the  Friends  World  Committee,  said 
that  the  Mutual  Security  bill  now 
under  consideration  by  Congress 
should  be  amended  to  include  a 
start  in  developing  such  a  corps,  as 
proposed  in  bills  offered  by  Rep. 
Henry  Reuss  of  Wisconsin  and  the 
late  Sen.  Richard  Neuberger. 

She  said  that  the  field  of  world 
economic  development  calls  young 
people  to  adventure  and  to  serve 
their  fellow  men  around  the  world. 
She  said  "it  provides  a  constructive 
outlet  for  young  people's  energy,  en- 
thusiasm, and  idealism." 

India  Doubles  Family 
Planning  Appropriations 

The  government  of  India  has  pro- 
vided an  expenditure  of  $2,005,000 
for  family  planning  in  its  1960-61 
budget,  which  is  more  than  double 
its  current  appropriation.  According 
to  official  figures,  there  are  now 
more  than  1,000  birth  control  clinics 
opened  by  the  government  all 
over  India  —  one  of  the  few  coun- 
tries in  the  world  which  has 
officially  adopted  the  family  plan- 
ning program. 


The  official  family  planning  com- 
mittee has  pointed  out  that  if  the 
present  fertility  trend  continues  the 
population  of  the  country  will  nearly 
I  double  in  the  next  thirty  years. 

I  Arab  Republic  to  Remunerate 
:  Propagators  of  Islam 

The  United  Arab  Republic  gov- 
I  eminent  has  announced  that  it  is 
[("prepared  to  pay  a  regular  salary 
I  to  every  Moslem  who  propagates 
lithe  Islamic  religion  in  this  country 
■  after  having  been  graduated  from 
:ithe  Al-Azhar  University,"  according 
to  the  Cairo  Radio. 

The  station  said  the  UAR  govern- 
I  ment  meanwhile  will  set  up  a  Mos- 
plem  liaison  office  in  all  Islamic 
I  countries  and  supply  them  all  neces- 
U  sary  religious  books  and  publica- 
Otions.  It  stated  that  each  office  will 
I  be  headed  by  a  Moslem  expert, 
|  whose  duty  will  be  to  keep  in  touch 
I  with  a  central  organization  in  Cairo. 

E^News  Briefs 

Dr.  Elfan  Rees  has  urged  that  the 
I  International  Committee  for  the 
I  World  Refugee  Year,  of  which  he  is 
»)  chairman,  continue  until  at  least  the 
rt  end  of  1960  and  draw  up  a  "debit 
\i  sheet"  of  what  remains  to  be  accom- 
il  plished  to  solve  the  refugee  problem. 
(Dr.  Rees,  a  secretary  of  the  Com- 
B  mission  of  the  Churches  on  Interna- 
n  tional  Affairs,  said  that  he  was  very 
a  disquieted  that  government  contri- 
te butions  for  refugee  work  may  be  re- 
i!  duced  next  year  after  the  end  of 
I  the  World  Refugee  Year. 

World  membership  in  the  Church 
1  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
I  (Mormon)  now  totals  1,616,088. 
I  This  represents  a  net  gain  of  more 
I  than  60,000  members  over  last  year. 
I  The  group's  130th  General  Confer- 
fj  ence  was  held  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
B  Utah. 

College  faculty  salaries  have  risen 

ii  an  average  of  10.6  per  cent  through- 

I  out  the  nation  in  the  last  two  years 

according  to  the  U.  S.  Office  of  Ed- 

I  ucation.  Salaries  are  increasing 
it  more    rapidly    in    private    colleges, 

II  most  of  which  are  church-related, 
$  than  in  state  or  municipal  colleges. 
I  However,  average  salaries  in  the 
I  private  colleges  still  lag  substan- 
p  tially  behind  those  paid  in  state 
I  universities. 

Some  135  Methodist  leaders  from 
jc  thirty-five  countries  went  on  record 
I  as  unanimously  approving  in  prin- 
I  ciple  a  plan  to  internationalize  the 
f  Methodist  Church's  missionary  force 
k  by  increasing  the  number  of  foreign 
f  missionaries  sent  out  by  the  denomi- 


nation's bodies  outside  the  United 
States. 

Theology  has  become  a  popular 
study  among  the  Roman  Catholic 
laity  in  Austria.  Nearly  6,000  men 
and  women  have  completed  courses 
in  Catholic  philosophy,  dogma,  social 
doctrine,  and  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  during  the  past  ten  years. 

Soviet  Zone  authorities  barred  the 
Evangelical  Bible  Society  of  East 
Berlin  from  displaying  its  products 
at  the  Leipzig  Spring  Trade  Fair. 
The  previous  year  the  society's  stand 
had  attracted  many  visitors.  Lack 
of  exhibition  space  was  given  as  a 
reason  for  the  ban.  The  Evangelical 
Bible  Society  of  East  Berlin  is  one 
of  the  chief  Bible-producing  agen- 
cies of  East  Germany. 

Methodists  in  the  United  States 
spent  $986,278,000  on  church  build- 
ings during  the  last  ten  years,  ac- 
cording to  a  report  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  denomination's  Board 
of  Missions.  The  financial  program 
of  building  activities  in  recent  years 
has  consumed  one  third  of  the  total 
amount  raised  by  Methodists  for  all 
purposes. 

Hungary's  Communist  government 
spent  $2,200,000  during  the  last 
three  years  on  church  building  and 
restoration,  according  to  the  Buda- 
pest Radio.  It  said  the  sum  was  in 
addition  to  the  annual  subsidies  of 
$2,520,000  to  the  various  religious 
bodies  in  the  country.  According  to 
the  station,  forty-four  new  churches 
were  built  in  the  last  two  years 
alone. 

American  Baptist  Convention 
members  gave  a  record  $9,966,000 
for  world  missions  last  year.  Their 
goal  for  1960  is  $10,500,000. 
Approximately  22  per  cent  of  the 
contributions  will  go  for  overseas 
missions,  11  per  cent  for  home  mis- 
sions, 31  per  cent  for  state  and  city 
mission  work,  9  per  cent  for  Christian 
education  and  publications,  and  the 
balance  for  other  convention  work. 

Methodists  in  Great  Britain  con- 
tributed more  than  $2,520,000  last 
year  for  the  denomination's  overseas 
missionary  work.  Membership  in 
the  Methodist  Church  of  Great 
Britain,  which  has  declined  for  five 
consecutive  years,  now  stands  at 
733,658. 

Officials  in  the  Moroccan  city  of 
Agadir  report  that  a  great  percentage 
of  the  financial  help  given  to  victims 
of  the  recent  earthquakes  that  dev- 
astated Agadir  came  from  religious 
organizations  of  various  denomina- 
tions the  world  over. 

The     Board     of     the     American 


Friends  Service  Committee  has  rec- 
ommended that  the  agency  double 
its  original  relief  goal  for  Algerian 
refugees  to  $1,000,000.  More  than 
$450,000  worth  of  materials  have 
been  shipped  to  the  area  within  the 
last  year,  but  the  need  is  "virtually 
unlimited." 

Quotes  From  the  News 

A.  J.  Muste,  secretary  emeritus  of 
the  Fellowship  of  Reconciliation:  "I 
am  unable  to  hand  over  money  to 
the  government  to  be  used  in  one 
way  or  another  for  war  or  prepara- 
tion for  war." 

Dr.  Lin  Yutang,  Chinese  philoso- 
pher and  author:  "Any  man  of 
unbiased  mind  who  will  read  of  Je- 
sus Christ  cannot  help  but  realize 
that  here  is  the  revelation  of  God. 
Jesus  Christ  is  enough." 

Dr.  Jerald  C.  Brauer,  dean  of  the 
University  of  Chicago  Federated 
Theological  Faculty:  "It  is  possible 
to  gain  the  whole  cosmos  and  lose 
our  souls." 

Dr.  Donald  M.  Timkulu,  secretary 
of  the  Provisional  Committee  of  the 
All  Africa  Church  Conference:  "Our 
churches  are  confronted  with  vast 
social,  economic,  and  political 
changes  which  are  having  their  effect 
upon  individuals,  family  life,  and  po- 
litical relationships.  One  of  the  most 
serious  results  of  Africa's  technologi- 
cal progress  and  rapid  social  change 
is  that  great  numbers  of  families 
have  been  uprooted  and  now  find 
themselves  in  situations  where  they 
are  completely  lost.  We  desire  a 
common  witness  in  Christ  with  the 
churches  of  the  West  in  meeting 
these  problems." 

Erwin  Canham,  president  of  the 
U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce:  "In- 
ternally we  need  to  revive  the  morale 
and  the  conscience  of  American  so- 
ciety. Our  long-standing  inherited 
national  values  must  be  brought  up 
to  1960  and  applied.  This  is  a  time 
for  awakening,  a  time  for  vital 
thought  and  action  to  restore  the 
vigor  of  a  nation  dedicated  to  the 
fullest  opportunity  for  individual 
men  everywhere." 

Dr.  W.  A.  Visser  't  Hooft,  gen- 
eral secretary,  World  Council  of 
Churches:  "The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  and  its  leaders  now  want  a 
much  greater  role  in  ecumenical  af- 
fairs but  don't  know  how  to  do  it. 
They  have  lived  all  their  long  history 
in  the  state  of  monologue.  Now  they 
see  that  the  churches  in  the  world 
are  entering  into  dialogue." 


JUNE  18,  1960 


25 


Obituaries 


Bacon,  Warner  Haws,  son  of  H.  H. 
and  Elisabeth  Sellers  Bacon,  died 
March  11,  1960,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years.  At  an  early  age,  he  united  with 
the  New  Hope  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  one  son, 
one  daughter,  one  granddaughter,  one 
sister  and  four  brothers.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  from  the  Jones- 
boro  funeral  home  by  Brother  F.  C. 
Rohrer  assisted  by  Bro.  Guy  Presley. 
Interment  was  in  the  Limestone  church 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  F.  C.  Rohrer,  Bean 
Station,    Term. 

Batdorf,  David  H.,  son  of  Robert 
and  Francis  Risser  Batdorf,  was  born 
Sept.  1,  1953,  and  died  April  5,  1960. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Little  Swatara 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are 
two  sisters,  one  brother,  paternal 
grandfather  and  maternal  grandpar- 
ents. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted at  the  Hill  funeral  home  with 
Bro.  Conway  Bennett  and  Bro.  Harvey 
A.  Hill,  Jr.,  officiating.  Interment  was 
at  the  Frystown  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Carl 
Brightbill,  Myerstown,  Pa. 

Beckner,  Robert  E.,  was  born  June 
12,  1890,  and  died  March  31,  1960. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  four  sons, 
one  daughter,  nine  grandchildren,  two 
brothers  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  Geiple 
funeral  home  by  Brother  N.  S.  Sellers. 
Interment  was  in  the  Black  Rock 
church  cemetery.  -  Lydia  M.  Resser, 
Manchester,  Md. 

Bishop,  Clara  V.,  daughter  of  John 
W.  and  Sarah  Clear  Hornish,  was  born 
near  Defiance,  Ohio,  Feb.  24,  1883 
and  died  Oct.  25,  1959.  She  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Joseph  M.  Bishop,  who 
preceded  her  in  death.  She  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Poplar  Ridge 
church.  Surviving  are  three  daughters, 
three  sons,  fourteen  grandchildren  and 
two  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Poplar  Ridge  church 
by  Bro.  Floyd  Emrick  assisted  by  Bro. 
Jay  Hornish.  Interment  was  in  the 
church  cemetery.  —  May  C.  Garner, 
Stryker,  Ohio. 

Bollinger,  Mary,  daughter  of  Aaron 
and  Catharine  Bollinger,  was  born 
June  12,  1881,  and  died  Nov.  29,  1959. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  She  is  survived  by  one 
brother  and  a  number  of  nieces  and 
nephews.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted in  the  Myerstown  church  by 
Bro.  Frank  H.  Layser  and  Bro.  Alan 
L.  Whitacre.  Interment  was  in  the 
Tulpehocken  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Harvey 
Shenk,   Myerstown,   Pa. 

Bolyard,  Sirilda  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  George  and  Sarah  Bowman  Phelps 
was  born  Feb.  5,  1870,  and  died  Feb. 
15  1960.  She  was  married  to  Elias 
Bolyard,  who  preceded  her  in  death 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Shiloh 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are 
four  sons,  two  daughters,  forty-six 
grandchildren,  seventy-two  great- 
grandchildren and  one  great-great- 
grandchild. The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  Shiloh  with  Bro.  Henry  O 
Poling  and  Bro.  Henry  F.  Wilson  offici- 
ating.    Interment    was    in    the    Shiloh 


26 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


cemetery.  —  Georgia  Wilson,  Kasson, 
West  Virginia. 

Bordner,  Edith  I.,  daughter  of  Grant 
W.  and  Anna  Shirk  Bordner,  died  April 
6,  1960,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Fredericks- 
burg congregation.  Surviving  are  two 
sisters  and  one  stepsister.  The  funeral 
services  were  conducted  in  the  Fred- 
ericksburg church  by  Bro.  Ammon  B. 
Meyer,  Bro.  Mark  Wampler  and  Bro. 
Ammon  L.  Merkey.  Interment  was  in 
the  Union  Salem  cemetery.  —  Grace  E. 
Meyer,  Ono,  Pa. 

Bowlus,  Bertha  Louise,  daughter  of 
Joseph  M.  and  Ann  Elizabeth  Rowland, 
was  born  June  1871,  and  died  March 
30,  1960.  She  was  united  in  marriage 
to  John  S.  Bowlus.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  three  daughters  and  one  son. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
Bro.  Emmert  Bittinger,  Bro.  Austin 
Cooper,  and  Bro.  Lester  Fike.  Inter- 
ment was  at  the  Pleasant  View 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  J.  Thomas  Moser, 
Middletown,  Md. 

Brubaker,  Amos  O.,  son  of  Henry 
L.  and  Mary  Grisso  Brubaker,  was 
born  at  Virden,  111.,  Oct.  11,  1871,  and 
died  at  McPherson,  Kansas,  Feb.  25, 
1960.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Alice  A.  Smith,  April  18,  1897.  After 
his  wife's  death,  he  married  Ida  Frantz, 
Feb.  25,  1925,  who  preceded  him  in 
death.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  for  over  forty  years. 
Surviving  are  one  son,  one  daughter, 
two  granddaughters.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  Conway  Springs  Church 
of  the  Brethren  and  conducted  by  Bro. 
Lester  Zook,  Jr.  Interment  was  at  the 
Conway  Springs  cemetery.  —  E.  Bru- 
baker,  Elgin,   111. 

Brubaker,  Daniel  G.,  son  of  John  and 
Amanda  Plowman  Brubaker,  was  born 
at  Bennington,  Pa.,  March  4,  1887,  and 
died  March  8,  1960.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Carson  Valley  congregation  and 
was  received  into  the  ministry,  August 
27,  1910.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  Mary, 
six  children,  twenty-one  grandchildren, 
one  sister  and  two  brothers.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  in  the  Carson 
Valley  church  with  Bro.  D.  I.  Pep- 
ple  and  Bro.  Emmert  Frederick  offici- 
ating. —  Gladys  R.  Halbritter,  Altoona, 
Pa. 

Brumbaugh,  Benjamin  R.,  was  born 
April  28,  1876,  and  died  March  2, 
1960.  He  was  married  to  Jennie  Fink, 
who  preceded  him  in  death.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Woodbury  church. 
Surviving  are  two  children,  two  grand- 
children and  a  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Byer's  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Earl  K.  Ziegler  and  Bro. 
Clyde  Bush.  Interment  was  in  the 
Replogle  cemetery.  —  Rena  R.  Stayer, 
Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Burget,  Harry  W.,  son  of  David  S. 
and  Sarah  Weyant  Burget,  was  born 
Oct.  6,  1894,  and  died  Feb.  26,  1960. 
In  1927,  he  married  Lena  Brumbaugh. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Curryville 
church.  Surviving  are  his  wife  and  two 
brothers.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Miller  funeral  home  with  Bro. 
Earl  K.  Ziegler  in  charge.  Interment 
was  in  the  Diehl's  Crossroads  ceme- 
tery. —  Rena  R.  Stayer,  Martinsburg, 
Pa. 

Burrows,  Amy  Brown,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  W.  Brown,  was 
born    May     11,     1874,    in    Richmond, 


Neb.,  and  died  Jan.  15,  1960,  at  Rock- 
ford,  111.  She  was  married  to  John 
Burrows,  Nov.  4,  1896.  She  was  a 
charter  member  of  the  First  Church 
of  the  Brethren  of  Rockford,  111.  Sur- 
viving are  one  daughter,  three  sons, 
one  sister,  eight  grandchildren  and 
thirteen  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  the  funeral 
home  with  Bro.  Grant  McGuire  offici- 
ating. Interment  was  in  the  Green- 
wood cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Guy  Andrews, 
Rockford,  111. 

Carbaugh,  Herbert,  son  of  William 
and  Mary  Butler  Carbaugh,  was  born 
near  Lanark,  111.,  August  18,  1889,  and 
died  March  10,  1960.  On  Dec.  25, 
1910,  he  was  married  to  Grace  Rupp, 
who  preceded  him  in  death.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. He  is  survived  by  three  brothers 
and  three  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  Bro.  John  Thomas. 
Interment  was  in  the  Lanark  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  Robert  Livengood,  Lanark,  111. 

Cottle,  Fanny  Pearl,  daughter  of 
Jesse  and  Margaret  Kauffman  Dickin- 
son, was  born  Dec.  11,  1894,  and  died 
April  1,  1960.  She  was  married  to 
Robert  Cottle,  Feb.  28,  1913.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. Surviving  are  her  husband,  four 
daughters,  five  sons,  eighteen  grand- 
children, one  great-grandchild,  six  sis- 
ters and  three  brothers.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  by  Bro.  Charles  Heltzel.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Steele  cemetery.  — 
Mary  Stayer,  Hopewell,  Pa. 

Coy,  Laura  Grant,  was  born  in 
Kosciusko  County,  Ind.,  August  25, 
1867,  and  died  March  26,  1960,  at 
Clare,  Mich.  She  was  married  to  Sam- 
uel Coy,  Sept.  25,  1888.  She  was  a^ 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Surviving  are  her  husband,  a  son,  a 
daughter,  seven  grandchildren,  sixteen 
great-grandchildren  and  one  great- 
great-grandson.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  Hall  funeral  home  with 
Bro.  Arthur  Whisler  officiating  and  Bro. 
Carl  Hilbert  assisting.  Interment  was 
at  Milford,  Ind.  -  Mrs.  Chas.  E.  Ward, 
Beaverton,  Mich. 

Daugherty,  Helen  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  William  A.  and  Mary  Hartman 
Jarrels,  was  born  near  Port  Republic, 
Va.,  June  23,  1914,  and  died  Jan.  8, 
1960.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Mill 
Creek  church.  She  is  survived  by  her 
husband,  one  son,  two  grandchildren, 
two  brothers  and  stepmother.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  Charleston, 
W.  Va.  Interment  was  in  the  Cunning- 
ham Memorial  Gardens.  —  Eulalia  L. 
Miller,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

Diehl,  Elsie,  daughter  of  William 
and  Orilla  Boomershine,  was  born  at 
Brookville,  Ohio,  March  6,  1894,  and 
died  March  11,  1960.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Brookville  church.  On  Dec. 
24,  1914,  she  was  married  to  Cary 
Diehl.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  two 
daughters,  one  son,  one  sister,  one 
brother  and  eight  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Fred  Hollingshead  at  the  Dunkel  fu- 
neral home.  —  Mrs.  Russell  Miller, 
Brookville,  Ohio. 

Early,  lea,  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Mary  Miller  Early,  was  born  near 
Woodland,  Mich.,  in  1883,  and  died 
March  13,  1960.  Her  later  years  were 
spent  in  the  Brethren  home  at  Mexico, 


Ind.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted at  the  Burgess  funeral  home 
by  the  undersigned.  Interment  was 
at  Woodland.  —  Edward  Kintner,  North 
Manchester,  Ind. 

Evans,  John  F.,  died  March  16, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
He  was  married  to  Elizabeth  K.  Evans. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Coventry 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are 
bis  wife,  one  daughter,  one  son  and 
one  stepson.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  White's  funeral  home 
by  the  undersigned.  Interment  was  in 
the  Shenkel  Beformed  cemetery.  —  D. 
Howard  Keiper,  Pottstown,  Pa. 

Fearneyhough,  John  Benjamin,  son 
of  Timothy  and  Mary  Morris  Fearney- 
hough, was  born  in  Harrisburg,  Va., 
May  2,  1890,  and  died  Oct.  13,  1959. 
He  was  married  to  Edna  Harpine  in 
1913.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  two 
daughters  and  eight  grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Nokesville  Church  of  the  Brethren  by 
Bro.  James  Amons  assisted  by  Bro. 
George  H.  Tinsman.  Interment  was  in 
the  Valley  View  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
George   H.    Sonafrank,   Nokesville,   Va. 

Feiser,  Gail  A.,  daughter  of  Clarence 
and  Alcesta  Kuhn,  was  born  July  22, 
1908,  and  died  March  26,  1960,  at 
Hagerstown,  Md.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Longmeadow  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Surviving  are  her  husband, 
Harry,  one  sister,  two  daughters  and 
one  stepdaughter.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  at  the  Norment  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  Harold  Kettering.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Montgomery  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Galen  Strite,  Boonsboro, 
Md. 

Fike,  John  T.,  son  of  Jonas  and  Delia 
Hamstead  Fike,  was  born  August  15, 
1900,  and  died  March  11,  1960.  He 
was  a  deacon  of  the  Maple  Spring 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  Olivia  Bogers  Fike,  two  sons, 
one  daughter,  two  sisters  and  seven 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  Maple  Spring  church 
with  Bro.  Allen  D.  Pugh  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  Eglon  cemetery.  — 
Charles  E.  Arnold,  Eglon,  W.  Va. 

Fisher,  Martha  Jane,  was  born  in 
Wirtz,  Va.,  Jan.  30,  1878,  and  died 
Oct.  30,  1959.  She  was  united  in 
marriage  to  William  John  Drapes  in 
1902.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of 
the  Boone  Mill  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. Surviving  are  one  brother,  three 
sisters,  seven  children,  thirty-two 
grandchildren,  thirty-two  great-grand- 
children and  one  great-great-grand- 
child. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Boone  Mill  church  by 
Bro.  G.  W.  Bowman  and  Bro.  Grant 
Simmons.  —  Mrs.  E.  W.  Wright,  Boone 
Mill,  Va. 

Frantz,  Pauline  M.,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Alice  Frantz,  was  born 
Dec.  4,  1927,  and  died  Feb.  29,  1960. 
Surviving  are  the  parents.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  from  the  Clauser 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  Frank  H.  Layser 
and  Bro.  Noah  Burkholder.  Interment 
was  in  the  Tulpehocken  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Harvey  Shenk,  Myerstown,  Pa. 

Frazee,  Earl  Glenn,  son  of  Albert 
and  Pearl  Fike  Frazee,  was  born  Sept. 
12,  1913,  and  died  at  Terra  Alta,  W. 
Va.,  Jan.  6,  1960.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Dorothy  J.  Wolfe  on  Sept. 
15,  1946.    On  Sept.   11,  1926,  he  was 


baptized  into  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. Surviving  are  his  wife,  his  mother 
and  one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Donald  Matthews 
assisted  by  Bro.  Jonas  Sines.  —  Pleasant 
Rinker,  Oakland,   Md. 

Harmon,  Bert,  was  born  on  Nov.  16, 
1883,  in  Floyd  County,  Va.,  and  died 
Jan.  22,  1960,  at  Tulare,  Calif.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  Alice,  four  chil- 
dren and  numerous  grandchildren  and 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  at  the  Webb  Chapel  in  Lind- 
say. Interment  was  in  the  Olive 
cemetery.  —  Ward  E.  Pratt,  Lindsay, 
Calif. 

Harpine,  John  William,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Jane  Adams  Harpine,  was 
born  at  Daphine,  Va.,  July  11,  1891, 
and  died  Dec.  8,  1959.  He  was  married 
to  Irene  Shank.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  three  sons,  three  daughters  and 
twelve  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Nokesville 
Church  of  the  Brethren  by  Bro.  George 
H.  Tinsman.  Interment  was  in  the 
Valley  View  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  George 
H.  Sonafrank,  Nokesville,  Va. 

Harrold,  Julia,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Sarah  Megown  Sheplar,  died  April  11, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Greensburg 
church.  Surviving  are  five  daughters, 
one  son,  seven  grandchildren,  four 
great-grandchildren,  two  stepsisters, 
and  two  stepbrothers.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Greensburg 
church  by  Bro.  Wilfred  N.  Staufer.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Harrold  Lutheran 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Galen  B  i  1 1  n  e  r  , 
Greensburg,  Pa. 

Heckman,  John,  son  of  John  and 
Levina  Moyer  Heckman,  was  born 
June  24,  1863,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-six.  In  1885,  he  was  married 
to  Hattie  Price,  who  preceded  him  in 
death.  Before  his  retirement,  he  was 
active  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
ministry  for  sixty  years.  At  the  age  of 
84  he  traveled  to  Nigeria  to  visit  his 
missionary  son  and  to  observe  foreign 
mission  work  at  first  hand.  Surviving 
are  two  sons,  two  daughters,  ten 
grandchildren  and  two  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Polo  church  with  Bro.  Carl 
Zigler  officiating.  Interment  was  in  the 
Pine  Creek  Brethren  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Elery  Shank,  Polo,  111. 

Heeter,  Eva  R.,  daughter  of  Brother 
and  Sister  Gorman  Heeter,  was  born 
in  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  July  22, 
1881,  and  died  March  16,  1960,  at 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  home  at 
Mexico.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Burnettsville  Brethren  church.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Bur- 
nettsville church  by  Bro.  Oliver  Royer. 
Interment  was  in  the  Idaville  ceme- 
tery. —  Ethel  L.  Breckbiel,  Burnetts- 
ville, Ind. 

Heisey,  Irwin  W.,  son  of  Amos  M. 
and  Malinda  Witmer  Heisey,  died 
March  22,  1960,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  He  was  an  elder  in  the 
Fredericksburg  congregation.  Surviv- 
ing are  his  wife,  Annie  Smith  Heisey, 
two  sons,  three  daughters,  four  step- 
sons, six  stepdaughters,  seventeen 
grandchildren  and  nine  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted in  the  Fredericksburg  church 
by  Bro.  Ammon  B.  Meyer,  Bro.  Am- 
nion L.   Merkey  and  Bro.  Mark  Warn- 


The 
Creative 
Use 
of  Leisure 

Margaret  E.  Mulac 

How  to  enjoy  leisure  time  has 
become  a  major  problem  for 
teen-agers,  retired  persons,  and 
the  many  adults  whose  working 
hours  are  shorter  than  ever  be- 
fore. The  author,  a  noted  recre- 
ation leader,  has  worked  for 
years  with  church  and  youth 
groups,  fraternal  organizations 
and  clubs  for  retired  persons. 
She  shows  the  reader  how  to 
choose  hobbies  which  will  answer 
the  human  need  for  beauty,  re- 
laxation, stimulation  and  genuine 
recreation.  More  than  a  hundred 
hobbies  are  discussed. 

$3.95 

Church   of   the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


pier.  Interment  was  in  the  Chiques 
cemetery.  —  Grace  E.  Meyer,  Ono,  Pa. 

Heller,  Cora  Belle,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Andrew  Blough,  was  born 
at  Dixon,  111.,  Nov.  17,  1875,  and  died 
at  Cando,  N.  Dak.,  March  28,  1960. 
In  1892,  she  was  married  to  Henry 
Heller,  who  preceded  her  in  death. 
Surviving  are  one  son  and  one  grand- 
son. The  funeral  service  was  held  in 
Rock  Lake  Methodist  church  with 
Keith  Carls  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  Ellison  Brethren  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  L.  R.  Maust,  Cando,  N.  Dak. 

Helsel,  Bro.  Samuel  L.,  son  of  Alon- 
za  and  Margaret  Brown  Helsel,  was 
born  April  29,  1901,  and  died  in  Roar- 
ing Spring,  Pa.,  March  15,  1960.  He 
was  married  to  Kathryn  Albright  on 
March  9,  1922.  He  was  ordained  to 
the  ministry,  Dec.  1,  1935.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  one  son,  one  daughter 
and  seven  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Albright  church 
by  Brother  D.  I.  Pepple  and  Bro.  Em- 
mert  Frederick.  Interment  was  in  the 
Albright  cemetery.  —  Grace  Johnson, 
Boaring  Spring,  Pa. 

Hendricks,  Charles  Elias,  was  born 
in  Kunkle,  Ohio,  Nov.  5,  1878,  and 
died  near  Howe,  Ind.,  March  29,  1960. 
On  Sept.  9,  1897,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Martha  Throne.  He  joined 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  1910, 
and  was  called  to  the  office  of  deacon 
in  1912.    He  is  survived  by  two  sons, 


JUNE   18,  1960 


27 


The  Pastor 

and 
Community 
Resources 

CHARLES  F.  KEMP 


A  basic  working  manual  prepared 
in  co-operation  with  the  National 
Council  of  Churches.  The  purpose 
of  this  book  is  to  provide  lists  and 
directories  of  national  and  local 
agencies.  Marriage  clinics,  psychi- 
atric foundations,  homes  for  unwed 
mothers  are  only  a  few  of  the 
agencies  listed.  $1.50 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


three  daughters,  fourteen  grandchil- 
dren and  twenty  great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
the  undersigned  in  the  Silver  Creek 
church.  Interment  was  in  the  Floral 
Grove  cemetery.  —  Howard  D.  Brene- 
man,  Pioneer,  Ohio. 

Hess,  Walter  Taylor,  son  of  William 
and  Mina  Gorden  Hess,  was  born  July 
9,  1896,  and  died  March  19,  1960.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  at  Johnsontown.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  Katherine  Grimm  Hess, 
one  son,  three  daughters,  two  step- 
daughters, one  brother  and  one  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  Brown  funeral  home  by  Bro. 
C.  N.  Grubb  and  Bro.  Gerald  Car- 
baugh.  Interment  was  in  the  Rosedale 
cemetery.  —  Joan  Rhoe,  Hedgesville, 
W.  Va. 

Hetrick,  Clarence,  son  of  Jonas  and 
Annie  Speicher  Hetrick,  died  Oct.  12, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Maude 
Stevanus.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Maple  Glen  church.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  two  sons,  one  daughter, 
eleven  grandchildren,  one  great-grand- 


28 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


child  and  seven  brothers.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Maple  Glen 
church  by  Bro.  Daniel  J.  Whitacre. 
Interment  was  in  the  church  cemetery. 
-  Olive  M.  Peck,  Fort  Hill,  Pa. 

Hollada,  Olive  M.,  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Sarah  Hershberger  King, 
was  born  near  Springs,  Pa.,  July  7, 
1889,  and  died  April  7,  1960.  She  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Milton  J.  Holla- 
da,  who  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Maple  Glen 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are 
five  sons,  three  daughters,  eighteen 
grandchildren,  one  great-grandchild, 
four  brothers  and  three  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
Maple  Glen  church  by  Bro.  Walter 
Otto  and  Bro.  Daniel  Whitacre.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  church  cemetery.  — 
Olive  M.  Peck,  Fort  Hill,  Pa. 

Huston,  Norman  Sylvester,  son  of 
Milo  and  Sarah  Hersch  Huston,  was 
born  in  Lucas,  Ohio,  Feb.  12,  1877, 
and  died  at  Guthrie,  Okla.,  March  26, 
1960.  In  1902,  he  was  married  to 
Clara  Gripe.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Thomas  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  four  sons,  one 
daughter  and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  the  Davis 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  Nathan  Heffley 
and  the  undersigned.  Interment  was 
in  the  Mound  Valley  cemetery.  —  By- 
ron E.  Dell,  Thomas,  Okla. 

Miller,  Nancy  C,  daughter  of  John 
B.  and  Mary  Croft  Pote,  was  born 
Jan.  16,  1863,  and  died  March  24, 
1960.  In  August,  1889,  she  married 
David  B.  Miller.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Woodbury  church.  Surviving 
are  five  children,  one  stepdaughter, 
seventeen  grandchildren,  forty-one 
great-grandchildren,  five  great-great- 
grandchildren and  one  sister.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  in  the  Holsinger 
church  with  Bro.  Earl  K.  Ziegler  and 
Bro.  Roy  Forney  officiating.  Interment 
was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Rena 
R.  Stayer,  Martinsburg,  Pa. 


Church  News 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 

La  Verne  —  Reports  to  the  church 
council  from  the  church  commissions 
show  a  healthy  growth  in  all  areas. 
Paul  Hersch  was  re-elected  as  moder- 
ator, and  Charles  Davis,  Jr.,  clerk. 
John  Eby  was  licensed  to  the  ministry, 
and  Larry  Cunningham  re-licensed. 
Our  delegates  to  Annual  Conference 
are  Vernard  Eller;  our  pastor,  Harry 
K.  Zeller,  Jr.;  and  our  youth  director, 
Peggy  Zimmerman.  Plans  are  being 
made  for  the  observance  of  the  seven- 
tieth anniversary  of  the  founding  of 
our  church.  Since  our  last  report, 
twenty-one  have  been  received  by  bap- 
tism and  fifteen  by  letter.  John  White- 
neck  was  the  resource  leader  and 
speaker  during  religion-in-life  week. 
Letters  were  sent  to  the  authorities 
in  a  nearby  community,  protesting  the 
establishment  of  a  so-called  Bible  Story 
Land.  —  H.  M.  Brubaker,  La  Verne, 
Calif. 

Santa  Ana  —  Our  new  Christian  edu- 
cation building  is  being  completed  this 
month.    The  sanctuary  and  exterior  of 


our  church  are  remodeled  to  blend 
in  with  the  contemporary  architecture 
of  the  new  building.  The  men  have 
done  much  of  the  construction  work; 
the  women  and  young  people  have! 
helped  in  the  painting.  Additional 
property  has  been  purchased  for  park- 
ing. The  Call  to  Discipleship  program 
began  in  February  and  our  pastor, 
Robert  Mays,  is  preaching  on  the  cost 
of  discipleship.  The  deacons  have  en- 
tered into  a  new  undershepherd  pro- 
gram. The  evangelism  commission  has 
begun  a  program  of  calling  among 
nonmembers.  In  order  to  eliminate 
many  weekly  meetings,  all  commis- 
sions meet  on  the  first  Sunday  evening 
of  the  month  followed  by  the  meeting 
of  the  board  of  administration.  An  all 
church  social  with  potluck  dinner, 
followed  by  a  program  presented  by 
one  of  the  adult  Sunday  school  classes, 
is  held  on  the  fourth  Sunday  evening 
of  each  month.  On  Palm  Sunday,  our 
choir,  under  the  direction  of  Arthur 
Snell,  presented  the  cantata,  On  the 
Passion  of  Christ.  In  the  evening  our 
love  feast  was  held.  During  Holy 
Week  our  pastor  participated  in  the 
noon  union  services  in  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church.  At  the  morning 
church  service  on  April  17  both  the 
adult  and  children's  choirs  presented 
Easter  music.  Bro.  Herbert  L.  Ruth- 
rauff,  field  representative  for  La  Verne 
College,  was  our  pulpit  guest  one  Sun- 
day. Our  women's  fellowship  is  col- 
lecting blankets  and  clothing  for  relief 
and  sending  it  to  the  Brethren  relief 
center  at  Modesto,  Calif.  We  are  for- 
tunate to  have  Tom  Guthrie,  a  student 
pastor  from  La  Verne  College,  assist 
in  our  youth  program.  He  will  soon 
be  licensed  to  the  ministry.  Our  pas- 
tor, Robert  Mays,  will  represent  our 
church  at  Annual  Conference.  —  Iva 
A.  Carl,  Santa  Ana,  Calif. 

Washington 

Seattle,  Olympic  View  Community  — 

Thirteen  scouts  are  members  of  the 
God  and  Country  class  which  meets 
in  Brother  Rowe's  study  every  week. 
Brother  Rowe  has  them  do  helpful 
things  around  the  church  as  part  of 
their  work.  Our  pastor  instructed  the 
inquirers'  class;  the  members  were  re- 
ceived into  the  church  on  Palm  Sun- 
day. The  evening  interest  group 
entertained  the  Lakewood  church  on 
April  5.  The  Peacemakers'  latest  proj- 
ect is  helping  Fircrest,  a  home  for 
children  who  are  retarded.  They  are 
also  furnishing  Buckley,  another  and 
larger  institution  for  retarded  children, 
with  clothing.  Good  Friday  services 
were  held  at  the  church  at  which  Rev. 
Darrel  E.  Berg  was  guest  speaker.  The 
choir  gave  the  Easter  cantata,  From 
Darkness  to  Light.  —  Mrs.  C  a  1  d  e  r 
Muirhead,  Seattle,  Wash. 

Colorado 

Antioch  —  Our  women's  fellowship 
has  sent  eight  comforters  and  clothing 
as  a  contribution  for  relief.  At  a  recent 
family  night  service  we  enjoyed  a 
sausage  and  pancake  supper.  Six 
calves  were  donated  by  our  members 
and  friends  to  be  sold  to  increase  the 
church  budget.  On  Palm  Sunday  we 
observed  communion.  At  this  service 
four  members  were  received.    Several 


'  of  our  number  enjoyed  the  dedication 

|  service    for    the    new    Pueblo    church. 

We  were  happy  to  have  as  our  guests 

ione    Sunday    Wayne    Giesert    and    a 

group   from    McPherson   College.     The 

district    executive     secretary,    Edward 

'  Duncan    and   his   wife,    were   with    us 

,  for     a     day.  —  Lewis     Naylor,     Yoder, 

|  Colo. 

Northern  Iowa,  Minnesota,  and 
South  Dakota 

Fredericksburg  —  Our  church  partic- 
I  ipated  in  the  Call  to  Discipleship  pro- 
i  gram  with  cottage  Bible  study  and 
|  prayer  groups.  Brother  Boyer  held  an 
I  inquirers'  class  each  Sunday  for  three 
months.  Ray  Zook,  state  field  secre- 
tary, led  a  seminar  on  the  Church 
and  the  Pastoral  Program.  Mrs.  Ruth 
Hoover,  district  children's  work  direc- 
tor, met  with  our  Sunday  school  offi- 
cers and  teachers  and  the  board  of 
Christian  education.  Brother  Boyer 
presented  his  resignation  effective  Aug. 
31,  1960.  Our  church  joined  in  union 
Lenten  services  and  World  Day  of 
Prayer  services  with  three  other 
churches.  Our  pastor  was  engaged  in 
a  preaching  mission  for  ten  days  in 
the  Osage  church.  At  the  father-son 
banquet  Bro.  Clarence  Sink  was  the 
speaker.  Eight  were  baptized  on  Palm 
Sunday.  The  youth  participated  in  a 
union  youth  sunrise  service  on  Easter 
morning.  A  pastor's  class  for  all  adults 
on  church  history  and  doctrine  started 
May  1  during  the  Sunday  school  hour. 
Guest  speakers  in  our  church  have 
been  Ray  Zook,  and  college  students, 
Wilmer  Grunwald  and  Walter  Hunger- 
ford.  —  Mrs.  Alvin  Stern,  Fredericks- 
burg, Iowa. 

Northeastern  Kansas 

Topeka,  Rochester  Community  —  We 

had  a  father-son  banquet  with  our  pas- 
tor, R.  Dale  Ferris,  showing  slides  he 
had  taken  of  Yellowstone  Park  and 
other  places  of  interest.  At  our  month- 
ly fellowship  supper  in  May,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  E.  A.  Turner  showed  pictures  of 
our  new  church  in  Tucson  and  other 
places  of  interest  in  Arizona.  Three 
of  our  members  attended  district  meet- 
ing at  Navarre.  E.  R.  Zook  conducted 
an  installation  service  for  Brother  and 
Sister  Chase.  In  February  we  had  a 
women's  workshop  at  our  church.  On 
April  13  ten  were  baptized  and  one 
was  rededicated.  Our  women's  fellow- 
ship has  been  knotting  comforters.  We 
had  our  love  feast  on  April  15.  —  Mrs. 
Etta  Postma,  Lawrence,  Kansas. 

Middle  Missouri 

Messiah  —  A  school  of  missions  on 
Africa,  sponsored  by  the  women's  fel- 
lowship, was  held  in  February.  A  num- 
ber from  our  church  attended  the  youth 
conference  at  McPherson,  Kansas.  Le- 
land  Wilson  gave  us  a  pre-Easter  mes- 
sage. One  letter  of  membership  has 
been  received.  The  film  entitled  He 
Lives  was  shown  before  Easter.  At 
our  council  meeting  we  voted  to  adopt 
Messiah  Church  of  the  Brethren  as  our 
official  name.  Our  love  feast  was  held 
on  Palm  Sunday  with  our  pastor,  Ira 
W.  Gibbel,  officiating.  Our  pastor  held 
services  four  nights  of  Holy  Week.  We 
celebrated   the   fiftieth    anniversary   of 


CHURCH  BUILDING  BONDS 

Beacon  Heights  Church  of  the  Brethren 
your  money  can  build  churches 
Write: 

Robert   Coplen,   7229   Lamont  Dr. 

or 

Titus  Schrock,  4739  Lahmeyer  RcL,  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana 

the  organization  of  our  church  with 
a  remembrance  dinner  on  April  23. 
Our  former  pastor,  Bro.  Floyd  E. 
Bantz,  gave  the  address.  The  next  day 
Paul  Robinson,  president  of  Bethany 
Biblical  Seminary,  brought  the  mes- 
sage. We  have  a  regular  visitation 
program  established.  —  Mrs.  Gertrude 
Gaba,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 


North  Dakota  and  Eastern  Montana 

Pleasant  Valley  —  We  had  a  fellow- 
ship supper  at  which  Floyd  Bantz  of 
McPherson  was  guest  speaker.  At  our 
harvest  meeting  Ernest  Walker  spoke. 
A  church  school  birthday  dinner  was 
held  for  the  members  of  the  congrega- 
tion. We  had  one  baby  dedication 
this  year.  We  elected  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Duane  Randle  as  deacon  and  deacon- 
ess. A  Bible  study  workshop  was  held 
for  one  week  at  the  Cando  church  and 
our  church  in  March.  World  Day  of 
Prayer  services  was  held  at  our  church 
with  churches  in  the  surrounding  com- 
munity participating  in  the  program. 
The  district  youth  cabinet  met  at  our 
church  in  April.  —  Mrs.  Harley  Sum- 
mers, Maddock,  N.  Dak. 

Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 

Rockford  —  Different  classes  have 
furnished  flowers  for  the  sanctuary  dur- 
ing the  winter  months.  Our  bread  and 
cup  communion  was  held  in  January. 
Fireside  Bible  study  fellowship  meet- 
ings are  being  held  in  the  different 
homes.  Our  school  of  missions  was 
held  in  January  and  February.  Don 
Snider  showed  pictures  of  BVS  in  Ger- 
many. David  Falconer,  missionary  to 
Africa,  showed  pictures  of  his  work. 
At  the  church  council  four  new 
deacons  were  elected.  Our  regular 
love  feast  was  held  during  Holy  Week 
and  our  new  deacons  and  their  wives 
were  installed  at  this  meeting.  Our 
church  participated  in  the  collection 
of  blankets  for  Church  World  Service. 
Our  aid  division  is  making  comforters 
and  processing  used  clothing.  On  Palm 
Sunday  the  choir  presented  the  Easter 
cantata,  The  Glory  of  Easter.  —  Mrs. 
Guy  W.  Andrews,  Rockford,  111. 

Southern  Illinois 

Oak  Grove  —  We  dedicated  thirteen 
blankets  for  the  Illinois  blanket  lift. 
Our  school  of  missions  on  Africa  was 
held  in  February.  We  had  a  student 
from  Ghana,  who  is  studying  at  Brad- 
ley University  in  Peoria,  as  our  speaker 
one  night.  Two  filmstrips  were  also 
shown  during  the  school  of  missions. 
Several  women  of  our  church  visited 
the  Peoria  city  mission  recently.  We 
had  a  World  Day  of  Prayer  service. 
We  co-operated  with  the  other  churches 


VENTURING 
SOUTH 


ROY 
WHITE 


The  Knagey  family  leaves 
Indiana  to  start  life  anew  in 
southern  Alabama.  This  his- 
torically-based story  lifts  up 
the  best  in  Brethren  family 
living  and  community  living  as 
it  portrays  sympathetically  the 
life  of  low-income  people  of 
the  South  in  the  early  part  of 
the  century.  Junior  highs  and 
senior  highs.  $3.00 

Church   of   the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


of  the  Washburn-Lowpoint  area  in 
having  union  Sunday  night  Lenten 
services.  We  were  hosts  to  the  district 
men's  and  women's  fellowships  spring 
rally.  M.  A.  Whisler  was  retained  as 
moderator  for  the  coming  year.  A  very 
encouraging  report  was  given  by  the 
church  treasurer  on  the  low  figure  of 
the  indebtedness  on  the  parsonage. 
The  garage  and  breezeway  at  the  par- 
sonage will  soon  be  completed.  —  Mrs. 
Durward  Hays,  Lowpoint,   111. 

Oakley  —  A  potluck  supper  was  held 
in  the  church  basement  in  January  to 


JUNE  18,  1960 


29 


I 

MAJOR 

RELIGIONS 
of  the 
WORLD 


MARCUS 
BACH 


A  compact  survey  of  the 
founders,  the  holy  writ- 
ings, the  worship,  and  the 
basic  beliefs  of  the  major 
religions  of  the  world  — 
Hinduism,  Zoroastrianism, 
Buddhism,  Judaism,  Con- 
fucianism and  Taoism, 
Shintoism,  Islamism,  and 
Christianity.  Both  informa- 
tive and  thought-provok- 
ing, this  book  will  give 
Christians  a  greater  under- 
standing of  man's  universal 
quest  for  God.  $1.00 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


honor  W.  T.  Heckman  on  his  eighty- 
fifth  birthday;  he  was  elected  to  the 
ministry  in  this  church  fifty-nine  years 
ago  and  served  most  of  his  ministry 
here.  Our  young  people  were  host  to 
all  young  people  of  the  district  for 
a  recreational  laboratory  program.  On 
Easter  the  junior  choir  gave  a  musical 
program.  —  Mildred  Fulk,  Cerro  Gordo, 
111. 

Woodland  — We  participated  in  the 
Week  of  Prayer  and  the  World  Day 
of  Prayer  with  the  rest  of  the  churches 
in  the  community.  We  held  a  school 
of  missions  in  January.  Fourteen 
blankets  and  two  bags  of  clothing  were 


30 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


given  to  relief.  The  aid  has  quilted 
several  quilts  for  needy  families. 
Mabel  Bowman  is  our  delegate  to  An- 
nual Conference.  Four  from  our 
church  attended  the  men's  and  wom- 
en's spring  rally  at  Oak  Grove.  E. 
Gifford  Ammermann  has  handed  in  his 
resignation  as  our  pastor.  —  Emilee 
Kessler,  Astoria,  111. 

Middle  Indiana 

Burnettsville  —  Oliver  Royer  of  Ohio 
was  installed  on  Feb.  14,  as  pastor. 
Five  letters  have  been  received.  Two 
new  deacons  were  elected.  Mrs.  Book 
of  North  Manchester  was  with  us  when 
we  entertained  the  children's  workers. 
Five  of  our  young  people  attended  the 
young  people's  rally  at  Wabash.  —  Eth- 
el L.  Brechbiel,  Burnettsville,  Ind. 

Huntington  —  Our  school  of  missions 
closed  with  a  rice  and  curry  supper 
put  on  by  the  Chalmer  Shulls.  The 
young  people  of  the  church  met  with 
the  Lincolnshire  church  of  Fort  Wayne 
on  April  24.  William  Eberly,  professor 
at  Manchester  College,  held  a  week 
of  pre-Easter  meetings.  Six  were  bap- 
tized. A  community  school  of  religion 
was  held  at  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Quentin  Evans  from  Manchester  Col- 
lege was  a  teacher.  On  Easter  evening 
the  choir  presented  the  cantata,  The 
Risen  King.  At  this  same  service  the 
dedication  of  the  new  chimes  presented 
by  the  Class  family  as  a  memorial  to 
their  son,  Max,  was  conducted  by  Rev. 
Miner  Gressley.  The  men's  district 
rally  was  held  at  the  New  Sweetser 
church.  Their  project  for  the  day  was 
lawn  seeding.  We  are  enjoying  our 
new  three-story  educational  building 
and  our  new  kitchen  and  enlarged  fel- 
lowship hall.  We  are  looking  forward 
to  the  completion  of  our  building  pro- 
gram and  our  dedication  services.  — 
Mrs.  Paul  Walker,   Huntington,  Ind. 

Loon  Creek  —  Union  services  were 
held  by  all  the  churches  in  the  town- 
ship beginning  on  Palm  Sunday  and 
ending  on  Good  Friday,  with  commun- 
ion on  Thursday  evening.  We  held 
our  communion  on  Friday  evening.  At 
the  council  meeting  our  pastor,  Robert 
Eby,  was  chosen  to  represent  the 
church  at  Annual  Conference.  Bible 
school  began  May  16  and  ran  for  two 
weeks.  Two  were  received  by  letter 
and  three  babies  dedicated  on  Palm 
Sunday.  —  Mrs.  Farrell  Miller,  Hunt- 
ington,   Ind. 

Northern  Indiana 

Bethel  —  Under  the  direction  of  our 
spiritual  life  director,  the  women  have 
been  memorizing  passages  of  scripture 
for  our  monthly  women's  work  meet- 
ings. The  women  sent  a  gift  to  the 
Mexico  home  and  gave  plates  to  shut- 
ins  in  the  community.  They  also 
shared  in  the  blankets-for-brothers 
project  and  sent  clothes  packets  for 
the  district  women's  work  rally.  We 
held  a  series  of  four  meetings  on  the 
theme  of  missions.  Out-of-town  guest 
speakers  were  Dale  Hess,  Charles  Fos- 
ter, and  the  Chalmer  Shulls.  Our 
church  was  host  to  the  union  Holy 
Week  services  in  Milford,  and  each 
church  held  its  own  communion  service 
on  Thursday  evening.  Our  church  was 
represented  at  the  sectional  songfest 
at  the  Maple  Grove  church  on  Palm 
Sunday  with  a   special  song.    Four  of 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  fre 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  ii 
dividuals  or  families  to  relocate 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  con' 
munities.  It  does  not  provide  for  th 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  fc 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ac 
vertising  may  be  obtained  from  th 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Office.' 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother 
hood  program  assigned  for  administra 
tion  to  the  Social  Welfare  Departmen 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notice 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  o 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  cai 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices 
Elgin,  111. 

No.  453.  Young  man,  nearly  16 
desires  work  on  Midwest  farm,  ir 
a  Brethren  community,  for  summei 
months.  Inexperienced,  but  willing  tc 
learn.  Room,  board  and  small  salary 
desired.  Contact:  Mrs.  Raymond  Bow- 
man, 407  S.  Kirkwood,  Kirkwood  22. 
Mo. 

No.  454.  Wanted.  Middle-aged  lady 
to  keep  house  for  working  daughter 
and  mother.  Room  and  board  and  $18 
a  week.  Write  to  Rev.  Wilmer  R..< 
Hurst,    Collinsville,   Va. 

No.  455.  Brethren  young  couple 
desire  employment  for  husband  as 
maintenance  man  in  one  of  our  colleges 
or  in  industry.  Experienced  in  plumb- 
ing, wiring,  carpentry;  specialized  in 
operation  and  maintenance  of  furnaces. 
References  will  be  given.  Contact 
Brethren  Placement  Service,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  111. 

No.  456.  Wanted:  Man  or  couple 
for  maintenance  work  in  Home  for  the 
Aging  in  the  Midwest.  Brethren  church 
very  near.  Small  rural  community. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Of- 
fices,, Elgin,  111. 


our  Sunday  school  children  made  the 
decision  for  Christ  on  Easter.  Our 
family  night  potlock  dinner  and  pro- 
gram was  held  on  May  4.  —  Mrs. 
Lucile  Strayer,  Milford,  Ind. 

LaPorte  —  We  held  our  school  of 
missions  in  January.  Our  women's  fel- 
lowship has  been  sewing,  rolling 
bandages,  and  gathering  used  clothing 
for  relief.  We  have  a  songfest  once 
a  month.  Each  Wednesday  night  dur- 
ing Lent  we  had  services,  with  a  dif- 
ferent speaker  each  time.  On  April 
14,  we  had  our  communion  service. 
On  Palm  Sunday  four  were  baptized 
by  our  pastor,  S.  D.  Leatherman,  and 
two  received  by  letter.  On  Easter 
we  had  a  consecration  service  for 
babies.  For  the  sunrise  service  six  oth- 
er churches  of  our  city  joined  us.  — 
Mrs.  Myrtle  Shank,  LaPorte,  Ind. 


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Southern  Indiana 

Nettle    Creek  —  For    our    school    of 

missions  in  January  we  studied  about 
—  (Nigeria.    We  were   privileged   to   hear 

Mrs.  Anna  Mow  at  the  district  Bible 
'fit  conference,  which  was  held  in  the 
St  White  Branch  church.  Byron  Miller 
e  (  spoke  on  our  local  radio  station  in 
wi  January.  The  young  people  had  charge 
r  4  of  worship  service  on  Youth  Sunday, 
'  d  with  our  exchange  student,  Peter  Bey- 
'si  er,  bringing  the  message.  Our  Call  to 
ll  GDiscipleship  classes  were  held  by  Mrs. 
Eoe  iHarriett  Bright,  our  moderator.  We 
the  t°°k  Part  m  the  blanket  project  for 
istri  refugees.  Brother  Miller  attended  the 
aej  istate  pastor's   conference.    Our   church 

observed  the  first  day  of  Lent  with 
lj  an  all-day  prayer  vigil  and  an  evening 
,    service.     We    also    participated    in   the 

World    Day    of    Prayer    service    with 

neighboring  churches.  Karen  Bowman 
.  ,  of    the    White    Branch    church    shared 

her  experiences  at  the  youth  seminar 
l?  with  our  church.  One  Sunday  Elden 
!IK  Petry  preached  and  installed  five  to 
ICfl  the  permanent   office   of   deacon.     The 

home  and  family  life  of  our  women's 
"i  work  presented  the  play,  The  Second 

Look.  We  are  planning  to  participate 
[in  the  student  exchange  program  again 
Jnext  year.  —  Mrs.  Elmer  Wampole, 
ap  [Greensfork,    Ind. 


Michigan 

Beaverton  —  At  our  regular  quarterly 
meeting  three  deacons  were  chosen: 
Robert  Knapp,  Lowell  Witkovsky,  and 
Clair  McKimmy.  They,  with  their 
wives,  were  installed  at  a  Sunday 
morning  service  by  our  pastor,  Carl 
Helbert.  Our  pastor  conducted  a  mem- 
bership class  prior  to  the  pre-Easter 
services.  At  the  close  of  these  services, 
nine  were  baptized  and  one  was  re- 
claimed. The  love  feast  was  observed 
on  Thursday  evening.  We  also  partic- 
ipated in  the  community  Good  Friday 
services.  A  very  impressive  sunrise 
service  with  breakfast  following  was 
held  on  Easter.  Mrs.  Lowell  Witkovsky 
and  Mrs.  Roger  McMahan  will  conduct 
our  vacation  Bible  school.  Marion 
Havens  will  represent  us  at  Annual 
Conference.  —  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Ward, 
Beaverton,  Mich. 

Grand  Rapids  —  Ground-breaking 
services  for  the  new  church  were  held 
on  April  3,  following  the  morning  wor- 
ship service.  The  completed  building 
will  form  a  square  around  a  court; 
however,  just  two  sides  are  being  built 
at  this  time.  One  unit  will  contain 
the  fellowship  hall  to  be  used  for 
worship  until  the  sanctuary  is  built. 
The  other  unit  will  contain  eight  class- 
rooms. Presently,  the  worship  services 
and  Sunday  school  are  being  conducted 
in  the  basement  of  the  parsonage.  The 
building  is  expected  to  be  completed 
sometime  this  summer.  Everett  R. 
Fisher  of  Huntington,  Ind.,  has  ac- 
cepted the  church's  call  to  be  pastor. 
The  present  pastor,  Samuel  Keller,  will 
terminate  his  services  the  last  week 
in  August.  The  women's  fellowship 
held  its  annual  silver  tea  in  the  parson- 
age. Feature  of  the  evening  was  a 
talk  by  an  exchange  student  from  Fin- 
land, Eva  Kakala.  -  Floyd  Hilliker, 
Grand    Rapids,    Mich. 


FOK  YOUTH 


JACKKNIFE  SUMMER 


OTA  LEE  RUSSELL 


In  this  her  second  book,  the  author  of 
Wilderness  Boy  has  upheld  and  advanced  the 
high  standard  of  storytelling  which  characterized 
her  first  book.  Again  the  westward  migrations  of 
the  Brethren  form  the  background  and  the  im- 
mediate setting  of  her  story.  Again  the  times,  the 
place,  and  the  living  conditions  are  carefully  and 
accurately  reflected. 

Excitement  and  suspense  are  normal  parts 
of  his  experience  as  Jonathan  Hughes,  an  orphan, 
becomes  a  resident  of  the  Brethren  settlement  in 
what  is  now  Union  County,  Illinois,  in  1817.  His 
friendship  with  Elder  George  Wolfe,  Jr.,  and 
his  ability  to  use  a  jackknife  are  big  factors  in  his 
first  summer  in  the  settlement.  Written  particu- 
larly for  older  junior  and  junior  high  readers,  but 
will  be  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  entire  family  as 
well.  $2.25 


WILDERNESS  BOY 

Adventures  of  a  fourteen-year-old  Brethren  boy 
and  his  family  migrating  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Kentucky  in  the  early  nineteenth  century.       $2.00 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin.  111. 


WABASH  CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 


5* 


BUILDING  BONDS 


Special  Premium   or  Discount  Offer 

Interest  from  January  1,  1960 

on  $9,000  of  17  and  18  year  bonds 

Pay  by  July  5,  1960 

For  further  information  write  or  call: 

ELDEN  YOHE,  729  LaFontcrine  Ave.,  Wabash,  Indiana 
Phone:  Day,  620         Evening,  441 


Northeastern  Ohio 
Zion  Hill  —  After  Irving  Glover,  our 
summer  pastor,  left  until  Dec.  1,  the 
pulpit  was  occupied  by  E.  G.  Diehm, 
Reverend  Higelmire,  Hugh  Cloppert, 
S.  U.  Snavely,  and  a  member  of  the 
Gideons.  Willis  Stehman  conducted 
our  evangelistic  meetings.  Since  Dec. 
1,  Arno  Holderread  has  been  serving 
as  part-time  pastor.  He  will  serve  full- 
time  for  this  summer.  We  are  looking 
forward  to  the  coming  on   Sept.    1   of 


Dean  C.  Rohrer  and  family  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Mich.  Brother  Rohrer  will 
serve  as  full-time  pastor.  Our  pre- 
Easter  services  were  conducted  by 
Ronald  K.  Morgan  of  Bethany  Semi- 
nary. Since  die  first  of  January  we 
had  several  meetings  with  Gordon 
Bucher,  our  district  executive  secretary, 
in  a  study  of  the  booklet,  A  Look  at 


JUNE  18,  1960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 

Nam©    


R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any   change   in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


Ourselves.  We  have  sold  the  old  par- 
sonage and  have  purchased  a  building 
site  for  a  new  one.  Plans  are  being 
formulated  and  work  will  soon  start 
on  the  new  parsonage.  Our  delegate 
to  Annual  Conference  is  Arno  Holder- 
read.  —  Sadie  Kauffman,  Columbiana, 
Ohio. 

Northwestern  Ohio 

Lakewood  —  Starting  the  first  of  the 
year,  Brother  Long  has  been  conduct- 
ing a  church  membership  class  for 
young  married  couples  during  the  Sun- 
day school  hour.  Our  church  held 
services  at  the  Fostoria  Old  Folk's 
home.  Glen  Kaser  showed  slides  and 
gave  a  talk  on  his  year  in  BVS.  Broth- 
er Long  attended  the  Ohio  pastors' 
convention.  Chester  Harrington,  with 
three  of  our  youths,  attended  the  youth 
seminar  at  Washington,  D.C.  A  number 
of  our  congregation  attended  installa- 
tion services  for  the  new  superintend- 
ant  and  matron  at  the  Brethren  home 
at  Fostoria.  Earl  Boweran  was  the 
speaker  and  Paul  Haworth  and  A.  P. 
Musselman  were  in  charge  of  the  in- 
stallation. Dale  Hess  filled  our  pulpit 
one  Sunday.  The  World  Day  of  Prayer 
meeting  was  held  at  the  Lakewood 
church.  Several  of  our  members  at- 
tended spring  assembly  at  Lima  church. 
Nine  members  attended  the  vacation 
church  school  institute  at  Manchester 
College.  On  Palm  Sunday,  two  mem- 
bers were  baptized  and  nine  received 
by  letter.  We  had  pre-Easter  services 
and  sunrise  services  with  breakfast  on 
Easter.  —  Mrs.  Frank  McLaughlin,  Mill- 
bury,  Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

East  Dayton  — We  began  the  Call 
to  Discipleship  program  with  a  prayer 
vigil  from  noon  till  vespers  on  the 
first  day  of  Lent.  The  program  of  visi- 
tation and  personal  commitment  was 
launched  by  the  official  board  who 
inaugurated  the  undershepherd  plan. 
During  this  time  our  sanctuary  was  re- 
decorated. Bro.  Howard  Whitacre 
conducted    a    week   of   meetings   prior 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


to  Holy  Week.  Four  were  baptized 
and  two  received  by  letter.  Three  at- 
tended the  vacation  Bible  school  con- 
ference at  Manchester  College.  The 
young  people  showed  the  film,  The 
Robe.  We  were  host  church  for  the 
banquet  for  the  district  ministers  and 
their  wives.  —  Ella  Seifer,  Dayton, 
Ohio. 

Piqua  —  Holy  Week  services  were 
held  by  Paul  Shrider  of  Chicago.  We 
had  our  love  feast  on  Thursday  of  Holy 
Week.  A  community  service  was  held 
at  the  Greene  Street  Methodist  church 
on  Good  Friday.  We  had  our  Easter 
sunrise  service  at  the  Piqua  Fountain 
Park  auditorium.  Plans  are  being  made 
for  vacation  Bible  school.  Vernon 
Powell  and  five  youths  attended  the 
youth  seminar  at  Washington,  D.C. 
Vernon  Powell  conducted  the  conse- 
cration service  for  deacons  elected  for 
a     probationary     period.       The     new 


PEWS.PULPIT&CHANCEL 

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OW DIRECT  PRICES 

J.RRedington&Co. 


DEPT.  211  SCRANTON  2.  PA. 


Classified  Advertising1 

WANTED:  House  mother  for 
women's  dormitory,  45  to  55  years 
of  age,  training  and  experience 
preferred,  to  be  employed  nine 
months  each  year  (September  to 
June),  room  and  board  furnished, 
salary  commensurate  with  exper- 
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ter to  John  T.  Fike,  Treasurer, 
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deacons  and  wives  include:  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ray  Stubbs,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gene 
Bishop,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vernon  Book- 
waiter,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Byron 
Schaurer.  A  mother-daughter  dinner 
was  held  on  May  19.  We  had  a  potluck . 
supper  on  May  1  in  recognition  of  the- 
family  emphasis,  and  a  reception  fort 
new  members.  —  Mrs.  William  Bru- 
baker,  Piqua,  Ohio. 

West  Charleston  —  A  spring  district  j 
conference  was  held  at  our  church  per- 
taining to  the  Brethren  Greenville 
home.  During  the  week  of  April  12-15, 
our  pastor,  Bro.  George  Wright,  held 
meetings.  Thirteen  were  baptized  and 
ten  received  by  letter.  Communion 
was  on  Thursday  evening  of  Holy 
Week.  On  Easter,  five  parents  brought 
their  children  for  dedication.  —  Mrs. 
Earl  Shroyer,  Tipp  City,  Ohio. 


Minister's  Book  of  the  Month 


Selection  for  JULY 

A  HANDBOOK 

of  Church  Public  Relations 

RALPH  W.  STOODY 

Using  illustrations  drawn  from  churches  of  all  sizes  and  from  all  parts 
of  the  country,  Dr.  Stoody  discusses  press  relations,  radio  and  tele- 
vision, and  the  impact  of  the  church  on  the  community.    In  direct 
style  he  tells  how  your  church  can  best  use  these  media. 
Regular  price,  $4.00;  to  members,  $2.80  plus  postage  and  handling 

Notice  mid-June  pastor's  packet  for  more  information 
regarding  this  book  and  other  club  selections 

CHURCH    of    the    BRETHREN    GENERAL    OFFICES,    Elgin.    Illinois 


BospeP 


MESSENGER 


JUNE  25,  1960 


mm 


£M 


1*3*';:*"* 


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'';';>:i'*Ko;:'':'':::::-:':;:  :::  "y; ::.. '.':-'''-  :':'v::'-'  '■■:  .'■:  ';'■::  ^::YV::;':v:>-:y::;K-  ';i::  :'S\::  :■  '■'■': 


tapis 

:     .:i  ■     f  .'   ...":..■:■.  .  .....  •'.     '..   .  ■ 


Birthplace    of    Future 
Leadership 


for  Christ  and  the  Church 


Last  week  the  architect's  drawings  showing  proposed 
buildings  for  Bethany  Seminary's  new  location  were 
first  revealed  to  Annual  Conference  delegates. 
The  entrance  to  the  seminary,  shown  above,  will  lead 
between  the  chapel  on  the  left  and  the  administration 
building  on  the  right  in  the  shadow  of  a  graceful  cross-topped 
tower.  For  more  pictures  of  the  site  and  proposed  buildings 
west  of  Chicago  turn  to  pages  1 6  and  17.    .    .    . 


Gospel  Messenger        READERS   WRITE  .  .   .   to  the   editor 

'Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  andi 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JUNE  25,  1960 
Volume     109  Number  26 


In  This  Number  .   .  . 

Editorial  — 

Locating  the  Evil  Cities  of  the  Plain  .  5 
On  Capitulating  to  Communism    ....      5 

The  General  Forum  — 

The  Teacher  Is  Important. 

Donald  L.  Kline    3 

Called  to  Minister.  Morley  J.  Mays  .  .  6 
Called  to  Be  Saints.  Frank  S.  Carper  8 
Our  Institutional  Ministry. 

John  C.  Eller  11 

Amy  Zigler  —  The  Woman  Who 

Stayed  Behind.    Inez  Long 14 

The  Jebusite  Waterway  and  the  Pool 

of  Siloam.    David  J.  Wieand   19 

Some   Benefits   of   Furlough.    Roy  and 

Violet   Pfaltzgraff    20 

Essentials  to  a  Successful  Church 

Extension  Strategy   20 

New  Look  in  Missions   21 

Unveiling  a   Heritage    22 

Brotherhood  Church  Extension  Invest- 
ment Notes.   Galen  B.  Ogden 23 

News  — 

News  and  Comment  From  Around 
the   World    26 

Our  Contributors 

Donald  L.  Kline  is  pastor  of  the 
Ambler  church  in  Pennsylvania. 

Morley  J.  Mays  is  a  member  of  the 
Juniata  College  faculty.  His  article 
in  this  issue  was  one  of  the  Confer- 
ence addresses. 

Frank  S.  Carper,  pastor  of  the 
Palmyra  church,  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, gave  the  Friday  evening  ad- 
dress at  Annual  Conference  which 
appears  in  this  issue. 

John  C.  Eller  is  the  administrator 
of   Bethany    Hospital,    Chicago,    111. 

2  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Futility  of  War 

In  increasing  numbers  men  are 
beginning  to  see  the  utter  futility  of 
modern  war.  And  why  shouldn't 
they?  For  the  past  week  the  film, 
On  the  Beach,  has  been  showing  in 
our  local  theatre.  With  powerful 
realism  it  showed  what  might  hap- 
pen to  the  earth  if  a  nuclear  war 
got  out  of  hand,  and  radiation  killed 
all  life  on  the  planet.  It  wasn't 
science  fiction.  It  could  be  true  — 
tomorrow.  And  this  disturbs  people. 
Two  thousand  years  of  history  has 
shown  that  an  arms  race,  if  contin- 
ued, ends  in  war.  Is  the  present 
one  to  be  different?  The  world's 
best  scientists  agree  that  the  first  day 
of  the  nuclear  war  could  result  in 
75,000,000  Americans  dead  and 
50,000,000  more  to  die  from  radia- 
tion. It  is  a  wonder  there  aren't 
more  demonstrations  in  all  the  big 
cities  of  the  world. 

We  read  in  the  news  about  the 
student  demonstrations  in  Japan  but 
we  don't  read  the  underlying  reasons 
for  their  justified  concern.  It  is  the 
rearming  of  the  nation.  Only  ten 
year  ago,  on  Jan.  1,  1950,  General 
MacArthur  representing  the  United 
States  in  Japan  at  the  time  of  the 
adoption  of  their  new  constitution 
praised  the  Japanese  people  for  "re- 
nouncing war  as  a  sovereign  right 
of  the  nation  and  the  threat  or  use 
of  force  as  means  of  settling  interna- 
tional disputes."  Now  we  have  per- 
suaded them  to  go  against  the 
constitution  we  helped  them  adopt 
because  we  want  them  to  join  in 
the  arms  race.  Some  of  these  stu- 
dents probably  remember  Hiroshima. 

Back  of  the  U-2  spy  plane  inci- 
dent is  something  deeper  that  angers 
the  Russians.  We  are  helping  to 
rearm  50,000,000  Germans  with 
atomic  weapons.  This  causes  Russia 
grave  concern  because  just  15  years 
ago  Russia  suffered  20,000,000  dead 
at  the  hands  of  this  same  German 
nation.  We  cannot  have  both  a 
unified  Germany  and  an  armed  Ger- 
many, says  Walter  Lippman,  so  we 
are  choosing  an  armed  Germany. 
Can  we  trust  these  two  great  powers 
with  armaments  in  the  day  of  nucle- 
ar weapons  and  shifting  loyalties? 

Dueling  once  was  used  to  settle 
disputes  by  so-called  intelligent 
men.  Now  it  is  frowned  upon  but 
nations  still  engage  in  dueling  and 
force  innocent  people  to  die  in  the 


process.  Moral  force  is  still  stronger 
than  physical  and  the  people  of  the 
earth  must  move  faster  in  this  direc- 
tion or  else  we  will  "trigger  a  holo- 
caust." It  is  a  most  critical  period 
in  the  history  of  mankind,  and 
Americans  could  take  the  leadership 
toward  disarmament  and  world 
peace  if  we  relied  on  the  moral  prin 
ciples  upon  which  our  nation  was 
founded.  —  Don  Snider,  215  Madison 
Ave.,  Dixon,  111. 

Scriptural  and    Logical 

We  have  read  a  number  of  letters 
concerning  the  procedure  in  our 
love  feast,  the  original  one  "hoping 
it  would  stimulate  .  .  .  comment, 

The  love  feast  has  been  a  rich 
experience  for  me  through  many 
years  and  I  have  always  looked  upon 
it  as  a  progressive  spiritual  service, 
beginning  as  was  the  custom  of  the: 
Master  Teacher,  just  where  we  live 
and  walk,  moving  forward  through 
feet  washing  to  a  feast  of  love,  and1 
reaching  the  climax  in  the  broken 
bread  and  cup,  after  which  he  in- 
structs, comforts,  and  encourages 
the  disciples  in  those  great  chapters 
following  John  13. 

The  disciples  believed  that  Jesus 
was  about  to  set  up  his  kingdom, 
demonstrate  his  power,  and  usurp 
authority.  And  because  of  this  pre- 
sumption there  was  an  argument 
among  them  as  to  who  should  be 
the  greatest  in  that  kingdom.  John 
and  James  desired  the  two  highest 
places,  one  on  either  side  of  the 
king.  Were  the  disciples  at  this 
point  of  the  service  in  the  proper 
spirit  to  sit  down  at  an  agape?  Or 
did  they  first  need  a  great  lesson 
and  practical  demonstration  on  hu- 
mility and  equality  where  "you 
could  not  see  who  were  the  rich 
or  the  poor  of  the  congregation"? 
Did  James,  John,  Peter,  and  the 
others  need  this  leveling  experience 
before  they  could  in  reality  partake 
of  a  feast  of  love?  Are  we  more  spir- 
itual than  they  or  do  we  also  need 
that  particular  kind  of  experience? 

I  can  "worship  the  Lord  in  the 
beauty  of  holiness"  regardless  of  the 
order  of  service.  However,  I  am 
convinced,  after  studying  the  service 
as  recorded  in  the  New  Testament, 
that  our  early  Brethren  instituted 
the  scriptural  as  well  as  the  logical 
procedure.  —  C.  L.  Cox,  Claysburg, 
Pa. 


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The  Teacher  Is  Important 


Dr.  Walter  Eshelman, 
NEA  president,  exemplifies 
his  convictions  that 
a  teacher  must  be  a 
well-rounded  personality 

Donald  L.  Kline 


DEDICATION  to  the  betterment  of  people" 
—  this  is  the  watchword  for  teachers  sug- 
gested by  Dr.  Walter  W.  Eshelman,  presi- 
dent of  the  National  Education  Association  and 
lifelong  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
When  representatives  of  the  704,000-member 
organization  of  public  school  teachers  and  ad- 
ministrators meet  for  their  annual  convention  in 
Los  Angeles  next  week,  their  presiding  officer  will 
be  a  man  who  grew  up  in  a  family  of  teachers 
and  who,  though  relatively  young,  has  had  a 
variety  of  experiences  in  the  field  of  public  edu- 
cation. Walter  Eshelman,  in  addition  to  serving 
this  year  as  head  of  the  nation's  public  school 


teachers,  is  the  supervising  prin- 
cipal of  Upper  Dublin  Town- 
ship schools  in  Pennsylvania. 

A  graduate  of  Elizabethtown 
College  and  an  active  member 
of  the  Ambler  church,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Dr.  Eshelman  comes 
from  an  Eastern  Pennsylvania 
family  of  teachers  —  all  six  of 
the  children  of  John  and 
Amanda  Eshelman  having  be- 
come teachers. 

Arthur  is  supervising  princi- 
pal of  the  Pequa  Valley  Joint 
School  District;  Paul  is  associ- 
ate professor  of  industrial  arts 
at  Millersville  State  Teachers 
College;  Ruth  Althouse  is  a 
teacher  at  George  Washington 
School  in  Lancaster,  all  in 
Pennsylvania.  Mae  Haldeman 
is  a  former  schoolteacher.  Wit- 
mer  (deceased)  was  a  teacher 
for  a  number  of  years  and 
Walter's  wife,  the  former  Mary 
Minnich,  is  the  daughter  of  a 
teacher  and  has  three  sisters 
who  became  teachers. 

Walter  Eshelman  was  born 
on  a  farm  near  Elizabethtown, 
Pennsylvania,  on  August  7, 
1908.   He  was  educated  in  the 


schools  of  Mount  Joy  Township, 
and  was  graduated  from  Eliza- 
bethtown High  School.  He  was 
a  1930  graduate  of  Elizabeth- 
town  College.  While  still  an 
undergraduate  at  Elizabeth- 
town,  he  began  a  correspond- 
ence course  in  law  and  was 
awarded  the  LL.B.  degree  by 
Blackstone  Institute  in  Chicago. 

He  began  his  career  as  teach- 
ing principal  of  the  Shohola 
Consolidated  schools  in  Pike 
County,  Pennsylvania.  Later  he 
was  supervising  principal  of 
the  West  Pottsgrove  schools, 
Stowe,  Pennsylvania.  While  he 
was  at  Shohola  he  took  week- 
end and  summer  courses  which 
enabled  him  to  earn  the  Mas- 
ter's degree  from  Columbia 
University.  While  he  was  at 
West  Pottsgrove  he  completed 
work  for  the  Ed.D.  degree  in 
school  administration,  awarded 
by  New  York  University.  In 
June  of  1959  Elizabethtown 
College  awarded  him  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of 
Science  of  Pedagogy. 

The  Eshelmans  —  Walter, 
Mary,  and  ten-year-old  Donna 


.  ■■ ; 

■  "  ■  .    ::  ■■  ■  ■  ■ 

■  ■.,:.■ 


% 


Dr.    Walter   Eshelman    and   two    delegates    to   an 
NEA  meeting  look  at  a  paper  under  consideration 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Faye  —  live  in  a  substantial  and 
warmly  furnished  stone  house 
of  colonial  style,  just  one  block 
from  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren in  Ambler.  Both  Walter 
and  Mary  have  served  as  teach- 
ers in  the  church  school  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  Walter 
has  also  served  several  terms  as 
superintendent  of  the  church 
school. 

During  his  term  as  president 
of  the  National  Education  As- 
sociation Dr.  Eshelman  has  em- 
phasized the  importance  of 
quality  in  education.  Inciden- 
tally, this  emphasis  is  not  a 
reaction  to  the  recent  hubbub 
over  Russian  education.  It  is 
Dr.  Eshelman's  opinion  that  the 
stir  caused  by  "Sputnik"  actual- 
ly hurt  American  education  by 
causing  an  overemphasis  on  the 
physical  sciences  without  a 
corresponding  emphasis  on  the 
humanities.  "Education  must 
stand  within  a  framework  of 
moral  and  civic  purpose,  or  it 
may  be  detrimental.  This  has 
been  demonstrated  by  the  facts 
brought  out  in  the  investigation 
of  the  TV  quiz  programs." 

In  1959  Dr.  Eshelman  repre- 
sented the  NEA  on  a  tour  of 
South  America  with  a  group 
traveling  on  behalf  of  Inter- 
American  Seminars.  On  return- 
ing, he  remarked  that  "critics 
of  American  public  education 
should  take  a  trip  to  South 
America."  He  found  that  the 
South  American  schools,  up  to 
the  college  level,  insist  on 
teaching  by  rote,  with  strict 
conformity  under  harsh  disci- 
pline. It  is  not  until  they  reach 
college  that  most  Latin  Ameri- 
cans have  the  opportunity  to 
think  for  themselves. 

One  of  the  primary  aims  of 
American  public  schools,  ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Eshelman,  is  to 
bring  about  a  full  development 
of  all  of  the  capacities  of  the 
students.  Our  schools  aim  to 
produce  people  whose  behavior 

Continued  on  page  7 


Locating  the  Evil  Cities  of  the  Plain 


EDITORIALS 


SOME  American  and  Canadian  divers  have 
made  discoveries  beneath  the  surface  of 
the  Dead  Sea  that  may  help  in  locating 
the  remains  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  the  in- 
famous cities  of  the  plain  whose  destruction  is 
vividly  described  in  the  Bible. 

The  recent  claims  have  not  been  confirmed 
because  the  divers  have  not  been  able  yet  to 
offer  photographic  proof  of  the  ruins  of  ancient 
cities.  Their  cameras  cannot  penetrate  the  high 
density  of  the  waters  in  the  Dead  Sea.  So  we 
may  need  to  wait  a  while  longer  until  it  will  be 
possible  to  identify  and  study  what  is  left  of  the 
cities  destroyed  more  than  4,000  years  ago. 

Meanwhile,  it  may  be  in  order  to  observe 
that  the  fiery  destruction  of  the  ancient  centers 
Jof  wickedness  did  not  put  an  end  to  the  evils 
for  which  they  were  notorious.  During  the  past 
four  thousand  years  many  another  Sodom  has 
sought  to  rival  the  original  in  its  reputation  for 
[immorality  and  greed,  for  perversion  and  scan- 
dal. Even  today  there  are  cities  of  the  plain 
available  for  every  unfortunate  Lot  who  would 
rather  choose  the  flashy  ways  of  a  wide-open 
city  than  to  take  the  less  promising  hill  country 
where  life  would  be  more  rugged  but  tempta- 
tion would  be  easier  to  meet. 


Indeed  the  fascination  of  Sodom  still  is  so 
attractive  that  when  destruction  is  imminent, 
there  are  men  like  Lot  who  have  to  be  forced 
to  flee  for  their  lives  and  there  are  others  like 
his  wife,  who  cannot  refrain  from  looking  back 

—  to  their  own  sorrow. 

Yet  Jesus  maintained  that  there  may  be  evils 
greater  than  that  of  the  cities  of  wickedness. 
Great  as  the  curse  of  immorality  and  perversion 
may  be,  even  greater  is  the  spiritual  danger  in 
which  many  respectable  cities  and  citizens  find 
themselves.  Their  sin  is  not  their  gross  immoral- 
ity, but  rather  their  refusal  to  recognize  the 
kingdom  that  has  come  to  them  and  the  gospel 
that  offers  release  and  renewal  for  every  man. 
One  may  live  in  Capernaum  or  Jerusalem  and 
still  fare  worse  in  the  day  of  judgment  than  the 
men  of  Sodom  or  Gomorrah.  Or,  to  bring  Jesus' 
example  closer  home,  one  may  live  in  a  quiet 
American  community  where  he  is  surrounded 
by  temples  and  churches,  but  if  he  rejects  the 
kingdom  of  God,  he  will  stand  in  as  great 
danger  in  the  time  of  judgment  as  does  the 
pagan  who  patronizes  the  dens  of  iniquity  so 
well  advertised  in  our  own  cities  of  the  plain. 

—  K.M. 


On  Capitulating  to  Communism 

THE  greatest  danger  to  our  Christian  so- 
ciety, say  many  commentators,  is  that  we 
should  capitulate  to  communism.  When 
various  alternatives  are  being  considered  —  hot 
wars,  cold  wars,  coexistence,  disarmament,  to 
name  only  a  few  —  we  are  repeatedly  told  that 
the  worst  alternative,  the  one  to  be  avoided 
even  at  the  cost  of  a  nuclear  war,  is  yielding  to 
the  influence  of  communism. 

Surely  we  would  all  agree  that  the  threat  of 
Communist  imperialism  is  a  serious  one,  that 
it  embodies  an  atheistic  assault  that  cannot  be 
overlooked,  and  that  many  precious  freedoms 
are  endangered  if  the  Communists  continue  to 
enlarge  their  sphere  of  influence.  Whether  this 
is  the  worst  of  all  evils,  however,  is  debatable. 
But  we  can  agree  that  no  one  wants  to  capitu- 
late to  communism.  The  question  is,  how  do 
we  capitulate? 

Do  we  not  yield  to  the  influence  of  atheistic 
communism  when  we  sanction  the  methods  the 
Communists  use  —  methods  such  as  spying,  ly- 
ing, creating  crises,  and  alternating  between 
gestures  of  friendship  and  threats  of  retaliation? 

Do  we  not  capitulate  to  communism  when 


we  sow  the  seeds  of  suspicion  and  create  discord 
in  our  own  midst  by  the  way  we  brand  anyone 
who  disagrees  with  our  government  as  a  traitor? 
It  is  a  recognized  Communist  tactic  to  foment 
distrust  among  those  they  wish  to  dominate. 
In  our  own  country  there  are  some  investigating 
committees  and  some  apostles  of  discord  who 
do  this  work  for  the  Communists. 

Do  we  not  capitulate  to  communism  when 
we  accept  the  Communist  doctrine  that  the 
only  way  to  meet  force  is  with  force?  Premier 
Khrushchev  made  it  quite  clear  that  he  rejects 
the  Christian  conviction  that  love  is  stronger 
than  hate.  Unfortunately,  the  policy  of  so- 
called  Christian  nations  seems  to  agree  with 
his  "atheistic"  doctrine. 

Do  we  not  also  capitulate  to  communism 
when  we  say  there  can  be  no  peace  until  the 
Soviets  allow  it?  Give  us  a  foreign  policv  that 
will  turn  away  from  massive  retaliation  and 
work  for  massive  reconciliation.  This  will  be 
to  act  more  like  Christians  and  less  like  Com- 
munists. —  K.M. 

JUNE  25,   1960  5 


All     pursuits     are     equally     vocations; 
in  the  eyes  of  God  none  is  more  sacred 
or   more   secular  than   another,   no 
matter  how  man  may  rank  them 


Called 

to 
Minister 


THE  Christian  must  live 
in  tension.  He  is  in  the 
middle  between  a  de- 
mand to  be  separated  from  the 
world  and  an  equally  insistent 
demand  that  he  be  involved  in 
it.  Although  he  may  not  be  of 
the  world,  he  is  certainly  and 
irretrievably  in  the  world.  He 
is  called  upon  to  come  out  of 
the  world  and  join  those  who 
are  a  peculiar  people,  but  at 
the  same  time  he  must  be  the 
leaven  which  permeates  and 
gives  vitality  to  the  whole  of 
society. 

Christians  normally  have  not 

6  GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


found  it  easy  to  accept,  or  even 
tolerate,  this  tension.  It  is  so 
much  easier  to  ally  oneself  with 
either  the  separatists  or  the 
cultural  accommodators.  The 
pages  of  church  history  are 
filled  with  notable  instances  of 
each  persuasion.  The  ascetics 
of  the  Middle  Ages  practiced 
the  most  obvious  and  romantic 
form  of  the  life  withdrawn.  No 
less  truly  ascetic  is  the  modern 
business  titan  or  the  bourgeois 
citizen  who  believes  that  re- 
ligion and  the  affairs  of  the 
social  order  must  be  kept  be- 
yond speaking  distance  of  each 
other. 

But  neither  is  the  Christian 


Morley  J.  Mays 


solely  an  activist.  His  is  not 
merely  the  responsibility  of 
sprinkling  morality  over  the  so- 
cial landscape.  Anyone  whose 
commitment  is  nothing  more 
than  an  agenda  for  action  has 
a  life  without  roots,  a  pedestal 
easily  toppled. 

The  concept  most  appropri- 
ate for  representing  the  Chris- 
tian's intermediate  position  is 
the  Reformation  concept  of  vo- 
cation. Against  the  medieval 
church,  which  conferred  special 
religious  merit  and  dignity  up- 
on the  clergy,  the  Reformers 
said  all  pursuits  were  leveled 
out  before  God,  all  equally 
vocations.  In  the  eyes  of  God 
none  is  more  sacred,  none  more 
secular,  than  another,  no  mat- 
ter how  they  may  be  graded 


Prr 


t: 


The  Christian  is  called  to  redemptive  participation  in  life 


and  ranked  by  men.  The  dis- 
tinction between  priest  and 
peddlar,  between  bishop  and 
butcher,  is  one  of  convenience 
only  and  attests  to  no  real  dis- 
tinction as  to  worth  or  station 
before  God. 

That  vocation  should  have  in 
it  a  religious  dimension  is  all 
but  lost  in  our  world.  It  has  be- 
come so  completely  secularized 
as  to  mean  almost  the  same 
thing  as  occupation  or  employ- 
ment. This  is  one  of  the  penal- 
ties we  have  had  to  pay  for  our 
I  sharp  distinction  between  the 
secular  and  the  sacred.  We 
shall  never  recover  the  real 
significance  of  vocation  until 
we  can  once  again  appreciate 
the  idea  of  the  relevance  of  the 
Christian  faith  for  the  secular 
order. 

Relevance  is  our  basic  con- 
sideration because  the  Christian 
faith  is  circumstantial.  God  is 
present  as  redemptive  possibil- 
ity throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  our  lives.  Arch- 
bishop Temple  once  said,  "The 
spiritually  minded  man  does  not 
differ  from  the  materially  mind- 
ed man  chiefly  in  thinking 
about  different  things,  but  in 
thinking  about  the  same  things 
differently." 

God    manifests    himself    in 
things  and  events,  through  per- 
sonality   and    nature.     He    is 
neither    the    remote    ultimate 
principle  of  ancient  philosophy 
nor  the  abstract  spirit  of  Ori- 
ental religion.    In  other  words, 
worship  is  less  an  act  than  an 
attitude,  a  recognition  of  that 
which  has  supreme  worth  all 
Jabout  us.    If  a  man  is  truly  to 
f  J  worship,  he  must  recognize  the 
Jdivine  presence  in  every  rela- 
fltion   of  life:     business,   social, 
Jprofessional,    political,    family, 
private,  and  public. 

Accordingly  our  faith  is  com- 
plete only  when  we  accept  the 


call  to  minister.  We  express  our 
faith  in  our  application  of  Chris- 
tian principles  to  all  our  legiti- 
mate enterprises.  The  principal 
reason  why  so  many  people  are 
only  nominally  Christian  and 
do  not  take  an  active  part  in 
the  life  of  the  church  is  that 
whatever  faith  they  profess  is 
segregated  from  the  rest  of  life. 
It  has  no  rooting  in  which  to 
flourish  in  the  totality  of  life. 

The  reason  why  a  profession 
of  faith  can  so  easily  degenerate 
into  hypocrisy  and  show  is  that 
it  is  not  related  to  the  whole  of 
life.  The  Christian  is  not  called 
to  a  life  of  renunciation  but  to 
a  life  of  fulfillment,  not  to  with- 
drawal from  life  but  to  redemp- 
tive participation  in  it. 

There  is  a  detail  in  the 
Macedonian  call  experience  of 
Paul  which  is  illuminating  at 
this  point.  The  first  person  he 
mentions  upon  his  arrival  at 
Macedonia  is  a  woman,  Lydia 
by  name.  Of  her  it  is  said  that 
she  was  "a  seller  of  purple 
goods,  who  was  a  worshiper  of 
God."  It  is  highly  significant 
that  the  vocation  in  winch 
Lydia  was  engaged  was  so 
closely  allied  with  her  religious 
commitment. 

Here  in  the  living  reality  of 
one  person  are  fused  the  two 
elements  which  constitute  the 
life  of  faith.  Vocation  and  wor- 
ship are  intermingled  rather 
than  separate  in  the  life  of  the 
believer.  It  is  to  a  ministry  that 
every  man  is  called  when  God 
speaks  to  him. 

The  Teacher  Is  Important 

Continued  from  page  4 

is  inner  motivated,  out  of  self- 
respect,  and  not  motivated  by 
conformism. 

Taking  the  offensive  against 
"woodpeckers"  who  indulge  in 
uninformed  criticism  of  Ameri- 
can schools,  Dr.  Eshelman  says 


that  our  public  school  system  is 
"the  greatest  democratizing  in- 
fluence in  our  nation."  Develop- 
ing this  concept  more  fully  he 
says,  "The  miracle  of  modern 
times,  and  it  was  made  possible 
by  the  public  schools,  is  the  as- 
similation here  of  peoples  of 
different  nationalities,  cultures, 
and  backgrounds,  and  their  de- 
velopment into  citizens  who 
can  think  and  are  willing  to 
think." 

Young  people  who  are  con- 
sidering the  teaching  profession 
as  an  avenue  of  Christian  voca- 
tion should  be  encouraged  by 
Dr.  Eshelman's  high  estimate  of 
the  importance  of  it.  He  has 
stated  that  "teaching  is  one  of 
the  most  important  professions 
in  all  the  world." 

Because  of  his  strong  convic- 
tions regarding  the  importance 
of  the  teacher,  he  makes  a  spe- 
cial effort  to  secure  teachers 
who  are  well-rounded  people. 
"A  good  teacher  must  be  some- 
thing, must  know  something, 
and  must  be  able  to  impart 
something  of  value  to  the  stu- 
dents. The  traditional  three  R's 
are  important,  but  the  schools 
must  also  impart  responsibility, 
respect,  and  reverence." 

He  goes  on  to  say  that  mere 
scholarly  or  technical  compe- 
tence alone  is  not  enough.  "All 
of  our  teaching  must  be  under- 
girded  by  the  great  moral  and 
spiritual  principles  of  the  Judeo- 
Christian  tradition." 

Although  he  is  not  a  man  to 
"parade"  his  religion,  you  can 
see  in  the  ideals  by  which 
Walter  Eshelman  lives  and 
works  a  consistent  pattern  of 
commitment  to  the  Christian 
way.  He  is  reluctant  to  speak 
at  length  about  his  own  work 
as  an  expression  of  Christian 
vocation.   Nevertheless,  he  cer- 

Continued  on  page  10 
JUNE  25,  1960  7 


Called 
to  Be 
Saints 


Frank  S.  Carper 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


W 


HEN  Jesus  began  his  earthly 
ministry  he  called  twelve  men  to  becoim 
his  disciples.    They  were  ordinary  fisher-; 
men  —  but  by  his  grace  they  became  th 
great  apostles  of  the  faith. 

Since  that  day  Jesus  continues  to  call 
men  to  be  his  witnesses  to  every  genera 
tion.   But  before  we  can  be  his  true  min 
isters,  we  are  called  to  be  saints.   He  calls 
us  to  be  saints  before  he  calls  us  to  make 
saints. 

We  think  of  a  saint  as  one  canon- 
ized by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  or  as 
one  living  in  another  world  or  as  one 
having  reached  a  stage  of  sinless  perfec- 
tion. But  in  the  New  Testament  the  word 
saint  is  a  most  inclusive  term.  The  saints 
in  Philippi,  Rome,  or  Corinth  to  whom  the 
Apostle  Paul  addressed  his  epistles  were 
for  the  most  part  humble,  ordinary  people 
without  rank  or  station  in  life.  Their  lives 
were  dedicated  to  God.  They  were  sin- 
cere, even  though  imperfect,  disciples  of 
Christ  who  were  enthusiastic  in  sharing 
the  good  news  of  the  gospel  and  building 
the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

New  Testament  saints  were  men  and 
women  who  felt  they  were  bought  with  a 
price  and  called  to  live  pure  and  holy 
lives,  expressing  the  gospel  which  they 
possessed  as  a  precious  treasure  in  their 
hearts. 

There  were  saints  in  Caesar's  house- 
hold; there  were  saints  in  the  great  wicked 
cities  of  Rome  and  Corinth.  It  was  the 
testimony  and  power  of  the  saints  that 
were  used  by  God  in  four  centuries  to 
turn  the  powerful  Roman  empire  from 
paganism  to  Christianity. 

The  task  that  confronts  the  church  oft 
1960  is  to  make  the  entire  membership  of 
each  local  church  conscious  that  each  one 
is  called  to  be  a  saint.  In  the  first  place, 
we  need  to  be  made  aware  that  by  nature 
we  are  not  saints.  Jesus  said  to  Nicodemus, 
"Ye  must  be  born  again."  The  vessel  that 
marred  in  the  potter's  hand  in  the  days  of 
Jeremiah  was  "made  again"  by  the  same 
potter.   So  we  who  are  called  to  be  saints 


-- 


Bruno  Bramanti 
Three  Lions 


Jesus  called  twelve  men  —  fishermen,  tax 
collectors,  ordinary  persons  —  to  be  his 
disciples,  and  he  still  calls  men  today  to 
be  his  witnesses 


Indian  brethren  bring  a  portion  of 
if  their  material  goods  in  gratitude 
for  God's  goodness  to  them 


tneed  to  be  remade;  we  need  to 
be  born  again. 

Regeneration  is  more  than 
church  membership,  more  than 
sincerity  in  religion,  more  than 
strictness  in  rites  and  cere- 
monies, more  than  using  the 
right  words,  more  than  correct 
beliefs,  more  than  church  at- 
tendance, more  than  good 
deeds,  needful  as  all  of  these 
are  to  real  Christian  experi- 
ence. Regeneration  is  the  im- 
parting of  a  new  nature,  the 
creation  of  a  new  man  in  Christ 
Jesus,  an  experience  in  which 
old  things  pass  away  and  all 
things  become  new.  "To  as 
many  as  received  Jesus,  to  them 
gave  he  the  power  to  become 
sons  of  God." 

Bishop  Dibelius  of  Germany 
reminds  us  that  there  can  be 
no  genuine  social  rebirth  with- 
out a  personal  rebirth.  D wight 
D.  Eisenhower  declares  "that 
unless  there  is  a  moral  regenera- 
tion    throughout     the     world, 

|  there  is  no  hope  for  mankind. 

IWe  shall  all  disappear  in  the 

■  dust   of   an   atomic    explosion. 

■  Through  the  church  the  forces 
I  of  tolerance,  goodwill,  and 
I  sympathy  may  be  used  to  save 
I  the  world." 

Saints  are  the  leavening  force 


in  our  society.  The  New  Testa- 
ment saints  did  not  move  away 
because  of  the  wickedness  of 
Corinth  or  Rome,  but  they 
changed  these  communities  and 
built  strong  churches.  Often 
Brethren  have  been  slow  to  en- 
ter new  territory  because  we 
think  we  need  Brethren  back- 
ground. Have  we  forgotten  the 
power  of  the  gospel  at  work  in 
Nigeria  and  Ecuador?  We 
boast  of  being  the  oldest  tem- 
perance society  in  America,  but 
what  are  we  doing  to  change 
the  lives  of  drunkards  or  pre- 
venting men  from  becoming 
slaves  to  drink  now?  Are  we 
content  to  boast  about  our  her- 
itage as  Brethren  and  neglect 
the  challenge  of  the  present? 

Paul,  the  most  active  saint, 
was  also  the  greatest  preacher 
of  salvation  by  grace.  In  writ- 
ing to  the  church  at  Ephesus  he 
states  that  we  are  born  afresh 
in  Christ  and  born  to  do  those 
good  deeds  which  God  planned 
for  us  to  do.  We  have  too  many 
spectators  and  too  few  active 
participants  in  the  work  of  our 
local  churches.  We  must  have 
a  new  sense  of  responsibility  in 
manifesting  our  faith  by  our 
works.  The  greatest  threat  to 
communism  is  consistent  Chris- 
tian living. 

Saints  are  not  only  remade 
persons  but  they  are  persons 
who  spend  much  time  with 
Jesus.  It  was  said  at  the  trial 
of  Peter  and  John  that  "when 
they  saw  the  boldness  of  Peter 
and  John,  and  perceived  that 
they  were  uneducated  and  com- 
mon men,  they  wondered;  and 
they  recognized  that  they  had 
been  with  Jesus."  The  disciples 
were  called  Christians  first  in 
Antioch.  There  must  have  been 
something  about  these  men  that 
reminded  people  of  Christ. 

Some  one  asked  William 
Oberholtzer,  the  grandfather  of 
one  of  the  assistants  of  Secre- 
tary of  Agriculture  Benson, 
"Where  did  you  receive  your 


beautiful  Christian  spirit?"  and 
he  answered,  "I  have  been  with 
Jesus  and  learned  of  him." 
Brethren  have  always  believed 
that  the  essence  of  Christianity 
is  living  like  Jesus. 

Has  our  association  with 
Jesus  helped  us  to  catch  his 
spirit  of  humility?  Jesus  was 
not  concerned  about  honor  or 
position.  "He  came  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minis- 
ter." How  much  more  work 
could  be  done  if  we  were  not 
so  concerned  about  who  gets 
the  credit. 

The  love  and  forgiveness  of 
Jesus  should  be  shared  by  his 
saints.  Love  is  still  the  mark  of 
discipleship.  "By  this  all  men 
will  know  that  you  are  my  dis- 
ciples, if  you  have  love  for  one 
another."  "Behold  how  they 
love  one  another"  was  a  com- 
ment often  heard  in  the  early 
church.  Does  this  love  manifest 
itself  in  the  life  of  your  church, 
in  your  council  meetings,  and  in 
your  fellowship?  Do  you  have 
a  love  that  forgives,  a  love  that 
cares? 

What  opportunity  saints  have 
to  live  like  Jesus  daily  in  all 
areas  of  life!  In  the  past  when 
many  of  our  members  lived  in 
rural  areas,  Brethren  farmers 
had  a  reputation  for  honest,  up- 
right Christian  living.  A  miller 
in  our  area  would  never  ex- 
amine the  wheat  delivered  by 
one  of  our  farmer  preachers  for 
he  knew  him  as  a  man  of  his 
word. 

What  an  opportunity  Chris- 
tian businessmen  have  in  prac- 
ticing the  Golden  Rule!  Some 
of  the  well-established  business 
firms  in  Philadelphia  still  bene- 
fit from  the  reputation  of  their 
Quaker  forebears.  How  many 
Christian  businessmen  today 
are  advancing  the  kingdom  of 
God  by  their  practice  of  good 
stewardship  and  principles  of 
Jesus  in  their  daily  experiences? 

JUNE  25.  1960  9 


How  many  laboring  men  and 
women  are  witnessing  by  their 
honest  toil,  their  attitude  to- 
ward management,  and  their 
treatment  of  fellow  workers 
that  they  too  are  called  to  be 
saints? 

To  be  the  kind  of  saint  God 
called  us  to  be  in  the  home,  in 
the  market  place,  and  in  the 
church,  we  need  a  power  be- 
yond our  own.  In  the  life  of 
the  early  church,  this  power 
was  first  given  on  the  Day  of 
Pentecost  after  they  had  con- 
tinued ten  days,  with  one 
accord,  in  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion. 

But  the  radiance,  joy,  and 
enthusiasm  that  followed  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
meant  not  only  for  the  saints  of 
the  first  century;  this  promise  is 
for  us  today  as  well.  Every 
great  saint  has  known  what  it 
means  to  spend  much  time  in 
prayer.  We  think  we  are  too 
busy  to  pray,  but  Martin  Lu- 
ther's prayer  time  depended  on 
the  work  he  had  to  do  that  day. 
Sometimes  he  had  so  much 
work  to  do  that  he  could  get 
along  on  no  less  than  four  hours 
of  prayer  that  day.  We  need  to 
budget  our  time  to  allow  more 
time  for  prayer  and  waiting 
upon  God. 

There  are  encouraging  signs 
of  new  life  in  the  church  today 
as  a  result  of  a  growing  interest 
in  forming  prayer  cells  in  many 
of  our  churches.  We  need  to 
deepen  our  spiritual  life  by 
much  prayer  and  Bible  study. 

The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  mani- 
fested not  only  in  the  beautiful 
character  of  the  saints  as  evi- 
denced in  their  love,  joy,  peace, 
patience,  gentleness,  goodness, 
faithfulness,  meekness,  and  tem- 
perance, but  also  in  the  cou- 
rageous service  they  render.  We 
become  channels  of  power.  D. 
L.  Moody  did  not  have  a  mo- 
nopoly on  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 


Clark 


Meditation  and  prayer  will  strengthen  our  spiritual  life  and  give 
us  power  to  be  the  kind  of  witness  God  has  called  us  to  be 


10 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Holy  Spirit  had  a  monopoly  on 
all  that  Moody  had;  so  he  could 
show  the  world  what  God  could 
do  with  a  man  wholly  surren- 
dered to  Christ.  It  is  not  so 
much  a  question  of  whether  you 
have  received  the  Holy  Spirit, 
as  of  whether  the  Holy  Spirit 
has  possessed  you. 

You  need  not  change  denomi- 
nations to  receive  the  fullness 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  You  need 
not  wait  until  everyone  else  be- 
comes  a  saint.  Begin  now  to 
allow  the  Spirit  to  use  you,  let 
the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  grow  in 
your  life,  take  your  call  to  be  a 
saint  seriously,  and  see  what 
will  happen  in  your  church. 

Begin  to  practice  the  pres- 
ence of  God.  Begin  to  demon- 
strate in  your  daily  life  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  men 
will  see  again  that  you  have 
been  with  Jesus  and  learned  of 
him.  The  salvation  of  our  world 
depends  on  each  of  us  becom- 
ing an  everyday  saint. 

To  be  touched  by  Christ's 
spirit,  to  be  transformed  by  his 
indwelling  grace,  to  reflect  even 
feebly  his  beauty,  to  transmit 
a  part  of  his  love  —  this  is  possi- 


ble for  all,  and  this  admits  us  to 
the  glorious  company  of  all  who: 
are  called  to  be  saints. 


The  Teacher  Is  Important 

Continued  from  page  7 

tainly  believes  that  the  teaching 
profession  is  a  genuine  chal- 
lenge and  opportunity  for  those 
who  are  sincerely  interested  in 
a  Christian  vocation. 

It  is  his  personal  feeling  that 
"it  is  difficult  to  be  a  teacher  for 
very  long  without  being  dedi- 
cated to  the  betterment  of 
people."  He  conceives  of  this 
betterment  as  including  moral, 
spiritual,  and  social  values.  His 
concept  of  the  role  of  the  teach- 
er may  remind  Brethren  readers 
of  the  familiar  motto  of  Chris- 
topher Sower,  "To  the  glory  of 
God  and  my  neighbor's  good." 
•      •      • 

Admiral  Ben  Moreell,  a  director 
of  Jones  and  Laughlin  Steel  Corpor- 
ation: "The  only  policeman  who 
can  effectively  enforce  the  moral 
code  is  one's  own  conscience.  This 
is  as  God  intended  it:  that  man 
should  fulfill  his  destiny  by  con- 
version, which  gains  the  consent  of 
his  will  —  not  by  coercion,  which 
overrides  his  will." 


THE  institutional  ministry  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  is  both  old  and  new.    It 
is  old  in  the  sense  that  the  first  congrega- 
tion at  Germantown  established  an  old  folks' 
home.   It  is  new  in  that  today  there  is  a  revival 
pf  interest   in  the   homes   established   by   the 
rethren.   This  we  witness  in  the  building  pro- 
rams  now  in  progress  and  in  the  fact  that  we 
re  establishing  better  programs  and  services 
or  those  who  live  in  our  homes.    At  the  same 
ime  we  face  a  strange  paradox  in  that  we  have 
ewer  homes  now  than  we  did  in  1908. 

When  the  first  congregation  had  moved  into 
ts  meetinghouse  in  1770,  the  home  that  had 
een  used  as  a  meeting  place  became  the  first 
old  folks'  home"  for  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
jren.    It  was  here  the  aged  were  given  shelter, 
clothing,  and  food  at  the  expense  of  the  con- 
gregation. 

The  interest  of  the  Brethren  in  an  institution- 
al welfare  ministry  has  waxed  and  waned  since 
that  time.  The  history  of  our  real  institutional 
ministry  is  yet  to  be  written.  Brethren  histori- 
cal writers  have  often  been  silent  regarding  this 
st(  jaspect  of  the  life  of  our  church. 


OUR 


John  C.  Eller 


Two  works  give  us  valuable  historical  data 
regarding  our  institutional  ministry.  Frank 
Fisher,  in  his  address  at  the  Bicentennial  Con- 
ference in  1908,  reported  that  we  had  13  homes 
for  the  aging  accommodating  197  persons  and 
5  orphanages  caring  for  more  than  400  children. 
The  second  work,  an  unpublished  thesis  by 
J.  Aldene  Ecker,  1948,  surveys  the  nature  and 
function  of  the  then  existing  two  children's 
institutions  and  twelve  homes  for  the  aging. 

The  1920  Yearbook  lists  fifteen  "Old  Folks' 
and  Orphans'  Homes."  By  1930  we  had  the 
same  number  of  homes  as  in  1920.  One  home 
was  established  and  one  discontinued,  but  in 
this  period  three  children's  institutions  were 
founded.  By  1950  one  home  had  been  estab- 
lished and  another  discontinued.  In  the  decade 
from  1950  to  1960,  seven  homes  were  discon- 
tinued while  three  new  ones  were  established. 

A  listing  of  welfare  institutions  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  indicates  that  this  is  a 
typical  pattern  of  other  institutions  established 


m 


INSTITUTIONAL 
MINISTRY 


Dominoes,  other  games,  and  a  partner  with  whom  to 

play  provide  recreation  for  those  who  want  to  do  more 

than  sit 


by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  A  similar  kind 
of  picture  is  evident  in  the  attempts  to  establish 
hospitals  or  other  institutions  by  our  church. 

David  J.  Wieand,  in  a  paper  entitled  The 
Church  and  the  Healing  Arts,  states,  "The  his- 
torical approach  of  the  Brethren  to  the  healing 
arts  approximates  that  of  the  apostolic  church. 
It  has  been  an  informal,  noninstitutional  ap- 
proach. For  at  least  the  first  200  years,  much 
as  in  the  New  Testament  church,  the  care  of  the 
sick  and  afflicted  was  regarded  as  a  function  of 
the  individual  member  and  the  local  congre- 
gation. In  the  case  of  serious  illness  the  elders 
would  be  called  in  to  hold  the  anointing  service. 
As  in  the  ancient  church,  the  leadership  in 
ministering  to  the  sick  resided  largely  in  the 
minister  of  the  congregation." 

As  one  looks  on  the  efforts  of  the  Brethren 
to  establish  institutional  ministries  he  is  hard 
pressed  to  find  reasons  why  so  many  efforts 
have  failed.  Indeed,  it  seems  that  one  may 
seriously  ask  why  the  Brethren  have  done  it  at 
all.  I  believe  there  are  three  aspects  that  we 
may  explore  in  this  regard. 

First,  one  could  say  that  money,  or  rather 
the  lack  of  money,  caused  us  to  establish  insti- 
tutions. Brethren  have  not  been  known  because 
of  their  members  who  have  become  philan- 
thropic giants.  Most  projects  were  started  with 
many  contributors  and  limited  funds,  only  to 
find  there  were  not  enough  other  interested 
Brethren  to  keep  the  institutions  going.  This 
also  affected  the  size  of  such  agencies  and  per- 


12 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


haps  the  quality  of  services  that  were  rendered] 
In  the  second  place,  a  deeper  reason  is  that 
this  was  considered  the  responsibility  and  thej 
function  of  individuals  and  of  the  local  con-j 
gregations.  Individuals  and  congregations  whoj 
attempted  to  perform  adequately  such  functions 
found  that  resources  were  not  available  to  make 
it  a  success. 

The  third  and,  I  believe,  the  basic  reason 
was  the  concept  that  we  do  such  things; 
only  for  those  of  our  own  fellowship.  We  have 
not  been  enamored  with  the  idea  that  such 
functions  should  be  performed  by  us  as  Chris- 
tians for  the  people  of  the  world  regardless  of; 
church  or  other  affiliation.  I  have  been  asked 
many  times  at  district  meetings,  "Why  does 
our  home  have  so  many  people  who  are  nofl 
Brethren?"  or  "Are  we  expected  to  build  a  home 
for  people  who  are  not  members  of  the  Churchi 
of  the  Brethren?" 

Sometime  ago,  the  pastor  of  First  church 
in  Chicago  told  of  a  visit  to  a  Brethren  lady  in"; 
Bethany  Hospital.  It  seemed  that  she  was  a* 
very  disappointed  and  upset  person.  She  had 
looked  forward  to  surgery  and  recuperation  ini 
the  atmosphere  of  Bethany  Hospital.  But  upon 
arrival  at  Bethany  she  found  herself  sharing  a; 
room  with  an  outspoken,  smoking,  Italian  lady, 
one  who  seemingly  had  no  aversion  to  the  us 
of  strong  language. 


Katie  Fahrney,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years,  learns 
to  paint  under  the  tutelage  of  William  Kinsey,  who 
has  been  painting  for  fifty  years.  Both  are  residents 
of  the  Fahrney-Keedy  Home  at  Boonsboro,  Marylani 


Sudie  Wingert,  a  former  Messenger  correspondent 
for  the  Waynesboro  church,  Pennsylvania,  enjoys  a 
visit    from    two    members    of    the    BVS    training    unit 

Our  sister  was  so  unhappy  about  the  situa- 
tion that  she  found  the  equilibrium  of  her  faith 
shaken.  She  indicated  her  concern  with  such 
statements  as,  "Oh,  sir,  you'll  never  know  how 
wonderful  it  was  to  think  I  could  come  here 
to  spend  this  time  in  a  hospital  where  people 
believed  as  I  do.  But  now  this!  This  is  dread- 
ful; I  don't  see  how  they  could  allow  a  person 
like  that  in  here.  It  just  goes  to  show  that  our 
church  doesn't  have  any  standards  any  more." 

While  there  are  many  Brethren  who  would 
not  share  the  concern  of  this  lady,  I  must  also 
indicate  that  I  have  been  asked  many  times, 
"Why  should  the  Brethren  build  a  hospital  in 
Chicago?  The  Brethren  do  not  live  there.  We 
ought  to  build  a  hospital  in  Harrisonburg,  Vir- 
ginia, or  La  Verne,  California,  or  Elizabethtown, 
Pennsylvania." 

I  am  pleased  to  state  that  the  founders  of 
Bethany  did  not  build  this  hospital  in  Chicago 
just  for  the  Brethren,  but  rather  because  they 
knew  the  need  existed  for  such  services  and 
they  believed  the  Christian  church  had  a  re- 
sponsibility to  provide  that  ministry  for  every- 
one regardless  of  race,  color,  or  creed.  Somehow 
we  have  not  been  able  to  relate  our  responsi- 
bility for  our  non-Brethren  brothers  to  that  of 
our  institutional  welfare  ministry. 

Another  very  real  problem  relating  to  our 
welfare  institutions  is  the  question  of  owner- 
ship of  the  property.  Somehow  we  have  the 
idea  that  the  General  Brotherhood  Board  or  the 
district  board  must  be  the  stated  owner.  Why 
the  Brethren  have  made  such  a  fetish  over  the 
legal  ownership  of  the  properties  of  our  insti- 
tutions is  a  most  baffling  question. 

If  the  Brethren  could  recover  the  time  and 


energy  and  indeed  the  financial  resources  we 
have  spent  in  debating  such  questions  in  the 
past  twenty  years,  we  might  now  have  more 
welfare  institutions  rather  than  less  than  we 
had  two  decades  ago.  The  Mennonites,  a 
smaller  group  than  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
now  have  twenty-three  hospitals  and  fiftv-two 
homes.    Five  of  these  are  mental  hospitals. 

We  have  found  the  way  to  do  such  work  in 
foreign  missions  and  in  other  countries.  For 
this  we  rejoice.  We  need  to  find  ways  to  pro- 
vide successfully  welfare  institutional  ministries 
in  this  country. 

Why  is  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  the 
welfare  institution  business?  Apparently  we 
cannot  find  enough  money  to  support  our  col- 
leges as  they  should  be  supported.  With  all 
the  hunger  in  the  world  and  with  resistance  to 
increased  institutional  ministries,  why  not  just 
devote  our  energies  to  other  aspects  of  the 
Christian  ministry?  Now  that  I  have  asked  the 
question,  I  would  like  to  give  an  answer  from 
a  personal  point  of  view.  I  am  involved  in  the 
welfare  ministry  partly  because  I  was  drafted 
into  a  position  that  nobody  else  would  consider. 

But  more  important,  the  National  Council 
of  Churches  reminds  us,  "Social  welfare  is  an 
integral  part  of  the  ministry  of  the  church,  not 
an  optional  part  of  its  program.  ...  In  order  for 
the  church  to  be  true  to  its  role  as  the  body  of 
Christ,  it  must  manifest  Christ's  concern  and 
compassionate  action  wherever  there  is  human 
need.  In  response  to  the  grace  of  God,  the 
church  is  impelled  to  awaken  and  maintain 
among  its  members  awareness  of,  sensitivity  to, 
and  creativity  in  serving  the  whole  man  in  all 
his  relationships,  and  all  men  as  children  of 
God." 

I  would  state  my  faith  in  a  positive  fashion 
by  saying  I  am  engaged  in  a  social  welfare 
ministry  as  an  expression  of  my  faith  which  is 
based  on  gratitude  for  and  in  response  to  God's 
act  in  Jesus  Christ;  because  the  Holy  Spirit  has 
led  me  to  see  and  called  me  to  minister  to  my 
neighbors'  needs;  and  because  it  is  essentially 
part  of  my  Christian  witness. 

I  believe  the  Brethren  have  dillydallied  too 
long  in  the  great  debate  whether  the  church 
should  be  involved  in  social  welfare  as  mani- 
fested in  its  institutions.  We  who  are  involved 
in  our  welfare  institutions  have  an  obligation 
and  an  opportunity  to  challenge  the  church  to 
express  itself  through  the  institutional  minis- 
tries.   While  we  may  become  discouraged  in 

Continued  on  page  18 


JUNE  25,  1960 


13 


prel 
her 

V.'t. 


be 
Ai 


iMY  ZIGLER 

The  Woman  Who  Stayed  Behind 


HOW  about  going  along 
with  us,  Bob?"  called 
Roy  Hoover  to  his  col- 
lege roommate  as  he  swung 
with  easy  stride  into  the  Bridge- 
water  College  dorm.  "I  need 
you  to  take  my  girl's  sister. 
We'll  make  it  a  foursome  and 
go  canoeing." 

Bob  knew  the  girl.  She  was 
not  exactly  his  kind.  She  was 
Amy  Arnold,  cute,  petite,  schol- 
arly. He  was  expansive  and 
spontaneous,  with  the  verve 
and    dash    which    only     Bob 


14 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Inez  Long 


Zigler  could  bring  to  the  small 
denominational  church  school. 
Being  by  nature  a  good  sport, 
he  took  Amy  on  the  canoe  ride. 

He  discovered  that  she  held 
things  steady.  She  did  not  rock 
the  boat.  She  balanced  it;  she 
brought  it  to  anchor.  He  began 
to  think  that  she  was  just  the 
kind  of  woman  for  him.  Four 
years  later,  he  married  her. 

So  the  story  of  Amy  Zigler, 
in  order  to  be  true  to  her  style 
as  a  woman,  begins  with  her 


husband.  To  her,  Bob  was  al- 
ways first.  She  was  the  one  who 
stayed  behind. 

Intuitively,  from  the  first 
days  of  their  marriage,  Amy 
saw  her  task  with  unflinching, 
wide-eyed  vision.  She  estab- 
lished a  home  as  a  refuge  from 
the  whirlwind  of  her  husband's 
active  public  life.  Bob  had 
been  called  to  the  central 
church  headquarters  at  Elgin, 
Illinois,  as  the  first  home 
missions  secretary.  This  job 
meant  travel  to  the  scattered 
congregations  of  a  denomina- 
tion, loosely  organized,  which 


sprawled  from  ocean  to  ocean, 
from  border  to  border.  Her 
home  was  an  oasis  between  his 
pilgrimages,  many  of  them 
visionary,  full  of  the  lonely, 
j  windswept  reaches  of  a  creative 
mind. 

When  her  husband  returned 
home,  Amy  was  always  there. 
At  home  Bob  fortified  his  en- 
ergy, gathered  reinforcements 
for  his  sagging  dreams  and  his 
precarious  projects.  She  kept 
her  home  ready  for  him  and  all 
weary  church  travelers.  The 
front  steps  of  her  home  bore  the 
lagging  footfalls  of  many  dis- 
couraged idealists  who  gathered 
hope  after  a  night  of  rest  under 
Amy's  roof,  or  a  meal  of  roast 
beef  and  mashed  potatoes  at 
Amy's  long  dining  room  table. 

She  had  a  genius  for  being  at 
home  and  setting  up  a  home 
wherever  Bob  decided  they 
were  needed.  They  formed  a 
partnership  in  which  both  un- 
derstood their  need  of  the 
other:  Bob,  an  intense,  eager 
pioneer  way  out  ahead;  Amy, 
a  composed,  patient  woman 
who  invested  her  time  and 
talents  close  at  hand. 

The  partnership  of  home  and 
church  was  Amy's  birthright. 
Her  farm  family  in  West  Vir- 
ginia were  strong  church  people 
who  sent  her  to  their  church 
college  at  Bridgewater,  Vir- 
ginia, where  she  prepared  dili- 
gently to  be  a  teacher.  She  was 
companionable  and  affectionate 
with  the  winsomeness  of  a  good 
listener  for  her  friends.  She  had 
a  loyalty  to  persons  that  came 
from  building  one  relationship 
at  a  time  and  building  each 
securely. 

She  and  Bob  were  married 
while  Bob  was  working  for  the 
YMCA  with  Marines  at  Parris 
Island  during  World  War  I. 
When  his  stint  of  service  ended 
and  her  year  of  teaching  in 
Maryland  was  finished,  they 
moved  to  Elgin  in  1919.  Amy 
found  her  family  ties  stretched 


by  the  long  distance  from  home; 
so  she  filled  her  need  for  a  fam- 
ily structure  by  inviting  new- 
comers to  Elgin  into  her  home, 
to  be  a  veritable  part  of  her 
family. 

The  generosity  of  her  hos- 
pitality was  matched  by  the 
quality  of  her  homemaking.  She 
was  a  tasty  cook  as  well  as  a 
bountiful  one.  Hundreds  of 
young  people  sat  down  to  her 
home-cooked  Sunday  dinner 
following  the  church  service  at 
the  Highland  Avenue  church  a 
stone's  throw  away.  She  loved 
things  alive,  with  life-giving 
vitality:  food  and  children  and 
houseplants.  She  thrived  on  the 
warm,  homespun  life  of  the 
family  with  its  diverse  interests 
which  always  pulled  together 
in  a  basic  loyalty  to  home  base. 
She  had  a  native  sense  of  what 
it  takes  to  make  a  family  struc- 
ture supportive. 

While    Bob    continued    his 


travels  to  local  churches  in  the 
years  when  the  church  was  feel- 
ing its  way  slowly  into  the  new 
age  of  the  full-time  ministry, 
Amy  stayed  home  with  full- 
time  duties  of  her  own.  Young 
Bob  and  Geraldine  were  born 
in  the  twenties.  Her  father 
came  to  live  with  her  until  his 
death. 

In  the  years  when  her 
children  stretched  into  adoles- 
cence, her  pacifiist  husband  was 
stretching  his  interests  in  the 
world  of  the  thirties  threatened 
by  war.  Amy  watched  their  in- 
terests spread  farther  and  far- 
ther away  from  home  base.  The 
children  went  off  to  college. 
Bob  traveled  back  and  forth  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  with  relent- 
less drive,  determined  to  nego- 
tiate with  the  government  for 
provisions  for  conscientious  ob- 
jectors under  America's  first 
peace-time  conscription. 

Continued  on  page  18 


Gary  Williams 

Amy  Zigler's  quality  of  homemaking  was  expressed  in  the  hospitality 
extended  to  men  and  women  of  the  World  Council  and  to  visitors  from 
the  States,  BVS'ers,  exchange  students  —  German,  Austrian  and  American 


JUNE  25,  1960 


15 


wn*  \#«- 


The  Cross  Is  Central 

in  present  plans  for  Bethany 

Seminary's  new  campus.    The  cross 

will  rise  from  the  heart  of  the 

cluster  of  buildings  now  being 

proposed  for  the  new  location  at 

Meyers  and  Butterfield  Roads  just 

west  of  Chicago.    The  cross  on 

the  central  tower  will  cast  its 

shadow  across  chapel  and  library, 

classrooms  and  dormitories,  student 

and  administration  buildings. 

Here  will  be  the  setting  and  the 

facilities  for  developing  and 

training  future  leadership  for  Christ 

and  the  church. 


mm       3»v» 

w 


A  library  has  been 
called  the  heart  of  a 
university.    To  the 
right  of  the  seminary 
library  in  the  drawing 
(at  left)  are  classrooms 
and  seminar  rooms  on 
the  new  campus. 


16 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Daily  worship  services,  graduation  exercises 

and  meditation  opportunities  for  faculty 

and  students  are  only 

a  few  of  the  uses 

of  the  seminary 

chapel.    An  interi-  nUlU    :!    sS  . 

or  view,  showing  n\\\lUMtll lllllillllliii 

simple  architec-      .  f|  \\n\H III  jjlili-"'-  - 

tural  lines.  s>  ,«^w^ 


Amy  Zigler 

Continued  from  page  15 

Amy  encouraged  him  in  her 
own  way.  She  listened  long 
hours,  away  into  the  night, 
when  Bob  came  home  with 
news  of  meetings  with  General 
Hershey  of  Selective  Service, 
with  peace  groups,  and  with 
congressmen.  She  fell  in  step 
with  his  peace  witness  by  aid- 
ing persons  confronting  single- 
handedly  the  mores  of  a  nation 
at  war. 

Many  of  the  pacifists  whom 
she  entertained  in  her  home 
were  seasoned  men  carrying 
burdens  of  leadership  like  Bob. 
But  many  of  them  were  young 
men,  confused,  rebellious,  lone- 
ly. She  and  Bob  watched  and 
waited  with  them  as  they 
wrestled  through  the  torture  of 
finding  for  themselves,  for  the 
first  time,  the  soul-wrenching 
truth  of  Christ's  saying,  "For  I 
have  come  to  set  a  man  against 
his  father  ...  a  daughter  against 
her  mother.  And  a  man's  foes 
will  be  those  of  his  own  house- 
hold." When  this  happened, 
Amy  gathered  the  scattered  in- 
to her  own  home. 

After  the  war,  Bob  and  Amy 
sold  the  big  white  frame  house 
near  the  Elgin  church  which 
had  been  home  to  them  and 
others  for  so  long.  Amy  moved 
to  the  Fellowship  House  to  be 
mother  to  Brethren  Volunteers. 
When  the  church  called  Bob  to 
set  up  his  headquarters  at 
Geneva,  Switzerland,  Amy 
seemed  to  know  intuitively  that 
one  epoch  in  her  life  was  over. 

In  the  small  apartment  in 
Geneva,  she  worked  for  her 
husband's  cause  in  a  typical 
woman's  way.  She  invited  the 
men  who  worked  with  Bob  at 
the  World  Council  of  Churches 
to  bring  their  wives  to  dinner. 
She  expanded  the  cohesive 
family  spirit  indigenous  to  the 


18 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Brethren  to  include  men  and 
women  of  all  Protestantism. 

During  the  two  hundred  fifti- 
eth anniversary  of  the  church, 
Bob's  forty  years  of  service  to 
the  church  came  to  an  end. 
They  closed  their  apartment 
in  Geneva.  They  planned  to 
return  to  America  immediate- 
ly after  the  celebration  at 
Schwarzenau  though  they  had 
no  home  in  America  to  come 
back  to.  If  Amy  had  known 
that  she  would  be  gone  and 
Bob  would  be  left  without  a 
home,  she  would  have  planned 
painstakingly  to  have  a  home 
ready  for  him.  God  saved  her 
from  this  last  homemaking.  She 
went  quietly,  between  homes, 
to  a  home  which,  this  time,  had 
been  prepared  for  her. 

Amy's  life  as  a  homemaker 
was  not  a  singular  life.  While 
she  set  the  table  and  prepared 
the  roast  for  dinner,  she  thought 
about  the  work  of  the  church. 
When  Bob  burst  into  the  kitch- 
en with  his  exciting  assortment 
of  news,  new  people  and  places, 
new  ideas  and  new  dreams,  she 
managed  to  tend  the  stove  and 
the  table  and  her  guests,  all  the 
while  an  attentive  listener. 

"You  should  have  seen  that 
big  black  African,  Amy,"  Bob 
said.  "You  should  have  seen 
him  standing  up  over  us  white 
Christians  this  afternoon.  That 
big  black  man  gave  the  whole 
kit  and  kaboodle  of  us  some- 
thing to  think  about.  'The 
Christians  of  the  world  must 
declare  the  gospel  of  peace,'  he 
said,  and  we  black  Christians 
from  the  younger  churches 
want  it  declared  in  a  new  way 
—  a  way  different  from  the  way 
it  was  declared  by  churchmen 
in  the  last  two  world  wars.' " 

"Do  you  hear  that,  Amy?  A 
man  we  called  heathen  a  gener- 
ation ago  —  talking  like  that!" 

Silent  and  busy  about  her 
own  tasks,  Amy  was  with  her 
husband  in  every  word  he  said, 
in  everything  he  did.  Often  on 


the  front  steps  of  her  home  in 
Elgin,  where  she  loved  to  sit  in 
a  casual  manner  as  unaffected 
as  her  words,  she  would  look! 
over  at  the  church  and  say, 
"The  church  brought  me  to 
Elgin  as  a  bride.  The  church 
has  been  my  husband's  life- 
work.  I  knew  this,  and  I've 
been  behind  him  one  hundred 
per  cent."  And  she  was. 

Our  Institutional  Ministry 

Continued  from  page  13 

the  slowness  of  the  church  to  an- 
swer this  call,  we  must  continue 
to  present  the  call  to  service. 

As  we  plan  for  the  future  minis- 
try of  our  institutions  we  must 
give  honest  and  sincere  considera- 
tion to  the  service  we  provide  for 
people.  Do  we  treat  them  as  a 
whole  person?  Do  we  look  and 
serve  beyond  the  confines  of  our 
own  little  group  of  Brethren?  Do 
we  accept  as  our  responsibility 
those  who  are  unable  to  help 
themselves  regardless  of  religious 
affiliation?  I  believe  we  do  and 
will  continue  to  do  so. 

It  is  our  responsibility  to  build 
with  either  Brethren  or  non- 
Brethren  money  the  best  buildings 
and  provide  the  best  programs  we 
can  for  our  institutions.  We  must 
become  an  example  to  the  com- 
munity of  the  use  of  Christian  at- 
titudes in  personnel  practices. 
Certainly  we  can  do  no  less  for 
our  employees  than  labor  de- 
mands. Also,  we  must  challenge 
our  youth  and  show  them  the  op- 
portunities that  exist  for  service  in 
social  welfare  institutions. 

We  have  made  tremendous 
strides  in  providing  for  facilities 
and  programs  in  our  institutions 
within  the  past  ten  years.  But 
have  we  done  enough?  Institu- 
tional ministries  are  here  to  stay. 
Ours  is  the  challenge  to  improve 
our  facilities,  provide  better  serv- 
ices, seek  new  and  improved  ways 
to  minister  to  all  —  "to  the  whole 
man,  the  whole  family,  and  the 
whole  community  of  men."  Ours 
is  the  glorious  opportunity  to  ex- 
press our  Christian  faith  through 
our  institutions  and  through  our 
churches. 


■'■■■-.■■■■ 

lift 

Wtfmmt 

§Sll§-: 

Some  three  hundred  years  later 
Isaiah  of  Jerusalem  meets  King 
Ahaz  at  the  end  of  the  conduit  of 
the  Upper  Pool,  where  Ahaz  is 
inspecting  and  perhaps  strength- 
ening the  fortifications  of  the 
water  sources  of  Jerusalem  in 
preparation  for  war  with  Pekah, 
king  of  the  Northern  Kingdom 
(Israel)  and  King  Rezin  of  Syria 
(Isa.  7:1-9)  and  urges  that  Ahaz 
place  his  trust  in  Jehovah  rather 
than  in  fortifications.  The  sign  to 
be  given  Ahaz  was  that  of  a  virgin 
who  would  bear  a  son  and  call  his 
name  Immanuel,  "God  is  with  us." 

This  Upper  Pool  fed  by  the 
spring  Gihon  is  thought  to  be  the 
same  as  the  Pool  of  Siloam 
(Silaoh),  which  is  seen  in  the  ac- 
companying photograph. 

In  the  late  eighth  century  B.C. 
Hezekiah,  tired  of  paying  tribute 
to  Assyria,  plots  a  revolt.  The 
Assyrian  armies  moving  west  to 
bring  vassal  states  in  subjection 
once  more  trample  all  opposition 
in  their  victorious  march.  King 
Hezekiah  trembling  abandons  the 
old  vulnerable  water  channel 
which  led  along  the  side  of  Zion 
outside  of  the  fortifications  to  the 

David  J.  Wieand 


The  Pool  of  Siloam  at  the  foot  of  David's  Jerusalem 


The  Jebusite  Waterway  and  the  Pool  of  Siloam 


EXTRA!  Extra!  King  Dav- 
id's men  take  Jerusalem! 
Mighty  men  of  Israel 
climb  waterway."  Such  would 
have  been  the  headlines  and  such 
the  news  hawker's  cry  some  three 
thousand  years  ago  if  they  had 
had  newspapers  then. 

It  was  an  ingenious  plot  that 
David  had  devised.  For  two  hun- 
dred years  the  Jebusite  city,  im- 
pregnable upon  her  height  above 
the  Kidron  valley,  had  been  able 
to  defy  Israel.  No  little  part  of 
the  secret  of  her  success  was  the 
waterway  dug  from  street  level 
down  through  solid  rock  to  the 
perennial  spring,  Gihon,  some  150 
feet  below. 

Secure  because  of  their  fortifica- 


tions and  their  internal  waterway, 
the  Jebusites  became  overconfi- 
dent, taunting  David,  "Thou  shalt 
not  come  in  hither  but  the  lame 
and  the  blind  shall  turn  thee 
away"  (2  Sam.  5:6).  Careful 
reconnaissance  of  the  cave  from 
which  Gihon  sprang  had  con- 
vinced David  that  the  water 
tunnel  was  unguarded  and  could 
by  dint  of  courage  and  agility  be 
climbed,  thus  giving  access  to 
Jerusalem  from  within  and  that 
taken  by  surprise  the  resistance 
could  be  crushed.  Such  may  have 
been  the  way  King  David  was 
able  to  conquer  Jerusalem  and 
make  it  his  royal  city,  capital  of 
Israel,  condemned  by  prophet 
and  eulogized  by  poet. 


lower  pool  by  constructing  a  new 
583-yard  aqueduct  through  the 
solid  rock  from  Gihon  to  the  pool 
of  Siloam. 

Now  the  water  supply  is  secure 
against  Assyrian  attack  for  a 
strong  wall  brings  the  pool  of 
Siloam  within  the  fortifications. 
Recognition  of  the  terrible  venge- 
ance —  flaying,  impalings,  mutila- 
tion, or  burning  —  meted  out  by 
Assyria  to  subject  people  who  re- 
volt may  be  the  reason  for  the 
circuitous  route  and  poor  engi- 
neering of  Hezekiah's  tunnel. 
(Read  the  fascinating  account  of 
the  meeting  of  Hezekiah's  repre- 
sentatives   and    the    envoy    from 


JUNE  25,  1960 


19 


Assyria  in  Isaiah  36  and  37.) 
The  opening  on  the  right  in  the 
accompanying  picture  of  the  Pool 
of  Siloam  leads  into  Hezekiah's 
tunnel.  For  the  sake  of  adventure 
we  take  off  our  shoes  and  socks, 
roll  up  our  old  trousers,  and  wade 
through  the  tunnel.  While  scarce- 
ly wider  than  necessary  for  com- 
fortable passage  the  tunnel  seems 
at  places  to  be  twelve  to  fifteen 
feet  in  height.  At  other  spots,  we 
have  to  bend  over  to  avoid  hitting 
the  ceiling,  and  we  remember 
with  some  apprehension  that 
Gihon  is  an  intermittent  spring 
and  that  in  certain  seasons  of  the 
year  it  is  said  to  be  a  very  dan- 
gerous undertaking  to  traverse 
the  tunnel  since  a  sudden  rush  of 
water  might  cause  one  to  drown. 
A  shout  echoes  through  the 
tunnel  and  brings  an  Arab  legion- 
naire who  is  likewise  in  search  of 
adventure.  About  fifteen  minutes 
later  we  enter  deeper  water  in  the 
cave  of  the  Gihon  spring  about  a 
third  of  a  mile  from  our  starting 
point  and  climb  the  steps  cut  in 
the  rock  and  meet  those  of  our 
party  who  did  not  go  through  the 
tunnel  with  us. 


Some  Benefits  of  Furlough 


Roy  and  Violet  Pfaltzgraff 

MANY  people  have  spoken  to 
us  during  our  furlough 
about  the  idea  that  mission- 
aries eagerly  look  forward  to  the 
time  we  spend  on  furlough.  The 
general  thinking  seems  to  picture  us 
anxiously  crossing  off  each  day  of 
the  week  and  eagerly  tearing  off 
each  month  from  the  calendar, 
counting  the  years,  weeks,  and  days 
until  we  can  come  home  again. 

But  our  mission  service  is  not 
an  exile;  it  is  our  lifework.  We 
feel  that  furlough  is  an  interruption 
to  our  work,  though  it  seems  to 
be  a  necessary  interruption  to  over- 
haul these  bodies  of  ours  occasion- 
ally, and  refuel  our  minds. 

There  are  four  benefits  we  always 
look  for  when  we  come  home  on 
furlough.  The  first  one  is  the  spirit- 
ual uplift  and  refreshing  that  we 
get  in  the  fellowship  with  the  home 
church.  No  one  can  tell  you  how 
thrilling  congregational  singing  is  in 
our  churches  here  at  home.  It  is 
a  great  inspiration  to  the  hungry 
heart.  And  the  marvelous  sermons 
one  is  treated  to  become  a  spiritual 


Essentials  to  a   Successful 
Church  Extension  Strategy 

►  We  must  realize  that  the  imperatives  of  the  Great  Commission  apply 
not  only  to  missionaries,  pastors,  and  professional  evangelists,  but  also  to 
every  person  who  takes  the  name  of  Christ. 

►  Every  Christian  needs  to  sense  the  urgency  and  the  magnitude  of  our 
mission. 

►  Our  primary  concern  must  be  to  serve  the  needs  of  people.  Programs 
and  institutions  are  not  ends  within  themselves;  they  are  only  instruments 
through  which  our  service  is  given. 

►  Before  starting  new  churches  we  need  to  do  more  research  and  careful 
planning. 

►  We  need  to  co-operate  with  other  denominations  lest  we  waste  our 
resources  in  fruitless  rivalry  and  competition  while  fertile  fields  go 
untouched. 

►  In  declining  areas  we  need  to  give  serious  thought  to  the  possibilities  of 
merging  some  Brethren  congregations,  affiliating  with  other  denominational 
groups  in  a  larger  parish  plan,  or  exchanging  fields  with  other 
denominations. 

►  We  need  to  realize  that  some  of  our  most  effective  church  extension 
work  can  be  done  by  increasing  the  size  of  our  present  congregations. 

►  Our  efforts  must  be  undergirded  with  adequate  financial  support. 

►  We  must  be  willing  to  invest  our  resources  in  the  places  of  greatest  need 
and  opportunity  regardless  of  where  these  may  occur  in  our  Brotherhood. 

►  We  must  recruit,  train,  and  challenge  our  best  leadership  for  this 
ministry. 


20 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


feast.  We  were  privileged  to  atten< 
some  of  the  sessions  of  the  Divisioj 
of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Nationa 
Council  of  Churches  in  Atlantic 
City.  One  night  Dr.  D.  T.  Niles  o 
India  spoke.  His  thoughts  wert 
most  inspiring  and  uplifting.  W( 
wanted  to  go  home  after  hearinj 
him  and  quiedy  hold  those  thought 
to  our  hearts,  making  each  one  oui 
own. 

We  wish  the  folks  that  "down' 
the  United  States,  criticizing  her  foi 
her  immorality,  would  only  stop  anc  J 
look  around  to  see  all  the  spiritua- 
richness  that  she  holds.  Her  spiritu 
al  feasts  are  not  appreciated  because 
they  have  become  an  everyday  diet 

Another  great  benefit  is  the  medi 
cal    advantages    we    have    here    a' 
home.     It   seems   that   by   furlougl 
time  we  are  pretty  well  worn  ou! 
with  frequent,  if  not  serious,  bout! 
of  malaria,   amoebiasis,   etc.    How> 
ever,   as   time  goes   on  and  public! 
health  and  medical  services  improv*  j 
in  Nigeria,   we  hope   that  we  wilj 
need  to  depend  less  and  less  on  thef 
medical      facilities      here      in      thef 
homeland. 

The  third  benefit  we  look  for  is 
the  opportunity  to  brush  up  anc 
catch  up  on  the  progress  made  it 
our  professions  to  which  the  Lore 
has  called  us.  The  medical  doctoi 
has  been  able  to  attend  classes  at 
the  Atiantic  City  hospital.  Both  oi 
us  have  been  able  to  attend  a  semi- 
nar on  leprosy  for  missionaries  at 
Carville,  La.  We  have  been  eagerh 
reading  any  information  that  comes 
our  way  concerning  new  drugs  anc 
new  medical  procedures  and  surgi- 
cal techniques.  We  are  sure  thai 
most  missionaries  do  this,  each  ir 
his  own  calling. 

The  last  benefit  is  the  social  anc 
cultural  benefit  of  getting  back  and 
living  in  one's  own  cultural  environ 
ment.  As  time  goes  on  the  differ- 
ence between  the  culture  of  oui 
mission  area  and  the  homeland  b& 
comes  less.  We  now  have  radio  and 
television  in  Nigeria,  although  TV 
is  not  in  the  north,  as  yet.  Witt 
jet  travel  the  world  is  getting  smallej 
and  our  cultures  are  gradually  be- 
coming one.  However,  we  always 
look  forward  to  seeing  our  loved 
ones  here  at  home.  We  all,  it  seems: 
need  to  fellowship  with  the  family 
God  gave  us.  However,  this  visit 
would  not  need  to  be  a  long  one 
A  furlough  of  a  few  months  would 


accomplish  all  that  we  would  need. 

This  time  we  face  a  situation  we 
never  faced  before.  We  will  leave 
two  of  our  teen-age  sons  here  in 
the  homeland  and  our  third  son, 
God  willing,  will  return  home  in  two 
years.  It  is  not  an  easy  thing  to 
leave  these  loved  ones  behind.  But 
we  praise  the  Lord  that  he  has 
opened  marvelous  Christian  homes 
to  them  where  they  will  be  under 
the  influence  of  strong  Brethren 
communities. 

The  Foreign  Mission  Commission 
permits  us  to  return  in  three  years 
if  our  children  need  us.  But,  for 
us,  four  years  seemed  too  short  a 
time  to  get  everything  done  that 
we  wanted  to  do.    So  we  are  ear- 


nestly hoping  that  we  will  be  able 
to  remain  in  Nigeria  for  the  full 
four-year  term. 

However,  we  cannot  do  it  unless 
the  folks  in  the  homeland  give  us 
prayer  support  and  help  these  teen- 
agers to  adjust  to  the  community 
in  which  they  find  themselves.  We 
earnesdy  covet  the  co-operation  of 
the  Brotherhood  in  prayer.  And 
when  you  hear  that  we  missionaries 
to  Nigeria  or  to  any  other  foreign 
field,  must  leave  our  teen-age  chil- 
dren in  the  homeland,  do  not  pity 
us.    Help  us. 

Editor's  note:  The  Pfaltzgraffs  left 
the  States  on  June  18  to  return  to  their 
work  in  Northern  Nigeria. 


"New  Look"  in  Missions 

"Mission  minded"  church  members  are  likely  to  be  disturbed 
by  what  they  hear  of  a  "new  day"  in  missions.  Here,  from  both 
Africa  and  India,  is  some  clarification  of  what  the  new  day  means  — 
in  short,  how  and  why  missions  today  are  changing. 


ALL  over  the  world  subject 
peoples  are  gaining  their  in- 
dependence. No  longer  is  a 
white  skin,  an  automobile,  a  foreign 
origin,  or  a  vasdy  superior  knowl- 
edge enough  to  assure  respect  and 
acceptance.  The  worker  abroad, 
particularly  the  missionary,  must 
find  a  deeper  approach  to  communi- 


cating with  people.  He  must  be  a 
master  of  human  relations,  or,  better 
yet,  he  must  emulate  the  human 
relationships  of  the  Master. 

This  is  not  to  suggest  that  the 
basic  message  of  the  missionary  is 
changing.  Rather,  it  is  his  approach 
that  is  drastically  altered,  or  must 
be   if   the   Christian   message   is   to 


Robert  S\ 


bring  new  light  to  the  crucial  needs 
of  the  people. 

In  bringing  his  influence  and  wit- 
ness to  bear,  the  day  of  the  mission- 
ary's handing  down  orders  is  past. 
So  also  is  the  expectation  that  the 
missionary's  opinion  will  prevail. 
The  countermanding  of  national 
church  members'  decisions  is  past. 
And  gone  with  it  is  the  missionary's 
immunity  to  forthright  criticism. 

The  change  of  relationships  be- 
tween nationals  and  missionaries  has 
been  likened  to  the  relationship  of 
parent  and  child. 

The  "advent  of  the  teens"  analogy 
was  used  by  one  missionary  speaker, 
Hans  Emming,  in  the  keynote  ad- 
dress to  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Congo  Protestant  Council.  "Africa 
is  coming  into  the  age  of  ado- 
lescence. It  is  staggering  into  the 
most  difficult  stage  of  human  ex- 
istence. What  can  you  do  to  win 
teen-agers?  Reason  with  them?  No! 
Love  them." 

From  India,  Dr.  Fred  Wampler, 
the  newest  Church  of  the  Brethren 
missionary  in  India,  wrote,  "Wrong 
as  I  now  see  it  to  have  been,  I 
expected  to  reap  a  great  harvest  of 
gratitude  from  the  people,  even  as 
the  older  missionaries  had  done. 
The  glorious  childhood  of  missions 
is  over,  and  the  new  church  is  enter- 
ing its  adolescence  with  all  its  mixed 
feelings.  They  seek  independence 
of  us  and  at  the  same  time  seek 
more  support  from  us.  Their  moods 
are  capricious.  They  are  often  criti- 
cal of  us  and  we  seldom  please 
them.  I'm  sure  we  don't  understand 
them  as  well  as  we  should.  Perhaps 
they  don't  understand  themselves 
either.    That's  adolescence! 

"But  .  .  .  what  parent  doesn't 
expect  the  turbulence  of  ado- 
lescence? What  parent  doesn't  con- 
sider it  a  privilege  to  help  in  these 
hard  years,  even  if  his  intentions  are 
often  misunderstood?  What  parent 
doesn't  love  his  troublesome  young- 
sters? While  they  often  disappoint 
him,  what  parent  doesn't  feel  proud 
of  his  maturing  adolescent  and  see 
in  him  potentialities  greater  than  he 
was  ever  able  to  develop  in  himself? 
That's  how  we  feel  about  the  Indian 
Church!" 

Hans  Emming  concluded  in  his 
Congo  address  that  heretofore  the 
missionary  withdrew  from  complete 
domination  of  the  church  by  becom- 
ing a  more  respected  leader  —  an 
upward  movement  where  he  became 
Continued  on  page  24 


Today  the  missionary,  to  be  most  effective,  must  actually  be  the  servant 
of  the  national  church  as   symbolized  in  the   service   of   feet  washing 


JUNE  25,  1960 


21 


Unveiling 

A 

Heritage 


TO  THE  throng  that  hurried 
along  Madison  Avenue  in  New 
York  City  one  mid-April  day, 
one  of  the  least  exciting  events  was 
the  auction  of  old  books  at  the 
Parke-Bernet  galleries.  However,  to 
some  select  members  of  the  crowd, 
among  them  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  the  sale 
was  a  historian's  heyday. 

Auctioned  off  by  lots  were  im- 
prints of  two  Pennsylvania  publish- 
ers, some  of  the  volumes  more  than 
200  years  old.  Both  of  the  presses, 
Sauer  and  Ephrata,  had  figured  sig- 
nificantly in  the  history  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Among  the 
nearly  $200  worth  of  materials 
which  the  representative  of  the 
church  secured  were  two  copies  of 
Alexander  Mack's  Rechnung  und 
Ordnungen  (Rights  and  Ordi- 
nances), 1774  and  1799  editions. 

The  purchase  was  made  by  Don- 
ald F.  Dumbaugh,  Juniata  College 
instructor  and  member  of  the  de- 
nomination's Historical  Committee, 
whom  he  represented  at  the  auction. 
The  committee  had  been  tipped  off 
on  the  sale  by  L.  W.  Shultz,  the 
private  eye  of  Brethren  memorabilia. 
The  twenty-six  volumes  since  have 
been  added  to  the  Historical  Library 
at  the  General  Offices  in  Elgin. 

The  procurement  of  historical  rec- 
ords for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
is  one  of  the  functions  of  the  His- 
torical Committee.  In  actions  at  its 
annual  meeting  this  spring  the 
members 

•  agreed  to  make  a  census  of  Breth- 
ren historical  materials; 

•  urged  all  churches  which  have 
not  yet  done  so  to  file  with  the 
Christian  Education  Commission 
a  register  of  member  families  in 
1958-59; 


•  heard  reports  on  the  cataloguing 
of  materials  in  the  Historial  Li- 
brary at  the  General  Offices; 

•  made  modest  funds  available  for 
the  purchase  of  rare  Brethren  ma- 
terials for  the  Historical  Library 
The  committee  seeks  not  only  to 

locate  recorded  historical  data,  how- 
ever. It  works  to  compile  and  pub- 
fish  both  facts  and  fiction  which 
never  before  have  been  set  in  print. 
Plans  for  books  to  be  published  by 
the  Brethren  Press  were  reviewed 
at  the  last  meeting. 

Too,  the  committee  strives  to  in- 
terpret the  church's  past,  setting  it 
forth  in  the  perspective  of  the  pres- 
ent and  future.  For  example,  in 
connection  with  the  100th  anni- 
versary celebration  in   1962  of  the 


Antietam  battle  near  Sharpsburg, 
Md.,  the  committee  favored  the 
restoration  of  the  Old  Dunkard! 
Church  which  stood  in  the  midst  ofj 
the  battlefield,  and  urged  its  desig- 
nation as  a  peace  shrine. 

The  committee  does  not  work: 
alone  but  co-operates  with  and 
counsels  with  other  Brethren  his- 
torians. A  report  at  the  recent  meet- 
ing of  the  projects  which  committee 
members  themselves  have  under- 
taken reveals  their  enthusiasm  for 
keeping  alive  that  which  is  worthy 
from  the  past. 

Roger  Sappington,  chairman  of 
the  committee  and  a  professor  of 
history  at  Bridgewater  College,  is 
preparing  a  book  manuscript  based 
on  his  doctoral  thesis,  "Development 
of  Social  Policy  of  the  Brethren, 
1908-1958,"  and  also  a  sourcebook 
on  Brethren  in  the  wilderness  period. 

Donald  F.  Durnbaugh,  whose 
work  on  European  Origins  of  the 
Brethren  was  released  in  1958,  is 
cataloguing  items  at  Juniata  College 
from  the  Cassel,  Swigart,  and 
Brumbaugh  collections,  financed  by 
a  $2,200  grant  from  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Durnbaugh  is 
assisting  in  the  task.  His  doctoral 
thesis,  now  completed,  is  on  the 
early  years  of  the  church  in  Ger- 
many. He  has  in  prospect  a  popu- 
lar-style history  of  the  European 
Brethren  and  a  sourcebook  on 
Brethren  in  the  colonial  period. 

A  third  member  of  the  committee, 


22 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Ed  Buzinski 


A  history  to  grow  into 


H.  Austin  Cooper,  New  Windsor, 
Md.,  pastor  of  the  Pipe  Creek  con- 
gregation, is  writing  a  history  of  the 
Brothersvalley  congregation,  Pa.,  for 
its  200th  anniversary  celebration  in 
1962.  He  has  reported  that  among 
the  early  elders  of  the  congregation 
was  a  brother  of  Daniel  Boone. 
Cooper  also  is  engaged  in  research 
for  seven  congregations  in  Mary- 
land, and  is  investigating  the  history 
of  the  Brethren  churches  in  western 
Kentucky. 

C.  Ernest  Davis,  La  Verne,  Calif., 
assisted  the  compiler  of  a  district 
history  and  has  helped  secure  valu- 
able items  for  the  Historical  Library. 
While  executive  secretary  of  the 
Christian  Education  Commission 
from  1948  to  1958,  he  was  the 
supervisor  of  the  Historical  Library. 

Ora  W.  Garber,  Elgin,  111.,  secre- 
tary of  the  committee  and  liaison 
for  its  parent  body,  the  Christian 
Education  Commission,  as  book  edi- 
tor is  working  with  these  and  other 
writers  on  more  than  a  score  of  dis- 
trict histories,  biographies,  source- 
books,  and   historical  fiction  books. 

Freeman  Ankrum,  Smithsburg, 
Md.,  serves  on  the  committee  as  a 
representative  of  the  Brethren 
Church.  A  retired  pastor,  he  is 
author  of  Alexander  Mack,  the 
Tunker,  and  of  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania Historical  Sketches.  He 
continues  to  write  historical  articles 
for  Brethren  periodicals. 

Absent  from  the  committee's 
meeting,  held  at  Martinsburg,  W. 
Va.,  was  its  newest  member,  Wilbur 
Hoover,  pastor  at  Rocky  Ford,  Colo. 
Mildred  Etter,  Elgin,  111.,  adminis- 
trative assistant  in  the  Christian 
Education  Commission  with  re- 
sponsibilities for  the  Historical 
Library,  attended  the  meeting  as 
recorder  and  Mrs.  C.  Ernest  Davis 
as  a  guest. 

In  gleaning  from  yesteryear  the 
ideas  which  are  relevant  to  the 
church  today,  the  committee  has  no 
lack  of  historical  resources.  The 
finding  of  old  books,  pamphlets, 
diaries,  and  letters  spurs  new  study. 
Brethren  have  a  history  of  which 
only  a  part  has  been  made  known. 


Dr.  Robert  H.  Hamill,  student 
pastor  in  Madison,  Wis.:  "Pentecost 
as  not  organized  by  any  board,  nor 
the  Reformation  launched  by  any 
council  of  bishops.  Neither  John 
Wesley,  Martin  Luther,  Simon  Peter, 
nor  their  Master  thought  of  mailing, 
mimeograph,  and  meetings  as  the 
Holy  Trinity." 


Brotherhood  Church  Extension 
Investment  Notes 


Recently  the  Brotherhood  Board 
adopted  several  new  policies  which 
relate  to  the  financing  of  our  new 
church  extension  projects.  In  gener- 
al, the  new  policy  places  the  major 
responsibility  for  grants-in-aid  with 
the  districts,  and  the  major  responsi- 
bility for  loans  with  the  Brotherhood. 

In  order  to  provide  a  more  ade- 
quate loan  fund  at  the  Brotherhood 
level,  the  Board  authorized  the  ex- 
pansion of  the  Church  Extension  In- 
vestment Fund  by  approximately 
$200,000  each  year  for  the  next 
seven  years,  bringing  it  to  $2,000,000 
by  1967. 

The  new  interest  rate  on  all  notes 
issued  after  April  1,  1960,  is  4%%. 
Individuals,  local  churches,  districts, 
and  organizations  that  have  funds 
to  invest  are  encouraged  to  secure 
Brotherhood  Church  Extension  In- 
vestment Notes.  Amounts  from  $100 
up  to  $10,000  or  more  will  be  ac- 
cepted. The  notes  are  issued  for 
five-year  periods,  unless  otherwise 
indicated.  In  case  of  urgent  need, 
the  notes  may  be  cashed  within 
ninety  days  or  sold  to  a  new 
purchaser. 

Churches  and  districts  receiving 
Brotherhood  loans  are  particularly 
encouraged  to  cultivate  interest 
among    their    members    and    others 


Galen  B.  Ogden 

in  investing  in  Brotherhood  Church 
Extension  Notes.  This  will  not  only 
help  to  build  up  the  loan  fund,  but 
it  will  also  personally  involve  those 
who  are  directly  benefited  by  the 
fund.  In  this  connection  our  readers 
may  be  interested  to  know  that  the 
Lutheran  Missouri  Synod,  one  of  the 
fastest  growing  groups  in  America, 
has  a  similar  loan  fund  totaling 
eighty  million  dollars,  and  they  place 
much  emphasis  on  the  small  invest- 
ments in  order  to  involve  as  many 
of  their  members  as  possible. 

Our  Brotherhood  Church  Ex- 
tension Fund  will  give  the  investor 
a  good  return  on  his  investment.  At 
the  same  time  it  will  allow  the 
Brotherhood  to  give  substantial  help 
to  churches  that  need  to  relocate 
or  remodel  as  well  as  to  new  fellow- 
ship groups  in  the  process  of  be- 
coming churches. 

All  investments,  including  inter- 
est, are  guaranteed  by  the  General 
Brotherhood  Board.  Those  desiring 
to  invest  in  this  program  may  remit 
to  the  General  Brotherhood  Board, 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  1451  Dun- 
dee Avenue,  Elgin,  111.  For  your 
convenience  you  may  use  the  form 
on  this  page. 


Clip  and  mail 


CHURCH  EXTENSION  NOTE  APPLICATION 

General  Brotherhood  Board 

1451  Dundee  Avenue 

Elgin,  Illinois 

Dear  Brethren: 

I  desire  to  put  some  money  to  work  in  extending  the  kingdom  through 

the    Brotherhood    Church   Extension   Fund.     Enclosed    is    my    (check) 

(money  order)  for  $ 

Please  issue  the  following  Investment  Note: 

$ at  4%%  for  5  years. 

Please  make  the  note  payable: 

In    my    name    only    as    written    below.     Joindy    in    my    name 

and 


who  is  my  .. 


Name  

St.,  R.F.D. 

City 

Date 


(Write  in  name) 

(Insert  relationship) 

Yours  in  Christian  service, 


State  .. 


JUNE  25,  1960 


23 


"New  Look"  in  Missions 

Continued  from  page  21 

like  a  spiritual  leader.  Now  he  tends 
to  withdraw  sideways  into  the  life 
of  the  church.  But  ultimately,  and 
this  should  begin  to  happen  immedi- 
ately, he  must  withdraw  downward. 
He  must  begin  to  take  orders. 

Mr.  Emming  says,  "This  last 
touches  on  sentiment.  Sometimes, 
I  am  really  frightened  that  our  ship 
which  has  weathered  storms  may  be 
wrecked  on  rocks  of  pride.  We  say 
we  are  fellow  workers,  but  can  we 
imagine  ourselves  in  an  inferior  posi- 
tion to  our  African  brothers? 

"To  me  it  seems  too  much  for 
our  African  brethren,  that  they 
should  take  the  initiative  in  suggest- 
ing such  a  change.  I  would  cheer 
if  they  did.    We  came  here  unin- 


vited. Nobody  will  take  the  initia- 
tive. Such  things  come  only  by 
divine  inspiration  and  vision  of  the 
quality  of  Carey  and  others  when 
they  set  out  on  their  tasks  of  evange- 
lizing the  world. 

"The  vision  comes  slowly.  The 
blind  man  who  was  healed  saw  men 
like  trees  walking.  If  it  appears  that 
way  to  us,  we  must  ask  the  Lord 
to  clear  our  vision.  We  must  pray 
for  and  expect  a  new  vision  for  this 
new  stage   of  advance  in  missions. 

"The  churches  must  become 
autonomous  in  the  next  decade.  If 
not,  Christianity  will  always  remain 
alien  and  foreign.  And  if  it  does 
not  take  root,  our  whole  missionary 
effort  has  been  in  vain.  The  king- 
dom has  not  come.  We  must  get 
out  of  the  leading  positions  of  the 
church  and  its  leaders  must 
increase." 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


Scripture  to  Live  By.  Dorothea 
S.  Kopplin.  Hanover  House,  1955. 
222  pages.    $2.50. 

This  is  a  useful  book  for  those 
with  limited  time  to  live  with  the 
great  passages  of  the  Bible.  It  is 
a  summation  of  the  Bible  in  brief 
compass  and  is  meant  to  be  used  for 
meditation. 

The  author  has  brought  together 
in  an  ordered  way  great  scriptures 
to  live  by.  It  is  a  sequel  to  her  book, 
Something  to  Live  By,  and  is  written 
for  the  inspiration  and  guidance  of 
her  grandchildren  and  all  others 
who  seek  something  to  live  by.  — 
Glen  Weimer,  Arlington,  Va. 

"The  Waiting  Father.  Helmut 
Thielicke.  Harper,  1959.  192  pages. 
$3.75. 

Helmut  Thielicke,  professor  of 
theology  at  the  University  of  Ham- 
burg, is  heard  twice  every  Sunday 
and  once  during  the  week  by  one 
of  the  largest  congregations  in  the 
world  —  4,000  persons  —  a  packed 
house. 

The  Waiting  Father  is  the  English 
translation  of  the  German  edition, 
God's  Picturebook,  translated  by 
John  Doberstein  of  Lutheran  The- 
ological Seminary,  Philadelphia. 

The  book  has  nineteen  sermons 
from  the  parables  of  Jesus.  They 
were  delivered  to  these  vast  congre- 


24 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


gations  made  up  of  young  and  old, 
sophisticated  students  and  ordinary 
shopworkers,  the  beat  and  the  off- 
beat, Christians  and  non-Christians 
who  hear  gladly  this  preacher.  He 
painstakingly  speaks  the  language  of 
his  contemporaries,  using  colloquial 
terms,  speaking  vividly,  picturesque- 
ly, powerfully. 

Remarkably  enough  these  sermons 
speak  to  each  of  us  in  our  situation. 
We  are  the  Prodigal,  the  Elder 
Brother,  and  Lazarus,  and  we  see 
ourselves  reflected  as  in  a  mirror. 
But  in  them  and  through  them  shine 
the  love  of  God  and  our  hope  in 
Jesus  Christ,  who  came  to  redeem 
us. 

Here  is  great  preaching,  keen 
Biblical  exposition,  and  notable  un- 
derstanding of  our  modern  mood  and 
predicament.  —  Charles  E.  Zunkel, 
Port  Republic,  Va. 

"How  God  Heals.  Paul  M.  Miller. 
Herald  Press,  1960.    24  pages.    35c. 

Here  is  a  sane,  Biblical  and  con- 
temporarily oriented  study  on  faith 
healing,  written  by  a  serious  Men- 
nonite  professor  in  Goshen  College 
Biblical  Seminary.  Most  Brethren 
will  find  the  viewpoint  of  this  brief, 
reverently  but  popularly  written 
pamphlet  compatible  with  their  be- 
liefs. A  wholesome  interpretation  of 
the  nature  of  God,  prayer,  faith, 
illness,  health,  the  Christian  life,  and 
the  use  of  medical  science  is  given. 


Even  though  he  refers  to  the  anoint- 
ing with  oil  and  mentions  the  re- 
cently renewed  activity  in  other 
denominations,  it  is  unfortunate  that 
the  author  apparently  is  unaware 
that  the  rite  of  anointing  the  sick 
with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  is 
a  cherished  practice  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  While  the  pam- 
phlet does  not  answer  all  questions 
and  raises  new  ones,  it  nevertheless 
makes  an  excellent  companion  to 
Warren  D.  Bowman's  Anointing  for 
Healing.  Another  strong  point  is  the 
booklet's  fine  annotated  bibliography 
on  divine  healing.  It  costs  only  35c; 
send  an  additional  quarter  for  Bow- 
man's revised  pamphlet  and  teach: 
these  truths  to  your  family  and 
church.  Know  where  you  stand 
when  confronted  by  modern,  popu- 
lar, spectacular  and  sometimes  irre- 
sponsible healing  cults.  —  Harold  Z. 
Bomberger,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

The  New  Testament  and  Myth- 
ology. Burton  H.  Throckmorton,  Jr. 
Westminster,  1959.  255  pages. 
$4.50. 

This  book  reflects  the  major  de- 
bate among  New  Testament  scholars 
during  the  past  decade  and  a  half: 
in  attempting  to  make  the  New 
Testament  message  understandable 
to  modern  man,  is  it  necessary  and: 
possible  to  divest  the  gospel  of  "out- 
moded" world  views  and  "primitive" 
eschatology? 

Professor  Throckmorton  in  an- 
swering "yes  and  no"  holds  that  the 
Christian  proclamation  proclaims 
large  areas  of  truths  which  can  only 
be  communicated  in  the  symbolic 
language  of  the  New  Testament. 

Here  is  a  book  for  Christians  who 
wish  to  keep  abreast  of  scholarly  dia- 
logue or  for  intellectuals  who  are  dis- 
turbed by  ancient  world  views  and 
symbolic  language.  —  David  J.  Wie- 
and,  Chicago,  III. 

*P.  S.  to  Puzzled  Parents.  John 
and  Dorathea  Crawford.  Christian 
Education  Press,  1959.  63  pages. 
$1.00. 

The  authors  of  this  book  are 
known  widely  for  their  books  for 
teen-agers.  In  response  to  a  puzzled 
parent  searching  for  encouragement 
in  rearing  children,  John  and  Dora- 
thea Crawford  give  practical  guid- 
ance to  all  parents.  They  have 
combined  religion  and  psychology  in 
their  treatment  of  the  relationships 
of  parents  to  their  children. 

If  you  are  a  parent,  then  this  book 
is  for  you.    Regardless  of  the  age 


FW 


l^Pt^pr 


An  audience  composed  of  representatives  from  Ohio,  Illinois,  Michigan, 
and  Indiana  attended  the  dedication  ceremony  for  the  Manchester  College 
Hall  of  Science  held  in  the  college  auditorium  on  March  26.  The  dedication 
ceremony  was  the  climax  of  a  three-day  observance  that  included  a 
science  institute.  Participating  in  the  dedication  were  Galen  T.  Lehman, 
executive  secretary  for  the  Central  Region;  V.  F.  Schwalm,  president 
emeritus,  who  spoke  of  the  Development  of  the  Sciences  at  Manchester; 
Manning  M.  Pattillo,  associate  director  of  Lilly  Endowment,  Inc.,  who  gave 
the  dedicatory  address,  The  Sciences  in  Liberal  Education;  President 
A.  Blair  Helman;  and  Edward  Kintner,  former  member  of  the  faculty,  now 
?  retired.    Norman  B.   Wine,   chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees,   presided 


of  your  child,  the  authors  have  care- 
fully dealt  with  the  unique  problems 
and  opportunities  which  are  repre- 
sentative of  various  ages.  The  book 
recognizes  that  there  are  no  simple 
rules  which  can  transform  the  com- 
plex task  of  the  parent  into  a  trou- 
ble-free existence,  but  workable 
principles  are  given  to  serve  as 
guidelines  for  parents. 

Recognizing  the  mistakes  parents 
make,  the  authors  are  quick  to  re- 
mind parents  that  "no  matter  what 
mistakes  you  may  have  made  as  a 
parent,  the  situation  still  is  a  hopeful 
one  if  you  are  sincerely  willing  to 
learn."   The  book  is  especially  help- 


ful in  dealing  with  the  special  con- 
cerns of  parents  of  teen-agers  and 
recognizes  the  need  to  feel  a  kin- 
ship with  God  in  the  task  before 
them.  —  Joe  Long. 

"Camping     and     the     Outdoors. 

Larry  Koller.  Random  House,  1957. 
128  pages.    $2.95. 

Excellent  help  for  the  family  or 
individuals  preparing  for  their  first 
camping  experience.  Here  is  an 
easy-to-follow,  well-illustrated  guide 
to  camping.  There  is  included  every 
phase  of  camping  activity  such  as 
selecting  the  right  tent,  tent  raising, 


safety  and  first  aid,  use  of  the  ax 
and  knife,  what  to  take  along,  camp- 
fires  and  cooking,  and  the  use  of 
cameras  and  binoculars.  Some  help 
is  given  to  canoe,  back-packing,  and 
pack-horse  trips,  but  most  help  is 
given  to  the  car  campers  —  those 
motoring  to  a  camp  site  with  their 
equipment.  The  numerous  step-by- 
step  photographs  are  very  helpful. 
The  counselor  for  a  resident  or  day- 
camp  program  will  find  this  book 
a  good  resource,  especially  in  camp 
skills,  safety  and  first  aid,  and 
understanding  nature.  —  Paul  M. 
Weaver. 

How  Adults  Learn.  J.  R.  Kidd. 
Association  Press,  1959.  324  pages. 
$4.75. 

In  a  field  with  vast  areas  still  be- 
ing explored,  this  book  develops  a 
systematic,  up-to-date  body  of  ideas, 
theories,  and  experiences  to  guide 
all  who  teach  adults. 

Some  ideas  prominent  in  Dr. 
Kidd's  book  are:  a  formulation  of 
the  concept  of  adult  learning;  a  sum- 
mary of  our  present  psychological 
knowledge  of  the  adult  learner; 
a  selection  of  ideas  from  many 
theories  of  learning  to  help  in  under- 
standing adult  learning;  a  descrip- 
tion and  evaluation  of  current 
practices  in  adult  education;  and 
detailed  illustrations  of  the  applica- 
tions of  theory  to  the  teaching- 
learning  transaction. 

Dr.  Kidd's  book  seems  to  be  a 
basic  work  in  adult  education  and 
can  well  be  in  libraries  of  persons  or 
institutions  interested  in  the  adult.  — 
Anna  M.  Warstler. 


Harold  Bomberger,  executive  secre- 
tary of  the  Eastern  Region,  delivered 
the  address  when  the  new  church 
house  of  the  Reading  congregation, 
Pa.,  was  dedicated  on  Palm  Sunday. 
Other  speakers  that  day  were  Ralph 
W.  Schlosser  and  Robert  Byerly, 
both  from  Elizabethtown,  Pa.  A 
community,  a  district,  and  a  youth 
night  had  preceded  the  Sunday  ob- 
servance. The  sanctuary  and  fellow- 
ship hall  are  the  first  phase  of  a 
building  program  that  will  continue 
as  need  arises.  By  using  folding 
curtains  the  fellowship  hall  serves 
also  as  a  temporary  educational 
plant.  The  Reading  church  was  or- 
ganized on  Jan.  1,  1898,  called  its 
first  full-time  pastor  in  1938,  and 
broke  ground  for  its  building  in  the 
new  location  on  its  sixtieth  anni- 
versary. The  church  is  serving  the 
community     of     Wyomissing     Hills 


3§k 


JUNE  25,  1960 


25 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


United  Church  Women  Speak 
on  Current  Issues 

A  long-range  program  looking 
toward  universal  disarmament  has 
received  enthusiastic  support  from 
the  board  of  managers  of  United 
Church  Women.  A  resolution 
adopted  at  its  annual  three-day 
meeting  called  on  the  U.  S.  govern- 
ment to  work  for  international 
agreements  for  "eventual  and  com- 
plete" disarmament  with  adequate 
controls. 

The  200  board  members  recom- 
mended concrete  ways  in  which 
church  women  can  back  non- 
violent protests  against  discrimina- 
tion in  this  country.  These  included 
organizing  and  co-operating  with 
biracial  committees,  support  of 
merchants  who  have  discontinued 
lunchcounter  discrimination,  and  fi- 
nancial contributions  to  recognize 
working  to  outlaw  segregation  in 
this  country. 

AME  Bishops  Hcdl  Racial 
Integration  Progress 

The  seventeen  bishops  of  the  Af- 
rican Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
hailed  increasing  progress  toward 
both  racial  integration  and  church 
unity  in  a  statement  presented  to 
the  thirty-sixth  session  of  the  de- 
nomination's quadrennial  General 
Conference. 

The  statement  noticed  that  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  decisions  on  integra- 
tion issues  and  other  objectives 
guaranteeing  freedom  in  travel  ac- 
commodations and  fair  employment 
practices  enacted  by  many  state 
legislatures  have  pushed  the  Negro 
race  far  toward  the  goal  of  achiev- 
ing maturity  of  citizenship. 

Southern  Presbyterians  Urged  to 
Speed  Church  School  Integration 

The  synods  and  presbyteries  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.S. 
(Southern)  were  urged  by  the  de- 
nomination's 100th  General  As- 
sembly to  integrate  their  white 
educational  institutions  "with  de- 
cisiveness and  dispatch." 

The  assembly  reaffirmed  its  1954 
stand  that  enforced  racial  segrega- 
tion is  "against  the  will  of  God" 
and  asked  that  the  church's  colleges 
and  universities  be  open  to  all  qual- 
ified students  regardless  of  race  or 
color.     Schools    direcdy    under    the 


26 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


assembly's  control  have  admitted 
Negro  students  but  others  admin- 
istered by  synods  or  presbyteries 
have  been  slow  in  implementing  the 
denomination's  policy. 

The  commissioners  overwhelming- 
ly rejected  a  resolution  which  would 
have  placed  the  denomination  on 
record  as  officially  opposed  to  the 
election  of  a  Roman  Catholic  presi- 
dent. At  the  same  time  they  reaf- 
firmed the  historic  American  position 
on  separation  of  church  and  state. 

Membership  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  U.S.  reached  a  total 
of  889,196  last  year,  an  increase 
of  some  16,000  over  the  past  year. 
Total  giving  in  1959  was  also  at 
a  new  high,  climbing  to  more  than 
$88,000,000.  It  was  reported  that 
during  the  past  twelve  years  South- 
ern Presbyterians  have  organized  an 
average  of  one  new  church  a  week. 

Delegates  to  the  assembly,  which 
was  held  in  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  re- 
jected a  move  to  have  the  denomi- 
nation dispose  of  its  financial 
holdings  in  the  tobacco  industry. 

East-West  German  Protestants 
Observe  Melancthon 
Anniversary 

Numerous  Protestant  theologians 
and  church  leaders  from  East  and 
West  Germany  attended  a  five-day 
celebration  in  Wittenberg,  East  Ger- 
many, marking  the  400th  anni- 
versary of  the  death  of  Philip 
Melancthon,  a  colleague  of  Martin 
Luther.  Buried  at  Wittenberg  Ca- 
thedral next  to  Luther,  Melancthon 
was  the  author  of  both  the  Augsburg 
Confession  and  the  Apology  of  the 
Augsburg  Confession,  classic  exposi- 
tions of  Lutheran  doctrine. 

Unity  of  Churches  Major 
Interest  of  European  Youth 

European  Christian  youth  today 
are  more  concerned  than  any  other 
postreformation  generation  in  seek- 
ing ways  to  bring  about  church 
unity,  according  to  a  survey  of  na- 
tional ecumenical  youth  leaders  in 
twenty  countries. 

The  poll  was  conducted  in  prepa- 
ration for  the  first  ecumenical  youth 
assembly  in  Europe,  which  will  take 
place  July  13-24,  at  Lausanne, 
Switzerland.  Sponsoring  the  meet- 
ing is  the  World  Council  of 
Churches'  Youth  Department  in 
co-operation  with  European  national 
ecumenical  youth  councils. 


World's  Oldest  Bible  Society 
to  Mark  Anniversary 

Representatives  of  Bible  societies 
in  the  United  States,  Brazil,  India, 
Japan,  Germany,  and  other  coun- 
tries took  part  in  the  ceremonies  in 
Bielefeld,  Germany,  May  22  and  23, 
marking  the  250th  anniversary  of 
the  oldest  Bible  society  in  the  world. 
It  is  the  Canstein  Bible  Society, 
which  was  founded  in  1710  at 
Halle,  in  what  is  now  the  Soviet 
Zone  of  Germany,  and  which  after 
World  War  II  moved  its  seat 
to  Witten,  near  Bochum,  West 
Germany. 

Hildebrandt  Freiherr  von  Can- 
stein, a  devout  German  pietist,  and 
August  Hermann  Francke,  a  famous 
pietist  theologian,  established  the 
society  in  an  effort  to  print  a  popu- 
lar-priced Bible.  In  Germany  today 
there  are  thirty-five  Bible  societies, 
twenty-four  of  them  in  West  Ger- 
many. However,  only  four,  includ- 
ing the  Canstein  Society,  are 
engaged  in  the  actual  production  of 
the  Scriptures.  The  largest  of  these 
is  in  Stuttgart,  West  Germany, 
which  has  circulated  more  than 
37,000,000  Bibles  and  Scripture 
portions  since  its  founding  in  1812. 

United  Lutherans  Launch 
New  Advertising  Program 

A  new  series  of  18  newspaper 
advertising  mats,  geared  to  commu- 
nity daily  and  weekly  newspapers, 
is  being  made  available  free  by  the 
United  Lutheran  Church  in  America 
to  its  4,600  congregations  in  the 
United  States,  Canada,  and  the  Car- 
ibbean area.  Congregations  are  being 
urged  to  run  the  series  individually 
in  local  newspapers  or  in  co-opera- 
tion with  other  Lutheran  churches 
in  their  communities. 

EKH>  Unit  Votes 
$1,600,000  for  Relief 

More  than  7,000,000  marks, 
(about  $1,600,000)  in  welfare  funds 
was  voted  by  the  distribution  com- 
mittee of  the  Council  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church  in  Germany  for 
various  relief  projects  throughout  the 
world,  especially  in  Africa. 

The  money  was  raised  by  German 
Protestants  during  a  "Bread  for  the 
World"  drive  launched  last  Christ- 
mas by  the  church  and  by  German 
Evangelical  Free  churches.  The 
funds  will  be  used  for  food  ship- 
ments in  immediate  aid  measures 
and     for     long-range     agricultural, 


Soatb 


Pled' 


cc: 


'.I  int( 

dii. 


I  medical,  and  housing  programs  in 
>|  underdeveloped  areas  of  Africa, 
I  Southern  Europe,  and  South 
jj  America. 

I  Korean  Protestant  Churches 
i  ]  Pledge  Aid  in  Reconstruction 

Korean  Protestant  churches  have 
I  pledged  to  devote  themselves  ac- 
I  tively  to  democratic  progress  follow- 
gjing  the  overthrow  of  President 
n  Syngman   Rhee's  administration. 

A  resolution  made  public  by  the 
a  National  Christian  Council  of  Korea 
ii  said  that  churches  will  exert  every 
a  effort  in  construction  of  a  new  and 
« orderly  nation.  The  resolution  said 
I  that  Korean  churches  will  stop  their 
I  internal  strife  and  unify  in  order 
i  to  provide  a  model  for  the  country. 

j  Plans  Advance  to  Make 
Buddhism  Burma  State  Religion 
Prime  Minister  U  Nu  of  the  Union 
of  Burma  has  appointed  an  advisory 
commission    for    making    Buddhism 
the  state  religion.    The  commission 
|  will    visit    more    than    forty    towns 
\  throughout  the  country  in  order  to 
interview  leaders  of  Christian,  Hin- 
du, and  Islamic  communities  as  well 
I  as   Buddhist   leaders   and   legal   ex- 
perts before  making  a  report  to  the 
j  government. 

The  purpose  of  the  contacts  with 
I  non-Buddhists  is  to  enable  them  to 
express  freely  their  fears,  if  any, 
I  regarding  establishment  of  a  state 
tlj  religion  and  to  suggest  how  their 
I  rights  should  be  safeguarded.  Bud- 
I  dhism  has  been  in  a  strong  revival 
i(  phase  in  Burma  for  the  past  decade. 
Some  observers  have  seen  the 
I  government's  support  of  renascent 
I  Buddhism  as  a  move  to  thwart  com- 
I  munism  and  to  strengthen  the 
I  regime  and  unify  national  conscious- 
I  ness  and  culture. 

Of  Burma's  20,250,000  people, 
I  about  80%  are  Buddhist.  There  are 
I  some  600,000  Protestants  and  over 
!  177,000    Roman    Catholics. 

News  Briefs 

The   highest  budget   goal   in   the 

'  history  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 

i  vention  -  $20,013,500  -  has    been 

!  set    by    the    convention's    executive 

I  committee.     Of    this    budget    more 

{than    $13,000,000    was    asked    for 

I  general  operations  of  the  more  than 

I  twenty    convention    agencies.     The 

j  agency   receiving   the   largest   share 

!  of  the  budget  is  the  Foreign  Mission 

Board,  to  which  $7,250,000  will  be 

allocated. 

Women  theological  students,  for 
I  the  first  time,  outnumber  men  in  the 
I  entering  class  at  the  Finnish  Theo- 


logical Faculty.  There  are  fifty-eight 
women  and  fifty-five  men.  While 
women  may  not  be  ordained  in  the 
State  Lutheran  Church  of  Finland, 
they  are  permitted  to  hold  other 
church  posts  where  a  knowledge  of 
theology  is  helpful. 

Episcopalians  gave  $530,990  last 
year  for  various  world  relief  and 
interchurch  aid  projects.  During  the 
year  a  total  of  1,609  refugees  came 
to  the  United  States  under  Episco- 
palian church  auspices. 

Members  of  the  Reformed  Church 
in  America  gave  a  record  $3,180,830 
for  the  denomination's  work  last 
year.  This  represented  an  eleven 
per  cent  increase  over  the  previous 
year.  The  largest  contribution, 
$1,214,660,  went  to  the  church's 
Board  for  the  Christian  World  Mis- 
sion. The  denomination  has  a  com- 
municant membership  of  about 
225,000  and  a  total  membership  of 
around  320,000. 

First  reports  about  an  estimated 
40,000  refugees  in  Burma  have 
reached  the  World  Council  of 
Churches  headquarters.  Before, 
there  had  been  only  unconfirmed 
reports  of  stateless  Asian  groups  in 
the  north  and  northeast  of  the  coun- 
try. Most  of  the  refugees  have  fled 
from  China. 

The  government  of  the  Union  of 
South  Africa  will  establish  a  village 
in  South  Africa  for  refugees  as  its 
contribution  to  World  Refugee  Year. 

Australia  received  more  refugees 
in  1959  -  a  total  of  some  9,000  per- 
sons —  than  any  other  country,  ac- 
cording to  a  report  of  the  Office  of 
the  UN  High  Commissioner  for 
Refugees.  The  runner-up  was  the 
U.S.A.  with  8,400  refugees  ad- 
mitted. 

The  Assemblies  of  God,  which  has 
averaged  290  new  congregations  an- 
nually during  the  past  five  years,  ex- 
pects to  take  a  leap  ahead  and  open 
one  church  for  each  of  the  366  days 
this  year.  This  would  bring  the  de- 
nomination's total  number  of  church- 
es close  to  8,400  if  all  the  new 
churches  succeed. 

More  than  60,000  refugees  are  on 
the  caseload  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches'  Division  of  Inter-Church 
Aid  and  Service  to  Refugees.  Of 
these  about  33,000  are  awaiting 
emigration  while  the  remaining  27,- 
000  are  listed  as  nonsettled  —  still 
in  camps,  handicapped,  or  needing 
help  to  integrate. 

There  has  been  an  improvement 
in  facilities  for  publication  of  Prot- 
estant literature  in  East  Germany, 
but  the  number  of  copies  government 


authorities  permit  the  churches  to 
print  is  still  inadequate,  according 
to  a  report  of  the  Conference  of 
East  German  Churches.  The  report 
said  the  conference  is  negotiating 
with  government  authorities  to  get 
permission  to  increase  publication. 
Bibles  are  among  the  objects  fre- 
quently smuggled  into  the  Soviet 
Union,  according  to  an  Austrian 
church  paper.  Despite  repeated 
protests  from  the  Soviet  government, 
Bibles  have  been  smuggled  in  from 
Poland  and  sold  for  500  to  800 
rubles.  The  price  corresponds  to 
the  average  monthly  salary  of  an  un- 
skilled  laborer. 

Quotes  in  the  News 

Rev.  Peter  K.  Dagadu,  secretary 
of  the  Ghana  Christian  Council: 
"The  united  Christian  world  must 
focus  on  the  many  worlds  now  in 
conflict  in  Africa.  Effective  evange- 
lism means  a  united  approach,  with 
a  Christian  message  geared  to  politi- 
cal and  social  problems." 

Dr.  David  H.  C.  Read,  pastor 
of  Madison  Avenue  Presbyterian 
church,  New  York  City:  "In  religion 
it  is  equally  possible  and  desirable 
to  keep  alive  the  memory  of  mighty 
struggles  of  the  past  without  stirring 
up  the  malice  and  acrimony  of 
ancient  debate." 

Dr.  Arthur  G.  Coons,  president  of 
Occidental  College,  Los  Angeles: 
"Christian  educators  must  show  that 
faith,  scholarship,  freedom,  and  de- 
votion are  not  incompatible.  Faith 
without  freedom,  however,  tends  to 
stultify  the  mind  and  ultimately  faith 
itself.  Freedom  without  faith  tends 
to  yield  a  knowledge  without  mean- 
ing, a  culture  without  purpose,  and 
a  people  so  devoted  to  self  that  the 
common  good  either  never  quite 
takes  on  meaning  or,  if  it  does,  is 
equated  only  with  survival." 

Dr.  Roland  Rainton,  Yale  Divinity 
School:  "Our  colleges  of  church 
foundation  above  all  others  should 
seek  to  instill  into  the  student  that 
the  chief  end  of  man  is  not  just 
to  develop  his  personality." 

Dr.  Herman  F.  Reissig,  United 
Church  of  Christ  Council  for  Chris- 
tian Social  Action:  "The  spirit  and 
practice  of  competition  are  plainly 
necessary  to  creativity  and  progress 
in  the  economic  sphere,  but  compe- 
tition as  we  have  it  in  many  areas 
of  American  business  verges  on  the 
destructive.  It  begins  to  be  destruc- 
tive of  the  inner  life  of  men  and 
women." 


JUNE  25,  1960 


27 


3  r^  „ 

WINDOWS 


HALFORD  E.  LUCCOCK 

These  365  meditations  enable 
the  reader  to  look  out  upon  the 
world  through  a  different  win- 
dow—with a  fresh  thought  — 
each  day  of  the  year.  Dr.  Luc- 
cock  combines  vivid  illustrative 
material  with  his  own  sharp  ob- 
servations and  insights  to  produce 
devotions  that  are  alive  with  hu- 
man interest  and  vibrant  with 
wisdom.  Each  one  includes  a 
prayer  and  a  scripture  reference. 
$2.00 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin.  111. 


Obituaries 

Ikenberry,  Henry  Cephas,  son  of 
Henry  and  Catherine  Ikenberry,  was 
born  in  Franklin  County,  Va.,  Feb.  14, 
1879,  and  died  in  Sebring,  Florida, 
March  6,  1960.  He  is  survived  by  his 
wife,  Leonora  Webb  Ikenberry,  three 
sons,  two  daughters,  two  brothers  and 
one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  Stephenson  funeral  home  and 
conducted  by  Bro.  Ralph  Brumbaugh 
and  Bro.  E.  Myrl  Weyant.  Interment 
was  in  the  Pinecrest  cemetery.  —  C.  S. 
Ikenberry,  Sebring,  Fla. 

Jelf,  Jennie,  was  born  June  4,  1896, 
and  died  Feb.  13,  1960.  Her  husband, 
Clyde  Jelf,  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
was  a  charter  member  of  the  Muskegon 
Church  of  the  Brethren.    Surviving  are 


28 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


two  sons,  three  daughters,  ten  grand- 
children, two  great-grandchildren  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Clock  Chapel  with 
Bro.  Loren  Frantz  and  Bro.  LeRoy 
Schaffer  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  Oakwood  cemetery.  —  Eldonna 
Tarte,   Muskegon,   Mich. 

Johnson,  Emma,  died  April  3,  1960. 
Her  husband  preceded  her  in  death. 
She  served  the  church  as  a  deaconess 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Champaign 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Champaign 
church  by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  East  Lawn  cemetery.  —  H. 
W.  Eshelman,  Champaign,  111. 

Kagarise,  Samuel  Berkheimer,  son  of 
Emanuel  and  Mary  Anne  Berkheimer 
Kagarise,  was  born  Oct.  2,  1883,  and 
died  April  4,  1960.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Everett  church.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  three  daughters,  two  sons, 
twenty-three  grandchildren,  eight 
great-grandchildren  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Stewart  funeral  home  by  Bro.  Fred 
M.  Bowman.  Interment  was  in  the 
Hershberger  cemetery.  —  Joy  Harsh, 
Everett,  Pa. 

Kauffman,  Clarence  E.,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  F.  Kauffman,  was  born 
in  Clinton  Township,  July  18,  1882, 
and  died  at  Goshen,  Ind.,  April  4,  1960. 
On  Nov.  6,  1902,  he  was  married  to 
Olive  May  Cripe,  who  preceded  him 
in  death.  Surviving  are  one  son,  one 
sister,  five  grandchildren  and  two 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Yoder-Culp  funeral 
home  with  Bro.  Clarence  Fike  officiat- 
ing. Interment  was  in  the  Rock  Run 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Lewis  Dixon,  Goshen, 
Ind. 

Kettering,  Olive  M.,  daughter  of 
Norman  and  Elizabeth  Shaffer  Gris- 
singer,  was  born  April  8,  1902,  and 
died  March  31,  1960.  She  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Joseph  W.  Kettering. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Elizabethtown  church  by  Brother  A.  C. 
Baugher  and  the  undersigned.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Grandview  Memorial 
park.  —  Nevin  H.  Zuck,  Elizabethtown, 
Pa. 

Light,  Harvey  J.,  son  of  Henry  and 
Fianna  Light,  was  born  Oct.  2,  1885, 
and  died  July  9,  1959.  He  is  survived 
by  two  daughters  and  six  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Christman's  funeral  home  by 
Bro.  Alan  L.  Whitacre  and  Bro.  Frank 
H.  Layser.  Interment  was  in  the  Tul- 
pehocken  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Harvey 
Shenk,   Myerstown,  Pa. 

Lineweaver,  Paul  E.,  son  of  J.  D. 
and  Mollie  Early  Lineweaver,  was 
born  near  Mt.  Crawford,  Va.,  April, 
1904,  and  died  at  McGaheysville,  Va., 
April  11,  1960.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Mill  Creek  church.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  Mary  V.  Early  Lineweaver, 
three  daughters,  his  father,  and  three 
brothers.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Mill  Creek  church  conducted  by 
Bro.  Charles  E.  Zunkel  and  Bro.  James 
S.  Flora.  Interment  was  in  the  Oak- 
lawn  cemetery.  —  Eulalia  L.  Miller, 
Port  Republic,  Va. 

Long,  Ernest  R.,  son  of  Marion  and 
Ellen  Long,  was  born  in  Peoria,  111., 
March  10,  1888,  and  died  at  Portland, 
Oregon,  Oct.  19,  1959.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Portland   church.    He 


is  survived  by  one  daughter,  two  sisters 
and  one  grandson.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  Bro.  Ralph  Bowman. 
Interment  was  in  the  Lincoln  Park 
mausoleum.  —  Rose  Brower,  Portland, 
Oregon. 

McDonald,  Howard  G.,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  Mellott  McDonald,  died 
in  Waynesboro,  Pa.,  April  16,  1960, 
at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  one  sister  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Zimmerman  funeral  home  with  Bro. 
Paul  B.  Baker  and  the  undersigned 
officiating.  Interment  was  in  the  Cedar 
Hill  cemetery.  —  Samuel  D.  Lindsay, 
Greencastle,  Pa. 

Miller,  Cassie  Mast,  daughter  of 
Levi  and  Lucy  Snyder  Buss,  was  born 
August  28,  1873,  in  Newton  County, 
Ind.,  and  died  at  Goshen,  Ind.,  April 
3,  1960.  She  was  first  married  to  Sam 
S.  Mast  on  Nov.  15,  1891.  He  died 
in  1939,  and  in  1942,  she  married 
Harvey  L.  Miller.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  six  daughters,  four  sons, 
thirty-five  grandchildren,  sixty-one 
great-grandchildren  and  one  great- 
great-grandchild.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  First  Mennonite 
church  with  Bro.  Clarence  Fike  and 
Bro.  Gordon  Dyck  in  charge.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  South  Union  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Lewis  Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Myers,  Arthur,  died  March  15,  1960. 
He  had  served  on  the  official  board 
of  the  Mount  Joy  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted at  the  Riggs  funeral  home  by 
the  undersigned  and  assisted  by  Bro. 
Bruce  Bishop.  Interment  was  in  the 
Mount  Joy  church  cemetery.  —  John  M. 
Geary,  Mount  Pleasant,  Pa. 

Myers,  Sadie  Sheets,  was  born  April 
29,  1873,  and  died  Dec.  26,  1959.  She 
was  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  the 
Mount  Joy  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  at 
the  Grimm  funeral  home  by  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  Mount 
Joy  church  cemetery.  —  John  M.  Geary, 
Mount  Pleasant,  Pa. 

Newman,  Lula  M.,  died  March  17, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Brick  church. 
Surviving  are  her  husband,  Amsa  New- 
man, two  foster  daughters,  two  broth- 
ers and  three  sisters.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Red  Hill  church 
and  conducted  by  Bro.  Eugene  Lenk- 
er  assisted  by  Brother  Strawsbaugh. 
Interment  was  in  the  Martin  cemetery. 
—  Mrs.  Levi  T.  Angle,  Wirtz,  Va. 

Owens,  Eustice  Conway,  son  of  John 
N.  and  Lydia  Ellyson  Owens,  was 
born  April  22,  1895,  and  died  Feb.  5, 
1960.  He  was  married  to  Margaret 
Via,  Sept.  3,  1917.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  two  sons,  three  daughters  and 
eight  grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  in  the  Nokesville  Church 
of  the  Brethren  by  Bro.  Robert  Gaze- 
brook  assisted  by  Bro.  George  H.  Tins- 
man.  Interment  was  in  the  Valley 
View  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  George  H.  Son- 
afrank,  Nokesville,  Va. 

Paulus,  Blanche  L.,  died  April  17, 
1960.  She  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Alvin  Paulus.  She  was  a  lifelong  and 
faithful  member  of  the  Center  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are  one  son 
and  one  daughter.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  in  Center  church  by 
the    undersigned.     Interment    was    in 


F 
-■ 
:: 


.. 


■4 


Valley     Chapel     cemetery.  —  John     H. 
Blough,  Louisville,  Ohio. 

Phillips,  Cleophas  A.,  was  born  April 
2,  1869,  and  died  Feb.  20,  1960.  He 
was  married  to  Vernie  WilUford,  who 
preceded  him  in  death.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  French  Broad  church 
and  served  as  a  deacon  for  more  than 
fifty  years.  He  is  survived  by  one 
son,  two  daughters  and  five  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  French  Broad  church  by  Bro. 
Reuel  B.  Pritchett  and  Bro.  Ronald 
Wine.  Interment  was  in  the  church 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  J.  E.  Williford,  White 
Pine,  Tenn. 


Church  News 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 

Pasadena  —  During  world  friendship 
month,  Reverend  Nelson  showed  slides 
on  his  recent  trip  to  Africa.  Dr.  Kreter, 
La  Verne  College  exchange  professor, 
and  Miss  Schmidt-Ott,  an  exchange 
student  also  of  Germany,  were  guest 
speakers  at  a  family-night  dinner.  The 
church  honored  our  Holland  families  at 
a  potluck  dinner.  The  Wings  Over 
Jordan  choir  presented  a  program 
featuring  Negro  spirituals.  On  Youth 
Sunday  the  youth  director,  Jay  Gibble, 
and  eighteen  youth  presented  at  the 
morning  worship  Thy  Kingdom  Come 
on  Earth.  The  Christian  education 
commission  arranged  several  elective 
courses  for  the  adult  Sunday  school 
classes:  basic  theology,  taught  by  Jerry 
Flora  and  early  church  history  by 
Gladdys  Muir.  Bro.  Ora  Huston  of  the 
Brethren  service  commission  told  of 
his  world  travels  and  spoke  on  peace. 
The  church  gave  forty-two  blankets  to 
Church  World  Service  for  needy  areas. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Max  Baughman  showed 
film  of  their  alternative  service  in  Ni- 
geria. The  church  basketball  team  re- 
ceived a  second  place  trophy  in  the 
city  church  league.  Jay  Gibble's  con- 
tract as  minister  of  Christian  education 
and  evangelism  was  renewed  by  a  unan- 
imous decision  of  the  council.  On  Palm 
Sunday  six  were  received  by  baptism 
and  seven  by  letter.  In  the  evening  the 
church  choir  presented  its  annual 
Easter  cantata,  From  Darkness  to  Light. 
—  Mrs.  Betty  Cohick,  Pasadena,  Calif. 

Washington 

Seattle,  Olympic  View  Community  — 

Anna  Warstier,  national  director  of 
adult  work,  was  guest  speaker  at  the 
women's  state  rally  in  Olympia.  She 
also  attended  the  peacemakers'  group 
and  gave  a  very  interesting  message. 
Bro.  Herbert  Ruthrauff  of  La  Verne 
College  was  guest  speaker  one  Sunday. 
He  met  with  the  youth  group  in  the 
evening.  Ralph  Edwin  Turnidge,  a 
member  of  our  church,  was  installed  as 
general  secretary  of  the  Washington- 
Northern  Idaho  Council  of  Churches. 
The  installation  and  reception  were  held 
at  the  University  Presbyterian  church. 
The  peacemakers  have  been  contribut- 
ing used  clothing  to  the  Fir  Crest 
home  for  children.  —  Mrs.  Calder  Muir- 
head,  Seattle,  Wash. 

Colorado 

Haxtun  —  Our  quarterly  council  meet- 
ing in  March  followed  a  basket  dinner 
at  noon.    In  the  evening  of  March  27, 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN   HOME 

Northeastern  Ohio  District 
Wooster,  Ohio 

CHURCH       BUILDING      BONDS 

$200,000  to  construct  the  first  unit  of  a 
modern  "retirement"  home  for  our  senior 
citizens    on    25    acres    at    Wooster,    Ohio. 

FIVE    ^    PERCENT 

Coupons  payable  semi-annually  at  any  bank. 
Bonds  to  begin  July   1,   1960 

For  information  write  to: 

Mr.  HAROLD  STEINER,  Bond  Chairman 
950  W.  Liberty  St. 
Wooster,  Ohio. 


a  fellowship  supper  was  enjoyed.  Bro. 
Virgil  Weimer  gave  a  report  on  the 
adult  political  seminar  he  had  attended. 
The  women  sponsored  a  surprise  pro- 
gram honoring  Brother  and  Sister  Virgil 
Weimer  on  their  nineteenth  wedding 
anniversary.  The  CBYF  meet  on  Wed- 
nesday evenings  following  a  supper. 
The  parents  take  turns  in  serving  the 
meals.  We  were  very  fortunate  to  have 
the  McPherson  College  mixed  quartet 
with  us  on  April  1.  We  had  evening 
services  during  Holy  Week  with  our 
love  feast  on  April  14.  Community 
Good  Friday  services  were  held  at  the 
Haxtun  Methodist  church.  The  CBYF 
presented  the  Easter  program  and  on 
April  20  sponsored  a  family  night  be- 
ginning with  a  covered  dish  supper. 
The  youth  who  attended  regional  con- 
ference gave  reports.  The  women  had 
all-day  meetings  during  the  month  of 
March.  The  children's  department  paid 
for  magic  slates  for  African  schools.  The 
CBWF  purchased  a  desk  and  chair  for 
the  pastor's  study.  —  Mrs.  Charles  F. 
Edwards,  Haxtun,  Colo. 

Northern  Iowa,  Minnesota,  and 
South  Dakota 

Waterloo  —  Our  pastor,  Charles  W. 
Lunkley,  his  wife,  Bozella,  and  his 
children,  James  and  Carolyn,  will  be 
leaving  the  Waterloo  pastorate  to  return 
to  the  mission  field  in  Africa.  Bro. 
Walter  E.  Bucher  will  be  our  new  pas- 
tor. —  Mrs.  Charles  J.  Bennett,  Water- 
loo, Iowa. 

Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 
Mount  Morris  —  Forty  persons  from 
our  congregation  enrolled  in  the  com- 
munity leadership  training  school.  A 
community  visitation  was  directed  by 
the  Council  of  Churches  as  a  part  of 
the  simultaneous  evangelism  emphasis 
program.  A  training  institute  for  per- 
sons sharing  responsibility  for  the  Call 
to  Discipleship  was  held  in  the  Rock- 
ford  church.  Five  youth  and  one  adult, 
who  attended  the  Brethren  youth  politi- 
cal seminar  from  our  church,  gave  re- 
ports during  a  morning  service.  Barry 
Deardorff,  student  at  Bethany  Seminary, 
filled  the  pulpit  during  our  pastor's  ab- 
sence in  a  preaching  mission.  J.  Richard 
Myers  presented  an  organ  vesper  serv- 
ice.   A  day  of  prayer  marking  the  be- 


STERLING  SILVER 


A  useful  memento  of  the  75th 
Anniversary  of  the  Women's 
Fellowship  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Suitably  engraved. 
Sizes  8,  10,  11,  12.    Each  $2.25. 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  111. 


ginning  of  the  Lenten  season  was  held 
in  our  church  and  the  World  Day  of 
Prayer  service  in  the  local  Methodist 
church.  Our  pastor  spoke  on  various 
phases  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  at  the 
morning  services  during  the  Lenten 
season.  Inquirers'  classes  resulted  in 
receiving  eight  members  by  letter  and 
seven  by  baptism.  Sixteen  of  our 
junior  highs  attended  the  rally  in  the 
Dixon  church.  Holy  Week  services 
were  conducted  by  our  pastor.  The 
Mount  Morris  Council  of  Churches 
sponsored  the  community  Good  Friday 
services.  The  Manchester  College  a 
capella  choir  presented  a  concert  in  our 
church.  On  Easter  a  sunrise  service 
was  directed  by  the  CBYF.  Infant  dedi- 


JUNE  25,  1960 


29 


Shepherd 

of  the 

Cowlitz 


EZRA  LEROY  WHISLER 

and 
GERALDINE  C.  ELLER 

The  good  work  carried  on 
faithfully  by  Brethren  min- 
ister Ezra  Whisler  in  the 
Cowlitz  Valley,  Washington, 
during  his  lifetime  still  goes 
on  through  the  ministry  of 
this  attractive,  illustrated 
volume  which  tells  his  story 
of  devotion,  faith,  sacrifice, 
and  achievement.  You  will  be 
forced  to  examine  your  own 
life  stewardship  if  you  read 
this  book.  $2.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin.  111. 


Classified  Advertising 

WANTED:  House  mother  for 
women's  dormitory,  45  to  55  years 
of  age,  training  and  experience 
preferred,  to  be  employed  nine 
months  each  year  (September  to 
June),  room  and  board  furnished, 
salary  commensurate  with  exper- 
ience. Apply  by  handwritten  let- 
ter to  John  T.  Fike,  Treasurer, 
Juniata   College,   Huntingdon,   Pa. 

FARM  FOR  SALE  — Eighty  acres 
with  buildings  in  good  repair.  Mod- 
ern house  quite  new.  Located  V\ 
mile  from  Brethren  church;  10 
miles  from  McPherson  College; 
near  elementary  school.  For  in- 
formation write:  Chester  Murrey, 
Conway,  Kansas. 


30 


GOSPEL    MESSENGER 


cation  was  held  on  Mother's  Day.  The 
congregation  was  represented  at  the  An- 
nual Conference  by  Mrs.  Tressie  Dier- 
dorff,  Mrs.  Henry  Hollar,  Mrs.  Robert 
McNett,  and  Oswalt  Goering.  A  special 
communion  service  was  held  on  Pente- 
cost Sunday  and  new  members  were 
received.  —  Mrs.  Harold  Alter,  Mount 
Morris,  111. 

Northern  Indiana 

Ft.  Wayne,  Lincolnshire  —  During 
our  first  quarter  six  have  been  received 
by  letter  and  thirteen  by  baptism.  Edna 
and  Carl  Nobles  served  as  delegates  to 
Annual  Conference.  On  Family  night 
Dr.  Reinhold  Freudenstein,  a  German 
exchange  professor  at  Manchester  Col- 
lege, lectured  and  showed  pictures  on 
East  Germany.  The  annual  birthday 
dinner  was  sponsored  by  CBYF. 
Chalmer  and  Mary  Faw  from  Bethany 
Seminary,  Chicago,  and  formerly  mis- 
sionaries in  Nigeria,  Africa,  were  with 
us  March  18-20.  Our  pastor,  Harper 
Will,  gave  a  series  of  sermons  through 
Lent  on  the  seven  steps  that  lead  to 
God.  On  Palm  Sunday  evening  our 
chancel  choir  presented  the  cantata, 
Memories  of  Easter  Morn.  The  associ- 
ated churches  had  one  of  their  three- 
hour  Good  Friday  services  in  our 
church.  Moyne  Landis  brought  the 
message  at  our  Easter  morning  sunrise 
service.  The  women's  fellowship  took 
270  garments,  2  dozen  washcloths  and 
13  cooking  utensils  to  the  rally  at 
Goshen,  Ind.  Clara  Rupp,  Eldo  Miller, 
and  Carl  Rutledge  were  elected  dele- 
gates to  district  conference.  —  Mrs.  O. 
E.  Hollenberg,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 

Plymouth  —  Our  school  of  missions 
ended  with  the  showing  of  the  film, 
New  Faces  in  Africa.  The  Manchester 
College  a  cappella  choir  gave  a  pro- 
gram under  the  direction  of  Prof. 
Clyde  Holsinger.  Our  pastor  attended 
the  Indiana  state  pastor's  conference. 
On  Feb.  21  we  had  the  film,  A  Better 
World  Begins  With  Me.  Our  pastor 
gave  a  series  of  messages  on  the  Seven 
Keys.  Bro.  Richard  Burger,  a  former 
missionary  in  evangelistic  and  agricul- 
tural work,  spoke  on  Crises  in  Africa. 
The  district  speech  contest  for  the 
young  people  was  held  in  our  church. 
Six  teachers  attended  the  vacation 
church  school  conference  of  the  Central 
region.  Prof.  Paul  Halladay  of  Man- 
chester College  was  our  guest  speaker 
one  Sunday.  A  class  in  training  for 
church  membership  for  juniors  and 
junior  high  pupils  was  led  by  our 
pastor.  Homer  Kiracofe,  our  pastor,  has 
completed  a  ten-week  clinical  training 
program  at  Memorial  hospital  in  South 
Bend.  We  had  a  family  night  potluck 
supper  with  a  worship  service  and  con- 
cert given  by  the  juniors  and  junior 
highs.  The  play,  A  Good  Steward,  was 
presented  by  our  youth.  During  this 
quarter,  three  have  been  received  by 
letter  and  ten  by  baptism.  The  Holy 
Week  services  were  conducted  by  our 
pastor  with  love  feast  on  Thursday.  The 
community  youth  sunrise  service  was 
held  at  our  church.  Our  pastor  and 
three  other  members  attended  a  full 
guidance  seminar.  —  Mrs.  Raymond  Ul- 
lery,  Plymouth,  Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 

Ladoga  —  At  our  council  meeting  it 
was  reported  that  the  full  endowment 
fund  of  our  congregation  has  been  in- 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  fre! 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in 
dividuals  or  families  to  relocate  o 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com 
munities.  It  does  not  provide  for  thi 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  fo 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad 
vertising  may  be  obtained  from  th< 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother! 
hood  program  assigned  for  administra 
tion  to  the  Social  Welfare  Departmen 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notice: 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  oi 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  car 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  i; 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given.) 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service. 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Illinois. 

No.  453.  Young  man,  nearly  16, 
desires  work  on  Midwest  farm,  in 
a  Brethren  community,  for  summer 
months.  Inexperienced,  but  willing  to 
learn.  Room,  board  and  small  salary 
desired.  Contact:  Mrs.  Raymond  Bow- 
man, 407  S.  Kirkwood,  Kirkwood  22, 
Mo. 


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No.  454.   Wanted.    Middle-aged  lady  . 
to    keep    house   for   working    daughter 
and  mother.    Room  and  board  and  $18 
a    week.     Write    to    Rev.    Wilmer    R. 
Hurst,  Collinsville,  Va. 

No.  455.  Brethren  young  couple 
desire  employment  for  husband  as 
maintenance  man  in  one  of  our  colleges 
or  in  industry.  Experienced  in  plumb- 
ing, wiring,  carpentry;  specialized  in 
operation  and  maintenance  of  furnaces. 
References  will  be  given.  Contact 
Brethren  Placement  Service,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  111. 

No.  456.  Wanted:  Man  or  couple 
for  maintenance  work  in  Home  for  the 
Aging  in  the  Midwest.  Brethren  church 
very  near.  Small  rural  community. 
Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Of- 
fices, Elgin,  111. 

No.  457.  A  Brethren  family  with 
leadership  ability  wishes  to  locate  where 
employment  is  available,  near  a  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  The  husband  used  to 
sing  in  the  Catholic  Boys  Choir  and 
has  had  quartet  experience.  The  wife 
has  had  experience  in  choir  leadership 
and  plays  a  piano  and  piano  accordion. 
They  also  teach  in  Sunday  school.  They 
are  42  and  38  and  have  two  children, 
boy  14  and  a  girl  12.  They  also  sing 
as  a  family  group.  Contact:  Brethren 
Placement  Service,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


vested  in  loans  to  the  Northview  church 
in  Indianapolis  and  to  the  Kokomo  con- 
gregation, and  with  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board.  Our  women's  fellowship 
is  sharing  in  district  activity  and  was 
represented  by  Clara  Miller  at  the  area 


; 


neeting  at  Fairview.  Richard  Harsh- 
jarger  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  on 
May  22.  Pastor  Forrest  Groff  mailed 
iermonettes  to  members  during  the  time 
jvhen  the  snow  had  the  church  isolated. 
Ulara  Miller  was  chosen  delegate  to 
\nnual  Conference.  —  Olive  M.  Harsh- 
larger,  Bainbridge,  Ind. 

Southern  Ohio 

Constance  —  At  our  last  council  meet- 
ing three  deacons  were  chosen.  Our 
;lder,  Clarence  Erbaugh,  and  Chester 
Harley  installed  them  and  their  wives. 
On  the  World  Day  of  Prayer  we  had 
an  all-day  vigil.  In  the  evening  we 
were  host  church  to  five  churches  in 
our  community  for  a  union  service.  Dr. 
fessie  Murrell  gave  the  message.  Arden 
Denlinger,  youth  director  for  the  dis- 
trict, held  a  youth  evangelistic  meeting 
■or  us.  Bro.  Allen  Weldy,  who  recently 
returned  from  Kassel,  Germany,  gave 
a  lecture  along  with  slides  of  the  work 
there.  In  April,  Brother  Weldy  was 
our  evangelist.  Two  were  baptized  and 
one    received    by    letter.     We    had    a 

(Icandlelighting  service  on  Good  Friday. 
JThe  youth   sponsored   our   Easter   sun- 
irise   service.     A   mother-daughter   ban- 
■quet  for  the   community   was   held   in 
Bour  church.    Melody  Ann   Eikenberry, 
iguest   speaker,    spoke   on   mothers   and 
Bdaughters  of  Nigeria.    The  daily  vaca- 
tion Bible  school  was  held  June  6-12. 
We  had  three  Venezuelans  as  our  guests 
at  the  vacation   Bible  school.  —  Nancy 
Morehead,  Hebron,  Ky. 

Pleasant  Hill  —  Our  church  recently 
[had    a    week's    meeting    with    Brother 
JHostetter  of  the  Oakland  church  as  our 
guest   speaker.     Our   local   youth   have 
become  active  in  the  tri-county  CBYF 
and  were  hosts  to  a  tri-county  banquet. 
I  Bro.  Walter  Bowman  showed  pictures 
(and  told   about  his   experiences   in   an 
Italian  work   camp   last  summer.    The 
churches  of  Pleasant  Hill  united  in  pre- 
i  Easter  services  and  also  an  Easter  sun- 
rise service  at  Sugar  Grove.    We  will 
have  one  week  of  Bible  school.    Plans 
are  being  made  for  an  addition  to  our 
church  which  will  include  a  new  sanc- 
tuary and  more  Sunday  school  rooms. 

—  Mrs.   George  Warner,  Pleasant   Hill, 
Ohio. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Cocalico  —  Brethren  J.  Herbert  Miller 
and  Carl  W.  Zeigler,  representing  the 
ministry    and    evangelism    commission, 
were  present   at  the   spring  council  to 
install   these   deacons    and   their   wives 
for  life:    Paul  Gehman,  Samuel  Martin, 
and    Ira    Ginder.     New    hymnals    and 
benches  were  purchased  for  our  church. 
|  On    Youth    Sunday    our   young   people 
participated  in  the  Sunday  school  and 
j  church   services   and  sponsored  a   song 
I  fest.    Dr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff  pre- 
I  sented    a    program    of    their    work    in 
i  Nigeria.    Our  Bible  institute  was  con- 
ducted   by    Bro.     Henry     Wenger    of 
Middle  Creek.   On  Temperance  Sunday, 
1  Dr.   Charles  Weaver  of  East  Fairview 
f  was  guest  speaker.   Bro.  George  Keeney 
.   was  our  evangelist  for  pre-Easter  serv- 
]  ices.    Two   of  our  youth   quartets   and 
our  moderator  conducted   a  half  hour 
radio  program  on  Good  Friday.    Seven 
decisions  for   Christ   were   made   since 
our  new  congregation  was  formed.   The 
women  of  the  church  are  making  com- 
forters for  relief  and  the  local  needy. 

—  Mrs.  Ada  Ruth  Leininger,  Denver, 
Pa. 


What  IS 

BEHIND  the 

destruction  of 
schools  and  houses  of  worship?  .  .  . 

a  CHURCH,  a  SCHOOL 

RALPH  McGILL 


In  answer  to  the  question  above,  is  it  a  matter  of 
individual  rights  or  mob  lawlessness?  Why  would 
people  vote  to  end  education  for  their  children? 
These  are  issues  that  trouble  America  today,  and 
in  his  column  Ralph  McGill  faces  them  in  the  light 
of  a  daily  changing  scene.  The  columns  selected  to 
appear  in  this  book  are  concerned  with  the  major 
questions  of  education  and  regard  for  law  of  the 
land.  A  Church,  a  School,  named  after  his  Pulitzer 
Prize  winning  editorial  which  is  included  here,  is  a 
significant  contribution  by  a  courageous  editor  who 
has  never  hesitated  to  recognize  a  situation  and  take 
a  firm  stand.  $2.00 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


THE 
CHURCH 


as  EMPLOYER,  MONEY  RAISER, 

and  INVESTOR 

F.  Ernest  Johnson  and  J.  Emory  Ackerman 

Protestant  churches  have  made  many  pronouncements  concerning 
the  ethics  of  management,  labor,  and  government  personnel  as 
they  conduct  their  business  affairs.  In  this  little  book  the  search- 
light is  turned  on  the  churches  own  corporate  practices  as  em- 
ployer, money  raiser,  and  investor.  Persons  who  serve  on  an 
administrative  board  of  the  church  at  the  local,  district,  or  Brother- 
hood level  will  find  this  book  to  be  both  informative  and  helpful. 

$4.00 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


JUNE  25,  1960 


31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 


Name    

R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


Middle  Pennsylvania 

Dunning's     Creek,     New     Paris  —  A 

school  of  missions  was  held  in  the  New 
Paris  church  during  January  and  Febru- 
ary. Sister  Madolin  Taylor  is  serving 
us  in  the  absence  of  a  minister.  We 
donated  about  twenty  blankets  to  the 
blanket  drive.  We  held  a  fellowship 
meal  at  the  Holsinger  church  after 
which  members  went  out  on  visitation 
for  the  Call  program.  Fred  Bowman 
conducted  one  week  of  revival  meet- 
ings at  the  New  Paris  church,  which 
was  followed  by  the  love  feast.  Two 
were  baptized.  A  father-son  fellowship 
was  held  in  the  New  Paris  church.  New 
Paris  was  also  host  to  the  Good  Friday 
services,  and  the  Methodist  church  for 
the  union  Easter  sunrise  services. 
Madolin  Taylor  represented  us  at  re- 
gional conference.  A  number  of  women 
attended  the  district  women's  fellow- 
ship banquet.  David  Stambaugh  and 
Madolin  Taylor  represented  us  at  An- 
nual Conference.  Our  youth  group 
took  a  gift  to  a  guest  of  the  Morrison  s 
Cove  home  at  the  time  of  the  April 
surprise  party.  —  Thelma  Wentz,  Alum 
Bank,  Pa. 

Hollidaysburg  —  Our  church  partici- 
pated in  the  week  of  prayer  service 
sponsored  by  the  local  ministerial  as- 
sociation. A  series  of  cottage  prayer 
meetings  were  held  in  February  with 
the  emphasis  on  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship;  these  were  followed  by  a  member- 
ship visitation.  On  Juniata  College  day 
Paul  Yoder  of  the  College  was  the 
speaker.  The  choirs  of  nine  churches 
co-operated  in  a  community  Easter 
cantata.  John  Glick  held  our  pre- 
Easter  services  and  assisted  in  the  love 
feast  service.  Three  were  baptized  and 
one  was  received  by  letter.  An  Easter 
sunrise  service  was  sponsored  by  the 
young  people.  Services  were  recently 
held  in  the  Morrison  Cove  home  and 
the  local  Presbyterian  home.  New  lights 
have  been  installed  in  the  church,  some 
improvement  has  been  made  to  the 
parking  lot,  and  telephones  have  been 
installed  in  the  church.  Our  pastor, 
Ivan  Fetterman,  is  currently  serving  as 
president  of  the  local  ministerium.  — 
Elmer  J.  Brubaker,  Hollidaysburg,  Pa. 


Rockhill  Furnace  —  Evangelistic  meet- 
ings were  held  March  21  -  April  2  by 
Bro.  Richard  Gottchall  of  Bassett,  Va. 
Eleven  persons  were  baptized  and 
nine  received  by  letter.  Our  commun- 
ion was  on  April  10.  The  Easter  sun- 
rise service  was  followed  by  a  break- 
fast. The  women's  fellowship  has  been 
quilting  and  making  comforters.  Our 
pastor,  David  Emerson,  represented 
our  church  at  Annual  Conference.  — 
Mrs.  Dorothy  Rabenstein,  Orbisonia,  Pa. 

Eastern  Maryland 
Blue  Ridge  —  One  night  each  month 
has  been  set  aside  for  our  family  fellow- 


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ship.  It  includes  supper,  worship,  fel- 
lowship, and  a  program.  On  April  24 
five  were  baptized.  A  church  member- 
ship class  was  conducted  by  Brother 
Eberly  some  weeks  before  the  bap- 
tismal services.  On  Easter  Sunday 
program  was  presented  by  the  Sunday 
school  department.  The  ground  pur- 
chased back  of  the  church  has  been 
cleared  for  use  this  summer  by  thej 
groups  of  the  church  for  fellowship  pic- 
nics and  recreation.  —  Mrs.  James  Gay-| 
er,  Waynesboro,  Pa. 


32 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


We  have  an  overstock  of 

The  OLD  TESTAMENT  and 
the  FINE  ARTS 


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anthology  of  world  famous  pictures,  poetry,  music  and  stories  inspired 
by  the  great  themes  of  the  Old  Testament.  From  the  Genesis  story  of 
creation  through  to  the  return  of  the  remnant  to  Jerusalem,  the  work  of 
the  scribes,  and  the  awaiting  of  the  Messiah  —  the  high  fights  of  the  Old 
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MESSENGER 


JULY  2,  1960 


Spokesman 

for 
Independence 


Al  Erls  from  Monkmeyer 


rHE  youngest  orator  in  the  family  does  not  know  that  it  is  the  Fourth  of  July,  but  he 
can  certainly  make  a  platform  out  of  his  playpen,  and  there  is  no  question  that  his 
theme  is  independence.  With  unmistakable  gestures  and  appropriate  emphases  he  cries 
out,  "Give  me  liberty.  All  men,  including  the  youngest,  are  endowed  with  the  inalien- 
able rights  of  life,  liberty,  and  pursuit  of  happiness."  In  his  case  the  desire  for  freedom 
may  be  satisfied  by  a  chance  to  crawl  on  the  floor  or  by  a  ride  on  father's  shoulders.  He 
is  probably  more  interested  in  a  square  meal  than  in  a  square  deal  at  this  stage  of  de- 
velopment, but  just  the  same  he  seems  to  have  that  old  Independence  Day  spirit.  .  .  . 
He  may  indeed  grow  up  to  be  a  public  speaker.  One  can  only  pray  that  he  also  grows 
up  in  his  understanding  of  independence  and  freedom.  Some  orators  never  develop 
beyond  a  cry  for  liberty  or  a  belief  in  "my  country,  right  or  wrong."  Our  world  is  sore- 
ly in  need  of  orators  like  those  prophets  of  old  who  were  inspired  by  a  vision  of  swords 
turning  into  plowshares,  a  vision  of  a  world  in  which  national  and  sectional  loyalties  are 
caught  up  in  a  greater  loyalty  — to  the  kingdom  of  God.  Such  spokesmen  we  need  now. 


Gospel  Messenger 
"Thy  Kingdom  Come" 

KENNETH   MORSE       -----     Editor 
ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


READERS   WRITE 


to   the    edito 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:     The   Associated   Church   Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JULY  2,  1960 
Volume  109  Number  27 


In   This   Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Spokesman  for  Independence    1 

This  Conference  Will  Require  Study   .  5 

Conditions  of  Power    5 

The  General  Forum  — 

A  Pacifist  Perspective. 

Richard  A.  Bollinger   3 

The   War   Between   the   Gods. 

DeWitt   L.    Miller    6 

Only  the  Truth  Can  Make  Men  Free. 

Edwin   T.   Dahlberg    9 

Called  According  to  His  Purposes. 

Earl   M.    Zigler    11 

Public   Service   for   Christian   Goals. 

J.   Harold  Sherk    13 

Conference    Appointments    16 

Do  Christian  Hospitals   Have  a  Place 

in  India?    Mrs.  Leonard  Blickenstaff   18 

Meet  Your  Missionaries    18 

Christians  and  the   Party  Platform    .  .    18 

If  the   Arms  Race   Ends    18 

New  Talk  for  the  Town    19 

A   Catholic  for  President?    20 

Reviews   of   Recent   Books    20 

News  — 

Kingdom    Gleanings    17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    22 

Overseas  Report  From  Central  Europe. 

Kurtis  F.  Naylor   23 

Church  News    27 


Dr.  August  R.  Lindt,  United  Nations 
high  commissioner  for  refugees:  "Quite 
a  lot  has  already  been  done  in  the 
World  Refugee  Year,  but  little  has  been 
accomplished,  taking  into  account  what 
could  be  done  in  the  present  period  of 
great  economic  expansion." 

2 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,   articles   ar 
news.    Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 

Put  Our  Beliefs  Into  Action 

I  have  just  read  the  Messenger  for 
May  7  and  want  you  to  know  that  I 
appreciate  the  articles,  "Does  It 
Bother  You?"  in  Readers  Write  and 
the  story  of  the  nonviolent  action 
in  Tennessee.  We  must  be  active  and 
put  our  beliefs  into  action  if  we  are 
going  to  be  effective  in  this  troubled 
world. 

I  wanted  to  call  attention  to  a 
bill  introduced  into  Congress  by 
Senator  Humphrey  whereby  money 
sent  to  a  "Funds  for  UN  Investments 
in  Peace"  may  be  deducted  from  in- 
come taxes.  The  bill  is  S.2665,  now 
in  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations. 
I  think  our  people  should  support  this 
bill,  not  good  enough  yet,  but  a  step 
in  the  right  direction  toward  cutting 
down  on  payments  for  the  military 
machine.  —  Martha  Rupel,  1623  E. 
Villa  St.,  Pasadena,  Calif. 

Correction 

For  the  record,  the  Annual  Meet- 
ing of  1856  was  held  not  at  Lanark 
but  in  the  Waddam's  Grove  church 
neighborhood  in  Michael  Reber's 
new  barn  on  a  farm  near  Lena.  My 
father  as  a  boy  of  fourteen  con- 
tributed a  load  of  hay  to  feed  the 
horses.  I  refer  to  the  article,  "Meet 
the  Brethren  in  Illinois"  (May  7). 
The  names  of  the  pioneer  elders, 
Enoch  Eby  and  Daniel  Fry,  should 
be  included  in  any  group  of  Illinois 
pioneer  members  of  the  church.  — 
D.  E.  Bower,  Box  151,  McLouth, 
Kansas. 

Order  and  Procedure 

The  lesson  which  Jesus  taught  by 
washing  the  disciples'  feet  was  hum- 
ble service  to  our  fellow  man,  regard- 
less of  position,  race,  or  color.  Be- 
fore or  at  supper  time  was  not  the 
issue.  There  is  no  partial  cleansing 
from  sin.  If  I  commit  sin  I  need  to 
go  directly  to  God  through  Christ 
for  forgiveness.  Feet  washing  has 
nothing  to  do  with  it. 

Paul  says,  "But  let  a  man  examine 
himself  and  so  let  him  eat  of  that 
bread  and  drink  of  that  cup."  Here 
too  Paul  calls  the  bread  and  cup  the 
Lord's  supper  —  Edwin  Groff ,  5688 
N.  Edgewood,  Paradise,  Calif. 

Thanks! 

Thank  you  for  the  wonderful  edi- 
torial in  a  recent  Messenger  en- 
titled, "Whose  Church?"  Our  ideas 


coincide.  May  God  continue  to  ble.< 
you  and  use  you  in  his  service.  \ 
Mrs.  Paul  Longenecker,  Tulari 
Calif. 

"...  I  am  not  a  member  of  yoi 
church  but  I  think  your  church  pape 
is  as  good  a  church  paper  as  any 
have  found  to  read."  —  Aaron  M 
Taylor,  104  Cherry  Lane,  Christian: 
burg,  Va. 

A  Christian's  Retirement  Age 

At  what  age  should  a  good  Chri, 
tian  retire?  Here  is  a  question  th; 
everyone  who  believes  in  God  an 
the  saving  grace  of  his  Son  shoul 
ponder  well. 

Men  cannot  set  any  physical  ag 
limit  to  retirement  from  either 
world  or  a  Christian's  activitie 
Such  an  age  limit  was  set  by  Go 
after  men  became  lazy,  rebelliou 
drunken,  adulterous,  and  entire] 
greedy,  materialistically  minde 
(Gen.  6:3),  which  denied  the  pu: 
pose  for  which  man  was  createc 
neither  his  own  pleasure,  nor  sorro 
and  suffering,  but  to  complete  tib 
work  which   God  had  only  begui 

Our  everyday  living  customs  cour 
more  in  the  bivouac  of  life  at  an 
age  that  God  allows  us  to  remai 
here  than  does  that  of  mere  membe: 
ship  but  of  little  activity  in  sorri 
church  organization. 


If  that  isn't  so,  why  did  Chri: 
choose  his  followers  from  the  lowl 
est  walks  of  life,  and  at  the  sam 
time  so  severely  criticize  the  Phai 
isees  for  their  behavior  among  sue 
membership  ( Matthew  23 )  ? 

Members  of  all  Christian  organ 
zations,  of  all  ages,  need  to  be  ver 
careful  lest  their  witness  be  nothin 
but  lip  service,  lest  their  lives  cor 
form  with  world  affairs.  There 
plenty  of  work  that  aged  minds  an 
hands  can  do,  even  though  partial! 
handicapped  physically,  in  protest 
ing  against  the  evils  and  injustice 
in  the  world  around  them.  Th 
question  of  retirement  because  c 
physical  age  alone  should  neve 
enter  either  individual  or  churc 
officials'  thoughts.  —  Lottie  M.  Bo.J 
linger,  R.D.,  Vestaburg,  Mich. 


I  enjoy  very  much  the  articles  i 
the  Gospel  Messenger,  especiall 
those  in  the  series,  Called  to  B 
Disciples.  —  Ira  C.  Henry,  Chelse; 
Iowa. 


GOSPEL  MESSENGE 


t 


An  examination  of  some 

of  the  critical  issues  confronting 

pacifism  from 

A 

Pacifist 


Perspective 


Richard  A.  Bollinger 


T 

M  HIS  article  is  not  written 
for  those  who  have  never  known 
an  "agony  of  doubt"  regarding 
ithe  Tightness  of  Christian  paci- 
fism. It  is  for  those  who  have 
'doubted  and  who  still  struggle 
to  fashion  a  meeting  between 
their  conviction  and  their  intel- 
lect. 

Many  challenges  have  been 
(issued  the  pacifist,  but  probably 
hone  have  had  an  influence 
greater  than  the  criticism  of  the 
well-known  20th  century  theo- 
ogian,  Reinhold  Niebuhr.  Be- 
cause much  of  what  Niebuhr 
jhas  to  say  should  be  heard  and 
'digested,  the  following  discus- 
sion proposes  to  use  his  criticism 
as  a  sounding  board  by  which  to 
raise  some  of  the  main  issues 
and  try  to  meet  them. 

I 

}A  prophet's  pilgrimage 

There  is  a  good  deal  to  sug- 
gest the  Old  Testament  prophet 
in  Reinhold  Niebuhr.   He  came 

JULY  2,  1960 


to  Detroit  as  a  young  minister 
in  the  second  decade  of  this 
century  and  found  there,  not  a 
tame  playground  but  a  jungle  of 
naked  power  in  which  the 
automobile  magnates  roared. 
Against  the  stern  reality  of  such 
power  Niebuhr  found  the  sim- 
ple notions  of  American  Protes- 
tantism dangerously  weak  and 
illusioned. 

This  short  biographical  note 
is  illuminating  for  what  it  says 
about  the  task  to  which  Dr. 
Niebuhr  has  felt  himself  called. 
His  has  been  the  prophet's 
work,  puncturing  the  bubbles 
of  easy  optimism  and  soft  ease 
spawned  by  American  Christi- 
anity. This  biographical  note 
also  gives  us  an  insight  into  the 
real  nature  of  Niebuhr's  rejec- 
tion of  Christian  pacifism. 

THE   CALL   TO   RESPONSIBILITY 

If  we  are  to  understand 
Niebuhr's  critique  of  pacifism, 
we  must  become  familiar  with 


a  key  word  in  his  vocabulary: 
responsibility.  Against  every  ef- 
fort by  Christians  to  free  them- 
selves of  concern  for  the  social 
order,  he  asserts  the  need  to  be 
a  responsible  member  of  socie- 
ty. Man,  he  warns,  is  a  sinful 
creature,  set  in  a  world  which 
knows  evil,  and  implicated  in 
that  evil.  We  should  not  sup- 
pose, he  says,  that  there  are 
easy  answers  to  the  dilemmas  of 
man's  sin  and  the  power  of  evil. 
The  world  will  not  be  educated 
out  of  it,  nor  loved  into  sub- 
mission. Nor  yet  may  the 
Christian  avoid  evil  by  cutting 
himself  off  from  the  world. 

Thus  the  role  of  the  Christian 
and  the  duty  of  the  church  is 
to  be  responsible  in  society. 
This  means  accepting  the  limi- 
tations God  has  placed  on  all 
flesh.  It  also  means  striving  to 
make  this  world  better  through 
realistic  action,  that  is,  by  a 
willingness  to  get  one's  hands 
dirty  in  the  unlovely  but  neces- 
sarv  realities  of  social  existence. 
For  Dr.  Niebuhr,  war  is  one 
of  these  realities  which  must 
be  accepted,  not  as  inevitable 
but  necessary  as  a  last  resort. 

THE   CRITICISM    OF   PACIFISM 

Against  this  backdrop,  what 
are  some  of  the  specific  indict- 
ments Niebuhr  brings  against 
pacifism? 

1.  Pacifism  is  irrelevant.  By 
this  he  means  that  pacifism  as 
a  strategy  is  ineffective  in  a 
world  which  does  not  respond 
to  pure  love.  The  love  of  Christ 
judges  all  things,  and  in  Christ 
we  know  the  mercy  of  God,  but 
this  love  is  not  a  usable  weapon 
to  promote  the  establishment 
of  justice  and  order. 

2.  Pacifism  allows  tyranny 
free  reign.  When  a  Hitler  poses 
the  threat  of  tyranny,  the  paci- 
fist refusal  to  resist  with  the 
weapons  of  war  strengthens  the 
hand  of  these  evil  forces.  Nie- 
buhr would  sav  that  pacifists, 
in  avoiding  war,  are  only  sub- 


stituting  one  evil  for  another. 
In  effect,  they  prefer  the  evil  of 
tyranny  to  the  evil  of  anarchy 
(which  is  Ins  term  for  war). 
Niebuhr  himself  would  choose 
to  resist  evil  with  force  as  the 
"lesser  of  the  two  evils." 

3.  Pacifism  blurs  the  distinc- 
tions between  guilty  parties. 
Niebuhr  agrees  that  both  sides 
in  any  conflict  are  at  fault.  But 
he  is  quick  to  point  out  that 
there  are  real  differences  in  the 
degree  of  guilt  between  adver- 
saries. To  blur  these  distinc- 
tions is  to  subvert  the  whole 
idea  of  justice.  Thus,  although 
there  are  no  "just"  wars  in  the 
classical  sense,  there  are  "neces- 
sary" wars  in  which  Christians 
must  participate  in  order  to  up- 
hold the  principle  of  justice. 

VOCATIONAL   PACIFISM 

This  exceedingly  brief  sketch 
of  Niebuhr's  criticism  of  paci- 
fism must  include  a  word  about 
the  distinction  he  sees  between 
heretical  and  valid  pacifism. 
Heretical  pacifism  supposes  that 
love  is  a  better  weapon  than 
violence  in  the  struggle  against 
aggression.  Advocates  of  this 
believe  in  "nonviolent"  resist- 
ance as  opposed  to  violent  re- 
sistance. Niebuhr  rejects  this 
position  as  naive  and  illusioned. 

But  he  approves  of  another 
type  of  pacifism,  what  he  calls 
vocational  pacifism,  because  it 
makes  no  claims  to  being  a 
superior  weapon  for  combatting 
evil,  only  claiming  to  be  true 
to  the  command  of  Christ.  This 
is  illustrated  by  some  groups  of 
Mennonites  and  the  Brethren 
in  their  early  history.  Voca- 
tional pacifism  is  valued  as  a 
reminder  to  nonpacifist  Chris- 
tians of  the  horror  of  war  and  of 
the  law  of  love  as  the  highest 
ethical  good. 

In  summary,  Niebuhr's  criti- 
cism is  that  the  attempt  to  be 
literally  faithful  to  the  love  of 
Christ  in  social  relationships, 
although  helpful  as  a  reminder 


_|_  T  IS  the  pacifist's  faith  that  God's  weakness  is  more  powerful 
than  man's  diabolical  strength  and  to  that  he  witnesses,  not  from 
above  the  conflict  but  in  it,  with  the  instruments  of  his  peace. 


to  less  perfectionist  Christians, 
fails  to  do  justice  to  the  claims 
of  Christ  to  remain  faithful  in 
all  the  hard  decisions  of  respon- 
sible life  in  the  world.  The 
pacifist  has  substituted  purity 
for  responsibility. 

II 

In  setting  ourselves  to  the 
task  of  answering  Beinhold  Nie- 
buhr's critique  of  pacifism,  we 
must  first  indicate  the  terms  of 
the  reply. 

For  one  thing,  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  some  of  the  criti- 
cism is  true  of  much  that  is 
labeled  pacifism.  Too  often 
pacifists  have  found  in  their 
position  an  escape  from  the 
hard  decisions  of  social  respon- 
sibility. Too  much  has  the 
power  of  evil  been  underesti- 
mated and  the  depth  of  sin  not 
recognized.  Too  readily  has 
pacifism  been  offered  as  a  neat 
solution  to  the  tough  dilemmas 
of  society. 

But  these  failures  must  not 
dim  our  eyes  to  the  integrity  of 
a  type  of  pacifism  which  is 
neither  "heretical"  nor  "voca- 
tional." In  what  follows  we 
shall  attempt  to  answer  the  spe- 
cific charges  leveled  at  pacifists 
from  a  somewhat  broader  per- 
spective than  is  often  conceived 
by  the  critics  of  pacifism. 

A   DIFFERENCE   IN   PERSPECTIVE 

We  must  be  clear  about  what 
the  central  issue  is  or  is  not.  It 
is  not  a  question  of  the  pacifist 
doing  the  will  of  God  and  the 
nonpacifist  following  the  dic- 
tates of  the  world.  The  real 
issue  centers  on  differing  per- 
spectives by  which  the  Chris- 
tian pursues  action  in  the  world. 


Let  us  call  the  nonpacifist 
perspective  an  ethic  of  responsi- 
bility and  the  pacifist  perspec- 
tive an  ethic  of  witness.  An 
ethic  of  responsibility  is  con- 
cerned to  communicate  the  re- 
ality of  God's  love  in  such  a 
way  that  it  will  be  relevant 
to  existing  possibilities.  It  asks 
the  question,  "In  this  situation, 
how  can  the  most  good  be 
achieved?" 

An  ethic  of  witness,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  concerned  to  be 
faithful  to  the  truth  it  knows  re- 
gardless of  the  consequences. 
It  asks,  "In  this  situation,  how 
can  God's  truth  be  witnessed 
to?"  If  we  do  not  press  this  dis- 
tinction too  far,  it  will  help  us 
get  at  the  problem  we  are  at- 
tacking. 

THE   NATURE   OF   CHRISTIAN 
RESPONSIBILITY 

How  is  Christian  responsibil- 
ity to  the  world  viewed  in  the 
light  of  an  ethic  of  witness? 

We  must  agree  with  Niebuhr 
that  the  Christian  bears  respon- 
sibility to  the  social  order.  The 
highest  Christian  good  is  not1 
served  by  pursuing  holiness  to 
the  exclusion  of  responsibility 
as  a  citizen  of  the  state. 

The  dividing  point,  however, 
is  over  the  nature  of  this  re- 
sponsibility. Niebuhr  seems  to 
be  saying  that  the  Christian  is 
held  to  account  for  the  very 
survival  of  the  social  order.  It 
follows,  then,  that  the  Chris- 
tian must  use  the  means  die 
tated  by  the  social  order  itself. 

Contrast  this  to  the  way  an 
ethic  of  witness  sees  responsi- 
bility. It  holds  that  the  Chris- 
tian is  being  most  responsible 

Continued  on  page  15 


I 


i 


k 


gospel  messenge: 


': 


I  This  Conference  Will  Require  Study 


EDITORIALS 


AROUND  sixty  persons  have  been  invited 
to  attend  a  Study  Conference  on  The 
Nature  and  Function  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  The  summer  meeting  will  be 
remarkably  different  from  most  other  Brethren 
conferences. 

Note  that  word  study.  Tins  is  the  kevword 
to  describe  the  conference  and  it  makes  clear 
that  the  participants  will  have  plenty  of  home- 
work to  do  in  advance  of  their  August  meeting. 

At  least  twenty  persons  have  already  served 
on  the  four  study  commissions  that  have  been 
at  work  for  more  than  a  year.  In  just  a  few 
days  the  reports  of  their  researches  and  discus- 
sions —  a  document  of  more  than  300  pages  — 
will  be  arriving  in  the  mailboxes  of  the  partici- 
pants. When  they  see  how  thorough  has  been 
the  preparatory  work  of  the  study  commissions, 
they  will  appreciate  why  this  conference  is 
called  a  "study"  conference  and  not  merely  a 
fellowship  gathering  for  mutual  sharing  of 
opinions  unsupported  by  much  thought  or  in- 
formation. 

So  we  can  expect  that  when  the  conference 
convenes  at  Manchester  College  on  August  15, 
the  representative  group  of  pastors,  teachers, 
scholars,  and  lay  leaders  who  come  from  all 
over  the  Brotherhood  will  be  primed  for  in- 
tensive work.  They  should  be  aware  of  some 
of  the  important  issues  that  confront  the  church 
of  Jesus  Christ,  of  which  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  a  vital  part;  and  they  should  be 
challenged  to  reach  some  conclusions  which 
can  guide  our  ongoing  work  and  witness. 

The  conference  was  authorized  originally 
by  the  Richmond  Annual  Conference  as  one 
means  of  answering  a  query  relating  to  "theo- 
i  logical  implications  of  the  church's  program." 
fThe  Des  Moines  Conference  appointed  a  pro- 
gram committee  and  set  the  time  of  the  study 
conference  for  this  summer.  Later  four  study 
i  commissions  were  put  to  work  on  the  following 
',  areas  of  concern:  ( 1 )  The  Church,  the  Churches 
and  the  Church  of  the  Brethren;  (2)  The 
Church  and  the  World;  (3)  The  Nurture  of  the 
'Church's  Life;  and  (4)  The  Organization  and 
'Structure  of  the  Church's  Life.  During  the 
;past  year  the  commissions  met  frequently, 
listened  to  papers  written  by  individual  mem- 
bers and  prepared  documents  and  bibliogra- 
phies for  the  use  of  the  participants. 

One  can  safely  predict  that  the  meeting  for 
serious  study  at  Manchester  in  August  will  be 
profitable  for  those  involved  and  of  value  to 
the  church  at  large.    There  is  reason  to  hope 

JULY  2.  I960 


that  it  will  have  far-reaching  results  in  helping 
the  entire  Brotherhood  to  gear  its  planning  and 
programming  more  closely  to  the  essential  call- 
ing of  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Whether  the  conference  will  produce  some 
clear-cut  guides  and  basic  statements  that  will 
help  Brethren  to  understand  themselves  and 
their  own  mission  as  Christians  still  remains  to 
be  seen.  No  one  looks  for  a  creed  —  or  even 
wants  one  —  but  we  do  need  most  desperately 
some  carefully  prepared  guidelines  that  are 
both  Biblical  and  relevant  to  our  calling  to  serve 
this  present  age.  If  the  study  conference  can 
offer  some  such  guideposts  for  the  Brotherhood, 
it  will  be  worth  the  expense  and  extra  hours  that 
sixty  Brethren  are  being  asked  to  give  to  this 
one  significant  meeting.  —  k.m. 

Conditions  of  Power 

MANY  promises  of  power  were  offered  to 
those  people  whom  Jesus  called.  If  we 
look  at  them  closely  we  discover  that 
in  most  cases  the  promise  of  power  accompanied 
the  challenge  of  a  great  commission  or  the  as- 
signment to  a  new  task. 

When  Jesus  called  his  twelve  disciples  he 
promised  them  power  over  diseases  and  demons 
—  but  he  also  sent  them  out  to  preach  his 
kingdom.  He  told  the  seventy  whom  he  sent 
out  two  by  two  that  they  would  have  power 
over  the  enemy.  He  assured  his  friends  in  the 
upper  room  that  they  would  do  greater  things 
than  he  had  done,  but  soon  they  were  to  be 
scattered.  At  his  ascension  he  spoke  of  the 
promised  power,  but  in  the  same  breath  he 
called  for  witnesses  to  go  into  all  the  world  in 
his  name. 

Power  comes  to  those  who  combine  the  two 
responses  so  well  defined  by  William  Carey. 
Christians  must  not  only  expect  great  things 
from  God;  they  must  also  attempt  great  things 
for  him.  They  must  not  only  attempt;  they 
must  also  expect.  The  two  attitudes  are  inter- 
dependent. They  belong  together.  Power  is 
available  to  those  who  both  attempt  and  expect 
great  things  for  the  glory  of  God.  —  k.m. 


Holy  Spirit,  Power  divine, 
Fill  and  nerve  this  will  of  mine; 
By  thee  may  I  strongly  live, 
Bravely  bear,  and  nobly  strive. 

—  Samuel  Longfellow 


B  HISTORY  IS  the  record  of 
man's  jumping  from  one  crisis 
to  another  like  a  hunted  man 
dodging  from  one  tree  to  an- 
other in  the  woods.  As  the 
tempo  of  life  increases  the 
woods  becomes  thicker  with 
confusion  and  the  dodging  ac- 
tivity becomes  more  frenetic. 
The  one  thing  that  makes  our 
times  more  critical  than  some 
is  the  fact  that  while  some 
changes  have  to  do  with  the 
superficial  and  peripheral  mat- 
ters our  age  is  witnessing  a 
struggle  for  the  possession  of 
the  souls  and  destinies  of  men. 
When  Jesus  ascended  into 
heaven  he  left  his  cause  in  the 
hands  of  a  most  unpromising 
group  of  ex-fishermen,  former 
tax  collectors,  and  others  from 
the  very  outer  fringe  of  the 
social,  political,  and  economic 
life  of  that  day.  They  had  very 


little  to  commend  them  except 
the  dream  in  their  hearts,  the 
dream  of  a  new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth  in  which  would 
dwell  goodness,  righteousness, 
and  peace. 

Before  many  months  had 
passed  God  laid  his  hand  upon 
a  most  unusual  fellow  —  a  tent- 
maker,  a  man  steeped  in  the 
philosophical  thought  of  his 
day  and  the  religious  traditions 
of  his  people.  After  a  truly 
apocalyptic  experience  on  the 
Damascus  Road  he  became  the 
pole  around  which  the  Christian 
world  was  to  revolve  under  the 
magnetic  influence  of  the  Bright 
and  Morning  Star. 

He  had  the  necessary  dis- 
cernment to  understand  the 
eschatalogical  significance  of 
that  moment  when  an  old  age 
was  dying  and  a  new  one  was 
struggling  to  be  born.    He  in- 


DeWitt  L.  Miller 


we 
an 
Die 
ma 
li 
Di. 


terpreted  that  struggle  like  this 
In  the  future  you  must  let  your. 
self  be  made  strong  with  that 
power  which  comes  from  the 
Lord  and  which  he  alone  can 
make  available  to  us.  Put  on 
the  armor  which  he  wears,  foi 
you  see  our  real  enemy  is  not 
people  but  orders  of  the  spirit, 
the  demons  who  are  responsible 
for  the  darkness  in  the  world. 

Paul  was  telling  the  Ephe 
sians  there  was  a  war  going  on 
—  a  war  between  the  gods.  The 
true  God  was  contending  foi 
the  allegiance  of  men  against 
the  gods  of  antiquity.  God  was 
trying  to  get  men  to  quit  sur- 
rendering as  though  they  were 
helpless  pawns  in  a  cosmic 
chess  game. 

Our  chief  difficulty  is  that  we 


God  is  calling  us  to  a  new  devotion   to  righteousness  and  truth 


COSPEL  MESSENGER 


r: 


do  not  know  who  God  is.  Our 
r picture  of  God  has  become 
|  blurred.  In  the  struggle  be- 
|  tween  the  true  and  false  con- 
|  ceptions  of  God  we  have  not 
j  always  been  found  on  the  right 
i  side. 

Since  Brethren  no  longer  live 
unto  themselves  alone  we  have 
become  pretty  much  a  part  of 
a  world  that  has  substituted  a 
cheap  imitation  for  the  kind  of 
i  religion  we  find  in  the  prophets, 
in  Jesus,  and  in  Paul.  The  re- 
ligion of  our  time  has  a  "Made- 
j  in- America"  stamp  upon  it.  Dr. 
Marty  in  his  book,  The  New 
Face  of  American  Religion,  has 
said  that  we  want  a  God  who 
is  understandable  and  manage- 
able, a  God  who  comforts  us 
and  a  God  who  is  a  jolly  good 
fellow. 

In  other  words,  we  want  a 
God  who  will  help  us  get  what 
we  want,  water  for  our  flowers 
and  a  sunshiny  day  for  our  pic- 
nic. We  want  a  God  who  will 
make  it  possible  for  us  to  detour 
life's  troubled  areas,  or,  as 
Dietrick  Bonhoeffer  puts  it,  we 
want  a  religion  of  "cheap 
grace."  This  means,  as  he  says, 
forgiveness  without  repent- 
ance, baptism  without  church 
discipline,  communion  without 
confession,  grace  without  dis- 
cipleship,  grace  without  a 
cross."  We  want  a  God  with 
whom  we  can  be  "cozy." 

The   God   we   know   and   in 

which  we  have  come  to  believe 

is  too  small  for  the  demands  of 

these  critical  times.    Jeremiah 

cried  out,  "The  sin  of  Judah  is 

written  with  a  pen  of  iron;  with 

a  point  of  a  diamond:    it  is  en- 

I graved  on  the  tablet  of  their 

iheart.    Cursed  is  the  man  who 

Jftrusts  in  man  and  makes  flesh 

"this  arm." 

i  Of  course,  God  comforts  his 
i  people  but  it  is  not  the  comfort 
that  smooths  the  way  but  the 
4comfort  that  gives  strength  for 
|enduring  the  cross.  Of  course, 
iff  God  carries  the  young  lambs  in 
!'  July  2,  i960 


his  arms  but  at  the  same  time, 
his  ways  are  not  our  ways,  they 
are  past  finding  out.  As  Isaiah 
majestically  proclaimed, 

Who   has   measured   the   waters    in 
the  hollow  of  his  hand 
and  marked  off  the  heavens  with 
a  span, 
enclosed  the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a 
measure 
and    weighed    the    mountains    in 

scales 
and  the  hills  in  a  balance? 
Who  has  directed  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord, 
or  as  his  counselor  has  instructed 
him? 
Whom  did  he  consult  for  enlighten- 
ment, 
and  who  taught  him  the  path  of 
justice, 
and  taught  him  knowledge, 

and  showed  him  the  way  of  un- 
derstanding? 
Behold,  the  nations  are  like  a  drop 
from  a  bucket. 


A  similar  difficulty  is  seen  in 
the  way  we  think  God  is  our 
special  possession.  Listen  to 
people  talk  and  you  would 
think  that  God  was  not  the  God 
of  all  people  but  the  God  of 
white  Americans.  We  have  to 
get  the  crazy  notion  out  of  our 
heads  that  religion  can  ever  be 
a  rubber  stamp  for  any  kind  of 
status  quo.    Religion  is  not  de- 


"Who  hath 

measured  the  waters 

in  the  hollow  of 

his  hand  .   .   .  and 

weighed  the 

mountains  in  scales, 

and  the  hills  in  a 

balance?  .  .   . 

Behold,  the  nations 

are  as  a  drop  of  a 

bucket" 


w 


;.j«r  im- 


pendent either  upon  a  demo- 
cratic form  of  government  or  a 
capitalistic  system.  The  idea 
that  America  is  God's  last 
chance  is  pure  tommy  rot. 

God  is  not  going  to  save 
this  nation  because  it  may  be 
more  pious  than  other  nations. 
Read  your  Old  Testament 
again.  Israel  and  Judah  were 
usually  better  than  the  nations 
who  took  them  captive.  God 
has  used  people  who  were  not 
his  "chosen  people"  to  punish 
the  disobedience  of  those  who 
were  and  he  could  well  do  it 
again.  Just  because  we  have 
been  a  part  of  an  economic  and 
political  order  that  has  had  a 
lot  of  good  in  it  we  have  been 
tempted  to  be  blind  to  its  faults. 

God  is  not  the  God  of  just 
white  Americans.  He  is  the 
God  of  all  people  and  in  the 
struggle  between  the  gods  we 
need  to  decide  which  side  we 
are  on. 

In  the  third  place,  we  have 
begun  to  believe  that  God  is 
dependent  upon  us  and  not  we 
upon  God.  Mr.  John  McMurray 
of  the  University  of  Edinburgh 
gave  the  Gifford  lectures  some 
years  ago  and  when  they  were 


-« 

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Religious    News 
Service 


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Religious  News  Service 

This  monument  to  resistance  martyrs  in  the  town  of  Auxerre,  France, 
symbolizes  what  happens  when  the  god  of  might  is  made  supreme 


published  he  called  the  first 
volume  The  Self  As  Agent.  In 
this  volume  he  set  forth  the 
scientific  self,  the  artistic  self, 
and  the  moral  self. 

For  seventy-five  years  we 
have  been  developing  the  sci- 
entific self.  We  have  bent 
every  effort  to  divide  the  un- 
divided and  explore  the  unex- 
plored. Our  society  has  given 
its  finest  prizes  to  those  who  can 
do  the  most  to  acquire,  develop, 
and  refine  the  technical  skills. 
We  live  in  an  age  when  we  pay 
our  engineers  more  than  our 
teachers  and  our  blacksmiths 
more  than  our  preachers.  A 
church  college  can  scarcely  as- 
semble a  faculty  because  big 
business  and  big  government 
are  so  much  more  important 
than  education. 

Let  me  illustrate  how  far  we 
have  gotten  away  from  our 
sense  of  the  presence  of  God 
and  a  feeling  of  our  dependence 
upon  him.    A  little  over   116 


years  ago  a  telegraph  line  was 
laid  from  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court  room  in  Wash- 
ington to  Baltimore.  Samuel  F. 
B.  Morse  sent  as  the  first  mes- 
sage over  that  wire  "What  hath 
God  wrought."  A  few  weeks 
ago  a  message  was  sent  from 
Annapolis,  Maryland,  to  Pearl 
Harbor  by  way  of  the  moon  in 
two  and  one-half  seconds.  Do 
you  know  what  that  message 
was?  "Testing.  The  quick 
brown  fox  jumped  over  the  lazy 
dog." 

It  is  40  miles  from  Washing- 
ton to  Baltimore,  and  it  is  ap- 
proximately 240,000  miles  to 
the  moon.  We  have  increased 
our  speaking  distance  6,000 
times,  but  we  are  more  than 
6,000  times  poorer  spiritually. 
It  is  ridiculous  but  true.  Ask 
any  youngster  you  know  which 
he  would  rather  do:  tell  people 
how  to  get  to  the  moon  or  tell 
them  how  to  get  to  heaven,  and 
see  what  he  tells  you. 


This  same  spirit  is  reflected  in  f 
the  renaissance  in  art.  In  the  ;  hi 
last  few  decades  we  have  en- ; 
deavored  to  develop  the  artistic 
self  and  as  Dr.  Tillich  has  point-  Ik 
ed  out  the  symbolic  expression  wl 
of  our  modern  art  has  set  forth -jaD 
man's  predicament  —  his  confu-  th 
sion,  his  loneliness,  his  lostness 
—  and  there  is  very  little  in  it 
that  depicts  resurrection  and 
glory  and  victory. 

As  far  as  developing  the 
moral  self  is  concerned  there  s 
has  been  no  effective  emphasis 
upon  this  phase  of  life  since  the 
crash  of  Victorian  idealism.  Our 
capitulation  to  the  false  ideas 
of  God  is  nowhere  seen  any 
clearer  than  in  the  situation  that 
prevailed  in  the  fifties  with, 
which  we  are  all  familiar.  As 
the  interest  in  religion  went  up, 
adherence  to  moral  idealism 
went  down.  Church  member- }P 
ship  figures  soared  and  giving  c' 
to  benevolence  reached  new 
peaks  but  so  did  juvenile  de- 
linquency and  crime. 

We  not  only  no  longer  de- 
pend upon  the  God  of  our! 
fathers;  we  defy  his  moral  law. 
Like  the  inquisitors  of  old  we 
are  certain  we  know  better 
than  God  how  to  run  this  world 
and  would  like  nothing  better 
than  for  God  to  keep  his  nose 
out  of  our  business.  This  is 
what  is  happening  in  our  per- 
sonal lives,  our  social  relation- 
ships, and  every  area  of  human 
activity.  In  the  war  between 
the  gods  we  have  gotten  on  the 
wrong  side. 

If  there  was  ever  a  time  foi 
an  about-face,  that  time  is  now. 
If  there  was  ever  an  hour  thai 
called  for  repentance,  that  time 
is  now.  The  great  God  of  al 
the  universe,  the  God  of  oui 
fathers,  the  God  and  Father  o] 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  ouj 
Father,  the  Father  of  all  men 
the  Savior  and  Redeemer  o 
men  and  nations  has  put  us  ii 
this   world   to   be   his    chosei 

GOSPEL  MESSENGEl 


(people,  to  be  the  instruments  of 
uhis  will. 

God  works  through  people. 
When  he  delivered  the  Israel- 
ites he  worked  through  Moses; 
I  when  the  fairest  flowers  of  art 
lland  science  had  withered  and 
Kthe  world  was  on  the  brink  of 
I  despair  he  sent  his  Son  that  men 
I  might  be  called  back  into  the 
j  way  of  truth  and  right.  At 
]  every  turning  point  in  history 
God's  spokesmen  like  moral  and 
spiritual  policemen  have  direct- 
ed the  traffic  of  human  relation- 
ships and  have  made  his  will 
(known. 

God  is  calling  us  to  a  new  de- 
votion to  the  way  of  righteous- 
ness and  truth,  the  way  of  peace 
and  love.  He  calls  us  to  per- 
gonal integrity  and  honor.  He 
j  calls  us  to  a  new  respect  for  our 
i  fellow  men  in  all  of  the  com- 
jplex  relationships  of  life.  He 
calls  us  to  come  out  from  the 
world  and  be  a  separate  people 
[known  for  our  devotion  to 
spiritual  values  and  moral 
ideals.  He  calls  us  to  lead  the 
way  to  the  day  in  which  God's 
will  shall  be  done  on  earth  as 
it  is  in  heaven.  He  calls  us  to 
participate  in  the  work  of  re- 
deeming humanity  from  its  lost- 
ness  to  a  new  sense  of  its 
sonship. 

God  calls  us  to  take  our 
crosses  and  follow  him.  Dietrick 
Bonhoeffer,  who  died  for  his 
faith  at  the  hands  of  the  Nazi 
regime,  saw  clearly  that  when 
Jesus  calls  a  man  he  calls  him 
to  come  and  die.  He  faced  this 
decision  in  a  very  real  physical 
sense,  and  the  day  may  not  be 
far  distant  when  we  may  face 
the  same  decision.  In  a  moral 
and  spiritual  sense  we  face  that 
decision  now.  For  the  God  who 
reveals  himself  to  us  on  the 
pages  of  the  Scriptures  and 
most  perfectly  in  the  person  of 
Jesus  asks  nothing  less  than 
total  commitment.  We  cannot 
fulfill  our  calling  in  any  other 
way. 

JULY  2,  I960 


Only  the  Truth  Can  Make  Men  Free 

Edwin  T.  Dahlberg 

ON  INDEPENDENCE  DAY  of  1960  most  citizens  of  the  United 
States  can  truly  and  appropriately  thank  God  for  life,  liberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  and  can  rejoice  that  liberty  in- 
cludes the  legal  protection  of  our  God-given  right  to  worship  and  serve 
him  according  to  the  dictates  of  our  conscience. 

But  freedom  is  always  in  jeopardy.  Large  minorities  in  this  coun- 
try and  abroad  suffer  discrimination,  injustice,  even  violence.  In  many 
lands  the  people  as  a  whole  are  enslaved  by  a  false  ideology  and  a 
dictatorial,  tyrannical  government. 

Christians  and  Christian  churches  bear  an  inescapable  responsi- 
bility for  freedom.  Only  the  truth  can  make  men  free,  and  Christians 
are  called  to  be  custodians  and  messengers  of  truth.  Witnessing  to 
the  truth  requires  devotion  and  courage.  On  whom  shall  God  rely 
for  brave  and  costly  testimony  if  not  on  those  to  whom  freedom,  re- 
demption, salvation  have  come  through  his  Son! 

As  our  churches,  locally  and  nationally,  begin  a  year's  emphasis 
on  Christian  Responsibility  for  Freedom,  for  both  religious  and  civil 
rights  and  liberties,  it  is  "meet,  right  and  our  bounden  duty,"  as  we 
gather  in  our  churches  on  July  3,  to  thank  God  for  his  gift  of  liberty 
through  our  forefathers,  to  ask  his  guidance  for  those  who  are  charged 
with  the  preservation  of  order  and  of  peace,  and  to  dedicate  ourselves 
to  a  sustained  effort  as  Christians  and  as  churches  for  a  new  birth  of 
freedom  in  our  own  land  and  for  all  men  everywhere. 


When  we  come  to  stand  be- 
fore the  Commander  in  Chief  of 
the  forces  of  righteousness  and 
truth  and  peace,  will  he  say: 
"In  the  war  between  the  gods 
we  fought  for  personal  honor, 
integrity,  and  purity  and  you 
were  missing"?  Or  will  he  say, 
"In  the  war  between  the  gods 
we  fought  for  joyous,  stable 
home  life,  with  respect,  devo- 
tion and  love  between  wives 
and  husbands  and  a  happy  re- 
lationship between  children  and 
parents  and  you  did  nothing  to 
bring  the  victory.  In  the  war 
between  the  gods  we  tried  to 
free  the  church  from  man-made 
traditions  and  make  it  serve  the 
total  needs  of  man  and  the  com- 
munity of  which  he  is  a  part, 
but  like  Lot's  wife  you  were 
looking  back  to  the  glory  of 
yesterday.  In  the  war  between 
the  gods  we  struggled  for 
fairness  in  employer-employee 
relationships,    for   brotherhood 


between  races  and  nations,  and 
you  deserted"? 

In  the  war  between  the  gods 
there  is  no  neutrality.  Where 
is  your  loyalty?  Where  do  you 
stand?  Paul  makes  it  clear  that 
unless  we  suffer  with  our  Lord 
we  will  not  share  in  the  victory 
that  shall  be  with  him.  May 
our  prayer  be  that  we  tarry 
here  until  we  are  so  filled  with 
power  from  on  high  that  we 
might  go  out  to  claim  the  vic- 
tory for  our  Lord  in  the  war 
between  the  gods. 


Martin  Niemoller:  "For  five  hun- 
dred years  the  white  race  has  en- 
joyed supremacy  and  has  held  the 
responsibility  for  helping  the  col- 
ored peoples  appease  their  hunger, 
but  instead  of  concentrating  their 
resources  on  this  problem  they  are 
continuing  an  armaments  race 
which  long  ago  lost  all  meaning, 
and  are  making  futile  attempts  to 
hold  on  to  their  colonies." 


meaning  that  the  ideal  is  good 
but  in  this  modern  world  it  is 
not  workable  and  cannot  be  ex- 
pected in  human  behavior. 

This  fatalistic,  materialistic, 
and  atheistic  philosophy  is  our 
greatest  curse.  It  blocks  the 
road  to  progress.  It  rules  out 
the  role  of  faith.  It  ignores  the 
most  realistic  part  of  life,  the 
fact  of  the  sovereignty  of  God 
and  his  hand  in  ordering  the 
affairs  of  man.  We  Christians 
also  have  been  weak  at  this 
point.  We  are  not  conscious  of 
God  and  do  not  see  his  hand 
at  work. 

In  the  apostle  Paul  we  find  a 
burning  zeal  built  on  a  convic- 
tion and  faith  in  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  To  the  Jews  and  Greeks 
who  saw  the  cross  only  as  fool- 


motivating  purpose  for  life, 
nothing  worth  living  for.  With 
it,  no  difficulties  or  discourage- 
ments  can  shake  our  faith  or! 
dampen  our  zeal. 

There  are,  of  course,  no 
mathematical  or  other  scientific 
formulae  to  prove  these  assump- 
tions, nor  are  they  necessary. 
There  is  abundant  evidence  in 
Scripture  and  in  human  history 
and  experience  to  support  them. 
Furthermore,  the  very  logic  of 
intellectual  processes  would 
lead  us  to  believe  that  an  in- 
telligent Creator  would  create 
nothing  without  a  purpose  back 
of  it  or  without  a  means  of  ac- 
complishing that  purpose.  We 
Christians  accept  these  assump- 
tions and  believe  that  the 
church  is  God's  agency  for  ac- 


CALLED    • 


A  MOHAMMEDAN  ad- 
mitted to  me  that  in  the 
realm  of  morals  and  eth- 
ics Christ  was  far  better  than 
his  great  prophet,  Mohammed. 
But  then  he  went  on  to  say, 
"Therein  lies  the  difficulty  with 
Christianity.  It  has  standards 
so  high  that  no  one  can  reach 
them;  but  my  religion  has  a 
standard  that  everyone  can  live 
by." 

Idealism  and  realism  are  of- 
ten set  up  as  two  opposing,  ir- 
reconcilable positions  to  be 
held,  idealism  being  the  desir- 
able but  unattainable  in  life 
and  realism  being  conduct  that 
can  be  expected  of  the  average 
person  —  what  the  crowd  is  do- 
ing, what  is  popular.  In  the 
realm  of  religion  and  church 
life  often  the  statement  is 
heard:  "But  one  must  be  'real- 
istic' We  must  be  practical,' " 


ishness  and  a  stumbling  block 
to  their  faith,  he  declared  it  to 
be  the  wisdom  and  the  power 
of  God.  Paul  sums  up  his 
philosophy  in  the  statement: 
"We  know  that  in  everything 
God  works  for  good  with  those 
who  love  him,  who  are  called 
according  to  his  purpose. 

In  that  statement,  "called  ac- 
cording to  his  purpose,"  there 
are  two  basic  assumptions :  ( 1 ) 
that  God  has  purpose  which  he 
is  even  today  working  to 
achieve  in  his  created  universe, 
and  (2)  that  he  calls  men  into 
his  service  to  accomplish  that 
purpose.  A  vision  and  compre- 
hension of  God's  purpose  and 
his  methods  of  work,  together 
with  an  experience  of  a  call  to 
be  "workers  together  with  him" 
make  all  the  difference  in  the 
world.  Without  that  vision  and 
that  call  we  have  no  faith,  no 


10 


complishing  his  will.  This, 
however,  is  often  a  mere  intel- 
lectual concept  without  an  ap- 
propriate emotional  response. 

The  divine  purpose  is  all- 
inclusive  and  redemptive  in  the 
total  life  of  man.  It  carries  full 
coverage.  "God  so  loved  the 
world."  That  love  was  active 
from  the  very  beginning  of 
time.  His  love  and  redemptive 
purpose  have  been  revealed  in 
various  ways  down  through  the 
ages.  That  purpose  was  seen 
in  God's  call  to  Abraham,  "In 
thee  shall  all  the  families  of 
the  earth  be  blessed"  (Gen.  12: 
3).  This  clearly  shows  an  all- 
inclusive  redemptive  purpose 
to  be  carried  out  through  hu- 
man instrumentality. 

In  succeeding  generations 
God  clarified  that  purpose 
through  the  prophets:  Amos, 
Hosea,     Isaiah,     Ezekiel,     and 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Tissot  Three  Lions 

Jesus  spent  several  years  trying  to  challenge  his  disciples  with  a  vision  of  the  purpose  of  God 


ACCORDING    TO    HIS    PURPOSES 


others.  Their  writings  made 
God's  will  increasingly  clear. 
The  final  and  complete  revela- 
tion of  his  purpose  was  given 
by  Christ,  in  his  teachings  and 
life.  It  may  be  summed  up  in 
the  term  kingdom  of  God.  His 
disciples  are  exhorted  to  seek 
first  his  kingdom,  and  the  final 
igoal  of  life  is  held  up  to  be 
entrance  into  the  kingdom. 

The  program  of  the  kingdom 
would  include  the  redemption 
of  all  mankind  upon  whom 
God's  love  is  continually  poured 
—  all  races,  all  nationalities,  all 
classes,  regardless  of  their  pres- 
ent attitudes  toward  God  or 
man.  It  would  include  any- 
thing promoting  fullness  of  life 
for  man  and  anything  prevent- 
ing his  destruction. 

The  consummation  of  the 
kingdom  would  be  the  fulfill- 
ment  of   God's   holy   will.     It 

JULY  2.  I960 


would  solve  the  majority  of 
man's  social  and  personal  prob- 
lems: wars  and  international 
disputes,  race  conflicts,  injus- 
tice, community  and  family 
feuds,  anxieties,  fears,  mental 
and  nervous  breakdowns,  and 
all  the  ravages  of  sin. 

The  methods  of  the  kingdom 
are  different  from  those  of  the 
world.  The  world  is  selfish.  It 
seeks  its  own  glory  and  ag- 
grandizement. It  hates.  It  acts 
with  force  and  violence.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  ways  of  the 
kingdom  are  those  of  love, 
forgiveness,  reconciliation,  the 
cross  —  taking  on  oneself  suf- 
fering for  the  redemption  of 
evil  and  sinful  men.  This  is 
God's  way,  the  right  way,  the 
only  way  that  will  finally  suc- 
ceed. Today  other  ways  are 
being  tried  but  conditions  onlv 
grow  worse  and  worse.    God's 


Earl  M.  Zigler 


way  is  the  only  practical  way. 

Christ  spent  several  years 
trying  to  clarifv  this  fact  to  his 
disciples  and  to  challenge  them 
with  a  vision  of  the  purpose  of 
God  and  his  wav  of  working. 
The  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the 
parables  of  the  kingdom,  the 
Prodigal  Son,  the  Good  Samari- 
tan, the  Last  Judgment,  and 
others  all  fit  into  the  picture  of 
redemption  which  he  taught 
and  completed  in  his  own  death 
and  resurrection.  In  Christ  the 
divine  purpose  of  God  was 
clearly  revealed. 

Christ  held  before  his  dis- 
ciples the  challenge  to  commit 
their  lives  to  work  with  God  in 
carrying  out  his  will.  Day  after 
day  they  faced  the  question. 
They  discussed  it.    Bit  by  bit 

u 


they  began  to  understand.  Hu- 
man frailty  and  temptations 
continued  to  hold  them  back. 
Thev  were  torn  between  the 
vision  of  the  will  of  God  and 
the  pull  of  the  world.  But 
after  the  death  and  resurrection 
of  Christ  and  the  experience  of 
Pentecost,  the  others  were  final- 
ly and  completely  captured  by 
the  vision  of  God's  purpose. 
Their  whole  being  became 
geared  into  that  purpose. 

That  is  Christ's  call  to  the 
church  today  —  to  get  geared 
into  what  God  is  striving  to 
accomplish.  Christ  does  not 
dangle  before  us  the  enticement 
of  personal  advantage  or  special 
favors  or  rewards.  The  selfish 
hope  of  enjoying  ease  and 
plenty  of  this  world's  goods,  or 
even  of  enjoying  the  eternal 
blessedness  of  heaven  is  not 
what  he  holds  up.  Yes,  they  are 
available,  but  the  challenge  is 
to  see  first  his  kingdom  —  and 
all  these  things  shall  be  added. 
He  says,  "Come  unto  me;  Take 
my  yoke;  Take  up  your  cross, 
Lose  your  life  in  the  work  of 
the  kingdom." 

We  have  a  tendency  to  be 
like  the  ancient  Jews  —  to  see 
ourselves  in  God's  promise  as 
a  chosen  race  to  receive  special 
favors  from  God,  and  we  over- 
look the  purpose  for  which  we 
are  chosen:    "In  thee  shall  all 


the  families  of  the  earth  be 
blessed."  "You  have  not  chosen 
me,  but  I  have  chosen  you  and 
appointed  you  that  you  should 
go  and  bear  fruit." 

This  call  to  the  kingdom  is 
God's  call.  He  is  actually  alive 
and  at  work  in  the  world,  it  is 
his  program  in  which  we  are 
called  to  participate.  It  is  not 
some  half-baked,  fly-by-night 
scheme  of  man.  This  concept  of 
the  kingdom  is  so  completely 
all-inclusive  that  it  challenges 
our  greatest  intellectual  powers 
and  calls  forth  our  deepest 
emotional  response. 

Our  church  through  its 
boards  and  various  commissions 
is  constantly  extending  calls  to 
the  service  of  God.  Against  the 
background  of  juvenile  delin- 
quency, alcoholism,  corruption 
in  moral  and  ethical  standards, 
and  godless  living,  what  could 
constitute  a  greater  challenge 
than  the  Christian  education 
program  of  the  church?  In  a 
world  ravaged  by  wars  and 
filled  with  homeless,  hungry, 
and  destitute  people,  who  could 
resist  the  challenge  presented 
by  the  Brethren  Service  Com- 
mission? With  a  world  torn 
asunder  and  reaping  the  results 
of  sin,  selfishness,  and  material- 
ism, with  millions  of  people 
knowing  nothing  of  the  joys  of 
the  abundant  life  of  love  and 


brotherhood  made  possible  by 
redemption  through  Christ,  the 
mission  program  at  home  and! 
abroad  constitutes  a  challenged 
to  contribute  to  the  very  heart 
of  the  program  of  God's  work 
in  the  world  —  building  and 
strengthening  the  churches  for 
reconciling  men  to  God. 

Today  is  a  day  of  opportunity 
for  our  churches.  The  world  is 
hungry  for  a  prophetic  voice, 
for  a  way  of  salvation.  It  is  no 
time  for  divisions  or  dissensions, 
no  time  for  self-interest,  or  for 
bickerings  over  petty  differ- 
ences in  belief  or  practice 
among  ourselves.  Instead  it  is 
a  time  for  personal  soul-search- 
ing and  dedication  to  the  will  of 
God.  It  is  time  to  see  the  basic 
issues  in  light  of  the  great  pur- 
pose of  God  and  to  respond  to 
his  call,  mobilizing  all  our  re- 
sources for  God,  confident  of  re- 
sults he  will  bring  about. 

If  in  sufficient  numbers  we 
respond  with  sufficient  devo- 
tion and  dedication  to  him,  he 
will  do  wonders.  Even  the 
world  political  atmosphere,  for- 
eign policies  of  governments, 
political  platforms,  legislative 
actions,  and  our  numerous  so- 
cial and  personal  problems  will 
be  influenced.  All  things  are 
possible  with  God,  but  he  de 
pends  upon  our  response  to  his 
call. 


Believing  that  Christian 
education  is  one 
answer  to  godless  living, 
corruption  in  morals, 
alcoholism,  juvenile 
delinquency, 
these  observers  of  a 
church  school  class 
have  answered  the  call 
to  serve 


Clark  and  Clark 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


I 


Congressman  Byron  L  Johnson 
isees  his  work  as 


Public  Service 

for  Christian  Goals 


J.  Harold  Sherk 


DURING  the  late  thirties 
the  young  daughter  of 
an    underpaid     college 
professor  entered  a  state  uni- 
versity.    She    was    very    busy 
I  studying  and  partially  working 
jher  way  through  school.    She 
J  found    time,    however,    to   be- 
j  come   active   in   the   Wayland 
|  Club,  the  university  Baptist  or- 
I  ganization. 

In  the  same  group  was  a 
tl  tousle-haired  young  man,  obvi- 
j  ously  of  modest  circumstances 
a  and  completely  supporting  him- 
I  self  with  menial  jobs  around 
I  the  campus.  But  he  had  the 
[|  most  engaging  grin.  One  day 
I  the  sophomore  with  the  grin 
I  woke  up  and  began  dating  the 
girl  he  was  seeing  so  frequently 
I  at  church  and  in  the  club.  Later 
I  they  served  as  officers  in  the 
f|  Wayland  Club  —  she  as  presi- 
\  dent,  he  as  vice-president.  They 


■  In  the  November  1958  election 
|f  two  pacifists  were  elected  to  Con- 
|j  gress:  William  H.  Meyer  of  Vermont 
L  and  Byron  L.  Johnson  of  Colorado. 
I  The  Reporter  (publication  of  the 
|j  National  Service  Board  for  Religious 
L|  Objectors)  said:  "Both  men  were  pre- 
I  pared  to  take  a  stand  as  CO's  during 
J  World  War  II,  although  they  were 
I  classified  IV-F.  Their  victories  are 
|  gratifying  from  a  pacifist  viewpoint 
|  since  in  both  cases  their  opponents 
I  had  tried  unsuccessfully  to  use  their 
I  CO  position  as  a  weapon  against 
I  them." 

This  article  is  based  on  an  inter- 
view with  Congressman  Johnson  by 
J.  Harold  Sherk,  executive  director  of 
NSBRO. 

JULY  2,  1960 


became  engaged  and  when  he 
had  finished  school  and  ob- 
tained a  job  under  a  special  in- 
service  training  program  with 
the  Wisconsin  state  govern- 
ment, they  were  married. 

Twenty-one  years  passed, 
and  I  was  sitting  in  the  office  of 
Congressman  Byron  Lindberg 
Johnson  on  a  warm  September 
afternoon  while  he  told  me 
about  his  romance  with  Kay 
Teter  and  about  much  else  that 
had  shaped  his  life.  The  86th 
Congress  had  just  adjourned  its 
first  session,  and  Johnson  could 
relax  for  a  bit  and  reminisce, 
thinking  over  his  first  year  as  a 
freshman  congressman  repre- 
senting the  second  district  of 
the  state  of  Colorado.  The  busy 
life  of  a  United  States  congress- 
man would  press  in  on  him 
again  soon,  but  he  had  a  few 
quiet  moments  now. 

"How  did  a  Christian  pacifist 
become  a  congressman?"  I 
asked.  Observing  that  "politi- 
cal success  is  a  product  of  many 
things"  he  told  about  his  early 
interest  in  government.  He  had 
started  debating  on  govern- 
mental topics  in  high  school 
and  took  this  interest  with  him 
when  he  entered  the  University 
of  Wisconsin  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen. That  was  in  1934,  in  the 
depth  of  the  great  depression 
years.  His  own  and  his  family's 
financial  struggle  in  those  years 
undoubtedly  spurred  his  inter- 


Religious  News  Service 
Byron  L.  Johnson 

est  in  economics,  which  became 
his  major  as  an  undergraduate 
and  the  field  in  which  he  subse- 
quently earned  his  master's  and 
doctor's  degrees. 

He  was  employed  as  an  econ- 
omist and  statistician  by  the 
state  of  Wisconsin  from  1938  to 
1942,  then  at  Washington  in  the 
Federal  Bureau  of  the  Budget 
from  1942  to  1944  and  in  the 
Social  Security  Administration 
from  1944  to  1947.  He  was  pro- 
fessor of  economics  for  nine 
years  at  the  University  of  Den- 
ver. For  the  last  two  years 
before  coming  to  Washington 
as  congressman  he  had  served 
as  an  assistant  and  then  as  con- 
sultant to  Governor  Stephen  L. 
R.  McNichols  of  Colorado. 

It  was  inevitable  that  his  in- 
terest and  insights  in  economics 
and  his  experience  in  govern- 
ment would  lead  him  to  seek 
office  where  he  could  have  a 
part  in  making  government 
policy.  So,  in  seeking  election 
to  Congress  he  offered  himself, 
in  his  words,  as  "a  student  of 
government,  a  practitioner,  a 
researcher,  and  a  teacher  in  the 
field  of  government,  with  an 
interest  in  policy  and  therefore 
in  politics." 

PART   OF   THE   CHRISTIAN 
WAY   OF   LIFE 

During    his    campaign    last 

13 


year  a  minister  of  the  Colorado 
Council  of  Churches  said: 
"Bvron  Johnson  is  a  sincere  and 
active  Christian  layman,  experi- 
enced in  government,  both  state 
and  national,  who  is  committed 
to  taking  Christian  principles 
into  public  life."  Byron's  grand- 
parents on  both  sides  had  been 
"religious  refugees"  from  Swed- 
en, Baptists  who  had  finally  left 
their  native  country  because  of 
state  church  pressure  on  non- 
conformists. His  mother's  father 
was  called  from  farming  into 
the  ministry  and  served  for 
many  years  in  Swedish  Baptist 
churches  of  Minnesota  and  Wis- 
consin. 

In  this  atmosphere  of  dedi- 
cated Christian  living  his  moth- 
er had  become  a  pacifist  and  he 
himself  became  a  Christian  and 
a  pacifist  at  a  very  early  age. 
(Though  all  are  active  church- 
men, his  family  did  not  all  take 
the  pacifist  position;  one  broth- 
er served  in  the  armed  forces  in 
Korea.)  His  pacifism  was  to 
him  a  part  of  the  Christian  "way 
of  life"  to  which  he  had  been 
committed,  "an  article  of  faith, 
a  part  of  my  Christian  philoso- 
phy." 

At  home  and  at  college  he 
was  active  in  Christian  work. 
After  his  marriage  to  Catherine 
Teter  he  served  occasionally  as 
a  lay  preacher.  When  called  to 
Denver  University  they  became 
members  of  the  First  Plymouth 
Congregational  church  at  Den- 
ver, Colorado.  Wherever  he 
has  gone  in  government  service 
and  in  educational  work  he  has 
felt  that  he  "must  be  responsi- 
ble in  a  manner  consistent  with 
my  faith,"  and  he  has  carried 
this  idea  with  him  to  Congress. 

In  his  campaign  for  election 
to  Congress  he  spoke  much  of 
"the  American  free  competitive 
enterprise  system,"  claiming  "it 
has  done  more  to  advance  hu- 
man welfare,  expand  human 
freedom  and  opportunity,  and 
more  to  meet  the  wants   and 


wishes  of  the  ordinary  consum- 
er than  any  other  system  any- 
where anytime.  Out  of  the 
history  of  that  system  has 
emerged  a  new  concept  of  free- 
dom —  economic  democracy  — 
that  has  enlarged  the  horizons 
of  man's  vision  and  achieve- 
ment." His  continuing  cam- 
paign theme  was:  "111  cast 
your  vote  for  a  truly  prosperous 
nation  in  a  truly  peaceful 
world." 

He  was  attacked  as  a  "dream- 
er." He  accepted  the  label  and 
told  the  electorate  of  his 
"dreams"  about  adequate  and 
attractive  housing  for  "senior 
citizens"  now  realized  (Senior 
Homes  of  Colorado  is  complet- 
ed ) ,  and  other  "dreams"  already 
taking  form  in  soil  and  water 
and  trees  and  steel  and  con- 
crete. People  like  a  "dreamer" 
who  gets  things  done! 

Ten  days  before  the  election 
date  his  opponent  attacked  him 
publicly  as  a  "pacifist."  The  at- 
tack was  meant  to  be  a  death- 
blow, and  some  of  his  friends 
thought  that  it  had  ended  all 
his  political  hopes.  He  had 
never  apologized  for  his  paci- 
fism and  had  never  concealed 
it.  His  political  associates  all 
had  known  about  his  pacifist 
convictions  for  years. 

Now  that  his  opponent  had 
made  it  an  issue,  without  apol- 
ogy he  simply  asserted  this  as 
part  of  his  religious  faith,  and 
within  a  day  or  two  a  reaction 
set  in.  Friends  that  he  and  his 
organization  had  never  heard 
of  before  offered  their  services 
for  his  campaign  and  what  had 
been  intended  as  a  deadly 
stroke  became  for  him  a  sub- 
stantial asset  at  the  ballot  box! 
Not,  as  it  appears,  because  the 
majority  of  his  constituents 
necessarily  share  his  convictions 
but  because  they  believe  that 
a  man  should  have  the  courage 
of  his  convictions  and  because 
they  resented  his  opponent's 
obvious  resort  to  unfair  tactics. 


What  about  a  Christian  in 
Congress?  Are  there  basic 
problems?  There  are  problems,! 
he  feels  some  of  them  very  com-: 
plex,  but  they  are,  essentially, 
the  problems  of  any  "responsi- 
ble" Christian  citizen.  When  a 
congressman  accepts  the  obli- 
gations and  responsibilities  of 
office  on  behalf  of  the  whole 
community,  he  must  discharge 
those  obligations  to  the  best  of 
his  ability.  He  has,  especially, 
the  obligation  of  leadership.  "I 
believe  any  elected  representa- 
tive has  an  obligation  to  lead 
the  community,  not  merely  fol- 
low it.  Everybody  wants  to  be 
a  follower;  nobody  seems  to 
think  it  necessary  that  he  be  a 
leader.  It  is  essential  that  those 
who  accept  the  obligation  to 
'promote  the  general  welfare, 
provide  for  the  common  de- 
fense, promote  domestic  tran- 
quility, and  assure  the  blessings 
of  liberty  to  ourselves  and  our 
posterity,'  give  full  content  and 
meaning  to  those  basic  purposes 
of  our  government." 

Members  of  the  party  which 
nominated  him  knew  who  and 
what  he  was  when  they  gave 
him  the  nomination.  "In  the 
face  of  tins  knowledge,  I  was 
nominated  and  elected.  I  don't 
feel,  therefore,  that  any  be- 
havior of  mine  in  office  con- 
sistent with  the  positions  I 
espoused  as  a  candidate  should 
be  expected  to  outrage  mv  con- 
stituents. They  would  have  a 
right  to  feel  outraged  if  I  be- 
haved in  any  other  manner." 

Right  ends  and  right  means 
to  those  ends  must  concern  the 
Christian  in  any  field  of  service. 
Referring  to  the  principles 
which  he  had  avowed  and  fol- 
lowed while  campaigning  and 
in  office  he  asserted:  "I  cannot 
see  how  public  service  in  pur- 
suit of  these  principles  needs  to 
be  a  denial  of  my  Christian 
ethics,  for  I  view  these  goals  as 
Christian  goals.  The  problem  in 
Christian  ethics  is  to  insist  that 


y 


% 


)I 

it 
it 
10 


x 


14 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


ive  use  means  consistent  with 
the  ends  we  seek.  There  are 
many  temptations  to  use  in- 
consistent means,  and  it  is  here 
that  Christian  ethics  become  in- 
volved. I  see  no  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  performance  of  my 
Dath  of  office  under  our  Consti- 
tution involves  me  in  a  basic 
moral  dilemma.  At  least  I  see 
none  now. 

"Let  me  add  that  there  are 
many  little  decisions  which 
are  disconcerting;  the  parlia- 
mentary process  involves  ma- 
neuvering, concession,  and 
compromise  in  order  to  reach 
the  maximum  area  of  agree- 
ment, which  is  the  essence  of 
the  process.  If  one  mistakenly 
centers  his  attention  on  the 
momentary  tactical  concession 
and  makes  this  the  basic  moral 
issue,  forgetting  the  larger  pur- 
pose to  which  the  momentary 
tactical  maneuver  was  ad- 
dressed, he  will,  of  course, 
strain  at  gnats,  but  he  may 
meanwhile  swallow  a  camel.  So 
long  as  the  compromise  or  con- 
cession does  not  betray  a  basic 
principle  (I  do  not  believe  it 
must),  I  have  no  sense  of 
alarm  about  the  role  of  a  Chris- 
tian in  politics." 

In  practice,  a  congressman 
who  follows  these  principles 
!must  be  willing  sometimes  to  be 
in  a  minority  —  sometimes  a 
very  small  minority  —  and  there 
are  political  risks  in  so  doing. 
Johnson  accepts  these,  observ- 
ing also  that  "most  persons  who 
accept  high  public  office  are 
doing  their  best  to  balance  their 
own  Christian  understanding 
with  their  political  obligations." 

Johnson  rejects  "automatical- 
ly" the  idea  that  "the  Christian 
in  twentieth-century  America 
can  follow  a  philosophy  of  with- 
drawal or  separation"  and  re- 
main a  true  Christian. 

THE   GOSPEL   OF   PERFECTION 

Should  churches,  then,  be  in 
politics?     "No!"    emphatically, 

JULY  2,  1960 


"but  churchmen  should."  The 
church  has  a  divine  calling  in 
a  service  to  all  men  and 
should  not  be  identified  with 
any  temporal  organization.  But 
churchmen,  he  feels,  as  citizens, 
should  be  active  in  the  political 
party  that  most  nearly  repre- 
sents their  views  and  should 
strive  for  the  attainment  of 
worthy  political  goals. 

"I  recognize  with  Paul  that  I 
will  go  on  unable  to  avoid  sin 
even  when  spending  mv  best 
efforts  not  to  sin.  But  I  do  not 
recognize  that  I  should,  there- 
fore, abandon  the  effort  to  avoid 
sin  and  willingly  involve  myself 
in  sinful  situations  with  the  easy 
gloss  that  'this  is  the  lesser  evil.' 
The  gospel  of  seeking  perfec- 
tion must  remain  ever  before  us. 
...  It  is  more  important  that  we 
pursue  perfection  than  that  we 
find  alibis  for  not  pursuing  it." 

We  had  talked  longer  than 
we  had  planned  and  the  shad- 
ows were  lengthening  when  I 
stepped  out  of  the  Old  House 
Office  Building  to  face  the 
evening  rush  hour  traffic.  Con- 
gressmen and  clerks,  secretaries 
and  salesmen,  bureaucrats  and 
businessmen,  ministers  and  me- 
chanics were  all  going  places, 
stopping  and  starting  at  the  di- 
rection of  Washington  traffic 
lights.  And  I  thought  of  how 
each  of  us  must  follow  the  sig- 
nal light  of  Christian  conscience 
that  alone  can  guide  us  to  life 
"in  Christ"  and  "in  Corinth." 

Reprinted  by  permission  of 
Christian   Living 


A  Pacifist  Perspective 

Continued   from   page   4 

when  he  participates  in  the  new 
reality  of  God  and  from  that 
perspective  bears  a  mission  of 
reconciliation.  This  does  not 
free  him  from  taking  part  in 
the  institutions  of  society,  even 
though  these  institutions  are 
imperfect,  but  he  is  commanded 


to  be  faithful  to  the  new  reality 
he  knows. 

From  this  perspective  we 
now  examine  the  specific 
charges. 

THE   RELEVANCE   OF    PACIFISM 

As  we  have  noted,  pacifism 
is  charged  with  being  irrelevant 
to  existing  social  and  political 
structures.  Part  of  the  problem 
here  fastens  on  how  long  a  view 
one  takes.  Nonpacifism  does 
seem  often  to  achieve  justice 
and  order  for  an  immediate 
present,  but  no  convincing 
proof  has  ever  been  made  that 
in  the  long  run  the  nonpacifist 
strategy  "works"  while  the  paci- 
fist strategy  does  not.  We  are 
not  hereby  saying  an  ethic  of 
witness  should  disregard  the 
practical  effectiveness  of  its 
strategy.  We  only  stand  on  the 
conviction  that  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  social  order  are 
served  by  Christians  and  a 
church  faithful  to  the  new  real- 
ity of  God's  new  order. 

CHRISTIAN   RESISTANCE   TO   EVIL 

The  second  charge  is  that 
pacifism  allows  tyranny  free 
reign.  The  validity  of  this 
charge  can  be  allowed  only  if 
it  is  thought  that  the  means  of 
war  offer  the  only  possible  re- 
sistance to  tyranny.  The  paci- 
fist will  not  admit  this.  Evil  is 
forever  under  attack  from  the 
gospel.  The  pacifist  attacks  evil 
by  means  which  he  believes  to 
be  of  God's  own  choosing, 
hence,  his  disavowal  of  war. 
What  nonpacifist  strategy  con- 
sistently underrates  is  the 
power  of  nonviolent  means  of 
resistance. 

NO    JUST    WARS 

The  third  charge  is  that  paci- 
fists overlook  the  degree  of  guilt 
for  which  parties  in  a  war  are 
accountable.  A  cruder  form  of 
this  same  complaint  is  the  fa- 
miliar, "What  would  you  do  if 
a  Russian  were  about  to  molest 


your  grandmother?"  The  idea 
here  is  that  aggressor  and  vic- 
tim can  be  easily  distinguished. 
You  go  to  war  to  bring  the 
gangster  to  justice. 

The  difficulty  with  this  argu- 
ment is  that  war,  and  especially 
modem  war,  is  not  a  controlled 
operation.  Not  only  combatants 
are  involved,  but  whole  civilian 
peoples.  In  the  face  of  mass 
annihilation,  what  becomes  of 
our  fine  distinctions  as  to  the 
degree  of  guilt?  This  is  not  to 
suggest  that  pacifists  should  re- 
fuse to  use  shrewd  judgment  in 
determining  relative  guilt.  But 
they  cannot  admit  that  war  is 
the  proper  means  for  seeking 
the  achievement  of  relative 
justice. 

THE   GROUND   OF   ASSURANCE 

We  have  not  introduced  the 
H-bomb  or  its  relatives  into 
this  argument,  and  for  ample 
reason.  With  or  without  the 
bomb,  the  issues  are  the  same. 
What  the  new  destructive  pow- 
er does  underline,  however,  is 
the  insecurity  of  all  trust  in  war 
as  an  instrument  of  justice.  Too 
often  nonpacifists  have  assumed 
they  were  the  only  realists.  This 
illusion  shows  signs  of  hard 
war.  The  weapons  of  annihila- 
tion no  longer  allow  an  easy 
confidence  that  war  is  the  lesser 
of  two  evils. 

But  pacifists  must  also  ac- 
knowledge that  they  walk  by 
faith  and  not  sight.  There  is  no 
assurance  that  the  world  will 
respond  to  pacifist  strategy.  Our 
only  confidence  lies  in  our  call- 
ing. We  simply  rejoice  in  this: 
that  there  is  a  new  reality  in 
Christ  which  is  overcoming  the 
world!  Ours  is  the  faith  as  well 
that  God's  weakness  is  more 
powerful  than  man's  diabolical 
strength. 

We  witness  to  this  not  from 
above  the  conflict  but  in  it,  yet 
with  the  instruments  of  his 
peace. 

16 


Conference  Elections  and  Appointments 


Moderator,  Charles  E.  Zunkel 
Alternate  Moderator,  Nevin  H.  Zuck 
Reader,  Paul  Kinsel 
Messenger,  Henry  Krommes 
Timekeeper,  Owen  W.  Horton,  Sr. 

Committee  on  Credentials 
Rufus  B.  King,  chairman 
Mrs.  Mervin  Cripe, 
Mrs.  George  Detweiler 
Mrs.  Harold  Fasnacht 
Mrs.  Lester  Fike 
Roy  Forney 
Edward  Murray 

Committee  on  Resolutions 
1965  Lucile  Long  Strayer 

Conference  Central  Committee 

Annual  Conference  moderator,  as- 
sociate moderator,  the  secretary, 
and  the  treasurer 

1963  Harold  Z.   Bomberger 

1962  Paul  W.  Kinsel 

1961  Frank  S.  Carper 

Note:  This  committee  was  authorized 
by  the  Annual  Conference  of  this 
year  when  it  adopted  the  report  of 
the  committee  studying  Annual  Con- 
ference. It  will  take  over  the  planning 
now  done  by  the  program  and  ar- 
rangements committees  and  the  Con- 
ference officers. 


Committee  on  Fraternal  Relations 
1963    Chester    Harley,    William 

Willoughby 
1961  Dean  Frantz  (filling  unexpired 

term) 

Representatives  to  the  National 
Council 

1963  J.  Calvin  Bright,  Desmond  W. 
Bittinger,  B.  Wayne  Crist,  Ray- 
mond R.  Peters;  alternate,  Mrs. 
Gordon  Yoder 

Representatives  to  the  World  Coun- 
cil of  Churches  Assembly 

Norman  J.  Baugher;  alternate,  the 
chairman  of  the  Board  at  the  time 
of  the  Assembly 

Edward  K.  Ziegler;  alternate,  War- 
ren F.  Groff 

Pastors'  Association 
1963  Herbert  A.  Fisher 

Electors  of  Bethany  Biblical  Semi- 
nary 
1965  Ralph  E.  White  (ministry) 
Ray  Petersime   (laity) 

General  Brotherhood  Board 
Paul  S.  Hersch   (Pacific) 
Dale  W.  Brown   (Western) 
Earle  W.  Fike,  Jr.  (Central) 
M.  Guy  West   (Eastern) 
DeWitt  L.  Miller  (Southeastern) 


[ . 


General   Brotherhood  Board  Organized 

Mrs.  John  D.  Myers 

Finance  Commission 

Harold  D.  Fasnacht,  chairman 

W.  Donald  Clague 


Chairman,  George  L.  Detweiler 
Vice-chairman,  Harold  D.  Fasnacht 


Executive  Committee 
George  L.  Detweiler 
Harold  D.  Fasnacht 
Desmond  W.  Bittinger 
Russell  V.  Bollinger 
Paul  M.  Robinson 
Nevin  H.  Zuck 

Brethren  Service  Commission 

Desmond  W.  Bittinger,  chairman 

Paul  H.  Bowman,  Jr. 

Dale  Brown 

M.  Guy  West 

Mrs.  Harper  S.  Will 

Christian  Education  Commission 
Russell  V.  Bollinger,  chairman 
J.  Calvin  Bright 
Calvert  N.  Ellis 
DeWitt  L.  Miller 


Dale  W.  Detwiler 
Paul  S.  Hersch 
F.  Willard  Powers 

Foreign  Mission  Commission 
Paul  M.  Robinson,  chairman 
William  M.  Beahm 
B.  Wayne  Crist 
George  L.  Detweiler 
Paul  E.  Miller 

Ministry  and  Home  Mission  Com- 
mission 
Nevin  H.  Zuck,  chairman 
James  H.  Beahm 
Earle  W.  Fike,  Jr. 
Moyne  Landis 
S.  Earl  Mitchell 


The  Conference  Offering  for  this  year  was  $198,818,  $17,559  less 
than  the  $215,377  received  at  the  1959  Conference. 

The  number  of  voting  delegates  reached  a  new  high:  1,049  local 
church  representatives  and  86  Standing  Committee  delegates  for  a  total 
of  1,135. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


J.  A.  Robinson,  pastor  of  the  Ephrata  church  in 
Eastern  Pennsylvania,  died  Thursday  evening,  June  16, 
after  several  months  of  illness.  Brother  Robinson  had 
given  more  than  fifty  years  to  the  pastoral  ministry. 

Larry  West,  a  graduate  of  Manchester  College,  has 
been  granted  a  Rockefeller  Theological  Fellowship  and 
will  enroll  in  the  Pacific  School  of  Religion.  Larry  is 
the  seventh  Church  of  the  Brethren  student  to  be  given 
this  fellowship  since  the  beginning  of  the  program  in 
1954. 

Middle  Pennsylvania  held  a  Brethren  Service  train- 
ing conference  at  the  Stonerstown  church  on  May  21. 
Fifty-four  local  church  leaders  from  nineteen  congrega- 
tions were  in  attendance.  Brethren  Service  staff  mem- 
bers leading  the  conference  were:  James  Renz,  Ora 
Huston,  Ray  Kyle,  Hazel  Peters,  and  Ralph  Smeltzer. 

A.  C.  Baugher,  president  of  Elizabethtown  College 
since  1941,  has  announced  his  plans  to  retire  after  the 
next  academic  year  on  June  30,  1961.  President  Baugher 
began  his  association  with  the  college  in  1914  as  a 
student.  Later  he  became  a  member  of  the  faculty,  dean 
of  men,  and  dean  of  instruction  before  taking  the  presi- 
dency. 

Three  out  of  five  left  wills,  according  to  the  Trusts 
and  Estates  Magazine's  study  of  over  100,000  estates 
filed  in  1959.  The  60.2%  ratio  of  individuals  leaving 
wills  whose  estates  were  filed  that  year  represents  a 
significant  increase  over  the  52.5%  of  the  total  of 
those  whose  estates  were  filed  in  1950,  a  similar  study 
of  the  magazine  disclosed. 

Two  resignations  on  the  staff  of  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board  were  announced  recently.  Miss  Gerry 
Plunkett,  administrative  assistant  in  the  Foreign  Mission 
Commission,  resigned  to  accept  a  teaching  position  in 
the  Elgin  elementary  schools.  Rev.  Stewart  B. 
Kauffman,  director  of  evangelism  and  ministry,  resigned 
to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the  Stone  church,  Hunting- 
don, Pa.    Both  resignations  will  be  effective  Aug.  31. 

Home-coming 

Donnels  Creek  church,  Southern  Ohio,  will  have  a 
home-coming  on  Sunday,  July  10.  In  the  afternoon  Ross 
Noffsinger,  a  former  pastor,  will  speak  and  the  history 
of  the  congregation  reviewed.  The  New  Carlisle  and 
Springfield  churches  were  once  a  part  of  Donnels  Creek. 

Changes  of  Address 

Leonard  Carlisle  has  moved  into  a  new  parsonage 
at  Troy,  Ohio,  and  he  should  accordingly  be  addressed 
at  24  Norwich  Road,  Troy. 

The  Harlan  Brookses,  home  from  India,  should  be 
addressed:  %  Foreign  Mission  Commission,  Church 
of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Licensed  and  Ordained  to  the  Ministry 

Wayne   Harman,    ordained   in   the  White   Cottage 

church,  Northeastern  Ohio,  which  he  serves  as  pastor. 
Roger   Lee  Harding  and  James   Philip   Sliankster, 

licensed  in  the  Silver  Creek  church,  Northwestern  Ohio. 
Leonard  L.  Snavely,  licensed  in  the  Fostoria  church, 

Northwestern  Ohio. 

JULY  2,  I960 


The  Church  Calendar 
July  3 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Men  Who  Spoke  for  God.  2 
Kings  14:23-29;  Amos  7:1-17.  Memory  Selection: 
Preach  the  word,  be  urgent  in  season  and  out  of  season, 
convince,  rebuke,  and  exhort,  be  unfailing  in  patience 
and  in  teaching.   2  Tim.  4:2  (R.S.V.) 

July  8-10  Central  Region  youth  conference,  Manchester 
College 

July  8-10  District  meeting,  North  Dakota  and  Eastern 
Montana,  Cando 

July  10-15  Southeastern  Region  conference,  Bridge- 
water,  Va. 

July  10-17  Western  Pennsylvania  pulpit  exchange  for 
district  and  Brotherhood  interpretation 

July  11-16  Central  Region  youth  leaders  laboratory 
school,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

July  14-17  District  meeting,  Texas  and  Louisiana,  Fal- 
furrias 

July  15-16  Southeastern  Region  district  youth  cabinets 
training  conference,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

July  17-23  Human  Relations  laboratory,  Manchester 
College 

July  20  Middle  and  Western  Pennsylvania  women's 
camp,  Camp  Harmony 

July  22-23  District  meeting,  Western  Pennsylvania, 
Camp  Harmony 

July  24-29  Central  Region  children's  workers'  labora- 
tory school,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

July  24-30  Eastern  Region  laboratory  schools  and  work- 
shop, Elizabethtown  College,  Pa. 

July  24-30  Bethany  summer  extension  school,  Elizabeth- 
town  College,  Pa. 

July  26-28  District  meeting,  Southern  Virginia,  Chris- 
tiansburg 

July  28-30  District  meeting,  Eastern  Virginia,  Manassas 

Aug.  4-6  District  meeting,  Middle  Indiana,  North  Man- 
chester 

Aug.  5-6  District  meeting,  Northern  Virginia,  Mathias 


With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  J.  R.  Jackson  of  Grantsville,  Md.,  in  the  Brick 
church,  W.  Va.,  July  4-17. 

Bro.  Curtis  Dubble  of  Canton,  Ohio,  in  the  Quarkertown 
church,  Pa.,  July  5-17. 

Bro.  George  W.  Slagle  of  Limestone,  Term.,  in  Petersons 
Chapel  congregation,  N.  C,  July  10-17. 


Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Five  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  Cherokee 
Hills  fellowship,  Overland  Park,  Kansas  City,  Kansas. 

Four  baptized  in  the  Mud  Lick  church,  Ky.  One  bap- 
tized in  the  Flat  Creek  church,  Ky. 

Fifteen  baptized  in  the  Leamersville  church,  Pa.  Six 
baptized  in  the  Indian  Creek  church,  Pa.  Seven  baptized 
in  the  Little  Swatara  congregation,  Pa.  Two  baptized  and 
one  received  by  letter  in  the  White  Oak  church,  Pa. 

Twenty-four  received  by  letter  in  the  St.  Petersburg 
church,  Fia. 

17 


Do  Christian  Hospitals 
Have   a  Place   in  India? 

+  ^"hat  the  future  holds  for  Chris- 
tian hospitals  in  India  was  urgently 
discussed  at  the  Gujerat  regional 
conference  of  the  Christian  Medical 
Association  of  India  which  was  at- 
tended by  thirty  Christian  medical 
workers  from  both  mission  and  gov- 
ernmental hospitals.  Will  the  gov- 
ernment take  over  all  hospitals  in 
the  next  ten  years?  Will  Christian 
doctors  be  allowed  to  manage  and 
work  in  the  hospitals?  What  contri- 
bution could  medical  missionaries 
make  in  such  a  setup? 

Miss  Alice  Clark,  nursing  secretary 
of  the  Christian  Medical  Association 
of  India,  allayed  expressed  fears  by 
saying  that  the  government  wants 
Christian  hospitals  to  continue  as 
long  as  possible  because  they  train 
more  nurses  than  any  other  group 
except  government.  In  any  case,  the 
government  has  not  staff  or  funds  to 
take  over  the  hospitals.  Furthermore, 
the  government  is  glad  to  have  Chris- 
tian hospitals  setting  high  standards 
of  efficiency  both  in  medical  and  sur- 
gical procedures  and  in  demonstrat- 
ing how  to  make  good  use  of  limited 
staff  and  funds. 

The  liveliest  discussion  of  the 
conference,  however,  was  on  the 
subject  of  whether  the  Christian 
medical  worker  in  a  church  hospital 
or  the  worker  in  a  government  hos- 
pital has  the  best  chance  for  Chris- 
tian witness.  It  was  agreed  that  the 
person  outside  the  church  institution 
needed  more  courage  to  witness  and 
that  often  the  Christian  workers  in 
church  institutions  do  not  take  full 
advantage  of  the  opportunities  for 
witnessing  that  they  have  "without 
any  hindrance." 

Professional  concerns  were  also 
discussed.  It  was  agreed  that  faulty 
use  of  the  autoclave  in  sterilizing 
surgical  supplies  accounted  for  the 
infection  of  surgical  wounds. 

A  review  of  the  financial  problems 
of  the  mission  hospitals  revealed  that 
wealthy  patients  go  to  the  private 
practitioners  in  the  cities,  and  the 
poor  go  to  the  free  government  hos- 
pitals, leaving  the  middle  class  to 
go  to  the  mission  hospitals.  They  are 
able  to  pay  only  part  of  their  fees, 
thus  creating  a  chronic  financial 
shortage. 

The  need  for  preventive  medicine, 
which  has  been  largely  neglected  by 
the  mission  hospitals,  was  recognized 
as  an  important  area  for  future  effort. 
18 


Jean  Oswalt 

+  Dallas  and  Jean  Oswalt 
have  already  made  a  place 
for  themselves  in  Nigeria. 
When  they  left  the  United 
States  on  June  30  to  be- 
come full-time  mission- 
aries, they  were  returning 
to  a  situation  they  know 
well.  Dallas  will  be  pro- 
gram director  for  the  Ni- 
geria   mission    on    a    one- 


Meet  Youli! 


year  interim  basis,  and  Jean  will  teach  home   f 
economics  at  Waka  Teacher  Training  Centerj  ip 

Dallas  Oswalt  and  Jean  Eidemiller  met  each  fet 
other  at  Manchester  College.  Dallas  trans-j  id 
ferred  to  Purdue  University,  where  he  lived  v 
in  the  Rochdale  Co-op,  receiving  his  B.S.  de-|  it 
gree  in  agricultural  education  at  the  same  pf 
time  that  Jean  was  being  graduated  from  ft 
Manchester  with  a  major  in  home  economics  I 
and  art.  She  had  also  taught  at  Lagro,  Ind..i  id 
during  her  senior  year. 

After  graduation  they  were  married  in  thejla 
West  Charleston  church,  Ohio.  For  the  next  mi 
three  years  they  both  taught,  Dallas  in  thei  w 
Wayne  Township  school,  Randolph  County,  eld 
Ind.,  and  Jean  in  Lincoln-McKinley  schools, 
Winchester,  Ind.,  and  both  of  them  in  Sunday 
school. 

From  1954  to  1956  Dallas  was  a  I-W  agri- 
cultural teacher  in  Nigeria  and  Jean  accom- 
panied him  as  a  teacher  without  travel  aid. 
While  they  were  in  Nigeria,  their  daughter, 
Karen  Sue,  was  born. 

When  he  returned  to  the  U.S.,  Dallas  went 
to  Purdue  University  as  a  half-time  teaching 


Dr.  Claire  Thompson,  preventive 
medicine  specialist,  pleaded  with  the 
group  to  write  articles  for  the  Chris- 
tian Medical  Journal  reporting  cases, 
new  techniques,  or  problems.  She 
stressed  the  need  for  drawings  to 
help  teach  health  to  illiterate  pa- 
tients. And  she  encouraged  the 
group  to  have  meetings  of  Christian 
medical  workers.  —  Mrs.  Leonard 
Blickenstaff. 


Christians 

and  the 

Party  Platform 

+  The  May  issue  of  Social  Action 
discusses  what  the  party  platforms 
should  mean  to  Christians.  Sug- 
gested planks  for  the  party  platforms 
are  given  and  the  issues  involved  in 
fourteen  domestic  planks  and  three 
foreign  planks  are  presented.  Also 
program  suggestions  for  local  church 
study  and  action  are  given.  This  is 
probably  the  best  single  resource 
available  on  the  major  issues  in  the 
1960  election.  Order  copies  of 
Christians  and  the  Party  Platforms 
from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  at  25 
cents  each. 


If 


the  Arms 
Race  Ends 


+  A  seldom  mentioned  but  real 
barrier  to  peace  is  the  fear  of  what 
would  happen  to  our  economy 
if  disarmament  agreements  are 
reached.  Would  we  be  thrown  into 
a  depression?  Two  articles  which 
shed  light  on  this  question  are 
brought  together  in  the  booklet,  If 
the  Arms  Race  Ends.  Disarmament 
—  Some  Economic  Consequences  is 
written  by  Albert  L.  Gray,  Jr.,  pro- 
fessor of  economics  at  Elizabethtown 
College.  If  Peace  Were  to  Break 
Out  is  written  by  Byron  L.  Johnson, 
formerly  on  the  faculty  of  Denver 
University,  now  representing  the 
second  congressional  district  of  Col- 
orado in  the  U.S.  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. Copies  of  this  booklet  are 
available  at  15  cents  each  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


Norman  Cousins,  editor  of  the 
Saturday  Review:  "Nothing  is  more 
powerful  than  an  individual  acting 
out  of  his  conscience,  thus  helping 
to  bring  the  collective  conscience  to 
life." 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


lissionaries 


.^mmm 


ll 


Assistant,  receiving  his  M.S.  in  soil  fertility  and 

nter  rop  production  with  a  minor  in  agricultural 

*l|ducation.    Kris  Sidney  was  born  while  they 

*|ved  in  Lafayette.    Dallas  also  supervised  the 

smodeling  of  Stellar   Brothers   Co-op   during 

tie  two  years  he  was  working  on  his  Master's 

.egree. 

During  the  last  two  years  in  Union  City, 
ad.,  where  Dallas  has  been  employed  as  a 
:acher  of  agriculture,  he  has  been  Sunday 
chool  superintendent,  as  he  had  been  in  the 
jafayette  Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  also 
hairman  of  the  church  board.  Jean  was 
hairman  of  the  board  of  Christian  education, 
hildren's  director,  and  women's  fellowship 
•resident.  She  also  taught  art  in  the  Union 
City  schools  the  past  year. 

The  Oswalts  were  consecrated  at  the  Annual 
Conference  at  Champaign  on  June  19.  Thor- 
ughly  immersed  in  the  work  of  their  local 
hurch,  well  prepared  academically  to  serve 
s  teachers,  and  experienced  by  having  lived 
a  Nigeria,  Dallas  and  Jean  approach  their 
ifework  with  assurance  and  confidence.  Chris- 
ian    influence    can    have    profound    and    far- 


Dallas  Oswalt 

reaching  effect  in  Nigeria 
today,  and  the  Oswalts 
hope  to  be  used  of  God  on 
this   strategic   frontier. 

Five  other  couples  were 
consecrated  for  the  out- 
reach work  of  the  church 
at  the  Annual  Conference. 
Ecuador,  Indonesia,  and 
India,  besides  Nigeria,  are 
the  fields  of  assignment. 


v/fsICS 


Ellicott  City  Fellowship  Plans  for  First  Unit  of  Church 

William  S.  Ledbetter  (center)  presents  to  David  K.  Hanawalt,  executive 
secretary  of  Eastern  Maryland,  the  deed  for  three  acres  of  land  in  Pine 
Orchard  in  memory  of  his  father,  who  had  been  a  minister  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  The  occasion  was  the  land  dedication  service  on  January 
24,  which  more  than  forty  persons  attended.  The  Ellicott  City  Brethren 
and  interested  friends  have  been  meeting  for  two  years.  They  have  been 
served  by  summer  pastors,  a  university  student  minister,  and  for  the  past 
year  by  Daniel  Haldeman  (left  in  the  picture  above).  In  October  of  1959 
the  fellowship  was  recognized  as  a  congregation  by  Eastern  Maryland. 
The  members  are  planning  to  construct  the  first  unit  of  their  church  home 
as  soon  as  possible.  A  financial  campaign  directed  by  Dale  Hess  assures 
financial  undergirding. 

JULY  2,  I960 


NEW  TALK 
for  the  Town 

+  In  stores  and  on  streets  in  Polo, 
111.,  the  old-timers  had  a  new  topic 
of  conversation  this  spring.  It  was 
one  they  could  not  stop  talking  about. 
They  never  had  seen  the  town's  many 
groups  come  together  "with  so  much 
joy  and  happiness"  before. 

For  an  entire  week,  civic,  educa- 
tional, fraternal,  club,  and  even  de- 
nominational meetings  were  canceled 
or  postponed  to  give  undivided  at- 
tention to  the  matter  at  hand.  And 
the  matter  was  a  significant  one: 
the  churches'  united  effort  in  evange- 
lism. 

To  launch  the  thrust,  Polo's  Coun- 
cil of  Churches  brought  the  pastors 
together  to  discuss  the  values  of  a 
concerted  evangelistic  approach,  en- 
gaged the  town's  leaders  in  Bible 
study  and  prayer  meetings,  enlisted 
a  group  of  thirty  persons  to  formu- 
late and  execute  plans,  trained  a 
corps  of  130  persons  to  visit  in 
homes,  and  utilized  newspaper  space, 
radio  announcements,  and  direct 
mail  for  publicizing  the  event. 
Earlier,  a  religious  census  of  the 
town's  2,500  residents  was  taken 
and  assignment  cards  distributed  as 
the  first  steps  in  cultivating  fellow- 
ship with  the  unchurched. 

Help  came  from  the  Illinois  Coun- 
cil of  Churches,  which  was  busy 
spearheading  Simultaneous  Evange- 
lism Emphasis  (SEE)  throughout 
the  state.  The  council  had  the  back- 
ing of  some  6,000  congregations  and 
28  denominations.  Nationally,  the 
Illinois  program  was  looked  upon  as 
a  possible  prelude  to  community- 
wide  evangelism  throughout  the 
country. 

To  highlight  the  spiritual  venture 
in  Polo,  the  churches  brought  in  Dr. 
Ralph  M.  Holdeman,  evangelism 
secretary  for  the  Evangelical  United 
Brethren  Church,  Dayton,  Ohio. 
During  his  week  in  the  rural  com- 
munity the  personable  churchman 
identified  easily  with  working  peo- 
ple and  preached  convincing  Biblical 
messages.  He  spoke  nightly  in  the 
different  churches  (with  an  average 
attendance  of  329),  addressed  spe- 
cial civic  and  church  groups,  held 
at  least  six  forums  to  discuss  youth's 
problems,  visited  in  homes  and  places 
of  business,  and  inspired  the  minis- 
ters in  early  morning  prayer  sessions. 

Rev.  Carl  H.  Zigler,  pastor  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Polo,  led 
his  360-member  congregation  to  join 

19 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 


si 

EVANGELISM 


mightily  in  the  effort.  In  praise  for 
the  week  of  spiritual  uplift,  he  com- 
mented: 

"With  such  a  wholesome  spirit  of 
co-operation  among  the  churches  and 
with  so  much  enthusiasm  as  a  result 
of  the  efforts,  is  it  any  wonder  that 
plans  already  are  under  way  to  re- 
peat the  experience  with  even  greater 
hopes  for  next  year?" 

The  chances  are  keen  that  in  years 
to  come  a  Simultaneous  Evangelism 
Emphasis  will  occur  not  only  in 
Polo  and  throughout  Illinois,  but  in 
other  communities  and  states  across 
the  nation.  Many  more  towns  will 
find  something  new  to  talk  about 
as  its  residents  feel  for  the  first  time 
the  impact  of  a  united  community 
witness  for  Christ. 


Dr.  Henry  Hitt  Crane:  "It  is  not 
a  matter  of  getting  into  heaven  —  a 
question  of  transportation;  but  of 
getting  heaven  into  us  —  a  question 
of  transformation." 


A  Catholic  for  President? 

+  The  June  issue  of  Social  Progress 
contains  an  excellent  symposium  pre- 
senting differing  viewpoints  on  the 
question  of  a  Roman  Catholic  for 
President.  Honest  seekers  for  guid- 
ance on  this  question  will  appreciate 
this  frank  and  intelligent  presenta- 
tion of  the  issues  involved.  Included 
is  a  statement  by  a  Catholic  priest. 
Other  articles  in  this  issue  discuss 
what  the  attitudes  and  actions  of 
Christians  should  be  concerning 
politics.  Order  copies  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Of- 
fices, Elgin,  111.,  at  25  cents  each. 
20 


Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 

Children  Discover  Music  and 
Dance.  Emma  D.  Sheehy.  Henry 
Holt,  1959.    282  pages.    $5.75. 

Emma  Sheehy  writes  in  her  pref- 
ace: "It  is  the  environment,  at 
home,  at  school,  at  play,  which  stim- 
ulates and  fosters  discovery."  Place 
children  in  surroundings  that  are 
full  of  invitations  to  learn  and  pro- 
vide them  with  sympathetic  atti- 
tudes from  adults,  and  you  will  in- 
evitably encourage  an  awareness, 
which  is  central  to  the  discovery  of 
music  and  dance  as  well  as  of  other 
creative  expressions.  The  author 
stresses  that  it  is  skill  in  understand- 
ing children  and  not  skill  in  the 
techniques  of  music  that  will  bring 
the  greatest  rewards  in  fostering  a 
child's  love  of  music.  —  Glee  Yoder, 
McPherson,  Kansas. 


With  All  Thy  Heart.  Leslie 
Savage  Clark.  Broadman,  1957.  80 
pages.    $1.50. 

This  book  offers  a  fresh  approach 
to  daily  worship  by  coupling  a  choice 
devotional  poem  by  the  author  with 
a  Bible  verse  and  closing  prayer. 
The  devotional  vignettes  are  short, 
well-worded  creations  that  bespeak 
deep  religious  truths.  About  seventy 
each  of  the  verses,  poems  and 
prayers  are  coupled  together  to  offer 
inspiring  daily  reading. 

The  difficulty  with  the  book  for 
me  seemed  to  be  that  there  was  no 
subject  grouping  or  organization  to 
guide  the  reader  in  selecting  devo- 
tionals  to  fit  his  specific  needs  at  a 
given  time.  Instead,  they  followed 
numerically  with  no  real  guide  as 
to  subject.  Otherwise,  With  All  Thy 
Heart  is  beautifully  written  and 
most  inspiring.  —  Joyce  S.  Met 'ad- 
den,  Detroit,  Mich. 


Evangelical  Sermons  of  Our  Day. 

Compiled  by  Andrew  W.  Black- 
wood. Harper,  1959.  384  pages. 
$5.95. 

The  purpose  of  this  collection  of 
thirty-seven  sermons,  compiled  and 
edited  by  Andrew  W.  Blackwood, 
is  to  present  a  representative  pic- 
ture of  contemporary  "evangelical 
preaching"  or  what  some  call  "gos- 
pel sermons."  The  sermons  are  ar- 
ranged under  six  headings:  I. 
The  Background  of  the  Gospel; 
II.     With    Christ    Before    Calvary; 


III.  With    Christ    Near    His    End; 

IV.  With  Christ  After  the  Ascen- 
sion; V.  With  Christ  in  Later  Epis- 
des;  VI.  With  Christ  in  the  Unknown 
Future.  Some  will  profit  from  read- 
ing the  book  to  see  the  style  and 
thought  of  some  less  known  but  able 
preachers.  Many  will  gain  much 
from  the  thought  and  inspiration  in 
this  worthwhile  collection.  —  Stewart 
B.  Kauffman. 

^Helping  the  Teacher.  Findley 
B.  Edge.  Broadman,  1959.  182 
pages.    $2.95. 

Going  into  greater  detail  on  spe- 
cific suggestions  for  the  teacher  than 
did  his  earlier  book,  Teaching  for 
Results,  Dr.  Findley  B.  Edge  con- 
tinues the  same  basic  philosophy  of 
teaching  in  the  current  volume, 
Helping  the  Teacher.  While  the 
ideas  developed  are  not  particularly 
difficult,  Dr.  Edge  treats  some  of 
them  in  too  much  detail  for  the 
teacher  with  experience  and  imagi- 
nation. Beginning  teachers  will  find 
it  quite  helpful  and  suggestive. 

The  first  unit  of  the  volume  deals 
with  the  need  for  teacher  improve- 
ment, the  importance  of  planning, 
and  the  difference  in  aim  for  differ- 
ent lessons.  Lesson  preparation,  in- 
cluding a  lesson  plan,  is  discussed 
in  a  way  that  will  be  helpful  for  be- 
ginning teachers  and  those  who 
have  difficulty  organizing  their  ma- 
terial or  their  class  approach.  He 
points  out  the  need  to  plan  in  light 
of  the  particular  aim  of  the  lesson. 

The  second  —  and  longer  —  unit 
deals  with  the  method  of  teaching. 
The  more  common  methods  are 
dealt  with  in  turn:  question  and  an- 
swer, discussion,  lecture,  story,  role 
playing,  project,  and  visual  aids.  The 
treatment  is  positive  and  whole- 
some —  with  careful  attention  to  de- 
tails of  the  various  methods.  Then, 
too,  Dr.  Edge  points  out  the  values, 
limitations,  and  dangers  of  each  of 
the  approaches  discussed.  The  book 
will  be  most  helpful  to  adult  teach-, 
ers,  but  all  church  school  teachers 
would  find  numerous  ideas  for  im- 
proving their  teaching  skills.  It  is 
worthy  of  a  place  in  the  church 
library.  —  S.  Loren  Bowman. 

*The  White  Band.  Carter  Brooke 
Jones.  Funk  and  Wagnalls,  1959. 
334  pages.   $4.50. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER; 


Soon  after  the  Supreme  Court's 

I  ruling   for    school    desegregation   in 

II  1954,  Senator  Joseph  DufBeld  re- 
-signed in  Washington  to  become 
ej  leader    for    the    revitalized    White 

-  Band,  an  organization  of  "respect- 
ed able"  businessmen  and  lawyers  bent 
{\  on  preserving  the  Southern  way  of 
I  life.  Simultaneously,  Ned  Tarver,  a 
j|  Northern  Negro  lawyer  and  former 
;  college  classmate  of  the  senator,  ar- 
v  rives  in  DufBeld's  home  town  to 
I  represent  the  League  for  Racial  Jus- 
I  tice.    He  plans  to  make  a  test  case 

of  the  desegregation  law  by  getting 
!  a  few   Negro  children   to   enroll  in 

a  white  school.  Soon  after  school 
j  opens,  violence  breaks  out  in  several 
.j  cases  and  ends  finally  by  snowballing 
'  into  a  lynching. 

This  is  the  story  outline  that  forms 

the  backdrop  for  a  powerful  novel 

depicting  conflicting  emotions  of 
j  people  on  both  sides  of  the  racial 
j  issue.  Reportedly  written  in  docu- 
f  mentary  fashion  by  a  newspaperman 
!|  born   in    Louisville,    Ky.,    the   book 

does  a  good  job  of  picturing  in- 
I  dividual  people  and  a  town  in  a 
s  realistic  crisis.  There  is  no  black 
i  and  white,  open  and  shut  case 
I  drawn,  but  rather,  the  book  gives 
j  good  insight  into  people,  their  prob- 
\  lems   with  money,   liquor,   sex,   and 


mob  feeling  as  they  dealt  with 
things  in  which  they  believe.  One 
sees  the  fire  such  a  situation  pro- 
vides for  Communist  fanning  and 
the  urgency  of  facing  realistically 
our  racial  problems.  —  Joyce  S.  Mc- 
Fadden,  Detroit,  Mich. 


Commentary  on  Romans.  Anders 
Nygren.  Muhlenberg  Press,  1949. 
457  pages.    $5.00. 

Some  feel  that  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  is  the  heart  of  the  gospel; 
others  hold  that  Paul's  letter  to  the 
Romans  is  "the  clearest  gospel  of 
all"  (Luther).  The  latter  are  clearly 
nearer  to  the  truth,  but  often  they 
forget  that  Romans  has  its  own  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount. 

This  commentary  by  the  Swedish 
theologian,  Anders  Nygren,  gives 
continual  emphasis  (as  does  Paul  in 
Romans)  to  what  we  Brethren  and 
Christians  generally  are  poor  at  see- 
ing: that  everything  —  our  coming 
to  Christ,  our  living  a  new  fife  — 
depends  totally  upon  God's  mercy. 
Sin  and  death  are  shown  to  be,  not 
essentially  incidents  in  human  ex- 
istence, but  hostile  powers  ruling 
over  existence.  Extended  considera- 
tion is  given  to  such  matters  as 
"natural    theology,"    Paul's    famous 


On  Palm  Sunday  three  generations  of  one  family  were  baptized  by  Donald  L. 
Kline,  pastor  of  the  Ambler  church,  Pa.  Paul  Kessler  (eighty-two  years  old) 
and  his  daughter,  Eleanor  Michener,  both  former  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  had  been  attending  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  for  several  years  and 
decided  to  make  it  a  "family  affair"  when  Eleanor's  daughter,  Margaret,  was 
ready  to  unite  with  the  church.  The  latter  had  been  in  the  pastor's  member- 
ship class.  These  three,  along  with  four  others  who  came  into  the 
church  on  Palm  Sunday,  were  recognized  at  a  fellowship  tea  and  reception 
on  May  1.  The  new  members  received  their  certificates  and  were  extended 
the    right    hand    of    fellowship    by    the    members    of    the    congregation 

JULY  2,  1960 


"what  I  hate,  that  I  do,"  and  pre- 
destination. Nearly  everywhere  Ny- 
gren's  exegesis  comes  to  me  as 
cogent  and  illuminating.  This  schol- 
arly theological  commentary  gives 
perhaps  as  intelligible  an  explana- 
tion to  Romans  as  is  possible.  In 
our  present  give-and-take  with  other 
Christian  traditions,  this  is  a  crucial 
book  for  Brethren  to  read.  — 
Dale  Aukerman,  Bechlinghoven, 
Germany. 


The     Bible     and     Race.      T.     B. 

Maston.  Broadman,  1959.  117 
pages.    $2.50. 

On  any  question  involving  human 
relations  Christians  cannot  be  con- 
tent with  economic,  sociological,  or 
political  answers  only.  They  must 
seek  for  the  will  of  God  as  revealed 
in  the  living  Word  (Christ)  and  as 
recorded  in  the  written  Word  (the 
Bible). 

Anyone  seeking  the  mind  of 
Christ  in  the  area  of  race  relations 
will  be  grateful  for  T.  B.  Maston's 
book,  The  Bible  and  Race.  Profes- 
sor Maston,  a  Southerner  who  for 
the  past  thirty-six  years  has  been 
teaching  at  Southwestern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary,  has  done  a 
splendid  job  of  setting  forth  relevant 
Bible  passages  and  principles.  Also, 
by  pointed  comments  and  pertinent 
questions  he  makes  inescapable  the 
practical  application  of  the  scrip- 
tures being  considered.  For  exam- 
ple he  says,  "Do  we  have  our  Sa- 
marias,  our  areas  of  prejudice?  If 
so,  Jesus  would  have  us  cross  over 
the  border." 

Professor  Maston's  expositions  are 
sound  and  stimulating,  and  his  sim- 
ple and  straightforward  style  makes 
this  probably  the  most  readable  text 
available  on  the  subject.  Anyone 
searching  the  Scriptures  for  God's 
will  and  way  in  human  relations  will 
find  this  book  a  valuable  tool. 

The  last  paragraph  of  the  book 
is  a  splendid  statement  of  the 
author's  thesis.  He  says:  "Surely 
the  God  who  created  man  in  his 
own  image,  who  made  of  one  all 
men,  who  is  no  respecter  of  persons, 
who  loved  all  men  enough  to  give 
his  Son  for  their  salvation,  and  who 
taught  us  to  love  our  neighbor  as 
ourselves  did  not  and  does  not  in- 
tend that  any  man  or  any  segment 
of  mankind  should  be  kept  in  per- 
manent subserviency  or  should  be 
treated  as  innately  inferior,  as  sec- 
ond-class citizens  in  a  first-class 
society."  —  Carroll  S.  Ringgold,  Roa- 
noke, Va. 

21 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


American  Churches  Aid 
Belgian  Congo  Strife  Victims 

Church  World  Service  has  shipped 
300,000  pounds  of  surplus  rice 
made  available  by  the  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  to  refugees  in 
the  strife-ridden  Kasai  Province  of 
the  Belgian  Congo.  The  refugees 
are  Congolese  of  the  Baluba  tribe, 
driven  from  Kasai  Province  by  the 
rival  Lulua,  who  have  insisted  upon 
their  right  to  control  the  western 
part  of  the  province  when  the  Congo 
becomes  an  independent  nation  on 
June  30. 

Conservative  Protestants 
Planning  Large  University 
in  New  York  Area 

Conservative  Protestant  leaders, 
with  Evangelist  Billy  Graham  among 
the  sponsors,  are  exploring  the  pos- 
sibility of  establishing  a  large  Chris- 
tian university  in  the  New  York- 
metropolitan  area. 

The  proposed  university  would 
include  an  undergraduate  liberal 
arts  college  and  four  graduate 
schools  in  theology,  Christian  phi- 
losophy, and  religious  education; 
communication  arts;  music;  and  po- 
litical and  social  science.  A  name 
for  the  projected  school  has  not  yet 
been   formulated. 

Unitarians,  Universalists 
Vote  Merger 

The  merger  of  the  American  Uni- 
tarian Association  and  the  Universa- 
list  Church  of  America,  which  has 
been  in  the  making  for  more  than  a 
century,  was  approved  overwhelm- 
ingly by  delegates  of  the  two  bodies 
at  concurrent  but  separate  meetings 
held  in  Boston. 

The  Unitarians  voted  725  to  143 
for  consolidation,  while  the  Uni- 
versalists voted  365  to  65.  To  be 
known  as  the  Unitarian  Universalist 
Association,  with  some  200,000  mem- 
bers, the  new  body  will  become 
effective  May  1961.  In  the  meantime, 
the  merger  will  be  ratified  by  local 
churches  of  both  groups. 

The  union  does  not  call  for  local 
church  merger  but  a  consolidation 
of  the  denominations'  headquarters 
organizations.  Unitarian  and  Univer- 
salist congregations  will  retain  their 
identities  unless  they  decide  other- 
wise. 

The  Unitarian  movement  started 
in  America  in  1794  with  the  preach- 
ing of  Dr.  Joseph  Priestley  of  Phila- 
delphia. Universalism  was  first  car- 
22 


ried  to  America  in  1741  by  Dr. 
George  DeBenneville,  a  French 
Huguenot. 

Unitarian  women  adopted  a  reso- 
lution favoring  the  dissemination  of 
population  control  information  on 
both  regional,  national,  and  inter- 
national levels.  The  newly  elected 
moderator  of  the  Unitarian  Associa- 
tion is  Dr.  James  R.  Killian,  Jr., 
chairman  of  the  Massachusetts  In- 
stitute of  Technology. 

Southern  Baptists  Question 
Vote  for  Catholic 

Southern  Baptist  Convention  dele- 
gates adopted  by  overwhelming 
voice  vote  a  resolution  expressing 
strong  fears  over  the  election  of  any 
Roman  Catholic  presidential  candi- 
date. 

Delegates  to  the  convention  heard 
Evangelist  Billy  Graham  set  forth  a 
two-part  formula  for  the  improve- 
ment of  race  relations.  He  urged  the 
observance  of  antisegregation  laws 
and  the  practice  of  individual,  inter- 
racial courtesy. 

A  Southern  Baptist  movement  to 
establish  30,000  new  churches  or 
missions  between  1956  and  1964  is 
lagging  behind  schedule,  according 
to  a  report  to  delegates.  The  cam- 
paign has  resulted  in  only  9,601  con- 
gregations, so  far.  The  Southern 
Baptist  foreign  mission  board  re- 
ported that  1,407  missionaries  are 
now  under  appointment  to  44  for- 
eign countries.  Its  goal  is  2,000  mis- 
sionaries by  1964. 

In  a  resolution  the  delegates  de- 
clared that  the  abortive  end  of  the 
Summit  meeting  "brought  the  world 
to  another  grave  crisis  and  momen- 
tarily darkened  hopes  of  peace." 
They  urged  all  "fellow  Christians  to 
rededicate  themselves  to  the  ideals 
of  peace  on  the  terms  and  conditions 
of  Jesus  Christ." 

United  Presbyterians  Approve 
New  Directory  of  Worship 

Commissioners  to  the  annual  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church  approved  a  new 
directory  of  worship  for  the  denomi- 
nation. It  will  be  the  first  completely 
new  edition  since  1789,  although 
some  forty  additions  to  the  present 
one  have  been  made  during  the  in- 
tervening years. 

If  approved  by  a  majority  of  the 
denomination's  220  presbyteries,  the 
directory  will  provide  the  basis  for 
a   new   book   of   common   worship. 


While  open  communion  has  been 
the  general  practice  in  the  church 
for  a  number  of  years,  a  section  of 
the  directory  spells  out  that  the 
sacrament  will  be  offered  to  all 
Christian  believers. 

Membership  in  the  church  totaled 
3,209,682  last  year,  representing  an 
increase  of  more  than  50,000  over 
the  previous  year.  The  denomination 
was  formed  in  1958  by  a  merger  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  USA 
and  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
of  North  America. 

Dr.  Herman  Lee  Turner,  pastor 
of  Covenant  Presbyterian  church  in 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  was  elected  moderator 
of  the  General  Assembly  by  two 
votes  at  its  annual  meeting.  He  de- 
feated the  Rev.  Edler  G.  Hawkins, 
pastor  of  a  church  in  the  Bronx,  N.  Y. 
The  Reverend  Hawkins  was  later  ap- 
pointed as  vice-moderator.  The  new 
moderator  is  an  outspoken  proponent 
of  desegregation.  The  vice-moder- 
ator is  a  Negro  pastor  and  the  first 
Negro  to  hold  that  office  in  American 
Presbyterianism. 

The  General  Assembly  approved 
a  report  which  called  on  the  denomi- 
nation to  give  top  priority  to  metro- 
politan areas  as  "great  mission  fields." 
The  report  deplored  the  meager 
financial  support  given  to  inner-city 
work  and  recommended  that  pre- 
mium salaries  be  paid  to  those  who 
serve  in  the  inner-city  in  view  of 
the    sacrifices    demanded    of    them. 

The  assembly  berated  Congress 
and  the  American  public  for  their 
failure  to  assume  their  proper  share 
in  the  resettlement  of  refugees.  Dur- 
ing 1959  United  Presbyterians  set- 
tled 1,858  refugees  and  displaced 
persons. 

U.S.  Methodists  Back 
Negro  Unit  Policy 

The  quadrennial  General  Confer- 
ence of  the  Methodist  Church  re- 
jected efforts  to  hasten  the  abolition 
of  its  all-Negro  Central  Jurisdiction. 
Nearly  800  delegates  agreed  after 
six  hours'  debate  to  retain  the 
church's  present  machinery,  set  up 
four  years  ago,  that  provides  for 
the  gradual  elimination  of  the  seg- 
regated, nongeographic  jurisdiction 
which  embraces  all  except  26,000  of 
the  church's  393,000  Negro  mem- 
bers. 

At  another  session,  hopes  were 
voiced  that  the  drafting  of  a  plan 
for  organic  union  of  the  Evangelical 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


United  Brethren  Church  and  the 
Methodist  Church  may  be  completed 
in  two  years.  However,  Bishop 
Frederick  B.  Newell,  chairman  of 
the  church's  Commission  on  Church 
Union,  reported  conversations  con- 
cerning union  with  the  Episcopalians 
have  come  to  "a  period  of  qui- 
escence" and  it  is  unlikely  that  any 
further  conversations  will  be  held 
till  after  the  meeting  of  Anglican 
bishops  in  1968. 

German  Embassy 
Brochure  Describes 
Amends  to  Nazi  Victims 

The  embassy  of  the  German  Fed- 
eral Republic  is  distributing  thou- 
sands of  copies  of  a  twenty-page 
brochure  entitled  A  Moral  Obliga- 
tion, which  relates  the  efforts  of  the 
postwar  German  government  to 
'make  amends  to  the  Jewish  people 
for  their  sufferings  and  the  wrongs 
inflicted  upon  them  by  the  Nazi 
regime." 

The  brochure  points  out  that  laws 
have  been  enacted  against  blas- 
phemy, slander,  defamation,  and 
interference  with  religious  worship 
and  against  the  spreading  of  Nazi 
doctrines  and  activities.  The  proj- 
ects which  West  Germany  had  un- 
dertaken to  give  financial  restitution 
to  Jewish  survivors  and  to  give  help 
to  the  state  of  Israel  to  provide  for 
homeless  Jews  are  described. 

News  Briefs 

Lutheran  churches  in  Latin  Ameri- 
ca are  growing,  according  to  a  re- 
port given  to  the  Lutheran  World 
Federation's  executive  committee. 
The  report  said  that  "statistical 
figures  indicate  a  baptized  member- 
ship of  nearly  900,000  -  although 
the  number  of  pastors  is  not  keeping 
pace  with  the  need,  let  alone  the 
opportunities  which  face  us." 

Family  Bibles  —  King  James,  Ro- 
man Catholic,  and  Jewish  editions 
recently  went  on  sale  in  several 
supermarkets  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia. They  can  be  acquired  either 
in  complete  bound  volumes  or  by 
weekly  purchases  of  fifteen  sepa- 
rated sections  and  a  durable  binder. 

The  1960  International  Conven- 
tion of  the  Church  of  God  has  been 
cancelled  because  of  irreparable 
damage  to  its  8,000-seat  auditorium 
in  Anderson,  Ind.  The  frame  build- 
ing has  been  condemned  since  its 
south  wall  and  roof  collapsed  under 
the  weight  of  snow  in  March.  This 
is  the  auditorium  in  which  some 
Brethren  national  conferences  have 
been  held. 

JULY  2,  1960 


The  year  1959  was  the  worst  for 
crime  in  the  history  of  the  United 
States,  according  to  J.  Edgar 
Hoover,  director  of  the  Federal 
Bureau  of  Investigation.  A  five  per- 
cent increase  in  juvenile  arrests  oc- 
curred last  year.  The  percentage  of 
increase  was  the  same  for  large 
cities  as  for  small.  All  major  crime 
classifications  except  burglary  and 
armed  robbery  showed  an  increase 
from  1958. 


Production  of  Bibles  and  Scrip- 
ture portions  in  Germany  increased 
to  more  than  1,372,000,  according 
to  the  latest  annual  report  of  the 
Association  of  Evangelical  Bible  So- 
cieties in  Germany.  There  are  thirty- 
five  Bible  societies  in  Germany, 
twenty-four  of  them  in  West  Ger- 
many. Only  four,  however,  are  en- 
gaged in  the  actual  production  of 
the  Scriptures.  They  are  East  Berlin, 
Altenburg,  Stuttgart,  and  Witten. 


Overseas  Report  .«.    from  Central  Europe 


Kurtis  F.  Naylor 


•  Sir  Anthony  Brooke  convened 
in  Geneva,  May  8-14,  a  meeting  of 
the  Peoples  Peace  Conference.  The 
conference  was  called  upon  to  con- 
sider that  science  and  religion  agree 
that  mankind  has  one  origin  and  one 
nature.  However,  mankind,  having 
long  been  dispersed  over  the  earth 
in  somewhat  isolated  groups  —  racial, 
cultural,  and  national  —  has  lost  its 
sense  of  unity  and  has  come  to  ac- 
cept this  artificial  fragmentation  as 
a  basic  reality.  It  was  agreed  that 
national  governments  are  and  will 
remain  the  instruments  for  achieving 
the  international  agreements  neces- 
sary for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
aim  of  peace.  However,  people  are 
the  stuff  of  which  nations  are  made, 
and  they  can  no  longer  afford  to 
confer  with  one  another  only  through 
their  governments.  Kurtis  Naylor 
represented  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren at  the  conference. 

•  Europe  in  the  summer  is  the 
land  of  conferences.  Most  of  us  take 
a  dim  and  even  uncharitable  view  of 
any  meeting  that  adds  another  item 
on  our  agenda.  But  conferences  in 
the  past  have  marked  real  milestones 
in  the  pilgrimage  of  men.  Confer- 
ences provide  the  organized  way  for 
groups  to  witness  to  their  unity,  dis- 
cuss their  differences,  and  agree  to- 
gether on  a  plan  of  co-operative  en- 
deavor. Conferences  for  many  mark 
real  encounters  and  are  the  vehicle 
for  not  only  thrilling  visions  but  for 
deep  and  sincere  commitment.  Meet- 
ing this  year  will  be: 

Ecumenical  Youth  Assembly  in 
Europe,  Lausanne,  Switzerland,  July 
13-24. 

World  Y.M.C.A.  Youth  (15-18), 
Hilversum,  The  Netherlands,  Aug. 
3-13. 

World  Student  Christian  Federa- 
tion —  teaching    conference    on    the 


life  and  mission  of  the  church,  Stras- 
bourg, France,  July  16-31. 

Annual  Consultation  of  the  Divi- 
sion of  Inter-Church  Aid  and  Service 
to  Refugees  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches,  Berlin,  July  20-26. 

Central  Committee  of  the  World 
Council  of  Churches,  St.  Andrews, 
Scotland,  Aug.  14-25. 

Puidoux  Theological  Conference, 
Bievres  near  Paris,  France,  Aug.  2-7. 

Third  Prague  Christian  Peace  Con- 
ference, Sept.  6-9. 

•  Ecumenical  Patriarch  Athena- 
goras,  spiritual  leader  of  Eastern 
Orthodoxy,  has  warned  that  unless 
the  three  principal  Christian  bodies 
—  Roman  Catholic,  Protestant,  and 
Orthodox  —  come  together  in  "quali- 
fied unity"  soon,  all  are  "in  danger 
of  missing  the  bus  of  their  Chris- 
tian mission." 

"We  have  a  great  Christian  mis- 
sion to  fulfill,"  he  told  a  press  con- 
ference in  Istanbul,  "and  we  must 
either  do  it  in  unity  or  risk  failure." 

Indicating  that  he  was  not  speak- 
ing of  the  theological  unity  of  the 
three  churches,  Patriarch  Athena- 
goras  said  the  unity  he  had  in  mind 
would  have  two  aims,  "one  negative 
and  the  other  positive." 

"In  its  negative  sense,"  he  said, 
"it  would  disarm  hatred,  distrust, 
and  bad  propaganda  between  church 
groups.  In  the  positive  sense,  unity 
would  promote  contacts  on  the  com- 
mon principles  of  Christianity  and 
how  they  should  be  propagated." 

The  Patriarch  said  that  in  this 
conception  of  unity,  he  was  "sure" 
he  would  have  the  support  of  the 
Protestant  Church  as  well  as  of  "the 
millions  of  Orthodox  Christians  be- 
longing to  the  Russian,  Rumanian, 
Bulgarian,  Greek,  Ethiopian,  Cy- 
priot,  Coptic,  and  Armenian  Church- 


23 


Anniversaries 

Mr.   and   Mrs.   Hamilton  T.  Bussard 

celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  March  27,  1960,  at  the 
home  of  their  daughter.  They  have 
three  daughters  and  five  grandchil- 
dren. —  Mrs.  Roland  Willard,  Fred- 
erick, Md. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  W.  Cassel 
celebrated  their  fifty-ninth  wedding  an- 
niversary on  May  11,  1960.  They  have 
served  in  the  ministry  for  fifty  years. 
They  have  nine  children,  twenty 
grandchildren,  and  four  great-grand- 
children. —  Nettie  Cassel,  Collegeville, 
Pa. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  Cook  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  anniversary  April 
17,  1960. -Ruth  F.  Miller,  Dayton, 
Va. 

Brother  and  Sister  Howard  Metzger 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  April  16,  1960.  They  have 
nine  children,  thirty-four  grandchil- 
dren, and  four  great-grandchildren.  — 
Mrs.  Glenn  Tridle,  Clayford,  Ind. 


Obituaries 

Arnold,  Sarah,  daughter  of  George 
and  Savilla  Shively,  was  born  Aug.  13, 
1874,  and  died  Feb.  24,  1960.  Her 
husband,  Charles  Arnold,  preceded  her 
in  death.  She  is  survived  by  one  daugh- 
ter, one  son,  thirteen  grandchildren, 
twenty-five  great-grandchildren,  one 
brother,  and  two  sisters.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  South  Whitley 
church  by  the  undersigned  and  Bro. 
Vernon  Stinebaugh.  —  D.  G.  Berkebile, 
North  Manchester,  Ind. 

Balsbaugh,  Mary  Bright,  widow  of 
Emanuel  Balsbaugh,  was  born  Feb.  10, 
1872,  and  died  April  29,  1960.  Surviv- 
ing are  two  daughters,  four  grandchil- 
dren, and  six  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
Myerstown  church  by  Brethren  Frank 
Layser  and  Alan  Whitacre.  Interment 
was  in  the  Frystown  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Harvey  Shenk,  Myerstown,  Pa. 

Beckner,  Samuel  E.,  died  at  Monti- 
cello,  Ind.,  May  11,  1960,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-nine  years.  He  was  married 
to  Clara  Rowsey,  who  preceded  him 
in  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Roann  church,  Ind.  Surviving  are  two 
sons,  one  daughter,  and  two  brothers. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Miller's  funeral  home  by  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  Sunset 
Hills  cemetery.  —  LeRoy  Dick,  Monti- 
cello,  Ind. 

Blickenstaff,  Emma,  daughter  of 
David  and  Katherine  Mohler,  was  born 
July  1878,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  She  was  married  to 
David  Blickenstaff  in  1901.  Surviving 
are  her  husband,  six  children,  three 
sisters,  one  brother,  seventeen  grand- 
children, and  eighteen  great-grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Cerro 
Gordo  with  Dale  Hylton  and  Eldo 
Henricks  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  Cerro  Gordo  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Daniel  Hissong,  Cerro  Gordo,  111. 

Boemer,  Sadie  Lee,  daughter  of 
Daniel  R.  and  Sarah  Pfoutz  Sayler, 
was  born  in  Detour,  Md.,  and  died  at 

24 


Waynesboro,  Pa.,  May  15,  1960,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  In  1899, 
she  was  married  to  G.  William  Boemer, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Waynesboro  church. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Grove  funeral  home  by  Bro.  George 
L.  Detweiler.  Interment  was  in  the 
Green  Hill  cemetery.  —  Thelma  M. 
Widdowson,  Waynesboro,  Pa. 

Bollinger,  Mary  Ellen,  was  born  Sept. 
9,  1878,  and  died  March  17,  1960.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Meadow  Branch 
church,  Md.  She  is  survived  by  eight 
children,  three  brothers,  twenty-nine 
grandchildren,  and  fifty-nine  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Meadow  Branch  church  by 
Bro.  A.  Joseph  Caricofe.  Interment  was 
in  Krider's  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Gerald 
Boone,  Westminster,  Md. 

Burd,  Ethel  Leola,  was  born  Sept.  5, 
1893,  and  died  April  13,  1960.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Mt.  Olivet  church,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  Ray 
Burd,  three  sons,  two  daughters,  four 
sisters,  and  two  brothers.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  Bro.  T.  V. 
Miller.  Interment  was  in  the  Red  Hill 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ada  E.  Brandt,  Mil- 
lerstown,  Pa. 

Burd,  Lizzie  Start,  daughter  of  Hart- 
well  and  Ellen  Start,  was  born  Feb. 
14,  1875,  and  died  May  13,  1960.  On 
Sept.  11,  1893,  she  was  married  to 
Charles  Burd,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Waterloo  church,  Iowa.  Surviving  are 
one  son,  two  daughters,  eight  grand- 
children, and  fifteen  great-grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held 
by  Bro.  Charles  Lunkley.  Interment 
was  in  the  Memorial  Park  cemetery.  — 
Harry  E.  Burd,  Waterloo,  Iowa. 

Burroughs,  William  Edward,  son  of 
William  J.  and  Sara  Ann  Riley  Bur- 
roughs, was  born  in  Marion,  Ind.,  May 
9,  1877,  and  died  in  Independence, 
Kansas,  April  26,  1960.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Susan  Ullery  on  Nov.  18, 
1900.  He  was  elected  deacon  of  the 
church  on  June  4,  1916.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  four  children,  eighteen  grand- 
children, and  eleven  great-grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  with  Bro. 
Lee  Spitzer  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  Mt.  Hope  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Andrew 
J.  Sherman,  Independence,  Kansas. 

Cassel,  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Catherine  Miller,  was  born  Dec. 
8,  1867,  in  Darke  County,  Ohio,  and 
died  Feb.  26,  1960.  On  Dec.  25, 
1884,  she  was  married  to  Phillip  Cas- 
sel. She  was  a  member  of  the  Oakland 
church,  Ohio.  She  is  survived  by  one 
son,  seven  daughters,  eighteen  grand- 
children, thirty  great-grandchildren, 
and  one  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  the  undersigned. 
Interment  was  in  the  Harris  Creek 
cemetery.  —  J.  Earl  Hostetter,  Gettys- 
burg,  Ohio. 

Collins,  Lucy  Cook,  widow  of  Frank 
F.  Collins,  was  born  July  24,  1878, 
and  died  April  28,  1960.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Wakeman's  Grove 
church,  Va.  She  is  survived  by  one 
stepson,  one  daughter,  two  grandchil- 
dren, and  three  great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  in 
Wakeman's  Grove  church  by  Bro.  John 
F.  Graham.  Interment  was  in  the  adjoin- 
ing cemetery.  —  Mrs.  John  F.  Graham, 
Edinburgh,  Va. 


Cook,  Myrtle  Benedict,  daughter  of  :: 
Samuel  and  Annie  Stoner  Benedict,  was 
born  Aug.  29,  1877,  in  Franklin  County,; 
Pa.,  and  died  Feb.  14,  1960.  She  wasi 
a  member  of  the  Falling  Spring  church,! 
Pa.  Surviving  are  three  daughters,  one! 
son,  twelve  grandchildren,  and  ten; 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  conducted  by  Brethren  Lowell ; 
Gearhart,  Omar  Nicarry,  and  Frank 
Wagaman.  Interment  was  in  the 
Grindstone  Hill  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Dan- 
iel Myers,  Waynesboro,  Pa. 

David,  James  Clyde,  son  of  James 
and  Alice  Cover  David,  was  born  Aug. 
21,  1891,  at  Uniontown,  Pa.,  and  died 
May  13,  1960.  He  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  French  on  April  17,  1911. 
He  was  a  long-time  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  six  sons,  five  daugh- 
ters, thirty-two  grandchildren,  and: 
three  great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  by  Bro.  Howard  Keim. 
Interment  was  in  Coal  Creek  ceme- 
tery. —  Cora  Snoke,  Peoria,  111. 

Dilling,  John  Henry,  son  of  Jacob 
M.  and  Mary  Fockler  Dilling,  was  bom 
in  Martinsburg,  Pa.,  April  5,  1911,  and 
died  May  15,  1960.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Memorial  church,  Martinsburg,- 
Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  mother 
and  a  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  by  Bro.  Roy  S.  Forney.  Interment 
was  in  the  Fairview  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
C.  O.  Beery,  Martinsburg,  Pa. 

Fisher,  John  William,  son  of  Edward 
and  Martha  Bemisderfer  Fisher,  was; 
born  in  Upton,  Pa.,  and  died  in  New 
Oxford,  Pa.,  April  27,  1960,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-two  years.  On  Oct.  1,  1889, 
he  was  married  to  Laura  Bender,  who 
preceded  him  in  death.  He  was  a  mem-: 
ber  of  the  Waynesboro  church,  Pa.  He; 
is  survived  by  one  son,  one  grandson,; 
two  great-grandchildren,  and  one  foster 
granddaughter.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  at  the  Grove  funeral  home  by 
Bro.  George  L.  Detweiler.  Interment 
was  in  the  Green  Hill  cemetery.  — 
Thelma  M.  Widdowson,  Waynesboro, 
Pa. 

Getz,  Anna  Mary,  was  born  July  22, 
1888,  and  died  May  15,  1960.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Middle  Creek  church, 
Pa.  Surviving  are  two  sons,  three 
grandchildren,  six  great-grandchildren, 
one  brother,  and  one  sister.  The  funer- 
al service  was  conducted  by  Bro.  Bard 
Kreider.  Interment  was  in  the  Middle 
Creek  cemetery.  —  Emma  L.  Zook, 
Lititz,  Pa. 

Giesler,  Cora  May,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Andrew  S.  Ford,  was  born 
in  Maytown,  Texas,  Feb.  1,  1883,  and 
died  in  Clovis,  N.  Mex.,  April  24,  1960. 
She  was  married  to  Gilbert  A.  Gieslei 
on  Aug.  14,  1899.  Early  in  her  married 
life  she  united  with  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Surviving  are  her  hus 
band,  one  son,  and  six  daughters.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Steed 
funeral  home  by  the  undersigned.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Mission  Garden  ol 
Memories  cemetery.  —  L.  M.  Baldwin 
Clovis,  N.  Mex. 

Gonderman,  Dale  Eugene,  was  borr 
in  1944,  and  died  April  3,  1960.  H« 
is  survived  by  his  mother,  a  brother 
a  sister,  and  a  grandmother.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  the  Gosher 
City  church,   Ind.,  with  Bro.   Clarence 

GOSPEL  MESSENGEB 


IB.  Fike  ofBciating.  Interment  was  in 
the  New  Paris  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Lewis 
(Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Grove,  Ernest  Diamond,  son  of 
J3eorge    and    Emma    Grove,   was    born 

f fin  January  1906,  and  died  in  March 
1960.  In  1928,  he  was  married  to 
Marie  Cripe.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
bne  daughter,  one  son,  three  grand- 
idaughters,  one  brother,  and  three  sis- 
ters. The  funeral  service  was  conducted 

Spy   Bro.   Dale   Hylton.     Interment   was 

Bin  the   Cerro   Gordo    cemetery.  —  Mrs. 

;  Daniel  Hissong,  Cerro  Gordo,  111. 

Holmes,  Annie  Wampler,  wife  of 
Cletus  E.  Holmes,  was  born  near 
Carthage,  Mo.,  July  13,  1880,  and  died 
March  11,  1960.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holmes 
Iserved  the  Whitestone  church,  Wash., 
jfor  thirty-eight  years.  Surviving  are 
'three  daughters,  one  son,  fourteen 
Igrandchildren,  two  great-grandchil- 
idren,    and    one    brother.     The    funeral 

■service  was  held  at  the  EUisforde 
ichurch    by    the     undersigned.  —  Bruce 

I  Flora,  Tonasket,  Wash. 

Hutzell,  Elizabeth  S.,  daughter  of 
.Cyrus  and  Eliza  Custerd  Spicher,  was 
iborn  Sept.  18,  1889,  and  died  in  Boyn- 

^ton,  Pa.,  April  25,  1960.  Surviving  are 
i her    husband,    John    W.    Hutzell,    four 

■sons,  one  brother,  one  sister,  thirteen 
grandchildren,     and     ten     great-grand- 

,  !  children.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted at  the  Salisbury  church  by  Bro. 
Daniel  J.  Whitacre.  Interment  was  in 
(the     IOOF      cemetery.  —  Eva     Maust, 

ll]  Salisbury,  Pa. 

Keller,  Harvey  Elmer,  was  born  June 

■  14,  1875,  and  died  May  7,  1960.    For 

■  many  years  he  was  business  manager 
Hof  Bethany  Seminary.    He  is   survived 

-by     his     wife,     the     former     Adelaide 

■  Heftrich,  one  daughter,  two  sons,  and 
i  three  grandchildren.    The  funeral  serv- 

■  ice    was    conducted    by    Myrl    Weyant 

■  and  J.  M.  Blough.  Interment  was  in 
the   Pinecrest   cemetery.  —  Mrs.    Joseph 

fcEckstadt,  Sebring,  Fla. 

Kemp,    Irvin    S.,    son   of   Samuel    S. 
I,  and  Arminta  Folk  Kemp,  was  born  in 

■  Garret    County,    Md.,    June    21,    1888. 

I  Surviving    are    his    wife,    Lulu    Durst 

II  Kemp,   four   sons,   five   daughters,    one 

■  brother,  one  sister,  and  fifteen  grand- 
H  children.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
Ij  ducted  by  Bro.  Daniel  Whitacre.  In- 
11  terment  was  in  the  IOOF  cemetery.  — 
I  Eva  Maust,  Salisbury,  Pa. 

Kling,  Jennie  Dyarman,  daughter  of 

.  Mr.    and    Mrs.    Samuel    Dyarman,    was 

1  born    Feb.    10,    1869,    near    Leesburg, 

I  Pa.,  and  died  Feb.  13,  1960.    In  March 

I  1895     she    was    married    to     William 

i|f  Kling,  who  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
I  was  a  member  of  the  Antietam  congre- 
:i  gation,    Pa.     She    is    survived    by    two 

I  daughters,  fourteen  grandchildren, 
Ij  twenty-one     great-grandchildren,     and 

II  one  great-great-grandchild.  The  fu- 
ll neral  service  was  held  at  the  Antietam 
j;  church  by  Harry  Mock  and  Donald 
II  Miller.  Interment  was  in  the  adjoining 
|!  cemetery.  —  Sarah  Strite,  Hagerstown, 
i]  Md. 

Krull,  George,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
t  Folkert  Krull,  was  born  near  Nap- 
I  panee,  Ind.,  July  30,  1878,  and  died 
I  May  9,  1960.  On  Dec.  25,  1909,  he 
j  was  married  to  Amanda  Stouder,  who 
'  preceded  him  in  death.  He  had  been 
|  a  deacon  in  the  Maple  Grove  church, 
i  Ind.,  since  1915.    Surviving  are  three 

I  JULY  2,  1960 


sons,  two  daughters,  nine  grandchil- 
dren, and  three  great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Maple  Grove  church  with  Emory 
Kintner  and  the  undersigned  officiat- 
ing. Interment  was  in  the  Maple  Grove 
cemetery.  —  Eldon    Evans,    Argos,    Ind. 

Lichty,  John  A.,  son  of  Austin  and 
Carrie  Livengood  Lichty,  was  born 
June  29,  1890,  and  died  March  4,  1960. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Salisbury 
church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  his  wife, 
Olive  Durst  Lichty,  five  sons,  two 
daughters,  one  brother,  one  sister,  and 
sixteen  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  Bro.  Daniel 
Whitacre.  Interment  was  in  the  IOOF 
cemetery.  —  Eva  Maust,   Salisbury,  Pa. 

McCauley,  Oma,  daughter  of  William 
and  America  Graybill  Nofsinger,  was 
born  Sept.  10,  1870,  near  Roanoke,  111., 
and  died  May  5,  1960.  On  Dec.  23, 
1896,  she  was  married  to  J.  E. 
McCauley,  who  preceded  her  in  death. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Panther 
Creek  church,  111.  Survivors  are  two 
daughters,  a  brother,  seven  grandchil- 
dren, and  eleven  great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
W.  T.  Heckman.  Interment  was  in 
the  church  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Jessie 
Yordy,  Roanoke,  111. 

Mick,  Mary  Elizabeth,  was  born  at 
Wakarusa,  Ind.,  Feb.  22,  1879,  and 
died  April  30,  1960.  On  April  9,  1900, 
she  was  married  to  Charles  E.  Mick, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  Goshen  City 
church,  Ind.  Surviving  are  two  sons, 
one  daughter,  four  grandchildren, 
three  great-grandchildren,  one  sister, 
one  half  sister,  and  two  half  brothers. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
Clarence  B.  Fike.  Interment  was  in 
the  Oak  Ridge  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Lewis 
Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Miller,  Finis  Venita,  daughter  of 
G.  A.  and  Cora  May  Ford  Giesler, 
was  born  in  Clovis,  N.  Mex.,  Dec.  6, 
1917,  and  died  March  9,  1960.  She 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Delbert 
Miller  on  Nov.  5,  1949.  She  united 
with  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  early 
in  life.  Surviving  are  her  husband, 
father,  one  brother,  and  six  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  in  the 
Mission  Garden  of  Memories  ceme- 
tery. —  L.  M.  Baldwin,  Clovis,  N.  Mex. 

Morse,  Jesse,  Jr.,  son  of  Jesse  and 
Anna  Morse,  was  born  Nov.  1,  1920, 
in  Gove,  Kansas,  and  died  March  24, 
1960,  at  Quinter,  Kansas.  On  Nov. 
26,  1946,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Aletha  Lois  Francoeur.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  his  mother,  and  four 
brothers.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Roger  U.  Shanks  and  Glenn 
J.  Fruth.  Interment  was  in  the  Gove 
cemetery.  —  Lila  Reinecker,  Quinter, 
Kansas. 

Myers,  Annie,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Mary  Etter  Sollenberger,  was  born 
Feb.  9,  1873,  near  Mercersburg,  Pa., 
and  died  March  14,  1960,  at  Kauff- 
man's  Station,  Pa.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Falling  Spring  church,  Pa.  She 
is  survived  by  her  husband,  Samuel 
J.  Myers,  four  daughters,  two  sons, 
eight  grandchildren,  and  seven  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  Omar  S.  Nicarry  in 
the  Brown  Mill  church.  Interment 
was     in     the     adjoining     cemetery.  — 


Mrs.    Daniel   Myers,   Waynesboro,    Pa. 

Oaks,  Daniel  F.,  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Rapids  church,  Mich. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  Grace,  one  son, 
one  daughter,  two  sisters,  and  five 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  by  Bro.  Samuel  E.  Keller.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Rosedale  Memorial 
park.  —  Floyd  Hilliker,  Grand  Rapids, 
Mich. 

Oxley,  Ella  Dilling,  was  born  Jan. 
11,  1880,  and  died  April  7,  1960.  In 
1910,  she  was  married  to  John  Flora, 
who  died  in  1926,,  and  then  on  May 
18,  1939,  to  John  Oxley,  who  died  in 
1955.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of 
the  Buck  Creek  church,  Ind.  Surviving 
are  one  stepdaughter,  three  stepsons, 
four  grandchildren,  four  great-grand- 
children, and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Buck  Creek 
church,  with  Bro.  Fred  Hollenberg  of- 
ficiating. Interment  was  in  the  Moore- 
land  cemetery.  —  Catherine  Swinger, 
Muncie,  Ind. 

Phillipy,  Marion  Layser,  was  born 
Sept.  23,  1925,  and  died  March  30, 
1960.  She  was  married  to  Peter 
Phillipy.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Richland  congregation.  She  is  survived 
by  her  husband  and  one  son.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  in  the  Celanser 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  Ray  A.  Kurtz. 
Interment  was  in  the  Richland  ceme- 
tery. —  Michael  Kurtz,  Richland,  Pa. 

Ranck,  Harvey  P.,  son  of  Philip  and 
Lucinda  Boucher  Ranck,  was  born  Oct. 
4,  1881,  and  died  April  28,  1960.  He 
was  first  married  to  Marie  Rabold,  who 
died  in  1942,  and  then  to  Merab  Sell. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Roaring 
Spring  church,  Pa.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  one  sister,  and  one  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  by  Bro. 
Berkey  Knavel.  Interment  was  in  the 
Alto  Reste  burial  park.  —  Margaret  E. 
Guyer,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 

Richey,  Daniel  R.,  son  of  Isaac  and 
Hannah  King  Ritchey,  was  born  Nov. 
20,  1868,  and  died  March  23,  1960. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Yellow  Creek 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Conner  funeral 
home  by  Bro.  J.  H.  Clapper  and 
Bro.  Charles  Heltzel.  Interment  was 
in  the  Everett  cemetery.  —  Mary  Stay- 
er, Hopewell,  Pa. 

Ritchey,  Mildred  L.,  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Myrtle  Helsel  McFarland, 
was  born  March  8,  1902,  and  died 
Nov.  7,  1959.  She  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Marvin  S.  Ritchey.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Bethel  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  and  served  with  her  husband 
in  the  office  of  deacon.  Surviving  are 
her  husband,  three  daughters,  five  sons, 
fifteen  grandchildren,  four  sisters  and 
one  brother.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Bethel  house  by  Bro. 
Charles  Heltzel  and  Bro.  J.  H.  Clapper. 
Interment  was  in  the  Bethel  cemetery. 
—  Mary  Stayer,  Hopewell,  Pa. 

Rock,  Thomas  Oliver,  son  of  John 
Henry  and  Laura  C.  Rock,  died  at 
Mercersburg,  Pa.,  May  13,  1960,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Greencastle  church,  Pa. 
Surviving  are  two  daughters,  two  sons, 
four  brothers,  five  sisters,  and  a 
number  of  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  from  the  Upton 
church  by  Bro.  Roy  Hawbaker  and  the 

25 


undersigned.  Interment  was  in  the 
cemetery  adjoining  the  church.  —  Sam- 
ual  Lindsay,  Greencastle,  Pa. 

Root,  Herbert  L.,  was  born  June  23, 
1869,  and  died  March  2,  1960.  On 
Feb.  14,  1897,  he  married  Weltha  E. 
Baker,  who  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  in  1894.  Surviving  are 
two  sons,  four  daughters,  three  sisters, 
one  brother,  fourteen  grandchildren 
and  twenty-one  great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Chippewa  Valley  church  by  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  East 
Pepin  cemetery.  —  Walter  A.  Miller, 
Mondovi,    Wis. 

Rupel,  Charles  Franklin,  son  of  Den- 
nis and  Mary  Ann  O'Connor  Rupel, 
was  born  in  Walkerton,  Ind.,  June  8, 
1869,  and  died  April  28,  1960,  in 
Pasadena,  Calif.  He  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  deacon  in  1897,  to  the 
rninistrv  in  1898,  and  to  the  eldership 
in  1912.  On  Jan.  8,  1896,  he  was 
married  to  Alzina  Whitmer,  who  pre- 
ceded him  in  death.  Surviving  are  two 
sons,  two  daughters,  sixteen  grandchil- 
dren, nineteen  great-grandchildren,  and 
one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  by  I.  V.  Funderburg  and  Paul 
Studebaker.  Interment  was  at  Forest 
Lawn  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Grant  Cohick, 
Pasadena,  Calif. 

Ryan,  Pearl,  daughter  of  Amos  and 
Sarah  Leedy,  was  born  June  10,  1883, 
and  died  May  7,  1960.  On  Dec.  20, 
1905,  she  was  married  to  Arch  Ryan, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  LaPlace  church,  111. 
Surviving  are  three  sons,  three  daugh- 
ters, three  stepchildren,  seventeen 
grandchildren,  seven  great-grandchil- 
dren, three  brothers,  and  three  sisters. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
LaPlace  church  by  Bro.  Eldo  Henricks. 
Interment  was  in  the  LaPlace  ceme- 
tery. —  Gertrude  F.  Traxler,  LaPlace, 
111. 

Sappington,  Beulah  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Edwin  and  Elizabeth 
Snader,  was  born  Sept.  2,  1890,  in 
Carroll  County,  Md.  In  1918,  she 
married  Ross  Sappington.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Sebring  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  She  is  survived  by  a  son, 
two  grandchildren,  her  mother  and  two 
sisters.  —  Mrs.  Joseph  Eckstadt,  Se- 
bring, Fla. 

See,  Russell  G.,  was  born  Dec.  14, 
1867,  and  died  March  28,  1960.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Mt.  Carmel 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  six  sons,  one  daughter,  one 
stepdaughter  and  eleven  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Thrush  funeral  home  by  the 
undersigned  and  assisted  by  Bro. 
Laurean  Smith.  Interment  was  in  the 
Newhouse  cemetery.  -  O.  F.  Bowman, 
Harrisonburg,    Va. 

Shirkey,  Bessie  Flory,  daughter  of 
George  B.  and  Louisa  Bowman  Flory 
was  born  Nov.  21,  1878,  and  died  Feb' 
21,  1960.  In  1901,  she  was  married 
to  J.  Earl  Shirkey,  who  preceded  her 
in  death.  She  was  a  faithful  member 
of  the  Beaver  Creek  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  She  is  survived  by  one 
daughter,  two  sons,  six  grandchildren 
and  eight  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  the  Beaver 
Creek  church  by  Bro.  S.  D.  Glick, 
Bro.  Phillip  Zinn  and  Bro.  F.  Wise 
26 


Driver.  Interment  was  in  the  adjacent 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Arlie  S.  Glick,  Day- 
ton, Va. 

Shoemaker,  Minnie  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  A.  and  Martha  Kinzie, 
was  born  in  Douglas  County,  Kansas, 
May  14,  1875,  and  died  near  Over- 
brook,  Kansas,  April  4,  1960.  In  1902, 
she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Charles 
W.  Shoemaker.  She  united  with  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  at  an  early 
age.  She  is  survived  by  one  daughter, 
two  grandsons,  one  stepdaughter,  two 
stepsons,  four  sisters,  one  brother, 
seven  stepgrandchildren  and  twenty- 
one  stepgreat-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  in  the 
Appanoose  church  by  the  undersigned, 
assisted  by  Bro.  Gerald  Mease.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Appanoose  cemetery.  — 
Ward  Nance,  Overbrook,  Kansas. 

Shope,  Daniel  Webster,  was  born 
Oct.  9,  1898,  and  died  April  5,  1960. 
He  was  married  to  Violet  Hoffer,  who 
preceded  him  in  death.  Surviving  are 
a  son,  two  daughters  and  eight  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Zimmerman  funeral  home 
by  Bro.  John  Patrick.  Interment  was 
in  the  Hanoverdale  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
John  Swope,  Union  Deposit,  Pa. 

Snider,  Oka  E.,  son  of  Marshall  and 
Hettie  Snider,  was  born  in  Delaware 
County,  Ind.,  Nov.  27,  1890,  and  died 
Dec.  8,  1959.  He  united  with  the 
Union  Grove  church,  Ind.,  at  an  early 
age.  His  wife  preceded  him  in  death. 
He  is  survived  by  two  sons,  one  daugh- 
ter, and  eight  grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  by  Bro. 
Paul  Studebaker.  Interment  was  at  the 
Bell  Crest  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Grant 
Cohick,  Pasadena,  Calif. 

Snyder,  Margaret  A.,  daughter  of 
Emmett  and  Bertha  Burkett,  was  born 
in  Cass  County,  Sept.  21,  1915,  and 
died  April  8,  1960.  She  was  married 
August  14,  1933,  to  Raymond  Snyder. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Mexico 
church.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  a 
son,  two  daughters,  her  father,  six 
brothers,  three  sisters  and  one  grand- 
son. The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Mexico  church  with  Bro.  Donald 
Ritchey  and  Bro.  E.  Paul  Weaver  offi- 
ciating. Interment  was  in  the  Green- 
lawn  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Verlon  Sites, 
Mexico,  Ind. 

Sollenberger,  Jessie,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Peter  Deardorff,  was  born 
Oct.  26,  1880,  near  Shady  Grove,  Pa., 
and  died  Nov.  28,  1959.  On  Oct.  16, 
1902,  she  was  married  to  Harry  J. 
Sollenberger,  who  preceded  her  in 
death.  She  was  a  member  of  the  An- 
tietam  congregation.  She  is  survived 
by  one  daughter,  three  grandchildren, 
six  great-grandchildren,  and  one  sister. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Brown's  Mill  church  by  Brethren  Don- 
ald Miller,  Willis  Rice,  and  Kermit 
Strife.  Interment  was  in  the  adjoining 
cemetery.  —  Sarah  Strife,  Hagerstown, 
Md. 

Spuhler,  Hazel  Esther,  was  born  Jan. 
11,  1884,  at  Sutter  Creek,  Calif.,  and 
died  August  6,  1959.  Her  husband 
preceded  her  in  death.  Surviving  are 
three  children  and  six  grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Webb  Chapel.  Interment  was  in  the 
Olive  cemetery.  —  W.  E.  Pratt,  Lind- 
say,  Calif. 


Swinger,  Myrtle  May,  daughter  of 
Mary  May  and  Benjamin  Brumbaugh, 
was  born  near  New  Lebanon,  Ohio,; 
July  31,  1881,  and  died  in  Trotwood; 
Ohio,  April  1,  1960.  On  Dec.  3j| 
1907,  she  was  married  to  Bro.  Williamj 
Swinger,  who  preceded  her  in  death.; 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  She  is  survived  by  three! 
daughters,  one  son,  six  grandchildren,, 
four  great-grandchildren  and  two  sis- 
ters. The  funeral  service  was  held  in: 
the  Trotwood  church  by  Bro.  Paul  W. 
Kinsel.  Interment  was  in  the  Bear 
Creek  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Elizabeth  G. 
Flora,  Trotwood,  Ohio. 

Tate,  Joseph  Alford,  son  of  Alex  and 
Rigney  Tate,  was  born  in  Carroll 
County,  Va.,  March  20,  1905,  and  died 
April  5,  1960.  He  was  married  to  Lear 
Thomas.  He  was  a  member  of  the  St 
Paul  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviv- 
ing are  his  wife,  one  son,  five  brothers, 
one  sister  and  three  half  brothers.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
St.  Paul  church  by  Brother  D.  B.  Os- 
borne, Brother  Snyder  and  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  St.  Paul 
church  cemetery.  —  G.  L.  Baker,  Hills- 
ville,  Va. 

Travis,  William  B.,  was  born  Feb. 
1,  1874,  and  died  July  30,  1959.  He' 
was  married  to  Barbara  Markel,  Oct 
12,  1896.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Poplar  Ridge  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  three  sons,; 
two  daughters,  two  brothers,  teni 
grandchildren  and  twelve  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Poplar  Ridge  church' 
by  Bro.  Floyd  Emrick  and  Bro.  Jay 
Hornish.  Interment  was  in  the  church 
cemetery.  —  May  C.  Garner,  Stryker, 
Ohio. 

Trimmer,  Sarah  Alice  Wagner,  was 
born  May  10,  1866,  in  Adams  County, 
Pa.,  and  died  in  Gove,  Kansas,  Feb. 
27,  1960.  On  July  14,  1887,  she  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Andrew  K.  Trim- 
mer, who  preceded  her  in  death.  She 
united  with  die  Quinter  church,  Kansas, 
in  1888.  Surviving  are  two  daughters, 
two  sons,  four  grandchildren,  and  two 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Gove  Methodist 
church  with  Glenn  J.  Fruth  and  Roger 
U.  Shanks  officiating.  Interment  was 
in  the  Quinter  cemetery.  —  Lila  Rei- 
necker,  Quinter,  Kansas. 

Trostle,  Alma  Kepner,  daughter  of 
Homer  and  Amelia  Speck  Kepner,  died 
March  12,  1960,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six. 
She  was  an  active  member  of  the  Get- 
tysburg Church  of  the  Brediren.  Sur- 
viving are  her  husband,  John  E. 
Trostle,  a  son,  a  daughter,  ten  grand- 
children, one  great-grandchild  and  two 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Bender  funeral  home  by  Bro. 
C.  Reynolds  Simmons,  Jr.,  and  Bro. 
W.  A.  Keeney.  Interment  was  in  the 
Marsh  Creek  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Cyrus 
G.  Bucher,  Biglerville,  Pa. 

Turner,  Charles  William,  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Glendale  Church  of  the  Brethren 
and  was  made  deacon  emeritus  two 
years  ago.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
five  children  and  twenty-seven  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
in  the  Glendale  church  by  the  under- 
signed. Interment  was  in  the  Glendale 
cemetery.  —  John  H.  Buffenmyer,  Cum- 
berland, Md. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Ai 


C: 


b 


Turney,  Rilla,  daughter  of  John  and 

Sara    Fulk,    was    born   June    1875,    in 

.  I  Rockingham    County,    Va.,    and    died 

'May    8,    1960.     She    was    married    to 

■  Orion  Turney  in  1894.  Surviving  are 
I  four  daughters,  one  son,  two  brothers, 
'fourteen    grandchildren,     and    twenty- 

r.  three  great-grandchildren.    The  funeral 

.  ,  service   was    conducted    by    Bro.    Dale 

!  Hylton.     Interment   was    at   the    Cerro 

Gordo     cemetery,     111.  —  Mrs.     Daniel 

jjj  Hissong,  Cerro  Gordo,  111. 

Ullery,   Samuel,   was   born   at   Cerro 

■  Gordo,  111.,  Jan.  2,   1864,   and  died  at 
ij  Parsons,    Kansas,    May    10,    1960.     He 

was  married  on  Feb.  18,  1897,  to  Mary 
Ellen  Kester,  who  preceded  him  in 
lj  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Par- 
,n  sons  church.  Surviving  are  one  daugh- 
11  ter,  two  sisters,  four  grandchildren,  and 
.  ',  eleven  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
ll neral  service  was  held  by  Earl  Myers 
11  and  Lee  Spitzer.  Interment  was  in 
l  West  Bethany  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Blanche 
Jj  E.  Milks,  Parsons,  Kansas. 
i\  Ward,  Ruie  Rosalee,  daughter  of 
ij  Samuel  and  Ella  Hendershot,  was  born 
1  March  17,  1899,  and  died  May  10, 
M  1960.  She  was  married  to  Charles 
I  Ward.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  four 
1  sons,  and  five  daughters.  She  was  a 
1  member  of  die  Amaranth  church,  Pa. 
,1  The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
1  Buck  Valley  M.E.  church  by  Bro.  Perry 
I  Liskey,  assisted  by  Bro.  Harry  Bru- 
I  baker.  Interment  was  in  the  cemetery 
.1  adjoining  the  church.  —  Pearl  Fischer, 
il  Amaranth,  Pa. 

Wells,  William  Matthew,  was  born 
in  Henry  County,  Va.,  Sept.  17,  1869, 
and  died  at  Quinter,  Kansas,  March 
22,  1960.  On  Nov.  18,  1891,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Martha  Ann  Bru- 
baker,  who  preceded  him  in  death.  He 
joined  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  as 
a  young  man.  Surviving  are  one  son, 
one  daughter,  four  grandchildren,  and 
fifteen  great-grandchildren.  The  funer- 
al service  was  conducted  from  the 
Quinter  church  by  Glenn  J.  Fruth  and 
Millard  Haldeman.  Interment  was  in 
the  Quinter  cemetery.  —  Lila  Reinecker, 
Quinter,  Kansas. 

Whipkey,  Mildred,  daughter  of  Har- 
vey and  Elizabeth  Smith  Smeltzer,  was 
born  Nov.  11,  1915,  and  died  May  14, 
1960.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Greensburg  church.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  her  mother,  one  daughter, 
two  sons,  one  sister,  six  brothers,  and 
two  grandchildren.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  by  Bro.  Wilfred  N.  Staufer. 
Interment  was  in  the  Fairview  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Galen  Bittner,  Greens- 
burg, Pa. 

Wiley,  Amanda,  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Mary  Cripe,  was  born  in  Clinton 
County,  Ind.,  Sept.  18,  1867,  and  died 
April  29,  1960.  In  1895,  she  was 
married  to  John  Kratz,  who  preceded 
her  in  death.  In  1930,  she  was  married 
to  Charles  Wiley,  who  also  preceded 
her  in  death.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Rossville  church,  Ind.  Surviving 
are  one  son,  two  daughters,  five  grand- 
children, and  eight  great-grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held 
by  Bro.  A.  P.  Wenger.  Interment  was 
in  the  Pleasant  View  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Ferris  Hylton,  Cutler,  Ind. 

Wolfe,  William  C,  son  of  John  and 
Lydia  Rosenburger  Wolfe,  died  April 
20,  1960,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years.   He  was  a  member  of  the  Church 

JULY  2,  1960 


of  the  Brethren.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  Etta  Dennis  Wolfe,  one 
daughter,  one  son,  three  brothers,  and 
two  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  Shady  Grove  church 
by  Brethren  George  Jeffery  and  Earl 
Dietz.  Interment  was  in  the  Union 
cemetery.  —  Mae  Darby,  Bruceton 
Mills,  W.  Va. 


Church  News 


Middle  Iowa 

Panora  —  For  our  homecoming,  Broth- 
er and  Sister  Harold  Royer,  mission- 
aries to  Africa  home  on  vacation,  were 
guest  speakers.  They  showed  pictures 
of  their  work  in  Africa.  We  had  both 
a  father-son  and  a  mother-daughter 
banquet.  We  held  our  communion 
service  the  evening  of  April  14.  Ten 
were  baptized  on  Easter  evening.  Bro. 
Ralph  Smeltzer,  director  of  peace  and 
social  education  of  our  General  Broth- 
erhood staff,  gave  the  message  the 
morning  of  May  15. —Alma  E.  Austin, 
Panora,   Iowa. 

Northeastern  Kansas 

First  Central  —  The  missionary  circle 
sponsored  a  school  of  missions  during 
the  Sunday  evenings  in  January,  con- 
cluding with  an  all-church  fellowship 
supper.  A  number  of  our  members 
attended  the  district  men's  and  wom- 
en's rally  and  the  district  youth  rally. 
Fifteen  youth  were  at  the  regional 
youth  conference  in  McPherson.  The 
McPherson  College  a  cappella  choir 
gave  a  concert  on  March  20.  Royce 
Roesch,  a  student  at  McPherson  Col- 
lege, showed  slides  of  his  experiences 
as  a  I-W  in  Europe  and  Greece.  A 
week  of  prayer,  concluding  with  a 
twenty-four-hour  prayer  vigil,  pre- 
ceded a  week's  preaching  mission  by 
Wayne  Geisert,  dean  of  McPherson 
College.  The  services  concluded  with 
a  love  feast  on  Palm  Sunday.  Eleven 
members  were  baptized  recently  and 
two  members  received  by  reaffirmation 
of  faith.  Our  women's  fellowship  was 
host  at  the  area  women's  fellowship 
rally  at  which  Mrs.  William  Sullivan 
showed  slides  of  her  tour  to  the  Holy 
Land.  Gordon  Fishburn  of  the  Lone 
Star  church  showed  slides  and  dis- 
cussed his  experiences  as  a  BVS'er  and 
an  exchange  teacher  in  Europe.  A 
number  from  the  church  attended  the 
Brethren  Service  training  conference  at 
the  Cherokee  Hills  church.  A  recogni- 
tion dinner  for  all  who  have  joined 
our  fellowship  the  past  year  was  held 
on  May  21  in  conjunction  with  an  ap- 
preciation dinner  for  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Elrod,  who  are  retiring.  The  church 
recently  extended  the  call  to  Donald 
Lowdermilk  to  become  pastor.  —  Mrs. 
Paul  Jewell,  Kansas  City,  Kansas. 

Navarre  —  Services  were  held  pre- 
ceding Easter.  Our  pastor,  Francis 
Shenefelt,  spoke  the  first  two  evenings 
and  Cecil  Plank,  a  minister  of  the 
Brethren  in  Christ  church,  spoke  on 
Friday  evening.  Communion  services 
were  observed  on  Easter.  The  ladies' 
aid  has  made  ten  yards  of  outing  into 
kimonos  for  relief  and  sent  ninety-three 
pounds  of  used  clothing  for  relief.  A 
refrigerator  has  been  given  and  placed 


Programs 

ABOUT 
PEOPLE  and  PLACES 


***<&** 


rftfPtf 


RUTH  C.  IKERMAN 

Thought-provoking  incidents  en- 
countered all  over  the  world 
provide  the  basis  for  these  medi- 
tations. The  central  figures  and 
incidents  of  these  meditations 
hold  universal  appeal.  Each 
brings  an  awareness  of  the  needs 
and  aspirations  common  to  peo- 
ple everywhere.  Each  of  the 
complete  programs  contains  a 
scripture  reading,  leader's  intro- 
duction, brief  meditation,  and 
concludes  with  a  prayer.  Ten 
programs  are  for  use  on  special 
occasions  such  as  Easter,  Thanks- 
giving, and  Christmas,  plus  a 
memorial    service.  §2.00 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


in  the  church  basement  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jesse  Sheets.  Brother  Shenefelt 
was  our  Standing  Committee  delegate 
to  Annual  Conference.  Sister  Shenefelt 
was  the  local  church  delegate.  —  Mrs. 
Roy  Rock,   Enterprise,  Kansas. 

Western  Kansas 

Garden  City  —  We  studied  Africa 
during  our  school  of  missions.  Mr. 
M.  H.  Tollisur,  Negro  Methodist  min- 
ister, spoke  and  also  sang  some  fine 
numbers.  Five  Sunday  evening  serv- 
ices on  books  of  the  Bible  were  in 
charge  of  five  different  adult  classes. 
The  youth  and  Scouts  were  in  charge 
of  a  youth  banquet.  A  one-day  Chris- 
tian education  workshop  was  held 
jointly  with  Prairie  View  church.  We 
had  six  weeks  of  fireside  meetings.  The 
Mennonite  brethren  used  our  sanctuary 
to  present  a  sacred  program  by  the 
Pacific  Bible  Institute.  The  women's 
fellowship  has  been  collecting  blankets 

27 


Personalities 


From 


Faces  -  •- 

about 

the 


FACES 

About 
the 

CHRIST 

HOLMES  ROLSTON 


The  desire  to  see  Jesus  face  to 
face  has  been  shared  by  millions. 
Though  we  have  no  record  of 
Christ's  physical  description,  we 
see  his  face  in  the  faces  and 
characters  of  those  who  came  into 
contact  with  him.  Studying  42 
personalities  around  Jesus  helps 
us  understand  the  responses  of 
people  to  him  today. 
All  shades  of  reaction  to  Christ 
and  his  message  are  represented 
in  these  vivid  sketches,  compiled 
from  the  gospel  narratives  and 
from  secular  history.  Among  them 
we  meet  Joseph,  Mary,  the  Rich 
Young  Ruler,  Lazarus,  Nicodemus, 
a  Woman  of  Samaria,  Peter,  Judas 
Iscariot,  Pontius  Pilate,  the  thief 
on  the  cross.  Sunday  school 
teachers  ■will  find  welcome  help 
here  when  the  lesson  deals  with 
personalities   from   the   gospel. 

$3.50 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


and  clothing  and  making  baby  layettes 
for  relief.  Twelve  have  been  baptized 
recently.  On  May  1,  we  held  our 
love  feast.  —  Mrs.  Fred  Ramirez,  Gar- 
den City,  Kansas. 

Oklahoma 

Clovis  —  Our  church  and  parsonage 
were  sold  last  June  and  since  then 
we  have  been  worshiping  in  the  Odd 
Fellows  hall;  evening  services  are  held 
in  the  various  homes.  We  had  a  ground 
breaking  for  our  new  church  on  Jan. 
24.  The  walls  and  roof  are  almost 
completed.     The    building    consists    of 

28 


two  main  parts,  fellowship  hall  and 
the  main  sanctuary.  At  the  women's 
banquet  the  speaker  gave  the  history 
of  the  important  place  the  Bible  played 
among  the  Southern  soldiers  during  the 
Civil  War.  Clothing  and  gifts  of  money 
were  sent  to  the  Lybrook  mission.  One 
Sunday  evening  Lois  Fager,  a  McPher- 
son  College  student,  showed  pictures 
that  she  had  taken  while  serving  as 
an  exchange  student  in  Germany. 
Some  of  our  group  attended  the  district 
rally  at  Waka,  Texas.  —  Mrs.  L.  M. 
Baldwin,  Clovis,  N.  Mex. 

Southern  Illinois 

Astoria  —  The  church  met  in  council 
and  elected  delegates  to  Annual  Con- 
ference. We  have  been  active  in  the 
Call  program.  In  observance  of  Easter 
we  had  sunrise  services  and  a  program 
by  the  choir  for  the  evening  worship 
services.  The  Southern  Illinois  district 
youth  rally  was  held  here.  The  Gideon 
Bible  society  presented  a  program  of 
worship  in  our  church.  The  relief  truck 
picked  up  a  number  of  boxes  for  relief. 
The  women's  fellowship  has  been  mak- 
ing bedding  for  relief;  they  hold  a 
program  in  connection  with  their 
work.  —  Lottie   Johnson,   Astoria,    111. 

Cerro  Gordo  —  Brother  and  Sister 
Harlan  Smith  were  the  speakers  at 
the  celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  the  present  church  building. 
We  have  accepted  the  resignation  of 
our  pastor,  Bro.  Dale  Hylton,  who  has 
accepted  a  ministerial  leadership  of  a 
new  church  in  Virginia.  Ralph  Skaggs 
has  accepted  our  call.  Elected  as  dele- 
gates to  Annual  Conference  were  Ar- 
thur Kreig  and  Lucille  Hissong.  The 
women's  fellowship  had  a  mother- 
daughter  banquet  in  May.  Ruth  Nel- 
son showed  slides  and  talked  of  her 
experiences  in  Japan  at  one  of  our 
meetings.  A  short  program  was  given 
by  the  women  at  the  DeWitt  nursing 
home  in  Clinton  and  also  at  Mabel's 
nursing  home  in  Decatur.  An  Easter 
program  was  given  on  Palm  Sunday. 
On  Mother's  Day,  four  were  baptized, 
five  received  by  letter,  and  seven 
babies  dedicated.  New  deacons  are 
Walter  Lamb,  Paul  Garver,  Amos 
Cable,  Marlin  Krall,  and  Harold  Wag- 
ner. —  Mrs.  David  Hissong,  Cerro  Gor- 
do,  111. 

Middle  Indiana 

Liberty  Mills  —  For  our  father-son 
banquet  Mr.  Foster  Jones  was  the 
speaker.  Bro.  Leo  Miller  of  South 
Whitley  brought  the  messages  at  the 
Holy  Week  services  and  officiated  at 
our  love  feast.  Our  neighboring  church 
united  with  us  for  Good  Friday  serv- 
ices with  their  pastor,  Willis  Fields, 
bringing  the  message.  Mrs.  Paul 
Halladay  spoke  on  the  topic,  Living 
Gardens,  at  the  mother-daughter  ban- 
quet. Family  Week  was  observed  May 
1-8;  the  Glen  Heeter  family  took  part 
in  the  services,  and  families  sat  togeth- 
er as  a  group.  Open  house  gave  the 
congregation  and  friends  an  opportuni- 
ty to  see  our  church  office  and  library 
which  was  recently  furnished.  The 
CBYF  had  their  annual  spring  retreat 
at  Camp  Mack.  —  Mrs.  Donald  Warner, 
South  Whitley,  Ind. 

Pipe  Creek  —  A  deputation  team 
from  Manchester  College  had  charge 
of    one   of   our   morning    services    and 


held  a  group  discussion  for  our  CBYF 
in  the  afternoon.  Our  church  was  well 
represented  at  our  district  women's 
rally  at  the  Flora  church.  Our  aid 
society  has  been  knotting  and  quilting 
comforters,  also  making  children's 
dresses  for  the  needy.  The  men's  fel- 
lowship have  a  farm  project.  Bro. 
A.  Blair  Helman,  president  of  Man- 
chester College,  held  our  pre-Easter 
services.  We  had  a  daily  vacation  Bible 
school,  June  13-17.  —  Mrs.  Wayne  E. 
Klepinger,   Bunker   Hill,   Ind. 

Pleasant  Dale  —  Bro.  John  Liby 
served  as  our  Call  to  Witness  chairman. 
We  observed  an  around-the-clock 
prayer  vigil  on  March  2.  Floyd  Mallott 
was  our  speaker  for  pre-Easter  serv- 
ices; Doreen  Sharman  for  Youth  Sun- 
day; Don  Royer  on  Christian  College 
Day;  Dr.  Howard  Bosler  on  family 
night.  Four  babies  have  been  dedi- 
cated. We  had  ground-breaking  serv- 
ices for  our  new  educational  unit  on 
Mother's  Day.  Our  church  co-operated 
with  eight  churches  in  our  community 
for  a  daily  vacation  Bible  school.  Our 
pastor,  Bro.  John  Mishler,  has  been 
taking  his  turn  serving  as  chaplain  at 
the  Adams  County  hospital.  —  Mrs. 
Eugene  Arnold,  Decatur,  Ind. 

Northern  Indiana 

Blue  River  —  L.  W.  Shultz  spoke  one 
Sunday  on  Our  Brethren  Heritage;  in 
the  evening  he  showed  pictures  of 
Schwarzenau,  Germany,  and  of  the 
Holy  Land.  Each  Sunday  evening  dur- 
ing the  month  of  January  we  had  a 
school  of  missions.  Our  pastor,  J.  Oli- 
ver Dearing,  conducted  a  church  mem- 
bership training  class  prior  to  our 
pre-Easter  services.  On  Easter  morn- 
ing we  had  a  sunrise  service  and  I 
breakfast  with  the  young  people  in 
charge.  —  Mary  Esther  Shearer,  Col- 
umbia City,  Ind. 

Elkhart  City  — William  M.  Beahm 
conducted  a  week-end  preaching  mis- 
sion for  our  church.  A  friendly  visita- 
tion was  made  to  all  members  and 
friends  of  the  church  early  in  the  year. 
Drapery  curtains  provide  new  class- 
rooms in  the  basement  of  our  church. 
The  Christian  education  commission,  at 
the  request  of  the  council,  is  looking 
into  the  matter  of  securing  a  director 
of  Christian  education.  Norman  J. 
Baugher  spent  a  week  end  with  us, 
helping  commission  members  with 
current  duties.  Thirteen  were  received 
by  baptism  and  seven  by  letter  over 
the  Easter  season.  Our  pastor,  Foster 
B.  Statler,  has  submitted  his  resigna- 
tion and  has  accepted  the  call  of  the 
Freeport  church,  111.  Charles  E.  Du- 
mond,  Jr.,  has  accepted  the  call  to 
our  church.  Various  programs  were  of- 
fered in  our  school  of  home  and  family 
life  in  May.  Mrs.  Ray  Fuller  directed 
the  Bible  school  in  June.  The  women's 
fellowship  sponsored  the  annual  moth- . 
er-daughter  banquet  in  May.  —  Mrs. 
James  K.  Garber,  Elkhart,  Ind. 

Goshen  City  —  Bro.  Kenneth  Morse 
was  with  us  for  a  week.  The  Japan 
relief  call  brought  497  pounds  of  cloth- 
ing and  bedding  for  that  cause.  In 
addition  to  quilting  and  comforter 
work,  the  women's  fellowship  made 
2,037  cancer  pads  last  year.  A  picture 
on  mental  health,  Behind  Closed 
Doors,  was  shown.    The  school  of  mis- 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


sions  in  January  featured  the  following 
''tit guests:    Robert  Swank,  former  mission- 
llary  to  Africa;  Benton  Rhoades,  mission- 
Lary  to  South  America;   Mr.   and   Mrs. 
(Allan  Weldy,   service  workers  in  Ger- 
Imany.    Two  of  our  young  people  par- 
ti Jticipated    in    the    speech    contest    this 
year.     Dean    L.    Frantz    was    with    us 
jfor   a   series  of  Lenten   services.     Mrs. 
Jesse   Owens  was   the   speaker   at   the 
father-son    banquet    and    Mrs.    Emma 
Brown    at    the    mother-daughter    ban- 
quet.    Family    week    was    highlighted 
on    three    Sunday    evenings;    first,    by 
one    family    furnishing    a    number    of 
musical  numbers;  second,  a  family  gave 
a    home    worship    demonstration;    and 
third,  a  fellowship  supper  was  enjoyed 
by    the    families    of    the    church    after 
which    Dr.    Williams    and    his    family 
furnished    the    program.  —  Mrs.    Lewis 
Dixon,  Goshen,  Ind. 

Southern  Indiana 

Indianapolis,  Northview  —  Eleven 
members  have  been  received  by  bap- 
tism and  ten  by  letter.  Good  Friday 
services  were  held  in  our  church  at 
the  noon  hour  and  Easter  sunrise  serv- 
ices in  the  Lawrence  Central  high 
school  for  the  entire  community.  Our 
regular  Easter  morning  service  was  in 
charge  of  our  pastor,  Floyd  Biddix, 
who  used  as  his  subject,  Ye  Shall  Live 
Also.  We  were  host  to  the  district 
pastors'  retreat.  The  a  cappella  choir 
of  Manchester  College  presented  a 
musical  program.  Saturdays  have  been 
work  days  for  the  men  of  the  church. 
They  have  completed  laying  the  tile 
over  the  entire  basement  floor.  Two 
babies  were  dedicated  on  May  1.  — 
Annis  Heiny,  Noblesville,  Ind. 

Lafayette  —  We  participated  in  the 
Indiana  Council  of  Churches  campaign 
for  blankets  for  refugees,  and  lifted 
an  offering  for  CROP  overseas  relief. 
Some  of  our  members  attended  the 
leadership  training  school  at  a  local 
church.  Several  of  our  women  were 
present  at  the  women's  fellowship  area 
meeting  at  the  Fairview  church.  Bro. 
Stewart  Kauffman  gave  us  ideas  and 
procedures  for  initiating  the  under- 
shepherd  program  in  our  church.  Sis- 
ter Lavona  Hildreth  has  started  a 
children's  choir.  We  co-operated  in 
pre-Easter  Sunday  evening  services 
with  the  Rossville,  Fairview,  and  Pyr- 
mont  congregations.  We  observed  the 
love  feast  on  Maundy  Thursday.  Our 
members  have  been  helping  to  ready 
the  parsonage  for  our  pastor,  Bro. 
Ralph  McFadden  and  his  family.  Bro. 
Ammon  Wenger  of  the  Pyrmont  church 
brought  us  the  message  on  the  Sunday 
of  Brother  McFadden's  graduation.  — 
Mrs.    Byrel    Leslie,    Lafayette,    Ind. 

Rossville  —  The  women's  fellowship 
sponsored  a  school  of  missions  which 
was  held  for  five  Sunday  evenings  in 
January.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claude  Remaly 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clinton  Clark  were 
installed  to  the  office  of  deacon  by 
Bro.  Albert  Harshbarger.  During  the 
Lenten  season  the  Rossville,  Lafayette, 
Fairview,  and  Pyrmont  churches  co- 
operated in  holding  four  Sunday  eve- 
ning services.  Several  of  our  members 
sang  in  the  community  choir  which 
presented  the  Easter  cantata,  The  Di- 
vine Redeemer,  at  our  church  on  East- 
er evening.  The  World  Day  of  Prayer 
service  was   sponsored   by   the   women 

JULY  2,  1960 


of  the  three  churches  of  our  town.  A 
community  Easter  sunrise  service  was 
held  in  our  church.  Six  have  been 
received  by  baptism  and  four  by  letter 
since  our  last  report.  A  deputation 
team  of  five  young  people  from  Man- 
chester College  had  charge  of  one  of 
our  morning  worship  hours.  —  Mrs. 
Ferris  Hylton,  Cutler,  Ind. 

Michigan 

Hope  —  Since  our  last  report  six  have 
been  received  by  baptism,  two  on  for- 
mer baptism,  and  one  was  received  by 
letter.  The  CBYF  made  a  tour  through 
the  Ionia  reformatory.  Our  pastor, 
Rommie  Moore,  conducted  a  training 
class  for  Sunday  school  teachers.  A 
Call  to  Discipleship  leadership  meeting 
was  held.  We  took  part  in  the  World 
Day  of  Prayer.  During  March  we  held 
fireside  meetings  in  five  homes.  Six 
of  our  ladies  attended  the  leadership 
training  school  for  daily  vacation  Bible 
school  leaders  at  Manchester  College. 
On  April  14,  we  had  a  prayer  vigil 
followed  by  the  love  feast.  Joint  Good 
Friday  services  were  held  at  our 
church.  The  CBYF  sponsored  the 
Easter  sunrise  service  which  was  fol- 
lowed with  breakfast  at  the  church. 
They  also  invited  a  member  of  Alco- 
holics Anonymous  to  speak  on  May  1. 
On  Easter  four  babies  were  dedicated. 
A  group  of  our  ladies  attended  the 
sectional  women's  fellowship  rally  at 
the  Muskegon  church.  On  pulpit  ex- 
change day,  Bro.  Samuel  Keller  of 
Grand  Rapids  preached  at  our  church, 
and  Brother  Moore  at  Woodland.  We 
had  a  mother-daughter  banquet.  — 
Wilmina  Wieland,   Freeport,   Mich. 

Lansing  —  For  the  sectional  Bible 
institute  we  had  Allen  Deeter  and  Paul 
Hoffman  as  guest  speakers.  Africa  was 
the  theme  for  our  school  of  missions. 
We  observed  Ash  Wednesday  by  an 
all-day  prayer  vigil  at  the  church.  Our 
pastor  held  pre-Easter  services  at  the 
Marilla  church,  and  is  now  holding  a 
membership  class.  May  1  was  pulpit 
exchange  Sunday.  Our  pastor,  Millard 
Wilson,  was  at  Muskegon,  and  Bro. 
Charles  Gibbs  filled  the  pulpit  here. 
One  of  our  girls  is  in  Helsinki,  Fin- 
land, as  an  exchange  student,  and  a 
young  man  from  there  is  in  our  church. 
Since  our  last  report  ten  have  been 
received  by  letter  and  three  by  bap- 
tism. Our  evangelism  committee  ap- 
pointed teams  for  the  Call  to  Disciple- 
ship visits.  In  co-operation  with  the 
Kiwanis  club,  we  are  sponsoring  a 
refugee  family.  We  had  a  one-week 
Bible  school  in  June  with  morning  and 
afternoon  sessions.  Our  young  adult 
women  are  sponsoring  a  mother-daugh- 
ter banquet.  —  Emma  Engle,  Lansing, 
Mich. 

Northeastern  Ohio 

Reading  —  We  are  very  fortunate  to 
have  Bro.  J.  H.  Zigler  of  Alliance, 
Ohio,  fill  our  appointments  each  Sun- 
day. Bro.  Chalmer  Shull  was  our  guest 
speaker  one  Sunday.  On  Good  Friday 
seven  churches  in  our  community  met 
together.  Brother  Zigler  was  one  of 
the  speakers.  Pre-Easter  services  were 
held;  films  portraying  our  Savior's  ex- 
periences were  shown.  On  May  1, 
Brother  Zigler  baptized  seven  young 
people,    and   then   in   the    evening   we 


THE 

CHRISTIAN  MISSION 

TODAY 

Re-examined    and    challenged 
by  21  contemporary  leaders 

A  study  of  Protestant  missions  in 
action,  critically  examining  its 
strength  and  weaknesses,  current 
activities,  and  needed  future 
action. 

THE  CONTRIBUTORS 


Hans  Aurbakken 
Newell  S.   Booth 
Marian    Derby 
John  W.  Deschner 
Francis  Gerald 

Ensley 
H.  A.  Hamilton 
Gerald  B.  Harvey 
Don  W.  Holter 
Tracey  K.  Jones, 

Jr- 
Creighton   Lacy 
James  K.  Mathews 
Benjamin  E.  Mays 


William  Vernon 

Middleton 
Walter  G. 

Muelder 
Stephen  Neill 
J.  Robert  Nelson 
Harvey  Potthoff 
Charles  W. 

Ranson 
Donald  H. 

Tippett 
Gaither    P. 

Warfield 
Alfred  W.  Wasson 


Cloth,  $3;   Paper,  $2.25 


Order  From  Your  Bookstore 

Abingdon  Tress 


had    our    communion     service.  —  Rena 
Heestand,  Alliance,  Ohio. 

North  Atlantic 

Coventry  —  Our  pastor,  D.  Howard 
Keiper,  his  wife,  and  six  deacons  and 
their  wives,  attended  the  retreat  spon- 
sored by  the  commission  on  ministry 
and  evangelism  of  the  district  at  the 
Ambler  church.  Youth  week  was  ob- 
served in  our  church;  the  chapel  choir 
and  members  of  the  youth  group  par- 
ticipated in  the  morning  worship.  For 
the  evening  fellowship,  a  covered  dish 
meal  was  followed  by  a  service  con- 
ducted by  the  district  youth  cabinet. 
Velva  Jane  Dick,  a  missionary  nurse  to 
Nigeria  from  Coventry,  returned  home 
for  further  corrective  surgery  after  a 
fall  while  on  duty  in  the  field.  Thirty 
of  our  youth  attended  the  youth  rally 
in  Wilmington,  Del.,  and  twenty-five 
the  seminar  at  the  UN.  The  committee 
on  peace  of  the  women's  fellowship 
sponsored  an  address  by  Robert  Byer- 
ly  from  Elizabethtown  College.  John 
A.  Kreps  and  Dee  Wampler  attended 
the  peace  seminar  at  Washington,  D.C. 
The  pastor  conducted  a  class  on  prepa- 
ration for  church  membership.  Eleven 
were  baptized.  The  cantata,  The  Tri- 
umphant Hour,  was  given  on  Palm  Sun- 
day by  the  senior  and  chapel  choirs. 
Mrs.  Wayne  Dick  from  the  Green  Tree 
church  was  the  speaker  for  the  mother- 
daughter  fellowship.  Coventry  partici- 
pated in  the  five-church  Holy  Week 
services.  The  Eastern  regional  confer- 
ence was  held  at  our  church.  The 
Brethren    rally    at    the    closing    of    the 

29 


Father-Son 
Relationships 


,  j9»«<f 


v  ™ 


Communion  With 
Young  Saints 

E.  ASHBY  JOHNSON 

This  is  a  series  of  lively  talks 
between  Ashby  Johnson  and  his 
sons.  Humorously  but  incisively, 
he  penetrates  straight  to  the 
heart  of  problems  parents  and 
teachers  face  with  growing 
youngsters:  career  choice,  bad 
language,  sex,  drinking,  prej- 
udice, independence,  military 
service,  religion.  Underlying 
Johnson's  dialogues  are  some 
thoroughly  informal  beliefs 
about  children  and  adolescents. 
Among  them  is  quite  a  radical 
one:  that  children  are  people. 
Another:  that  they  must  be  ac- 
cepted and  loved  as  they  are.  A 
reviewer  says,  "One  of  the  most 
refreshing  books  on  father-son 
relationships  I've  ever  read." 

$2.00 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin.  Illinois 


conference  in  which  the  moderator,  Bro. 
Edward  K.  Ziegler,  spoke  was  a  fitting 
climax  to  the  spiritual  uplift  that  was 
felt  throughout  the  conference.  Our 
young  people  enjoyed  hearing  Carter 
Merbier,  active  in  the  juvenile  aid  di- 
vision of  Philadelphia.  —  Mrs.  Mary 
Jane  Kulp,  Pottstown,  Pa. 

Quakertown  —  Our  youth  fellowship 
had  charge  of  a  service  at  the  Fraser 
mission.  Libbie  Bolton,  who  spent  a 
term  in  BVS  at  the  North  Avenue  com- 
munity center,  spoke  and  showed  slides 
of  the  work  there.  The  district  CBYF 
sponsored  a  hike  to  the  site  of  the  first 
baptism  in  America.  The  youth  of  our 
church  had  a  special  meeting  in  ob- 
servance of  National  Youth  Week. 
Several  of  our  youth  attended  the  dis- 
trict youth  banquet  and  the  district 
youth  rally.  Our  church  co-operated  in 
the  World  Day  of  Prayer  service.  The 
following  filmstrips  were  used  during 
the  school  of  missions:  Face  to  the 
Future,  Nigeria  Moves  Ahead,  and  the 

30 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Illinois. 

No.  455.  Brethren  young  couple 
desire  employment  for  husband  as 
maintenance  man  in  one  of  our  colleges 
or  in  industry.  Experienced  in  plumb- 
ing, wiring,  carpentry;  specialized  in 
operation  and  maintenance  of  furnaces. 
Beferences  will  be  given.  Contact 
Brethren  Placement  Service,  1451  Dun- 
dee Avenue,  Elgin,  111. 

No.  456.  Wanted:  Man  or  couple 
for  maintenance  work  in  Home  for  the 
Aging  in  the  Midwest.  Brethren  church 
very    near.      Small    rural    community. 


Contact:  Brethren  Placement  Service,: 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Of- 
fices, Elgin,  111. 

No.  457.  A  Brethren  family  withi 
leadership  ability  wishes  to  locate  where ! 
employment  is  available,  near  a  Church, 
of  the  Brethren.  The  husband  used  to 
sing  in  the  Catholic  Boys  Choir  and 
has  had  quartet  experience.  The  wife 
has  had  experience  in  choir  leadership 
and  plays  a  piano  and  piano  accordion. 
They  also  teach  in  Sunday  school.  They 
are  42  and  38  and  have  two  children, 
boy  14  and  a  girl  12.  They  also  sing 
as  a  family  group.  Contact:  Brethren 
Placement  Service,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

No.  458.  Man  and  wife  in  their  40's 
desire  position  as  assistant  manager  or 
manager  of  a  motel,  preferably  near 
the  ocean.  Have  training  and  experi- 
ence in  management,  general  operation,: 
and  procedures  of  motels.  Do  not 
smoke  or  drink.  Contact:  Mr.  William 
Union,  1117  Sunday  St.,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

No.  459.  Bethany  Hospital:  needs 
B.N.'s  to  help  with  summer  vacation 
relief.  This  is  an  opportunity  to  see 
the  sights  of  the  city  while  you  work. 
Contact:  Olga  Bendsen,  Personnel 
Dept,  3420  W.  Van  Buren  St.,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

No.  460.  A  young  married  man 
needs  employment.  He  has  had  experi- 
ence in  farm  work,  carpentry,  truck 
driving,  logging  and  sawmill  work, 
lawn  work,  and  has  worked  in  a  shoe 
factory.  Has  lived  in  the  east  most 
of  his  life.  Contact:  Brethren  Place- 
ment Service,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


film,  In  the  Footsteps  of  the  Witch  Doc- 
tor. The  study  of  Africa  was  concluded 
by  a  play,  Edge  of  the  Village,  given  by 
some  of  our  youth.  Our  women's  fel- 
lowship has  been  rolling  bandages  and 
making  ulcer  patches  for  the  leper 
hospital  in  Nigeria.  Our  women  and 
girls  joined  the  women  of  the  Spring- 
field church  on  a  tour  of  the  Allen- 
town  state  hospital.  Holy  Week  serv- 
ices were  held  in  co-operation  with  the 
Allentown  and  Springfield  churches. 
We  also  participated  in  the  community 
Good  Friday  services  at  the  Beformed 
church.  The  message  at  the  sunrise 
service  was  brought  by  Ellis  Powell. 
On  Easter  evening  our  senior  choir 
gave  the  Easter  cantata,  Memories  of 
Easter  Morn.  —  Mrs.  Blondell  Ludwick, 
Perkasie,  Pa. 

Philadelphia,  First  —  In  January,  Dr. 
Balph  W.  Schlosser  conducted  a  Bible 
institute;  the  Juniata  choir  presented  a 
concert  of  sacred  music;  and  the  youth 
groups  had  charge  of  the  worship  serv- 
ice on  National  Youth  Sunday  with  Bro. 
John  Lengle  preaching  his  first  sermon. 
Our  school  of  missions  studied  Africa 
with  the  help  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
M.  Bieber,  Dr.  Boy  Pfaltzgraff  and 
Esther  Naidoo,  an  Indian  Christian 
from  Africa.  The  pew  Bibles  were 
dedicated  on  Feb.  14,  with  Charles  E. 
Lewis,  Sr.,  secretary  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Gideons,  as  speaker.  In  Lent  we 
had  as  guest  Sunday  evening  speakers: 
Donald  Leiter,  D.  Howard  Keiper,  El- 
wood  A.  Kirschner,  John  S.  Landis,  and 


Donald  S.  Shank.  On  Palm  Sunday  the 
choir  presented  The  Crucifixion.  At 
the  Easter  sunrise  service,  sponsored 
by  the  youth  of  Springfield  township, 
Don  Shinnick,  defensive  lineman  for; 
the  Baltimore  Colts,  was  speaker.  Six 
members  have  been  received.  At  mid- 
week services,  we  studied  the  second 
coming  of  Christ,  taught  by  our  pastor, 
Bro.  W.  Dean  Crouse.  An  appreciation 
dinner  was  given  by  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation for  the  Sunday  school  teachers. 
Dr.  T.  F.  Henry  was  guest  minister  on 
April  24.  The  carriage  house  has  been 
remodeled  to  provide  four  additional 
classrooms.  —  Mary  L.  Bidthof,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

Philadelphia,  Germantown  —  Donald 
E.  Leiter,  Sr.,  is  now  our  pastor,  hav- 
ing been  installed  prior  to  our  fall  love 
feast.  He  also  serves  the  Paoli  Fellow- 
ship half  time.  The  young  people  of 
the  district  had  a  love  feast  and  hiked 
to  the  baptismal  site  on  the  Wissa- 
hickon.  Our  pastor  is  youth  adviser  of 
the  district.  Three  have  been  baptized, 
and  three  babies  consecrated.  William- 
Brown  and  Joseph  Hackman,  with  their 
wives,  were  elected  to  the  deacon 
board.  Our  women's  fellowship  made 
several  quilts  for  relief.  Dr.  Boy  Pfaltz- 
graff, missionary  to  Africa  brought  a 
Sunday  morning  message.  A  number 
of  our  members  attended  the  Eastern 
Region  conference  at  Coventry.  On 
April  24,  we  were  privileged  to  have 
Galen  B.  Ogden,  executive  secretary  of 
the  Ministry  and  Home  Mission  Com- 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER. 


mission  of  the  General  Brotherhood 
Board,  preach  for  us.  —  Mrs.  Leone  H. 
Hackman,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Florida,  Georgia,  and  Puerto  Rico 

Winter  Park  —  Several  attended  the 
dedication  services  of  the  Orlando 
church.  Our  congregation  is  requesting 
the  1960  district  conference  that  it  join 
the  Florida  State  Council  of  Churches. 
Harry  Fields  and  our  pastor,  Russell 
Showalter,  were  delegates  to  Annual 
Conference.  During  January  we  held 
a  school  of  missions.  Our  youth  spon- 
sored an  all-day  prayer  vigil  at  the  be- 
ginning of  Lent.  Our  men's  chorus 
visited  the  Orlando  church.  We  held 
fifteen  fireside  meetings  during  the 
Lenten  season.  Two  family  night 
g  services    were    held    since    the   first    of 

I  the  year.  We  have  decided  to  enter 
the  "earn  and  serve"  program  again 
I  this  summer.  We  had  an  Easter  sun- 
I  rise  service  and  breakfast  at  Camp 
I  Ithiel.  Our  men's  fellowship  has  co- 
operated in  organizing  a  united  church- 
men's  chapter   in   our    city.     We   have 

I  held  two  meetings  at  which  we  dis- 
cussed proper  Sunday  observance.  Our 
June  daily  vacation  Bible  school  this 
year  was  held  in  the  evenings  and  in- 

I  eluded  all  ages.    Our  women's  fellow- 

:  ship  lodged  and  gave  breakfast  to  the 
Polish    exchange   party    of   thirteen   on 

i  April  12.  —  Mrs.  Olive  Brallier,  Orlando, 

iFla. 

Middle  Maryland 

Welsh  Run  —  We  met  in  council  with 
Elder  Clarence  Hunsberger  presiding. 
We  elected  Bro.  Edward  Hunsberger 
to  the  office  of  deacon.  We  held  our 
love  feast  on  May  28.  D.  E.  Pepple 
|  was  guest  speaker  for  our  revival.  Four 
were  received  by  baptism.  Bro.  Ira 
Petre,  a  missionary  to  Nigeria,  gave  a 
talk  on  his  work.  —  John  D.  Martin, 
Mercersburg,  Pa. 

First  Virginia 

Roanoke,  Ninth  Street  —  We  had  our 
first  joint  life  and  leadership  school 
with  Central  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
A  deputation  team  from  Bridgewater 
College  presented  a  program  of  vocal 
and  instrumental  music  and  speaking. 
Emerson  Fike  explained  the  Call  to 
Discipleship  program.  Earl  Woodward, 
missionary  to  Africa,  shared  with  us 
the  experiences  and  the  work  he  did  in 
Nigeria.  A  school  of  missions  was  held 
during  the  month  of  February.  The 
program  featured  speakers,  audio- 
visuals,  and  other  types  of  programs  to 
aid  our  understanding  of  Africa  and 
the  tasks  of  missions.  Carroll  Ring- 
gold conducted  our  pre-Easter  service. 
A  cantata  was  given  by  our  three  choirs 
on  Easter  night.  Farewell  parties  were 
given  by  the  Homebuilder's  class  and 
the  choir  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  Eller. 
Mr.  Eller  has  accepted  the  pastorate  of 
a  church  in  Fruitland,  Idaho.  Our 
mother-daughter  banquet  was  held  at 
the  Peters  Creek  church.  —  Mrs.  J.  R. 
Flora,  Roanoke,  Va. 

Northern  Virginia 

Round  Hill  —  Since  our  last  report, 
our  new  church  house  was  built  and 
now  is  being  used  for  worship  and  Sun- 
day school.  On  April  10,  1960,  the 
church  house  was  dedicated  with  Paul 

JULY  2,  1960 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  HOME 

Northeastern  Ohio  District 
Wooster,  Ohio 

CHURCH       BUILDING       BONDS 

$200,000  to  construct  the  first  unit  of  a 
modern  "retirement"  home  for  our  senior 
citizens    on    25    acres    at    Wooster,    Ohio. 


FIVE 


5 


PERCENT 


Coupons  payable  semi-annually  at  any  bank. 
Bonds   to  begin  July    1,    1960 

For  information  write  to: 

Mr.  HAROLD  STEINER,  Bond  Chairman 
950  W.  Liberty  St. 
Wooster,  Ohio. 


RECREATION 


AND  THE  LOCAL  CHURCH 

Edited  by: 

Frances  Clemens,  Robert  Tully,  Ed  Crill 

Written  in  simple,  readable  style  the  material  in  this  book  offers 
sound  principles  and  leadership  techniques  for  anyone  who  plans 
and  directs  leisure  time,  club  and  fellowship  groups  and  class 
activities.  The  book  may  be  used  as  a  textbook  for  courses  in 
church  recreation,  as  a  guide  and  counsel  to  pastors  and  Christian 
education  directors.  Age  group  leaders  will  find  this  a  valuable 
tool  in  planning  for  a  stronger  Christian  fellowship  program 
through  the  use  of  a  sound  recreation  program  in  the  local  church. 
Recommended  for  every  library.  $2.75 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES 
Elgin,  Illinois 


H.  Bowman  delivering  the  morning  and 
afternoon  sermons.  Following  the  dedi- 
cation, a  week's  revival  was  conducted 
by  A.  Ray  Showalter  of  Bridgewater, 
Va.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  six 
were  baptized  and  seven  received  by 
letter.  On  Easter  evening  we  held  our 
Lord's  Supper.  The  old  log  building 
has  been  moved  away  and  the  grounds 
are  being  graded  for  a  parking  lot  and 
a  church  lawn.  The  women's  fellow- 
ship has  been  busy  under  the  leadership 
of  the  president,  Mrs.  John  Moore.  The 
CBYF  furnished  the  youth  Sunday- 
school  room.  The  Earl  Riggleman 
family  furnished  the  new  nursery. 
Ellsworth  Stickley  and  James  Riggle- 
man made  and  installed  in  the  new 
church  house  a  stereophonic  sound 
system.    We  had  vacation  Bible  school, 


June    13-19.  —  Mrs.    Glenna    Showalter, 
Woodstock,  Va. 

Second  Virginia 
Moscow  —  The  CBYF  sponsored  a 
film,  In  His  Name,  as  one  of  their 
Sunday  evening  programs.  Bro.  Donald 
Clague  brought  the  message  at  the  in- 
stallation services  for  the  new  CBYF 
officers.  The  homemaker's  class  spon- 
sored a  film  on  Palm  Sunday  entitled  I 
Beheld  His  Glory.  The  women's  fel- 
lowship has  been  knotting  comforters. 
Their  mission  study  was  held  during  the 
month  of  February.  They  also  collected 
clothing  for  overseas  and  did  relief 
sewing.  The  men's  fellowship  has  built 
an  attractive  church  sign  near  the  high- 
way. They  are  planning  to  build  two 
hogans   for   the    new    Brethren    Woods 

31 


PEWS,  PULPIT*  CHANCEL 

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P.  O Zone  State  

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sented  an  Easter  cantata  with  special 
music  by  the  choir.  At  the  community 
Easter  program  Rev.  Joseph  Kidd  was 
guest  speaker.  The  CBYF  group  elected 
as  their  counselors  for  the  year  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Afton  Malick  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W.  E.  Hamilton.  They  helped  paint 
the  church  basement.  The  church  col- 
lected five  duffle  bags  of  used  clothing. 
—  Mrs.  Ralph  R.  Combs,  Augusta,  W. 
Va. 


camp.  Our  communion  service  was  ob- 
served on  Good  Friday  with  Bro.  Sam 
Harley  as  guest  speaker.  —  Mrs.  Alice 
Gardner,  Mt.  Solon,  Va. 

Southern  Virginia 

Brick  —  Roy  K.  Miller  and  Ira  Petre, 
missionary  on  furlough  from  Africa, 
have  been  guest  speakers.  In  the  ab- 
sence of  our  pastor,  Kermit  Flora 
brought  the  morning  message.  A  school 
of  missions  on  Africa  was  set  up  for 
various  groups  during  January.  Several 
attended  the  district  leadership  train- 
ing conference  at  the  Bassett  church. 
Our  pastor  taught  a  class  at  the  Bethany 
Biblical  Seminary  extension  school. 
The  Boy  Scouts  attended  in  a  body  on 
Boy  Scout  Sunday  and  three  partici- 
pated in  the  opening  services.  Pre- 
Easter  services  were  conducted  by  the 
pastor  with  communion  on  Easter  night. 
Our  elder,  J.  B.  Peters,  officiated.  Dele- 
gates to  Annual  Conference  were  Polly 
Flora  and  Bobby  Anderson.  Marshall 
Flora  represented  the  district  on  Stand- 
ing Committee.  Construction  on  our 
new  educational  addition  will  start  in 
the  near  future.  —  Mrs.  Levi  T.  Angle, 
Wirtz,  Va. 

Spray  —  Earl  Woodward,  missionary 
to  Africa,  was  a  guest  speaker.  Mrs. 
Anna  B.  Mow,  former  missionary  to 
India,  brought  us  messages  on  March 
12-13.  On  Easter  morning  we  had  a 
fellowship  breakfast  and  worship  fol- 
lowing the  sunrise  service.  The  young 
adults  of  the  district  met  for  their  spring 
banquet  in  our  church.  Five  of  our 
young  people  attended  the  youth  round 
table  at  Bridgewater  College.  —  Mrs. 
Sam  B.  Thomas,  Leaksville,  N.  C. 

First  West  Virginia 

Tear  Coat  —  Installation  services  for 
our  new  pastor,  W.  E.  Hamilton,  were 
conducted  by  Owen  Stultz.  Herman 
Freeland  is  our  new  moderator.  The 
Hamiltons  and  Mrs.  Bertie  Wolford 
were  our  delegates  for  district  confer- 
ence. The  women's  fellowship  bought 
and  sewed  two  dozen  cut  garments  and 
collected  a  box  of  seeds  for  overseas. 
Our  church  was  host  to  the  two  mixed 
quartets  from  Bridgewater  College.  The 
women's  fellowship  participated  in  the 
community  World  Day  of  Prayer.  The 
junior   high   Sunday   school   class   pre- 

32 


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troductory articles  give  the  back- 
ground and  essential  message  of 
each  book. 

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CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  I1L 


GOSPEL  MESSENGEB 


CAutcA erf ck<&Me£n/ieas 


MESSENGER 


JULY  9.  1960 


New  Trends  in  Church  Architecture 

Churches  can  he  functional  and 

beautiful,  well  equipped  to  carry  out 

their  essential  tasks,  says  Arthur  L. 

Dean,  church  building  counselor. 


Meet  the  Mercados  of  Castaner 

Introducing  Ramon,  Catalina,  and  their 
sons  and  daughters,  typical  of  the  new 
leadership  in  a  Puerto  Rican  church 
and  community.   By  John  Forbes  and 
Kermon  Thomason. 


What  Makes  a  Marriage  Happy  ? 

A  counselor  suggests  some  conditions 

that  are  almost  always  present  in 

successful  marriages. 


The  Purpose  of  Life 

is  best  expressed  in  terms  of  sacrifice 
and  service,  according  to  Kenneth  R. 
Walker. 


Gospel  Messenger  READERS    WRITE 

Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


to   the   editor 


« 


KENNETH  MORSE Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and  , 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
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Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JULY  9,  1960 
Volume  109  Number  28 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

A   Look   at   the    State   of   Church    Ex- 
tension         5 

The  General  Forum  — 

The  Purpose  of  Life.   Kenneth  R.  Walker  3 

The  Church  and  the  City 4 

New   Trends    in   Church    Architecture. 

Arthur  Dean    6 

Whai  Makes  a  Marriage  Happy?  ...  10 
Meet  the  Mercados   of   Castaner. 

John  Forbes  and  Kermon  Thomason  12 
The  Oldest  City  in  the  World. 

David  J.  Wieand   15 

Castaner  Hospital  Dedicated    18 

Two     New     Churches     Organized     in 

Nigeria      21 

Virginia  Brethren  Wins  Farm  Honor  .  21 

Maple  Grove  Centennial   22 

The   Summer  Pastoral   Program    22 

A  Church  Is  Born 22 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books   23 

News  — 

Kingdom    Gleanings     16 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    25 

Church  News    29 


Walter  Dinsdale,  member  of  the 
Canadian  Parliament:  "The  man  who 
repudiates  religion,  interprets  human 
life  in  completely  materialistic  terms, 
and  continues  to  talk  of  justice  and 
liberty  is  acting  on  conclusions  that 
have  no  base  in  his  premises.  He  is 
living  on  spiritual  capital  to  which  he 
has  lost  title.  Government  of  the  peo- 
ple, by  the  people,  and  for  the  people 
can  only  survive  as  individuals  can  re- 
echo the  pledge  of  the  saints,  "God 
shall  have  all  there  is  of  me." 


Do  We  Need  the  Brethren? 

When  our  fathers  founded  our 
church,  other  religions  generally 
agreed  that  "a  Christian"  need  not 
be  different  in  actual  conduct  from 
"the  world."  The  Bible  test  of  sal- 
vation was  ignored.  Holiness  was  a 
matter  of  water  and  of  rote  rather 
than  a  way  of  life.  "Holy"  men 
often  were  slaves  of  their  passions. 
"Christians"  united  with  atheists  to 
promote  "holy"  wars  until  the  land 
was  decimated  and  drenched  with 
blood.  The  leading  churches  strove 
after  unity,  power,  and  possessions, 
rather  than  after  sincere  faith,  love, 
and  obedience  which  lead  to  holi- 
ness in  the  sight  of  God  through 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

In  those  times  the  Brethren  urged 
men  to  read  the  Bible  for  them- 
selves, to  give  themselves  to  Christ, 
and  to  let  the  Holy  Spirit  lead  them 
into  a  holy  life.  "Pietists,"  their 
neighbors  called  them  —  peculiar 
people  who  would  not  drink  with 
them,  speak  profanely,  love  promis- 
cuously, or  live  casually  like  ordinary 
people.  Still  they  were  salt  in  a 
festering,   rotten   world. 

Today  there  is  a  great  contest 
among  the  popular  religions  to  con- 
coct and  advertise  the  most  plausible 
theology  to  excuse  the  largest  num- 
ber of  sins.  "Surely  sin  is  wrong; 
but  come  to  us  and  keep  getting  it 
forgiven";  "Join  us  and  have  a  king- 
sized  emotional  experience;  then  it 
will  not  matter  how  you  live"; 
"Don't  bother  about  your  sins.  If 
God  wants  you  righteous  he'll  make 
you  righteous.  Maybe  you'll  act  bet- 
ter tomorrow."  The  group  which 
cooks  up  the  best  excuse  for  sin 
will  get  the  most  people,  and  money, 
and  power. 

War  is  wrong  of  course,  yet  do 
we  dare  to  preach  that  Jesus  was 
right  and  it  is  more  dangerous  to 
believe  in  war  than  it  is  to  have 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ? 

The  world  hasn't  changed  a  great 
deal,  but  the  Brethren  have.  We've 
gone  to  town,  and  we  have  been 
convinced  that  just  to  mix  with  oth- 
ers —  no  matter  how  little  we  influ- 
ence them  spiritually,  or  how 
adversely  they  affect  us  —  is  a  holy 
project.  There  is  a  growing  belief 
that  "togetherness"  is  more  impor- 
tant than  careful  obedience  to 
Christ. 

Still  there  is  reason  to  hope  that 


the  truth  about  Christ  and  his  word,; 
which  our  fathers  preached,  shall  not' 
cease  from  the  earth,  even  if  thei 
time  comes  when  someone  else  has 
to  preach  it.  -  Roy  White,  217  S. 
Gables  Blvd.,  Wheaton,  Illinois. 

Strong  Support 

On  June  28,  1960,  I  will  reach 
sixty-four  years  in  the  ministry. 
There  were  six  of  us  boys  and  father 
had  always  said  that  he  didn't  want; 
any  of  his  boys  to  be  a  minister. 
It  was  too  hard.  Those  were  the 
days  when  you  preached  without 
any  financial  support. 

The  council  meeting  was  at  fa- 
ther's house.  I  felt  months  before 
that  I  would  be  one  of  those  selected. 
When  my  father  came  to  give 
his  choice,  he  said,  "I  am  to  know 
no  man  after  the  flesh.  My  choice 
is  Ira."  This  has  been  one  of  my 
strong  supports  during  these  years.  — 
Ira  Snavely,  R.  1,  Vermontville, 
Mich. 

Needed:    A  New  Reformation 

Some  400  years  ago  Martin  Luther 
dared  to  challenge  the  all-powerful 
Roman  Church,  and  thus  he  started 
a  reformation  founded  on  the  princi 
pie  that  man  is  justified  by  faith. 

Unfortunately,  the  Protestant 
movement  soon  became  splintered 
by  petty  doctrinal  differences.  S 
intent  have  many  of  these  groups 
been  on  their  differences  that  the 
real  purpose  of  Christ's  universa 
church  has  all  but  been  forgotten.  Ir 
fact,  Christianity  has  often  beer 
presented  to  the  prospective  conver 
of  pagan  lands  in  such  a  way  tha 
he  has  been  confused. 

We  need  a  new  reformation,  s 
reformation  that  puts  the  emphasi 
where  it  belongs  —  on  seeking  an< 
saving  the  lost  and  giving  help  ti 
the  least  of  these  in  His  name.  N< 
one  at  the  pearly  gate  will  ask  fo 
our  denominational  letter,  how  w 
were  baptized,  or  how  we  kept  th 
ordinances.  But  we  have  Christ' 
word  that  we  cannot  even  ente 
heaven  unless  we  deny  ourselves  an- 
take  up  our  cross  daily  for  him. 

Yes,  we  need  a  new  reformatioi 
and  there  is  some  evidence  in  th 
union  of  many  churches  that  we  ai 
in  the  midst  of  one.  But  progress 
much  too  slow  when  we  consider  tr 
darkening  clouds  of  ungodliness  boi 
at  home  and  abroad.  —  Virgil  Marti: 
Fresno,  Calif. 

GOSPEL   MESSENGJs 


Despair  and  emptiness 
are  the  end  of 
those  who  do 
not  realize 


;.*:':;:*.. 

W^^^^^ 


Devaney 


M 


ANY  of  the  reasons  that 
ttuman  beings  give,  or  demon- 
strate   by    their    actions,    for 
iving  are  not  worthwhile  pur- 
oses.     Acquiring   wealth   and 
ower,    or    killing,    destroying, 
nd   torturing    others    are    the 
j  Tiost  empty  of  goals.   Pursuing 
tt  ielfish  pleasures  and  satisfying 
^  gluttonous   appetites   are    like- 
„  vise  not  beneficial  to  the  per- 
son so  engaged  or  anyone  else. 
it)  5ven  the  goal  of  praising  God 
i  4  !s  insufficient  in  itself  for  living. 
el     I  believe  the  reason  for  man's 
ei,  existence  is  summed  up  in  the 
ij  iirst  verse  of  the  twelfth  chap- 
[a^i  er  of  Romans :   "I  beseech  you 
herefore,  brethren,  by  the  mer- 

A'^ULY    9,    1960 


cies  of  God,  that  ye  present 
your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice, 
holy,  acceptable  unto  God, 
which  is  your  reasonable  serv- 
ice." Thus,  man's  chief  reason 
for  being  on  earth  is  to  sacrifice 
himself  to  be  of  service  to  God 
and  man  and  to  be  content  in 
this  sacrifice. 

There  are  many  explanations 
of  Jesus  Christ's  death  upon 
the  cross,  but,  among  others, 
Christ's  death  demonstrated  the 
eternal  principle  of  self-sacrific- 
ing love  with  its  purpose  of 
saving  mankind.  As  stated  in 
John  3:16,  "For  God  so  loved 
the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten   Son,  that  whosoever 


The 
Purpose 

of 
Life 


Kenneth  R.  Walker 

believeth  in  him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life."  And  everything  on  this 
earth,  whether  it  be  man,  ani- 
mal, plant  or  insect,  is  a  sacri- 
fice for  something. 

Plants  are  sacrificed  so  that 
men  and  animals  may  eat  and 
in  order  that  human  beings  may 
enjoy  beauty.  Animals  are  re- 
quired to  be  beasts  of  burden  or 
sacrificed  as  food  to  feed  other 
animals  and  men.  Human  be- 
ings sacrifice  in  order  to  give 
birth,  food,  medical  care,  edu- 
cation, and  even  toys  to  their 
children.  Other  people  sacrifice 


time,  energy,  money,  and,  in 
the  final  analysis,  their  lives,  in 
order  to  be  of  service  to  other 
people. 

Every  life  that  is  lived  is  a 
sacrifice  for  something,  since  it 
must  inevitably  end  in  death. 
And  what  makes  the  sacrifice  of 
human  lives,  profitably  lived, 
even  more  significant  is  that 
they  are  consciously  given, 
whereas  with  animals  and 
plants,  their  sacrifice  is  inevita- 
ble and  unknown. 

Since  it  is  our  function  to 
sacrifice  ourselves  in  being  of 
service  to  our  fellow  men,  we 
should  do  it  gladly  and  to  the 
best  of  our  ability.  Here  are  a 
few  pointers  on  how  this  life 
of  service  can  best  be  accom- 
plished. Christ  probably  gave 
us  the  greatest  example  of  un- 
selfish service  and  sacrifice.  He 
dedicated  his  life  to  teaching, 
preaching,  healing,  and  com- 
forting those  in  need.  We  do 
not  have  to  do  these  exact  tasks, 
but  we  should  serve,  and,  after 
choosing  a  vocation,  we  should 
be  content  in  our  place  of 
service. 

Many  people  bemoan  the  fact 
that  they  made  the  wrong 
selection  of  a  career.  In  an 
interview,  Robert  Frost,  an 
American  poet,  recalled  that  he 
had  made  only  $400  in  his  first 
fifteen  years  of  writing  poetry. 
This  was  a  rather  small  amount 
even  in  the  days  when  he  was 
young,  but  when  asked  what  he 
would  have  done  if  he  had  his 
life  to  live  over,  he  replied  that 
he  would  have  made  the  same 
choices  again.  He  said  he  never 
liked  people  who  wished  they 
had  done  something  different 
with  their  lives. 

In  one  of  his  poems,  he  pic- 
tures a  most  unhappy  man 
standing  at  the  crossroads, 
knowing  that  whatever  road  he 
takes  it  will  be  the  wrong  one. 
Or  as  Jesus  put  it  in  Luke  10:62, 
"No  man,  having  put  his  hand 
to    the    plough,    and    looking 


back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of 
God."  Lot's  wife  is  an  even 
more  terrifying  example  of 
one  who  looked  back;  she  was 
turned  into  a  pillar  of  salt. 

If  we  stay  busy  being  of 
service,  we  shall  not  have  to 
search  for  happiness,  because 
we  shall  find  it  in  service. 

We  must  learn  to  forget  the 
unpleasantness  of  the  past,  and 
strive  for  the  best  in  the  future. 
Apostle  Paul  stated  it  thus, 
"Forgetting  those  things  which 
are  behind,  and  reaching  forth 
unto  those  things  which  are 
before,  I  press  toward  the  mark 
for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling 
of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

Each  of  us  knows  people  who 
spend  their  lives  bemoaning 
each  past  mistake  and  making 
themselves  and  those  around 
them  miserable.  They  too  make 
a  sacrifice  of  life,  but  it  is  a 
worthless  and  futile  waste.  The 
same  is  true  of  people  who  are 


full  of  hate,  greed,  and  preju- 
dice. Their  lives  are  miserable 
and  useless. 

If  we  devote  and  sacrifice  our 
lives  to  serving  others,  we  can 
be  content.  To  quote  an  ex- 
cerpt from  the  poet,  James  R. 
Lowell: 
"Not  what  we  give,  but  what  we 

share, 
For  the   gift  without  the   giver  is 

bare, 
Who   gives   himself  with  his   alms 

feeds  three, 
Himself,    his    hungering    neighbor, 

and  me." 

The  idea  expressed  here  is 
true,  but  the  line,  "Who  gives 
himself  with  his  alms  .  .  ."  has 
a  wrong  implication.  Everyone 
has  to  give  himself,  to  sacrifice 
his  life  for  something.  The  only 
question  is  for  what  purpose. 
We  should  make  it  the  worthy 
one  of  serving  others  to  the  best 
of  our  ability.  This  is  our  reason 
for  living  and  our  reasonable 
service;  and  if  we  do  it,  our 
lives  will  be  happy  successes.    ; 


The  Church  and  the  City 


THE  history  of  the  Church  in 
America  is  marked  by  two 
gigantic  failures.  She  failed 
at  the  beginning  of  the  century 
as  millions  of  men  and  women 
poured  into  the  cities  of  the  East. 
They  had  heard  that  in  America 
a  man  was  free  and  equal  under 
the  law.  But  when  they  arrived 
they  found  sweatshops,  discrimi- 
nation, and  prejudice.  Their 
dreams  and  their  hopes  were 
rudely  shattered. 

Who  should  have  been  there 
to  speak  for  them?  One  would 
have  expected  that  the  church 
would  have  been  on  their  side, 
helping,  guiding,  and  if  necessary 
fighting  for  their  rights.  Unfortu- 
nately the  church  was  either  too 
blind  or  too  busy. 

The  church  has  not  learned  her 
lesson  and  today  the  same  thing  is 
happening  in  the  large  cities  of 
the  North.  Migrants  are  stream- 
ing into  our  cities.  In  Chicago  it 
is  at  the  rate  of  3,000  a  month: 
Negroes,  Puerto  Ricans,  Mexicans, 
and  Southern  whites. 


Each  one  has  a  dream  which 
embodies  equality  before  the  law, 
the  right  to  work,  the  right  to  un- 
harrassed  voting,  the  right  to  the 
dignity  of  a  free  man.  Instead, 
they  find  discrimination,  they  find 
they  must  five  in  substandard 
housing  in  a  carefully  designated 
area,  they  find  their  children  must 
seek  an  education  in  overcrowd- 
ed schools,  they  find  that  skir 
color,  accent,  name  govern  wheth- 
er or  not  they  might  work. 

In  the  west  side  area  of  Chi- 
cago alone  forty-two  Protestanl 
churches  have  closed  their  doon 
in  the  past  twenty  years  in  th< 
face  of  changing  population.  Th< 
church  has  failed  in  its  responsi 
bility  to  these  people.  By  ou1 
failures  we  have  already  reaped  ,' 
grim  harvest:  broken  homes,  ju 
venile  delinquency,  crime,  prosti 
tution,  alcoholism.  And  over  al 
there  hovers  the  ominous  cloud  o 
sheer  unadulterated  hopelessness 
The  inner  city  is  one  of  the  bigges 
missionary  fields  in  the  world  to 

Continued  on  page  9 


Ir: 


OV; 


!f 


GOSPEL   MESSENGE] 


|tl 


A  Look  at  the  State  of  Church  Extension 


EDITORIALS 


WHEN  you  find  representatives  from 
every  district  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  together  in  one  room,  you  have 
Jan  excellent  opportunity  to  learn  something 
[about  the  state  of  the  church. 

It  is  the  calling  of  Standing  Committee  once 
a  year  that  brings  around  eighty  persons  to- 
gether in  sessions  prior  to  the  beginning  of 
Annual  Conference.  In  recent  years  this  body 
has  set  aside  their  first  Sunday  morning  as  a 
time  for  worship  and  intercession,  their  first 
Sunday  afternoon  as  a  time  for  inquiring  into 
the  spiritual  health  of  the  church,  and  their 
first  evening  session  as  a  time  to  consult  with 
the  General  Brotherhood  Board  concerning  the 
world-wide  program  of  the  church. 

In  advance  of  the  first  Standing  Committee 
sessions  at  the  University  of  Illinois  the  eighty 
plus  delegates,  including  nine  women  and 
several  other  laymen,  had  been  requested  to 
answer  four  questions:  one  concerning  hopeful 
signs  of  progress  in  their  districts,  another  con- 
cerning the  greatest  problems  in  their  districts, 
another  concerning  the  greatest  thing  their 
districts  can  accomplish  in  the  next  five  years, 
and  a  final  one  concerning  the  help  that  Con- 
ference or  the  Board  can  give  to  their  districts. 
The  five  regional  secretaries  presented  the 
reports  that  the  district  representatives  brought, 
calling  attention  to  trends  and  situations  that 
deserved  special  consideration.  The  districts 
overseas  were  also  given  a  chance  to  report  on 
the  state  of  their  churches.  Although  their 
problems  varied  somewhat  from  those  of 
churches  in  the  U.  S.  and  Canada,  there  were 
some  parallels  to  consider  —  as  well  as  some 
contrasts. 

In  summarizing  the  various  district  reports, 
this  year's  alternate  moderator,  Charles  Zunkel, 
Inoted  the  major  attention  that  was  given  to 
possibilities  and  also  problems  of  church  ex- 
tension.   Many  districts  could  report  that  new 
churches  were  being  started,  or  at  least  that 
surveys  had  been  made  which  showed  the  need 
for  new  churches.   A  few  districts  have  already 
launched    their    programs    for    starting    new 
churches  —  and  they  could  report  a  measure  of 
success.   In  some  other  cases  two  or  three  dis- 
tricts have  combined  their  resources  in  order  to 
support  new  churches.    But  many  other  dis- 
tricts, especially  those  with  fewer  churches  and 
"Ifewer  members,  could  only  call  attention  to  the 
)  opportunities  available  to  them  and  to  express 
|jj  the  hope  that  the  Brotherhood  could  give  them 
I  the  additional  help  they  need. 

.J,  JULY    9,    1960 


It  became  apparent  in  the  reports  and  in 
the  discussions  that  followed  that  many  dis- 
tricts were  not  only  limited  by  resources  but 
also  by  available  leadership  for  church  exten- 
sion. It  requires  experience  and  understanding 
on  the  part  of  church  leaders  to  plan  wisely  for 
the  substantial  growth  of  a  new  church.  The 
problems  are  not  all  financial,  although  the 
practical  problems  of  locating  and  providing 
facilities  for  a  new  fellowship  are  real 
enough. 

A  few  members  of  Standing  Committee  this 
year  felt  that  the  solution  would  come  if  the 
Brotherhood  Board  took  more  responsibility  for 
actually  locating  and  establishing  new  churches. 
But  many  others,  while  recognizing  the  im- 
portance of  being  able  to  borrow  substantial 
sums  for  church  extension,  believed  that  the 
chief  responsibility  for  launching  new  churches 
should  remain  with  the  districts.  This  view  was 
generally  supported  by  board  members  who 
were  present.  They  maintained  that  district 
leaders  are  closer  to  the  opportunities  and  in  a 
better  position  to  give  supervision  and  guidance. 
The  Brotherhood  offices  can  help  with  its  staff 
services,  its  office  facilities,  and  its  enlarging  of 
the  church  extension  loan  fund. 

In  late  sessions  of  the  Conference,  dele- 
gates had  an  opportunity  to  consider  a  plan 
for  realigning  and  combining  districts  in 
order  to  develop  them  into  more  efficient 
units.  Reports  of  this  and  other  business 
items  will  appear  in  the  July  23  Gospel 
Messenger. 

To  summarize  the  discussions  of  this  one 
aspect  of  the  state  of  the  church:  More  Breth- 
ren are  interested  in  and  concerned  with  church 
extension;  many  districts  are  too  small  to  be 
effective  in  starting  new  churches;  realignment 
of  districts  will  help  in  this  regard;  the  Brother- 
hood Board  must  give  increased  help  through 
loan  services,  financial  assistance,  and  general 
guidance;  new  churches  must  be  built  on  perma- 
nent foundations  if  they  are  to  last;  trained  and 
dedicated  leadership  is  absolutely  essential; 
church  extension  includes  the  strengthening  of 
existing  churches  as  well  as  the  beginning  of 
new  ones;  no  program  for  starting  new  churches 
will  succeed  unless  there  is  greater  consecration 
on  the  part  of  all  members  and  leaders,  better 
stewardship,  and  a  willingness  to  do  some  sacri- 
ficial and  pioneering  work  in  response  to  the 
commission  that  our  Lord  has  laid  upon  all  of 
us.  —  K.M. 


The  simple,  one-room  church  of 
the  past  is  giving  way  to  a  structure 
which,  though  it  may  have  the  same 
simple  lines,  is  designed  to  meet 
the  needs  of  an  expanded  program 


Luoma   (left) 


New  Trends 


I 


N  EVERY  era  architecture 
is  influenced  by  methods  of  con- 
struction, availability  of  crafts- 
men, supply  of  building 
materials,  and  many  other  fac- 
tors related  directly  or  indirect- 
ly to  the  building  industry.  This 
is  just  as  true  of  the  churches 
we  build  as  of  any  structure  we 
plan. 

Many  of  the  ancient  master- 
pieces were  constructed  of 
stone  or  marble,  the  only 
building  materials  found  in 
abundance  at  the  time,  and 
many  of  these  buildings  have 
withstood  the  elements  for 
centuries  because  they  were 
well   designed  and  well  built. 


Many  of  the  materials  at  our 
disposal  in  the  building  trades 
today  were  unheard  of  just  a 
few  decades  ago;  therefore,  ar- 
chitects were  limited  in  the 
freedom  with  which  they  could 
express  themselves  in  their  cre- 
ations. 

For  instance,  before  the  ad- 
vent of  steel  frames  and  re- 
inforced concrete  for  buildings, 
large  spans  were  impracticable 
and  costly,  and,  therefore,  the 
designers  were  limited  to  short 
spans.  The  popular  Gothic 
arch  and  style  of  architecture 
were  developed  mainly  because 
they  were  a  method  of  con- 
struction, a  way  of  spanning  an 


opening.  Because  this  style  was 
used  so  freely  in  church  design, 
we  rather  adopted  it  as  being 
an  ecclesiastical  form,  blessed 
from  on  high. 

During  the  past  few  decades 
many  new  materials  have  been 
introduced  to  the  building  in- 
dustry, so  many  in  fact  that  the 
architect  has  a  problem  keeping 
up  with  these  new  products  as 
they  make  their  debut  on 
the  market.  The  introduction 
of  these  new  materials  and 
products  has  had  a  great  influ- 
ence on  modern  architecture 
and  the  types  and  styles  of' 
buildings  being  developed. 

The  architect  is  always  alert 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


la 


Arthur  Dean 


urch  Architecture 


Bto  new  materials  and  ways  of 
■expressing  himself,  and  this 
pflood  of  material  at  his  disposal 
Hhas  given  the  designer  more 
mreadth  than  he  has  ever  ex- 
perienced before  and  lifted  his 
Khorizon  so  that  virtually  any- 
thing is  possible.  No  longer  is 
the  bound  to  crude  methods  of 
[(construction  and  limited  ma- 
terials with  which  to  work. 

This  new-found  freedom  has 
►created  a  revolution  in  the 
i  building  world,  and  some  ar- 
il chitects  have  gone  into  orbit 
I  with  their  imaginations  running 
pwild;  however,  most  architects 
phave  used  these  opportunities 


tiful  edifices  that  are  a  credit 
to  our  age. 

With  the  flood  of  new 
building  materials  has  also 
come  a  flood  of  new  methods 
employed  in  the  construction 
trades.  Modern  machinery  and 
new  methods  have  opened  up 
fields  which  the  architect  and 
engineer  alike  can  explore  to 
their  hearts'  content.  The  un- 
heard of  is  now  being  accom- 
plished. 

Bridges,  skyscrapers,  factor- 
ies, schools,  and  even  churches 
have  taken  on  this  new  look 
and  are  reflecting  in  their  very 
appearance  the  new  materials 


to  develop  functional  and  beau-     and  methods  of  this  fast-moving 

JULY    9,    1960 


era  in  which  we  have  discov- 
ered ourselves.  Steel  framing, 
reinforced  concrete,  prestressed 
beams  and  slabs,  vertical  lift 
slabs,  skin  construction,  panel 
construction,  and  many  other 
methods  of  building  have 
changed  design  procedures 
greatly  in  recent  years.  Alumi- 
num, glass,  plastics,  and  many 
other  new  materials  are  quite 
evident  in  the  modern  building. 

We  often  ask,  "Is  the  church 
going  modern  by  accepting 
these  new  styles  in  religious 
buildings?  Do  the  modern 
churches  have  the  same  atmos- 
phere as  our  older  churches, 
and  are  they  conducive  to  wor- 
ship? In  the  next  few  para- 
graphs we  shall  attempt  to 
answer  briefly  these  questions 
often  asked  of  the  designer. 

If  you  were  to  compare  a 
modern  building  with  an  old 
structure,  you  would  observe 
first  that  the  modern  building 
has  straighter  lines  and  less 
ornamentation.  There  is  a  valid 
reason  for  this.  Ornamentation 
and  carving,  or  "gingerbread" 
as  the  architects  call  it,  is  al- 
most prohibitive  in  our  day  be- 
cause of  high  labor  costs.  A 
design  which  departs  radically 
from  common  standards  in  the 
trade  is  bound  for  the  higher 
cost  brackets.  Designing  for 
economy  and  limited  budgets 
would  encourage  the  designer 
to  eliminate  first  all  unnecessary 
ornamentation  and  bric-a-brac. 

Beauty  is  expressed  in  purity 
of  design,  simplicity  of  detail, 
good  proportion,  and  wise  use 
of  building  materials.  Try  to 
think  of  the  most  beautiful 
building  you  have  ever  seen. 
It  will  probably  measure  up 
to  two  simple  rules  of  great 
designers  —  pure,  well-propor- 
tioned design,  with  depth  in 
contrast. 

Another  factor  that  has  in- 
fluenced design  somewhat  in 
recent  years  is  the  necessity  to 
conform  to  building  codes  and 


zoning  ordinances.  Because 
these  laws  are  stringent  and  are 
becoming  more  so  as  time 
elapses,  they  do  have  some  ef- 
fect on  the  modern  building.  A 
public  building  must  be  built 
almost  entirely  of  fireproof  ma- 
terials to  meet  the  standards 
required  by  local  and  state 
authorities.  This  eliminates,  for 
the  most  part,  wood  in  the 
framing  and  supporting  mem- 
bers. Incombustible  materials 
such  as  steel,  concrete,  masonry, 
etc.,  must  be  used  to  reduce  fire 
hazards  and  provide  fire-safe 
buildings. 

The  trend  in  new  churches, 
where  sufficient  flat  land  is 
available,  is  toward  the  one- 
story  plan.  This  type  of  build- 
ing eliminates  stairways,  which 
are  costly  and  also  hazardous. 
A  one-story  plan  makes  possible 
a  more  functional  layout  and 
one  that  provides  better  light 
and  ventilation.  Noise  can  also 
be  isolated,  whereas  stacking 
one  floor  over  the  other  always 
results  in  noise  problems.  In 
the  newer  suburban  develop- 
ments this  type  is  more  popu- 
lar because  it  blends  in  with  the 
ranch-type  residential  construc- 
tion and  presents  an  inviting, 
friendly  atmosphere. 

The  modern  automobile  is 
designed  to  meet  the  rigid  re- 
quirements of  today's  industry. 
Our  buildings  must  also  be  de- 
signed to  meet  the  requirements 
of  the  day  and  age  in  which 
we  intend  to  use  them.  The 
"Model  T"  Ford  no  longer 
meets  the  specifications  for  a 
modern  automobile.  The  one- 
room,  frame  church  building  no 
longer  can  meet  the  needs  of 
the  church's  program  and  serv- 
ice to  the  community;  so  with 
the  materials  and  methods  at 
our  disposal,  we  must  plan  and 
build  churches  that  will  chal- 
lenge our  people  to  greater 
service  than  ever  before. 

Some  misinformed  people 
have  the  idea  that  a  poorly  de- 


signed building  is  cheaper  to 
build  than  a  well-designed 
building.  The  opposite  result  is 
too  often  the  rule.  The  well- 
designed  building  has  been 
given  much  study  and  thought 
by  one  who  is  experienced  in 
good  building  construction.  The 
plan  has  been  designed  to 
be  efficient,  space-saving,  and 
functional.  The  materials  and 
design  have  been  chosen  with 
an  eye  toward  beauty,  perma- 
nence, ease  of  maintenance. 

Such  a  building  has  also  been 
designed  for  comfort  and  serv- 
ice over  a  long  period  of 
years,  for  churches  are  build- 


ings constructed  to  serve  their 
communities,  usually  for  many 
generations.  The  plan  should 
also  be  designed  for  growth  andj 
expansion  as  the  neighborhood 
and  congregation  grow  and  ex- 
pand. Many  times  the  architect 
can  save  the  church  more  than 
his  fee  in  lower  building  costs 
realized  from  efficient  planning, 
The  planning  and  execution 
of  the  mechanical  equipment  in 
a  modern  building  in  itself  re 
quires  the  skill  of  a  good 
mechanical  engineer.  Because 
of  the  technical  knowledge  and 
need  to  meet  building  code  re 
quirements,    it    is    no    longer 


possible  to  depend  on  volunteer 
help  in  these  fields  unless  skilled 
mechanics  are  available  in  the 
congregation. 

To  build  a  modern  building 
is  to  use  wisdom.  Why  would 
anyone  attempt  to  erect  a  build- 
ing that  would  be  antiquated, 
j  using  materials  and  methods 
that  are  obsolete  and  unsatis- 
factory when  better  materials 
I  and  methods  are  available  at 
no  extra  cost?  Would  we  go 
back  to  the  "Model  T"  or  the 
old  washboard? 

If  our  new  churches,  and  es- 
pecially new  Brethren  churches, 
have  taken  on  a  new  look,  this 
is  the  reason,  not  that  we  are 
I  going  modern  in  every  sense  of 
the  word.  Should  we  go  on 
dreaming  about  the  little  red 
church  by  the  side  of  the  road, 
or  the  little  brown  church  in 
the  dale,  and  expect  the  new 
churches  being  erected  across 
our  Brotherhood  today  to  look 
like  them? 

We  are  faced  with  a  greater 
challenge  in  the  church  today 
than  ever  before  in  the  history 
jof  the  world.  We  can  help 
[meet  this  challenge  with  mod- 
ern, functional,  well-equipped 
buildings,  designed  to  carry  out 
the  great  task  of  the  church  in 
administering  its  program  in 
communities  where  the  church 
will  be  the  only  source  of  Chris- 
tian light.  Our  religion  need 
[not  change  with  the  times  but 
Jwe  can  practice  it  in  clean, 
gwholesome,  beautiful  buildings, 
([erected  "to  the  glory  of  God 
jpnd  my  neighbor's  good." 

iThe  Church  and  the  City 

Continued  from  page  4 

day,  but  the  church  is  turning  its 
back. 

God's  cry  is  the  same  today  as 
yesterday:  "Whom  shall  I  send? 
'Who  will  go  for  us?"  Does  the 
Protestant  church  dare  to  reply: 
"Here  am  I.   Send  me"? 


THE  SENIOR  CITIZEN 


Owen  E.  Price 


> 


Reprinted  from  the  West  Side 
Christian      Parish      Newsletter 

ULY    9,    I960 


AMERICA  stands  at  a 
crossroad  today,  facing  a 
quiet  but  deadly  chal- 
lenge —  the  problem  of  a  vastly 
expanding  aging  population. 

A  half  century  ago,  three 
million  Americans  were  sixty- 
five  years  or  older.  By  1970,  the 
number  will  top  the  twenty-five 
million  mark.  We  have  dis- 
covered the  secret  of  adding 
years  to  our  life.  Now  we  must 
apply  our  skill,  ingenuity, 
knowledge,  and  resources  to 
discover  how  to  add  value  and 
wisdom  to  those  golden  years. 
This  is  a  challenge  for  everyone 
of  us. 

To  meet  the  challenge  of  the 
age,  our  physicians,  technicians, 
and  scientists  are  learning  more 
about  the  dangers  of  advancing 
years.  Medical  research  is  fo- 
cusing on  the  aspects  of  longer 
life.  Crash  research  programs 
are  being  carried  on  in  major 
diseases  such  as  high  blood 
pressure,  hardening  of  the  arter- 
ies, heart  attacks,  and  strokes, 
which  strike  persons  over  forty 
years  of  age  ten  times  as  often 
as  younger  persons  and  confine 
them  to  their  beds. 

However,  the  problems  are 
more  than  physical.  These 
problems  will  not  be  solved  by 
perpetuating  the  rocking  chair 
retirement  or  by  placing  old 
folks  in  homes,  but  rather  by 
integrating  older  people  into 
community  life  wherever  possi- 
ble. 

Everyone  who  gives  the  situ- 
ation serious  thought,  will  real- 
ize that  a  concern  for  our  senior 
citizen  is  well  founded  and 
progressively  developing  into  a 
critical  stage.  It  has  three  as- 
pects: (1)  physical,  (2)  finan- 
cial, and  (3)  emotional,  all  of 
which  are  as  serious  as  the 
spiritual    environment    of    the 


family  who  must  assume  the 
responsibility  for  the  senior  citi- 
zen involved. 

There  are  many  aspects  of 
the  physical  care  of  the  retired 
citizen.  He  or  she  may  be  re- 
tired in  fair  health,  but  needing 
something  to  do  by  way  of 
service,  or  just  being  needed. 
They  may  be  confined  at  home, 
needing  a  companion  who  can 
care  for  their  material  needs. 
They  may  need  a  home  because 
of  lack  of  funds  to  compensate  a 
hired  companion.  The  question 
then  arises,  Who  should  assume 
this  responsibility?  A  son  or 
daughter  may  wish  to  do  this, 
but  there  is  always  the  in-law 
to  be  considered;  he  or  she  may 
not  share  this  feeling  of  re- 
sponsibility. The  retired  person 
may  wish  to  go  to  an  older 
people's  home  but  the  children 
may  feel  this  is  a  disgraceful 
way  for  a  parent  to  spend  his 
declining  years.  Finally,  a  nurs- 
ing home  may  be  the  last  resort. 

The  emotional  and  spiritual 
phase  of  retirement  may  be  a 
test  of  our  faith.  This  is  when 
we  make  an  evaluation  of  our 
lives  as  to  schedule  and  plan- 
ning. However,  the  aged  need 
to  love  and  be  loved.  It  is  an 
imposition  to  make  a  baby  sitter 
of  grandma  unless  she  enjoys  it, 
and  maybe  the  joy  of  it  will  be 
worn  threadbare  sooner  than 
daughter  realizes,  because  of 
the  lack  of  physical  endurance. 
Grandpa  may  be  lonesome  for 
company  of  his  own  age  and  ir- 
ritable or  lacking  in  patience. 

These  conditions,  coupled 
with  a  feeling  of  obligation  on 
the  part  of  the  entire  family 
group,  may  make  for  a  tense 
and  unsatisfactory  atmosphere 
about  the  home.  Corrective  dis- 
cipline is  next  to  impossible  in 

Continued  on   page   14 


The  starry-eyed  bride  and  groom 
have  a  highly  romantic  idea  that 
married  life  is  a  state  of  heavenly 
bliss  that  goes  on  effortlessly  forever 


M 


DC! 


What  Makes  a  Marriage  Happy? 


THE  seven-year-old  son  of 
a  U.  S.  diplomat  was 
thrilled  when  his  family, 
on  a  foreign  assignment,  moved 
next  door  to  a  real,  live  prince. 
The  disillusionment  came  when 
the  boy  met  his  new  neighbor. 
The  prince,  it  turned  out,  was 
old  and  bald  —  and  divorced. 
There  was  no  golden-haired 
princess,  no  white  charger,  and 
the  pair  obviously  had  not 
"lived  happily  ever  after."  Sud- 
denly, the  books  he  had  read, 
the  romantic  stories  he  had 
heard,  were  all  lies. 

The  boy's  faith  was  no  more 
ill-founded  than  the  expecta- 
tions of  many  of  today's  soon- 
to-be-wed  young  people.  The 
happy  ending  is  American  folk- 
lore. Boy  meets  girl.  Boy  gets 
girl.  And  who  is  to  warn  the 
starry-eyed  youngster  against 
the  marriage  pitfalls  that  lie  be- 
fore him? 

Nelson  N.  Foote,  General 
Electric  sociologist,  points  out 
that  we  are  a  marriage-minded 


nation.  Our  marriage  rate  is 
high.  We  expect  happiness  in 
marriage. 

Yet  what  happens,  especially, 
to  our  most  marriage-minded 
group?  (Forty-seven  per  cent 
of  all  brides  this  year  will  be 
under  nineteen.)  One  third  of 
all  teen-age  marriages,  in  which 
the  girls  are  under  twenty,  end 
in  divorce.  Is  there  any  formula 
for  a  happy  marriage?  Are  you 
mature  enough  for  marriage? 

There  is  no  pat  answer;  each 
couple  is  an  individual  case. 
And  our  dynamic  society  is 
constantly  changing.  But  a  re- 
cent booklet  by  Marriage  Coun- 
selor David  R.  Mace,  published 
by  the  nonprofit  Public  Affairs 
Committee,  suggests  some  con- 
ditions that  are  almost  always 
present  in  successful  marriages. 

Reasonable  expectations. 
Many  young  people  have  a 
highly  romantic  idea  of  married 
life  as  a  state  of  heavenly  bliss 
that  goes  on  effortlessly  for  ever 
and  ever.   A  real-life  flesh-and- 


10 


blood  relationship  between  two 
ordinary  mortals  just  will  not 
stand  up  to  that  sort  of  ex- 
pectation. So  if  you  think  of 
marriage  as  a  sort  of  magic 
wand  that  is  going  to  solve  all 
your  personal  problems,  you  are: 
doomed  to  failure  from  the 
start. 

A  happy  childhood.  General 
ly  speaking,  a  mate  who  is  kind, 
considerate,  dependable  comes 
from  a  happy  home. 

Trust  and  confidence.   Many 
young  couples,  spoiled  by  in 
dulgent  parents,  are  inclined  to 
throw  in  the  towel  at  the  first 
differences  that  arise.  Compati 
bility  —  harmony  between  per 
sonalities  —  is  a  basic  ingredient 
in  the  successful  marriage. 

Good  sexual  adjustment.  For 
get  what  you  have  read  in 
books  and  seen  in  the  movies. 
Good  sexual  adjustment,  says 
Dr.  Mace,  is  "the  ability  of  two 
people  to  give  and  receive  love 
and  affection  through  all  kinds 
of  bodily  expressions  that  are 

GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


k 
k 


:ree  from  guilt,  fear,  and  shame, 
[t  means  outgoing  warmth  and 
reedom  in  the  whole  range  of 
your  feelings  .  .  .  the  capacity 
!to  enjoy  the  intimacy  of  belong- 
ing to  another  completely  and 
Bto  be  glad  to  meet  the  other's 
i  needs." 

Married  love  is  much  more 
Ithan  sex  attraction.  It  includes 
lithe  desire  to  cherish,  help,  and 
Icare  for  the  one  you  love.  The 
■willingness  to  make  sacrifices 
land  acquire  a  "we  feeling"  are 
jat  the  heart  of  a  good  marriage. 
One  New  York  social  worker 
■believes  many  teen  marriages 
ijare  not  so  much  spurred  by 
■young  people's  sex  drives  (a 
■popular  misconception),  as  to 
[win  independence  from  parents. 
iThe  desire  for  independence  is 
[natural  and  normal,  but  it  does 
[not  in  itself  make  for  a  happy 
[marriage.  Are  you  rebelling? 
■Or  are  you  planning  a  sound 
[future  when  you  think  of  mar- 
Iriage? 

Some  persons  are  better  mar- 
[riage  prospects  than  others. 
[From  accumulated  study  and 
[experience,  a  picture  can  be 
•drawn  of  the  person  likely  to  be 
ihappy  in  marriage. 
I  He  (or  she)  is  co-operative. 
[He  works  well  with  people  in 
^authority.    He  is  kind  toward 


Adaptability  and  a 

willingness  to  change  an 

attitude,  if  necessary,  out  of 

respect  for  the  feelings  of 

the  marriage  partner  are 

essential 


his  inferiors,  ready  to  help  any- 
one in  need. 

He  is  friendly,  he  treats  mem- 
bers of  the  opposite  sex  as 
equals.  He  is  at  ease  with 
people,  generally. 

An  unsatisfactory  marriage 
partner,  according  to  Dr.  Lewis 
Terman,  is  one  who  feels  in- 
ferior, tends  to  be  "bossy,"  does 
not  like  taking  on  obligations,  is 
a  bad  loser  in  a  controversy. 

To  care  deeply  for  another 
person  involves  a  sensitivity  to 
the  needs  and  desires  of  that 
individual.  Adaptability  is  es- 
sential, but  more  important  is 
the  willingness  to  change  an 
attitude,  if  necessary  —  out  of 
respect  for  the  feelings  of  your 
marriage  partner. 

A  regard  for  the  other's  pri- 
vacy and  individuality  is  also 


present  in  a  successful  marriage. 
Unity,  more  than  union,  is  the 
real  aim  of  marriage. 

Do  children  bring  increased 
happiness  to  a  marriage?  If  a 
marriage  bond  is  a  strong  one, 
children  will  further  strengthen 
it.  If  it  is  weak  and  insecure, 
parenthood  is  likely  to  aggra- 
vate the  difficulties. 

In  any  case,  children  repre- 
sent a  searching  test  of  the 
soundness  of  a  marriage.  Hap- 
piness comes  not  to  those  who 
pursue  it,  but  to  those  who  can 
forget  themselves  in  service  to 
others.  Parenthood  provides 
just  such  an  avenue  for  husband 
and  wife  to  travel  together. 


For  a  copy  of  the  pamphlet  by  David 
R.  Mace,  What  Makes  a  Marriage 
Happy?  send  25c  to  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois. 


If  the  marriage  bond  is 
weak  and  insecure, 
children  are  likely  to 
aggravate  the  difficulties, 
but  if  it  is  strong, 
parenthood  will  further 
strengthen  it 


JULY    9,    1960 


il 


f  trie  IVI 


dOJ> 


How  one  Puerto  Ricon  family  was  reached  by  and 
responded  to  the  helping  hands  of  Brethren  workers 


ONE  Sunday  in  1949, 
Ramon  Mercado  lay  sick 
in  bed.  Stomach  cramps 
seized  him  periodically,  dou- 
bling up  his  body  with  pain. 
Outside  the  sun  shone  brightly, 
and  he  could  hear  the  laughter 
of  his  children  as  they  returned 
from  Sunday  school  at  the 
Brethren  church. 

Ramon,  or  "Moncho,"  as  his 
family  and  friends  call  him, 
thought  to  himself,  "Can  this 
pain  be  caused  by  my  vicios?" 
Moncho  was  a  man  of  many 
vicios  (bad  habits).  He  was 
notorious  for  his  drinking,  smok- 
ing, gambling,  and  fighting. 
12 


Somehow  these  habits  had  got- 
ten the  better  of  him  and  it  was 
very  hard  for  Moncho  to  escape 
them  long  enough  to  keep  his 
growing  family  supplied  with 
the  essentials  of  life. 

Since  1942  he  had  been  able 
to  find  work  with  the  Brethren 
Service  project  in  Castaner,  for 
he  was  a  skilled  farm  hand  and 
the  Brethren  needed  help  on  the 
project  farm  and  barns.  Now 
Moncho  and  his  wife  Catalina 
lived  on  a  small  farm  that  had 
been  the  property  of  the  Cas- 
taner Church  of  the  Brethren. 
If  only  he  could  overcome  his 
evil  vicios,  perhaps  someday  he 


could  work,  and  buy  a  larger 
farm  to  care  better  for  his  wife 
and  children. 

Suddenly  the  children  burst 
into  the  house,  chattering  of  the 
new  things  they  had  learned  at 
the  Brethren  Sunday  school 
And  for  sick  Moncho  they  had 
brought  home  a  New  Testament 
for  him  to  read.  That  afternoon 
while  the  children  were  gone 
to  Sunday  school  again,  this 
time    to    the    Baptist    church, 

John  Forbes  and 
Kermon  Thomason 

Photographs  by  Thomason 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Moncho  pored  over  the  pages 
of  the  Testament.  As  Moncho 
says,  life  began  for  him  that 
afternoon. 

Soon  he  was  attending  church 
with  his  family  and  taking 
enthusiastic  interest  in  church 
activities.  Ultimately  Moncho 
made  a  profession  of  faith  and 
was  baptized,  later  to  become  a 
deacon,  a  Sunday  school  teach- 
er, and  a  lay  preacher. 

However,  his  new  interest 
did  not  stop  with  the  local 
church.  He  also  became  inter- 
ested in  community  affairs,  es- 
pecially the  local  consumers 
co-operative  and  credit  union. 
Today  Moncho  is  president  of 
the  local  credit  union  and 
spends  much  of  his  spare  time 
working  for  its  expansion. 

Today  the  Mercado  family 
looks  back  over  the  past  decade 
as  a  wonderful  period  of  prog- 
ress for  them.  They  can  point 
with  pride  to  their  eleven-acre 
farm,  which  Moncho  works  en- 
thusiastically to  improve.  It  is 
one  of  seventy-six  distributed  in 


Castaner  by  the  government  of 
Puerto  Rico.  Moncho  plants  two 
main  crops,  bananas  and  coffee. 
Although  the  Mercados  still 
live  in  their  old  home  in  Cas- 
taner, they  are  building  a  new 
home  on  their  farm  and  hope 
soon  to  be  settled  in  it.  This 
will  be  the  culmination  of  the 
dreams  of  the  past  ten  years 
since  life  began  for  Moncho  and 
Catalina. 

Moncho's  farm  work  does  not 
keep  him  from  his  devotion  to 
the  church.  He  spends  much 
of  his  time  in  evangelistic  work 
in  the  neighboring  community 
of  Guayabo  Dulce,  where  he  is 
assisted  by  his  daughters,  Bru- 
nilda,  Annie,  Iris,  and  Elisa.  To- 
day "the  little  flock,"  as  Moncho 
fondly  calls  his  group  at  Guay- 
abo Dulce,  is  at  the  point  of 
building  a  small  church  after 
having  met  for  several  years  in 
the  homes  of  the  members  of 
the  group.  This  is  another  one 
of  Moncho's  dreams-come-true. 

Catalina,  Moncho's  hard- 
working  wife,   shares   his   en- 


Moncho  is  president  and  chief  supporter  of  the  Castaner  credit  union 

JULY    9,    1960 


Brunilda,  the  pride  and  joy  of  the 
Mercado  family,  plans  to  be  a  nurse 


thusiasm  for  church  work  and 
community  improvement.  She 
is  very  active  in  the  women's 
work  in  the  local  church  and  in 
the  Castaner  Home  Demonstra- 
tion Club. 

Today  the  Mercado  family  is 
growing  up  and  becoming  scat- 
tered around  the  world.  Luis, 
twenty-seven,  is  serving  in 
the  army  in  Germany.  Pepe, 
twenty-four,  was  married  in 
May  and  works  in  the  newly 
established  small  funiture  fac- 
tory in  Castaner.  It  was  started 
with  the  help  of  the  Brethren 
Service  project,  and  has  made 
much  of  the  furniture  for  the 
new  Castaner  hospital,  built  by 
the  Brethren  Service  project. 
Enrique,  twenty-one,  works  in 
a  factory  in  New  York  City. 

The  pride  and  joy  of  the 
Mercado  family  is  their  seven- 
teen-year-old daughter,  Brunil- 
da. "Bruni,"  as  she  is  known 
to  her  friends  and  family,  grad- 
uated from  the  Castaner  high 
school  this  May  and  is  planning 
a  career  in  nursing.  Naturally 
the  many  friends  she  has  made 
among  the  Castaner  hospital 
staff  have  had  a  major  influence 
on  her. 

is 


™     1 


very  happy  over  having  won  a 
scholarship  in  nursing  at  the 
Presbyterian  hospital  in  San 
Juan,  Puerto  Rico's  capital. 
Bruni  works  parttime  in  the 
kitchen  of  the  Brethren  Service 
project  to  secure  funds  for  the 
expenses  of  her  education  not 
covered  by  the  scholarship. 

Annie,  sixteen,  will  graduate 
from  high  school  next  year  and 
she  too  plans  a  nursing  career. 
Both  Annie  and  Bruni  are  very 
active  in  their  church  youth 
group,  both  having  served  as 
vice-president  of  their  group. 

As  the  Mercado  family  sit 
around  the  table  of  their  home 
and  count  the  blessings  that 
have  come  their  way,  thev  testi- 
fy to  the  benefit  that  the  Breth- 
ren Service  project  has  been  to 
them  and  to  their  community  as 


Mirna,  the  baby  of  the  Mercado 
family,  spent  much  of  her  early  life 
in  the  Castaner  hospital 

The  Mercado  family  have  also 
been  the  grateful  beneficiaries 
of  the  hospital  through  the 
vears.  Moncho  and  Catalina  re- 
call many  crises  when  the  hos- 
pital came  to  their  aid.  There 
was  the  time  when  four  of  their 
children,  Annie,  Elisha,  Ismael, 
and  Amilcar,  all  had  kidney 
trouble  at  the  same  time  and 
had  to  stay  in  the  hospital.  And 
Mirna,  the  baby  of  the  family, 
suffered  from  a  congenital  heart 
condition  and  spent  much  of 
her  early  life  in  the  hospital. 

Today  Mirna,  who  is  now  six 
years  old,  is  healthy  and  happy, 
back  with  the  family  after  a 
long  period  of  hospitalization 
and  a  successful  heart  operation 
this  past  January.  The  opera- 
tion was  done  in  the  district 
hospital  of  Ponce. 

So  Bruni  has  decided  to  make 
nursing  her  life's  work.    She  is 

14 


Moncho  discusses  with  pride  his  new 
coffee  plants  to  be  set  out  on  his  farm 


a  whole.  Two  things  they  hold; 
up  as  the  greatest  gifts  from  the ! 
Brethren:  the  first  is  a  helping 
hand  in  times  of  great  need  and, 
second,  an  inspiration  for  find- 
ing paths  of  service  for  helping 
others  in  need. 


The  Senior  Citizen 

Continued  from  page  9 

some  such  situations  because  of 
the  disunity  of  philosophy  and 
action.  Let  us  all  adjust  our  at- 
titudes by  prayerful  considera- 
tion of  the  problem  and  face 
the  facts,  try  very  hard  to  be 
thoughtful  and  happy  in  the 
approach  that  seems  prudent. 
Dr.  Harold  Thomas  Hyman 
writes,  "Our  children  are  en- 
titled to  live  their  own  lives 
with  their  own  spouses  and 
their  own  children  in  their  own 
homes.  There  is  nothing  per- 
sonal in  the  origin  of  most  con- 
flicts that  arise  in  a  home  that 
shelters  two  or  more  genera- 
tions, and,  whether  it  involves 
economic  sacrifice  on  part  of  all, 
it  is  better  as  the  Bible  savs  'to 
eat  herbs  where  peace  dwell- 
eth  than  dine  on  stalled  ox  in 
the  midst  of  conflict.' ':  I  am 
confident  that  this  challenge 
will  be  met  by  the  help  of  him 
who  knows  and  cares  about  our 
every  need.  Let  us  love  objec- 
tively. 


Dr.  R.  S.  Garfield  Todd,  former 
prime  minister  of  Rhodesia:  "When 
the  white  man  came  to  Africa,  the 
black  man  was  so  far  below  him 
in  education,  culture,  and  talent  that 
it  was  easy  to  be  a  missionary  and 
assume  a  paternal  role.  Now,  how- 
ever, the  role  must  be  transformed 
to  a  fraternal  one,  a  relationship  be- 
tween equals,  and  this  is  a  very  hard 
adjustment  for  the  white  man  to 
make.  It  was  so  easy  to  be  a  mis- 
sionary in  the  old  days.  Now  it  is 
getting  rather  difficult.  Some  of  our 
natives  who  have  gone  on  to  uni- 
versities in  Britain  and  America 
come  back  with  better  degrees  than 
any  of  our  missionaries.  This  is 
sometimes  embarrassing  to  their 
former  teachers." 

GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


I  Old  Jericho  is  a  hill  today,  created  by  the  debris  of  successive  civilizations 


The  Oldest  City  in  the  World 


JOSHUA  fit  de  battle  of  Jeri- 
cho .  .  .  and  the  walls  came 
tumblin'  down!"  So  goes  the 
Negro  spiritual  based  on  the  fas- 
cinating story  of  the  Israelite  vic- 
tory as  found  in  Joshua,  chapters 
two  and  six.  What  does  archaeol- 
ogy have  to  tell  us  about  Jericho 
and  its  fall? 

"Archaeology  is  just  fascinat- 
ing!" a  student  exclaimed  as  we 
were  examining  my  small  collec- 
tion of  manuscripts,  vessels,  and 
potsherds  from  the  ancient  Middle 
East. 

I  was  holding  in  my  hand  a 
small  piece  of  plaster.  "This  is  my 
oldest  possession,"  I  said.  "This 
plaster  comes  from  Jericho,  from 
a  time  before  history  began,  that 
is,  before  mankind  knew  how  to 
write  down  the  story  of  its 
achievements.  Miss  Kathleen  Ken- 
yon,  the  British  excavator  of  Jeri- 
cho, estimates  that  this  plaster  is 
at  least  seven  thousand  years  old. 
That's  almost  three  thousand  eight 
hundred  years  before  Joshua  ar- 
rived on  the  scene!" 

JULY    9.     I960 


David  J.  Wieand 


"That's  longer  before  Joshua's 
time  than  all  the  years  since  his 
day!"  exclaimed  Bill. 

"Yes,  and  what's  more,  Miss 
Kenyon  believes  that  Jericho  was 
founded  about  eight  thousand 
years  before  Christ.  Let  me  tell 
you  something  of  the  story  of  Jeri- 
cho as  it  has  been  unearthed  by 
the  archaeologist's  spade. 

"But  first  of  all  let  us  look  at 
Old  Testament  Jericho  as  it  exists 
today.  Its  location  is  in  the  Jordan 
Valley,  the  deepest  rift  on  earth 
some  five  miles  west  of  Jordan,  six 


miles  north  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and 
about  seventeen  miles  northwest 
of  Jerusalem.  At  Jericho's  foot 
lies  Elisha's  Fountain,  site  of  the 
Old  Testament  story  of  the  purifi- 
cation of  the  waters  by  the  proph- 
et (2  Kings  2:19-22),  to  which, 
day  in  and  day  out,  peasant 
women  trudge  from  the  refugee 
City  of  the  Living  Dead  just  to 
the  north.  The  present-day  village 
of  Jericho  known  as  Er-Riha  lies 
to  the  southeast  and  Tulul  Abu 
el-Alayiq  (New  Testament  Jeri- 
cho) about  two  miles  south." 

"Old  Testament  Jericho  is  a 
tell,  that  is,  an  artificial  hill  cre- 
ated by  the  debris  of  successive 
civilizations.  It  took  more  than 
eight  thousand  years  for  the  some 
fifty  feet  of  debris  of  Tell  es- 
Sultan,  the  hill's  modern  name,  to 
be  deposited. 

"I  suppose  that  what  startles 
visitors  the  most  is  the  small  size 
of  this  important  city  of  the  Old 
Testament.  The  tell  was  never 
more  than  around  seven  and  one- 
half  acres  in  size.  So,  you  see,  I 
had  to  revise  radically  my  boy- 
hood imagery  of  the  army  of  Israel 
marching  around  Jericho.  It  was 
no  feat  at  all  to  march  around  the 
walls  once  a  day  for  six  days  and 
even  marching  around  seven  times 
probably  could  have  been  accom- 
plished within  the  space  of  a  few 
hours!  Nevertheless,  the  pageant- 
ry would  have  been  something  to 
behold  —  rising  at  dawn  to  en- 
compass the  city  seven  times,  the 
armed  men  were  followed  by 
seven  priests  blowing  their  ram's 
horns;  then  came  the  ark  of  the 
Lord  followed  by  the  rear  guard; 
at  the  shout  of  the  people  the 
walls  of  Jericho  fell  down! 

"Let's  turn  now  and  see  what 
archaeology  has  to  tell  us  about 
this  famous  city.  As  early  as  seven 
or  eight  thousand  B.C.  neolithic 
(new  stone  age)  man  decided 
that  this  site  next  to  the  spring 
would  be  a  good  place  to  build 
a  town.  Finding  that  it  was  possi- 
ble to  become  food  producers 
rather  than  food  gatherers  they 
gradually  began  to  grow  food  and 
breed  animals.  Their  implements 
and  dishes  were  made  of  polished 
and  ground  stone."  The  class  bell 
rang  and  Bill  rushed  off. 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


In  order  that  employees  in  our  printing 
plant  may  have  a  vacation  the  Gospel  Messen- 
ger will  not  be  issued  for  two  Saturdays  in 
August,  omitting  the  issues  of  Aug.  6  and  13. 
This  means  that  announcements  normally  in- 
tended for  these  issues  should  be  sent  to  our 
office  no  later  than  July  14  so  that  they  may 
appear  in  the  issue  for  July  30. 


The  Chinese  Fellowship  in  Chicago  had  a  dedication 
service  for  twelve  children  on  Easter,  the  first  service 
of  its  kind  in  the  history  of  this  group. 

Total  giving  to  Juniata  College  reached  a  total  of 
$230,145  for  the  college  year  through  commencement. 
A  major  share  comes  from  the  contributions  to  the 
Simpson  Memorial  Scholarship  fund.  The  alumni  had 
contributed  $79,541  by  the  first  of  June. 

Harrisburg  church,  Pa.,  is  eager  to  contact  young 
people  who  have  moved  or  are  about  to  move  into  that 
area.  An  effort  will  be  made  to  help  them  find  suitable 
housing.  Any  information  should  be  sent  to  the  pastor, 
Wayne  Zunkel,  219  Hummel  St.,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Loren  D.  Frantz,  pastor  of  the  Muskegon  church, 
Mich.,  served  as  general  chairman  for  an  interdenomina- 
tional community  census  of  an  area  containing  2,700 
homes.  With  the  support  of  the  county  council  of 
churches,  six  denominations  co-operated  in  the  program. 
Two  hundred  forty  callers  were  required  to  do  the  actual 
canvassing. 

Donald  F.  Durnbaugh,  assistant  professor  of  history 
at  Juniata  College,  received  his  Ph.D.  degree  from 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  June.  He  was  unable 
to  attend  the  ceremonies  because  he  was  on  his  way 
to  Europe  to  direct  a  study  tour  for  Brethren  Service. 
Brother  Durnbaugh  had  directed  the  Brethren  Service 
program  in  Austria,  1953-56. 

The  Youth  Workers'  Audio  Visual  Kit,  produced  by 
twelve  denominations,  including  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  recently  was  awarded  a  blue  ribbon  for  the 
best  series  of  filmstrips  in  the  religious  category  at  the 
American  Film  Festival.  The  set  of  filmstrips  has  been 
prepared  for  the  training  of  teachers  and  counselors  of 
youth  at  the  junior  and  senior  high  school  level. 

Bakersfield  church,  Calif.,  received  an  Award  of 
Merit  at  a  meeting  of  the  Greater  Bakersfield  Council 
of  Churches.  The  award  is  given  to  churches  which 
contribute  at  least  one  per  cent  of  their  operating 
budget  to  support  the  council  program  and  involve  at 
least  one  per  cent  of  their  membership  in  active  par- 
ticipation in  council  work.  At  the  same  meeting  Sherlo 
Shively,  moderator  of  the  Bakersfield  church,  was  named 
Layman  of  the  Year. 

16 


Eleven  bequests  totaling  $177,158  were  received 
by  the  General  Brotherhood  Board  for  world  outreach 
causes  the  first  seven  months  of  the  current  fiscal  year, 
according  to  a  recent  announcement  by  Harl  L.  Russell, 
director  of  special  gifts.  He  reports  also  having  received 
recently  copies  of  wills  from  three  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
and  North  Carolina  couples  which  provide  that  the 
Board  shall  share  equally  with  grown  children  from  the 
three  estates  after  the  death  of  the  parents. 

A  study  of  the  comparative  achievements  of  boys  and 
girls  is  found  in  a  new  pamphlet,  Freeing  Capacity  to 
Learn,  by  Paul  H.  Bowman,  Jr.  Girls  seem  to  do  better 
in  elementary  and  secondary  schools  and  boys  better 
in  college.  The  author  believes  that  deeper  studies  are 
needed  to  explore  the  baffling  differences  in  scholastic 
achievement.  Dr.  Bowman  is  a  member  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago  faculty,  working  on  a  project  in  the 
Quincy  schools. 

Mrs.  John  Metzler  has  been  elected  president  of 
the  "Malagnou  Wives  Organization"  for  the  year  1960- 
61.  This  is  an  organization  of  the  wives  of  staff  and  per- 
sonnel of  the  World  Council  of  Churches  and  related 
organizations  as  well  as  of  the  International  YMCA  and 
the  World's  Student  Christian  Federation,  all  of  which 
are  located  in  Geneva,  Switzerland.  John  Metzler  is  in 
the  Department  of  Inter-Church  Aid  and  Service  to 
Refugees.    The  Metzler  home  is  in  Northern  Indiana. 

Four  members  of  Brethren  college  faculties  are 
spending  the  summer  in  research  and  travel  abroad.  Dr. 
Henry  Hood,  of  the  Elizabethtown  history  department, 
will  spend  three  months  at  Oxford  University,  doing 
research  in  17th  and  18th  century  English  history.  Mrs. 
Austin  Fellenbaum,  assistant  professor  of  education  at 
Elizabethtown,  will  be  in  Spain,  studying  the  works  of 
a  Spanish  educator.  Dr.  Charles  J.  Miller,  lecturer  in 
Asian  studies  at  La  Verne  College,  will  attend  the  Con- 
gress of  Orientalists  in  Moscow  and  participate  in  the 
Congress  of  Junior  Sinologists,  a  group  which  deals 
with  the  systemized  knowledge  of  Chinese  culture, 
language,  and  literature.  Dr.  Dorothy  Collet,  associate 
professor  of  education  at  La  Verne,  will  visit  teacher 
training  institutes  and  elementary  schools  in  Czecho- 
slovakia, Poland,  Russia,  and  other  European  countries. 

Licensed  to  the  Ministry- 
Tom  Guthrie,  licensed  in  the  Santa  Ana  church, 

Southern  California  and  Arizona. 

Alvin  Mahler,  licensed  in  the  Boise  Valley  church, 

Idaho  and  Western  Montana. 

Audrey   H.    Smith,   licensed  in   the   Mt.    Pleasant 

church,  Western  Pennsylvania. 

Home-coming 

There  will  be  a  home-coming  at  the  May  Hill 
church,  near  Peebles,  Ohio,  on  Sunday,  July  31.  Dan  L. 
Blickenstaff,  pastor  of  the  Marble  Furnace  and  Strait 
Creek  churches,  will  preach  in  the  morning.  In  the 
afternoon  Ira  Meyer,  pastor  of  the  Flat  Creek  church, 
Ky.,  will  speak.  The  men's  quartet  of  West  Milton, 
Ohio,  will  bring  special  music. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


During  the  first  eleven  months  of  the  academic 
year,  14.5%  of  the  Bridgewater  alumni  contributed 
$30,284  to  the  college,  according  to  Jacob  Replogle, 
executive  secretary  of  the  Alumni  Association. 

The  Middle  Pennsylvania  Christian  education  com- 
mission and  district  board  have  leased  the  Girl  Scout 
camp  at  Blue  Knob  state  park  for  a  five-week  period, 
July  15  —  Aug.  20.  During  the  experimental  period 
local  churches  and  district  organizations  are  encouraged 
to  register  and  make  use  of  these  camping  facilities. 
Arrangements  are  co-ordinated  through  the  chairman  of 
the  camp  committee,  Ralph  Z.  Ebersole,  R.  1,  Claysburg, 
Pa. 

A  Great  Need  —  Your  Great  Opportunity 

A  prominent  Christian  organization  recently  sent 
out  letters  in  which  they  said:  "Our  only  limitation  at 
the  moment  is  finances.  Confidentially,  we  do  not  have 
enough  money  to  meet  our  bills  this  summer,  but  we 
are  going  to  accelerate  our  program  by  faith  because  of 
world  conditions."  Another  organization  sent  out  an 
appeal  stating  that  "as  the  temperature  goes  up,  the 
receipts  go  down." 

The  Brotherhood  has  special  need  of  funds  during 
the  summer  months.  At  a  time  when  the  activity  in 
many  local  churches  is  reduced  the  Brotherhood  pro- 
gram goes  on.  All  normal,  monthly  accounts  must  be 
met.  In  addition  to  this,  special  opportunities  exist  dur- 
ing the  summer. 

A  primary  expense  this  summer  is  involved  in  send- 
ing forth  "laborers  into  his  harvest."  The  Lord  has 
placed  us  in  very  strategic  places  to  witness  to  his  saving 
grace  in  our  world  of  desperate  need. 

During  these  summer  months  consecrated  workers 
will  be  directing 

•  7  European  work  camps  for  125  youth, 

•  a  peace  seminar  in  Japan  for  20  youth, 

•  a  work  camp  in  Ecuador  for  15  youth, 

•  3  European  peace  seminars  for  50  youth, 

•  an  Elgin  hospital  unit  for  25  youth, 

•  a  work  camp  in  Fresno  for  5  youth. 

36  summer  pastors  will  be  serving  in  churches  scat- 
tered from  Oregon  to  Maryland  and  from  North  Dakota 
to  Tennessee  and  everywhere  in  between. 

The  following  missionary  families  will  go  this  sum- 
mer to  begin  work  in  our  overseas  missions:  Jack 
McCrays  (India),  Wilbur  McFaddens  (Puerto  Rico), 
Robert  Lenkers  (Ecuador),  Dallas  Oswalts  (Nigeria), 
Charles  Lunkleys  (Nigeria),  Marvin  Bloughs  (Nigeria). 

Your  contribution  either  through  your  local  church 
or  a  special  gift  can  make  possible  the  answer  to  the 
prayer  request  of  our  Lord,  "The  harvest  is  plentiful, 
but  the  laborers  are  few;  pray  therefore  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  to  send  out  laborers  into  His  harvest."  —  Donald 
E.  Rowe,  director,  department  of  interpretation. 

The  Church  Calendar 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

July  10 

Sunday  School  Lesson:    Amos  Demands  Social  Justice. 

Amos  2:6-8;  5;  8:4-6.    Memory  Selection: 
Hate  evil,  and  love  good, 

and  establish  justice  in  the  gate.   Amos  5:15  (R.S.V.) 
JULY  9,  1960 


July  10-15  Southeastern  Region  conference,  Bridge- 
water,  Va. 

July  10-17  Western  Pennsylvania  pulpit  exchange  for 
district  and  Brotherhood  interpretation 

July  11-16  Central  Region  youth  leaders'  laboratory 
school,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

July  14-17  District  meeting,  Texas  and  Louisiana,  Fal- 
furrias 

July  15-16  Southeastern  Region  district  youth  cabinets 
training  conference,  Bridgewater,  Va. 

July  17-23  Human  Relations  laboratory,  Manchester 
College 

July  20  Middle  and  Western  Pennsylvania  women's 
camp,  Camp  Harmony 

July  22-23  District  meeting,  Western  Pennsylvania, 
Camp  Harmony 

July  24-29  Central  Region  children's  workers'  labora- 
tory school,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

July  24-30  Eastern  Region  laboratory  schools  and  work- 
shop, Elizabethtown  College,  Pa. 

July  24-30  Bethany  summer  extension  school,  Elizabeth- 
town  College,  Pa. 

July  26-28  District  meeting,  Southern  Virginia,  Chris- 
tiansburg 

July  28-30  District  meeting,  Eastern  Virginia,  Manassas 

Aug.  4-6  District  meeting,  Middle  Indiana,  North  Man- 
chester 

Aug.  5-6  District  meeting,  Northern  Virginia,  Mathias 

Aug.  9-11  District  meeting,  Southern  Indiana,  Pyrmont 

Aug.  9-11  Middle  Pennsylvania  women's  fellowship 
workshop,  Juniata  College 

Aug.  11-14  District  meeting,  Southern  Missouri  and 
Arkansas,  Springfield 

Aug.  12-14  District  meeting,  Northern  Indiana,  Camp 
Mack 

Aug.  15-18  District  meeting,  Tennessee 

Aug.  15-19  Study  Conference  on  the  Nature  and  Func- 
tion of  the  Church,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 

Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Owen  Preston  of  Burlington,  W.  Va.,  in  the  Tear 
Coat  church,  W.  Va.,  July  21-31. 

Bro.  Leonard  Carlisle  of  Troy,  Ohio,  in  the  Paradise 
church,  Ohio,  July  24-31. 

Bro.  Jonas  Sines  of  Oakland,  Md.,  in  the  North  Fork 
church,  W.  Va.,  Aug.  7-14. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Evergreen 
church,  W.  Va.,  Aug.  11-13;  in  the  Walnut  Grove  church, 
W.  Va.,  Aug.  14-21. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Eleven  baptized  and  six  received  by  letter  in  the 
Tacoma  church,  Wash.  Seven  baptized  and  one  received  by 
letter  in  the  Boise  Valley  church,  Idaho.  Eight  baptized 
and  seventeen  received  by  letter  in  the  Ladera  church,  Los 
Angeles,  Calif.  Three  baptized  and  six  received  by  letter 
in  the  Santa  Ana  church,  Calif.  Two  baptized  in  the  San 
Diego  church,  Calif. 

Eight  baptized,  four  received  by  letter  and  one  rededi- 
cated  in  the  Osage  church,  Kansas.  Six  baptized  and  one 
received  by  letter  in  the  Ottawa  church,  Kansas. 

Nine  baptized  and  six  received  by  letter  in  the  Marion 
church,  Ind.  Five  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in 
the  Nettle  Creek  church,  Ind.  Five  baptized  and  one  re- 
ceived by  letter  in  the  Lansing  church,  Mich.  Two  baptized 
and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  Midland  church,  Mich. 
Twelve  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter  in  the  Coving- 
ton church,  Ohio.  Three  baptized  and  three  received  by 
letter  in  the   Marion  church,   Ohio. 

Nine  baptized  in  the  Huntsdale  church,  Pa. 

Two  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  Long- 
meadow  church,  Md. 

17 


l!i 


Castcmer 

Hospital 

Dedicated 


Puerto  Rican  Governor  Marin, 
David  Blickenstaff  speak  at 
dedication  services.    Hospital 
a  symbol  of  the  brotherhood 
of  man 


EIGHTEEN  years  of  Brethren 
Service  in  Puerto  Rico  were 
climaxed  May  22  with  the 
dedication  and  official  opening  of 
the  new  Castaher  hospital.  An  esti- 
mated crowd  of  two  thousand  Puerto 
Ricans  and  continental  guests  gave 
standing  ovation  as  W.  Harold  Row, 
executive  secretary  of  the  Brethren 
Service  Commission,  accepted  the 
keys  to  the  hospital  and  turned  them 


The  new  Castaner  hospital,   a   $600,000   concrete   and  steel   structure, 
climaxes     eighteen     years      of     Brethren     Service     in     Puerto     Rico 


over  to  Ralph  Townsend,  director 
of  the  Castaner  Brethren  Service 
project,  expressing  his  anticipation 
of  the  day  when  the  ownership, 
management,  and  support  of  the  new 
hospital  will  be  turned  over  to  the 
community  of  Castaner. 

On  the  program  for  the  May  22 
dedication  were  many  notables  of 
insular  and  continental  reputation. 
The  Hon.  Francisco  Arrillaga,  prom- 


f 


- 


W.  Harold  Row,  executive  secretary  of  the  Brethren   Service   Commission, 
accepts  the  keys  to  the  new  hospital  from  Miguel  Sastre  Frau,   contractor 


18 


inent  Puerto  Rican  attorney  and  one 
of  the  chief  supporters  of  the  work 
at  Castaher,  served  as  master  of  cer- 
emonies. Besides  W.  Harold  Row, 
other  speakers  for  the  occasion  were 
the  Hon.  Governor  Luis  Munoz 
Marin  of  Puerto  Rico,  and  David 
Blickenstaff,  the  first  director  of  the 
Castaher  project  and  presently  work- 
ing with  the  United  Nations  in  India. 
Mr.  Blickenstaff  also  represented  Dr. 
Andrew  Cordier,  former  executive 
secretary  of  the  Brethren  Service 
Commission  and  now  executive  as- 
sistant to  the  Secretary  General  of 
the  United  Nations.  Although  slated 
to  speak  at  the  dedication,  Dr. 
Cordier  was  forced  to  cancel  his 
appearance  because  of  the  collapse 
of  the  Summit  Conference  in  Paris. 

In  his  speech,  David  Blickenstaff 
referred  to  the  tremendous  change 
that  the  world  has  gone  through  in 
the  last  fifteen  years.  "No  longer," 
he  said,  "is  it  possible  for  some 
people  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  indif- 
ference and  isolation  while  people 
elsewhere  are  victimized  by  poverty 
and  ignorance.  What  happens  in 
one  corner  of  the  world  may  tomor- 
row be  the  preoccupation  of  the 
rest  of  the  world." 

Thus,  according  to  David  Blick- 
enstaff, conflict  is  inevitable  because 
of  a  mixing  of  different  backgrounds, 
races,  and  cultures.  "The  future  of 
the  world  depends  on  how  soon  we 
can  digest  and  adapt  ourselves  to 
this  situation  and  the  resulting  con- 
flicts. Castaner,  though  a  small 
community  on  a  small  island,  cannot 
escape  the  consequences  of  interna- 
GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


I  Governor  Luis   Munoz   Marin   of  Puerto 
I  its    achievements.    He   feels   this   is  the 

Ijtional  relations  that  determine  the 
fcoutcome  of  today's  conflicts.  Cas- 
lltaner,  in  the  last  eighteen  years  has 
,lbeen  experiencing  the  adjustment  of 
jlpeople  of  different  backgrounds 
:|i  working  together  to  create  human 
|  solidarity.  Castafier  now  has  the 
I  exciting  experience,  common  with 
■the  outside  world,  of  people's  learn- 
Jing  to  live  together,  that  peace  may 
fjlbe  maintained  in  our  time." 
,|i  Governor  Luis  Mufioz  Marin,  in 
la  short  address,  praised  the  achieve- 
jpment  of  the  Castafier  project.  Touch- 
wing  on  the  religious  issue  in  Puerto 
(■Rico,  Governor  Marin  said  he  is  for 
\t religion,  but  away  from  the  schools. 
;lHe  said  that  a  good  way  to  teach 
.|jreligion  is  to  show  religion  in  action, 
I  as  it  is  done  in  the  Castafier  hospital 
:   project. 

Although  not  on  the  program  as 
I  a  speaker,  prominent  in  the  dedica- 
Btion  service  as  she  has  been  in  the 
|| history  of  the  Castafier  project,  was 
■  Dona  Ines  Mendoza  de  Mufioz 
j.  Marin,  wife  of  the  governor  and  one 
Tof  Castafier 's  chief  benefactresses. 
||Dona  Ines  served  as  president  of 
I  the  campaign  committee  for  raising 
|  J  funds  for  the  new  hospital. 

By  March  31,  1960,  the  campaign 
had  brought  in  $207,039.36,  the 
bulk  of  which  was  raised  among  the 
people  of  Puerto  Rico.  Twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  from  Church  of  the 
Brethren  CALL  funds  approved  in 
March  1958  provided  the  necessary 
assurance  for  receiving  Hill-Burton 
Act  government  funds  and  the  spark 
JULY    9,    I960 


Rico   praises   the   Castaner   project   for 
way  to   teach   religion,    through    action 

of  encouragement  for  the  Puerto 
Rican  fund-raising  campaign.  The 
total  amount,  including  government 
funds,  reached  $556,000,  leaving  a 
surplus  to  be  used  to  meet  unex- 
pected increases  in  equipment  ex- 
penses and  to  help  defray  some  of 
the  initial  operating  costs  of  the 
hospital. 

The  new  hospital,  from  its  prom- 
inent position  on  a  knoll  overlooking 
the  small  village  of  Castaner,  domi- 
nates the  entire  valley  scene,  and 
is  in  contrast  to  the  architecture  of 


the  rest  of  the  village.  The  concrete 
and  steel  structure,  painted  a  pale 
green  to  match  the  green  of  the 
Puerto  Rican  mountains,  is  built  on 
several  levels  of  the  hillside,  with 
spacious  rooms  and  corridors  and 
modern  quarters  for  the  hospital 
personnel.  The  thirty-four  beds  pro- 
vide the  nearest  medical  care  facil- 
ities for  about  20,000  persons  who 
live  in  this  mountainous  area,  some 
four  hours  drive  from  San  Juan,  the 
capital  city  of  the  island. 

The  hospital  has  a  medical  staff 
of  two  doctors,  five  nurses,  and 
fifteen  nurses'  aides.  It  operates  on 
a  yearly  budget  of  $70,000.  A  con- 
tract with  the  Commonwealth  gov- 
ernment brings  in  $30,000  annually, 
while  nominal  patient  fees  are  ex- 
pected to  amount  to  about  $13,000 
per  year.  Ralph  Townsend  is  ad- 
ministrative director  of  the  entire 
Castaner  project,  while  Dr.  Lee 
Smith  is  medical  director,  assisted 
by  Dr.  Tom  Hall. 

The  newly  dedicated  hospital  is 
in  marked  contrast  to  the  old  one 
in  which  Brethren  Service  personnel 
have  worked  for  almost  two  decades. 
The  old  hospital  was  located  in  CCC 
barracks,  when  Brethren  Service 
first  began  at  Castaner  in  1942.  At 
that  time  Dr.  Andrew  Cordier  was 
executive  secretary  of  the  Brethren 
Service  Commission.  The  early 
work  of  the  project  was  done  by 
Director  David  Blickenstaff  and  Dr. 
Daryl  Parker  and  Dr.  Carl  Coffman. 
The  first  operation  was  performed 
on  Aug.  17,  1942. 


W.  Harold  Row  greets  Governor  and  Mrs.  Luis  Munoz  Marin,  who  have  main- 
tained interest  in  the  Castaner  project.    Mrs.  Marin  headed  the  campaign  drive 


Although  the  hospital  has  been, 
through  the  years,  the  area  of  great- 
est achievement,  the  Castaner  pro- 
gram has  included  public  health 
service,  an  academy  providing  high 
school  level  training,  recreation  and 
adult  education,  an  experimental 
farm,  and  small  industries.  Prior  to 
1957,    the    Brethren    Academy    at 


Castarier    provided    the    only    high 
school  level  training  in  the  area. 

The  direction  of  the  program  has 
been  toward  community  direction 
and  support.  W.  Harold  Row  ex- 
pressed this  in  his  dedicatory  re- 
marks on  May  22  when  he  said, 
"While  this  hospital  technically  is 
owned  and  operated  by  the  Brethren 


" 


Winnie  Joseph,  a  nurse  and  a  BVS'er,  adjusts  the  lights  in  the  delivery  room 
of  the  new  hospital,  which  is  equipped  with  all  the  latest  hospital   appliances 


mm 


'"itA 


The  old  Castaner  hospital,  located  in  former  CCC  barracks 


20 


Service  Commission  of  the  General  ; 
Brotherhood  Board,  Church  of  the  ! 
Brethren,  we  regard  this  proprietor- 
ship as  a  temporary  stewardship 
held  in  trust  for  this  community.  All 
of  us  look  forward  to  the  day  when 
the  ownership,  management,  and 
support  of  this  new  Castaner  hos- 
pital will  be  turned  over  to  a  board 
of  managers,  representative  of  this 
community  and  any  other  appropri- 
ate interests  of  Puerto  Rico. 

"The  speed  with  which  this  can 
be  accomplished  will  depend  only 
upon  the  time  required  for  the 
Castaner  community,  with  its  rap- 
idly developing  and  able  leadership, 
and  with  the  continuing  help  of  all 
of  us,  to  train  a  responsible  manage- 
ment and  to  provide  an  adequate 
financial  support  base  to  guarantee 
an  increasingly  adequate  program  of 
health  services  for  this  wonderful 
community." 

To  the  service  workers  at  Cas- 
taner, the  people  of  Castaner,  and 
others  elsewhere  who  have  worked  . 
for  the  project,  May  22  will  stand 
out  as  a  landmark  in  Christian  un- 
derstanding and  brotherhood.  In 
the  words  of  W.  Harold  Row  as  he 
accepted  the  key  to  the  hospital, 
"In  the  spirit  of  brotherhood  may 
this  hospital  be  dedicated  today. 
The  hands  that  care  for  the  sick 
here  will  be  the  hands  of  love.  .  .  . 
The  skill  which  will  be  employed  , 
here  will  be  the  objective  skill  of 
science  which  knows  no  barriers  of 
race,  creed,  or  color.  May  this 
hospital  be  a  living  symbol  of  under- 
standing, a  symbol  of  the  brother- 
hood of  man." 

Men  for  Ministry  Meet  Sept.  11 

Enthusiasm  reigned  in  November 
of  1958  at  the  first  meetings  of  Men 
for  the  Ministry.  Since  then,  a  total 
of  4,621  men  have  been  reached 
for  the  Augustana  Lutheran  Church 
through  this  program. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Men 
for  the  Ministry  committee,  plans 
were  laid  for  1960  conferences, 
based  on  evaluations  of  the  1958 
series.  On  Sept.  11,  1960,  the  ninety 
districts  of  the  conferences  will  con- 
duct "M-Day"  sessions,  as  voted  by 
the  1959  Hartford  Synod. 

"The  call  to  the  ministry  must  be 
the  work  of  God,  the  Holy  Spirit," 
Secretary  A.  W.  Dickhart,  has 
stated,  "and  no  programs  of  ours 
can  take  his  place.  He  has  blessed 
the  efforts  of  his  servants  in  previous 
ventures,  and  we  proceed  with  the 
conviction  that  he  will  continue  to 
guide  and  bless  us." 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Two  New  Churches  Organized  in  Nigeria 


■  Two  newly  organized  churches, 
Yowa  and  Nggwa,  were  welcomed 
into  fellowship  at  the  Majalisa 
(church  district  council)  in  Nigeria. 
Two  more  will  be  organized  before 
the  next  meeting  in  October.  These 
will  be  Higi  churches  in  the  Mbororo 
area.  One  will  be  at  Brishishiwa 
in  April  and  the  other  will  be  organ- 
ized in  July  at  Moda. 

The  newly  organized  church  at 
Sura  was  the  host  to  Majalisa.  Nine 
miles  back  in  the  bush  from  the 
Shaffa  Station,  Sura  was  reached  by 
a  road  which  the  villagers  made 
especially  for  this  meeting,  enabling 
members  to  ride  in  the  mission  truck. 
The  road  was  constructed  over  some 
very  formidable  terrain,  affording 
some  exciting  and  thrilling  moments 
for  the  truck  riders. 

Sura  is  a  church  much  like  the 
rural  churches  in  the  United  States 
used  to  be.  It  is  not  in  a  village 
and  since  there  are  few  compounds 


in  the  immediate  area  of  the  church, 
grass  shelters  were  erected  to  house 
the  delegates. 

Guests  at  the  Majalisa  were  the 
father  of  Herbert  Michael  and  Mr. 
Ed  Smith,  Secretary  of  the  Churches 
of  Christ  in  the  Sudan. 

A  feature  of  the  meeting  was  the 
reading  of  the  history  of  the  Sura 
Church.  A  certain  man  named 
Macar  Hyelapila  (now  called  Ayuba 
—  Job)  went  to  Garkida  hospital  for 
treatment.  There  Pastor  Maisule 
and  Mallam  (teacher)  Linus  Tura 
told  him  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus.  He 
begged  that  they  send  this  message 
to  his  village,  so  Mallam  Linus  Tura 
went  to  Sura  to  begin  the  work. 
However,  he  contracted  tuberculosis. 
Mallam  Musa  Balami  who  followed 
him  stayed  only  one  year. 

For  six  years  Mallam  Yakubu 
Zoaka  led  the  Christians  at  Sura 
toward  a  church  organization.  He 
was  transferred  to  Zuwa  two  years 


Yakubu  Zoaka,  whose  leadership  at  Sura 
resulted  in   a  newly   organized  church 

ago  but  the  work  has  gone  on  until 
the  Sura  church  is  now  organized 
with  187  members. 


Nelson  Gardner  (center)  Virginia's  Outstanding  Young  Farmer 

Virginia  Brethren  Wins  Farm  Honor 


■  A  twenty-nine-year-old  Bridge- 
water,  Va.,  farmer,  an  active  layman 
in  the  Bridgewater  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  won  the  state's  Outstand- 
ing Young  Farmer  award. 

Nelson  S.  Gardner,  operator  of  a 
dairy  and  poultry  farm  at  Bridge- 
water,  received  the  honor  at  Wil- 
liamsburg, Va.,  at  a  presentation 
made  by  the  Virginia  Junior 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  was 
JULY  9.   1960 


nominated     by     the     Harrisonburg- 
Bockingham  Jaycees. 

Brother  Gardner  is  half  owner  and 
manager  of  the  255-acre  Riverside 
dairy  farm,  in  partnership  with  John 
B.  Wampler  of  Bridgewater.  The 
farm's  milking  herd  is  made  up  of 
74  Holstein  and  Guernsey  cows.  In 
addition  some  8,000  bronze  turkeys 
are  raised  and  a  flock  of  600  breeder 
laying  hens  are  maintained  on  the 


farm.  The  citation  presented  by  the 
Jaycees  commended  Brother  Gardner 
both  for  his  business  enterprise  and 
for  his  soil  conservation  practices. 

In  awarding  the  recognition,  the 
Jaycees  considered  leadership  in 
church  and  community  activities  as 
a  requisite.  Brother  Gardner  is  a 
Sunday  school  teacher,  member  of 
the  church  board,  and  men's  fellow- 
ship leader  at  the  Bridgewater 
church.  He  also  is  active  in  several 
agricultural  organizations  in  the 
area. 

While  joining  forty-nine  other 
state  winners  in  the  national  compe- 
tition at  Bakersfield,  Calif.,  the  Vir- 
ginia farmer  was  guest  of  his 
brother,  Orville  Gardner,  pastor  of 
the  South  Bay  Community  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  To  welcome  him 
to  the  area,  Charles  Deck,  deputy 
sheriff  of  Los  Angeles  County  and 
Church  of  the  Brethren  layman,  pre- 
sented an  official  scroll  bearing  the 
county  seal.  Brother  Deck  is  pic- 
tured at  the  left  in  the  accompanying 
photo,  and  Pastor  Gardner,  at  the 
right. 

The  four  young  farmers  who  won 
top  national  honors  came  from  Illi- 
nois, New  York,  New  Mexico,  and 
Wyoming. 

21 


i 


Maple  Grove  Centennial 


■  One  hundred  years  ago,  Maple 
Grove  congregation,  Ind.,  became 
a  separate  group.  Prior  to  1860  it 
had  been  one  of  three  mission  points 
within  one  congregation.  As  more 
people  settled  in  the  area,  each 
group  felt  able  to  continue  as  a 
separate  unit. 

As  a  part  of  the  centennial  ob- 
servance, three  special  emphases 
will  help  recall  our  Brethren 
heritage. 

The  first  of  these  was  on  April 
3,  1960,  as  a  prelude  to  an  evange- 
listic meeting.  We  observed  the  old 
custom  of  having  several  ministers 
speak  on  texts  read  from  the  Bible, 
a   custom   common   in   the   days   of 


the  free  ministry.  Then  several  min- 
isters lived  within  the  congregation 
and  usually  participated  in  the  Sun- 
day worship.  The  hymns  were  also 
lined  as  in  the  past. 

The  special  all-day  meeting  on 
Sunday,  June  26,  emphasized  the 
one  hundred  years  of  service  to  the 
community.  Russell  V.  Bollinger, 
dean  of  students  at  Manchester  Col- 
lege, North  Manchester,  Ind.,  was 
the  speaker.  Many  friends,  former 
pastors,  and  members  participated 
in  this  service. 

In  October  we  shall  have  a  second 
week  of  evangelistic  services,  point- 
ing up  especially  the  value  of  the 
Lord's   supper   as   practiced   by  the 


Church  of  the  Brethren.  The  meet- 
ings, Oct.  2-8,  will  come  to  a  climax 
in  an  all-day  preparatory  service  for 
the  love  feast.  —  Elsie  Ross. 


A  Church  Is  Born 

■  Some  concerned  persons  living  in 
Collinsville,  Va.,  began  calling  on 
other  Brethren  families  in  the  area. 
Out  of  this  visitation  came  a  meeting 
on  Aug.  27,  1958,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  William  Sweitzer  and  Rufus 
McDannel.  Attendance  at  this  meet- 
ing and  at  the  ones  that  followed 
was  good. 

The  next  big  step  came  when  the 
fellowship  moved  from  its  meeting 
place  in  a  store  front  building  to 
the  parsonage-chapel,  pictured  be- 
low. This  day,  Aug.  30,  1959,  also 
was  marked  by  the  installation  of 
the  first  full-time  pastor,  Wilmer 
Hurst.  On  succeeding  Sundays  the 
parsonage  was  dedicated  and  charter 
day  was  observed.  On  this  Sunday 
fifty-eight  persons  presented  their 
letters;  one  was  baptized. 


Summer  Pastoral  Program 


■  Thirty-six  student  ministers  are  serving  in  the  summer 
pastoral  program  as  administered  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board.  Listed  here  are  their  names  and  the 
churches  they  are  serving. 


Paul  M.  Basehore     Pleasant  Ridj 

H.  Jay  Bower,  Jr. 

Robert  C.  Bowman 

Phillip  Bradley 

L.  Gene  Bucher 

Kenneth  Byerly 

Elvis  C.  Cayford 

Charles  Cochran 

Barry  L.  Deardorff 

Robert  Dell 

Willis  Detweiler 

Glen  M.  Faus 

Darrell  L.  Ford 

Ivan  Gascho 

Beverly  Good 

22 


;e  &  Stone  Bridge,  Md. 

Bardesville,  Okla. 

Tire  Hill,  Pa. 

Iowa  River,  Iowa 

Carthage,  Mo. 

Klamath  Falls,  Oregon 

Erie,  Pa. 

Freeport,  111. 

McPherson,  Kansas 

Springfield,  Mo. 

Kearney,  Nebr. 

Verdigris,  Kansas 

Knob  Creek,  Tenn. 

Peak  Creek,  N.  C. 

Pocohontas,  Va. 


Glenn  Hassinger 
Ralph  Kester 
Richard  Livingston 
Haycock,  Cecil 
Ronald  K.  Morgan 

Robert  W.  Neff 
Leon  C.  Neher 
Jesse  C.  Pittman 
Joseph  Quesenberry 
Harvey  W.  Ressler,  Jr. 
Jimmie  Robinson 
Jimmy  R.  Ross 
Tom  Rotruck 
Dale  E.  Rummel 
Glen  Shively 
Wilbur  I.  Smith 
Roy  L.  Stern 
Fred  W.  Swartz 

Richard  L.  Valentine 
Gene  Ellis  Wenger 
Herbert  Zeiler 


Swan  Creek,  Ohio 

Mt.  Etna,  Iowa 

Ottumwa,  Iowa 

Meadow  Mills,  Va. 

Curriculum  Interpretation, 

Eastern  Region 

Leake's  Chapel,  Va. 

Milk  River  Valley,  N.  Dak. 

Brummetts  Creek,  N.  C. 

Martinsburg,  Md. 

Manor,  Md. 

Crummett  Run,  Va. 

Sangerville,  Va. 

Washington,  D.  C. 

Beaver  Run,  W.  Va. 

Selma,  Va. 

Minot-Surrey,  N.  Dak. 

Lewiston,  Minn. 

Curriculum  Interpretation, 

Southeastern  Region 

Cedar  Grove,  Tenn. 

Salem,  Kansas 

Bethany,  Mo. 

GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


A  dream  came  true  for  the  Buena  Vista  church,  Virginia,  when  open  house 
was  held  to  mark  the  completion  of  the  new  parsonage.  Located  on  the 
corner  of  22nd  Street  and  Chestnut  Avenue,  just  one  half  block  from  the 
church,  the  house  stands  as  a  monument  to  the  members,  pastors,  friends, 
and  community  who  have  waited  since  1910,  when  a  "temporary"  parsonage 
was  secured.  The  two-story  brick  building,  colonial  in  design,  was  built  by 
J.  G.  Campbell  of  Fairfield,  Virginia,  and  is  valued  at  appoximately  $25,000. 
It  contains  eight  rooms,  pastor's  study  and  church  office,  and  a  basement 
recreation  area.  The  office  has  a  private  entrance  which  makes  it  easily 
accessible  to  the  public.    The  present  pastor  is  Robert  L.  Byrd 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


Calm  Delight.  Elsie  Chamber- 
lain. Doubleday,  1960.  142  pages. 
$2.50. 

This  is  a  book  of  spiritual  gems  — 
selected  from  the  spiritual  writings 
of  many  men  and  women.  The 
meditations  are  prefaced  with  a 
phrase  or  lines  akin  to  the  great 
hymn  of  Thomas  Binney. 

There  are  thirty-one  divisions  — 
one  for  each  day  of  a  month  —  which 
are  written  to  stimulate  one's 
thought,  kindle  his  affections,  and 
fortify  his  will  in  the  things  of  God. 
The  content  of  these  pages  move 
one  to  want  to  "delight  in  God." 
It  is  a  rich  source  of  spiritual  reading 
for  thoughtful  laymen  and  leaders 
in  the  church  and  church  school.  I 
commend  it  to  all  serious-minded 
laymen  interested  in  the  deepening 
of  their  life  in  and  with  God.  —  Glen 
Weimer,  Arlington,  Va. 

Christian  Ethics  and  Moral  Philos- 
ophy. George  F.  Thomas.  Scrib- 
ners,  1955.   539  pages.    $5.75. 

The  work  of  a  Princeton  professor 
who  has  built  an  eminent  university 
department  of  religion,  this  book  is 
a  reliable  and  useful  compendium  of 
JULY    9,    I960 


information  concerning  the  two 
principal  sources  of  the  good  life 
in  Western  culture:  the  Christian 
faith  and  moral  philosophy.  It  is 
written  in  the  manner  of  the  teach- 
er, every  major  division  clearly  or- 
ganized, every  paragraph  a  model 
of  precision,  each  sentence  clear  and 
unmistakable. 

In  the  first  of  four  sections  Thom- 
as reviews  the  development  of 
Christian  ethics  from  the  Old  Testa- 
ment background  through  the  teach- 
ings of  Jesus  and  Paul,  pressing  on 
to  Augustine,  the  reformers,  and  the 
sectarians.  In  the  second  section  he 
analyzes  the  Christian  doctrine  of 
man,  with  special  reference  to  man 
sinning  and  man  redeemed.  An  ap- 
plication of  Christian  principles  to  a 
number  of  social  problems  consti- 
tutes the  third  section,  with  the  final 
section  bringing  a  long  series  of 
philosophical  systems,  ancient  and 
modern,  to  critical  review  before  the 
central  themes  of  Christian  ethics. 

It  is  in  the  last  section  that  Thom- 
as brings  philosophical  ethical  sys- 
tems into  direct  encounter  with  the 
ethics  of  Christian  faith,  thus  fulfill- 
ing the  promise  of  the  title.    This  is 


the  most  valuable  section  of  the 
book.  Seldom  has  this  task  been 
undertaken,  and  Thomas  takes  it  in 
his  stride.  The  result  is  a  significant 
climax  to  a  book  which  should  be 
in  the  possession  of  everyone  inter- 
ested in  the  Christian  dimensions  of 
the  good  life.  —  Motley  Mays,  Hunt- 
ingdon, Pa. 

Secrets  of  Answered  Prayer.  Cyril 
H.  Powell.  Crowell,  1960.  192 
pages.    $3.00. 

Cyril  Powell  seeks  to  discover  the 
underlying  "laws"  of  prayer  by  re- 
viewing the  lives  of  some  relatively 
modern  spiritual  giants.  He  does  a 
splendid  job  of  this  by  choosing 
twenty  well-known  Christians.  Some 
are  English.  Some  are  American. 
One,  Paul  Claudel,  is  a  Frenchman 
and  a  Roman  Catholic. 

From  prayer  as  surrender  as  advo- 
cated by  E.  Stanley  Jones,  through 
a  gamut  of  qualities  as  found  in  the 
effectual  prayer  lives  of  great  souls 
like  Glenn  Clark,  Studdert  Kennedy, 
Muriel  Lester,  Frank  Laubach,  C. 
F.  Andrews,  Billy  Graham,  Thomas 
Kelly,  and  others,  the  author  lifts 
each  one's  keynote  to  the  secret  of 
answered  prayer.  This  insight  should 
help  any  seeking  reader  feel  the  pull 
to  a  more  disciplined  life  of  potent 
prayer.  Here  is  a  book  which  could 
help  each  of  us  in  his  personal  Call 
to  Discipleship.  —  Chester  I.  Harley, 
West  Milton,  Ohio. 

Sermon  Outlines  From  Sermon 
Masters.  Ian  Macpherson.  Abing- 
don, 1960.    224  pages.    $2.50. 

Here  is  a  compilation  of  550  ser- 
mon outlines  from  24  Books  of  the 
New  Testament.  They  represent  a 
collection  gleaned  from  the  past  and 
present  giant  preachers.  The  com- 
piler wanted  each  outline  to  meet 
eight  characteristics:  scriptural,  vi- 
tal, integral,  original,  logical,  sym- 
metrical, pictorial,  and  practical. 
Many  readers  who  are  preachers 
will  question  whether  some  may 
have  been  taken  out  of  context;  yet, 
what  minister  is  not  licensed  to  pre- 
sent the  good  news  in  unique  ways? 

The  greatest  use  the  preacher  will 
have  for  this  book  may  be  to  stimu- 
late him  to  receive  new  truths,  new 
insights  on  portions  of  scripture  that 
he  has  used  himself.  It  will  be  use- 
ful, too,  in  the  sense  that  every  min- 
ister is  faced  week  after  week  with 
the  privilege  to  get  at  least  one  ser- 
mon ready.  This  book  could  be  a 
real  "starter." 

No  preacher  would  allow  this 
book  to  become  a  "crutch,"  but  in- 

23 


lit.. 


May  22  was  a  significant  day  for  the  members  and  friends  of  the  Bush 
Creek  congregation  of  Monrovia,  Maryland.  The  morning  worship  service 
was  a  home-coming  event  at  which  Carl  F.  Smith,  former  pastor  of  the 
church,  spoke. 

In  the  afternoon  the  new  educational  wing  and  remodeled  church 
building  were  dedicated.  Participating  in  the  service  of  dedication  were 
J.  Donald  Plank,  moderator  of  the  church;  David  K.  Hanawalt,  district 
executive  secretary;  John  H.  Eberly,  speaker,  and  moderator  of  Eastern 
Maryland;  and  Byron  M.  Flory,  Jr.,  pastor  of  the  church. 

The  addition  to  the  church  includes  eleven  classrooms,  restrooms, 
pastor's  study,  and  storage  space.  The  newly  furnished  sanctuary  will 
seat  225.  The  cost  of  the  building  program  will  total  about  $68,000.  Ground 
breaking  was  held  on  May  3,  1959,  and  cornerstone  laying  on  Sept.  27, 
1959.  The  first  worship  service  in  the  remodeled  sanctuary  was  on  Easter, 
April  17,  1960. 


stead  a  handy  "tool."  It  is  a  good 
book  for  each  preacher  to  have  at 
his  disposal  as  he  prepares  his  week- 
ly sermons.  —  Clyde  L.  Carter, 
Johnstown,  Pa. 

"Graces  and  Prayers.  John  Lewis 
Sandlin.  Revell,  1959.  125  pages. 
$1.95. 

Designing  his  book  for  family  or 
individual  use,  Mr.  Sandlin  offers 
more  than  100  prayers  for  varying 
occasions  and  nearly  200  table 
graces.  The  prayers  are  divided  into 
two  groups  —  those  for  personal  de- 
votions, and  shorter  table  graces  for 
morning  and  evening,  for  children, 
and  special  occasions.  The  devo- 
tional prayers  are  grouped  to  cover 
special  needs,  difficult  situations,  the 
challenges  of  life,  and  special  days 
and  occasions. 

This  book  seemed  to  have  real 
merit  in  helping  a  family  to  learn 
to  pray  together.  Personally,  I  did 
not  find  it  quite  as  practical  for  use 
as  some  other  devotional  booklets  I 
have  read,  but  I  think  it  could  be 
particularly  helpful  as  a  basis  for 
developing  spontaneous  prayers  and 
graces.  -  Joyce  S.  McFadden,  De- 
troit, Mich. 

24 


365  Windows.  Halford  E.  Luc- 
cock.  Abingdon,  1960.  240  pages. 
$2.00. 

Short,  refreshing  meditations,  a 
new  thought  for  each  day,  rich  with 
wisdom,  from  a  keen  mind  and  dedi- 
cated soul  of  one  who  writes  from 
a  background  of  stimulating  Chris- 
tian experiences.  Those  who  use 
brief  devotions  will  find  this  book 
most  helpful.  Dynamic  thoughts  are 
expressed  in  a  catching  simplicity; 
in  a  moment  or  two,  one  finds  a 
"lighted"  window  for  the  day  togeth- 
er with  a  scripture  and  prayer. 
Weekly  themes  include  The  Forgot- 
ten Key,  Undelivered  Tidings, 
Anoint  the  Elbow,  and  many  others 
and  deal  with  a  variety  of  subjects: 
opportunity,  courage,  time,  suffer- 
ing, outreach,  difficulties,  etc.  It  is 
the  author's  hope  that  "the  windows 
may  look  out  on  an  alluring 
landscape  —  may  they  prove  to  be 
awakeners  and  not  tranquilizers." 

A  good  book  for  the  busy  house- 
wife and  mother,  for  the  business 
man  to  have  at  hand  on  his  desk; 
also  excellent  for  the  family's  devo- 
tional period.  —  Esther  K.  Crouse, 
Queen  Anne,  Md. 


"Before  You  Marry.  Revised  edi- 
tion. Sylvanus  M.  Duvall.  Associa- 
tion Press,  1959.    252  pages.    $3.50. 

Originally  published  in  1949,  Be- 
fore You  Marry  has  been  a  reliable 
resource  for  youth,  parents,  minis- 
ters, and  counselors.  Dr.  Duvall  has 
now  completely  revised  his  volume 
"to  include  the  latest  findings  of  psy- 
chologists, sociologists,  marriage  au- 
thorities, and  other  researchers." 
What  has  been  a  good  book  in  the 
past,  is  now  an  even  better  book 
in  its  revised  form. 

The  book  is  designed  for  use  by 
young  people  to  help  them  "(1)  in 
their  selection  of  a  mate  and  (2)  in 
what  to  expect  of  marriage  and  how 
to  plan  for  it  in  advance."  Noting 
the  large  number  of  failures  in  mar- 
riage, the  author  attempts  to  point 
out  clearly  that  this  failure  can  be 
avoided  by  young  people  if  they  are 
willing  to  consider  a  number  of  basic 
questions  prior  to  marriage. 

The  book  is  arranged  in  a  ques- 
tion and  answer  fashion  and  deals 
very  adequately  with  the  major  con- 
siderations involved  in  marriage.  It 
is  particularly  helpful  in  the  areas 
of  premarital  sex  relations,  mixed 
marriages,  financial  involvements, 
and  dealing  with  emergencies  and 
crises.  Before  You  Marry  should  be 
read  by  all  youth;  it  will  also  serve 
as  a  valuable  aid  to  parents  and 
ministers  as  they  counsel  youth.  — 
Joe  Long. 

Teach  Yourself  Logic  to  Think 
More  Clearly.  A.  A.  Luce.  Associa- 
tion Press,  1959.    207  pages.    $3.75. 

This  is  an  excellent  introduction 
to  logic  and  for  that  very  reason 
could  not  rightly  be  subtitled  Logic 
Self-Taught  in  Three  Evenings.  It 
is  comparable  to  a  book  on  geometry 
and  requires,  from  the  beginner, 
a  similar  amount  of  concentration 
and  time.  The  book  proceeds 
methodically  from  terms  to  proposi- 
tions to  immediate  inference  and 
syllogisms,  and  on  to  reduction,  in- 
duction, and  a  survey  of  symbolic 
logic.  Exercises  are  provided  with 
each  chapter.  For  a  person  ap- 
proaching the  study  of  logic  for  the 
first  time,  continuing  review  is  nec- 
essary. One  learns  precisely  why  the 
proposition  that  "All  learned  men 
are  wise"  does  not  allow  us  to  infer 
that  "All  wise  men  are  learned," 
though  we  can  infer  from  it  that 
"No  foolish  men  are  learned." 

For  those  who  want  to  refresh 
their  understanding  of  logic  or  make 
an  earnest  beginning  at  grasping  it, 
here  is  the  book.  —  Dale  Aukerman, 
Bechlinghoven,   Germany. 

GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Missionary  Alliance  Votes  to 
Continue  Merger  Negotiations 

Delegates  to  the  63rd  General 
Council  of  the  Christian  and  Mis- 
sionary Alliance  voted  to  continue 
negotiations  toward  possible  merger 
of  the  Alliance  with  the  Missionary 
Church  Association. 

The  Alliance,  with  headquarters 
in  New  York,  has  a  total  membership 
of  over  56,000.  The  Missionary 
Church  Association,  whose  head- 
quarters is  at  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind.,  has 
nearly  8,000  members. 

Both  groups  were  founded  toward 
the  close  of  the  19th  century  for 
evangelistic  and  missionary  purposes. 
Unofficial  negotiations  have  been 
under  way  between  the  two  bodies 
for  several  years. 

Burmese  Protestants.  Catholics 
Fear  Buddhism  as  State  Religion 

Protestants,  Roman  Catholics,  and 
Moslems  in  Burma  have  expressed 
strong  fears  that  the  proposed  es- 
tablishment of  Buddhism  as  the  state 
religion  there  would  cause  serious 
discrimination  to  members  of  other 
faiths. 

The  Burma  Christian  Council  has 
declared  that  a  state  religion  is 
"diametrically  opposed  to  the  mod- 
ern democratic  ideal  of  separation 
between  religion  and  the  state." 
About  600,000  of  Burma's  20,250,- 
000  people  are  Protestants,  and  a 
slightly  greater  number  are  Moslems. 
There   are  over  177,000   Catholics. 

Protestant  Leaders  Urge  Action 
to  Ban  Airline  Drinking 

Thirteen  prominent  Protestants  in 
a  letter  to  Congressional  leaders 
urged  action  before  the  session  ends 
on  legislation  to  ban  drinking  on  the 
airlines. 

The  signers  included  the  presi- 
dents of  both  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  and  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Evangelicals  and  the  leaders 
of   several   major   denominations. 

The  clergymen  called  attention 
to  a  recent  rash  of  air  tragedies  and 
pointed  out  that  pilots  and  steward- 
esses through  their  official  organiza- 
tions have  asked  Congress  to  enact 
legislation  barring  serving  of  alco- 
holic beverages  to  passengers  while 
in  flight. 

Ben-Gurion  Retains  Post 
in  Dispute  Over  Bible 

In  a  recent  "battle  over  the  Bible," 
Israeli  Premier  David  Ben-Gurion 
was  sustained  in  power  when  mem- 

JULY    9,    1960 


bers  of  the  parliament  defeated  by 
sixty-one  to  six  a  no-confidence  vote 
introduced  by  the  country's  ultra- 
Orthodox  party  because  the  premier 
had  questioned  the  Scriptures'  ac- 
curacy regarding  the  Hebrew  ex- 
odus from  Egypt  3,000  years  ago. 

The  Agudath  Israel  Party  charged 
that  the  premier  had  forfeited  his 
right  to  lead  the  nation  when  a  week 
earlier  he  voiced  the  theory  that 
only  600  Jews  left  Egypt  instead 
of  more  than  600,000  as  recorded 
in  the  Bible.  His  contention  that 
there  had  been  Hebrews  in  the  land 
of  Canaan  before  Abraham  and  that 
only  a  few  besides  Joseph's  relatives 
migrated  to  Egypt  during  the  great 
famine  also  were  pronounced  hereti- 
cal in  a  wave  of  denunciations  by 
rabbis  in  sermons. 

Mr.  Ben-Gurion  developed  his 
theories  in  a  Bible  discussion  circle 
which  met  regularly  in  the  home 
of  President  Itzhak  Ben-Zvi.  He 
made  them  public  at  a  news  con- 
ference. The  Israeli  house  accepted 
the  prime  minister's  contention  that 
the  parliament  had  no  jurisdiction 
over  religious  law  or  historic  matters. 

Religious  Program  Mapped 
for  Rome  Olympic  Games 

Steps  to  provide  for  the  religious 
needs  of  athletes  and  tourists  ex- 
pected in  Rome  for  the  Olympic 
Games  starting  Aug.  25  are  being 
taken  by  the  Federal  Council  of 
Italian    Evangelical    churches. 

The  council  has  established  a 
religious  information  center  at  the 
Methodist  church  in  Rome  and  has 
scheduled  an  ecumenical  service 
in  the  Waldensian  church  for  Sept. 
4.  It  also  is  seeking  permission  to 
set  up  a  booth  at  the  Olympics  In- 
formation Hall.  The  council  will 
distribute  information  on  the  differ- 
ent denominations,  names  and  ad- 
dresses of  churches,  and  languages 
in  which  religious  services  will  be 
held. 

Moravian  Brethren 
Church  Founder 
Honored  on  Anniversary 

Protestant  publications  through- 
out Germany  recently  noted  the 
200th  anniversary  of  the  death  of 
Count  Nicolaus  von  Zinzendorf,  a 
German  nobleman  who  is  considered 
the  founder  and  organizer  of  the 
contemporary  Moravian  Brethren 
Church. 

He  first  came   into  contact  with 


the  Moravians  when  he  granted 
refuge  to  members  of  the  movement 
in  1722  on  his  estate  at  Bethelsdorf 
in  the  Province  of  Saxony.  The 
Moravian  Church,  however,  was 
originally  started  in  Bohemia  in  1457 
by  followers  of  Jan  Hus. 

Inspired  with  great  missionary 
zeal,  Count  von  Zinzendorf  under- 
took extensive  travels  through  many 
European  countries  as  well  as  the 
West  Indies  and  America.  Mora- 
vians came  to  North  America  in  1734 
and  their  first  settlement  and  mission 
to  the  Indians  was  founded  in  Sa- 
vannah, Ga.,  in  1735.  In  Germany, 
the  Moravian  Church  now  has  about 
10,000  members. 

Russian  Embassy  Releases 
Moscow  Church  Film 

After  five  months  of  negotiations, 
the  Soviet  Embassy  in  Washington 
has  released  nearly  four  fifths  of 
10,000  feet  of  film  showing  worship 
services  in  Moscow's  Baptist  church. 
The  films  were  made  co-operatively 
by  the  Southern  Baptist  Conven- 
tion's Radio-TV  Commission  and  the 
National  Broadcasting  Company  for 
a  thirty-minute  nationwide  telecast 
in  this  country. 

The  program  was  scheduled  to  be 
televised  early  in  June.  Russian 
equipment  and  personnel  were  used 
in  filming  the  worship  services,  with 
production  costs  shared  by  the 
Southern  Baptist  agency  and  NBC. 

Queen  Urges  Scottish  Church 
to  Stress  Children's  Welfare 

Queen  Elizabeth  II  called  on  the 
Church  of  Scodand  at  its  400th 
annual  General  Assembly  to  give 
special  attention  to  the  welfare  of 
those  "growing  up  in  these  modern 
times."  The  queen  assured  the  as- 
sembly of  her  intention  to  attend 
the  Scottish  Church's  special  cele- 
brations in  October  marking  its 
400th  anniversary.  According  to  re- 
ligious historians,  no  sovereign  has 
been  present  at  a  Church  of  Scot- 
land General  Assembly  since  1603. 

Australian  Methodist  Leader 
Censures  Both  East  and  West 

Dr.  A.  Harold  Wood,  retiring 
president-general  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Australasia,  told  1,000 
delegates  to  the  church's  19th  Gen- 
eral Conference  that  "we  cannot 
trust  the  leaders  of  the  armed  forces 
of  Russia  and  America.  They  may 
act    precipitately.      The    armament 

25 


firms  of  America  are  as  dangerous 
to  human  freedom  and  peace  as  the 
Communists  in  any  land."  Dr.  Wood 
urged  Christians  not  to  overlook  the 
fact  that  the  ringing  of  Russia  with 
bases  has  been  provocative. 

Opposition  to  Tax  Bill 
Favoring  Liquor  Industry  Urged 

The  National  Temperance  League 
has  issued  an  appeal  to  religious  and 
temperance  groups  throughout  the 
nation  to  unite  in  opposition  to  a 
pending  bill  in  Congress  which 
would  permit  the  liquor  industry  to 
deduct  for  tax  purposes  money  it 
spends  in  promoting  legislation 
favorable  to  liquor  and  opposing 
that  sponsored  by  temperance 
advocates. 

Clayton  M.  Wallace,  executive  di- 
rector of  the  league,  warned  that 
the  Boggs  bill  would  confer  particu- 
lar benefit  on  the  liquor  industry. 
The  bill  which  is  now  before  the 
House  Ways  and  Means  Committee 
has  strong  support  from  the  U.  S. 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Nation- 
al Association  of  Manufacturers,  and 
other  business  groups. 

Emergency  Aid  Rushed  to 
Chile  by  U.  S.  Churches 

Cash,  food,  clothing,  blankets, 
and  medicines  were  rushed  to  Chile 
by  the  Protestant  churches  of  Amer- 
ica to  supply  the  staggering  needs 
of  thousands  injured  and  left  home- 
less by  the  series  of  earthquakes 
which  struck  the  country  several 
weeks  ago. 

Fifteen  hundred  blankets  already 
in  Chile  for  distribution  to  the 
needy  through  Church  World  Serv- 
ice were  diverted  to  the  disaster 
area.  Another  50,000  pounds  of 
clothing  collected  from  American 
churchgoers  and  still  in  the  United 
States  was  prepared  for  immediate 
shipment  to  Chile;  $5,000  in  cash 
contributed  by  American  churches 
through  Church  World  Service 
was  cabled  to  Chile  for  purchase 
of  emergency  food  and  medical 
supplies. 

Korean  Christian  Radio  Won 
Confidence  During  Riots 

During  the  recent  political  up- 
heaval in  Korea,  radio  station  HLKY 
of  the  Korea  National  Christian 
Council  earned  high  praise  from 
countless  listeners  for  its  straight- 
forward broadcasting  of  the  news 
"as  it  happened." 

In  the  midst  of  gunfire,  demon- 
strations, and  fires,  HLKY  carried 
on    broadcasting    on    a    stepped-up 


schedule.  Otto  DeCamp,  director  of 
the  station  which  has  thirty-four 
Koreans  on  its  staff,  said,  "Because 
we  are  known  as  a  Christian  station 
HLKY  was  trusted  to  tell  the  truth." 
The  station  is  related  to  RAV- 
EMCCO,  the  overseas  broadcasting 
and  visual  education  committee  of 
the  National  Council  of  Churches. 
It  is  on  the  air  sixty-five  hours  a 
week  with  news,  music,  educational 
segments,  and  entertainment,  with 
a  Christian  emphasis  underlying  all 
programs. 

Armenia  Catholicos  Denies 
Religious  Restriction 

The  head  of  the  Armenian  Apos- 
tolic (Orthodox)  Church,  who  re- 
cently arrived  in  the  United  States 
for  a  tour,  declared  that  there  are 
no  religious  restrictions  in  Soviet  Ar- 
menia. He  said,  "One  can  worship 
freely  in  Armenia.  We  feel  our- 
selves entirely  free  and  independent 
to  do  our  work.  If  you  had  been 
in  Armenia  this  past  Easter  you 
would  have  seen  many,  many  thou- 
sands of  our  faithful  in  the 
churches."  The  head  of  the  church 
is  the  spiritual  leader  of  2,500,000 
Orthodox  Armenians   in  the  world. 

Three  Judaism  Branches  Propose 
Central  Policy  Organization 

The  establishment  of  a  central 
representative  Jewish  organization 
to  speak  on  behalf  of  all  American 
Jews  has  been  urged  by  religious 
and  lay  representatives  of  the  three 
major  branches  of  Judaism  —  Ortho- 
dox, Conservative,  and  Reform. 
Delegates  from  many  areas  of  Jew- 
ish life  attended  the  third  General 
Assembly  of  the  Synagogue  Council 
of  America,  which  is  the  co-ordinat- 
ing agency  for  principal  rabbinical 
and  congregational  associations  in 
the  U.  S.  and  Canada. 

Philippine  Church  Federation 
Supports  Nuclear  Test  Ban 

A  resolution  urging  the  Philippine 
government  to  work  for  disarmament 
and  the  banning  of  further  nuclear 
tests  was  adopted  recently  by  a  com- 
mittee of  the  Philippine  Federation 
of  Christian  Churches. 

The  resolution  came  in  the  wake 
of  controversy  in  government  circles 
over  the  stationing  of  nuclear  weap- 
ons in  the  Philippines.  The  resolu- 
tion said  that  war  is  "diametrically 
opposed  to  Jesus'  teaching  of  love, 
friendship  and  reconciliation"  and 
is  renounced  in  the  Philippine  con- 
stitution as  an  instrument  of  national 
policy. 


News  Briefs 

Church  losses  from  major  fires 
took  a  sharp  rise  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada  during  the  past  year, 
with  more  than  $3,000,000  worth 
of  church  property  destroyed  in  ten 
large-loss  fires. 

Representatives  of  churches  in  a 
number  of  countries  that  have  been 
theologically  influenced  by  the 
Dutch  thinker,  Jacobus  Arminius, 
will  celebrate  the  400th  anniversary 
of  his  birth  with  a  series  of  lectures 
in  Leyden  and  Amsterdam,  Aug. 
4-6. 

For  the  first  time  the  New  Testa- 
ment has  been  translated  into 
Faeroese,  a  language  spoken  by 
only  32,500  persons  living  in  Den- 
mark's Faeroe  Islands,  midway  be- 
tween Scotland  and  Iceland.  The 
Danish  Bible  Society  has  already 
sent  an  initial  shipment  of  500 
copies  of  the  Faeroe  New  Testament 
to  the  islanders. 

Comedian  Bob  Hope  received  the 
National  Conference  of  Christians 
and  Jews'  National  Human  Rela- 
tions Award  for  using  "his  artistry 
as  a  weapon  in  the  fight  against 
hatred,  prejudice,  and  bigotry." 

Of  the  world's  twelve  and  one- 
half  million  Jews,  approximately 
5,367,000  live  in  the  United  States. 
There  are  only  nine  countries  with 
Jewish  communities  of  200,000  or 
more  —  the  United  States,  the  Sovi- 
et Union,  Israel,  Great  Britain,  Ar- 
gentina, France,  Canada,  Romania, 
and  Morocco. 

Mennonite  Broadcasts,  Inc.,  now 
releases  241  weekly  radio  programs 
in  eight  languages.  Of  the  total,  163 
programs  are  in  English.  Other  lan- 
guages used  are  Spanish,  Navajo, 
Japanese,  Italian,  French,  German, 
and  Russian. 

At  least  427  additional  ministers 
are  needed  to  serve  the  4,600  con- 
gregations of  the  United  Lutheran 
Church  in  America.  A  survey  noted 
that  approximately  140  to  150  men 
graduate  annually  from  the  ten 
United  Lutheran  seminaries. 

A  census  taken  by  the  government 
of  Hong  Kong  found  that  more  than 
half  of  the  "floating  population"  — 
those  persons  living  in  boats  —  con- 
sists of  children  under  fourteen 
years  of  age.  Nearly  half  of  this 
"floating  population"  above  ten 
years  of  age  is  illiterate. 

Seventh-Day  Adventists  in  the 
Italian  armed  forces  have  been 
granted  the  right  to  abstain  from  all 
military  activities  on  Saturdays  in 
deference  of  their  religious  practice 
of  observing  that  day  as  the  Sabbath. 

GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Emmert  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  June  7,  1960,  with  open 
house.  They  have  two  daughters  and 
eight  grandchildren.  —  Mrs.  Harold  Al- 
ter, Mt.  Morris,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  W.  Hodges, 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary on  Feb.  28,  1960,  with  open 
house.  They  have  ten  children,  thirty- 
nine  grandchildren,  and  nineteen 
great-grandchildren.  —  Pauline  Bow- 
man, Callaway,  Va. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  E.  Otewalt 
celebrated  their  sixtieth  wedding  anni- 
versary on  April  18,  1960.  Both  are 
members  of  the  First  Brethren  church. 
—  Barbara  J.  Hinkle,  Springfield,  Ohio. 


Obituaries 

Eller,  Sadie  Lillie,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel and  Azenth  Myers  Wenger,  was 
born  in  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  Dec.  9, 
1879,  and  died  in  Pasadena,  Calif.,  April 
16,  1960.  She  was  preceded  in  death  by 
her  husband,  John  Flory  Eller.  Surviv- 
ing are  one  daughter,  one  son,  three 
grandchildren,  four  great-grandchildren, 
and  one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Chapel  of  the  Gardens  by 
Bro.  Paul  Studebaker.  Interment  was 
in  the  Mt.  View  Mausoleum.  —  Mrs. 
Betty  Cohick,  Pasadena,  Calif. 

Foust,  Henry  E.,  son  of  Lewis  and 
Anna  Landrum  Foust,  was  born  Sept. 
19,  1875,  and  died  April  9,  1960.  In 
1908,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Emma  Rife,  who  died  in  1941.  In 
1945,  he  was  married  to  Minnie  Koontz, 
who  died  in  1949.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Plymouth  church,  Ind.  He  is 
survived  by  one  son,  three  sisters,  two 
brothers,  and  one  grandchild.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
Plymouth  church  by  Bro.  Homer  Kira- 
cofe.  Interment  was  in  the  Walnut 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Raymond  Ullery,  Ply- 
mouth, Ind. 

Frantz,  Clara,  daughter  of  George 
and  Nancy  Myers  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, March  23,  1868,  and  died  in 
Pasadena,  Calif.,  Jan.  26,  1960.  She 
was  preceded  in  death  by  her  husband, 
John  Frantz.  She  is  survived  by  six 
children,  five  grandchildren,  and  three 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  Turner  and  Stevens 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  Paul  Studebaker. 
Interment  was  in  the  Mt.  View  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Betty  Cohick,  Pasadena, 
Calif. 

Gilbert,  Willis  Homer,  son  of  Silas 
and  Frances  Gilbert,  was  born  near 
Pittsburg,  Ohio,  March  12,  1886,  and 
died  in  Modesto,  Calif.,  March  29, 
1960.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  one 
son,  one  daughter,  six  grandchildren, 
and  one  sister.  Interment  was  in  Mo- 
desto, Calif.  —  Mrs.  Julia  C.  Peters, 
Patterson,  Calif. 

Hardman,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nels  B.  Nelson,  was  born  in 
Nebraska,  July  14,  1900,  and  died  in 
Effingham,  111.,  April  23,  1960.  She  was 
married  to  Frank  G.  Deidiker,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death  in  1943.  On  Sept. 
1,  1951,  she  was  married  to  Earl  Hard- 
man.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  three 
children,  and  five  stepchildren.  The 
JULY    9,    I960 


funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Oak 
Grove  church  by  Bro.  Durward  Hays, 
assisted  by  Bro.  M.  A.  Whisler.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Sparland  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Durward  Hays,  Lowpoint,  111. 

Hare,  Helen,  daughter  of  William  and 
Amanda  Weaver,  was  born  April  3, 
1888,  and  died  April  26,  1960.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Oak  Grove  church,  111. 
She  is  survived  by  one  brother.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  at  the  Caze- 
novia  Mennonite  church  by  Bro.  Melvin 
Hamilton,  pastor  of  the  church,  assisted 
by  Durward  Hays  and  M.  A.  Whisler. 
Interment  was  in  Linn-Mt.  Vernon 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Durward  Hays,  Low- 
point,  ill. 

Hartfelder,  Carl  C,  was  born  in 
Germany,  Sept.  14,  1882,  and  died  Feb. 
9,  1960.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Twin  Falls  church,  Idaho.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  the  under- 
signed. —  Robert  E.  Keim,  Twin  Falls, 
Idaho. 

Heller,  Cora  Bell,  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Susan  Glessner  Blough,  was  born 
in  Dixon,  111.,  Nov.  17,  1876,  and  died 
March  31,  1960.  On  Jan.  26,  1902,  she 
was  married  to  Henry  Heller.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  First  Brethren  church. 
Surviving  are  one  son  and  one  grand- 
son. The  funeral  service  was  held  at 
the  Methodist  church.  Interment  was 
in  the  Ellison  cemetery.  —  Mae  Sont- 
man,  Rock  Lake,  N.  Dak. 

Hylton,  Stephen  F.,  died  April  7, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 
His  wife,  Naamah,  preceded  him  in 
death  in  1956.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  had 
been  a  deacon  for  many  years.  Sur- 
viving are  one  son,  three  daughters,  a 
brother,  eleven  grandchildren,  twenty- 
seven  great-grandchildren,  and  two 
great-great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Selene  and  Eros 
chapel,  with  the  undersigned  officiating. 
Interment  was  in  the  Forest  Memorial 
Gardens.  —  Homer  Kimmel,  Olympia, 
Wash. 

Ibsen,  Eunice,  daughter  of  Delmar 
and  Luella  Jones,  died  at  Carrington, 
N.  Dak.,  April  26,  1960,  at  the  age  of 
forty-one  years.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Carrington  church.  Surviving  are 
her  husband,  two  daughters,  her  moth- 
er, three  sisters,  and  two  brothers.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Fed- 
erated church,  with  Bro.  Harold  East- 
burn  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  Carrington  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Clyde 
Jones,  Carrington,  N.  Dak. 

Inks,  Lydia  Rose,  daughter  of  George 
and  Elizabeth  Strayer  Harrison,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  Jan.  22,  1876,  and 
died  at  Wenatchee,  Wash.,  March  26, 
1960.  She  was  preceded  in  death  by 
her  first  husband,  William  Rose.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  She  is  survived  by  her 
second  husband,  Charles  Inks,  eight 
children,  four  stepdaughters,  thirty-two 
grandchildren,  thirty-three  great-grand- 
children, and  one  great-great-grand- 
child. Funeral  services  were  held  in 
the  Jones  funeral  home  in  Wenatchee, 
Wash.,  by  Bro.  Jay  Eller  and  in  the 
Henderson  funeral  home  in  Johnstown, 
Pa.,  by  Bro.  Howard  Whitacre.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Berkey  cemetery.  — 
William  H.  Rummel,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

James,  Lulu  M.,  daughter  of  Sylvester 
and  Elizabeth  Bealman  Pvles,  was  born 
in  Dry  Run,  Pa.,  March  15,  1881,  and 
died  at  Rockhill  Furnace,  Pa.,  Jan.  11, 
1960.    She  was  united  in  marriage  to 


William  A.  James,  who  preceded  her 
in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Rockhill  church.  She  is  survived  by 
two  daughters,  nineteen  grandchildren, 
forty -one  great-grandchildren,  one 
brother,  and  one  sister.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Rockhill  church, 
with  David  Emerson  and  Albert 
Haught  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
the  I.O.O.F.  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Dorothy 
Rabenstein,  Orbisonia,  Pa. 

Kearns,  J.  Weyant,  son  of  John  and 
Sylvia  Buchanan  Kearns,  was  born  in 
Lewistown,  Pa.,  Feb.  28,  1941,  and  died 
April  30,  1960.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Spring  Run  church.  He  is  survived 
by  his  parents  and  two  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Booth 
funeral  home  by  Bro.  Fred  Driver.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Spring  Run  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Loyd  G.  Dunmire,  Matta- 
wana,  Pa. 

Keith,  Leonard  Newton,  died  at 
Willis,  Va.,  Feb.  20,  1960,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-one  years.  He  was  a  deacon 
of  the  Pleasant  Hill  church.  Surviving 
are  his  wife,  Sarah  Dickerson  Keith, 
one  son,  one  brother,  one  sister,  nine 
grandchildren,  and  five  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  at 
Maherry's  funeral  home  by  Rufus  Mc- 
Daniel  and  Donald  Clay.  Interment 
was  in  the  Greasy  Creek  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Ava  M.  Cannaday,  Willis,  Va. 

Keith,  Sarah  Susan,  died  March  3, 
1960,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
Her  husband,  Leonard  Keith,  preceded 
her  in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Pleasant  Hill  church.  Surviving  are  one 
son,  nine  grandchildren,  and  five  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  Maherry's  funeral  home  by 
Rufus  McDannel  and  Donald  Clay.  In- 
terment was  in  the  Greasy  Creek  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Ava  M.  Cannaday,  Willis, 
Va. 

Kenepp,  Lloyd  Wesley,  son  of  David 
J.  and  Margaret  Frazer  Kenepp,  was 
born  near  McVevtown,  Pa.,  Nov.  26, 
1895,  and  died  May  5,  1960.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Ethel  Moist.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Spring  Run 
church.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  four 
sons,  two  daughters,  four  sisters,  and 
four  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Spring  Run  church  by  Fred 
Driver,  assisted  by  Fern  Dunmire.  In- 
terment was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery. 

—  Mrs.  Loyd  G.  Dunmire,  Mattawana, 
Pa. 

Kulp,  Naomi  Herr,  daughter  of  Philip 
and  Marv  Ann  Kulp,  died  March  15, 
1960,  at'  the  Waka  Training  Center, 
Northern  Nigeria,  West  Africa,  at  the 
age  of  three  years.  She  is  survived  by 
her  parents,  three  sisters,  paternal 
grandfather,  and  maternal  grandparents. 

—  Mrs.  James  Boyer,  Wavnesboro,  Pa. 
Leisey,  Barbara  Geib  Kauffman,  died 

at  York,  Pa.,  April  15,  1960,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-nine  years.  She  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Abram  K.  Leisey,  who  pre- 
ceded her  in  death.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  First  church,  York.  She  is  sur- 
vived by  three  daughters,  two  sons, 
twelve  grandchildren,  twenty-one  great- 
grandchildren, and  one  great-great- 
grnndchild.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Gravenor  funeral  home  by 
M.  Guy  West.  Interment  was  in  the 
Lincoln  cemetery.  —  Mary  A.  Lehman, 
York,  Pa. 

Long,  Nettie  L.,  was  born  in  Idaho, 
Sept.  6,  1888,  and  died  in  Pasadena, 
Calif.,  April  1,  1960.  Surviving  are  two 
sons,    seven    grandchildren,    one    great- 

27 


grandchild,  and  one  brother.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  in  the  Utter 
McKinley  funeral  home  by  Paul  B. 
Studebaker.  Interment  was  in  the  Mt. 
View  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Betty  Cohick, 
Pasadena,  Calif. 

Longenecker,  Abram  H.,  son  of 
Henrv  and  Lizzie  Hernly  Longenecker, 
was  born  March  12,  1883,  and  died 
March  21,  1960.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  White  Oak  church,  Pa.,  and  a 
deacon  for  the  past  thirty-nine  years. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Mabel  Keller 
Longenecker,  two  sons,  three  daughters, 
eight  grandchildren,  one  brother,  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  Longenecker  church  by  the 
home  ministers.  Interment  was  in  the 
adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Alvin  Dif- 
fenderfer,  Manheim,  Pa. 

McCann,  Henry  G.,  son  of  Samuel  M. 
and  Elizabeth  Gibbel  McCann,  was 
born  in  Bombay,  India,  in  1900,  and 
died  in  Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  April  17,  1960. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Bertha 
McCann,  one  son,  and  one  daughter. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
First  church,  Brooklyn,  N.Y.  Interment 
was  in  Laconia,  N.  H.  —  Elizabeth  W. 
Gibbel,  Lititz,  Pa. 

Manner,  Anna  Wilda,  daughter  of 
George  J.  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Stiver 
Lyke,  was  born  Feb.  7,  1881,  and  died 
at  Windber,  Pa.,  May  6,  1960.  She  was 
preceded  in  death  by  her  first  and 
second  husbands,  John  Kanouff  and 
Ellsworth  Manner.  Surviving  are  three 
children,  three  stepchildren,  two  grand- 
children, and  five  great-grandchildren. 
The  funeral  service  was  held  at  the 
Rairigh  funeral  home,  with  Leo  J. 
Fisher  officiating.  Interment  was  in 
Mahoning  Union  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Lyle 
Wise,  Clymer,  Pa. 

Moore,  Mina,  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Mary  Buckington  Hamm,  was  born 
June  12,  1892,  in  Macon  County,  111., 
and  died  in  Carthage,  Mo.,  March  27, 
1960.  On  Feb.  14,  1917,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Ellsworth  Moore.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Surviving  are  two  daughters,  one  son, 
two  sisters,  one  brother,  and  eight 
grandchildren.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Knell  mortuary  by  Glenn 
Trowbridge.  —  Mrs.  Velma  Teeter,  Jas- 
per, Mo. 

Norris,  Clarence,  died  Jan.  17,  1960. 
He  had  served  as  a  deacon  in  the  Twin 
Falls  church,  Idaho.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife  and  one  son.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  by  the  undersigned.  — 
Robert  E.  Keim,  Twin  Falls,  Idaho. 

Potter,  Lloyd  B.,  son  of  William  and 
Natia  Potter,  died  Dec.  15,  1959.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  Ina,  a  son,  a 
daughter,  his  mother,  and  a  brother. 
The  funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
Bro.  Galen  Barkdoll.  -  Mrs.  Lloyd  Pot- 
ter, Brethren,  Mich. 

Robinson,  Edward  A.,  was  born  at 
Brookville,  Ind.,  Feb.  8,  1877,  and  died 
at  Bryan,  Ohio,  April  25,  1960.  In 
1902,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lottie  Davidson,  who  preceded  him  in 
death  He  was  a  long-time  member  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  one  daughter,  two  sons,  a  half 
brother,  five  grandchildren,  and  two 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  at  the  Lick  Creek  church 
with  Bro.  Lyle  Klotz  officiating.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Fountain  Grove  ceme- 
tery. —  Marvel  Watson,  Bryan,  Ohio. 

Secrest,  Olive,  died  Feb.  5,  1960,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  She  had 
28 


been  a  long-time  member  of  the  Welsh 
Run  church,  Pa.  She  is  survived  by 
three  sisters  and  one  brother.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  held  at  the  Zimmer- 
man funeral  home,  with  Brethren 
Russell  Martin  and  Henry  Hunsberger 
officiating.  Interment  was  in  the  Welsh 
Run  church  cemetery.  —  John  D.  Mar- 
tin, Mercersburg,  Pa. 

Shelton,  Delia  Hester  Hoover,  was 
born  in  Rockingham  County,  Va.,  Aug. 
30,  1877,  and  died  in  Kansas,  May  6, 
1960.  On  Dec.  25,  1899,  she  was 
united  in  marriage  to  E.  L.  Shelton, 
who  preceded  her  in  death.  She  was 
a  long-time  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Surviving  are  two  broth- 
ers and  three  sisters.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  in  the  Wakenda  church, 
Mo.,  by  the  undersigned.  Interment 
was  in  the  Wakenda  cemetery.  —  Harold 
G.  Correll,  Hardin,  Mo. 

Sollenberger,  David  B.,  son  of  An- 
drew and  Elizabeth  Brumbaugh  Sollen- 
berger, was  born  Feb.  1,  1890,  and  died 
April  i0,  1960.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Annie  Lynn  on  Jan.  5,  1911. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Williamsburg 
church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  two 
sons,  two  daughters,  seven  grandchil- 
dren, one  great-grandchild,  and  two 
sisters.  The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Williamsburg  church  by  Bro. 
Glen  Norris.  Interment  was  in  Shelly- 
town  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Sol- 
lenberger, Williamsburg,  Pa. 

Speer,  Fay,  wife  of  Charles  Speer, 
died  at  Pottstown,  Pa.,  April  24,  1960, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Coventry  church, 
Pa.  She  is  survived  by  her  husband, 
four  daughters,  twelve  grandchildren, 
and  three  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  at  White's 
Memorial  home  by  the  undersigned, 
assisted  by  Capt.  Robert  Flinn  of  the 
Salvation  Army.  Interment  was  in  the 
East  Coventry  Mennonite  cemetery.  — 
D.  Howard  Keiper,  Pottstown,  Pa. 

Spencer,  Minnie  Freeman,  wife  of 
John  L.  Spencer,  was  born  near  Clarks- 
burg, W.  Va.,  Aug.  23,  1890,  and  died 
April,  1960.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Dayton  church,  Va.  Surviving  are  her 
husband,  nine  children,  twenty-eight 
grandchildren,  one  great-grandchild, 
one  sister,  and  two  brothers.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  in  the  Dayton 
church,  with  Bro.  James  S.  Flora  offici- 
ating. Interment  was  in  the  Beaver 
Creek  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ralph  Myers, 
Harrisonburg,  Va. 

Sprenkle,  Joseph  Robert,  husband  of 
Edna  Lehman  Sprenkle,  died  Dec.  31, 
1959,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  First  church,  York, 
Pa.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  his 
father,  two  daughters,  two  sons,  four 
sisters,  and  ten  grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  at  the 
Decker  and  Decker  funeral  home  by 
Bro.  M.  Guy  West.  Interment  was  in 
Greenmount  cemetery.  —  Mary  A.  Leh- 
man, York,  Pa. 

Sweigart,  M.  Florence,  daughter  of 
William  H.  and  Corena  Rhodes 
Sweigart,  was  born  near  McVeytown, 
Pa.,  Oct.  30,  1893,  and  died  in  Lewis- 
town,  Pa.,  April  6,  1960.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Spring  Run  church,  Pa. 
She  is  survived  by  one  sister.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Spring 
Run  church  by  Bro.  Fred  Driver,  assist- 
ed by  Bro.  David  Markey.  Interment 
was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Loyd  G.  Dunmire,  Mattawana,  Pa. 


Thomas,  Ethel,  daughter  of  George 
and  Elizabeth  Stairs,  was  born  near 
Confluence,  Pa.,  Jan.  26,  1888,  and 
died  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  April  15,  1960. 
She  was  united  in  marriage  to  Michael 
Thomas.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Markleysburg  church,  Pa.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  Confluence  by  the 
undersigned.  Interment  was  in  the 
nearby  Jersey  cemetery.  —  David  J. 
Markey,   Baltimore,   Md. 

Van  Dyke,  Nelson  A.,  son  of  Archi- 
bald and  Esther  Van  Dyke,  was  bom 
Sept.  5,  1868,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  died 
April  26,  1960,  in  Lincoln,  Nebr.  On 
April  5,  1905,  he  was  married  to  Metta 
Hottenstein,  who  died  May  20,  1960. 
The  daughter  of  Charles  W.  and  Sara 
Hottenstein,  she  was  born  Dec.  24, 
1885,  at  Beloit,  Kansas.  They  are  sur- 
vived by  three  sons,  four  daughters, 
ten  grandchildren,  three  great-grand- 
children, and  two  brothers.  The  funeral 
services  were  held  in  the  Lincoln 
Church  of  the  Brethren  by  Bro.  Mere- 
dith Rogers.  Interments  were  in  the 
South  Beatrice  church  cemetery.  — 
Mary  Ann  Eberly,  Lincoln,  Nebr. 

Weaver,  John  Charles,  was  born  in 
Johnson  County,  Mo.,  in  1874,  and  died 
in  Garden  City,  Kansas,  April  10,  1960. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Myrtle 
May  Curtis.  In  1901,  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  deacon.  He  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Garden  City 
church.  Surviving  are  seven  children, 
twenty-three  grandchildren,  and  nine 
great-grandchildren.  —  Orpha  Weaver, 
Garden  City,  Kansas. 

Weimer,  Jerry  Arthur,  infant  son  of 
Brother  and  Sister  Arthur  Weimer,  was 
born  April  13,  1960.  Surviving  are  his 
parents,  maternal  grandmother,  and 
paternal  grandparents.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  Pine  Grove 
cemetery,  with  Bro.  E.  S.  Kipp  offici- 
ating. —  Mrs.  Ada  E.  Brandt,  Millers- 
town,  Pa. 

Whitaker,  Mabel  Thomas,  was  born 
in  Pearl  City,  111.,  Feb.  25,  1884,  and 
died  in  Emmetsburg,  Iowa,  May  1, 
1960.  She  was  married  to  Loring  A. 
Whitaker  on  Dec.  30,  1903.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Curlew  church,  Iowa. 
Surviving  are  her  husband,  one 
daughter,  one  son,  five  grandchildren, 
seven  great-grandchildren,  two  sisters, 
and  one  brother.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  Curlew  church  by 
the  undersigned.  Interment  was  in 
the  Evergreen  cemetery.  —  Leland  F. 
Grove,  Laurens,  Iowa. 

Wilber,  Robert  Ben,  died  Nov.  25, 
1959.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Dallas 
Center  church,  Iowa.  He  is  survived 
by  two  sons.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  by  the  undersigned.  —  Robert  E. 
Keim,  Twin  Falls,  Idaho. 

Wine,  Lester  C,  son  of  John  and 
Mary  Miller  Wine,  was  born  Oct.  18, 
1884,  and  died  April  12,  1960.  His 
wife,  Mary,  preceded  him  in  death.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Pleasant  View 
church,  Ind.  Surviving  are  one  daugh- 
ter, one  grandson,  four  brothers,  and 
one  sister.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  at  the  Pleasant  View  church  by 
Albert  Whitmore  and  John  Moran.  In- 
terment was  in  the  South  Whitley 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Amsa  Snell,  South 
Whitley,  Ind. 

Ziegler,  Helen  K.,  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel and  Kate  King  Ziegler,  was  born 
June  8,  1902,  in  Denton,  Md.,  and 
died  May  2,  1960,  in  Hatfield,  Pa.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Hatfield  congre- 
GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


gation.  Surviving  are  two  brothers  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  at  the  Hatfield  church  by 
Bro.  Ralph  H.  Jones,  assisted  by  Bro. 
William  P.  Nyce.  Interment  was  in  the 
adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Mary  A. 
Nyce,  Lansdale,  Pa. 


Church  News 

Northeastern  Ohio 

Center  —  The  community  Week  of 
Prayer  services  were  held  in  several 
different  churches.  March  2  was  our 
prayer  vigil  day.  Bro.  Chalmer  Shull, 
a  former  missionary  to  India,  was  with 
us  one  Sunday.  Bro.  Guy  Buch  was 
our  evangelist  for  one  week.  CBYF 
gave  the  play  entitled  Answered 
Prayer.  Our  pastor,  John  H.  Blough, 
was  in  charge  of  Holy  Week  services 
with  love  feast  on  Thursday  evening. 
Seven  persons  were  baptized  and  five 
received  by  letter.  We  had  a  family 
night  and  reception  for  the  new  mem- 
bers. The  CBYF  attended  the  spring 
rally  at  the  Sugar  Creek  church.  Ba- 
bies were  consecrated  in  January  and 
in  May.  The  Women's  fellowship  have 
been  quilting,  making  comforters,  and 
mending  relief  clothes.  —  Florence 
Royer,  Canton,  Ohio. 

Woodworth  —  Missionary  Chalmer 
Shull  spoke  in  our  church.  Members 
of  the  church  painted  all  of  the  Sunday 
school  classrooms.  Since  last  October, 
we  have  held  a  weekday  Bible  study 
program  for  those  six  years  old  through 
adults.  The  pastor  has  had  membership 
classes  for  juniors  and  junior  highs. 
The  women's  fellowship  prepared  over 
forty  blankets  for  the  homeless  refu- 
gees. One  room  in  the  church  has 
been  developed  into  a  church  nursery, 
which  is  filling  a  real  need.  Sister  Anna 
Mow  was  with  us  during  pre-Easter 
week.  Sixteen  people  have  been  re- 
ceived by  baptism  and  nine  by  letter. 
The  father-son  banquet  was  well  at- 
tended. Mrs.  Clara  Bode  was  the 
speaker  for  the  mother-daughter  ban- 
quet. Bro.  Richard  Speicher  will 
become  our  new  pastor  on  Sept.  1.  — 
Feme  C.  Miller,  Poland,  Ohio. 

Northwestern  Ohio 

Lick  Creek  —  Our  school  of  missions 
in  January  was  directed  by  Wilda 
Haye.  It  closed  with  the  film,  New 
Faces  in  Africa.  Gerald  Moore  and 
Tom  McDaniel,  student  ministers, 
filled  the  pulpit  while  our  pastor,  Lyle 
Klotz,  was  assisting  in  a  preaching 
mission  in  Sebring,  Fla.  At  the  CBYF 
annual  banquet  Attorney  Wayne  Shaf- 
fer was  speaker.  Reverend  Osuga 
spoke  at  the  men's  banquet.  The  wom- 
en's banquet  was  held  at  the  Defiance 
church.  Race  Relations  Sunday  was 
observed  by  a  pulpit  exchange  with 
Bro.  Clyde  Adams  of  the  Union  Baptist 
church  of  Ft.  Wayne.  Our  male  quar- 
tet also  exchanged  with  the  youth  choir 
for  the  services.  Our  children's  teach- 
ers and  workers  joined  in  the  training 
sessions  with  the  Silver  Creek  church. 
Guest  speaker  on  March  13  was  Elmer 
Joseph,  one  of  the  school  administra- 
tors sent  to  study  the  Russian  school 
system  a  year  ago.  The  district  youth 
JULY    9,    1960 


A  reply  to  the 

question: 

Does  God  care? 


The  Providence  of  GOD 


GEORGIA  HARKNESS 

Among  many  Christians  today  there  remains  a  sense  of  disquietude 
concerning  the  efficacy  of  prayer  —  particularly  petitionary  and 
intercessory  prayer  —  the  possibility  of  miracle,  and  the  reality  of 
God's  providential  guidance  and  care  in  events  that  seem  en- 
meshed in  a  network  of  casual  relations.  From  a  human  and  prac- 
tical viewpoint,  Dr.  Harkness  seeks  to  dispel  these  points  of 
uneasiness  for  the  Christian  by  presenting  clearly  and  simply,  the 
reasons  for  her  stanch  belief  in  divine  providence.  $3.50 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


conference  had  T.  Wayne  Rieman  as 
speaker.  On  Palm  Sunday  evening  our 
choir  presented  the  cantata,  My  Re- 
deemer Liveth.  Speakers  for  our  Holy 
Week  spiritual  life  emphasis  were  Mrs. 
Gladys  Klotz,  Howard  Brenneman,  and 
Delbert  Hardin.  Our  moderator,  Ed- 
ward Kintner,  was  guest  speaker  at  a 
service  of  recognition  honoring  the 
building  committee  and  others  on  the 
completion  of  our  new  educational 
unit.  We  have  received  thirteen  new 
members,  and  a  dedication  service  for 
five  babies  was  held.  —  Marvel  Watson, 
Bryan,  Ohio. 

Southern  Ohio 

Brookville  —  Four  of  our  youth  at- 
tended the  seminar  at  Washington, 
D.C.,  and  United  Nations.  The  Pren- 
tiss Institute  singers  presented  a  pro- 
gram. Guest  speakers  have  been  M.  R. 
Zigler  and  Dan  West.  Our  pastor  is 
the  newly  elected  representative  for 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  to  the 
general  assembly  of  the  Ohio  Council 
of  Churches.  Delegates  to  Annual 
Conference  were  Brother  and  Sister 
Fred  Hollingshead  and  Wilbur  Bolling- 
er. March  20  was  our  day  of  prayer, 
which  was  climaxed  with  the  congre- 
gation assembling  in  the  evening  for 
a  hymn  sing.  Deacons  visited  each 
family  the  preceding  week.  Bro.  Rus- 
sell G.  West  was  our  evangelist.  Our 
youth  fellowship  was  host  to  youth 
groups  from  our  Brookville  community 
at  a  covered-dish  meal.  Bro.  Russell 
West   gave   his   illustrated   message    at 


their  vesper  hour.  Seven  different  min- 
isters participated  in  our  community 
Good  Friday  service.  The  love  feast 
was  held  on  Thursday  evening  of  Holy 
Week  with  our  pastor  officiating.  Nine 
persons  have  been  received  by  baptism 
and  two  by  letter.  Two  films  on  family 
life  were  shown  the  two  young  married 
people's  classes.  —  Mrs.  W.  Russell 
Miller,    Brookville,    Ohio. 

Dayton,  Mack  Memorial  —  The  Call 
to  Discipleship  is  being  emphasized  in 
our  church.  We  observed  an  all-day 
prayer  vigil  on  Ash  Wednesday.  The 
young  people  are  endeavoring  through 
correspondence,  calls,  and  visits  to 
reach  our  Brethren  young  people  who 
are  in  the  city  working  or  attending 
school.  Our  pastor,  Raymond  R.  Pet- 
ers, conducts  two  classes  on  the  mean- 
ing of  church  membership.  As  a  result 
of  these  classes,  twenty-three  have 
been  baptized  this  year  to  date.  The 
five  women's  circles  have  engaged  in 
rolling  bandages,  sewing  for  Shawen 
Acres  children's  home,  making  layettes 
and  soliciting  clothing  to  be  sent 
to  New  Windsor,  and  visiting  the  state 
hospital  and  the  Brethren  home  at 
Greenville.  Those  of  our  fellowship  in 
the  golden  years  were  honored  in  our 
worship  service.  Brother  Peters  used 
as  his  sermon  Until  the  End.  National 
College  Day  was  observed  by  a  sacred 
concert  being  given  by  the  Manchester 
College  a  cappella  choir.  Seven  young 
people  were  baptized  on  Palm  Sunday. 
On  family  fellowship  evening,  several 
families   invited   two   or  more   families 

29 


NTHEMS 


FOR  THE 

JUNIOR  CHOIR 


BOOK  4 
Edited  by  W.  Lawrence  Curry 

Another  volume  in  this  popular 
series.  Like  its  predecessors  in 
format,  Book  4  consists  of  an- 
thems with  general  praise  and 
thanksgiving  texts;  Advent  and 
Christmas  selections;  Palm  Sun- 
day and  Easter  anthems;  selec- 
tions for  speech  choir  and  for 
bell  choir;  and  appropriate  re- 
sponses for  particular  occasions. 

1  to  4,  each  $1.10;  5  or  more, 
each  90c 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  111. 


into  their  homes  for  an  evening  of 
fellowship  and  worship.  Dr.  Roy  A. 
Burkhart  was  with  us  on  May  22  for 
a  family  life  program.  Our  church  is 
sponsoring  a  family,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ameer  Kramer  and  their  two  sons,  from 
Holland.  —  Catherine  Purk,  Dayton, 
Ohio. 

Troy -Ten  CBYF  members  and 
three  adults  attended  youth  seminar  in 
Washington.  Bro.  Richard  Miller  was 
guest  speaker  at  the  all-church  family 
birthday  supper.  This  was  a  part  of 
the  school  of  missions.  Forty  partici- 
pated in  the  prayer  vigil.  Brother  Car- 
lisle, the  junior  choir,  and  others 
presented  a  program  at  the  Greenville 
Brethren  Home  and  also  a  service  at 
the  Miami  County  jail.  Our  Holy 
Week  began  with  a  service  of  baptism 
for  eleven  on  Palm  Sunday  morning 
followed  with  preaching  services  Sun- 
day through  Wednesday  evenings.  The 
love  feast  was  held  on  Thursday,  and 
30 


an  Easter  sunrise  service  was  followed 
by  breakfast.  The  Sunshine  class  is 
sponsoring  an  Indonesian  family.  Pas- 
tor Leonard  Carlisle  and  his  family  are 
now  at  home  in  the  new  church  par- 
sonage which  was  dedicated  on  May 
22  with  Paul  Kinsel  as  speaker.  The 
May  Fellowship  program  sponsored  by 
Troy  United  Church  women  was  held 
in  our  church.  —  Mrs.  Raymond  Beck- 
er, Troy,  Ohio. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Ephrata  —  Our  Holy  Week  services 
were  conducted  by  Bro.  Harold  Z. 
Bomberger.  Twelve  persons  were  bap- 
tized. Our  pastor,  J.  A.  Robinson,  after 
recovering  from  an  operation  last  fall, 
is  now  confined  to  his  home.  In  the 
meantime  the  preaching  appointments 
are  being  taken  care  of  by  the  home 
ministers.  Bro.  Guy  E.  Wampler,  Jr., 
is  now  our  assistant  pastor.  Bro.  Olden 
Mitchell  was  the  speaker  for  the  spring 
meeting  of  the  district  men's  fellowship. 
Delegates  to  Annual  Conference  were 
Brother  and  Sister  Abram  W.  Zuck. 
A  service  was  given  by  the  a  cappella 
men's  chorus  of  East  Petersburg  and 
the  Heidelberg  mixed  chorus.  The 
Christian  education  commission  showed 
the  sound  color  film,  A  Better  World 
Begins  With  Me.  Our  moderator,  V. 
Lester  Schrieber,  conducted  a  conse- 
cration service  for  fourteen  children. 
He  preached  the  sermon  also.  Our  va- 
cation Bible  school  was  held  in  the 
high  school  building  during  the  week 
of  June  13-24.  The  churches  of  the 
town  unite  to  conduct  this  vacation 
Bible  school.  —  Abram  W.  Zuck,  Eph- 
rata,   Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 

Leamersville  —  Bro.  Clarence  Rosen- 
berger  spoke  one  Sunday  in  the 
interest  of  Juniata  College.  Our  Sunday 
school  and  church  theme  has  been  the 
Call  to  Discipleship.  Our  CBYF  in- 
vited musical  talent  from  various 
churches  for  a  program.  The  group 
has  been  making  cancer  bandages. 
Bro.  Stephen  Margush  was  speaker  for 
our  Easter  sunrise  service.  We  had 
pre-communion  services  at  which  Bro. 
Ralph  Ebersole  and  Brother  Bucher 
brought  the  messages.  As  a  result, 
fifteen  were  baptized.  Brother  Ebersole 
officiated  at  our  love  feast.  Bro.  Quinter 
Showalter  was  anointed  before  leaving 
for  the  hospital.  —  Mrs.  Rachel  Claar, 
East  Freedom,  Pa. 

Roaring  Spring  —  An  all-day  prayer 
vigil  on  first  day  of  Lent  marked  the 
beginning  of  our  Call  to  Discipleship 
emphasis.  Fireside  meetings  were  held 
in  three  homes  on  the  five  succeeding 
Wednesday  evenings  for  Bible  study 
and  prayer.  Bro.  Charles  Bieber 
brought  us  a  challenging  message  con- 
cerning our  mission  work  in  Nigeria. 
Our  young  people  presented  the  play, 
Well  Did  You  Ever!  A  deputation  of 
Juniata  College  students  had  charge  of 
a  worship  service,  and  Brother  T.  F. 
Henry  preached  the  sermon.  Bro. 
Clyde  Carter  was  the  guest  speaker 
at  our  annual  father-son  banquet.  Our 
church  was  host  on  Palm  Sunday  eve- 
ning to  the  community  choir  when  they 
presented  the  cantata,  The  Crucifixion. 
Bro.  Berkey  Knavel  conducted  our  Holy 
Week    services.      The    annual    district 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Illinois. 

No.  457.  A  Brethren  family  with 
leadership  ability  wishes  to  locate  where 
employment  is  available,  near  a  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  The  husband  used  to 
sing  in  the  Catholic  Boys  Choir  and 
has  had  quartet  experience.  The  wife 
has  had  experience  in  choir  leadership 
and  plays  a  piano  and  piano  accordion. 
They  also  teach  in  Sunday  school.  They 
are  42  and  38  and  have  two  children, 
boy  14  and  a  girl  12.  They  also  sing 
as  a  family  group.  Contact:  Brethren 
Placement  Service,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

No.  458.  Man  and  wife  in  their  40's 
desire  position  as  assistant  manager  or 
manager  of  a  motel,  preferably  near 
the  ocean.  Have  training  and  experi- 
ence in  management,  general  operation, 
and  procedures  of  motels.  Do  not 
smoke  or  drink.  Contact:  Mr.  William 
Union,  1117  Sunday  St.,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

No.  459.  Bethany  Hospital:  needs 
R.N.'s  to  help  with  summer  vacation 
relief.  This  is  an  opportunity  to  see 
the  sights  of  the  city  while  you  work. 
Contact:  Olga  Bendsen,  Personnel 
Dept,  3420  W.  Van  Buren  St.,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

No.  460.  A  young  married  man 
needs  employment.  He  has  had  experi- 
ence in  farm  work,  carpentry,  truck 
driving,  logging  and  sawmill  work, 
lawn  work,  and  has  worked  in  a  shoe 
factory.  Has  lived  in  the  east  most 
of  his  life.  Contact:  Brethren  Place- 
ment Service,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,   Elgin,   111. 


women's  fellowship  banquet  was  held 
in  our  church  with  Sister  Zola  Detwiler 
as  the  speaker.  We  had  two  love  feast 
services  on  May  1.  A  sacred  concert 
was  presented  by  the  Bridgewater  Col- 
lege choir.  Honor  guests  at  a  recent 
reception  were  the  thirty-three  new 
members  received  into  our  church  dur- 
ing the  past  year.  Our  church  school 
classes  are  studying  the  meaning  of 
GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


discipleship  during  the  second  quarter 
of  the  current  year.  We  conducted  our 
vacation  Bible  school  June  6-10  with 
the  children  giving  the  program  the 
following  Sunday.  —  Margaret  E.  Guy- 
er,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 

Southern  Pennsylvania 

York,  Second  —  Special  services 
marked  the  twentieth  anniversary  of 
the  dedication  of  our  present  church 
edifice.  Bro.  Carl  Zeigler  conducted 
our  Bible  institute.  A  number  of  our 
women  attended  the  women's  fellow- 
ship luncheon  in  the  Chambersburg 
church.  Family  night  was  observed  on 
March  26.  The  cantata  entitled  The 
Resurrection  Song  was  presented  by 
the  choir  on  Palm  Sunday.  Pre-Easter 
services  were  held  by  Bro.  Roy  G. 
Forney.  Bro.  M.  Guy  West  officiated 
at  our  spring  love  feast.  We  have 
had  both  a  father-son  banquet  and 
a  mother-daughter  fellowship.  Recent 
guest  speakers  have  been  Wilbur 
Gibble,  Harold  Martin,  and  Jesse  Jen- 
kins. Two  members  were  received  by 
baptism  and  one  by  letter.  —  Katherine 
E.  Myers,  York,  Pa. 

Florida,  Georgia,  and  Puerto  Rico 
Osceola  —  On  May  15  we  had  Okee- 
chobee's CBYF  group  for  an  afternoon 
of  recreation  with  a  program  and  wor- 
ship. We  served  a  luncheon  here  for 
Senator  Harrison  Williams  and  his  sub- 
committee on  migratory  labor.  After- 
wards Julian  Griggs,  the  director  of 
our  project,  gave  a  talk  on  the  activities 
here.  The  junior  and  senior  high  youth 
fellowship  of  Osceola  and  the  BVS'ers 
from  Pahokee  and  Belle  Glade  had  a 
swimming  party.  —  Mary  Gibson,  Belle 
Glade,  Fla. 

Mardela 

Fairview  —  The  women  of  our  church 
have  redecorated  the  fellowship  hall. 
Several  attended  the  leadership  train- 
ing classes  at  Denton.  The  spring  dis- 
trict meeting  of  the  women's  fellowship 
was  held  at  our  church  with  Mrs. 
"Shy"  Mackees  of  Dover,  Del.,  as  guest 
speaker.  We  had  a  dedication  service 
for  the  additional  classrooms  to  be 
built.  The  CBYF  was  responsible  for 
the  Easter  sunrise  service  and  fellow- 
ship breakfast.  Our  pastor,  Dwight 
Miller,  administered  anointing  services 
in  the  homes  of  two  of  our  families. 
The  young  folks  presented  the  Easter 
play,  Release.  Family  night  was  ob- 
served with  a  supper  and  program.  — 
Mrs.  Daniel  T.  Bridge,  Cordova,  Md. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Union  Bridge  —  Each  Sunday  eve- 
ning during  the  month  of  January  we 
had  a  session  on  home  and  family 
relations.  Our  pastor,  Glenn  Baird, 
and  his  wife,  attended  the  spiritual  life 
institute  at  Bridgewater  college.  A 
group  of  our  church  women  worked 
at  the  Brethren  Service  center  at  New 
Windsor  for  one  day.  Our  church  is 
sponsoring  a  family  from  Holland.  We 
participated  with  the  area  Brethren 
church  in  services  each  Sunday  evening 
during  Lent.  Eight  young  people  were 
baptized  on  Palm  Sunday.  The  love 
feast  was  held  on  Maundy  Thursday 
evening.  Our  pastor  delivered  the 
message  on  Good  Friday  at  the  com- 
munity services.  At  our  spring  family 
JULY  9,   1960 


Hw  dn&Jtom  Beak 


ALBERT  CASSEL  WIEAND        v.  f.  schwalm 


A.  C.  Wieand  felt  a  divinely  imposed  compul- 
sion to  start  and  develop  a  Bible  training  school 
for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  gave  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  to  that  task.  Bethany 
Biblical  Seminary  is  the  outcome  of  his  efforts 
and  those  of  his  associate,  Emanuel  B.  Hoff. 
For  the  first  time  Dr.  Wieand's  part  in  this 
work  is  told  in  book-length  form.  Also  noted 
and  discussed  are  his  other  significant  contri- 
butions to  the  church  as  a  writer,  a  preacher, 
a  Bible  teacher,  and  a  man  of  prayer.  It  is  an 
informal,  realistic  and  appreciative  story.  In- 
troduction by  David  J.  Wieand.  $2.75 


BRETHREN  TRAIL  BLAZERS 


mm 


Mi 


m 


MARY  GARBER  and  OTHERS 

Here  are  35  sketches  of  varying  lengths,  slanted 
primarily  toward  older  junior  and  junior  high 
readers,  which  tell  of  the  significant  contribu- 
tions made  by  nearly  40  different  people  to 
the  life  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and 
through  it  to  the  church  at  large.  In  historical 
range  the  subjects  extend  from  Alexander 
Mack  to  Dan  West.  As  to  the  types  of  work 
represented,  ministers,  schoolmen,  musicians, 
editors,  writers,  and  missionaries  are  included 
along  with  others.  $2.50 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin.  111. 


night,  we  served  a  spaghetti  supper, 
and  a  one-act  play  and  several  musical 
numbers  were  given.  The  Bridgewater 
College  touring  choir  presented  a  con- 
cert at  our  church.  The  mother-daugh- 
ter tea  was  held  in  the  fellowship  hall 
on  May  17.  We  had  a  special  mort- 
gage-burning ceremony  at  the  morning 
worship  on  June  5.  Bro.  Samuel  Har- 
ley  delivered  the  message.  —  Mrs. 
Maurice  M.  McDaniel,  New  Windsor, 
Md. 

Middle  Maryland 

Martinsburg,  Vanclevesville  —  In  Jan- 
uary a  leadership  training  course  was 
held  in  our  church  by  Bro.  Minor 
Miller.  Bro.  C.  Ernest  Davis  conducted 
a  week  of  evangelistic  services  in 
March.  The  choir  presented  a  cantata 
on  Palm  Sunday.  Later  it  was  pre- 
sented at  Vanclevesville.  The  children 
had  their  program  on  Easter  evening. 
The  vacation  Bible  school  workshop  of 


the  district  was  held  in  our  church. 
The  women's  fellowship  has  been  mak- 
ing quilts  and  soap  for  world  service. 
Bro.  Ira  Petre  visited  our  church  show- 
ing slides  and  talking  on  Africa.  — 
Blanche  Sponaugle,  Martinsburg,  W. 
Va. 

Western  Maryland 

Fairview  —  We  had  an  all-day  sing. 
A  week  of  revival  followed  this  sing 
ending  with  a  love  feast.  The  CBYF 
gave  an  Easter  program  at  the  church. 
At  our  last  council  meeting  four 
deacons  were  chosen.  Since  our  last 
letter  we  had  a  baby  dedication,  and 
six  new  members  were  taken  into  the 
church  by  letter.  —  Mrs.  Freda  Knotts, 
Oakland,  Md. 

Tennessee 
Cedar    Creek,    Ala.  —  We    had    our 
love    feast.     We    licensed    two    young 
ministers   in   our   church,   Perry   Miller 

31 


PEWS,PULPIT«CHANCEL 

FURNITURE 

4/  write  for  Free  catalog 

T   AND  LOW  DIRECT  PRICES 

J.RRedington&Co. 


DEPT.  211  SCRANTON  2.  PA. 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  .  .  .  «•♦♦'**  u      w 

Sweitzer  to  live  or  our  members.  We 
participated    in    the    World    Day    of 

Prayer  service.    Our  new  pastor,  Ben 

Hylton,  started  the  prayer  vigil  on  Ash 

Wednesday.  Three  from  our  church  at- 

-.   ~                                                                               n                        c._»_                          tended  the   leadership   training   school 
P.  O Zone btate  „t   c      t>„..i'-   „i u 

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change  in 

address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


Name    

R.  D.  or  St. 


Arnold  Naff  of 
spring   revival. 


and  Stanley  Stanford.  On  April  our 
youth  group  was  host  to  an  exchange 
student.  They  enjoyed  his  slides  and 
talk  on  his  home  town  in  Germany. 
Bro.  Roy  White  of  the  Douglas  Park 
church  in  Chicago  was  our  speaker  on 
March  20.  A  basket  dinner  was  served 
following  the  morning  service.  On 
April  24,  our  morning  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Brother  and  Sister  Earl  Zig- 
ler,  who  are  missionaries  on  furlough 
from  India -Mrs.  G.  W.  Petcher,  Cit- 
ronelle,  Ala. 

First  Virginia 

Oak  Grove  —  On  Easter  we  received 
five  new  members  by  baptism  and 
three  by  letter.  On  May  1  we  had  a 
ground-breaking  service  for  our  new 
church.  Construction  of  the  church  be- 
gan on  May  2.  The  new  church  is 
being  built  about  300  yards  from  the 
site  of  our  present  one.  We  had  our 
love   feast    on    Easter    evening.     Nine 


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prospectus  of  over  thirty  other 
lists  available.  Stamp  appreciated. 
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ca.  1940;  also  The  Broken  Cup,  by 
Ziegler.  Jacob  G.  Shively,  Mill- 
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farm  in  S.  E.  Kansas:  50%  each 
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32 


children   were   dedicated   on   Mother's 
Day.  —  Amelia  M.  Nicar,  Roanoke,  Va. 

Southern  Virginia 
Shelton  —  Perfect     attendance     pins 
were     presented     by     Bro.     W.     C. 


at  St.  Paul's  church 
Salem,  Va.,  held  our 
Sixteen  new  members  were  received 
and  thirty-two  members  rededicated 
their  lives.  Plans  for  our  new  parson- 
age have  been  received  by  our  church 
and  work  is  now  being  started.  Five 
attended  the  Bible  school  workshop  at 
the  Christiansburg  church.  Our  Bible 
school,  June  13-24,  was  directed  by 
Mrs.  Betty  Haynes.  —  Mrs.  Bill  Neal, 
Mt.  Airy,  N.  C. 


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Friends  Around  the  World 

HELEN  DOSS 

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Ages  4-7.   Cloth.  $1.50 


A  Is  for  Apple  and  Why 

SOLVEIG  PAULSON  RUSSELL 

A  brief  but  comprehensive  account  of  the  devel- 
opment of  our  writing.  Illustrated.  Ages  7  up. 
Cloth.  $2.00 


Wanted:  a  Brother 

GINA  BELL 

Timothy  wants  a  brother,  until  he  discovers  that 
the  sister  he  has  is  almost  as  good.  Illustrated. 
An  easy-to-read  book.   Cloth.  $1.50 


Bobby's  Neighbors 

JOYCE  BOYLE 

Bobby's  activities  with  his  friends  and  neighbors 
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CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


GOSPEL   MESSENGER 


CAatocA, erf £n£  t&M&lwie/is 

Gospel 


MESSENGER 


JULY  16.  1960 


Underground 
Cathedral 


Gendreau 


I 


T  MAY  indeed  be  true,  as  the  poets  claim,  that  the  groves  were  God's  first  temples. 
But  surely  there  have  been  underground  cathedrals  also  that  rival  the  sanctuaries 
aised  by  man.  Only  recently  have  some  of  their  high-vaulted  and  varicolored  cham- 
bers been  opened  to  view,  but  there  is  no  question  but  that  the  colors  and  columns  in 
zaverns  rival  the  stained-glass  rainbows  of  a  medieval  church  interior.  Here  the  drap- 
eries are  not  of  velvet  but  of  stone,  and  the  arches  that  soar  overhead  may  be  older  by 
thousands  of  years  than  the  oldest  of  Christian  churches.  .  .  .  But  whether  one  walks 
lown  the  moss-carpeted  nave  of  a  forest  cathedral  or  finds  a  rocky  chair  amid  the 
ageless  quiet  of  a  cavern,  he  knows  that  the  myriad  beauties  of  earth  like  the  vast  arches 
of  the  open  sky  do  indeed  declare  the  glory  of  God.  In  his  handiwork  are  revealed  un- 
:ounted  evidences  of  his  infinite  patience  and  untiring  love.  They  invite  all  men  to  come 
and  worship,  to  come  into  his  presence  with  singing,  into  his  courts  with  praise. 


Gospel  Messenger 

"Thy  Kingdom  Come' 


READERS   WRITE  .  .   .   to   the   editor 

The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  and 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


KENNETH  MORSE 
ELIZABETH  WEIGLE 


■     -     -     -     -     Editor 
Editorial  Assistant 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JULY  16,  1960 
Volume  109  Number  29 


In  This  Number  .   .  . 

Editorial  — 

Underground   Cathedral    1 

A   Charge    to    Keep    ...    A   Calling 

to  Fulfill   3 

For   All   the   Saints   Who   From   Their 

Labors.  Rest  3 

The  General  Forum  — 

The   Danger  of  Playing  God. 

John   C.   Middlekauff 4 

The  Ministry  of  Counseling 7 

Two  Pastors  Look  at  Counseling   ....      7 
The     Testimony     of     Brother     Andres. 

Translated  by  Merle  Crouse   8 

The  Oldest  City  in  the  World.    Part  II. 

David  J.  Wieand   13 

The    Exchange    Experience  —  Does    It 

Last?  Dan  Raffensperger  With  Ruth 

Davidson 14 

The  Christian  Funeral 18 

March    BVS    Unit 21 

Previewing  the  August  Church  of  the 

Brethren  Leader    22 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books   22 

News  — 

Kingdom  Gleanings   17 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    26 

Church   News    28 

•        •        • 

Dr.  Garland  Evans  Hopkins:  "We 
Christians  have  already  lost  our  best 
chance  to  guide  Africa  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian continent,  largely  because  of  what 
Africans  have  experienced  from  the 
colonial  administrations  of  France  and 
other  Christian  countries,  compounded 
by  the  racial  attitude  of  Christians  in 
the  Union  of  South  Africa.  While  recog- 
nizing that  Africa  is  not  likely  now  to 
become  a  Christian  continent,  Chris- 
tians and  Muslims  must  do  all  we  can 
to  keep  ( Africa  from  turning  to  com- 
munism." 

2 


Interrupting  Worship 

Along  with  Bro.  DeWitt  Miller 
(Conference  Sunday  message),  I, 
too,  wince  at  the  use  of  the  familiar 
"you"  in  addressing  God  in  prayer. 
I  winced  at  something  else,  too,  and 
would  have  appreciated  his  reaction 
to  the  "familiar"  way  in  which  that 
worship  service  was  concluded. 

The  words  of  worship  had  been 
said,  the  mind  stimulated  by  a  great 
message,  the  emotions  stirred  by  the 
singing  of  a  great  hymn,  and  then 
at  the  climax  these  closing  words, 
"The  alumni  of  Mt.  Morris  College 
will  be  glad  to  know  of  the  reunion 
...  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
Son,   and   Holy   Spirit." 

It  brought  back  memories  of  the 
closing  of  a  worship  service  at  the 
Grand  Rapids  Conference,  when, 
with  people  standing  in  response  to 
the  call  for  new  dedication,  the  wor- 
ship leader  announced  before  the 
benediction  that  the  youth  would 
meet  for  folk  games  in  some  hall 
immediately  following  the  prayer. 

I  do  not  blame  the  worship  lead- 
ers, although  it  could  be  hoped  that 
they  might  take  the  responsibility 
which  is  theirs  for  making  this  an 
experience  of  worship.  I  do  not 
blame  the  Brethren  who  interrupt 
the  mood  of  worship  with  their  bit 
of  "good  news"  for  I  doubt  if  they 
know  what  they  do. 

I  would  wish,  however,  that  the 
new  Annual  Conference  Central 
Committee  would  instruct  all  wor- 
ship leaders  that  they  are  not  to 
make  such  announcements.  The 
proper  channel  for  such  items  is 
through  the  Conference  director.  — 
Richard  N.  Miller,  Kettering,  Ohio. 

Misleading 

William  Roper's  article,  "Pattern 
for  Community  Action,"  in  the  June 
18  issue  is  misleading  enough  to 
demand  comment  of  some  sort. 

In  addition  to  some  small  factual 
errors,  the  article's  over-all  tone  ap- 
pears to  be  somewhat  unrealistic. 
The  impression  was  established  that 
the  controversy  over  the  granting  of 
a  liquor  license  to  a  grocery  store 
in  La  Verne  was  a  fight  primarily 
between  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
and  the  liquor  industry.  Actually, 
the  more  significant  aspect  of  the 
situation  was  that  such  secular 
agencies  as  the  city  council  and  the 
police  department  came  out  against 
the  granting  of  the  license. 


In  description  of  the  public  hear- 
ing held  at  the  city  hall  on  Dec.  6, 
1957,  Roper  says  — ".  .  .  the  audi- 
torium was  filled  with  sober-faced, 
determined  people.  The  men  who 
met  to  plan  the  famous  Boston  Tea 
Party  or  the  minutemen  who  defied 
an  invading  army  at  Lexington  were 
probably  no  more  serious.  They  had 
assembled  to  defend  their  home 
city  .  .  ."  Such  melodramatic  fare 
makes  the  whole  movement  seem 
maudlin,  which  it  was  not. 

Though  most  of  us  as  Brethren 
could  probably  agree  in  basic  oppo- 
sition to  liquor,  this  does  not  mean 
at  all  that  we  must  view  situations 
such  as  the  one  in  La  Verne  as  a 
monumental  struggle  between  in- 
trinsic good  and  evil.  The  author's 
tone  seems  to  be  akin  to  such  a  point 
of  view.  The  effort  of  the  towns- 
people was  indeed  unique,  but  their 
"victory"  is  not  by  any  means  insur- 
ance that  La  Verne  will  be  a  "clean" 
city,  as  Roper  called  it. 

La  Verne  College's  propinquity  to 
liquor  outlets  may  be  a  matter  of 
just  concern,  but  the  fact  that  liquor 
interests  were  excluded  from  the 
center  of  La  Verne  does  not  guaran- 
tee a  "dry"  student  body.  Anyone 
who  has  the  naive  audacity  to  think 
so  is  kidding  himself.  There  are  am- 
ple supply  points  within  close  reach. 

"The  La  Verne  Story"  as  it  is 
called  by  Roper,  may  well  be  worth1 
some  degree  of  examination  and 
publicity,  but  it  is  unfortunate  if  that 
publicity  must  be  of  this  nature.  — 
David  Hollinger,  La  Verne,  Calif. 


Religious  periodicals  were  urged 
at  the  first  National  Conference  oJ 
Australian  Churches  to  employ 
"competent  radio  and  television  crit- 
ics  to  bring  Christian  judgment  tc 
bear  on  these  important  influences.' 
The  conference  also  supported  the 
establishment  of  a  National  Ecumen 
ical  Institute  for  the  study  of  socia 
problems. 

The   Christian   Council   of   Sour! 

Africa  has  called  on  its  governmen 
to  institute  an  immediate  inquiry  in 
to  violent  police  action  against  Af 
rican  political  demonstrators  whicl 
resulted  in  72  persons  being  killec 
and  184  injured.  Demonstration 
were  staged  in  protest  against  law 
requiring  Africans  to  carry  passes  a 
all    times. 

gospel  messenge; 


ford 


■" 


A  Charge  to  Keep  ...  A  Calling  to  Fulfill 


EDITORIALS 


THE  hymns  of  Charles  Wesley  are  still 
popular  —  as  they  deserve  to  be  —  and  still 
have  a  prominent  place  in  most  Protestant 
hymnals.  One  of  them  seems  to  have  a  special 
appeal  for  Brethren  congregations  even  though 
it  is  not  the  best  known  nor  the  most  widely 
sung.  It  will  bear  looking  into  at  this  time  be- 
cause it  contains  the  theme  our  Brotherhood  has 
adopted  for  the  next  two  years.  It  begins  "A 
charge  to  keep  I  have."  It  reminds  us  that  each 
Christian  has  "a  calling  to  fulfill." 

Why  should  a  Wesleyan  hymn  seem  so  ap- 
propriate for  our  new  emphasis?  There  may  be 
many  reasons,  but  one  is  surely  to  be  found  in 
the  unique  way  in  which  Charles  Wesley  ties 
together  in  three  or  four  phrases  the  combina- 
tion of  values  that  Brethren  cherish. 

Looking  at  Wesley's  first  two  stanzas  you 
discover  that  the  charge  we  have  is  really  three- 
fold. First  of  all  —  and  it  should  always  be  pri- 
mary —  is  our  calling  to  glorify  God.  We  dare 
not  forget  that  we  are  his  creatures,  his  people, 
the  sheep  of  his  pasture,  his  children.  We  glorify 
him  as  Creator  and  Redeemer,  as  the  Source  of 
life,  as  the  Father  whose  love  is  over  all.  Then 
we  are  responsible  also  for  the  "never-dying 
soul"  that  has  been  entrusted  to  us,  responsible 
for  committing  ourselves  to  Christ,  and  respon- 
sible for  "fitting"  that  soul  for  communion  with 
God.    Individual  piety  is  not  to  be  scorned  or 


ignored,  according  to  Wesley,  and  individual 
Christians  should  be  concerned  to  discipline 
their  lives  through  prayer  and  study  as  a  prep- 
aration for  the  life  to  come. 

At  this  point  many  excellent  hymns  stop. 
But  Charles  Wesley  was  never  content  to  look 
only  toward  heaven.  For  him  religion  involved 
a  relevant  dedication  to  service  in  the  present 
age.  This  is  why  he  was  never  content  to  be 
only  a  preacher  and  poet.  He  visited  prisoners, 
identifying  himself  with  their  lot  and  helping 
them  materially  as  well  as  spiritually.  He  was 
sensitive  to  conditions  in  his  "present  age"  that 
needed  changing,  just  as  people  needed  chang- 
ing. 

So  Wesley  saw  the  fulfilling  of  his  Christian 
calling  as  involving  preaching  and  praise,  de- 
votion and  piety,  service  and  action  in  the 
immediate  present.  He  called  for  the  kind  of 
discipleship  that  will  certainly  engage  all  of 
one's  powers.  We  have  a  trust  that  dare  not  be 
betrayed.  Each  disciple  has  a  strict  account  to 
give. 

We  are  pleased  that  Brethren  poets  are  seek- 
ing to  express  the  calling  that  we  must  feel  at 
this  time.  But  we  are  happy  also  that  one  of  the 
pioneer  leaders  of  another  communion  has  so 
well  stated  what  we  believe  and  what  we  seek 
to  achieve.  May  we  joyfully  but  also  thought- 
fully sing  his  great  hymn  —  and  live  it  too.— k.m. 


For  All  the  Saints  Who  From  TheirjjLabors  Rest 


ONCE  again  an  Annual  Conference  choir 
was  a  definite   aid  to  our  worshiping. 
The    singers    provided    appropriate    re- 
ponses,  assisted  in  unison  readings,  and  brought 
mthems  of  unusual  merit.  Many  of  their  special 
jpumbers  this  year  were  unfamiliar,  but  all  of 
s  them  were  worshipful  and  many  of  them  quite 
li  lovely  —  even  at  a  first  hearing. 

ei 

;i,       One    of   their   offerings    seemed    especially 

imely.  They  sang  a  choral  arrangement  of 
j  ^aughan  Williams'  setting  for  the  thrilling 
e,  vords  of  the  hymn,  For  All  the  Saints  Who 
in  From  Their  Labors  Rest.  As  we  listened  to  the 
Al  alleluias  of  praise  in  the  anthem  it  seemed  to 
*  as  that  the  hymn  might  be  sung  by  everyone 
/bach  year  at  Conference,  as  part  of  a  memorial 
iservice  for  those  saints,  formerly  so  active  in 
sibur   Brotherhood,    who    now    rest    from    their 

abors. 

itflULY  16,  1960 


We  thought  especially  of  Bro.  J.  A.  Robinson, 
whose  life  ebbed  away  during  the  time  of  Con- 
ference. We  knew  him  personally,  having  often 
visited  in  his  home  and  observed  his  energetic 
and  devoted  ministry.  For  the  memory  of  a 
life  such  as  his  and  for  the  memory  of  hundreds 
of  others  whose  brief  obituaries  we  print  from 
week  to  week,  it  would  be  well  for  our  Annual 
Conference  to  pause  long  enough  just  to  recall 
these  "saints." 

The  tributes  we  would  like  to  make  to  the 
memory  of  our  loved  ones  always  seem  inade- 
quate. We  cannot  even  name  all  of  those  of 
whom  the  poet  says,  "Thou  wast  their  rock,  their 
fortress  and  their  might."  But  when  we  come 
together  as  a  Brotherhood  it  would  indeed  be 
fitting  to  recall  those  who  have  gone  on  —  and 
at  the  same  time  we  could  gather  great  spiritual 
strength  by  joining  in  their  triumph  song.  —  k.m. 


The  Danger 


of  Playing  God 


ONE  of  the  subtlest  temp- 
tations which  we  face  is 
the  temptation  to  take 
matters  in  our  own  hands  —  to 
play  God,  as  it  were.  There  are 
few  places  in  life  where  this 
temptation  rears  its  ugly  head 
more  frequently  than  in  the 
area  of  revenge,  retaliation,  re- 
prisal. When  someone  injures 
us,  our  first  impulse  is  to  get 
even,  to  pay  him  back  with  his 
own  coin,  to  give  measure  for 
measure.  And  certainly,  this  is 
the  way  nations  operate.  Even 
so-called  Christian  countries 
operate  on  the  assumption  that 
God  has  ordained  them  to  be 


his  sword  of  judgment,  to  exe- 
cute vengeance  upon  those  na- 
tions that  do  evil. 

No  one  with  any  sense  of 
moral  values  will  deny  that 
Hitler  and  all  that  he  stood  for 
was  evil,  but  as  a  nation  we 
certainly  were  usurping  the 
place  of  God  when  we  pro- 
claimed with  evident  self- 
righteousness,  that  we  were  the 
instrument  of  God  to  avenge 
injustice,  tyranny,  racial  intol- 
erance, and  the  ruthless  perse- 
cution of  minorities. 

When  we  are  tempted  to  take 
matters  in  our  own  hands  and 
to  sit  both  as  judge  and  execu- 


George  Cox  from  Gendreau 


This  is  God's  world,  and  moral  and  spiritual  laws  are 
at  work  in  it  just  as   are  physical   and   material   laws 


John  C.  Middlekauff 


tioner,  we  ought  to  remembei 
these  words  which  Paul  write* 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  12tl 
chapter  of  Romans: 

"Beloved,  never  avenge  your- 
selves, but  leave  it  to  the  wratl 
of  God;  for  it  is  written,  'Ven 
geance  is  mine,  I  will  repay 
says  the  Lord.'  No,  'if  you} 
enemy  is  hungry,  feed  him;  h 
he  is  thirsty,  give  him  drink 
for  by  so  doing  you  will  heaj 
burning  coals  upon  his  head.! 
Do  not  be  overcome  by  evil 
but  overcome  evil  with  good." 

In  this  text,  Paul  suggest; 
three  reasons  why  we  must  re 
sist  the  temptation  to  play  God 

The  first  reason  we  are  not  t< 
retaliate  —  to  play  both  judg 
and  executioner  —  says  Paul 
lies  in  the  fact  that  revengt 
does  not  belong  to  us.  Thi 
conclusion  was  not  somethinj 
that  Paul  made  up  in  his  owi 
thinking  but  is  one  of  the  mora 
laws  found  in  the  Old  Testa 
ment  scriptures.  "Vengeance  i 
mine,  I  will  repay,  says  th 
Lord."  When  he  quoted  thi 
scripture,  Paul  probably  had  i 
mind  Lev.  19:18  and  Deut.  32 
35.  The  first  reads:  "You  sha 
not  take  vengeance  or  bear  an 
grudge  against  the  sons  of  you 
people,  but  you  shall  love  you 
neighbor  as  yourself:  I  am  th 
Lord."  And  the  second:  "Ver 
geance  is  mine,  and  recompens 


W 


Paul  is  saying  that  you  an 
I  have  neither  the  right  nor  th 

GOSPEL  MESSENGB 


IV; 

hi 


equipment  to  be  a  judge  and  an 
executioner  of  judgment.  There 
are  some  things  that  man  is  not 
capable  of  doing  — and  one  of 
them  is  being  a  judge  and  exe- 
cutioner. I  can  think  of  several 
good  reasons  why  God  has  re- 

,  served  this  function  for  himself. 
In  the  first  place,  God's 
knowledge  is  perfect  and  man's 
is  not.  No  matter  how  smart 
we  are,  we  never  can  know  all 
the  facts  let  alone  the  motives 
which  prompt  the  actions  of  an- 
other person. 

]  How  right  Sir  Thomas 
Browne  was  when  he  wrote: 
"No  man  can  justly  censure  or 
condemn  another,  because  in- 

tdeed  no  man  truly  knows  an- 
other." 

|     Not  only  is  our  knowledge 

I  (imperfect  but  added  is  the  fact 
that  our  motives  are  impure. 
We  say  that  we  seek  vengeance 

s  upon  the  one  who  has  offended 
us  or  injured  us  because  we  are 
interested  in  justice  and  fair 
play  but  frequently  we  are 
motivated  by  a  desire  to  get 

I  even,  to  hurt  him  just  as  he  has 
hurt  us,  in  short,  to  get  revenge. 
I  When  God  sits  in  judgment 
upon  a  man  or  a  nation,  he  not 
only  knows  all  the  facts,  but, 
what  is  more  important,  his  mo- 
tives are  pure.  There  is  no  re- 
sentment, no  passion  in  the 
vengeance  of  God.  His  concern 
is  the  salvation  of  men  and  na- 
tions; he  seeks  to  rehabilitate 
those  who  have  done  wrong; 
his  motive  is  love.  Because  of 
pur  ignorance  and  the  faulty 
motives  which  move  us  to  seek 
vengeance,  we  always  get  in 
God's  way  when  we  attempt  to 
usurp  a  function  which  does 
not  belong  to  us  but  solely  to 
God. 

You  see,  we  are  tempted  to 
invade  an  area  of  life  which 
God  has  reserved  for  himself 
because  we  go  on  the  assump- 
tion that  this  is  an  impersonal 
universe.  But  we  are  wrong. 
This    is    a    personal    universe. 

JULY  16.  I960 


God  is  behind  it.  He  orders, 
guides,  and  controls  its  destiny. 
This  is  God's  world  and  he  is 
working  out  his  eternal  pur- 
poses in  it.  And  in  that  process, 
he  judges  and  punishes. 

Because  this  is  God's  world, 
there  are  moral  and  spiritual 
laws  at  work  in  it  just  as  there 
are  physical  and  material  laws. 
And  since  this  is  a  moral  uni- 
verse, wrongdoing  contains  the 
seed  of  its  own  punishment  so 
that  all  man  has  to  do  is  to  get 
out  of  the  way  and  leave  the 
matter  of  vengeance  up  to  God. 
"Beloved,  never  arrange  your- 
selves, but  leave  it  to  the  wrath 
of  God;  for  it  is  written,  'Ven- 
geance is  mine,  I  will  repay, 
says  the  Lord.' " 

Paul  advances  a  second  rea- 
son why  we  should  not  try 
to    play    God    and    seek    to 


"Do   not   be   overcome   by   evil, 
but   overcome   evil   with   good." 


avenge  those  who  offend  us.  He 
says  in  essence  that  vengeance 
does  not  win  but  that  kindness 
does.  "No,  'if  your  enemy  is 
hungry,  feed  him;  if  he  is 
thirsty,  give  him  drink;  for  by 
so  doing  you  will  heap  burning 
coals  upon  his  head.' " 

It  is  at  this  point  that  the 
heart  of  the  Christian  ethic  re- 
veals itself.  Christ  came  into 
the  world  to  reveal  the  God 
who  loves,  who  seeks  the  wan- 
derer and  whose  concern  is  the 
salvation  of  all  men.  In  all  his 
dealings  God  is  motivated,  not 
by  a  desire  to  punish,  to  get 
even,  but  to  redeem,  to  save. 
And  so  the  heart  of  the  gospel 
is  the  proclamation  of  the  good 
news  that  even  in  our  rebellion 
and  disobedience  God  seeks  us 
even  at  the  cost  of  the  death  of 
his  Son  on  the  cross. 

Now  because  this  is  the 
nature  of  God,  we  who  are  born 
anew  into  his  family  must  be 


like  him.  Therefore,  the  most 
characteristic  thing  about  a 
Christian  is  love,  kindness,  and 
a  burning  desire  to  win  others 
to  God  and  his  way.  This  we 
do,  not  by  seeking  to  get  re- 
venge, to  retaliate,  to  get  even, 
but  by  showing  love  and  kind- 
ness. If  life  teaches  us  anything 
it  is  that  vengeance  alienates 
while  love  and  kindness  win. 

You  have  heard  it  ever  since 
you  were  a  child  and  I  am 
afraid  that  it  has  lost  its  cutting 
edge.  But  try  to  understand 
what  Jesus  had  in  mind  when 
he  said,  when  questioned  about 
the  greatest  commandment: 
"Love  God  supremely  and  your 
neighbor  as  you  love  yourself." 
When  we  love  a  person,  we 
seek  that  person's  highest  good; 
we  want  to  help  that  person 
develop  into  perfect  manhood, 
to  help  that  person  become  the 
man  God  intends  for  him  to  be. 
And  so  all  that  we  do  is 
motivated  by  love  —  and  not  a 
desire  to  vindicate  our  hurt 
feelings  or  our  sense  of  having 
been  wronged. 

Even  when  we  do  the  deed 
of  kindness  —  give  food  and 
drink  to  our  hungry,  thirsty 
enemy  —  the  motive  is  to  win. 
This  heaping  of  burning  coals 
upon  his  head  is  not  to  "burn 
him  up"  but  to  make  him  feel 
that  burning  sense  of  shame 
and  remorse  which  comes  to 
those  who  have  unkindness  re- 
paid by  love.  You  may  recall 
that  during  the  Civil  War, 
Lincoln  was  criticized  because 
he  showed  kindness  to  the  ene- 
mies of  the  Union.  And  he  de- 
fended himself  by  saying  that 
he  was  destroying  his  enemies 
by  turning  them  into  friends. 

In  his  Memoirs  of  Childhood 
and  Youth  Albert  Schweitzer 
wrote:  "All  ordinary  violence 
produces  its  own  limitations, 
for  it  calls  forth  an  answering 
violence  which  sooner  or  later 
becomes  its  equal  or  its  superi- 
or.  But  kindness  works  simply 


and  perseveringly;  it  produces 
no  strained  relations  which 
prejudice  its  working;  strained 
relations  which  already  exist  it 
relaxes.  Mistrust  and  misun- 
derstanding it  puts  to  flight, 
and  it  strengthens  itself  by 
calling  forth  answering  kind- 
ness. Hence  it  is  the  furthest 
reaching  and  the  most  effective 
of  all  forces." 

Vengeance  is  negative  and 
produces  resentment;  kindness 
is  positive  and  wins  —  it  turns 
enemies  into  friends. 

Paul's  third  and  final  reason 
for  warning  us  against  playing 
God  in  this  matter  of  vengeance 
is  one  that  deserves  more  at- 
tention than  we  normally  give 
it.  He  argues  that  vengeance 
opens  the  door  and  enables  evil 
to  conquer  us. 

Humanly  speaking,  it  is  im- 
possible to  seek  to  avenge 
ourselves  without  allowing  bit- 
terness, hatred,  and  self-right- 
eousness to  take  possession  of 
our  hearts.  And  when  that 
happens,  we  are  conquered  by 
the  evil  we  seek  to  punish  in  the 
life  of  another.  "Do  not  be 
overcome  by  evil,  but  overcome 
evil  with  good." 

When  we  try  to  play  God  and 
take  matters  into  our  own 
hands,  we  not  only  corrupt  our 
relationships  with  others  —  for 
God  never  intended  us  to  be 
our  brother's  judge  but  rather 
his  brother  —  we  also  open  the 
door  of  our  hearts  and  allow 
evil  to  come  in  and  dominate 
us.  As  soon  as  we  think  we  are 
wise  enough  and  good  enough 
to  be  the  executioner  of  justice 
and  righteousness,  just  at  that 
moment,  we  are  guilty  of  pride 
and  self-righteousness.  And  no 
sin  of  the  flesh  begins  to  com- 
pare in  seriousness  with  the 
sin  of  pride  and  self-righteous- 
ness. In  Matt.  7:1-2,  Jesus  says: 
"Judge  not,  that  you  be  not 
judged.  For  with  the  judgment 
you  pronounce  you  will  be 
judged,  and  the  measure  you 


World  Council  of  Churches 


In  deeds  of  kindness  —  giving  food  and  drink  to  the  hungry  and  thirsty 
—  we  reveal  the  love  and  kindness  of  God,  whose  desire  is  to  redeem 


give  will  be  the  measure  you 
get."  If  it  is  dangerous  to  sit 
in  judgment  upon  a  fellow  man, 
how  much  more  dangerous  it 
is  to  be  the  executioner! 

I  suppose  there  are  a  dozen 
reasons  why  men  and  nations 
try  to  play  God  in  this  matter 
of  vengeance,  but  head  and 
shoulders  above  all  the  rest  is 
the  haunting  conviction  which 
many  people  have  that  God  is 
too  busy  and  that  if  we  do  not 
take  care  of  this  matter  he  will 
forget  all  about  it  by  the  time 
he  gets  around  to  it  —  and  evil 
will  go  unpunished. 

And  the  truth  of  the  matter 
is,  God  is  not  as  fast  in  this 
matter  as  we  would  like  to  see 
him  be.  We  could  not  wait  for 
God  to  clean  up  the  mess  in 
Germany;  so  we  did  it  for  him. 
And  of  course  —  being  fallible 
and  imperfect  —  we  have  more 
of  a  mess  now  than  we  had  be- 
fore. We  are  in  a  hurry  to  give 
atheistic,  materialistic,  commu- 
nistic Russia  what  is  coming 
to  her.  And  some  of  us  are 
afraid  that  someone  will  get 
impatient  and  push  the  panic 
button  before  God  gets  around 
to  caring  for  things. 

What  we  need  is  not  only  the 
conviction    that   this    is    God's 


Co 


[we 


business  but  also  the  patience 
to  wait  for  him  to  fulfill  hi; 
promise:  "Vengeance  is  mine 
I  will  repay."  Thomas  Carlyltl 
once  said:  "God  does  not  pajtwi 
every  Saturday  night." 

There  are  many  reasons  whj 
the  evildoers  lose  out  in  th<i 
end,  but  the  final  and  decisivt 
reason  is  God.  In  his  grea 
novel,  Les  Miserables,  Victo 
Hugo  commented  on  the  Battld 
of  Waterloo:  "End  of  the  die 
tatorship.  A  whole  Europeaj 
system  crumbled  away.  Was  i 
possible  that  Napoleon  shoulc 
have  won  that  battle?  W> 
answer  no.  Why?  Becausi 
of  Wellington?  Because  o 
Bliicher?  No!  Because  of  God  Fi 
Napoleon  had  been  denounce!  >Q 
in  the  infinite  and  his  fall  ha<Jnil; 
been  decided  on.  He  embai 
rassed  God." 

The  great  American  historiar 
Charles  A.  Beard,  once  said  tha 
a  lifetime  devoted  to  the  stud 
of  history  had  taught  hin 
among  other  things,  this  grea 
lesson:  "The  mills  of  the  god 
grind  slowly,  but  they  grind  ej 
ceedingly  fine."  And  if  we  wi 
have  patience,  God  will  hand! 
the  matter  of  vengeance  in  sue 
a  way  that  the  interests  of  bot 
justice  and  love  will  be  served 

GOSPEL  MESSENGE 


pad  j 


v. 

: 

Bf . 

tt'O 

- 

li 

■are 

•to 


. 


Church  of  the  Brethren  pastors 
ire  urged  to  become 
ood  listeners  in 


The  Ministry  of  Counseling 


EF  A  minister  knows  enough 
to  preach  to  100  persons  he 
should    know    enough    to 
isten  to   one."    This   was   Dr. 
Roy  A.  Burkhart's  way  of  em- 
)hasizing    the    importance    of 
counseling  to  about  600  Breth- 
■en    ministers    and    ministers' 
1  vives  who  attended  the  annual 
ninisters'    retreat    at    Annual 
Conference. 
i     Dr.  Burkhart  is  the  minister 
I  jmeritus  of  the  First  Commu- 
i  lity  church  in  Columbus,  Ohio, 
i  vhich  he  served  as  minister  for 
p  wenty-three    years.     He    now 
$ives  half  of  his  time  to  human 
Afelations    work    with    industry 
tilind  professional  groups  as  well 
>'?|s    with    seminaries,    colleges, 
!i%nd  local  churches. 

Counseling,  according  to  the 

peaker,  is  "a  relationship  be- 

dii  ween  two  people  in  which  the 

pea]  loly  Spirit  has  the  maximum 

ipportunity    to    function."     It 

jrovides  an  opportunity  for  a 


cans 


person  to  discover  the  freedom 
to  respond  to  Christ  and  to 
grow  into  newness  of  life. 

Dr.  Burkhart  observed  that 
an  increasing  number  of  people 
now  recognize  the  need  for 
counseling,  and  many  ministers 
are  seeking  training  to  fit  them- 
selves as  counselors.  He  warned 
against  ministers  depending  too 
much  on  technical  analysis  and 
forgetting  their  responsibility  to 
help  develop  new  persons  in 
Christ.  He  said,  "The  pastor 
counselor  must  deal  with  guilt 
as  well  as  with  guilt  feelings. 
The  answer  to  our  personal 
problems  is  not  through  adjust- 
ment. The  only  answer  is  a 
new  person." 

It  is  not  enough  for  the  re- 
ligious counselor  to  give  relief 
from  strain  and  tension.  He 
must  help  persons  become  "new 
creatures  in  Christ  Jesus." 

Discussing  some  of  the  pres- 
ent trends   in   counseling,   the 


Columbus  pastor  observed  that 
the  church  waits  too  long  to  be 
of  most  help  to  people.  If  the 
church  really  does  its  whole 
job,  it  can  prevent  much  mental 
illness  and  even  a  large  amount 
of  physical  illness.  The  church 
is  the  only  institution  dealing 
with  the  whole  family.  It  is  the 
one  place  where  people  go  to 
stay  well. 

However,  the  current  trend 
toward  increased  church  mem- 
bership may  be  misleading.  "It 
is  a  movement,"  said  Dr.  Burk- 
hart, "into  the  church  but  not 
into  redeemed  living.  Actually 
church  membership  may  be- 
come a  substitute  for  redeemed 
living." 

Two  kinds  of  pastoral  coun- 
seling were  described  by  the 
speaker.  The  minister  can  work 
first  of  all  with  those  who  seek 
his  aid  and  come  to  talk  to  him. 
But  the  minister  must  also  seek 

Continued  on  page  20 


Jill 


Gu  Vo  Pastors  Look  at  Counseling   .    . 

nice  i.  On   the    surface   it   might    appear   that    counseling 
h|  /ithin  the  confines  of  the  Christian  church  is  a  modern 
nd  foreign  innovation;  however,  as  we  look  again,  we 
re  amazed  at  the  number  of  times  an  experience  of 
eal  help  was  preceded  by  a  sweeping  statement  of  a 
"OriSd  leaningful  relationship  Christ  established  with  the  one 
ho  was  made  whole. 

Zacchaeus,  who  had  been  shunned  by  his  fellows, 

ow  had  the  Christ  break  bread  with  him  in  his  house. 

)lil  l  woman  who  had  known  only  lust  now  experienced 

le  real  and  deeper  meaning  of  redemptive  love.   Peter, 

I    mo  lost  himself  in  an  inner  division  of  loyalties,  re- 

;  SjOi  eived  an  understanding  look  from  his  Lord. 

May  we  as  his  representatives  on  earth  learn  to  know 
whom  we  belong;  may  we  become  increasingly 
ware  of  the  deeper  motives  and  purposes  of  our  own 
inermost  being,  and  may  we  reach  out  for  a  greater 
nderstanding  of  up-to-date  disciplines  which  help  us 
)  be  of  greater  service  to  God  and  our  fellow  men. 
amuel  W.  Longenecker,  Monroeville,  Pennsylvania 
ULY  16,  I960 


D 


►  Dr.  Burkhart's  morning  address  offered  sound  ad- 
vice for  us  ministerial  counselors.  His  examination  of 
the  role  of  the  pastor  and  particularly  of  the  unique 
and  difficult  role  of  the  pastor's  wife,  gave  an  insight 
into  ministerial  life.  Acting  upon  this  insight  should 
assist  the  pastoral  couple  in  achieving  what  Dr.  Burkhart 
calls  "freedom  within  the  soul."  Clearly  he  dispelled 
any  notion  that  conversion,  or  even  a  dedication  to 
the  clerical  vocation,  brings  an  automatic  adjustment  or 
dispelling  of  personality  problems. 

Having  shared  with  us  some  of  the  methods  which 
have  made  him  a  noted  counselor,  Dr.  Burkhart  re- 
vealed his  own  convictions  with  regard  to  counseling. 
There  is  more  than  a  nonjudgmental  attitude  —  for  there 
is  "judgment  with  understanding."  There  is  more  than 
reflection  —  for  there  is  Christian  guidance.  We  sensed 
in  him  a  compassion  which  is  not  waiting  merely  to 
receive  those  waiting  in  the  outer  office,  but  knocks 
on  doors  of  need,  offering  hope  to  those  who  open. 
Leland  Wilson,  Overland  Park,  Kansas 


Andres  and  Mercedes  Pilatunia   and   family 


ANDRES  PILATUNIA  is  a  young  Indian  who  has  accepted  tht 
Christian  faith  in  recent  years  through  the  ministry  of  tht 
Brethren  mission  near  Calderon,  Ecuador.  He  is  a  mason  anc 
builder  and  spends  most  of  the  week  in  Quito  with  his  work 
Using  his  limited  free  time  at  home,  he  has  been  able  to  construe 
a  new  and  beautiful  home  which  contrasts  sharply  with  the  dirty 
poorly  constructed  huts  of  his  neighbors  and  friends  nearby.  If 
addition  to  being  a  kind  and  thoughtful  father  and  husband  U 
his  four  children  and  his  wife,  Mercedes,  Andres  is  a  faithfu 
witness  and  member  of  the  Calderon  church. 

Although  he  is  still  comparatively  young  in  the  Christian  faith 
already  he  has  shown  three  or  four  of  his  friends  the  Christiat 
way  and  has  watched  them  come  to  know  the  joy  and  securiU 
of  walking  with  Christ.   Here  he  tells  something  of  his  life. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGE1 


' 


he  Testimony  of  Brother  Andres 


as  told  to  and  translated  by 

Merle  Crouse 

Photos  by  Horning,  Fike,  and  Long 


MY  LIFE  has  been  a  fantastic  thing  con- 
sidering it  from  a  spiritual  point  of 
view.  I  always  used  to  look  for  the 
things  of  vanity.  Because  of  the  habits  that 
,  [  had,  it  was  difficult  for  me  to  follow  after 
the  things  of  God.  But  now  I  am  giving  thanks 
Nj  to  God  who  has  an  immeasurable  love  for 
sinners,  because  only  he  has  power  to  change 
every  man.  Also,  I  am  giving  thanks  to  the 
rethren  as  regards  the  practices  and  teachings 
f  the  love  of  God.  His  power  was  well 
emonstrated  in  my  life  and  was  enlarged  in 
e  through  the  receiving  of  baptism. 

When  I  was  a  child,  my  father  told  me  that 
e  should  fear  God,  but  he  did  not  know  how 
e  worship  of  God  should  be  and,  therefore, 
id  not  worship  him  well.  I  have  the  hope  that 
ome  day  my  parents  also  will  find  the  truth. 
They  are  people  who  have  a  type  of  faith  in 
God  but  are  not  acquainted  with  the  true 
character  of  God.  We  used  to  go  to  mass  and 
afterwards  get  drunk,  fight,  break  up  things, 
lose  our  hats  and  clothes,  and  finally  end  up 
in  jail. 

With  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  a  man  like 

"( me  experiences  a  change  in  his  life  as  regards 

III  (the  things  of  God.    It  has  been  my  experience 

that  one  is  cultivated  by  the  acts  of  the  Spirit. 

111  When  moments  of  imminent  temptation  arrive, 

■}j  they  are  quelled  by  the  help  of  God  because  he 

is  all-powerful.    One  receives  the  gift  of  the 

1(1  Holy  Spirit  for  this  purpose  —  to  resist  tempta- 

f|  tion.    I  thank  God  especially  because  he  has 

separated  me  from  my  previous  vices  and  vani- 

"ities;  liberation  from  them  makes  me  feel  that 

Ifil  stand  in  the  knowledge  of  God.    God  has 

cared  for  us  in  our  home  and  has  given  us 

"  I  understanding  so  that  we  are  happy  and  full  of 

*  joy  and  peace.   And  now  we  even  have  money 

(when  we  need  it. 

Two  years  ago  our  child  Jaime  became 
seriously  ill.  There  was  not  much  hope  for 
him.  Then  we  went  to  the  missionary  nurse, 
Miss  Faye,  who  said  that  we  needed  to  pray 
very  much.  We  took  him  to  Quito,  where  they 
treated  him  with  some  remedies,  and  we  re- 

JULY  16,  I960 


turned  home  praying  hard.  Immediately,  he 
began  to  improve.  Now,  in  the  home  we  always 
pray  just  before  getting  up  in  the  morning, 
before  eating  lunch  and  supper,  and  then  later 
at  night,  and  we  always  feel  a  joy  from  the 
bottom  of  our  hearts. 

One  time  my  wife,  my  brother-in-law, 
Francisco,  and  I  went  to  eat  with  a  woman 
who  knew  something  about  the  New  Testament. 
She  said  that  people  were  not  living  according 
to  Scripture.  We  asked  her,  "What  is  Scrip- 
ture?" She  said,  "It  is  the  story  of  the  creation 
of  the  world  and  of  the  things  of  God."  After 
that  she  told  us  something  of  the  difference 
between  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New 
Testament  and  also  that  the  Scripture  told  the 
truth  about  Jesus  Christ. 

Then  we  asked  her,  "Who  is  Jesus  Christ?" 
She  said  that  he  lived  to  save  us  from  sin.  We 
asked  her,  "Is  that  true?"   She  said,  "Sure,  and 


An  Indian  home  in  the  Llano  Grande  community 
near  Calderon,  Ecuador,  which  contrasts  sharply 
with  the  new  home  of  the  progressive  Pilatunia 
family  (below) 


Andres  Pilatunia  takes  his  Christian  faith  seriously,  speaking 

often  to  his  neighbors  and  members  of  his  family  about 

the  deep  meaning  he  finds  in  living  a  Christian  life 

Personal  Bible  reading  and  study  is  a  daily  practice 
since  Andres  has  become  a  Christian 


if  you  don't  believe  it,  go  buy  a  New  Testament 
and  see."  Francisco  and  I  said  that  we  were 
going  to  buy  one.  She  told  us  to  go  to  the 
Evangelicals. 

We  went  to  "Four  Corners,"  where  we  met 
a  friend  who  directed  us  to  the  mission  homes, 
but  no  one  was  home.  Then  a  friend  told  us, 
"If  you  really  want  to  live,  come  on  Sunday  at 
seven  o'clock." 

The  following  Sunday,  I  bathed,  dressed, 


and  went  to  the  mission,  arriving  at  seven  in 
the  morning.  There  I  met  Mr.  Benton.  He 
greeted  me,  and  I  asked  him,  "Do  you  people 
talk  about  the  Word  of  God?"  He  said,  "Yes. 
If  you  wish  you  can  study  the  Bible  a  little 
with  us  now,  and  then  we  will  go  down  to 
the  church  and  you  can  see  that  we  are  not 
deceiving  you." 

The  Sunday  school  lesson  that  morning  dealt 
with  Dan.  3 : 1  or  something  like  that  and  spoke 


Lay  members  of  the  Calderon  congregation  direct  Sunday 
morning  worship  and  share  in  preaching  responsibilities. 
Here  Andres  Pilatunia  is  preaching 


The  dependable  work  of  Andres  Pilatunia  as  a  mason 
brings  him  not  only  a  good  living  but  also  the  respect 
of  the  community  and  his  employer 


f  a  king  who  made  an  image  of  gold  for  his 
eople.  However,  among  the  leaders  of  the 
eople  were  three  men  who  did  not  obey  him 
ecause  they  wanted  to  worship  Jehovah,  the 
rue  God.  Afterwards,  they  had  to  suffer  plenty 
ecause  of  their  faith.  This  story  impressed  me 
ery  much. 

The  following  Sunday  I  went  to  the  wor- 
hip  service  again  with  the  brethren  Luis  Osorio 
md  Jaime  Redin.  Again  I  liked  the  lesson  from 
he  Word  of  God  which  they  taught  us  —  this 
ime  from  John  3:16.  These  teachings  went 
itraight  to  my  mind  and  heart.  I  knew  that 
'.  was  lost  and  that  the  message  was  for  me. 
Then  I  felt  a  great  joy  and  left  the  church 
'rowing  in  courage. 

My  wife  and  I  went  on  the  following  Sun- 
lays  and  understood  more  and  more  that  "who- 
ever comes  to  Him  will  be  saved  and  he  who 
loes  not  come  will  not  be  saved."  This  was  a 
very  clear  truth. 

Meanwhile,  people  were  beginning  to  realize 
that  I  was  getting  myself  into  something  strange. 
They  told  me  that  I  was  with  the  demons,  the 
Evangelicals.  My  parents  told  me,  "What  you 
are  doing  is  not  good."  My  godparents  said, 
'You  people  are  denying  us.  We  do  not  have 
fellowship  with  you  because  you  have  changed 
your  religion."  One  day  my  godfather  even 
threatened,  "We  are  going  to  kill  you!"  We 
left  at  once  because  they  were  going  to  attack 
us. 

Those  were  dark  days  and  my  wife  said,  "It 
is  not  possible  to  go  on  because  the  people  are 
angry  and  don't  want  to  have  anything  to  do 
with  us."  But  I  answered  her,  "The  Bible  says 
that  not  one  drunk  will  get  to  heaven  and  that 
only  those  with  clean  hearts  are  accepted."    I 


was  able  to  leave  drunkenness  and  dancing 
behind  little  by  little. 

Then,  several  things  happened  which 
strengthened  us  very  much.  The  wife  of  my 
godfather  fell  sick  and  remained  sick  for  two 
years.  They  used  up  all  their  money.  We  went 
to  visit  them  in  all  sincerity  and  gave  them  food 
and  money,  and  they  came  to  long  for  our 
visits. 

It  turned  out  that  they  sold  all  their  goods 
and  finally  the  wife  died.  Through  this  we  saw 
clearly  the  failure  of  the  enemy.  We  have  come 
to  realize  that  no  one  can  contradict  God,  and 
for  this  reason  my  godfather  was  ruined.  The 
godfather  also,  from  that  point,  realized  this 
and  now  is  a  very  good  friend  of  ours  and  we 
visit  often  —  we  are  in  agreement. 

Still,  my  wife  was  not  completely  decided 
and  a  struggle  began  between  us,  and  we  said, 
"We  cannot  go  on  together."  My  wife  asked, 
"How  are  we  going  to  become  Evangelicals 
when  people  talk  so  much?"  I  told  her,  "Who 
are  we  going  to  follow?  Who  made  the  earth, 
the  world,  and  everything?  The  Catholics  don't 
teach  us  anything.  Why  are  you  so  hot-headed?" 

My  wife  answered,  "Tomorrow  I  am  going 
to  the  Roman  church  to  see  what  they  say  and 
what  thev  believe.  The  next  Sunday  I  am  going 
to  the  Evangelical  worship  service  and  find  out 
what  they  teach."  That  second  Sundav  she 
went  and  listened  to  the  things  of  God  and 
liked  them  very  much.  The  third  Sunday  we 
three  (counting  Francisco)  went  to  the  Roman 
church  and  didn't  understand  any  of  the  Latin. 

The  fourth  Sunday  we  returned  to  the 
Evangelical  worship  service  and  listened  to 
good  things  and  from  that  point  have  continued. 
For  a  while  my  brother-in-law  had  doubts  even 


Francisco 

Lincango, 

Merle  Crouse, 

and  Andres 

Pilatunia  (left  to 

right)  spend  an 

evening  visiting 

with  a  family  in 

Calderon 

interested  in  the 

Christian  faith. 

Andres  leads  in 

prayer  after  Bible 

study  and 

discussion 


JULY  16,  1960 


though  he  liked  the  gospel  very  much.  He  was 
still  quite  bothered  by  what  people  said. 

Finally,  we  surrendered  ourselves  to  the 
Lord,  I  first,  and  later  the  other  two.  We  began 
to  prepare  ourselves  for  baptism  with  marvelous 
classes  concerning  things  like,  "How  should  a 
person  be  a  servant  of  God?"  and  "How  should 
one  defend  himself  from  the  enemy?" 

One  day  Mitchie,  my  wife,  came  to  class 
with  a  question,  "People  are  saying  that  we 
Evangelicals  don't  believe  in  the  Holy  Virgin. 
What  about  it?"  The  pastor  told  us,  "We  believe 
that  the  Virgin  and  also  all  the  saints  were 
people  with  flesh  and  blood  and  that  they 
were  very  good  servants  of  God,  but  they  were 
not  divine." 

The  neighbors  were  very  hostile  toward  us 
and  Mitchie  cried  often.  When  some  angry 
people  said  they  were  going  to  burn  us  with 
gasoline,  she  became  so  afraid  that  she  would 
hardly  go  to  town  to  do  the  marketing.  How- 
ever, we  continued  visiting  and  helping  rela- 
tives and  neighbors,  giving  them  pumpkins, 
vegetables,  corn,  and  other  things. 

Today  we  are  good  friends  and  we  visit 
them  every  day  and  tell  them  of  our  new  life 
and  how  we  have  laid  aside  the  old  habits, 
the  drinking  and  all  evil,  and  how  we  were 
transformed  by  God.  By  means  of  our  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ  we  are  new  persons  in  every  way 
and  the  other  people  can  see  it. 

For  example,  today  I  felt  a  great  joy.    I 


wanted  to  ask  the  engineer  who  directs  my 
work  for  permission  to  leave  the  construction 
firm  for  a  while  in  order  to  help  Brother  Portilla 
in  the  construction  of  his  house.  So,  this  morn- 
ing I  left  here  praying  for  God's  help  in  the 
matter  and  later  went  to  the  engineer  and 
told  him  that  I  wished  to  ask  a  big  favor.  "Mr; 
Engineer,  we  have  finished  the  project  here  and 
I  would  like  to  leave  the  firm  now  for  a  few 
months." 

He  got  a  little  angry  but  I  knew  I  was  not 
his  personal  property  so  I  had  the  courage  to 
tell  him  what  I  wanted.  During  the  many 
months  that  we  had  worked  together,  he  had 
come  to  appreciate  my  help  very  much;  so  he 
finally  said,  "Okay,  you  can  go  for  as  many 
months  as  are  necessary  but  come  back  when 
you  can;  we  will  be  awaiting  your  return."  This 
was  the  answer  to  my  prayers,  an  answer  gained 
because  of  my  new  life  in  Christ. 

Now  we  are  happy.  We  believe  that  prayer 
is  the  foundation  of  life  and  that  God  helps 
us  through  prayer;  so  we  are  always  grateful 
to  our  missionary  brothers  because  of  theii 
teachings,  their  example,  and  their  spiritual 
guidance.  Because  of  them  we  know  God  and 
now  we  have  the  privilege  of  helping  others 
know  him,  those  who,  as  we  were,  are  blind, 

Christ  was  always  communicating  with  the 
Father,  and  in  love  and  compassion  went  about 
helping  every  kind  of  man.  Looking  at  the  ex-: 
ample  of  Christ,  we  are  dedicating  ourselves  to 
the  things  of  God. 


Ladies'  group  of 

the  Calderon 

church 

repair  hymnals  at 

a  midweek 

meeting  in  the 

Andres  Pilatunia 

home 


12 


The 
Oldest 

City 
in  the 
World 

David  J.  Wieand 
part  n 


TTT  HEN  Bill  returned  to 
W/   talk    about    Jericho    he 

»  »  wanted  to  hear  more 
ibout  its  remarkable  stone-age 
'people.  So  I  went  on,  "It  is  as- 
tounding to  realize  that  these  pre- 
jpottery  neolithic  people  had  'all 
of  the  attributes  of  civilization  ex- 
cept that  of  a  written  language.' 
'Rooms  with  doors  and  many  of 
fthem  about  twelve  by  nineteen 
ifeet  in  size  were  grouped  about 
courtyards  where  the  cooking  was 
jdone.  Floors  were  of  clay  usually 
plastered  with  lime  and  colored 
red  or  cream  and  were  burnished 
to  a  high  polish.  Occasionally  a 
,reed  mat  was  used. 

"Did  you  see  the  news  release 
some  years  ago  about  the  plas- 
jtered  skulls  found  at  Jericho?  The 
artistry  evident  in  these  religious 
lobjects  is  almost  unbelievable, 
j  Archaeologists  think  that  there 
jwas  a  cult  of  skulls  at  Jericho  and 
that  these  are  either  heads  of  an- 
cestors whom  they  worshiped  or 
iof  enemies. 

"Beginning  in  1952  a  neolithic 
[stone  wall  of  massive  proportions 
was  uncovered.  This  proves  that 
i  these  early  people  had  achieved 
I  a  true  civic  status.  The  original 
I  wall  was  finally  found  to  have  a 
height  of  almost  twenty  feet.  With 
its  later  reconstruction  this  wall 
achieved  a  height  of  almost  forty- 
five  feet! 

JULY  16,  I960 


Hal 


A  view  of  the  wall  of  old  Jericho  which  has  been  excavated 


"In  1956  the  excavation  pene- 
trated the  plastered  houses  to 
earlier  neolithic  construction  com- 
posed of  mud  floors  and  beehive- 
shaped  rooms  built  of  hog-back 
bricks,  city  walls,  and  the  great 
round  tower  about  thirty  feet 
high.  It  was  an  amazing  dis- 
covery, for  formerly  scholars  had 
assumed  that  the  construction  of 
round  stone  towers  first  began 
thousands  of  years  later  in  the 
Hellenistic  period. 

"Forty-five  feet  of  neolithic  de- 
bris accumulated  before  Jericho 
saw  its  first  pottery.  Some  time 
during  the  first  quarter  of  the  fifth 
millennium  B.C.  campers  arrived 
at  an  abandoned  Jericho  bringing 


with  them  the  knowledge  of  how 
to  make  pottery  —  some  of  it  fine, 
well-fired,  smooth-surfaced  ware 
with  diamond  or  triangle  designs 
dark  red  in  color.  Civilization  ad- 
vanced at  Jericho  with  the  bun- 
shaped  brick  people,  who  made 
finer  vessels  with  bow  rim,   im- 

Continued  on  page  20 


1951  --  Pioneer,  Ohio 

Inge  Steudinger  made  her  home  with  the  George 
Throne  family  as  a  participant  in  the  exchange 

program  of  1951-52 


1960  --  Unterlenningen,  Germany 

Upon  Inge's  return  to  Germany  she  started  saving 

money  to  make  a  return  visit  to  the  States.  But 

her  plans  changed  —  in  1958  she  was  married  to 

Kurt  Sayler,  a  widower  with  two  young  children. 

Since  she  could  not  easily  leave  for  such  a  trip, 

she  and  her  husband  decided  to  take  an  American 

exchangee  into  their  home.    Judy  Petty  (right)  of 

Dublin,  Indiana,  has  become  a  member  of  the 

family  for  a  year 

Hans   Ulrich   and  Heiderose  love  to  have  their 
"big  sister"  read  them  bedtime  stories 

Judy  and  "Tante"  Inge  wash  the  dishes  as 

"Onkel"  Kurt  pries  loose  a  piece  of  meat  from 

the  refrigerator.    Judy  calls  them  "Aunt"  and 

"Uncle"  because  Inge  is  not  really  so  much  older 

than  Judy,  and  "Tante,"  the  title  which  the  village 

gave  Inge  as  a  kindergarten  teacher,  seemed 

more  natural 

The  Sayler  family  operates  the  village  filling  sta- 
tion and  drugstore,  both  located  at  their  residence 

14 


/He  otccHOHCjie.  &*<p&iieHoe.~ 

DOES  I 


\ 


\ 


HAST? 


? 


Dan  Raffensperger  with  Ruth  Davidson 


R 


ETURNING  to  Unterlen- 
ningen,   Teck,    in    1952 
after  her  exchange  year 
in  Pioneer,  Ohio,  Inge  Steuding- 
jsr  discovered  that  the  members 
Jof  this  small  village  near  Stutt- 
gart were  skeptical  about  the 
I  lexchange  program.    They  had 
the  idea  that  they  were  paying 
ior    it    through    German    tax 
Imoney.   Inge's  first  task  was  to 
t  (correct  this  impression  and  to 
I  {convince  them  of  the  worth  of 
Athe  exchange  idea. 

Almost  ten  years  after  leav- 

jj  jing  for  the  States  Inge  provided 

U  another  major  boost  to  this  com- 

Mmunity's    understanding.     This 

8  j  year    she    and    her    husband, 

Kurt  Sayler,  are  host  parents  to 

Man  American   high   school   ex- 

f !  changee,  Judy  Petty  of  Dublin, 

:   Indiana.  The  village  of  2,000  is 

i  i  so  impressed  by  Judy  that  many 

'  i  of  them  come  to  Inge  and  say: 

"My,  but  she  is  a  nice,  whole- 

I   some  girl.    She  doesn't  smoke 

]  or  drink  and  isn't  a  rock  'n  roll 

;  and    Presley    fan.     She    wears 

I  simple    clothing    and    doesn't 

have  dates  every  day  as  we  had 

heard  American  girls  do.    We 

,  didn't    know    that    Americans 

,  could  be  like  her." 

In  response  Inge  enjoys  ex- 
plaining to  them  from  her 
H  own  experience  that  people  in 
America  are  just  as  Christian  in 
their  thoughts,  beliefs,  and  ac- 
tions as  the  Germans  are. 

Unlike  Inge's  experience  of 
a  skeptical  home  community, 
Georg  Haenel,  another  partici- 
pant in  the  early  years  of  the 
Brethren   Service  teen-age  ex- 

JULY  16,  1960 


change  program,  found  that  his 
home  village  followed  his  ex- 
periences on  a  farm  in  New 
Enterprise,  Pa.,  with  interest. 
Before  he  left  for  the  States,  he 
and  his  father  had  experiment- 
ed on  some  progressive  methods 
of  crop  rotation  and  dairying, 
and  some  800  persons  from 
several  countries  had  visited  to 
see  the  results. 

During  his  exchange  year  he 
learned  much  about  modern 
U.  S.  farming  methods  and  was 
especially  happy  to  gain  experi- 
ence with  farm  machinery, 
which  he  reports  was  then  as 
advanced  as  is  now  the  case  in 
Germany. 

But  in  another  respect 
Georg's  experience  is  quite  sim- 
ilar to  Inge's.  He  also  has  had 
an  American  exchangee  in  his 
home  this  year.  Gayle  Wood,  a 
farm  girl  of  Panora,  Iowa,  has 
spent  a  busy  year  in  Bockel- 
kathen,  Germany,  with  Georg, 
his  wife,  two  daughters,  and  his 
parents.  As  well  as  being  lead- 
ers in  the  agricultural  life  of  the 
community,  their  home  serves 
as  the  village  post  office  and 
communications  center,  having 
the  only  telephone  in  the  vil- 
lage. 

Georg,  who  lives  only  six 
miles  from  the  boundary  of  the 
two  zones  of  Germany,  relates 
the  following  reactions  when 
they  took  Gayle  to  the  border: 
"One  could  clearly  notice  how 
she  became  a  little  afraid  as  the 
East  German  border  police 
marched  by  us  with  their  load- 
ed weapons,  never  pausing  or 


glancing  to  the  side.  If  the 
whole  Communist  Bloc  is  as 
resolute  as  these  two  guards  ap- 
peared, we  in  the  West  must 
put  aside  much  more  of  our 
complacency  in  order  to  stand 
up  against  their  philosophy.  We 
are  able  to  help  out  a  little 
through  our  support  of  the  ex- 
change program." 

Just  as  dozens  of  other  Amer- 
ican exchangees,  both  Gayle 
and  Judy  have  had  their  strug- 
gles with  the  new  language, 
gradually  mastering  it  to  a  sur- 
prising degree.  Also  typically 
they  have  enjoyed  the  experi- 
ence of  becoming  a  real  part  of 
a  family  of  another  culture  and 
the  broadening  experiences  of 
school,  church,  and  travel.  But 
their  exchange  projects  have 
had  a  special  touch  because  of 
the  link  of  a  host  parent  who 
has  also  been  an  exchangee. 

Another  interesting  aspect  of 
Gayle's  and  Judy's  exchanges  is 
that  they  are  both  "direct  ex- 
changes." That  is,  their  home 
communities  were  hosts  to  other 
exchangees  during  the  same 
time  that  they  were  gone.  Peter 
Beyer  is  living  in  Judy's  home 
community,  and  Rainer  Wolf 
has  found  his  home  with  Gayle's 
parents.  In  other  words,  these 
youth  have  traded  places  for  a 
year,  and  both  communities  are 
richer  for  the  experience. 

BEGINNINGS 

The  exchange  program  in 
which  Inge  Steudinger  and 
Georg  Haenel  participated  in 
'50-'51  and  '51-'52  began  in 
1949.  Negotiations  by  Brethren 
Service  leaders  with  the  U.  S. 
High  Commissioner  of  Ger- 
many and  the  U.  S.  Department 
of  State  officials  culminated  in 
the  first  postwar  program  for 
German  high  school  students  to 
the  United  States.  Following 
that  first  sailing  of  90  students, 
600  more  German  and  Austrian 
students  arrived  in  the  United 
States  under  this  program  up  to 

15 


1950  -  New  Enterprise,  Pennsylvania 


Georg  Haenel  was  a  German  exchange  student  with  the  D.  K.  Lashley  famih 
Here  he  is  pictured  with  his  American  brother  and  sister,  Darrel  and  Nancy. 
Nancy  is  now  studying  German  looking  forward  to  spending  a  year  perhaps  wit) 
the  Haenels  in  a  few  years 


1960  -- 

Bockelkathen, 

Qermany 


Georg  (center)  is  now  host  father  to  Gayle  Wood  (third  from  right),  exchangee 
from  Panora,  Iowa.  Gayle  has  become  a  real  part  of  this  village  farm  family 
composed    of    Georg's    wife,    daughters    Christine    and    Heike,    and    his    parents 


the  year  1956.  At  that  time  the 
U.  S.  State  Department  turned 
the  administration  of  the  pro- 
gram over  entirely  to  the  sev- 
eral agencies  which  were  by 
that  time  participating  in  the 
exchange. 

ICYE   FORMED 

As  a  result,  the  Brethren  ex- 
change program  changed  in 
complexion.  The  Church  of  the 
Brethren  interested  six  other 
denominations  which  had  al- 
ready been  co-operating  to  var- 
ious extents  in  placement  of 
students,  in  joining  with  them 
to  form  the  International  Chris- 
tian Youth  Exchange,  an  in- 
dependent association  closely 
affiliated  with  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  and  the 
World  Council  of  Churches. 

With  this  change  the  pro- 
gram broadened  in  scope.  In 
the  first  year  of  operation  this 

16 


new  agency  sponsored  101  over- 
seas students  to  the  States.  The 
students  represented  Austria, 
Brazil,  Costa  Rica,  England, 
France,  Germany,  and  Uru- 
guay. In  the  two  successive 
years  the  countries  of  Den- 
mark, Finland,  Honduras,  Neth- 
erlands, Sweden,  and  Japan 
were  added.  Also,  the  number 
of  American  students  to  over- 
seas countries,  formerly  quite 
small,  jumped  from  twenty-two 
in  1957-58  to  forty-five  in  1959- 
60. 

The  evidence  of  long-range 
benefits  from  exchange  projects, 
as  shown  in  the  examples  of 
Inge  and  Georg,  who  have 
translated  their  continued  in- 
terest into  the  very  tangible 
action  of  receiving  new  ex- 
change students  into  their 
homes,  gives  promise  for  an 
expanding  and  increasingly  ef- 
fective   exchange    among    the 


Christians  of  the  world. 

Unfortunately,  the  response 
of  Brethren  congregations  toi 
this  challenge  through  ICYE 
has  lapsed  somewhat  from  the 
earlier  pioneering  role.  John 
Eberly,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
representative  to  ICYE,  reports 
that  it  is  becoming  increas- 
ingly more  difficult  to  locate 
Brethren  homes  for  exchange 
students.  Of  the  105  ICYE  stu- 
dents in  the  States  this  year, 
only  16  have  been  in  Brethren 
homes,  which  is  less  than  the 
quota  that  could  be  assigned  to 
our  denomination. 

In  comparison,  of  a  similar 
number  of  students  to  the 
United  States  in  1952-53,  76 
were  welcomed  into  Brethren 
homes.  Also,  of  the  110  Ameri- 
can students  sent  abroad  under 
the  ICYE  program  in  the  past 
three  years,  only  11  have  been 

Continued  on  page  19 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Pension  Rate  Increase 

Those  who  work  on  next  year's  local 
budget  are  reminded  that  the  1960  Annual 
Conference  adopted  a  2%  rate  increase  which 
will  raise  the  church's  portion  to  8%  of  the 
minister's  salary  base.  Since  the  increase  is 
effective  Sept.  1,  the  church  treasurer  doubt- 
less will  need  authorization  from  the  finance 
committee  soon  for  remitting  the  larger  church 
contribution  for  the  month  of  September. 


Church  Extension  Investment  Notes  issued  after 
March  31,  1960,  bear  an  interest  rate  of  4Y4%.  This 
announcement  is  to  correct  a  regrettable  error  in  the 
interest  rate  which  appeared  on  page  23  of  the  June  25 
Gospel  Messenger.  Notes  issued  prior  to  April  1  will 
continue  to  bear  4%  interest. 

David  E.  Blickenstaff,  a  graduate  of  Manchester 
College,  received  the  honorary  degree,  Doctor  of  Laws, 
at  the  Manchester  College  commencement.  Mr.  Blicken- 
staff is  presently  serving  as  director  of  the  United  Na- 
tions information  center  in  New  Delhi,  India.  From 
1937-1945  he  was  engaged  in  relief  work  in  France  and 
Spain. 

W.  Harold  Row,  executive  secretary  of  the  Brethren 
Service  Commission,  arrived  in  Frankfurt,  Germany, 
on  June  23  on  the  first  lap  of  his  administrative  trip 
to  Brethren  Service  work  in  Europe  and  the  Middle 
East.  He  will  attend  the  Puidoux  Theological  Confer- 
ence III  at  Paris  in  July  and  also  a  World  Council  of 
Churches  meeting  in  Berlin,  before  returning  to  the 
States  in  August. 


Paul  M.  Robinson,  chairman  of  the  Foreign  Mission 
Commission,  and  J.  Henry  Long,  executive  secretary, 
and  their  wives  left  the  United  States  the  latter  part 

:   of  June  for  a  tour  of  our  church  and  mission  in  Nigeria. 

!i  They  are  meeting  with  the  members   of  the  mission 

.1  staff  and  leaders  of  the  church,  educational,  medical, 
and  rural  departments,  to  work  on  problems  of  the 
process  of  turning  the  work  over  to  nationals.  The 
Robinsons   and   Mrs.   Long  will   return  to   New   York 

il  on  Aug.  7,  but  Brother  Long  will  stay  on  in  the  mission 
area  until  Aug.    19  and  then  return  via  Vienna   and 

.[Frankfurt,  reaching  Elgin  on  Aug.  28. 

Eight  American  farmers  were  scheduled  to  leave 
'New  York  on  July  1  for  a  summer  exchange  in  Poland, 
1 1  under  the  sponsorship  of  the  Brethren  Service  Commis- 
sion.   They  will  spend  six  weeks  on  farms  in  Poland 
land  two  weeks  on  a  sightseeing  tour  of  Vienna,  Rome, 
[    Geneva,  Paris,  and  London.   The  group  will  also  spend 
'    three  days  at  Kassel,  Germany,  upon  their  arrival  in 
!    Europe.    The  farmers   involved   are:     E.   Bruce   Boys, 
,    State  College,  Pa.,  Phil  Eikenberry,  Scottville,  Mich., 
Henry   Hackman,   Manheim,   Pa.,   Donald   E.   Keener, 
Ashland,  Ohio,  Darold  Simpson,  Saranac,  Mich.,  Troy 
Schrock,  Preston,  Minn.,  Lloyd  Standafer,  Worthington, 
!   Minn.,  and  John  H.  Eberly,  director  of  the  Brethren 
:  exchange  program. 

;    JULY  16,  1960 


A  reunion  of  conscientious  objectors  will  be  held  on 
Sunday,  Aug.  14,  at  Stahl's  Mennonite  church,  seven 
miles  south  of  Johnstown,  Pa.  Services  start  at  9:30 
a.m.,  DST.  Lunch  will  be  served  by  the  local  church. 
If  you  plan  to  attend,  please  notify  Ammon  Sala,  Sr., 
R.  2,  Box  91A,  Hollsopple,  Pa.,  how  many  will  be  in 
your  group. 

Twenty  volunteers  are  needed  to  serve  as  normal 
control  patients  at  the  National  Institutes  of  Health, 
Bethesda,  Md.,  beginning  this  September.  Persons 
must  be  eighteen  years  of  age  or  over  and  need  to 
be  available  for  at  least  three  months.  There  is  a  special 
need  for  volunteers  in  the  fifty-five  to  seventy-age 
bracket  who  are  in  good  health.  Write  to  the  Director 
of  Volunteer  Services,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices,  Elgin,  111.,  for  further  information  and  to  apply. 


The  Church  Calendar 

July  17 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Amos  Warns  Against  False  Se- 
curity. Amos  5:14-15;  6.  Memory  Selection:  Let  anyone 
who  thinks  that  he  stands  take  heed  lest  he  fall.  1  Cor. 
10:12  (R.S.V.) 

July  17-23  Human  Relations  laboratory,  Manchester 
College 

July  20  Middle  and  Western  Pennsylvania  women's 
camp,  Camp  Harmony 

July  22-23  District  meeting,  Western  Pennsylvania, 
Camp  Harmony 

July  24-29  Central  Region  children's  workers'  labora- 
tory school,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

July  24-30  Eastern  Region  laboratory  schools  and  work- 
shop, Elizabethtown  College,  Pa. 

July  24-30  Bethany  summer  extension  school,  Elizabeth- 
town  College,  Pa. 

July  26-28  District  meeting,  Southern  Virginia,  Chris- 
tiansburg 

July  28-30  District  meeting,  Eastern  Virginia,  Manassas 

Aug.  4-6  District  meeting,  Middle  Indiana,  North  Man- 
chester 

Aug.  5-6  District  meeting,  Northern  Virginia,  Mathias 

Aug.  9-11  District  meeting,  Southern  Indiana,  Pyrmont 

Aug.  9-11  Middle  Pennsylvania  women's  fellowship 
workshop,  Juniata  College 

Aug.  11-14  District  meeting,  Southern  Missouri  and 
Arkansas,  Springfield 

Aug.  12-14  District  meeting,  Northern  Indiana,  Camp 
Mack 

Aug.  15-18  District  meeting,  Tennessee 

Aug.  15-19  Study  Conference  on  the  Nature  and  Func- 
tion of  the  Church,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 
Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 

Bro.  Glenn  Garner  of  Broadway,  Va.,  in  the  Wakeman's 
Grove  church,  Va.,  July  21-31. 

Bro.  David  Rogers  of  Oakton,  Va.,  in  the  Valley  Pike 
church,  Woodstock  congregation,  Va.,  Aug.  14-21. 

17 


THE 

CHRISTIAN 

FUNERAL 


NO  ONE  is  ever  really 
ready  for  the  death  of 
a  loved  one.  However 
earnestly  we  try  to  prepare  our- 
selves for  the  loss  of  someone 
whom  we  have  cherished,  we 
always  reach  the  dreaded 
hour  unprepared,  and,  finding 
ourselves  suddenly  confronted 
with  the  need  to  make  the  fu- 
neral arrangements,  we  are  of- 
ten bewildered  and  confused. 
Yet  everyone  must  die,  and  so 
many  "Christian"  funerals  are 
in  reality  far  more  pagan  than 
Christian  that  we  do  well  to 
give  the  matter  quiet  thought 
before  the  actual  hour  of  de- 
cision is  upon  us.  Here,  then, 
are  six  important  suggestions 
for  those  entrusted  with  the 
responsibility  of  planning  a 
funeral. 

First,  when  a  loved  one  dies, 
call  your  pastor  or  your  rector 
before  you  do  anything  else. 
The  natural  procedure  is  to 
think  first  about  taking  care  of 
the  body,  but  the  Christian  pri- 
ority is  always  given  to  the  soul, 
and  your  clergyman  can  be 
most  helpful  in  leading  you 
toward  a  meaningful  funeral 
service  if  you  call  him  at  once. 
Whatever  the  hour  of  day  or 
night,  he  will  want  to  go  to 
your  home,  and  take  his  place 
beside  you  in  the  time  of  your 
sorrow  and  need. 

18 


Second,  hold  the  service  in 
church.  This  is  not  to  say  that 
it  is  wrong  to  have  it  in  your 
own  home,  but  homes  are  sel- 
dom so  designed  that  such  a 
gathering  can  be  other  than 
cluttered  and  confused,  and  the 
church  has  connotations  which 
the  home  can  never  match.  Nor 
is  this  to  say  that  significant 
services  are  never  held  in  the 
parlor  or  chapel  of  the  funeral 
director.  But  as  parents  bring 
their  children  to  the  house  of 
God  for  dedication,  as  young 
people  seek  out  the  church's 
altar  for  their  solemn  vows  of 
matrimony,  and  as  week  by 
week  the  congregation  gathers 
there  in  praise  of  God  and  con- 
secration to  his  will,  so,  too, 
Christian  people  rightly  turn  to 
the  church  as  the  proper  setting 
for  the  last  rites  and  offices  in 
memory  of  those  whom  they 
have  cherished. 

Third,  resist  all  temptation  to 
"honor  the  dead"  by  lavish  ex- 
penditure of  money.  Suppose 
that  someone  whom  you  love 
has  died.  Suppose  further  that 
he  still  knows  what  is  happen- 
ing on  earth  and  sees  you  mak- 
ing arrangements  for  his  funer- 
al. How  important  do  you  think 
it  is  for  him  to  know  that  the 
dead  body  which  now  means 
nothing  whatsoever  to  him  will 
be  encased  in  a  casket  costing 


k 


you  a  thousand  dollars  or  that 
his  discarded  tool  of  flesh  will 
be  carried  to  the  cemetery  in  a 
Cadillac  funeral  coach  or  that 
this  useless  instrument  which 
has  already  begun  to  decay  will 
be  sealed  hermetically  in  a 
sturdy  vault  six  feet  below  the 
surface  of  the  ground?  When 
a  loved  one  dies,  we  say  that 
he  has  "gone  to  God,"  and  if  he 
looks  back  upon  the  earth  from 
God's  point  of  view,  the  pomp 
and  circumstance  of  many  fu- 
nerals can  seem  nothing  but  a 
wasteful  and  meaningless  mock- 
ery. 

Fourth,  keep  the  casket 
closed.  The  parade  of  friends 
past  the  open  casket  at  the  close 
of  the  service  is  too  frequently 
nothing  but  a  public  inspection 
of  the  cosmetical  skill  of  the 
mortician  or  an  evidence  of  the 
mistaken  belief  that  what  lies 
in  the  coffin  actually  is  the  per- 
son himself.  Moreover,  such  a 
display  of  the  body  is  almost  al- 
ways a  gross  discourtesy  inflict- 
ed on  the  dead  man  or  woman. 

While  we  are  alive,  we  do 
not  present  ourselves  in  public 
until  we  have  arranged  and 
groomed  ourselves  to  our  own 
satisfaction.  Obviously,  the 
dead  person  has  no  power  to 
prepare  his  body  for  the  public 
display  of  the  open  casket.  He 
has  to  depend  on  other  people 
to  dress  the  body,  arrange  the 
features,  comb  the  hair,  and 
tint  the  face.  Few  would  say 
that  they  want  their  bodies  thus 
displayed  when  they  are  dead, 
and,  trying  to  honor  their  loved 
ones,  many  people  only  thwart 
their  wishes  when  they  compel 
their  exposure  without  their  ap- 
proval. If  there  are  those  to 
whom  the  viewing  of  the  body 
would  be  especially  meaning- 
ful, let  it  be  done  while  the 
casket  is  still  in  the  home  01 
in  the  funeral  parlor,  but  in  the 
church  let  the  casket  be  closed, 
and  let  the  mind  be  fixed  not 

GOSPEL  MESSENGEB 


pn  the  dead  flesh  but  on  the 
living  spirit. 

Fifth,  discourage  the  massed 
display  of  flowers  which  is  so 
\often  associated  with  public 
funerals  today.  There  is  a  min- 
istry of  comfort  which  flowers 
lean  give  when  all  else  has 
i  failed,  but  it  is  a  practice  of 
:  questionable  worth  for  a  con- 
igregation  of  friends  to  spend 
two  or  three  hundred  dollars 
for  flowers,  mass  them  in  the 
church  for  an  hour  or  two,  and 
then  pile  them  on  the  ground 
beside  the  grave  to  be  killed  by 
khe  sun  or  the  cold  and  never 
be  seen  by  anyone  again.  When 
ja  friend  dies,  why  not  send  the 
bereaved  person  a  thoughtful 
letter  of  sympathy  at  once  and 
jthen  a  week  or  two  later,  when 
iothers  have  begun  to  forget,  let 
ijyour  gifts  of  flowers  tell  the 
.jlonely  man  or  woman  that  you 
have  not  forgotten? 

Or  perhaps  you  will  want  to 

do  something  else  completely. 

Perhaps  you  will  prefer  to  in- 

i  (elude  in  your  note  of  sympathy 

khe  information  that  in  memory 

of  the  person  who  has  died  you 

fliave  given  a  sum  of  money  to 

i  medical  research  related  to  the 

xcause  of  his  death  or  made  a 

contribution  to  a  cause  in  which 

i  'he  was  especially  interested  or 

I  bought  some  books  for  his  town 

;library  or  provided  a  needed 

•  object  for  his  church  or  sent 

•  food  packages  to  hungry  people 
\  overseas. 

i  IAN   OCCASION   FOR   REJOICING 

And  then,  sixth,  let  the  fu- 
uneral  service  be  an  occasion  for 
I  profound  gladness  and  solemn 
jfloy.    To   be    sure,    we    cannot 
i  lescape  the  awful  sense  of  trage- 
dy in  losing  someone  who  has 
meant  more  to  us  than  our  own 
lives,   but  Christians   come   to 
funeral  services  for  better  rea- 
sons than  to  express  their  sad- 
ness and  despair. 

They  come  to  celebrate  their 
confidence  that  God  is  still  in 

IULY  16.  I960 


control  of  his  universe.  They 
come  to  express  their  conviction 
that  the  death  of  the  bodv  does 
not  mean  the  death  of  the  soul; 
too  frequently  they  forget  that 
however  tragic  or  premature 
the  loved  one's  death  may  seem 
to  them  to  be,  he  is  still  held 
firmly  in  the  keeping  of  the 
God  who  loves  him,  and  he  has 
already  entered  into  a  fullness 
of  life  beside  which  anything 
he  knew  on  earth  is  but  a  pale 
and  transient  shadow. 

The  proper  function  of  a  fu- 
neral service  is  not  so  much  to 
mourn  the  death  of  the  body  as 
to  glorify  the  life  of  the  soul, 
not  so  much  to  bemoan  death's 
finality  as  to  rejoice  in  death's 
impotence.  For  the  Christian  is 
persuaded  that,  if  life  cannot 
separate  us  from  the  love  of 
God  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ, 
neither  can  death;  and  he 
knows  that  the  end  of  life  on 
the  earth  is  the  beginning  of 
life  beyond  the  earth. 

Reprinted  by  permission  of 
Whittemore     Associates,     Inc. 

Additional  copies  of  this  article  may 
be  secured  in  pamphlet  form  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  111.,  at  40c  per  dozen;  $2.50  per 
hundred. 


Does  It  Last? 

Continued  from  page  16 

members  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 

While  it  is  only  natural  and 
right  that  a  larger  share  of  the 
exchange  program  should  be 
carried  by  other  denominations 
after  we  opened  the  door  to 
larger  ecumenical  co-operation 
in  this  program,  still  the  Breth- 
ren dare  not  relinquish  their 
contribution  to  this  program 
which  they  had  the  vision  to 
initiate. 

Rural  Brethren  congregations 
have  continued  to  be  the  back- 
bone of  our  exchange  pro- 
gram, but  community  and  city 
churches,  often  with  cultural, 
educational  and  economic  ad- 


vantages, need  also  to  discover 
the  opportunity  awaiting  them. 

PROBING   NEW   AREAS 

In  addition,  perhaps  the 
Brethren  can  contribute  to  the 
exchange  idea  by  pioneering  in 
new  fields.  Are  we  ready  to 
adventure  in  exchanges  to  Rus- 
sia and  other  iron-curtain  coun- 
tries? We  have  already  started 
a  unique  agricultural  exchange 
with  Poland.  What  will  be  our 
next  new  contribution? 

Should  we  develop  a  Junior 
Year  Abroad  in  order  to  expand 
our  college-level  exchange  par- 
ticipation? Should  we  con- 
centrate on  the  direct  exchange 
of  undergraduate  students? 
Should  we  develop  a  program 
for  sending  graduate  students  to 
universities  around  the  world? 

We  have  started  an  exchange 
of  Brethren  professors  with 
German  professors.  Should  this 
program  be  enlarged  and  broad- 
ened? Maybe  we  should  try  a 
new  phase  such  as  exchange  of 
church  youth  leaders,  or  nurses. 

Whatever  type  of  exchange 
program  we  decide  to  carry  out, 
we  have  one  major  problem  to 
overcome  —  language!  Nearly 
all  students  from  other  coun- 
tries come  to  the  United  States 
with  a  good  knowledge  of 
English,  but  seldom  does  an 
American  go  abroad  with  a  re- 
spectable command  of  the  lan- 
guage of  the  country  to  which 
he  travels. 

One  student  states  the  prob- 
lem this  way:  "There  are 
enough  difficult  adjustments 
which  have  to  be  made  in  a 
strange  culture  and  climate 
without  the  added  burden  of 
having  to  struggle  with  simple 
sentences.  Many  awkward  situ- 
ations could  be  avoided  if  only 
one  had  the  ability  to  carry 
on  simple  conversations  with 
others.  It  stands  to  reason,  too, 
that  the  more  a  person  knows 
of  a   language,   the   better   he 

19 


can  share  and  receive  ideas." 

Brethren  could  well  lead  out 
in  pressing  for  additional  lan- 
guage opportunities  in  their 
own  communities,  and  certain- 
ly any  person  who  dreams  of 
one  day  visiting  another  coun- 
try should  take  seriously  all  op- 
portunities for  language  study. 
The  exchange  idea  is  one  of 
great  potential  for  increased 
understanding  between  nations 
and  races.  It  is  especially  heart- 
ening to  see  Christians  grasping 
this  opportunity  to  grow  in 
fellowship  with  one  another 
across  man-made  boundaries 
and  barriers.  What  contribu- 
tion will  you  make  to  this 
tremendous  challenge  to  work 
toward  goodwill  and  peace 
through  Christian  love? 


The  Ministry  of  Counseling 

Continued  from  page  7 

out  those  who  need  help.  He 
will  approach  them  and  tact- 
fully ask  permission  to  deal 
with  their  problems.  He  is 
careful  to  refrain  from  making 
judgments  of  condemnation, 
but  his  judgments  are  those 
based  on  understanding  and 
compassion. 

Brethren  ministers  were 
urged  by  Dr.  Burkhart  to  use 
counseling  insights  in  every 
aspect  of  their  ministry.  The 
act  of  preaching  can  help  to 
establish  a  counseling  relation- 
ship. More  sermons  need  to 
deal  with  the  "how"  of  re- 
deemed living. 

In  the  Tuesday  afternoon 
session  for  ministers  and  min- 
isters' wives,  Dr.  Burkhart  ex- 
plored several  needed  areas  of 
counseling.  He  called  attention 
to  various  stages  of  individual 
and  spiritual  growth  when  help 
is  especially  needed.  He  said 
that  young  couples  looking 
toward  marriage  need  to  be 
shown  how  they  can  witness  in 
their  love.  They  can  be  en- 
couraged to  establish  both  a 

20 


"church  in  the  heart"  and  a 
"church  in  the  home." 

Other  times  when  counseling 
is  most  needed  is  before  the 
birth  of  the  first  child,  when 
young  people  reach  important 
times  of  decision,  when  children 
move  out  of  the  family  circle, 
and  in  times  of  sickness  or 
grief. 

Specifically,  the  speaker  said 
to  pastors,  "Be  careful  not  to 
pray  too  soon  when  you  call  in 
the  sickroom.  It  is  often  better 
to  let  persons  formulate  their 
own  prayers."  He  advocated  in- 
cluding the  rest  of  the  family 
in  a  sick  call.  He  said,  "We  do 
not  minister  to  the  sick  effec- 
tively until  we  minister  to  the 
whole  family." 

"No  minister,"  said  Dr.  Burk- 
hart, "should  ever  try  to  handle 
grief  alone."  He  urged  them  to 
enlist  the  aid  of  persons  who 
have  faced  a  similar  loss  and 
have  met  it  positively.  "The 
Lord  uses  people  to  help  other 
people  —  this  is  what  the  church 

•        97 

IS. 

Counseling  is  essentially  lis- 
tening, not  only  to  what  people 
say,  but  to  what  they  are  trying 
to  say  and  what  they  feel.  Dr. 
Burkhart  summed  up  what 
many  wise  counselors  have 
learned  through  years  of  ex- 
perience when  he  said,  "If  you 
listen  to  people  long  enough, 
they  are  likely  to  talk  them- 
selves into  doing  what  they 
ought  to  do." 


The  Oldest  City 

Continued  from  page  13 

proved   handles,    and    decorated 
with  incised  patterns. 

"But  let  us  hurry  on  from  these 
remarkable  neolithic  people  with 
their  divine  triad  of  father,  moth- 
er, and  son  to  the  Early  Bronze 
Age  (about  2900-2300  B.C.)  and 
the  walls  once  thought  to  be  those 
of  Joshua's  day.  From  1930-1936 
Prof.  John  Garstang  excavating  at 
Jericho  discovered  two  remark- 
able walls  which  had  fallen  out- 


ward, which  he  thought  to  be  con- 
temporary with  each  other  and 
to  be  those  of  Joshua's  day.  Cor- 
relating this  data  with  Egyptian 
information  he  arrived  at  about 
1400  B.C.  for  the  date  of  Joshua's 
conquest  of  Jericho.  The  fascinat- 
ing story  of  his  reconstruction  is 
told  in  his  Joshua- Judges. 

"However,  using  advanced 
methods  and  new  data  the  Ken- 
yon  expedition  has  shown  con- 
clusively that  these  walls  are  not 
contemporary  with  each  other  and 
date  from  a  thousand  years  before 
Abraham  and  as  much  as  fifteen 
hundred  years  before  Joshua!" 

"What  then  does  archaeology 
have  to  tell  us  of  Joshua's  dayr^ 
asked  Bill. 

"According  to  Miss  Kenyon, 
much  about  the  patriarchal  age 
but  little  if  anything  of  Joshua's 
conquest  of  Jericho.  In  a  small 
area  above  ElLsha's  spring  she  dis- 
covered about  one  meter  streaked 
with  black,  brown,  and  pinkish 
ash,  foundations  of  a  wall  of  a 
room,  a  small  mud  oven,  and  a 
single  dipper  juglet,  but  no  traces 
of  a  town  wall.  That  was  all. 
Wind  and  rain  have  washed  away 
the  rest.  Nevertheless,  Miss  Ken- 
yon feels  that  the  account  of  the 
conquest  of  Jericho  must  be  taken 
in  its  main  outlines  as  authentic." 


Several    South    African    churches 

have  already  signified  their  approval 
of  the  World  Council  of  Churches 
proposal  that  its  eight  member  bodies 
in  South  Africa  hold  a  "fully  repre- 
sentative" consultation  with  council 
leaders  to  seek  a  reconciliation  over 
their  strained  relations  regarding 
racial  segregation  policies. 

Protestants  in  East  and  West  Ger- 
many have  raised  14,000,000  marks, 
about  $3,300,000,  in  a  Bread  for 
the  World  campaign  to  relieve  hun- 
ger and  distress  throughout  the 
world.  Campaign  returns  were  high- 
er than  in  any  previous  collection 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Church  in  Germany. 

A  five-month  "Christian  Road 
Safety"  campaign  strongly  suported 
by  religious  groups  has  been 
launched  throughout  England.  Mo- 
torists are  urged  to  say  a  prayer 
before  entering  their  cars  and  to 
avoid  alcoholic  beverages  if  driving. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


First  Row:    Bob  Mock  (training  director),  Anne  Haynes  (assistant  director),  Lowell  Moyer,  Ed  Butler,  Judy  Butler,  Evelyn 

Snell,  Dale  Snell,  Skip  Wagner  (training  assistant) 

Second  Row:   Bonnie  Eberly,  Leah  Black,  Thais  Wingert,  Alice  Leckrone,  Wanda  Hilbert,  Loraine  Price,  Jeannie 

Trestrail,  John  Minnich 

Third  Row:    Marian  Poff,  Mary  Fox,  Dennis  Hall,  Sheldon  Hinshaw,  Mike  Vidaver,  Howard  Garwich,  Paul  Keller 

Standing:    John  Wise,  Gertrude  Baugher,  John  Coffin,  Dale  Motes,  Galen  Eshleman,  Paul  Myers 


March  BVS  Unit 


ON  MAY  7  twenty-six  new 
volunteers  were  assigned  to 
the  Brethren  Volunteer  Serv- 
ice program  around  the  world.  The 
volunteers  had  been  in  training  at 
the  Brethren  Service  Center,  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  since  March  7.  Dur- 
ing their  two  months  of  training  they 
worked  under  the  guidance  of  BVS 
trainers  Robert  Mock,  Anne  Haynes, 
and  Murray  Wagner,  Jr.,  and  a  visit- 
ing faculty  which  held  training  class- 
es of  one-week  duration  in  such 
areas  as  mental  hygiene,  basic  be- 
liefs, children  and  youth  work,  social 
issues,  and  BVS  philosophy.  The 
new  volunteers  are  now  on  project 
in  the  following  areas: 

Cle  Elum,  Washington 

Gertrude  Baugher,  Glendale,  Ariz., 
is  working  with  children  at  the  Bar- 
41  Ranch. 

Overland  Park,  Kansas 

Leah   Black,    Baltimore,    Md.,    is 

JULY  16,  1960 


serving  as  secretary  and  pastor's  as- 
sistant at  the  Cherokee  Hills  Com- 
munity church. 

Castaner,  Puerto  Rico 

Ed  and  Judy  Butler,  Grundy  Cen- 
ter, Iowa,  are  working  at  the  Breth- 
ren Service  project.  Ed  is  working 
in  the  agricultural  program;  Judy 
is  serving  as  treasurer  of  the  project. 

Kassel,  Germany 

John  Coffin,  Lincoln,  Nebr.,  and 
Mike  Vidaver,  San  Francisco,  Calif., 
are  working  in  the  European  service 
program. 

Chicago,  Illinois 

Bonnie  Eberly,  Mt.  Clemens, 
Mich.,  and  Jeannie  Trestrail,  Lees- 
burg,  Ind.,  are  working  at  the  West 
Side  Christian  Parish. 

Creekville,  Kentucky 

Galen  Eshleman,  Palmyra,  Pa.,  is 
working  in  maintenance  and  youth 


work  at  the  Flat  Creek  mission. 

Nyack,  New  York 

Mary  Fox,  Fleetwood,  Pa.,  is  serv- 
ing as  secretary  in  the  office  of  the 
Program  for  Disarmament. 

Garkida,  Nigeria 

Howard  Garwick,  Dallas  Center, 
Iowa,  is  serving  as  mechanic  for  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  mission. 

Baltimore,  Maryland 

Dennis  Hall,  Fostoria,  Ohio,  and 
Marian  Poff,  Hershey,  Pa.,  are  serv- 
ing at  the  Pilot  House. 

New  Windsor,  Maryland 

Wanda  Hilbert,  Bridgewater,  Va., 
John  Minnich,  York,  Pa.,  Loraine 
Price,  Broadway,  Va.,  Lowell  Moyer, 
Hatfield,  Pa.,  and  John  Wise,  Lake 
Odessa,  Mich.,  are  serving  in  various 
aspects  of  the  program  at  the  Breth- 
ren Service  Center. 

Nappanee,  Indiana 

Paul  Keller,  Lititz,  Pa.,  is  serving 
as  a  truck  driver  at  the  Brethren 
Service  Center. 

21 


Surgoinsville,  Tennessee 

Alice  Leckrone,  Copemish,  Mich., 
is  serving  in  the  Midway  Church  of 
the  Brethren. 

Bristol,  Tennessee 

Thais  Wingert,  Orlando,  Fla.,  is 
serving  in  the  White  Horn  Church  of 
the  Brethren. 


Los  Angeles,  California 

Dale  Motes,  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  is 
serving  with  the  Southern  California 
Council  of  Churches. 

San  Sebastian,  Puerto  Bico 

Paul  Myers,  Lititz,  Pa.,  is  serving 
as  mechanic  and  electrician  at  the 
El  Guacio  Service  Center. 


Port-Au-Prince,  Haiti 

Dale   and  Evelyn   Snell,   McFar-  I 
land,  Calif.,  are  serving  in  a  material 
aid    program    with    Church    World 
Service. 

San  German,  Puerto  Bico 

Sheldon  Hinshaw,  Newberg,  Ore- 
gon, is  serving  as  library  assistant  at 
the  Inter-American  University. 


Previewing  the  August  .  .  . 

The  Most  for  Your  Postage,  by  Revie  Slaubaugh. 

Many  are  paying  too  much  postage  for  church  mailings.  Bead  page 
8  for  information  on  reduced  rates  for  nonprofit  organizations. 

Planning  Your  Every-Member  Canvass,  by  Don  Stern. 

"Five  hundred  twenty  churches  in  our  Brotherhood  reported  having 
a  canvass  last  year."  The  author  tells  why  there  is  no  substitute  for  careful 
planning.    Read  page  12. 

The  Observance  of  the  Bread  and  Cup  Communion,  by  Harry  K.  Zeller,  Jr. 

Christ  is  "present  not  on  the  table,  but  at  it."  This  article  explains  how 
the  communion  service  may  be  observed  beautifully  and  meaningfully. 
Page  17. 

Financing  Christian  Education,  by  Raymond  R.  Peters. 

"Our  Catholic  friends  spend  a  much  larger  percentage  of  funds  for  Christian  nurture."    Does   its  budget 
show  that  our  church  takes  its  educational  task  seriously?   Page  19. 

But  We  Are  Youth!  by  Richard  A.  Livingston. 

Are  you  looking  for  a  service  of  installation  for  CBYF  officers?   This  article  gives  a  complete  program  with 
suggestions  for  use.    See  page  30. 


Reviews  of  Recent  Books 

Books  are  reviewed  here  as  a  service  to  the  church.  A  review  does  not  necessar- 
ily constitute  an  unqualified  recommendation.  Purchase  can  be  made  through  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois.  Titles  recommended  for 
church  libraries  are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*).  —  Editor. 


Church  Camping  for  Junior  Highs. 

Co-operative  Publication  Associa- 
tion. Westminster,  1960.  86  pages. 
$1.50. 

This  manual  was  written  for  those 
in  administrative  positions  in  junior 
high  camps.  Deans  and  managers 
will  find  it  much  more  useful  than 
leaders.  It  explains  in  brief  the  basic 
philosophy  of  church  camping  and 
deals  with  actual  practices  and 
ideals  for  organizing  the  camp.  Lists 
are  given  for  supplies  needed  at  the 
camp  site  such  as  tools,  program 
equipment,  first-aid  equipment,  etc. 
Some  ideas  are  given  for  program 
planning,  showing  twenty-four  hours 
in  camp.  There  is  also  a  chapter 
dealing  with  ways  to  enlist  and  train 
leaders.  Some  sample  letters  are 
shown  for  contacting  churches,  lead- 
22 


ers,  and  campers.  The  book  is  brief, 
but  specific.  —  Mrs.  Harlan  Dietzel, 
Ft.  Wayne,  Ind. 

Some  Emerging  Beligious  Groups 

(pupil's  book).  Marcus  Bach.  Abing- 
don, 1959.    40  pages.   Paper,  35c. 

Leaders  Guide  for  Some  Emerg- 
ing Religious  Groups.  William  C. 
Walzer  and  Robert  S.  Clemmons. 
Abingdon,  1959.  43  pages.  Paper, 
60c. 

This  small  study  booklet  by  Mar- 
cus Bach  throws  new,  well-focused 
light  upon  some  of  the  contemporary 
religious  groups  that  are  often 
lumped  together  as  not  being  in  the 
fold  of  "the  standard  denomina- 
tions." The  study  is  designed  as  an 
adult  elective  unit,  and  has  an  ac- 
companying  leader's    guide. 


The  author  has  done  a  factual  job 
in  a  very  interesting  fashion,  high- 
lighting the  particular  beliefs  and 
contributions  of  each  group  in  an 
excellent  way.  Pointed  questions, 
sharp  contrasts,  and  further  explora- 
tions are  suggested  for  group 
discussion. 

The  study  includes  the  Pente- 
costals,  the  Mormons,  the  Christian 
Scientists,  the  Bahai  Faith,  the  Unity 
School  of  Christianity,  the  Hutter- 
ites,  the  Spiritualists,  Jehovah's  Wit- 
nesses. The  treatment  of  each  is 
objective,  but  not  inclusive. 

Adults  could  use  the  unit  for  a 
special  study  on  a  series  of  mid- 
week or  Sunday  evenings.  It  could 
easily  be  expanded  to  cover  a  quar- 
ter's study  on  Sunday  morning  for 
an  adult  church  school  class.  High 
school  youth  could  find  the  unit 
helpful  in  understanding  these 
religious  groups  in  their  community. 
—  S.  Lor  en  Bowman. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Education  for  Child  Rearing.  Or- 
ville  G.  Brim,  Jr.  Russell  Sage  Foun- 
dation, 1959.    362  pages.    $5.00. 

Perhaps  the  most  stimulating  way 
to  present  this  book  would  be  to  list 
some  of  the  questions  discussed: 
What  are  parents  like?  Why  do  they 
behave  as  they  do?  Does  the  mother 
or  father  play  the  larger  role  in 
child-rearing  decisions?  Do  profes- 
sional people  believe  that  parents' 
feelings  are  more  important  than  the 
techniques  they  use?  How  perma- 
nent are  the  effects  of  the  parents 
upon  the  child's  personality?  Are 
some  techniques  of  education  more 
effective  than  others?  This  book  is 
filled  with  reports  of  studies  which 
make  it  somewhat  technical  and  dif- 
ficult to  read,  but  anyone  willing  to 
read  carefully  its  362  pages  will  be 
richly  rewarded.  —  Glee  Yoder,  Mc- 
Pherson,  Kansas. 


Understanding  Ourselves  as 
Adults.  Paul  B.  Maves.  Abingdon, 
1959.   218  pages.   $2.00. 

Dr.  Maves  says  that  "to  arrive  at 
a  better  understanding  of  adults  is 
to  come  to  a  better  understanding 
of  ourselves  as  well  as  our  neigh- 
bors. Never  before  in  history  has 
such  an  understanding  been  more 
imperative." 

With  this  premise  in  mind  the 
author  writes  with  deep  interest  in 
and  wise  understanding  of  the  whole 
field  of  adult  education.  He  draws 
upon  the  insights  of  psychology,  so- 
ciology, anthropology,  and  Christian 
faith  as  he  discusses  such  areas  of 
adulthood  as  income,  occupations, 
education,  the  group  and  its  role, 
trends  in  group  life,  motivational  be- 
havior, and  American  cultural  influ- 
ences which  help  to  determine 
behavior. 


The  chapters  are  clearly  outlined 
with  subheads  for  easy  study. 

Leaders  of  adult  groups  and  min- 
isters will  find  this  book  valuable 
in  their  work.  —  Anna  M.  Warstler. 

Faces  About  the  Christ.  Holmes 
Rolston.  John  Knox  Press,  1959. 
215  pages.    $3.50. 

Holmes  Rolston,  who  for  some 
twenty-one  years  has  been  writing 
Sunday  school  helps  for  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  U.S.,  in  this  book 
tells  the  story  of  forty-two  people 
who  were  "rescued  from  oblivion" 
because  they  knew  Jesus. 

The  author  approaches  the  gos- 
pels uncritically  and  with  many  good 
insights.  However,  occasionally  the 
Bible  stories  are  retold  without 
much  imagination  and  with  some  too 
obvious  moralizing.  Characters  such 
as  Peter,  about  whom  much  is 
known,  are  treated  by  indicating 
their  significance  and  then  by  con- 
sidering a  single  incident  from  their 
lives. 

Sunday  school  teachers  will  find 
welcome  help  here  when  the  lesson 
deals  with  personalities  from  the 
gospels.  —  David  J.  Wieand,  Lom- 
bard, III. 

Stewardship  in  Contemporary 
Theology.  Edited  by  T.  K.  Thomp- 
son.  Association,  1960.    $3.00. 

This  book  contains  the  principal 
essays  presented  at  the  1959  Theo- 
logical Study  Conference  on  Stew- 
ardship under  the  sponsorship  of  the 
National  Council  of  Churches.  These 
lectures,  by  nine  contemporary  the- 
ologians, contribute  toward  a  com- 
prehensive theology  of  Christian 
stewardship.  Included  in  this  vol- 
ume are  background  studies  dealing 
with  stewardship  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment,  the   teachings   of   Jesus,    and 


the  letters  of  Paul.  These  studies 
help  to  clarify  the  Biblical  bases  for 
sound  stewardship  teachings  and 
methods.  In  the  past,  there  has  been 
little  material  available  covering  the 
history  of  church  finance.  The  chap- 
ter surveying  the  history  of  Christian 
giving,  therefore,  is  particularly  il- 
luminating. One  can  scarcely  read 
this  without  realizing  how  vulner- 
able the  church  is  with  regard  to 
money-raising.  Other  helpful  chap- 
ters deal  with  tithing  in  the  twenti- 
eth century,  stewardship  in  relation 
to  Christian  doctrine,  vocation  and 
stewardship,  and  the  ethical  impli- 
cations of  the  contemporary  econom- 
ic situation  in  light  of  a  theology 
of  Christian  stewardship.  This  book 
is  one  of  the  most  important  studies 
in  the  theology  of  stewardship  in 
recent  years.  Local  church  finance 
committees  and  officers,  church 
school  teachers,  librarians  no  less 
than  theological  students  and  pas- 
tors should  consider  this  book  re- 
quired reading.  —  Warren  F.  Gwff, 
Chicago,  III. 

Reasons  for  Faith.  John  H.  Gerst- 
ner.  Harper,  1960.  245  pages. 
$4.00. 

In  a  unique  manner  the  author 
of  this  volume  takes  the  arguments 
against  belief  in  God  that  are  pre- 
sented by  the  scientific  age  and  uses 
them  to  "prove"  the  existence  of 
God  and  the  truth  of  Christianity. 
Much  of  it  is  intriguing  reading, 
for  in  a  clever  manner  premise  after 
premise  is  subjected  to  the  classical 
art  of  logic  so  as  to  testify  to  that 
which  was  intended  to  be  denied. 
Major  sections  are  written  to  include 
material  on  the  Bible,  the  miracles, 
and  objections  to  Christianity  on  the 
part  of  evolution,  anthropology,  de- 
terminism,   and     Biblical    criticism. 


■  The  Ligonier  congregation,  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, had  a  dual  service  on  the  afternoon  of 
March  20:  burning  the  mortage  and  dedicating 
the  educational  building.  The  dedicatory  mes- 
sage was  brought  by  Roy  C.  Myers,  pastor  of 
the  Juniata  Park  church.  Illustrated  below  is 
the  mortgage-burning  in  which  George  Horner, 
Ross  Kinsey,  Charles  Beam,  and  Ralph  Pritts 
(from  left)  participated. 

Organized  in  1886,  the  church  was  served 
by  the  free  ministry  until  1946,  when  Robert 
Mock,  now  director  of  BVS  training,  was  called 
as  the  first  salaried  minister.  In  1958  work  on 
the  educational  addition  began;  most  of  the 
construction  was  done  by  the  men  of  the  con- 
gregation. The  building  provides  five  class- 
rooms, a  children's  lavatory,  and  an  open 
basement,  used  now  as  an  additional  classroom. 
JULY  16,  1960 


■  Two  top  staff  members  of  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  consulted  recently  with  administrative  officials 
at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices.  The 
General  Brotherhood  Board's  general  secretary,  Norman 
J.  Baugher,  left,  was  host  to  the  visitors,  Dr.  Roy  G. 
Ross,  center,  general  secretary  of  the  council,  and  his 
associate,  Dr.  R.  H.  Edwin  Espy.  The  consultation  was 
for  the  guests  one  of  a  series  with  member  denomina- 
tions, planned  to  give  direction  to  the  National  Council 
as  it  begins  its  second  decade. 

Elgin  Courier-News 


Although  presented  as  an  objective 
treatment,  the  reader  soon  discovers 
that  it  is  not  really  objective.  The 
final  conclusions,  even  though  se- 
cured by  artful  application  of  the 
principles  of  logic  are  still  conclu- 
sions of  faith,  and  can  be  made  only 
by  the  believer.  In  spite  of  the  fact 
that  the  nonbeliever  takes  the  rap 
because  of  this  author's  unusual 
abilities,  he  still  would  not  be  con- 
vinced to  believe  solely  on  the  basis 
of  the  argument.  The  author's  logic 
holds  up  only  because  he  assumes 
certain  beliefs.  Thus,  even  though 
he  strives  to  cite  reasons  for  belief, 
he  succeeds  most  in  giving  a  testi- 
mony to  what  he  believes  beyond 
proof.  This  is  a  helpful  book,  not 
difficult  to  read,  but  one  must  con- 
centrate to  grasp  the  thread  of  the 
argument.  —  Floyd  Bantz,  McPher- 
son,  Kansas. 

Design  of  My  World.  Hassan 
Dehqani-Tafti.  Association  Press, 
1959.    80  pages.    $1.00. 

The  author  of  this  small  book  is 
a  minister  of  St.  Luke's  (Anglican) 
church  at  Asfahan  in  the  Middle 
East  country  of  Iran.  He  has  written 
the  account  of  his  own  personal  ex- 
perience in  becoming  and  remaining 
a  Christian. 

His  mother  was  a  Christian,  his 
father  a  Moslem;  his  grandmother 
was  known  as  "Mulla  Zahra"  be- 
cause she  was  so  thoroughly  versed 
in  the  Koran,  a  very  unusual  thing 
for  a  woman  in  that  country. 

The  story  is  an  interesting  one, 
telling  how  Hassan  came  in  touch 
with  Christian  missionaries  and  at- 
tended Christian  schools.  The  cir- 
cumstances which  influenced  him, 
the  resistances,  the  difficulties,  and 
the  struggles  which  he  met  are  de- 
scribed. His  decisions,  his  training, 
his  interpretations,  his  growth  in 
faith,  and  his  acceptance  of  church 
responsibilities  are  related.   His  story 

24 


of   his   life   is   a   strong   witness   of 
Christian  faith. 

The  book  belongs  to  the  World 
Christian  Books  series,  which  are  of 
exceptional  value  as  a  testimony  of 
Christian  living.  —  Anetta  C.  Mow, 
Elgin,  III. 

*I'm  Gonna  Fly.  Lois  Phelps 
Johnson.  Macalester  Park,  1959. 
176  pages.    $3.75. 

This  intensely  dramatic  biography 
of  a  man  and  his  God  gives  the  read- 
er a  most  intimate  glimpse  into  the 
hates,  resentments,  and  soul-writh- 
ings  of  our  colored  peoples.  Bernie 
Warfield,  a  colored  boy,  grew  up  in 
Kentucky.  When  trying  to  buy  some 
fudge  for  his  mother,  he  was  told, 
"That's  not  for  Niggers."  His  little 
soul  seethed  in  an  angry  resentment 
which  grew  throughout  the  years  to 
an  overwhelming  hatred  for  all 
whites.  His  Christian  parents  and 
later  a  good  wife,  who  had  no  prej- 
udice, could  not  clear  his  soul. 

Before  he  was  born,  his  mother 
dedicated  him  in  a  special  way  to 
God  and  her  chief  desire  was  that 
he  be  a  preacher.  Bernie  rebelled 
at  this,  saying  once  to  his  sister, 
"You've  seen  'em,  preachers  and 
teachers  too,  patched  pants,  greasy 
vests  .  .  .  worn  shirt  collars.  .  .  . 
No,  thank  you,  I'll  not  preach." 

But  under  the  compulsion  that 
would  "not  let  him  go,"  he  did 
preach.  As  he  told  Delia,  his  wife, 
one  day,  "I'm  gonna  be  a  preacher. 
I  don't  want  to,  but  I  gotta.  The 
Lord  just  won't  quit  troublin'  me." 
And  what  a  preacher  he  did  become! 
While  in  a  pastorate  in  Noblesville, 
Ind.,  the  kindness  of  white  folk 
gradually  and  finally  removed  his 
inner  hate  for  them.  Losing  himself 
in  something  bigger  than  himself,  he 
came  to  completely  envision  God  as 
the  Father  of  all.  He  and  his  good 
wife  were  responsible  for  cleaning 
up  a  red  light  district  in  Kalamazoo, 
near  his  church,  they  opened  doors 


for  many  others  —  doors  which  oth- 
erwise would  have  remained  closed  — 
and  his  work  with  the  Social  Action 
Committee  of  Kalamazoo  County 
Council  of  Churches  won  for  him 
the  Community  Service  Award. 
Since  1936,  he  has  been  the  pastor 
of  Second  Baptist  church  in  Kala- 
mazoo, Mich.,  a  church  which  min- 
isters to  white  and  black  alike. 

We  never  read  a  biography  more 
dramatically  written  in  actual  hap- 
penings, conversations,  and  intimate 
portrayals.  There  are  no  paragraphs 
the  reader  will  want  to  skip  over. 
Neither  can  he  soon  forget  many  of 
this  colored  minister's  insights  into 
humanity.  He  has  a  big,  old  horsefly 
saying  to  a  larva,  floating  in  the 
water,  "You  ain't  never  goin'  to  get 
out  of  here.  See,  you  got  no  wings, 
like  I  got.  You're  just  nothing  but 
a  worm."  But  the  little  baby  dragon- 
fly keeps  saying  to  himself,  "I'm 
gonna  fly,  I'm  gonna  fly."  Then  one 
day  he  takes  off.  Just  so  Bernie 
Warfield  ended  his  sermon,  "I'm 
gonna  fly,  I'm  gonna  fly,  I  am  a  son 
of  God."  We  agree  with  Frank 
Laubach,  who  says,  "No  one  who 
reads  this  book  can  ever  be  as  self- 
centered  or  indifferent  to  humanity 
again."  —  Charles  and  Cleda  Zunkel, 
Port  Republic,  Va. 

*  Orphan  by  Choice.  Clara  Verner. 
Beacon  Hill  Press,  1960.  200  pages. 
$2.50. 

This  is  a  fast  moving,  intensely 
human  novel  which  holds  the  read- 
er's interest  from  the  first  paragraph 
to  the  last.  It  is  very  timely  in  a 
day  when  the  divorce  evil  is  so 
rampant.  The  suffering  parties  in- 
volved —  husband,  wife,  and  child  — 
are  so  vividly  portrayed  that  one 
cannot  soon  forget  it. 

In  short,  it  is  the  story  of  Phyllis, 
a  college  girl  who  refuses  the  pro- 
posal of  a  handsome  young  man 
with  whom  she  is  deeply  in  love, 
because    she    learns    that    he    is    a 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Ted  Kimmel 

Dean  William  Beahm,  left,  and  President  Paul  M.  Robinson,  right,  are 
pictured  with  recipients  of  honorary  doctor  of  divinity  degrees  conferred 
this  spring  by  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary.  The  recipients  were  Warren  D. 
"Bowman,  second  from  left,  president  of  Bridgewater  College,  and  H. 
"Spenser  Minnich,  who  retired  last  year  after  forty-one  years  as  a  member 
of  the  Brotherhood  staff 


divorced  man  and  a  father.  In  child- 
hood, she  had  shared  the  agony  of 
her  closest  girl  friend  whose  home 
■was  broken.  From  that  day  on,  she 
was  left  with  a  blanket  indictment 
against  all  divorce.  And  so  she  says 
to  the  man,  "Years  ago  I  made  up 
my  mind  that  I  would  never  be 
the  child  of  multiple  parents.  How, 
then,  could  I  possibly  bring  myself 
to  become  such  a  parent?" 

Then  her  parents  separate  and 
she  becomes  an  "orphan  by  choice," 
Tather  than  buy  Christmas  presents 
'for  two  mothers  and  two  fathers,  as 
she  puts  it.  She  gets  a  job  and 
in  the  shelter  of  a  big  city  stays 
hidden  from  her  parents.  Losing 
her  parents  and  also  her  lover,  whom 
she  could  not  cease  to  care  for,  were 
almost  more  than  she  could  take. 
"When  divorce  again  shows  its  ugly 
'head  with  her  new  acquaintances, 
its  tragedy  makes  an  even  deeper 
wound  in  her  soul. 

But  by  her  dynamic  personality 
and  deep  sympathy  for  all  in  need, 
she  is  a  godsend  to  others  who,  like 
herself,  are  crushed  and  bewildered. 

It  was  the  kindly,  warmhearted 
minister  who  helped  her  find  Christ, 
"the  One  who  released  her  from  de- 
spair and  who  henceforth  stood  by 
to  help  solve  her  problems. 

Her  parents  were  finally  reunited, 
as  were  some  others  involved  in  her 
life.  In  each  case,  a  return  to  God 
and  religious  faith  brought  about 
the  transformation. 

As  the  story  ends,  Phyllis  is  about 
to  begin  her  own  home.  "Lee,"  she 
says,  "when  I  get  difficult  to  live 
with,  please  remind  me  to  pray." 
''Me,   too,"   he   answered   solemnly. 

JULY  16,  1960 


"If  we  pray  together,  we  will  stay 
together." 

Ministers  might  well  put  this  book 
into  the  hands  of  couples  considering 
a  divorce,  or  a  young  person  about 
to  marry  a  divorced  person,  espe- 
cially when  children  are  involved. 
—  Cleda  Zunkel,  Port  Republic,  Va. 

My   Cup   Runneth   Over.     R.    L. 

Middleton.  Broadman  Press,  1960. 
Ill  pages.    $2.50. 

"My  cup  runneth  over  .  .  .  with 
gratitude."  This  theme  running 
through  the  twenty-two  short  devo- 
tional chapters  swells  with  gratitude 
for  life  and  for  the  many  often  over- 
looked blessings  of  life.  Even  dis- 
appointments are  looked  upon  as 
channels  of  blessings.  Throughout 
there  is  a  call  and  a  challenge  to 
live  as  worthy  of  the  blessings  God 
has  given. 

This  reviewer  appreciated  partic- 
ularly the  emphasis  given  to  small 
things  and  the  joys  that  are  taken 
for  granted  as  being  deserving  of 
our  gratitude.  The  author  has  sprin- 
kled his  text  generously  with  quo- 
tations, scriptural  verses,  and  verbal 
illustrations. 

Perhaps  cliches  bordering  on  sen- 
timentality are  too  widespread  in 
the  writing  for  it  to  be  a  powerful 
book.  But  at  the  same  time  there 
are  thoughts  of  worth  and  of  beauty 
and  the  challenge  to  five  in  a  spirit 
of  gratitude.  The  format,  binding, 
and  rich  red  cover  are  especially 
fine.  —  Glennis  Parks,  Elgin,  III. 

Camping  Maps  U.S.A.  Glenn 
and  Dale  Rhodes.    Camping  Maps, 


U.S.A.,  1959-60.  125  pages.  $1.95. 
In  reading  and  studying  the 
1959-60  edition  of  Camping  Maps, 
U.S.A.,  I  find  it  good  as  far  as  it 
goes.  No  camping  helps  are  in- 
cluded such  as  where  to  get  sup- 
plies, fire  restrictions,  basic  rules  of 
good  camping  practices,  etc.  How- 
ever, anyone  using  this  book  for  the 
purpose  intended  and  who  is  travel- 
ing and  camping  en  route  would 
find  it  a  great  help.  It  would  be 
especially  useful  for  families  making 
camp  each  night  while  on  vacation 
or  other  family  outings.  The  book 
does  give  much  information,  and 
anyone  traveling  and  camping 
should  not  have  trouble  finding  a 
camping  place.  They  may  be  the 
most  popular  ones  and  overcrowded 
but  it  is  still  a  place  to  stay  over- 
night. —  Roland  Rehling,   Elgin,  III. 

The  Broken  Wall.  Markus  Barth. 
Judson,  1959.   272  pages.   $3.50. 

Dr.  Markus  Barth,  son  of  a  famed 
Swiss  theologian,  is  a  warm  and  en- 
thusiastic person.  So  is  his  book 
on  Ephesians.  His  purpose  is  to  give 
"guidance  in  understanding  some  of 
the  main  themes  of  the  epistle." 

Part  One  is  a  fascinating  and 
intriguing  presentation  of  the  diffi- 
culties and  charm  of  "Paul's  Puz- 
zling Epistle,"  which  is  also  called 
"a  fatherless  and  motherless  found- 
ling." Nevertheless,  the  body  of  the 
book  seems  to  take  for  granted  the 
Pauline  authorship  and  the  Ephesian 
destination. 

In  Part  Two  we  see  the  "Perfect 
Work  of  God"  accomplished  through 
the  cross,  the  resurrection,  and  the 
Spirit.  Here  the  central  perspective 
is  that  Christ  has  broken  down  every 
wall  separating  man  from  his  fellows 
and  from  God. 

Part  Three  discusses  The  Gather- 
ing of  God's  People,  that  is  the 
church,  and  Part  Four,  The  Church 
in  the  World. 

Barth  is  overwhelmed  by  the 
wonder,  mystery,  and  miracle  of 
God's  action.  The  sovereignty  of 
God  especially  seen  in  his  election 
is  close  to  the  fountain  head  of  the 
author's  thinking.  "Salvation  is  from 
the  Jews."  Christians  are  their 
brothers.  Being  knitted  together 
and  joined  with  the  Jews  is  indis- 
pensable for  the  knowledge  of 
salvation. 

Church  members  will  find  this 
somewhat  strange  and  provocative 
book  especially  helpful  in  pointing 
out  our  responsibility  toward  all 
men.  —  David  J.  Wieand,  Lombard, 
III. 

25 


News  and  Comment  From  Around  the  World 


Unitarians  Urge  Recognition 
of  Communist  China 

The  recognition  of  Communist 
China  by  this  country  and  its  ad- 
mission to  the  United  Nations  was 
given  a  modified  approval  by  the 
American  Unitarian  Association  in 
a  resolution  adopted  at  its  annual 
meeting.  The  resolution  stressed, 
however,  that  recognition  does  not 
imply  approval  of  the  government's 
policies  and  that  it  should  be 
achieved  without  prejudicing  the 
rights  of  the  people  of  Formosa  and 
their  future  self-determination. 

Vacationers  to  Worship 
in  "Open-Air"  Cathedrals 

More  than  fifteen  million  vaca- 
tioners in  America's  national  parks 
are  expected  to  worship  in  open-air 
cathedrals  this  summer  under  a  pro- 
gram sponsored  by  the  Christian 
Ministry  in  the  National  Park,  a 
unit  of  the  Central  Department  of 
Evangelism  of  the  National  Council 
of   Churches. 

One  hundred  forty-two  young 
men  and  women  will  provide  pas- 
toral services  while  spending  the 
summer  in  the  parks  as  desk  clerks, 
waitresses,  bellhops,  filling  station 
attendants.  They  will  represent 
forty  colleges  and  thirty-five  theo- 
logical seminaries  in  forty  states.  In 
their  off-duty  hours  these  students 
will  assist  in  organizing  worship 
services  and  will  act  as  chaplain- 
counselors  for  both  vacationers  and 
for  the  thousands  of  their  fellow 
college  students  with  summer  park 
jobs. 

Nigerian  Churches  Prepare 
for  Political  Independence 

Anglican  Bishop  S.  O.  Odutola  of 
Ondo-Benin,  Nigeria,  recently  said 
that  when  the  West  African  nation 
achieves  her  independence  from 
Britain  on  Oct.  1,  the  only  difference 
will  be  that  the  missions  will  be 
less  in  evidence  and  the  Christian 
Church  more  in  evidence.  The 
bishop,  who  is  the  retiring  president 
of  the  Christian  Council  of  Nigeria, 
told  church  leaders  throughout  the 
country  that  "as  we  have  had  to 
give  a  lead  in  the  past  in  certain 
respects,  and  we  have  done  so  suc- 
cessfully, so  the  country  will  expect 
us  to  continue." 

The  council  voted  to  inaugurate 
a  study  of  the  Christian  Responsibil- 
ity in  an  Independent  Nigeria.  The 
26 


study  will  be  made  as  part  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches'  interna- 
tional inquiry  on  the  Common 
Christian  Responsibility  Toward 
Areas  of  Rapid  Social  Change.  This 
is  the  study  program  in  which  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is  partici- 
pating and  in  which  Dean  Herbert 
Hogan  of  La  Verne  College  will  be 
taking  leadership. 

East  Germany  Boasts  of 
Assistance  to  Religious  Groups 

The  East  German  Radio  recently 
broadcast  a  report  of  the  Communist 
government's  "assistance"  to  reli- 
gious groups  in  the  Soviet  Zone  in 
an  attempt  to  show  that  there  is 
no  persecution  of  religion  in  East 
Germany.  It  claimed  that  the  Red 
government  since  its  formation  had 
given  more  than  $34,000,000  to  sub- 
sidize the  salaries  and  retirement 
pensions  of  Protestant  clergymen. 

The  station  also  said  that  the 
Catholic  Church  had  received  about 
$2,400,000  in  subsidies  for  priests' 
salaries.  According  to  the  broadcast, 
Protestant  and  Catholic  churches 
regularly  publish  26  newspapers  and 
periodicals  with  a  total  circulation 
of  about  359,000.  The  station  said 
that  since  1945  nearly  1,600  Cath- 
olic and  Protestant  churches  have 
been  reconstructed  or  repaired  with 
financial  aid  from  East  Germany. 

Christians  Gain  in 
Jordan  Parliament 

Elections  this  fall  for  Jordan's 
enlarged  parliament  will  give  Chris- 
tians nine  reserved  seats  out  of  fifty- 
eight,  compared  with  seven  among 
the  present  forty  seats.  Although 
the  percentage  of  Christians  among 
the  total  number  of  members  will 
decrease  somewhat,  their  represen- 
tation will  still  be  generous  since 
only  about  ten  per  cent  of  the 
1,600,000  Jordanians  are  Christians. 

Among  the  Christian  representa- 
tives expected  to  remain  is  Foreign 
Minister  Musa  Nasser,  Jordan's  only 
Protestant  leading  politician. 

News  Briefs 

Italy's  Council  of  State,  the  coun- 
try's highest  administrative  author- 
ity, ended  a  three-year-old  dispute 
when  it  decreed  that  officials  of 
Veroli  near  Rome,  had  been  unjusti- 
fied in  denying  a  building  permit 
for  a  Baptist  church.  Italian  Bap- 
tists,   who   had   appealed    the   case 


three  times,  expressed  satisfaction 
with  the  verdict. 

The  popularity  of  "socialist  wed- 
dings" seems  to  be  on  the  decline  in 
East  Berlin.  Of  the  sixty-one  couples 
married  at  Easter  in  one  district, 
only  six  chose  to  have  their  union 
solemnized  by  government  officials. 

Mrs.  Emerald  Lucy  Barman  Ar- 
bogast  of  Los  Angeles,  Calif.,  who 
has  four  great-grandchildren,  was 
named  American  Mother  of  the 
Year.  She  is  a  Congregationalist 
and  the  mother  of  six  children  and 
grandmother  of  ten. 


Obituaries 

Baker,  Adelia  R.,  daughter  of  Charles 
W.  and  Annie  Dickel  Gift,  died  May 
27,  1960,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Waynesboro 
church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  her  hus- 
band, Herbert  W.  Baker,  two  daugh- 
ters, her  parents,  five  sisters,  four 
brothers,  and  one  foster  brother.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  by  Brethren 
George  L.  Detweiler  and  Theodore  E. 
Whitacre.  Interment  was  in  the  Green 
Hill  cemetery.  —  Thelma  M.  Widdow- 
son,  Waynesboro,  Pa. 

Bewley,  Esther  W.,  daughter  of  L. 
Clayton  and  Hettie  M.  Weaver  Overly, 
was  born  in  Monterey,  Pa.,  and  died 
May  13,  1960,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine 
years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
estoga  church  at  Bareville,  Pa.  She 
is  survived  by  her  husband,  Amos  E. 
Bewley,  three  sons,  four  daughters,  ten 
grandchildren,  her  father,  her  step- 
mother and  two  stepsisters.  The  funer- 
al service  was  conducted  in  the 
Conestoga  church  by  Brethren  Harry 
Wolgemuth  and  Lester  Buckwalter. 
Interment  was  in  Eaby's  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Richard  Buckwalter,  Bareville,  Pa. 

Brown,  Addie  Belle,  daughter  of 
Levi  and  Mary  Lemley  Bales,  was  born 
near  Ollie,  Iowa,  March  30,  1873,  and 
died  May  12,  1960.  She  is  survived  by 
one  son  and  one  granddaughter.  The 
memorial  service  was  held  at  the  South 
Keokuk  church  by  Bro.  Harley  Yates. 
Interment  was  in  the  Halferty  ceme- 
tery. —  Naomi  Patterson,  Richland, 
Iowa. 

Buist,  Loraine  E.  Harmon,  was  born 
Jan.  24,  1910,  in  Denlow,  Mo.,  and 
died  April  27,  1960,  at  Strathmore, 
Calif.  She  is  survived  by  her  mother, 
two  sisters,  and  one  brother.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  in  Lindsay 
by  Gertrude  Knight  and  the  under- 
signed. —  Ward  E.  Pratt,  Lindsay, 
Calif. 

Cline,  Mary  E.,  widow  of  William 
J.  Cline,  died  May  5,  1960,  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Salem  church,  Va.  She  is  survived 
by  five  children  and  four  grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  held  in 
the  Salem  church  by  Bro.  Oscar  Bow- 
man. Interment  was  in  the  Salem 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Hunter  Ritenour, 
Stephens  City,  Va. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Coleman,  Beatrice  Wean,  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claude  H.  Wean,  was 
born  Nov.  9,  1915,  and  died  May  18, 
1960.  She  is  survived  by  one  son,  one 
grandson,  and  her  parents.  The  funeral 
service  was  conducted  by  Robert  L. 
Sherfy.  Interment  was  in  the  Oak 
Lawn  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  John  E.  Moore, 
Bridgewater,  Va. 

Cox,  Feme  E.,  daughter  of  Grover 
C.  and  Alda  Allison  Ritchey,  was  born 
Dec.  10,  1912,  and  died  at  Everett, 
Pa.,  May  17,  1960.  On  Sept.  18,  1931, 
she  was  married  to  Raymond  Cox.  Sur- 
viving are  her  husband,  her  parents, 
two  brothers,  and  three  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  in  the 
Everett  church  by  Fred  Bowman,  as- 
sisted by  LeRoy  Harrison.  Interment 
was  in  the  Everett  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Freda  Harclerode,  Everett,  Pa. 

Goodyear,  Elmer,  was  born  Sept.  12, 
1882,  and  died  March  1,  1960.  His 
wife  preceded  him  in  death.  He  was 
a  long-time  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  Bro.  L.  W.  Blackwell. 
Interment  was  in  the  Mountain  View 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  H.  R.  Bennett,  Ta- 
coma,  Wash. 

Hannon,  Emma  F.,  wife  of  Harry  W. 
Harmon,  died  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  May 
16,  1960.  She  is  survived  by  two  chil- 
dren, four  grandchildren,  four  sisters, 
and  three  brothers.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  held  in  the  Woodbury  church, 
Baltimore,  by  Bro.  Thornton  O.  Black. 
Interment  was  in  the  Salem  church 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Hunter  Ritenour, 
Stephens  City,  Va. 

Hausenfluck,  John  Herbert,  son  of 
Henry  and  Emma  Hausenfluck,  was 
bom  Jan.  8,  1885,  at  Stephens  City, 
Va.,  and  died  Nov.  27,  1959,  in  Arling- 
ton, Va.  He  was  a  long-time  member 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  the  former  Elsie 
E.  Glick,  one  son,  two  daughters,  and 
five  grandchildren.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  Arlington,  with  Brethren 
Glen  Weimer  and  Duane  Ramsey  offi- 
ciating. Interment  was  in  National 
Memorial  park.  —  Jay  W.  Showalter, 
Arlington,   Va. 

Kane,  Nellie  Irene,  daughter  of 
David  and  Catherine  Morris,  was  born 
at  Parsons,  Kansas,  July  22,  1886,  and 
died  June  3,  1960.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Parsons  church.  Survivors  are 
a  sister  and  a  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  by  Bro.  Earl  Myers. 
Interment  was  in  the  Elton  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Blanche  E.  Milks,  Parsons,  Kansas. 

Kite,  Lois,  daughter  of  Willard  and 
Margaret  Sutton  Jones,  was  born  in 
Huntington  County,  Ind.,  Feb.  20, 
1885,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years.  She  was  married  to  Ora 
B.  Kitt  on  Feb.  24,  1907.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Loon  Creek  church, 
Ind.  Surviving  are  her  husband,  one 
son,  three  grandchildren,  two  brothers, 
and  one  sister.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  Brethren  Robert 
Ebey  and  Walter  Stinebaugh.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  Lancaster  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.    Farrell    Miller,    Huntington,    Ind. 

Koser,  Mary  H.,  daughter  of  Abram 
and  Lindaretta  Fisher  Hawthorne,  died 
April  14,  1960,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
West  Green  Tree  church,  Pa.  She  is 
survived  by  her  husband,  David  H. 
JULY  16,  1960 


Koser,  eight  daughters,  three  sons, 
fifty-eight  grandchildren,  twenty-three 
great-grandchildren,  one  sister,  and 
two  brothers.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  in  the  West  Green  Tree 
church  by  Brethren  Abram  Eshelman, 
Leroy  Hawthorne,  and  James  Ober. 
Interment  was  in  the  West  Green  Tree 
cemetery.  —  Ruth  Brownsberger,  Mt. 
Joy,  Pa. 

Long,  Harry  D.,  son  of  Calvin  P. 
and  Jane  Detwiler  Long,  was  born  at 
Bakers  Summit,  Pa.,  Oct.  16,  1891,  and 
died  May  5,  1960.  He  was  married 
to  Ida  Belle  Keagy  in  1913.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Holsinger  church,  Pa. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  one  daughter, 
five  sons,  one  sister,  one  brother,  and 
twelve  grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  at  the  Holsinger 
church.  Interment  was  in  the  Holsinger 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Palmer  Miller,  Bakers 
Summit,  Pa. 

McKimmy,  Theodore  N.,  son  of 
Perry  and  Caroline  Wotering,  was  born 
in  Preston  County,  W.  Va.,  July  27, 
1865,  and  died  May  31,  1960.  On  Oct. 
6,  1886,  he  was  married  to  Hulda 
Stutzman,  who  died  in  1948.  On  Aug. 
21,  1951,  he  was  married  to  Nellie 
Mitchel.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are 
his  wife,  two  sons,  three  daughters, 
twenty-seven  grandchildren,  sixty-eight 
great-grandchildren,  and  nine  great- 
great-grandchildren.  The  funeral  serv- 
ice was  at  the  Beaverton  church,  Mich., 
with  Carl  Hilbert  and  Verne  Summers 
officiating.  Interment  was  in  Adrian, 
Mich.  —  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Ward,  Beaver- 
ton,   Mich. 

Mason,  Margaret  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  John  and  Frances  Lyon  Bane,  was 
born  at  Burlington,  W.  Va.,  June  28, 
1897,  and  died  at  Harrisburg,  Va.,  June 
2,  1960.  She  was  married  on  June  28, 
1921,  to  H.  E.  Mason.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Harrisonburg  church. 
She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  two 
sons,  two  brothers,  and  two  grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  held 
at  the  Harrisonburg  church  by  Bro. 
Robert  L.  Sherfy.  Interment  was  at 
Burlington,  W.  Va.  —  Mrs.  John  E. 
Moore,    Bridgewater,    Va. 

Minnich,  Earl  H.,  son  of  Granville 
W.  and  Melinda  Kay  Hershey,  was 
born  on  July  23,  1880,  and  died  May 
12,  1960.  His  first  wife,  Anna  Warner 
Minnich,  died  Oct.  30,  1951.  He  later 
was  married  to  Mollie  Warner  Rhoades. 
Surviving  are  his  wife,  one  daughter, 
one  son,  one  sister,  one  brother,  three 
grandchildren,  and  three  great-grand- 
children. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted in  the  West  Milton  church  by 
Bro.  P.  L.  Huffaker.  Interment  was 
in  the  Bethel  cemetery.  —  Edna  Wheel- 
ock,  West  Milton,  Ohio. 

Moats,  William  Albert,  son  of  Jacob 
and  Anna  Mongan  Moats,  died  at 
Tilghmanton,  Md.,  May  14,  1960,  at 
ninety  years  of  age.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Manor  church,  Md.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  six  daughters,  one  son,  one 
sister,  two  brothers,  ten  grandchildren, 
and  eighteen  great-grandchildren.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  at  the 
Manor  church  by  Bro.  J.  Rowland 
Reichard.  Interment  was  in  the  Manor 
cemetery.  —  Naomi  H.  Coffman,  Hag- 
erstown,  Md. 

Pease,  Elizabeth,  was  born  Dec.  25, 
1876,    and   died   Nov.    20,    1959.     She 


was  a  member  of  the  Pleasant  Dale 
church,  Ind.  Her  husband,  Clyde 
Pease,  preceded  her  in  death.  The 
funeral  service  was  held  in  the  Pleasant 
Dale  church  by  Bro.  John  Mishler.  — 
Mrs.  Eugene  Arnold,  Decatur,  Ind. 

Shock,  Edna,  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clarence  Coy,  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ohio,  Dec.  31,  1916, 
and  died  at  New  Lebanon,  Ohio,  May 
9,  1960.  Her  husband,  Emerson  Shock, 
preceded  her  in  death.  She  is  survived 
by  her  parents,  three  brothers,  and 
three  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  the  undersigned  at  the 
Bear  Creek  church.  Interment  was  in 
the  Eversole  cemetery.  —  George  W. 
Phillips,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Shue,  Mary  K.,  daughter  of  Clarence 
and  Anna  M.  Wagner  Wright,  died 
May  8,  1960,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five 
years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  White 
Oak  church,  Pa.  Surviving  are  her  hus- 
band, Jacob  H.  Shue,  seven  children, 
twenty  grandchildren,  and  eight  broth- 
ers and  sisters.  Interment  was  in  the 
Hernley's  cemetery.  —  Esther  W.  Cas- 
sel,  Manheim,  Pa. 

Snyder,  Ray  C,  son  of  John  M.  and 
Dora  Marshal  Snyder,  was  born  Nov. 
19,  1892,  at  Brookville,  Ohio,  and  died 
May  15,  1960,  at  Ft.  Myers,  Fla.  On 
Oct.  1,  1912,  he  was  married  to  Fay 
G.  Smith.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  Ft.  Myers  church  and  a  deacon. 
Surviving  are  his  wife  and  one  sister. 
Interment  was  at  Memorial  Garden 
cemetery,  with  Bro.  Glenn  Goshorn  of- 
ficiating. —  Mrs.  Jesse  Comer,  Tice, 
Fla. 

Steele,  Una  C,  daughter  of  Jonathan 
M.  and  Mary  Ellen  Cripe,  was  born 
near  North  Liberty,  Ind.,  Sept.  23, 
1877,  and  died  May  28,  1960.  On 
May  11,  1902,  she  was  married  to 
Lafayette  L.  Steele,  who  preceded  her 
in  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Surviving  are 
two  sons,  two  daughters,  one  sister, 
one  brother,  two  half  brothers,  seven 
grandchildren,  and  ten  great-grandchil- 
dren. The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted at  the  North  Liberty  church 
by  Bro.  Melvin  S.  Ritchey.  Interment 
was  in  the  East  Lawn  cemetery.  —  Vir- 
gil Houser,  North  Liberty,  Ind. 

Stump,  Jesse,  son  of  John  N.  and 
Nannie  Stump,  was  born  Sept.  8,  1882, 
near  Waynesville,  Mo.,  and  died  May 
19,  1960.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  Waka  church,  Texas,  and  was 
a  trustee.  In  1907,  he  was  married  to 
Emma  Elizabeth  Smith,  who  preceded 
him  in  death  in  1949.  In  1957,  he 
was  married  to  Lillie  B.  Armstrong. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  one  son, 
two  grandchildren,  two  stepdaughters, 
and  one  stepson.  The  funeral  service 
was  held  in  the  Baptist  church  by  Bro. 
Willis  O.  Bosserman.  Interment  was 
in  the  Ochiltree  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Mar- 
vin J.  Groves,  Waka,  Texas. 

Sweitzer,  Robert  J.,  son  of  Irvin  and 
Viola  Sweitzer,  died  Feb.  22,  1960,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-one  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Cocalico  church,  Pa. 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Merla, 
two  daughters,  two  sons,  his  parents, 
one  sister,  and  one  brother.  The  funer- 
al service  was  held  in  the  Cocalico 
church  by  Brethren  Richard  Hackman 
and  Bro.  Harry  Gibbel.  Interment  was 
in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Ada 
Ruth  Leininger,  Denver,  Pa. 

27 


The  Pastor 

and 
Community 
Resources 

CHARLES  F.  KEMP 

<3> 


A  basic  working  manual  prepared 
in  co-operation  with  the  National 
Council  of  Churches.  The  purpose 
of  this  book  is  to  provide  lists  and 
directories  of  national  and  local 
agencies.  Marriage  clinics,  psychi- 
atric foundations,  homes  for  unwed 
mothers    are    only    a    few    of    the 


agencies  listed. 


$1.50 


Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Church  News 

Washington 

Seattle,  Olympia  View  Community  — 
The  United  Church  Women's  May  fel- 
lowship luncheon  offering  went  to 
Brethren  Service.  The  deacons  and 
their  wives  were  host  and  hostesses  to 
the  forty-nine  new  members  who  had 
joined  the  church  since  Christmas. 
There  was  a  combined  meeting  of  the 
three  interest  groups  and  all  officers 
were  installed.  The  peacemakers  have 
made  bandages  for  Nigeria,  packed 
layettes  to  go  to  Modesto  and  clothing 
for  the  girls  at  the  Buckley  home  for 
retarded  children.  A  video  tape  of 
the  installation  service  of  Bro.  Ralph 
Turnidge,  as  general  secretary  of  the 
Washington-Northern  Idaho  Council  of 
Churches,  was  presented  at  the  church 
on  May  1.  On  June  12  we  began  our 
summer  schedule  of  two  morning  wor- 
ship services.  The  Boy  Scouts  are  tak- 
ing charge  of  the  mowing  and  trimming 
the  grass  at  the  church  and  the  parson- 
age during  the  summer.  —  Mrs.  Calder 
Muirhead,  Seattle,  Wash. 

Tacoma  —  Our  pastor  and  his  wife, 
Brother  and  Sister  Snowberger,  at- 
18 


tended  the  regional  conference  at 
Nampa,  Idaho.  We  had  a  pre-Easter 
service  combined  with  visitation  and 
a  prayer  service.  Our  love  feast  was 
held  on  April  10.  Our  guest  speakers 
have  been:  Dewey  Rowe,  Jim  Brum- 
baugh, and  Clement  Bontrager.  A 
mother-daughter  banquet  was  held. 
Our  pastor  has  resigned;  he  has  been 
called  to  the  Irricana  church,  Alberta, 
Canada.  —  Mrs.  Herbert  Bennett,  Ta- 
coma, Wash. 

Northern  Iowa,  Minnesota,  and 
South  Dakota 

Slifer  —  On  Good  Friday  evening  we 
observed  the  love  feast,  with  Charles 
Nettleton  officiating.  Sunrise  Easter 
services  were  held  in  the  sanctuary  and 
were  followed  by  breakfast.  New  car- 
peting for  the  rostrum  and  center 
aisle,  new  paint  on  the  walls  of  the 
chancel  make  an  attractive  background 
and  setting  for  the  baptistry,  which  was 
dedicated  by  the  baptism  of  three  jun- 
ior highs  and  one  youth.  Miss  Christi- 
ana Brandt,  exchange  student  from 
Germany  attending  McPherson  College, 
visited  here;  James  Nettleton  has  been 
in  Germany  in  direct  exchange  with 
Miss  Brandt.  Four  of  our  members 
attended  the  Brethren  Service  work- 
shop held  at  the  Panther  Creek  church. 
Our  pastor  attended  Annual  Confer- 
ence. —  Mrs.  J.  William  Nettleton, 
Farnhamville,  Iowa. 

Western  Kansas 

Salem  —  Brother  and  Sister  W.  H. 
Yoder  have  been  serving  the  church 
on  an  interim  basis  since  Sept.  1.  The 
school  of  missions  was  held  on  the 
Sunday  evenings  in  January.  On  Ash 
Wednesday  our  church  co-operated 
with  the  churches  of  the  community 
in  a  prayer  vigil.  Two  youth  came 
into  the  church  on  Palm  Sunday.  The 
junior  and  senior  choirs  assisted  the 
pastor  on  Easter  with  special  music. 
The  youth  of  the  community  had  an 
Easter  sunrise  service.  A  large  repre- 
sentation from  our  church  attended  the 
men's  and  women's  fellowship  rally. 
McPherson  College  day  was  observed 
in  our  church  with  the  college  trio  as- 
sisting the  pastor.  Vacation  Bible 
school  was  held  in  June.  Brother  and 
Sister  Gene  Wenger  are  serving  the 
church  during  the  summer.  —  Mrs. 
Glen  Seitz,  Nickerson,  Kansas. 

Oklahoma 

Waka,  Texas  —  Some  of  our  youth 
group  attended  the  youth  rally  at 
Cushing,  Okla.  The  church  choir  made 
a  trip  to  Pampa,  Texas,  where  they 
were  the  guest  choir  for  the  opening 
of  evangelistic  services.  Featured  at 
our  monthly  fellowship  meetings  have 
been  a  series  of  films  on  the  life  of 
Paul.  Bro.  Willis  O.  Bosserman  con- 
ducted morning  devotionals  over  our 
local  radio  station  during  the  week 
of  March  13.  The  Australian  exchange 
teacher,  Mr.  Milton  Hunkins,  was  a 
speaker  during  our  mission  study  in 
March.  Our  Easter  program  was  pre- 
sented by  the  choir  on  Palm  Sunday 
evening.  The  women's  fellowship  used 
one  all-day  meeting  to  make  baby 
clothes.  Our  church  was  host  to  the 
men's  and  women's  subdistrict  rally  the 
last  of  April.    Our  love  feast  was  held 


on  Easter  evening.  Bro.  Nathan  Heffley 
of  the  Enid  fellowship  was  guest 
speaker  for  our  evangelistic  services ; 
after  Easter.  Six  were  baptized  and 
one  was  received  by  letter.  The  com- 
munity Bible  school  was  held  May 
30  —  June  10  in  our  church  and  the 
near-by  school  house.  The  morning 
and  evening  worship  was  led  by  vari- 
ous lay  members  during  the  pastor's 
vacation  and  attendance  at  Annual 
Conference.  —  Mrs.  Marvin  J.  Groves, 
Waka,  Texas. 

Northern  Indiana 

North  Winona  —  Ten  of  our  men  and 
boys  visited  the  state  reformatory  at 
Pendleton.  Our  pastor,  Lester  Young, 
brought  the  message.  The  fathers  and 
sons  met  one  evening  for  a  fellowship 
service.  Sister  Opal  Pence  conducted 
our  evangelistic  services.  Three  have 
been  received  by  letter.  Mrs.  Mary 
Young  will  represent  our  church  as 
delegate  to  the  Annual  Conference.  At 
the  mother-daughter  banquet  Miss 
Dorren  Sharma  from  Burma  was  the 
speaker.  A  goodly  number  of  our 
women  attended  the  spring  rally  at 
Goshen  College.  Ten  babies  and  small 
children  were  dedicated  during  our 
Mother's  Day  service.  The  seniors 
were  recognized  during  the  worship 
hour  on  May  22.  Some  of  our  women 
helped  pack  relief  clothing  at  Nappa- 
nee.  Our  women's  fellowship  meets 
twice  a  month  to  sew,  mend,  and  make 
comforters  and  bandages.  —  Mrs.  Alma 
E.  Hanawalt,  Pierceton,  Ind. 

Southern  Ohio 

West  Milton  — The  first  session  of 
our  school  of  missions  was  conducted 
by  Joel  and  Phyllis  Thompson,  who 
showed  filmstrips  of  the  Lybrook  In- 
dian mission.  Other  filmstrips  and 
talks  were  given  by  Walter  Bowman 
on  Sardinia,  Ralph  Dell  on  the  Breth- 
ren project,  and  Chester  Harley  on  our 
work  in  Kentucky.  A  number  of  our 
members  attended  the  school  of  Chris- 
tian living  in  the  Bear  Creek  church. 
Dr.  Clarence  Jordan  of  the  Koinonia 
Farm,  Americus,  Ga.,  conducted  a 
preaching  mission.  Our  pastor  had  an 
adult  class  on  the  meaning  of  church 
membership.  The  ministers  of  Milton- 
Union  conducted  pre-Easter  services 
in  the  different  churches,  closing  with 
a  sunrise  service  in  our  church  at  which 
D.  Alfred  Replogle  of  the  Salem  church 
spoke.  The  ground-breaking  ceremony 
for  our  new  church  was  held  on  Easter. 
Joyce  Harley  and  Joy  Thompson  helped 
in  the  work  camp  in  the  Negro  section 
of  Dayton.  We  had  a  dedication  of 
babies,  and  communion  and  baptismal 
services  on  May  22.  —  Edna  Wheelock, 
West  Milton,  Ohio. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania 

Harrisburg  —  The  six  sessions  of  the 
school  of  missions  included  a  film,  New 
Faces  of  Africa;  an  African  meal  at 
which  Enos  Sibanda,  an  African  stu- 
dent at  Messiah  College  spoke;  the 
filmstrip  on  Albert  Schweitzer;  reflec- 
tions on  Africa  by  Mrs.  Galen  Keeney; 
slides  by  Bernice  Stoner,  a  nurse  who 
recently  returned  from  Castaner,  Puer- 
to Rico;  Dr.  Roy  PfaltzgrafFs  pictures 
of  his  work  as  head  of  our  leprosy 
GOSPEL  MESSENGER. 


hospital  in  Carkida,  Africa.  The  Juni- 
ata College  choir,  under  the  direction 
of  Prof.  Donald  Johnson,  presented  a 
concert  in  the  sanctuary.  The  speakers 
for  the  weekly  Lenten  services  were 
Edward  K.  Ziegler,  Olden  Mitchell, 
Earl  W.  Fike,  Jr.,  Harper  Will,  and 
William  Willoughby.  A  number  of 
men  attended  the  Lenten  communion 
breakfast  in  the  Mosque.  Marilyn 
Dickerson,  a  BVS  worker,  joined  our 
staff  to  work  with  us  as  we  develop 
a  program  to  serve  our  city.  Prof. 
Robert  Byerly  spoke  on  the  subject, 
The  Disturbing  Dimension  of  Christian 
Teaching.  Mrs.  George  L.  Detweiler 
was  the  speaker  at  the  mother-daugh- 
ter tea.  A  reception  for  members  re- 
ceived into  the  church  in  the  past 
year  was  held  on  April  20.  Three  ba- 
bies were  dedicated  on  Mother's  Day. 
Wayne  Carr  Associates  directed  the 
raising  of  the  funds  for  the  addition; 
commitments  totaling  $101,682.40  were 
received.  Land  behind  the  proposed 
Christian  education  building  has  been 
secured  for  a  parking  lot.  —  Mrs.  John 
A.  Blough,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Little  Swatara  —  Brenda  Dubble 
showed  slides  of  a  work  camp  in  Ecua- 
dor. Miss  Martha  Martin  conducted  a 
class  in  the  study  of  church  doctrine 
for  three  evenings  in  February.  Bro. 
Murray  Wagner  was  the  evangelist  for 
our  revival.  Seven  were  baptized.  A 
day  of  prayer  was  observed  in  March. 
A  church  membership  class  was  held 
for  new  members.  On  college  day  we 
had  Bro.  Paul  Greene  as  speaker.  For 
our  spring  love  feast  we  had  as  guest 
ministers  Brethren  Lester  Royer  and 
John  Patrick.  On  Mother's  Day  the 
Cocalico  male  quartet  gave  a  program. 
We  had  a  mother-daughter  fellowship 
at  which  Mrs.  John  Gingrich  spoke. 
The  ladies'  aid  made  twenty-seven  new 
comforters  and  also  collected  jars  for 
Greece  — Mrs.  Carl  Brightbill,  Myers- 
town,  Pa. 

West  Conestoga  —  The  young  people 
sponsored  a  songfest  in  which  musical 
groups  from  various  neighboring  con- 
gregations participated.  Dr.  Roy 
Pfaltzgraff  showed  slides  and  made 
comments  about  the  work  in  Africa.  The 
women  rolled  bandages  for  the  leprosy 
hospital  in  Africa,  sewed  at  the  St. 
Joseph  hospital  and  ironed  and  mended 
clothing  at  the  Neffsville  orphanage. 
Some  of  our  people  worked  one  day 
at  New  Windsor,  processing  clothing 
for  relief.  The  Willing  Worker's  class 
sponsored  a  home  talent  musical  pro- 
gram. Bro.  Harold  Martin  served  as 
our  evangelist.  As  a  result,  six  were 
baptized  and  one  was  received  on  for- 
mer baptism.  Visiting  Brethren  at  our 
love  feast  were  Brethren  Harold  Mar- 
tin and  Paul  Forney.  On  Mother's 
Day,  a  service  of  dedication  for 
twenty-one  children  was  held.  On  May 
15,  Bro.  Howard  Bernhard  brought  a 
message  on  stewardship.  —  Emma  L. 
Zook,  Lititz,  Pa. 

White  Oak  — We  had  a  temperance 
sermon  by  Bro.  Milton  Yohe.  National 
Youth  Week  was  observed  by  directing 
the  Sunday  morning  service  to  our 
youth.  Bro.  Harold  Martin  gave  us  a 
sermon  on  missions,  and  at  this  time 
we  received  an  offering  for  foreign  mis- 
sions. We  also  participated  in  the  One 
Great  Hour  of  Sharing.  Our  revival 
was  held  the  two  weeks  preceding 
JULY  16,  1960 


i)  mmm  mmat 
]j]  tujs  mm  mmz 

JAMES  A.  PIKE 

in  collaboration  with  Richard  Byfield 


As  the  United  States  ceases  to  be  a  Protestant  nation  and 
becomes  a  plural  society  in  which  its  Roman  Catholic  citizens 
take  their  full  place,  it  is  clear  that  the  widespread  Protestant 
questions  about  a  Roman  Catholic  in  the  White  House  must 
be  answered.  James  Pike's  clear  voice  has  taken  hold  of  the 
national  discussion.  He  places  this  question  in  its  setting  in 
American  history  and  the  history  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church.  He  distinguishes  between  bigotry  and  legitimate  con- 
cern, and  then  focuses  on  the  points  where  this  issue  is  a  live 
one  now  and  likely  to  be  in  the  future.  $2.50 

A  very  important  and  timely  book  which  deserves  wide  reading 
now,  if  readers  can  think  for  themselves  on  the  basis  of  the 
facts  presented.  —  Charles  E.  Zunkel. 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


Easter  by  Bro.  Jacob  Miller.  A  group 
from  the  church  recently  helped  with 
the  processing  of  clothing  at  New 
Windsor.  Our  women's  fellowship 
sewed  cut  garments  for  relief,  spent  a 
day  ironing  at  the  Neffsville  orphanage, 
helped  with  different  projects  at  the 
Brethren  Home;  and  sewed  at  the  three 
local  hospitals.  A  group  visited  the 
county  home  and  had  a  hymn  sing  for 
the  guests.  Two  have  been  baptized 
and  one  received  on  former  baptism. 
Brethren  Elmer  Brubaker  and  George 
Daubenspect  recently  preached  at  two 
of  our  evening  services.  Brethren  Earl 
Eshelman  and  Leroy  Plum  officiated 
at  our  love  feast  —  Esther  W.  Cassel, 
Manheim,  Pa. 

Middle  Pennsylvania 

Amaranth  —  A  revival  meeting  was 
held  May  8-15  at  our  church  by  Bro. 
James  Pierson,  pastor  of  the  Snake 
Spring  Valley  congregation,  assisted 
by  Bro.  Harry  Brubaker,  pastor  of  our 
church.  Good  attendance  and  interest 
were  shown,  and  fine  gospel  messages 
were  given,  together  with  illustrated 
stories  for  the  children.  The  new 
church  basement  is  nearly  finished  and 
we  hope  to  have  a  furnace  installed 
in  the  near  future.  —  Pearl  Fischer, 
Amaranth,  Pa. 

Claysburg  —  We  co-operated  in  an 
Easter  sunrise  service  with  the  Claar 
congregation;  C.  L.  Cox  was  speaker. 
Our  pastor,  A.  Lester  Bucher,  con- 
ducted a  worship  service  at  the  Mor- 
rison Cove  home.  On  Family  night, 
sponsored  by  the  Truth  Seeker's  class, 
Bibles  were  presented  to  the  high 
school  graduates.  Bro.  George  Ken- 
singer  was  the  speaker  for  the  evening. 


Precommunion  services  were  con- 
ducted by  our  pastor.  Eight  persons 
were  baptized.  Four  children  were 
presented  by  their  parents  for  dedica- 
tion to  the  Lord.  Our  choirs  are  par- 
ticipating in  our  worship  programs.  At 
the  last  council  meeting  it  was  decided 
to  share  our  pastor's  services  with  the 
Holsinger  church.  Our  delegates  to 
Annual  Conference  were  our  pastor 
and  his  wife.  A  number  of  our  young 
people  have  registered  for  Camp  Har- 
mony. We  had  our  vacation  Bible 
school  on  June  6-17.  —  C.  L.  Cox, 
Claysburg,  Pa. 

Everett  —  Rev.  Harold  Lee  Rowe 
was  the  speaker  for  the  community 
Week  of  Prayer  services.  The  youth 
department  was  in  charge  of  the  serv- 
ice on  Youth  Sunday.  Mabel  Claypool, 
a  former  missionary  to  India,  was 
speaker  at  the  youth  fellowship.  Tobi- 
as F.  Henry  spoke  on  our  anniversary 
Sunday.  The  Everett  ministerium 
sponsored  a  teacher  training  school  in 
our  church.  Our  church  had  a  day's 
prayer  vigil.  The  Juniata  College  choir 
presented  a  sacred  concert  in  our 
church.  Several  of  our  youth  attended 
the  youth  spiritual  retreat  at  New  En- 
terprise, at  which  Bro.  Olden  Mitchell 
was  leader.  Bob  Blair  preached  for 
us  while  our  pastor  was  at  the  New 
Paris  church  for  a  week  of  evangelistic 
service.  Cottage  prayer  meetings  were 
held  for  four  Wednesday  evenings. 
Clarence  Rosenberger  was  the  minister 
for  our  Holy  Week  services.  Seventeen 
were  baptized.  We  united  with  the 
community  for  Good  Friday  services 
at  the  Lutheran  church.  Two  morning 
worship  services  were  held  on  Easter. 
The  youth  paid  the  transportation  for 

29 


I 

MAJOR 

RELIGIONS 
of  the 
WORLD 


MARCUS 
BACH 


A  compact  survey  of  the 
founders,  the  holy  writ- 
ings, the  worship,  and  the 
basic  beliefs  of  the  major 
religions  of  the  world  — 
Hinduism,  Zoroastrianism, 
Buddhism,  Judaism,  Con- 
fucianism and  Taoism, 
Shintoism,  Islamism,  and 
Christianity.  Both  informa- 
tive and  thought-provok- 
ing, this  book  will  give 
Christians  a  greater  under- 
standing of  man's  universal 
quest  for  God.  $1.00 


Church  of  Ihe  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  111. 


a  Navajo  Indian  to  visit  with  Brady 
Harclerode,  Jr.,  during  June;  the  latter 
is  doing  BVS  work  in  Utah.  —  Mrs. 
Freda  Harclerode,  Everett,  Pa. 

Holsinger  —  Bro.  Lester  Bucher  of 
Claysburg  is  our  part-time  pastor. 
Brother  and  Sister  Bucher  are  conduct- 
ing a  Bible  school  in  the  evenings  for 
two  weeks.  Our  mother-daughter  ban- 
quet was  held.  We  had  a  baby  dedica- 
tion on  May  8.  We  sent  clothing  for 
relief.  —  Mrs.  Palmer  Miller,  New  En- 
terprise, Pa. 

Upper  Claar  —  A  number  of  men 
and  women  from  our  congregation 
helped  process  clothing  for  oversea  re- 
lief at  New  Windsor.  The  women  of 
our  church  made  comforters  and  sheets 
and  wrapped  bandages  for  relief.  Our 
30 


pastor  held  a  church  membership  class 
for  six  weeks;  three  were  baptized. 
We  had  an  Easter  sunrise  service  at 
the  church.  Our  mother-daughter  ban- 
quet was  held  on  May  8.  We  had  a 
two-week  Bible  school.  —  Mrs.  Betty 
Claar,  Claysburg,  Pa. 

Western  Pennsylvania 

County  Line  —  Our  women's  fellow- 
ship made  bandages  and  gowns  for 
relief.  We  held  a  one-week  Bible 
school.  On  June  12,  we  had  a  chil- 
dren's service  and  dedication  of  babies. 
We  met  for  our  spring  council  with 
our  elder,  Brother  Ebersole,  conducting 
the  meeting.  We  received  twenty-three 
by  baptism.  On  Easter  morning  we 
had  a  sunrise  service  in  our  church. 
The  program  was  carried  out  by  our 
young  people.  We  held  our  annual 
mother-daughter  tea.  —  Olive  Ned- 
row,  Jones  Mills,  Pa. 

Florida,  Georgia,  and  Puerto  Rico 

Sebring  —  Our  church  co-operated  in 
the  union  pre-Easter  services.  We  ob- 
served the  World  Day  of  Prayer.  The 
Sunday  school  classes  have  been  taking 
turns  in  preparing  a  half-hour  inspira- 
tional meditation  preceding  the  prayer 
service  on  Wednesday  nights.  Follow- 
ing our  pastor's  visit  to  Puerto  Rico 
in  the  interest  of  church  extension  he 
showed  slides  and  gave  a  message  on 
the  challenge  of  the  work  there.  We 
observed  an  all-night  prayer  vigil.  The 
pastor  conducted  a  class  in  church 
membership.  Seven  were  received  by 
baptism  and  six  by  letter.  Bro.  Merril 
S.  Heinz  was  with  us  several  nights 
during  Holy  Week.  The  youth  were 
hosts  to  the  round  table  held  here. 
Brother  and  Sister  Earl  Zigler,  mission- 
aries to  India,  were  with  us  on  April 
20.  The  pastor  conducted  two  jail  serv- 
ices. The  Sunday  school  classes  have 
plans  to  put  into  practice  the  under- 
shepherd  plan  of  personal  evangelism. 
A  forty-voice  men's  glee  club  from 
Moody  Bible  institute  presented  a  con- 
cert of  sacred  music.  Our  church 
sponsored  a  district-wide  leadership 
training  conference.  Four  babies  were 
dedicated  on  Mother's  Day.  The  home 
and  family  life  department  sponsored 
a  family  night  with  covered  dish  sup- 
per and  a  short  program  of  worship 
and  inspiration.  Roy  Lemler,  employed 
at  the  alcoholic  rehabilitation  hospital, 
showed  a  film  on  the  treatment  of  al- 
coholics. Our  elder,  J.  M.  Blough,  was 
re-elected  for  another  year.  Our  pastor 
and  George  Frantz  are  delegates  to  An- 
nual Conference.  —  Mrs.  Joseph  Eck- 
stadt,  Sebring,  Fla. 

Eastern  Maryland 

Frederick  —  An  all-day  prayer  vigil 
sponsored  by  the  women's  fellowship 
and  service  guild  was  held  on  March 
31.  Warren  F.  Groff  of  Bethany  Bibli- 
cal Seminary  conducted  our  special 
pre-Easter  services.  As  a  result  of  these 
meetings  twenty-five  new  members 
were  added  to  our  roll.  Our  church, 
in  co-operation  with  two  other  denomi- 
nations in  the  area,  held  an  Easter 
sunrise  service.  Mrs.  Samuel  Harley 
spoke  at  the  thirty-fourth  spring  rally 
of  the  district  women's  fellowship.  Six 
hundred  seventy-four  packets  and  one 
hundred  fifteen  baby  quilts  for  foreign 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  ori 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com-1 
munities.  It  does  not  provide  for  the 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  for 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad- 
vertising may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Illinois. 

No.  458.  Man  and  wife  in  their  40's 
desire  position  as  assistant  manager  or 
manager  of  a  motel,  preferably  near 
the  ocean.  Have  training  and  experi- 
ence in  management,  general  operation, 
and  procedures  of  motels.  Do  not 
smoke  or  drink.  Contact:  Mr.  William 
Union,  1117  Sunday  St.,  Johnstown,  Pa. 

No.  459.  Bethany  Hospital:  needs 
R.N.'s  to  help  with  summer  vacation 
relief.  This  is  an  opportunity  to  see 
the  sights  of  the  city  while  you  work. 
Contact:  Olga  Bendsen,  Personnel 
Dept,  3420  W.  Van  Buren  St.,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

No.  460.  A  young  married  man 
needs  employment.  He  has  had  experi- 
ence in  farm  work,  carpentry,  truck 
driving,  logging  and  sawmill  work, 
lawn  work,  and  has  worked  in  a  shoe 
factory.  Has  lived  in  the  east  most 
of  his  life.  Contact:  Brethren  Place- 
ment Service,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

No.  461.  A  woman,  56,  with  a  num- 
ber of  years'  teaching  experience,  de- 
sires position  as  teacher  in  an  ele- 
mentary school  where  a  degree  is  not 
required.  References  will  be  given. 
She  and  her  husband  are  willing  to 
move  to  the  community  offering  em- 
ployment. Contact:  Brethren  Place- 
ment Service,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


relief  were  dedicated  at  this  meeting. 
On  May  8  a  program  of  special  music 
was  given  during  the  morning  worship 
hour  by  the  Juniata  College  choir.  — 
Mrs.  Bertha  E.  Nicholson,  Frederick, 
Md. 

Middle  Maryland 

Manor  —  The    WCTU    presented    a 
program  at  the  Hagerstown  rescue  mis- 
sion.  Bro.  James  McKinnel,  intern  pas- 
GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


tor    of    the    Hagerstown    church,    was 
i    guest  speaker.    Bro.  Ira  Petre,  mission- 
ary on  furlough,    showed   slides   along 
with   his   lecture   on   the   work   that   is 
being    accomplished    in    Nigeria.     The 
—■    union  Easter  sunrise  service  was  held 
at    the    Manor    church.     Bro.    Harold 
(..  '  Green    delivered    the    Easter    message. 
;  I  The    youth    fellowship    presented    an 
[ ,  Easter   program.     Evangelistic   services 
i  were   held   at   the   Downsville   church, 
.:.')  April    18-24,    by    Bro.    Ora    DeLauter. 
I    Bro.   Harold  Green  was  guest  minister 
and  officiated  at  the  love  feast  service 
~/u  on    May    8.     The    Cheerful    Worker's 
j:j  class  sponsored  a  mother-daughter  ban- 
i  quet.     A    number    of    our    women    at- 
:er-|j  tended  the  district  women's  fellowship 
h||  meeting.    We  have  secured  Bro.   Har- 
i&$  vey  Ressler,  Jr.,  as  assistant  pastor  dur- 
|  ing   the    summer   months.     Plans   have 
f  been  completed  for  the  vacation  Bible 
"jfl  schools  at  both  churches.  —  Naomi  H. 
I  Coffman,  Hagerstown,  Md. 


Northern  Virginia 

Greenmount  —  Bro.  Guy  E.  Wampler 
became  our  full-time  pastor  last  Sep- 
tember. Bro.  Russell  G.  West  was  the 
speaker  for  the  evangelistic  meetings. 
Pre-E  aster  services  were  held  in  die 
Mt.  Zion  church  by  our  pastor.  Thirty- 
nine  persons  were  added  to  the  mem- 
bership by  baptism  and  five  by  letter. 
Prayer  vigil  day  was  observed  the  first 
Wednesday  in  Lent.  Cottage  prayer 
services  were  held  each  week  following 
until  Easter.  We  participated  in  the 
Call  to  Discipleship  visitation.  The 
committee  on  Christian  education  spon- 
sored two  schools  of  training  for  teach- 
ers and  church  school  officers.  This 
same  committee  arranged  for  a  school 
of  peace  and  international  relations  in 
the  Greenmount  church  for  the  con- 
gregation. Love  feasts  have  been  held 
in  the  Fairview,  Mt.  Zion,  and  Pine 
Grove  churches.  The  regular  date  for 
the  communion  service  at  the  Green- 
mount church  will  be  the  first  Sunday 
in  October.  At  a  joint  meeting  of  the 
four  women's  fellowships  Mrs.  Rachel 
Zigler,  home  on  furlough  from  India, 
spoke  to  the  women  and  showed  slides 
interpreting  the  work  in  India.  Mrs. 
Ira  Petre,  missionary  to  Africa,  was 
the  speaker  at  one  of  our  women's 
fellowship  meetings.  The  three  CBYF 
groups  on  the  west  side  unite  in  a  joint 
meeting  once  a  month.  A  choir  com- 
posed of  these  groups  furnished  music 
for  youth  night  during  the  revival  at 
Greenmount.  Bro'  Mark  Roller  spoke 
and  showed  slides  taken  while  in 
Europe  at  the  men's  fellowship  dinner. 
The  World  Day  of  Prayer  was  ob- 
served. Bethel  church  is  planning  a 
vacation  church  school  to  coincide  with 
a  day  camp  at  the  new  camp,  Brethren 
Woods.  —  Mrs.  Glenn  Armentrout,  Lin- 
ville,  Va. 

Luray  —  Our  church  is  participating 
in  the  Call  to  Discipleship  program. 
The  women's  fellowship  has  made 
many  comforters  for  relief  and  needy 
families  at  home  and  also  baby  lay- 
ettes. In  addition  to  monthly  work 
meetings  they  plan  a  night  meeting  for 
study.  The  women  recently  spent  a 
day  at  New  Windsor.  The  men's  fel- 
lowship has  planted  a  potato  patch  for 
the  Lord's  Acre  project.  The  Beacon 
Bible  class  has  begun  a  quarterly  visit 
JULY  16,  1960 


THE 


BIBLE 

SPEAKS 


ROBERT  DAVIDSON 


This  book  clarifies  the  Bible's  central  message, 
and  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  the  Bible  be- 
come clear  as  the  author  lets  it  speak  for 
itself.  The  great  themes  and  their  develop- 
ment are  presented  in  plain  terms.  The  author 
shows  the  why  and  the  how  and  the  when  of 
the  development  of  these  great  concepts. 

"Robert  Davidson  .  .  .  presents  the  finest, 
clearest,  most  persuasive  study  I  have  yet  seen 
of  what  the  Bible  really  says.  Here  one  gets 
a  comprehensive  unfolding  of  this  Biblical 
revelation,  presented  in  most  understandable 
terms.  This  is  a  boo\  worthy  of  every  min- 
ister's time  and  presented  in  such  a  way  that 
every  Christian  can  better  understand  the  Boo\ 
of  Book.*  and  God's  purposes  for  us."  — 
A  Brethren  reviewer. 

$3.95 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


by  the  group  to  homes  of  the  elderly 
and  shut-in  members.  Our  CBYF 
sponsored  a  youth  rally  for  the  Breth- 
ren churches  of  our  area.  They  led 
recreation  and  group  singing,  provided 
supper,  and  had  an  evening  program 
on  BVS.  After  the  devotional  service, 
Shirley  Spire  spoke  on  BVS  and  showed 
slides  of  the  Chinese  mission  in  Chi- 
cago. Wayne  Judd  is  now  serving  in 
BVS  at  the  Indian  mission  at  Rapid 
City,  S.  Dak.  John  Glick  conducted 
our  revival.  Thirteen  members  were 
added  by  baptism  and  two  by  letter. 
Fonda  Hinton  and  our  pastor,  Ronald 
Spire,  were  delegates  to  Annual  Con- 
ference. Day  camping,  held  for  the 
first  time  last  summer,  is  being  planned 
again  for  this  summer.  Earl  Woodward, 
one  of  our  own  members,  showed  slides 
on  Nigeria.  Mrs.  Anna  Mow  spoke  on 
missions  and  conducted  teacher  train- 
ing classes.  Wendell  Eller  recently 
conducted  an  audio-visual  workshop 
for  this  area.  Our  church  is  now  a 
member  of  the  Page  County  Council 
of  Churches.  We  co-operate  in  union 
services  for  special  occasions.  —  Bertha 
J.  Gordon,  Luray,  Va. 

Mt.  Pleasant  —  Our  revival  was  held 
April  10-17  and  ended  with  a  love  feast 
on  Easter.  Bro.  M.  J.  Craun  was  the 
evangelist.  Twenty-three  were  re- 
ceived by  baptism  and  thirteen  by 
letter.  A  home-coming  and  baby  dedi- 
cation are  being  planned.  —  Carol  Lam- 
bert, Harrisonburg,  Va. 

Unity  —  Our  school  of  missions  was 
held  at  the  Bethel  church  house  with 


Brother  and  Sister  Ira  Petre  as  guest 
leaders.  Sessions  on  home  and  family 
living  were  conducted  at  both  church 
houses.  A  program  in  recognition  of 
the  golden  agers  of  the  congregation 
was  held  in  the  Fairview  church  social 
room.  Several  blankets  were  sent  from 
our  congregation  to  aid  victims  of  the 
flood  disaster  in  Japan.  Our  1960  Call 
to  Discipleship  began  with  an  all-day 
prayer  vigil  at  both  church  houses. 
Fireside  meetings  of  prayer  and  Bible 
study  were  held  at  both  churches.  The 
CBYF  at  Bethel  sponsored  a  fellowship 
meal  honoring  their  parents.  The  film- 
strip,  As  One  Family,  was  shown  and 
discussion  followed.  Guest  speakers  have 
been  the  Earl  Ziglers,  missionaries  to 
India,  and  David  G.  Metzler  of  Bridge- 
water.  Pre-Easter  services  were  con- 
ducted by  Earl  Rowland  at  both 
houses.  The  Easter  cantata,  The 
Crucifixion,  was  given  on  Palm  Sunday 
at  the  Bethel  church  by  the  Timber- 
ville,  Linville  Creek,  and  Unity  con- 
gregations. David  Rodgers  was  the 
evangelist  for  the  meeting  at  Bethel. 
Nine  were  baptized,  two  were  received 
by  letter,  and  two  were  reconsecrated. 
A  class  for  the  new  church  members 
was  conducted  by  the  pastor  during 
May.  Mrs.  Dessie  Miller  spoke  at  the 
family  fellowship  at  Fairview.  Joseph 
Mason  of  Timberville  officiated  at  the 
love  feast  at  Bethel.  —  Mrs.  David 
Huffman,  Timberville,  Va. 

Valley  Pike,  Woodstock  —  Our  church 
took  part  in  the  Call  for  Christ  pro- 
gram.    By    a    vote    of    both    churches, 

31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS 

Name    


R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any  change   in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


Round  Hill  and  Valley  Pike,  our  pas- 
tor, Cecil  O.  Showalter,  will  continue 
his  services.  The  women's  and  men's 
fellowships  gave  an  offering  to  our  new 
sister  church,  Round  Hill,  at  their  dedi- 
cation on  April  10.  Our  pastor  held 
a  pre-E  aster  service.  The  treasurer's 
report  showed  that  the  church  is  giving 
to  the  district  and  Brotherhood.  Our 
church  took  an  offering  for  the  One 
Great  Hour  of  Sharing.  Our  vacation 
Bible  school  will  be  conducted  June 
20-26.  —  Mrs.  Glenna  Showalter,  Wood- 
stock, Va. 

Second  Virginia 

Summit  —  Carolyn  and  Ruth  Fif er 
attended  the  youth  seminar  in  Wash- 
ington and  New  York.  We  had  an  all- 
day  prayer  vigil  on  the  first  day  of 
Lent.  Our  pastor  and  some  of  the 
members  attended  the  spiritual  life  in- 
stitute at  Bridgewater.  We  are  spon- 
soring a  refugee  family  from  Holland. 
The  joint  board  held  an  evaluation 
workshop  two  evenings  with  Bro.  Sam 
Flora  leading.  The  Turner  Ashby  high 
school  glee  club  gave  a  sacred  concert 
in  our  church.  Our  pastor  taught  a 
membership  class  each  Sunday  morn- 
ing during  March.  Six  were  baptized. 
Love  feast  was  held  on  Maundy  Thurs- 
day. Four  babies  were  dedicated  on 
Mother's  Day  at  the  morning  service. 
Mrs.  Clarence  Bowman  was  speaker  at 
the  family  night  banquet.  Warren  D. 
Bowman  was  speaker  on  Christian  Col- 
lege Sunday.  Our  pastor  filled  the  pul- 
pit at  the  Bridgewater  church  and  Bro. 
Robert  Figgers  filled  our  pulpit  on 
pulpit  exchange  Sunday.  Delegate  to 
Annual  Conference  was  Roy  C. 
Wright.  —  Mrs.  Roy  E.  Evers,  Bridge- 
water,  Va. 

First  West  Virginia 

Bean  Settlement  —  An  Easter  film, 
Gates  to  Glory,  was  shown  at  the 
church  on  April  16.  Norman  Harsh, 
district  fieldman,  was  guest  speaker  on 
April  24.  The  World  Day  of  Prayer 
service  was  held  at  our  church.  Our 
church  was  represented  at  the  music 
workshop  under  the  direction  of  P.  L. 
Huffaker.  The  CBYF  has  placed  Vene- 
tian blinds  in  the  church  and  bought 

52 


paint  for  the  interior.  The  women's 
group  have  been  quilting  for  people 
this  winter.  Our  pastor,  Herman  Free- 
land,  has  consented  to  preach  at  the 
Walnut  Grove  and  Evergreen  churches 
twice  a  month  for  a  year.  —  Mrs.  Evelyn 
Bean,  Rock  Oak,  W.  Va. 

Sandy  Creek  — A  teacher  training 
school  was  held  at  Shady  Grove. 
Hazelton  church  held  its  loyalty  dinner 
on  Mother's  Day  to  start  an  every- 
member    canvas.     Shady    Grove    had 


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farm  in  S.  E.  Kansas:  50%  each 
pasture  and  farm.  Well  fenced  and 
watered.  Two  miles  to  rural  Church 
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pre-Easter  services  closing  with  com- 
munion. The  pastor,  Earl  Dietz,  was  the 
evangelist.  Perry  Huffaker  held  a  mu- 
sic workshop  in  the  congregation.  The 
Easter  film,  I  Beheld  His  Glory,  was 
shown  in  Shady  Grove  church.  Easter 
sunrise  services  were  held  in  Canaan 
church  and  in  May  a  fellowship  supper 
in  African  style.  —  Mae  Darby,  Bruceton 
Mills,  W.  Va. 


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GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


CAutcn,  erf  ob<£M&Zwieas 

Gospel 


MESSENGER 


JULY  23.  1960 


\Iadame  Delegate 


(Ida  Studebaker  in  this  instance)  discovers  that  Annual 
Conference  brings  together  personalities  and  responsibil- 
ities. There  are  Conference  officers,  first  of  all,  and  there  are  85  other  Standing 
Committee  members,  another  1,031  local  delegates,  and  then  a  few  thousand 
others  who  come  to  share  in  the  business,  study,  worship,  and  fellowship  periods. 
The  responsibilities  are  varied  too.  Standing  Committee  has  special  assignments 
(page  4),  there  are  many  items  on  the  business  agenda  (page  8),  there  is  a  place 
for  worship  and  praise  (page  12),  and  delegates  take  a  new  look  at  the  total 
Brotherhood  program  (page  18).  The  climax  of  the  Conference  is  a  period  of 
dedication  (page  20)  in  which  everyone  shares  —  those  who  are  sent  out,  those 
who  administer  and  direct,  those  who  loyally  support.  Each  personality  has  a 
responsibility  —  "My  Calling  to  Fulfill." 


Gospel  Messenger 
(Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


READERS   WRITE 


to   the   edito\\ 


KENNETH  MORSE 
ELIZABETH  WEIGLE 


■     -     -     -     -     Editor 
Editorial  Assistant 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  an 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
ID.,  at  $3.50  per  annum  in  advance.  Life 
subscription,  $50,  husband  and  wife,  $60. 
Second  class  postage  paid  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  spe- 
cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JULY  23,  1960 
Volume  109  Number  30 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

Madame   Delegate    1 

Your  Opportunity  to  Get  in  the  Game     3 

The  General  Forum — 

Ida    Studebaker  —  Madame    Delegate     4 

The  Business  of  the  Church   8 

A  Symbol,  Not  a  Souvenir 11 

Annual  Conference  Offers  Inspiration 

and   Direction    14 

Annual      Conference      and      Its      Tri- 

Featured    Importance    15 

A  Look  at  Our  Brotherhood  Witness  18 
A     Service     of     Dedication  —  picture 

story    20 

Reject   Nuclear  Arms    22 

Children's  Workers  Consider  Building 

and  Equipment  —  picture  story  ...  24 
Brethren  Meet  Early  and  Late 26 

•        •        • 

Concerning  the  Conference 
Messages 

All  the  evening  addresses,  with  the 
exception   of   that   on    Saturday    night, 
and  those  on  Sunday  have  appeared  in 
the  Gospel  Messenger  as  follows: 
Called    to    Break    Bread    Together,    by 

Edward  K.  Ziegler June  18 

Called  to  Minister,  by  Morley  J.  Mays 

June  25 

Called  to  Be  Saints,  by  Frank  S.  Carper 

June  25 

The  War  Between  the  Gods,   by   De- 
Witt  L.  Miller July  2 

Called   According   to   His   Purpose,   by 

Earl  M.  Zigler July  2 

In  issues  subsequent  to  this  will  ap- 
pear the  addresses  and  talks  given  at 
the  special  sessions  of  Annual  Confer- 
ence. The  Bible  Hour  talks  by  Chalmer 
E.  Faw  will  begin  with  the  issue  of 
August  20  and  continue  for  eleven 
weeks. 
2 


Up-to-date  Death 

An  "enlightened"  Pentagon  is  em- 
barking on  a  gigantic  re-education 
program  for  United  States  citizens. 
It  is  called  "Operation  Blue  Skies," 
because  it  produces  no  telltale 
radioactive  cloud.  Stockpiles  of 
disease-spreading  insects  and  deadly 
chemicals  have  been  collected.  If  the 
public  has  been  aware  of  this  they 
have  ignored  it. 

Military  leaders,  long  silent  about 
the  weapons  they  have  ready  for 
use,  are  now  beginning  to  "inform" 
the  American  people.  Officials  are 
attempting  to  compare  the  already 
tried  atomic  weapons  with  the 
weapons  we  haven't  yet  experienced 
in  our  generation.  The  public,  who 
know  these  weapons  are  in  produc- 
tion, have  no  grounds  for  complain- 
ing. Through  silence  they  share  in 
the  crime. 

Considered  as  experts,  these  offi- 
cials sound  rather  convincing.  Major 
General  Marshal  Stubbs,  chief  of  the 
Army  Chemical  Corps,  said,  "When 
the  light  is  turned  on,  the  goblins 
disappear.  If  we  are  going  to  sur- 
vive as  a  nation,  we  must  turn  the 
light  on  chemical  and  biological 
warfare."  This  statement  becomes 
a  bit  alarming  when  placed  along 
with  a  statement  by  Jack  Raymond 
in  the  New  York  Times:  "What  the 
public  must  know,  according  to 
highest  Defense  Department  author- 
ities, is  that  many  forms  of  chemical 
and  allied  warfare  are  more  "hu- 
mane' than  existing  weapons  .  .  . 
(they)  would  make  it  possible  to 
paralyze  temporarily  entire  popula- 
tion centers  without  damage  to 
homes  and  other  structures."  Is  a 
nation  made  up  of  buildings  or 
people?  This  question  demands  an 
answer! 

Yesterday's  abomination  is  re- 
garded as  tomorrow's  national  savior. 
The  military  department  of  the 
"land  of  the  free,  and  the  home  of 
the  brave"  is  once  more  attempting 
to  conceal  the  fact  of  death  behind 
a  cloud  of  sweet  words.  The  "de- 
fenders of  our  liberty"  seem  to  think 
they've  found  a  weapon  which  peo- 
ple cannot  argue  with,  yet  we  may 
be  the  ones  to  feel  the  results  of 
these  "new"  weapons,  especially  if 
we  survive  to  live  with  our  guilt. 

The  greatest  stockpiles  of  chemi- 
cal weapons  in  the  United  States  are 
those  of  the  nitrogen  mustards,  and 


the  nerve  gases.  The  former  is  a 
improved  version  of  the  terrible  kill 
er  outlawed  before  and  after  Worl 
War  I.  Walter  Schneir  said  in  R« 
porter  magazine,  "Nerve  gas  can  b 
absorbed  very  quickly  through  th 
skin;  a  small  drop  on  a  man's  han 
will  halt  his  respiration  in  a  fe1 
minutes  unless  an  antidote  is  speec 
ily  injected."  At  least  800  industri; 
casualties  occurred  at  Rocky  Moui 
tain  arsenal  near  Denver,  some  ( 
which  were  fatal,  while  this  gas  we 
manufactured  there.  Public  prote: 
caused  the  plant  to  be  moved  t 
Indiana. 

Nonlethal  weapons  on  hand  ii 
elude  tear  gas  and  vomit  gas.  Neithc 
is  effective  enough  on  a  large  seal 
to  usher  in  a  new  era  in  warfan 
"Madness  gas"  or  psychochemica 
are  the  far-from-perfected  ideal  b< 
hind  which  the  Pentagon  is  pushin 
its  campaign  of  respectability  fc 
chemical  and  biological  warfan 
Army  public  relations  personnel  er 
joy  seeing  people  chuckle  over  th 
effects  of  this  nonexistent  weapoi 
Presumably,  it  could  cause  people  t 
leap  and  dance  when  they  shoul 
be  manning  their  battle  stations. 

This  mythical  smoke  screen  is  th 
cover  up  for  the  other  more  ghastl 
weapons  being  produced.  For  ii 
stance,  the  vapor  of  nerve  gas  whic 
has  been  experimented  with  is  ver 
difficult  to  detect,  and  almost  in- 
possible  to  combat  once  detectec 
Its  purpose  is  to  kill  entire  populE 
tions  in  given  locations.  This  is  nc 
the  best  that  can  be  done.  Sai 
Brig.  General  J.  H.  Rothschild,  foi 
mer  commanding  general  of  th 
Chemical  Corps  Research  and  D< 
velopment  Command,  "A  sing] 
ounce  of  the  toxic  agent  whic 
causes  'Q  fever'  would  be  sufficier 
to  infect  twenty-eight  billion  people 

Other  diseases  are  also  availabl 
for  delivery  anywhere  in  the  worl 
and  can  be  spread  by  agents,  plane* 
missiles,  insects,  bombs,  etc.  Eve 
plant  and  animal  diseases  can  b 
used  to  destroy  food  supplies.  "Th 
attack  on  the  food  supply,"  sai 
Brig.  General  J.  H.  Rothschild,  ": 
perhaps  the  most  humane  —  the  ei 
emy  could  capitulate  at  the  staro 
tion  point." 

How  rationally  do  starving  peop] 
think?   Or  what  can  be  expected  ( 
people  panicked  by  nerve  gas  an 
epidemics  of  plague  and  cholera? 
Continued  on  page  28 

GOSPEL  MESSENGE 


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JYour  Opportunity  to  Get  in  the  Game 


EDITORIALS 


m 


IF  YOU  live  anywhere  in  the  state  of  Illinois, 
you  become  aware  each  year  in  March  that 
every  town  has  its  high  school  basketball 
>rl|team  and  each  team  wants  to  go  as  far  as  it  can 
toward  a  state  championship.    This  state- wide 
frenzy  reaches  its  climax  when  the  "elite  eight," 
a|the  winners  in  regional  contests,  converge  on 
Huff  gymnasium  in  Champaign  for  the  state 
finals.  As  many  yelling  students  as  the  gym  can 
ahold  are  packed  in  for  the  final  play-offs.    The 
rest  of  the  state  looks  in  by  way  of  television. 
There  was  another  crowd  of  players  and 
visitors  at  Huff  gymnasium  during  the  week  of 
IJune  12-19.  They  came  there  not  only  from  Illi- 

fois  but  from  most  other  states,  from  Canada, 
uerto  Rico,  from  Europe,  Africa,  and  Asia, 
hey  were  the  official  delegates  (the  principal 
m players)  and  the  visitors  and  friends  who  at- 
tended the  174th  recorded  Annual  Conference 
bibf  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  held  on  the  Uni- 
"1  versity  of  Illinois  campus. 

In  June  it  appeared  that  Huff  gymnasium 
Jwould  be  somewhat  quieter  (though  not  quiet 
I (enough  for  the  best  experiences  of  worship) 
?ttthan  a  basketball  tournament.  As  we  watched 
e[  :he  playing  floor  fill  up,  first  with  Standing 
Committee  members  (like  a  first-string  team 
§  coming  in  for  the  warm-up ) ,  then  with  local 
d  church  delegates  ( when  you  have  over  a  thou- 
i  ;and  players,  not  everyone  is  within  range  of 
che  basket)  we  marveled  that  the  game  could 

et  under  way  so  smoothly. 

We  tried  to  identify  the  star  players.   There 

ere  a  few  eager  delegates  who  grabbed  the 
li  )all  (or  was  it  the  microphone?)  and  started  to 
i  kibble  down  the  floor  toward  a  wild  try  at  the 
I  >asket.  They  frequently  missed.  A  number  of 
D  he  delegates  seldom  got  in  the  fray  except  in 
ing  he  act  of  voting,  but  you  could  sense  that  they 
ti'  till  felt  that  they  were  on  the  team.  At  least 
c'e  wo  women  delegates  had  the  ball  in  their  hands 
;,  or  a  time;  and  in  one  of  the  principal  events 
V0I  he  lay  delegates  completely  ran  away  with  the 
am  ;ame,  using  some  spectacular  plays  that  left  the 
Evi  ninisterial  delegates  defenseless  —  but  happy. 
i.  In  spite  of  the  number  of  players  to  keep  in 
g  ine,  the  referees  (moderator,  alternate,  reader, 
j  md  other  Conference  officers )  managed  to 
ei  riaintain  order,  call  time  on  the  speakers,  dis- 
w  »ose  of  business,  and  even  keep  track  of  dele- 

;ates  who  mislaid  their  programs  and  spectators 
ieJ  pho  kept  getting  phone  calls. 
si       No    basketball    tournament    could    survive 
;r  pthout    the    assistance    of    cheerleaders    and 

narching  bands.   When  the  Brethren  took  over 

*  |uLY  23,  I960 


Huff  gymnasium  they  had  no  need  of  a  uni- 
formed band,  but  they  did  benefit  by  the  serv- 
ices of  a  Conference  choir,  a  robed  college  choir, 
a  children's  choir,  an  organist,  a  pianist,  a  choral 
and  song  director.  There  was  a  kind  of  pageantry 
in  the  assembling  of  several  thousand  Christians 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  worshiping  God  and  con- 
ducting the  business  of  his  church.  Exhorted  by 
messengers  of  the  Word,  led  in  spirited  singing 
of  hymns,  moved  by  the  visible  expression  of 
being  all  together  in  one  place,  the  Conference 
needed  no  other  cheerleaders  to  bring  it  to  high 
state  of  participation  in  praise. 

When  the  state  basketball  contest  is  over,  the 
spotlights  in  Huff  gymnasium  turn  on  the  win- 
ning players  who  receive  their  shining  cups  as 
a  symbol  of  their  victory.  At  a  Brethren  Con- 
ference the  climax  comes  when  a  moderator 
passes  on  his  gavel  (a  symbol  of  responsibility, 
not  of  victory)  and  when  those  who  have  been 
commissioned  by  Christ  and  the  church  are 
consecrated  by  the  laying  on  of  hands.  They 
are  not  yet  winners,  they  are  rather  beginners. 
Our  symbolism  involves  an  act  of  dedication 
in  which  every  delegate,  every  referee,  every 
coach,  every  cheerleader,  every  spectator,  and 
every  visitor  can  share.  We  all  have  "a  calling 
to  fulfill." 

There  were  no  television  cameras  at  Huff 
gymnasium  in  June  to  cover  our  Annual  Confer- 
ence. But  there  were  photographers  and  tape 
recorders  and  reporters  to  watch  and  listen  from 
the  press  box  in  the  balcony,  and  to  interview 
delegates.  The  Gospel  Messenger  in  this  issue 
offers  our  readers  an  opportunity  to  get  in  the 
game  by  observing  what  went  on  at  Champaign. 
Just  remember  that  the  players  there  are  back 
home  now.  They  should  help  us  all  to  "press 
on  toward  the  goal  for  the  prize  of  the  upward 
call  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  —  k.m. 


Thy  call,  O  Lord  and  Master  of  all  men  — 
Insistent,   clear,  we  hear  it  once  again: 
"Come,  follow  me,  thy  cross  take  up  and  bear, 
Till  dawns  my  kingdoms  day  serene  and  fair. 
Forsake  the  world;  rise  up  and  follow  me." 

Take  thou  our  hands,  O  Christ  our  Living  Lord. 
Speak    through    our    lips    thy    gospel's    saving    word. 
Walk  through  our  land;  our  feet  we  offer  thee, 
Till  each  adoring  soul  shall  bow  the  knee 
To  thee,  O  Lord  of  Lords,  O  King  of  Kings. 

From  the  hymn,  My  Calling  to  Fulfill,  by  Edward  K. 
Ziegler.    Copyright   1960  by  The   Brethren   Press 


adame  Delegate 


k 


IT  IS  both  a  privilege  and  a 
responsibility  to  serve  as  a 
member  of  Standing  Com- 
mittee," commented  Ida  Stude- 
baker,  Southern  California  and 
Arizona's  delegate  for  the  sec- 
ond time  to  Standing  Commit- 
tee. 

With  eighty-five  other  repre- 
sentatives of  the  districts  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  she  had 
been  in  sessions  —  morning,  aft- 
ernoon, and  evening  —  for  three 
days  preceding  the  official 
opening  of  Annual  Conference. 

pil  m 

:"9M  I 


Alternate  Moderator  Charles  Zunkel 
and  Standing  Committee  Delegate 
Ida  Studebaker  pause  on  steps  of  Illi- 
ni   Union  building   after  a  meeting 


These  men  and  women  had 
been  holding  consultations  on 
the  state  of  the  church  hearing 
reports,  and  processing  the 
items  to  come  before  the  busi- 
ness sessions  later  in  the  week, 
suggesting  answers  to  queries. 

About  one  half  of  the  Stand- 
ing Committee,  according  to 
Mrs.  Studebaker's  observation, 
were  serving  for  the  first  time, 
but  she  felt  that  "the  'old 
timers'  did  not  unduly  influence 
the  decisions."  However,  the 
inexperience  of  the  newcomers 
made  them  hesitant  to  partici- 
pate as  fully  as  they  would 
otherwise. 

This  is  an  argument  for  a  two. 
year  term  for  Standing  Commit- 
tee delegates,  Mrs.  Studebaker 
believes.  "It  would  facilitate 
business  if  the  majority  were 
familiar  with  the  background  of 
last  year's  discussion."  But  she 
does  not  believe  that  long,  con- 
tinued service  would  be  good. 
"Sharing  responsibility  and  par- 
ticipation with  as  great  a  num- 
ber as  possible  will  be  an  asset 
to  the  church,  because  of  in- 
creased understanding  of  the 
work  of  the  church." 


Though  the  women  delegates 
did  not  enter  into  discussion  as 
fully  as  the  men,  "they  con- 
tributed far  greater  than  their 
proportion  in  service  on  com- 
mittees." 

Mrs.  Studebaker  was  im- 
pressed by  the  unity  evident  in 
the  committee's  dealing  with 
business.  The  fact  that  wide 
geographical  areas  and  diverse! 
cultural  patterns  were  repre- 
sented seemed  to  have  no  effect  | 
on  the  way  each  dealt  with  the 
work  before  them.  In  fact, 
the  delegate  emphasized  the 
open  mind  with  which  Stand- 
ing Committee  members  ap- 
proached problems.  "There 
was  an  eagerness  to  find  the 
best  solution,  relying  on  the 
help  of  the  Spirit." 

This  attitude  was  well  illus- 
trated in  dealing  with  a  paper 
brought  by  a  group  of  Brethren 
concerned  by  what  they  believe 
is  a  trend  away  from  the  church 
of  our  fathers.  Though  most  of 
Standing  Committee  did  not 
agree  with  the  major  premise," 
they  did  not  argue  or  condemn. 
All  were  deeply  concerned  to 
preserve  the  unity  of  the  church 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


car 


and  "in  a  spirit  of  love  and 
^understanding  the  Standing 
i  Committee  agreed  to  study"  the 

expressed  concerns  of  the  group 
I  and  if  the  church  is  in  error  to 
[acknowledge  the  error  and 
:j remedy  it. 

Standing     Committee     pre- 
pares  a   ballot   for  the   offices 
| filled   by   Annual    Conference. 
I  Mrs.  Studebaker  was  a  mem- 
ber of  this  committee  this  year. 
(Departing  from  the  custom  of 
ijpast  years  by  which  the  com- 
jmittee  was  elected  after  Stand- 
ing Committee  was  in  session, 
|  the  officers  of  Conference  some 
i  weeks    before   had    asked   the 
district    representatives     in    a 
'region    to    elect    one    of   their 
number    for    the     nominating 
[committee.      This     committee 
jhad  opportunity  to  consult  re- 
jgional    leaders    about    persons 
capable   of   leadership   on   the 
(Brotherhood  level  and  to  hold 
limeetings  before  the  session  be- 
gan.  T.  F.  Henry,  Paul  Kinsel, 
Charles   Nettleton,   and   Ralph 
White,    in    addition    to    Mrs. 
Studebaker,  prepared  the  ballot 
;  that  ultimately  came  to  Con- 
ference. 

What  item  of  business  pro- 
•  voked  the  most  discussion? 
JMrs.  Studebaker  thought  it  was 
tithe  financial  goal.  Opinion  was 
Hdivided:  "Should  we  set  the 
(goal  higher  than  we  know  we 
Bean  reach  in  order  to  raise  our 
[sights  or  set  one  that  we  know 
!|we  can  reach  and  thus  have 
Ifthe  satisfaction  of  accomplish- 
ment?" 


Delegate  Studebaker  joins  other 
members  of  Standing  Committee  and 
General  Brotherhood  Board  and  staff 
in  Sunday  morning  worship  (first 
column) 

After  a  session  of  Standing 
Committee  Ida  joins  Mrs.  Paul 
Halladay  for  the  walk  to  the 
cafeteria  for  lunch  (below) 

Ida  talks  over  an  item  of  business 
with  a  fellow  member  of  the 
Standing  Committee,  Nevin  H.  Zuck 


"As  many  persons  as  possible 
should  have  the  experience  of 
serving  on  Standing  Committee. 
It  dispels  misconceptions  of  the 
workings  of  Standing  Commit- 
tee, gives  one  a  new  perspective 
on  and  new  insights  into  the 
problems  of  the  church,  a  great- 
er appreciation  for  the  work 
being  done  by  the  Board,  com- 


mittees and  staff,  and  an  op- 
portunity to  know  the  leaders 
of  the  church."  Thus  Mrs. 
Studebaker  summed  up  the 
values  of  being  a  member  of 
Standing  Committee. 

In  order  to  get  the  greatest 
good  from  this  experience  it  is 
well  to  come  well  prepared. 
And  the  best  preparation,  ac- 
cording to  Delegate  Studebak- 
er, "is  a  consistent  reading  of 
our  church  literature.  With 
this  background  one  can  grasp 
more  readily  the  business."  A 
delegate  can  become  familiar 
with  the  business,  which  is 
printed  in  the  Gospel  Messen- 
ger before  Conference.  Guid- 
ance can  be  sought  on  this 
business  so  that  the  delegate 
can  have  some  idea  of  how 
members  of  the  district  feel, 
without  in  any  way  limiting  his 
freedom  to  vote  as  he  feels 
called. 

Mrs.  Studebaker  is  active  in 
the  Pomona  church,  serving  as 
chairman  of  the  board  and 
teacher  of  the  adult  class.  Such 
service  helps  a  delegate  to  bring 
a  degree  of  churchmanship  to 
his  duties  as  a  Standing  Com- 
mittee delegate. 

As  Mrs.  Studebaker  returns 
to  her  counseling  and  teaching 
duties  at  Mt.  San  Antonio  Col- 
lege near  Pomona,  she  will  be 
reporting  to  her  district  and 
interpreting  the  actions  taken 
by  Annual  Conference.  She 
says,  "My  responsibility  really 
begins  when  Conference  ends." 


Though  sessions  of  Standing 

Committee  are  tiring  they  are  not 

boring.    New  concepts  of  the 

church,  a  broader  vision  of  the  work 

of  the   Church   of   the   Brethren,   a 

sense  of  an  underlying  unity  in  spite 

of    outward    differences    in    culture 

and  geography  are  gains  from  the 

several   days  together 


Ida  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Standing  Committee  nominating 
committee  which  prepared  a  ballot 
for  those  offices  that  Conference  fills 
by  election.  Here  she  is  typing  the 
ballot  in  preparation  for 
mimeographing.  A  number  of 
meetings  were  necessary  before  the 
ballot  could  be  presented  to  Standing 
Committee,  which  has  the  privilege 
of  nominating  from  the  floor 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


JBut  serving  as  a  Standing  Committee  member  is  not  all 
(work.  Ida  discovered  that  she  had  opportunities  for 
meeting  old  friends  from  many  areas.   Above  left  she 
Igreets  Dan  West,  who  recently  returned  from  a 
flworld  trip 


®#S 


Conference  over,  Ida  is  back  at  her 
desk  at  Mt.  San  Antonio  College, 
near  Pomona.    Above,  she  teaches  a 
class  of  student  nurses   and  at  left 
counsels  with  one  of  the  several 
thousand  students 


1135  delegates  spend  1JM  hours  handling 
52  agenda  items  as  a  means  of  conducting 


The  Business  of  the  Church 


ONE  way  to  describe  an  Annual 
Conference  business  session 
is  to  picture  more  than  a 
thousand  delegates  from  local 
churches  confronted  with  an  agenda 
containing  approximately  fifty  sep- 
arate items. 

For  the  task  before  them  they 
have  periods  totaling  eighteen  hours 
provided  on  the  Conference  pro- 
gram. For  the  business  at  Cham- 
paign, even  eighteen  hours  were  not 
sufficient  and  an  extra  hour  and  a 
half  on  Saturday  night  was  required. 

The  delegate  body  at  Champaign 
was  confronted  with  an  unusual 
number  of  items  of  unfinished  busi- 
ness, including  several  committee  re- 
ports that  had  been  in  the  process 
of  development  for  two  or  three 
years.  Their  discussion  and  treat- 
ment of  some  of  the  major  items 
are  reviewed  elsewhere  in  these 
pages. 

Unified  Budget 

Recent  conferences  have  been 
asked  to  give  guidance  to  churches 
in  relation  to  the  use  of  unified 
budgets,  both  in  local  churches  and 
in  district  and  Brotherhood  organi- 
zation. A  committee  appointed  two 
years  ago  brought  to  the  Champaign 
Conference  a  report  commenting  on 
the  relation  of  capital  fund  pro- 
grams to  the  unified  budget.  The 
report  was  quite  specific  in  suggest- 
ing how  the  local  church,  the  dis- 
trict, and  the  Brotherhood  could 
maintain  the  principles  of  the  uni- 
fied budget  and  still  provide  for 
raising  necessary  capital  funds. 

Joseph  Kettering,  chairman  of  the 
committee,  said  that  the  unified 
budget  is  not  a  substitute  for  stew- 
ardship but  an  excellent  way  by 
which  the  church  can  handle  its 
funds.  In  answer  to  questions  re- 
garding what  the  unified  budget 
would  do  to  designated  giving,  the 
chairman  said  the  existing  policy  of 
honoring  all  designated  gifts  would 
continue  in  the  future.  A  unified 
budget  would  not  end  designated 
giving,  but  it  would  serve  to  dis- 
courage    giving     to     projects     and 


would  encourage  giving  to  the  total 
Brotherhood  program.  Mr.  Ketter- 
ing said  that  whether  a  congregation 
uses  a  unified  budget  is  its  own 
decision. 

After  the  report  was  amended  to 
make  more  explicit  the  importance 
of  including  in  the  budget  contribu- 
tions to  local  and  state  councils  of 
churches,  the  report  was  adopted. 
One  interesting  feature  of  the  report 
is  a  suggestion  that  churches  decide 
in  advance  of  Annual  Conference 
what  they  consider  to  be  a  worthy 
amount  to  be  contributed  during  the 
following  year  for  the  Brotherhood 
Fund  program.  These  self-alloca- 
tions would  be  reported  to  the 
district  Brotherhood  Fund  repre- 
sentative, who  in  turn  would  report 
them  to  the  Brotherhood's  Depart- 
men  of  Interpretation. 

If  this  plan  is  followed  through, 
it  would  enable  the  Board  to  have 
a  definite  guide  in  determining  its 
budget  for  the  coming  year.    In  this 


way,  the  declarations  of  the  churches 
would  help  determine  the  degree  or 
portion  of  the  General  Brotherhood 
program  which  could  be  accom- 
plished in  any  given  year. 

Church  Membership  Materials 

Another  recurring  concern  which 
has  been  repeatedly  before  Confer- 
ence is  the  interest  in  developing 
materials  for  training  for  church 
membership.  The  General  Brother 
hood  Board  brought  to  this  confer- 
ence in  response  to  a  query  a  report 
encouraging  churches  to  establish 
membership  training  classes  and  to 
make  effective  use  of  present  exist- 
ing materials.  The  Board  also  indi- 
cated its  intention  of  providing 
additional  materials  for  congrega- 
tional use  including  a  loose-leaf 
manual  for  the  pastor,  a  study  guide 
for  young  people,  and  a  study  piece 
for  adults.  Some  felt  that  the  report 
did  not  answer  the  request  for  a 
uniform  study  guide  and  that  this 


W) 

ik 
lectf 
list 


Business  sessions  wear  me  out!   Ill  take  a  nap  until  a  new  item  comes  up 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


should  have  had  priority.    The  re- 
port was  adopted. 

Bible  Training  School 

Last  year  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary 
brought  to  the  Conference  a  concern 
regarding  the  future  of  the  Bible 
Training  School.  Standards  of  ac- 
creditation of  the  American  Associa- 
tion of  Theological  Schools  raise 
many  questions  about  graduate 
schools  that  are  organically  con- 
nected with  undergraduate  schools. 
Last  year's  Conference  appointed  a 
i  committee  to  make  a  study  and  to 
ibring  a  report  to  the  1960 
Conference. 

The  formal  report  gave  quite  a 
bit  of  information  concerning  the 
services  the  training  school  has  giv- 
en in  past  years  and  suggested  three 
possible  alternatives  the  church  may 
consider.  One  is  to  continue  the 
training  school  at  Bethany,  which 
would  require  a  separate  administra- 
tion and  faculty  for  the  training 
school.  Another  alternative  would 
be  to  establish  a  separate  institution 
for  under-graduate  training  in 
church  leadership.  A  third  would 
be  to  develop  the  equivalent  of  the 
training  school  at  one  of  the  colleges. 
The  committee  suggested  that  the 
Committee  on  Higher  Education  ex- 
plore the  possibility  of  developing 
the  department  of  religion  in  one 
or  more  Brethren  colleges  in  such 
a  way  as  to  care  for  the  church's 
need  for  Bible  training  at  the  under- 
graduate level.  The  results  of  this 
investigation  will  likely  be  consid- 
ered at  a  later  Annual  Conference. 

In  discussion  of  this  issue  concern 
was  expressed  regarding  educational 
opportunities  for  ministers'  wives. 

GBB  Report 

The  reports  presented  annually  to 
delegates  at  Conference  provide  an 
opportunity  for  the  church  to  review 
the  responsibilities  being  carried  by 
Brethren  agencies  and  by  other 
groups  to  which  the  church  is 
related. 

In  connection  with  the  report  of 

the     General     Brotherhood     Board, 

(Norman  J.  Baugher  called  attention 

to  some  of  the  specific  facts  men- 

Jtioned  in  the  printed  report.    Then 

brief  speeches  were  made  by  vari- 

jous  persons  regarding  some  special 

1  items  of  interest  related  to  the  Board 

jwork.    Raymond  R.  Peters  called  at- 

(tention  to  changes  in  personnel  in 

the  staff.    Robert  Greiner  discussed 

the     financial     operations     of     the 

Board.    Morley  Mays  gave  a  report 

JULY  23,  I960 


; 


The  Pastors'  Association  elects  officers  at  the  pastors'  conference  which 
precedes  the  official  opening  of  Annual  Conference.  Above,  right  to  left: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herbert  Fisher,  newly  elected;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herbert  Miller; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  Joseph  Kiracofe;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leland  Nelson,  outgoing 


on  plans  for  the  forthcoming  study 
conference  on  the  nature  of  the 
church.  Ora  Huston  described  the 
new  peace  emphasis.  Galen  Ogden 
pointed  out  new  directions  in 
church  extension.  Norman  Baugher 
discussed  the  Board's  policy  with  re- 
gard to  future  work  in  Puerto  Rico. 
George  Detweiler  reported  on  a  re- 
cent trip  to  Ecuador.  Calvert  Ellis 
discussed  the  work  of  the  Goals  and 
Program  Committee. 

An  opportunity  was  given  for  del- 
egates to  participate  in  a  discussion 
of  the  new  Brotherhoodwide  em- 
phasis upon  leadership  develop- 
ment. A  panel  of  leadership 
consultants  was  on  hand  to  answer 
questions  raised  by  members  of  the 
delegate  body.  The  emphasis  is  to 
be  carried  forward  energetically  for 
a  two-year  period. 

Bethany  Reveals  New  Plans 

In  connection  with  the  report  of 
Bethany  Biblical  Seminary,  Presi- 
dent Paul  M.  Robinson  reviewed 
plans  for  the  financing  of  the  new 
campus,  plans  which  have  been 
worked  out  in  co-operation  with  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board.  The 
feature  of  his  report,  however,  was 
the  first  showing  of  a  new  brochure 
which  pictured  many  of  the  build- 
ings to  be  built  on  the  new  campus. 
Color  drawings  of  the  new  seminary 
buildings  were  on  display  alsi  m  the 
exhibit  room. 

National  Council  of  Churches 

The  report  of  representatives  to 
the  National  Council  of  Churches 
aroused  special  interest  at  Annual 
Conference  this  year.  The  Gospel 
Messenger  has  already  published  the 
statement  in  which  the  representa- 
tives state  their  convictions  that  the 


charges  in  the  Air  Force  Reserve 
Training  Manual  regarding  commu- 
nism in  the  churches  and  in  the 
National  Council  of  Churches  are 
"almost  totally  unwarranted." 

At  the  request  of  Standing  Com- 
mittee, Norman  J.  Baugher  com- 
mented further  concerning  this 
particular  issue  which  has  received 
wide  publicity.  He  said  that  since 
the  writing  of  the  report,  many  com- 
munions have  indicated  their  sup- 
port of  the  National  Council. 

According  to  Brother  Baugher, 
there  are  two  fundamental  issues  in- 
volved. One  is  the  invasion  of  the 
state  into  the  affairs  of  religion  and 
the  church.  Many  feel  it  is  time 
to  halt  the  invasion  of  the  military 
into  all  areas  of  life.  The  second 
issue  is  raised  by  the  allegations  of 
the  Air  Force  Manual.  The  general 
secretary  suggested  that  the  evi- 
dence for  these  charges  is  out 
of  context  both  historically  and 
textually.  He  recommended  that 
delegates  read  the  April  19  Con- 
gressional Record  of  the  discussion 
in  the  House  of  Representatives  con- 
cerning this  issue.  He  suggested 
that  Brethren  need  to  evaluate  care- 
fully such  unfounded  allegations 
about  church  leaders.  He  said,  "It 
is  possible  that  somewhere  in  the 
Protestant  churches  there  would  be 
a  Communist.  But  to  imply  that, 
therefore,  the  church  is  permeated 
with  communism  certainly  cannot 
be  substantiated." 

The  speaker  suggested  that  per- 
sons have  every  right  to  be  critical 
of  the  National  Council  of  Churches. 
However,  some  critics  look  for  mate- 
rial out  of  context.  They  often  send 
such  material  to  the  House  un- 
American  Activities  Committee, 

Continued  on  page  23 


New  Standards  for  Pastors'   Salaries 

The  Questions 

Is  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  ready  and  willing 
to  set  realistic  standards  for  determining  its  pastors' 
salaries?  Should  Conference  recommend  minimum 
figures  and  provide  for  regular  increases? 

Background 

From  Eastern  Pennsylvania  came  a  query  to  the 
1959  Conference  asking  that  a  committee  of  laymen 
set  up  recommended  standards  and  bases  for  setting 
pastoral  salaries.  Conference  appointed  such  a  com- 
mittee, headed  by  Clifford  Huffman.  On  the  basis  of 
information  received  from  the  ministers,  laymen,  and 
members  of  the  Ministry  and  Home  Mission  Com- 
mission, the  committee  brought  to  Champaign  specific 
recommendations  for  higher  minimum  salaries,  sugges- 
tions for  caring  for  travel  expenses,  pension  and  insur- 
ance benefits,   and  providing  an   adequate  parsonage. 

Discussion 

Most  of  the  speeches  on  this  question  came  from 
lay  delegates.  L.  L.  Jonas  reported  that  the  National 
Council  of  the  Men's  Fellowship  had  endorsed  the 
proposals.  A  public  school  administrator  from  Indiana 
emphasized  the  professional  standing  of  ministers  and 
their  need  for  more  adequate  salaries.  Ronald  Rowland 
of  Pennsylvania  observed  that  the  query  originated  with 
laymen,  the  committee  was  a  lay  committee,  and  most 
spokesmen  for  it  were  laymen.  He  proposed  that  rules 
be  suspended  so  that  ministers  would  not  vote  on  the 
issue,  thus  permitting  the  lay  delegates  to  carry  the 
proposal  through  to  completion. 

The  Action 

Unanimous  vote  by  lay  delegates  answered  the 
question. 

What  It  Means 

Local  churches  still  set  salaries,  but  the  sentiment 
of  Conference  is  obviously  in  favor  of  substantial  in- 
creases for  most  ministers  and  for  regular  increases. 
Smaller  churches  with  limited  resources  will  need  help 
and  guidance  in  meeting  minimum  requirements. 


Study   of  Annual   Conference 

The  Proposals 

1 .  Continue  to  hold  a  general  Conference  each  year. 

2.  Rotate  Conference  in  three  geographical  areas. 

3.  Appoint  a  Central  Committee  to  plan  and  direct 
Conferences. 

4.  Let  any  capable  elder,  minister,  or  layman  be 
eligible  to  serve  as  moderator. 

5.  Employ  a  part-time  Conference  manager. 

6.  Elect  Standing  Committee  members  for  terms 
of  two  years. 

7.  Carefully  select  and  prepare  local  church  dele- 
gates. 

Background 

In  1957  a  query  from  Middle  Pennsylvania  called 

10 


for  an  over-all  study  of  location,  arrangements,  pro-i 
gram,  and  management  of  Annual  Conference.  In! 
1958  two  other  queries  raised  related  questions.  A 
report  of  the  Conference  committee  on  this  issue  last 
year  was  recommitted  for  further  study  and  revision. 
At  that  time  the  idea  of  having  Conference  biennially 
was  strongly  opposed. 

Discussion 

In  the  1960  Conference  the  discussion  centered 
around  the  question  of  who  may  serve  as  moderator, 
The  committee  had  recommended  that  only  former 
moderators  or  those  who  had  already  served  as  alternate; 
or  assistant  moderator  be  eligible.  But  the  Conference 
amended  their  report  to  make  it  possible  for  any  com- 
petent member  to  be  considered  for  the  post  without 
regard  to  previous  experience  in  that  office. 

Action 

Thus  amended,  the  report  and  recommendations 
were  adopted  by  a  vote  that  was  practically  unanimous. 
In  another  action  the  Conference  elected  Harold  Bom- 
berger,  Frank  Carper,  and  Paul  Kinsel  to  the  new 
Conference  Central  Committee. 


Consideration   of  Funeral  Customs 

The  Request 

Can  guidance  be  given  to  members  and  pastors 
regarding  funeral  customs?  Do  burial  and  funeral 
practices  overlook  the  Christian  emphasis  on  eternal 
life?  What  has  the  church  to  say? 

Background 

The  original  query  came  from  Northeastern  Kansas; 
in  1958.  After  two  years  the  General  Brotherhood I 
Board  brought  an  answer  which  recommended:  fam- 
ilies should  call  the  pastor  immediately  in  case  of  death; 
services  and  customs  should  avoid  undue  attention  to 
the  body  and  should  not  deny  faith  in  eternal  life; 
public  viewing  of  the  body  should  be  discouraged;  a 
memorial  service  after  burial  is  often  to  be  preferred. 

Discussion 

An  amendment  to  delete  references  to  "viewing 
the  body"  was  defeated.  An  Ohio  pastor  said  many 
families  would  prefer  private  viewing  but  yield  to 
public  pressure.  A  pastor  from  Pennsylvania  who  was 
for  many  years  a  mortician's  assistant  was  concerned 
lest  younger  ministers  might  tend  to  regiment  families 
in  their  decisions. 

Action 

Delegates  voted  almost  unanimously  to  approve  the 
report. 

District  and  Regional  Realignment 

The  Problem 

Many  districts  are  too  small  to  be  efficient.  Some 
are  planning  to  merge.  There  is  interest  in  reviewing 
district  boundaries.  How  and  when  can  a  better  or- 
ganizational structure  be  achieved? 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


k 


k 


Three  queries  from  three  different  districts  raised 
the  same  question  in  1958.  After  two  years  the  com- 
mittee appointed  then  brought  a  report  based  on  con- 
sultations with  districts  throughout  the  Brotherhood. 
They  set  forth  thirteen  criteria  for  an  effective  district 
and  offered  a  plan  by  which  the  present  districts  could 
be  reduced  to  eighteen  at  home  and  three  overseas. 
They  suggested  that  districts  should  aim  to  implement 
the  plan  within  ten  years. 

Discussion 

A  pastor  from  Kansas  thought  that  more  attention 
should  be  given  to  theological  issues  and  how  they 
relate  to  efficiency.  A  pastor  from  Iowa  reported  on 
the  coming  merger  of  three  districts  in  that  state.  Two 
speakers  were  concerned  lest  individual  participation 
in  the  district  programs  would  decrease.  One  delegate 
thought  that  participation  would  increase.  Two  dele- 
gates felt  that  larger  districts  would  require  greater 
travel  and  might  create  new  problems. 

Disposition 

The  report  was  amended  to  ask  the  committee  to 
consult  with  districts  and  to  seek  ways  by  which  they 
can  achieve  the  intent  of  the  report. 

Baptismal   Requirements 
of  Ministers   and  Deacons 

Background 

Two  queries  at  last  year's  Conference  called  for 
clarification  of  policies  regarding  the  baptismal  require- 
ments of  ministers  and  deacons.  A  committee  appointed 
last  year  brought  specific  answers  to  this  year's  Confer- 
ence.   Among  them  were  the  following: 


Questions  and  Suggested  Answers 

1.  If  members  who  have  not  been  baptized  by  trine 
immersion  are  called  to  the  ministry,  what  should  be 
done?  The  committee  recommended  that  such  minis- 
ters should  be  baptized  so  that  they  can  effectively 
teach  the  ordinances  of  the  church. 

2.  Is  there  a  policy  for  receiving  ministers  from 
other  denominations  directly  as  ministers?  The  commit- 
tee recommended  that  they  follow  the  usual  licensing 
and  ordination  procedures.  A  proposed  amendment, 
which  would  have  recognized  ordination  in  other 
churches  as  valid  and  would  have  required  only  a  serv- 
ice of  reaffirmation,  was  rejected  by  the  delegates. 

3.  Must  a  member  be  baptized  by  trine  immersion 
before  he  can  serve  as  a  deacon?  The  committee 
recommended  that  each  congregation  be  permitted  to 
decide  this  local  church  matter  for  itself. 


Discussion 

Comments  were  directed  to  the  question  of  requir- 
ing the  usual  licensing  and  ordination  procedures  for 
ministers  coming  from  other  denominations.  Dale 
Brown,  a  member  of  the  committee,  said  that  the  Breth- 
ren view  of  ordination  is  primarily  functional,  but  that 
"we  do  recognize  the  validity  of  other  ordinations." 
DeWitt  Miller  said  that  Brethren  at  their  best  are 
interested  in  what  the  Holy  Spirit  does  in  ordination. 
"We  want  it  to  be  more  than  functional." 

Disposition 

The  recommendations  were  adopted  as  originally 
proposed. 


A    SYMBOL, 

NOT    A    SOUVENIR 


JULY  23,  1960 


♦  Harry  Fields  has  just  the  kind  of  hobby  a 
former  pastor  would  enjoy.  It  is  a  hobby,  he  says, 
that  "enables  you  to  get  across  a  message  and  still 
keep  in  the  background." 

Most  Brethren  first  heard  about  Harry  Fields' 
hobby  two  years  ago  when  the  moderator  of  the 
250th  anniversary  Conference  at  Des  Moines  used 
a  gavel  that  Brother  Fields  had  fashioned  out  of 
beechwood  from  Schwarzenau,  Germany.  After 
the  Conference  he  was  kept  busy  for  a  time  in  his 
Winter  Park,  Florida,  home,  making  sixty  sim- 
ilar gavels  for  Brethren  who  wanted  a  symbolic 
reminder  of  the  birthplace  of  their  church. 

At  the  Champaign  Conference  Brother  Fields 
presented  to  Moderator  Ziegler  (left)  a  gavel 
incorporating  wood  from  areas  of  the  world  in 
which  Brethren  missions  have  been  launched. 
The  gavel  was  used  during  official  sessions  of  the 
Conference. 

If  the  former  pastor,  who  has  also  been  a 
carpenter,  is  able  to  follow  through  on  his  newest 
project,  he  expects  to  have  ready  for  a  future 
Conference  a  gavel  made  of  historic  pieces  of 
wood  from  each  Brethren  college  campus.  In  his 
hands  it  is  sure  to  develop  as  a  symbol  —  and  not 
just  a  souvenir. 

n 


m 


Eight  thousand  voices  uniting  in  the 
well-known  hymns  of  the  church, 

the  choir 


Wk\v 


bringing 
numbers  of 
special  music, 

5l^*55^S    the  organ 
and  the 
piano 

'***fty$*¥   assisting  the 
|   singers,  in  all 
these  ways 
Conference 


SINGS 


Congregational  singing  at  Conference  is  thrilling.   The  great  choral  music  brings  added 

inspiration  to  worship.   On  Sunday  morning  the  Manchester  College  a  cappella  choir, 

which  had  given  a  half -hour  sacred  concert  on  Saturday  evening,  sang  Psalm  150 


Praise    to    the    Lord,    the    Almighty,    the    King    of  Praise  to  the  Lord!    0  let  all  that  is  in  me  adore 

creation!  him! 

O   my   soul,    praise   him,   for   he   is   thy   health   and  All  that  hath  life  and  breath,  come  now  with  praises 

salvation!  before  him! 

All  ye  who  hear,  Now  to  his  temple  draw  near;  Let  the  "amen"  sound  from  his  people  again. 

Praise  him  in  glad  adoration.  Gladly  for  aye  we  adore  him. 

Joachim  Neander 


:    ::>;. 


Intensive    practice    is    the    rule    for    the    Conference    choir, 

whose   contributions   enhance  the   worship   services.    Clyde  Gary    Deavel,    organist,    and    Fred    Rice,    pianist, 

Holsinger,  member  of  Manchester  College  faculty,  directed  accompanied  congregational  singing  and  the  choir 

12  GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


# 


j  Gary   Deavel   and   Alvin   Brightbill   replenish   their  * 
energy  for  another  session  of  organ  playing  and 


i  directing  of  Conference  music 


Robert    Stoner,    who    directed    the    junior    choir    and    Mrs. 
Paul   Hoffman,   accompanist,   study   the   music   to   be   used 


PRAISES  TO  THE  LORD 


One  of  the  events 
eagerly  anticipated  by 
the  juniors  at  Conference 
is  their  appearance 
before  the  Saturday 
afternoon  session.    They 
willingly  endure  the 
tedium  of  practice  for 
this.    And  the  audience 
enjoys  their  singing 


JULY  23,  1960 


13 


Annual  Conference 


Inspiration 

and 
Direction 


"THE  boys  I  meet  here," 
was  the  twelve-year-old  girl's 
answer  to  the  question,  "What 
do  you  like  best  about  Confer- 
ence?" This  answer  is  probably 
typical  for  the  young  person 
and  some  not  so  young. 

Conference  means  something 
different  to  each  person.  To 
discover  what  some  of  these 
values  might  be  the  Gospel 
Messenger  questioned  a  dozen 
or  so  persons  on  that  and  other 
aspects  of  Annual  Conference: 
program,  arrangements,  busi- 
ness sessions.  Some  were  first- 
timers;  others  had  attended 
many  Conferences.  Some  were 
delegates,  some  pastors,  some 
who  were  just  attending.   Here 


14 


is  a  summary  of  what  we  dis- 
covered. 

The  university  campus  meets 
the  needs  of  Conference  very 
well  was  the  consensus  of  those 
questioned.  The  package  plan 
—  board  and  room  was  included 
in  one  price  and  a  meal  ticket 
issued  —  was  generally  liked, 
except  for  those  with  families. 
Incidentally,  the  doctors  and 
nurses  attribute  the  lack  of  ill- 
ness among  Conference  attend- 
ers  this  year  in  a  large  part  to 
the  three  regular,  well-balanced 
meals. 

The  one  universal  criticism 
of  the  arrangements  was  the 
acoustics  of  the  building  in 
which  the  general  sessions  were 


held.  At  certain  spots  in  the 
building  it  was  impossible  to 
hear  clearly.  One  thoughtful 
person  pointed  out  the  time  and 
effort  necessary  to  reach  a  mike 
in  business  sessions;  this,  he  felt, 
prevented  more  persons  from 
speaking  on  the  issues  before 
the  delegates.  His  solution  is  to 
have  ushers  with  walking  mi- 
crophones which,  he  believes, 
would  bring  about  more  partici- 
pation. 

Only  one  who  was  questioned 
missed  the  luncheon  and  dinner 
meetings.  The  others  all  felt 
that  the  program  was  still  too 
full.  One  attending  Conference 
for  the  first  time  thought  that 
starting   a    day   earlier   would 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


•emedy  this;  he  had  wanted  to 
ittend  several  of  the  post- 
Dreakfast  conferences  but  he- 
pause  they  were  all  scheduled 
for  the  same  hour  he  had  to 
fettle  for  one.  One  woman  del- 
egate thinks  that  all  those  at- 
tending Conference  should  hear 
the  speech  contestants.  She 
(vould  like  to  see  the  contest  an 
jevening  program. 

The  speakers  should  be  re- 
minded that  the  audience  be- 
fore them  is  made  up  largely 
of  men  and  women  with  no 
theological  training.  And  "so 
they  should  speak  to  them  as 
well  as  to  the  theologically 
trained"  was  the  way  one  man 


put  it 

For  most  of  those  questioned, 
the  evening  sessions  were  the 
high  points  of  Conference.  And 
everyone  felt  that  the  congrega- 
tional singing  was  most  helpful 
to  worship.  One  said,  after  the 
Sunday  morning  worship,  "The 
singing  was  so  thrilling  it  made 
me  cry."  The  balance  in  the  use 
of  old  and  new  hymns  was  liked 
by  several.  Some  liked  the  vari- 
ety in  the  evening  worship  serv- 
ice, which  was  brought  about 
by  using  a  different  worship 
leader  each  evening. 

Business  sessions  were  evalu- 
ated  also.     In   answer   to    the 
question,  Is  the  delegate  body 
too   large    to    deal   adequately 
with  business?  one  replied  that 
size  was  not  the  issue.    He  felt 
the  issue  was  proper  orientation 
of  delegates  and  a  greater  sense 
!  of  responsibility  on  their  part 
j  for  the  business.   One  big  prob- 
|  lem  is  how  to  make  their  think- 
j  ing  known.  A  former  pastor  felt 
!  that  there  is  usually  too  much 
!  business  for  the  allotted  time. 
He  suggested  that  an  evening 
session   might   be   given   to   a 
I  dramatic    presentation    of    the 
;  work  of  the  Brotherhood  Board 
I  in  lieu  of  a  report  during  busi- 
ness session. 

"Through    their    vote,    dele- 
1  !  gates  can  help  make  decisions," 

JULY  23,  I960 


said  one  person.  The  procedure 
is  really  democratic.  He  would 
like  "more  detail  of  the  pro- 
posed budget."  A  woman  dele- 
gate reported  that  "the  business 
sessions  helped  me  to  have  a 
greater  understanding  of  the 
church."  Several  others  ex- 
pressed the  same  idea. 

Some  of  the  changes  ob- 
served in  Annual  Conference 
were:  a  more  co-operative  atti- 
tude toward  other  church 
bodies;  more  vital  issues  of 
Christianity  dealt  with;  in- 
creased representation  of  the 
laity  in  delegate  body;  a  broad- 
er outlook  -  beyond  denomina- 
tion; more  persons  participating 
in  discussions  of  business. 

What  then  does  Annual  Con- 
ference   really    mean    to    the 
average  church  member?    The 
yearly  gathering  is  a  time  "of 
renewing  old  acquaintances,  of 
fellowship,    of   realizing   again 
the    feeling   of   being   part    of 
something   that   is   far   greater 
than  my  own  local  church."  To 
another  it  is  the  "assembly  of 
the   legislative   branch   of   the 
church;  it  gives  us  an  opportu- 
nity to  see  friends  and  have  so- 
cial contacts.  And  that  means  a 
great  deal  for  the  unity  of  the 
church."  Some  think  of  Confer- 
ence as  "a  family  gathering  of 
Brethren     to     reach     common 
goals";  "a  stabilizing  force  that 
sets  direction,  so  that  we  can 
go  forward  together";  "a  spir- 
itual shot  in  the  arm." 

This  comment  sums  up  what 
Annual  Conference  means  to 
the  thoughtful  person, 

"An  opportunity  to  strength- 
en unity,  to  gain  new  insights, 
to  help  establish  direction,  to 
renew  the  bonds  of  fellowship, 
to  be  a  part  of  the  church's  pro- 
gram, and  to  increase  faith." 


Gov.  Orville  Freeman  of  Minne- 
sota: "To  consider  and  discuss  con- 
troversial issues  would  not  violate 
the  concept  of  separation  of  church 
and  state,  but  rather  would  fulfill 
the  role  which  the  church  has  as 
a  vital  community  institution." 


Annual  Meeting 
and  its  Trifeatured 
Importance 

What  did  the  Annual  Meeting 
mean  to  the  church  years  ago?  In 
an  issue  of  the  Gospel  Messenger  in 
1890,  A.  I.  Mow  of  Cory,  Indiana, 
wrote  the  following: 

1.  Business  import. 

2.  Devotional  privilege. 

3.  Associational  opportunity. 

No  mortal  has  ever  suggested,  or 
labored  for,  the  combination  of  these 
three  fortunate  principles  of  Annual 
Meeting.  That  body  has  never  set 
them  forth.  ...  We  freely  assert 
that  they  unite  by  the  power  of  the 
Divine  Guidance  which  establishes 
the  meeting  itself.  .  .  . 

To  talk  of  the  business  feature  of 
the  Meeting  without  its  concomitant 
relations  is  to  disrobe  and  make  it 
monastic   in   its   order.    This  would 
be  divesting  it  of  the  interest  which 
creates  the  business.  .  .  .  The  labors 
of  the  Meeting  are  more  sacred  be- 
cause money,  time,  and  talent  are 
withheld    from    secular    affairs    and 
consecrated   to   God's   service.   .    .    . 
These    annual    business    meetings 
are  occasions  without  parallel  for  the 
stimulation   of  pious,   devoted   feel- 
ings for  God  and  his  saints.    People 
go    there     to    hear    capital^   "good 
preaching."    One  may  ask,  "Why  is 
it  better  there  than  elsewhere?"   For 
several  good  reasons:     It  is  a  holy 
convocation.      All    spiritual    feeling 
seeks  to  concentrate  itself  into  one 
intense  power.    The  importance   of 
the    occasion    gives    it    a    resistless, 
spiritual  influence.    So  let  the  people 
come.    Make  ample  preparation  that 
all  may  drink  of  the  spiritual  foun- 
tain.   Let  ministers  be  stationed  at 
every    available    point    where    the 
people  can  be  addressed.   .   .   .  Let 
Sunday  be  the  special  day  for  the 
people.     Let    there   be    services    all 
over  the  ground,  all  day  long.  .  .  . 
Let  the  good  work  go  on!   Let  songs, 
prayers,    and   sermons   be   the   pro- 
gram for  the  day,  and  God  will  be 
glorified. 

This,  to  be  sure,  affords  opportu- 
nity for  associations  of  kindreds, 
physically  and  spiritually  related.  .  .  . 
Friend  meets  friend,  loved  ones 
meet  again.  .  .  .  They  walk  together, 
kneel  together.  ...  Let  the  associa- 
tion be  the  assembling  influence,  the 
holy  services  the  stimulating  influ- 
ence, and  the  business  the  resulting 
labor  of  love. 


15 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


Brotherhood  Fund  Giving 

Oct. 

1,  1959, 

to  June  30, 

1960 

$1,107,779.61 

Oct. 

1,  1958, 

to  June  30, 

1959 

$1,107,395.57 

Nine 

months' 

budget  obli 

gation 

$1,237,500.00 

Wilmer  M.  Lehman,  pastor  of  the  Enders  church, 
Nebr.,  was  injured  in  a  two-car  collision  on  June  26. 
Though  still  hospitalized,  he  is  much  improved. 

Monogram  seals  with  the  insert,  75th  Anniversary, 
are  available  at  lc  each  for  Women's  Fellowship  local 
program  booklets.  Order  from  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Mrs.  J.  A.  Robinson  of  Ephrata,  Pa.,  is  deeply  ap- 
preciative of  the  many  letters  of  sympathy  she  has  re- 
ceived since  the  death  of  Brother  Robinson.  It  is 
impossible  for  her  to  acknowledge  them  all. 

An  Action  Sheet  giving  questions  to  use  in  writing 
or  interviewing  candidates  on  disarmament  has  been 
mailed  to  pastors,  Brethren  Service  leaders,  and  per- 
sons who  have  requested  copies  of  Action  Sheets  or 
Brethren  Service  News. 

The  Race  Relations  workshop  held  May  30  to  June 
4  at  McPherson  College  under  the  direction  of  Desmond 
W.  Bittinger  was  attended  by  thirty-four  persons.  Mem- 
bers of  all  the  races  were  represented  in  the  class. 
Several  of  them  assisted  in  the  leadership  of  the  work- 
shop. 

Christian  Responsibility  for  Freedom,  a  flier  de- 
scribing the  1960-61  interdenominational  social  edu- 
cation theme,  has  been  mailed  to  pastors  and  Brethren 
Service  representatives.  Additional  copies  may  be 
secured  from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices  at  Elgin,  111. 

Thirty  La  Verne  College  students  are  serving 
churches  and  other  Christian  organizations  in  the  col- 
lege area  this  summer  in  a  program  sponsored  co-opera- 
tively by  the  college  and  the  church  being  served.  Work 
periods  are  for  six  or  eight  weeks  or  the  entire  summer. 
Teams  of  two  have  been  assigned  in  most  cases.  Some 
students  have  obtained  regular  jobs  and  will  serve  a 
church  during  free  time. 

A  sermon  competition,  open  to  professional  religious 
leaders  or  to  graduate  students  training  for  religious 
leadership  in  any  religious  or  ethical  persuasion,  is  be- 
ing sponsored  by  the  Albert  Schweitzer  Education 
Foundation.  On  the  general  topic,  The  Challenge  of 
Albert  Schweitzer,  each  entry  must  consist  of  a  de- 
livered sermon  or  a  manuscript  that  has  been  prepared 
and  read  to  a  regularly  convening  religious  group. 
Those  desiring  to  enter  must  register  by  Oct.  1,  1960, 
and  entries  are  due  not  later  than  Dec.  1,  1960.  For 
further  information  write  the  foundation  at  55  E. 
Washington  St.,  Chicago  2,  111. 
16 


Twenty-nine  BVS'ers  began  training  at  New  Wind: 
sor,  on  June  26.  The  group  was  composed  of  nineteen 
young  men  and  ten  young  women.  Leaders  in  the 
eight-week  training  period  will  include  Dan  West 
Kermon  Thomason,  T.  Quentin  Evans,  Ralph  E 
Smeltzer,  Glenn  Smiley  of  the  Fellowship  of  Reconcilia-; 
tion,  and  Gertrude  Harris  of  the  Koinonia  Foundation; 
in  addition  to  members  of  the  New  Windsor  staff. 

The  National  Youth  Cabinet  at  its  meeting  at 
Champaign  just  prior  to  Annual  Conference:  •  set 
Estes  Park,  Colo.,  as  the  place  and  Aug.  20-24,  1962, 
as  the  date  for  the  next  National  Youth  Conference; 
•  decided  to  try  to  have  a  youth  from  one  of  the 
overseas  Brethren  churches  present  at  the  North  Amer- 
ican Ecumenical  Youth  Assembly  in  1961;  •  elected 
Bob  Dell  of  McPherson,  Kansas,  as  chairman  for  a 
six-month  term. 

Robert  S.  Zigler  has  accepted  an  appointment  by 
International  Voluntary  Services,  Inc.,  as  over-all  Chief- 
of -Party  for  the  IVS  Teams  in  Laos  (Indo-China).  It  is 
expected  that  he  will  arrive  at  his  new  post  about  the 
first  of  September,  1960,  and  in  the  meantime  he  will 
serve  as  Program  Assistant  to  Dr.  J.  S.  Noffsinger, 
Executive  Director  of  International  Voluntary  Services 
in  Washington.  Brother  Zigler  has  resigned  from  the 
staff  of  Heifer  Project,  Inc.,  on  which  he  has  served  for 
about  seven  years. 

Four  young  people  are  engaged  in  full-time  inter- 
pretive work  for  the  Brethren  Service  Commission  for 
several  weeks  this  summer.  Miss  Ineke  Klein  Brinke,  a 
former  volunteer  at  Kassel,  Germany,  from  Holland,  is 
touring  camps  and  churches  in  the  Western  Region. 
Miss  Margaret  Hess,  who  served  as  a  BVS'er  at  the 
West  Side  Christian  Parish  in  Chicago,  is  visiting 
churches  in  the  Eastern  Region.  Paul  Laprad  and 
Miss  Jean  Neff,  both  of  whom  attended  predominantly 
Negro  colleges  in  the  South  this  past  year  and  were 
involved  in  the  sit-in  demonstrations,  are  touring  the 
Southeastern  Region  for  the  purpose  of  interpreting 
their  experiences. 

Concerning  Mission  Personnel 

Missionaries  who  have  returned  to  the  States  for 
furlough  and  for  retirement  include: 

The  Rolland  Florys  from  Ecuador,  now  living  at 
133  Pierce  St.,  West  Lafayette,  Ind. 

The  Wilbur  Martins,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Petcher,  Clara 
Harper,  who  is  retiring  after  almost  thirty-five  years  of 
work,  and  Velma  Ober,  all  from  Nigeria. 

The  Robert  McKays  have  also  returned  home  from 
Nigeria. 

Three  new  missionaries  have  joined  the  staff  in 
Nigeria.  Howard  Garwick,  alternative  service  worker, 
is  located  at  Garkida,  where  he  serves  as  a  mechanic 
for  the  mission.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roger  Ingold  are  serving 
on   the   staff  at  the  Waka   Teacher  Training   Center. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  Pfaltzgraff  have  returned  to  their 
work  in  Nigeria  for  their  fourth  term.  Following  several 
weeks  at  Jos,  where  they  will  be  studying  an  additional 
Nigerian  language,  they  will  again  serve  at  the  Garkida 
leprosarium. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Suggestions  for  local  church  study  of  election  issues 
appeared  in  the  June  issue  of  Brethren  Service  News. 
Copies  of  the  leaflets,  Christian  Responsibility  in  the 
1960  Elections  and  1960  Election  Issues  That  Make  a 
World  of  Difference,  were  sent  with  this  issue  to 
Brethren  Service  leaders  and  earlier  to  pastors.  Copies 
are  available  at  10  cents  each  from  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Caleb  Frantz  of  Bethel,  Pa.,  has  accepted  the  call 
to  become  the  director  of  the  Brethren  Service  project 
at  Castaner,  Puerto  Rico.  He  formerly  lived  in 
Castafier  for  seven  years  in  Civilian  Public  Service  and 
as  a  public  schoolteacher.  He  has  been  teaching  in 
the  public  school  system  in  Pennsylvania  for  the  past 
several  years.  This  summer  he  is  directing  the  inter- 
national work  camp  in  Ecuador.  His  wife,  the  former 
Reta  Jane  Grady,  served  with  the  Brethren  Service 
Commission  in  Ecuador  from  1946  to  1948.  The 
Frantzes  with  their  three  small  boys  will  go  to  Puerto 
Rico  around  the  first  of  September. 

Licensed  to  the  Ministry 

Larry  Ulrich,  licensed  in  the  Huntington  church, 
Middle  Indiana. 

Bruce  Weaver,  licensed  in  the  Mexico  church, 
Middle  Indiana. 

BVS  Allowance  Change 

Beginning  Oct.  1,  1960,  the  first-year  allowance  for 
all  Brethren  Volunteer  Service  workers  will  be  $10.00 
per  month,  rather  than  the  present  $7.50.  This  decision 
was  reached  by  the  Brethren  Service  Commission  in 
view  of  cost  of  living  increases  and  other  considerations. 

Conference  Addresses  Available 

Two  Conference  messages,  Mrs.  James  D.  Wyker's 
Saturday  evening  address  and  DeWitt  L.  Miller's  Sun- 
day morning  sermon,  are  available  on  one  1,200-foot 
I  reel  tape  at  a  cost  of  $3.30.  Please  order  direct  from: 
Dr.  Robert  Kirkpatrick,  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
3401  Brook  Road,  Richmond  27,  Va.  The  tape  can  be 
secured  only  through  August. 

Home-comings  and  Harvest  Meeting 

Ninth  Street  church,  Roanoke,  Va.,  is  planning  a 
home-coming  in  recognition  of  the  thirty-fifth  anniver- 
sary of  the  church,  on  Sunday,  Aug.  28.  Services  will 
be  held  at  11:00  a.m.  and  2:30  p.m. 

Pleasant  View  church,  First  Virginia,  will  have  a 
home-coming  on  Sunday,  Aug.  21,  at  10:00  a.m.  E.  F. 
Sherfy  of  Roanoke,  Va.,  will  bring  the  message. 

West  Greentree  church,  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  will 
have  a  harvest  meeting  on  the  farm  of  Carl  Ginder,  one 
mile  west  of  Donegal,  Pa.,  on  Sunday,  Aug.  7,  in  the 
afternoon  and  evening.   The  service  begins  at  2:00  p.m. 

The  Church  Calendar 
July  24 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday   School   Lesson:    God   Desires   Steadfast   Love. 

Hosea  1:1—4:3;  5:15  —  6:6.    Memory  Selection: 
...  I  desire  steadfast  love  and  not  sacrifice, 

the  knowledge  of  God,  rather  than  burnt  offerings. 

Hosea  6:6  (R.S.V.) 
JULY  23,  1960 


July  24-29  Central  Region  children's  workers'  labora- 
tory school,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

July  24-30  Eastern  Region  laboratory  schools  and  work- 
shop, Elizabethtown  College,  Pa. 

July  24-30  Bethany  summer  extension  school,  Elizabeth- 
town  College,  Pa. 

July  26-28  District  meeting,  Southern  Virginia,  Chris- 
tiansburg 

July  28-30  District  meeting,  Eastern  Virginia,  Manassas 

Aug.  4-6  District  meeting,  Middle  Indiana,  North  Man- 
chester 

Aug.  5-6  District  meeting,  Northern  Virginia,  Mathias 

Aug.  9-11  District  meeting,  Southern  Indiana,  Pyrmont 

Aug.  9-11  Middle  Pennsylvania  women's  fellowship 
workshop,  Juniata  College 

Aug.  11-14  District  meeting,  Southern  Missouri  and 
Arkansas,  Springfield 

Aug.  12-14  District  meeting,  Northern  Indiana,  Camp 
Mack 

Aug  15-18  District  meeting,  Tennessee 

Aug.  15-19  Study  Conference  on  the  Nature  and  Func- 
tion of  the  Church,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

Aug.  18-20  District  meeting,  North  and  South  Carolina, 
Little  Pine 

Aug.  18-20  District  meeting,  Second  West  Virginia, 
Shiloh 

Aug.  18-21  District  meeting,  Colorado,  First  Grand 
Valley 

Aug.   18-21  District  meeting,  Oklahoma,  Big  Creek 

Aug.  19-21  District  meeting,  Middle  Iowa,  Cedar 
Rapids 

Aug.  24  District  meeting,  Mardela,  Fairview 

Aug  25-28  District  meeting,  Michigan,  Camp  Maniki- 
wa,  Carson  City 

Aug.  25-28  District  meeting,  Northeastern  Ohio,  Ash- 
land College 

Aug.  26-28  District  meeting,  Southern  Illinois,  Green- 
ville 

Aug.  26-28  District  meeting,  Northern  Iowa 

Aug.  26-28  Eastern  Region  youth  conference,  Eliza- 
bethtown College 

Aug.  29  —  Sept.  2  National  Camp  Planners  conference, 
Camp  Mack 


With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  Paul  White  of  Roanoke,  Va.,  in  the  Pleasant  View 
church,  Va.,  Aug.  3-14. 

Bro.  E.  Myrl  Weyant  of  Sebring,  Fla.,  in  the  Fredericks- 
burg church,  Pa.,  Aug.  21-28. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Harpers 
Chapel  house,  Walnut  Grove  congregation,  W.  Va.,  Aug. 
22-24. 


Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Five  baptized  and  four  received  by  letter  in  the  First 
church,  Denver,  Colo. 

Two  baptized  in  the  North  Winona  church,  Ind.  One 
baptized  in  the  Upper  Fall  Creek  church,  Ind.  Ten  baptized 
and  three  received  by  letter  in  the  Trinity  church,  Detroit, 
Mich. 

One  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  East 
Fairview  church,  Pa.  Two  baptized  in  the  Hollidaysburg 
church,  Pa. 

Three  baptized  and  three  received  by  letter  in  the 
Wakemans  Grove  church,  Va. 

17 


Conference  delegates  take 


A  Look  at  Our  Brotherhood  Witness 


DELEGATES  and  visitors  in 
attendance  at  Annual 
Conference  had  an  oppor- 
tunity on  Wednesday  morning  to 
take  a  look  at  four  major  aspects 
of  the  total  Brotherhood  program. 

CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 

S.  Loren  Bowman,  executive 
secretary  of  the  Christian  Educa- 
tion Commission,  introduced  the 
theme  of  the  session  relating  to 
Christian  education  and  the  mis- 
sion of  the  church  by  setting  forth 
a  stirring  challenge.  He  said  that 
since  the  church  is  the  body  of 
Christ  its  mission  is  to  show  God's 
offer  of  reconciliation  to  all  peo- 
ple. More  than  anything  else,  the 
church  needs  a  new  climate  in  its 
Christian  education  program  or  a 
new  spirit  of  adventure  with 
Christ. 

According  to  the  commission 
secretary,  the  supreme  purpose  of 
Christian  education  is  to  enable 
persons  to  become  aware  of  the 
seeking  love  of  God  as  revealed 
in  Jesus  Christ  and  to  respond  in 
faith  to  this  love  in  ways  that  will 
help  them  to  grow  as  children  of 
God,  live  in  accordance  with  the 
will  of  God,  and  sustain  a  vital  re- 
lationship to  the  Christian  com- 
munity. 

The  church  must  help  its  peo- 
ple to  understand,  to  believe,  and 
to  live  by  the  spiritual  values  of 
Christ  and  the  gospel.  The  speak- 
er added  that  the  church  must 
provide  challenges  and  channels 
for  persons  to  share  their  faith, 
which  means  a  continual  growth. 
Challenge  alone  is  not  sufficient  — 
there  must  be  opportunities  to  im- 
plement faith. 

Some  areas  of  needed  explora- 
tion are  (1)  the  relationship  of 
study  and  fellowship,  (2)  the 
meaning  of  the  primary  role  of 
the  Christian  family,  and  (3)  new 
patterns  in  adult  education.    The 

18 


Christian  education  program,  he 
said,  must  help  persons  to  dis- 
cover, to  receive,  to  define,  to 
translate,  and  to  implement  the 
reconciliation  of  God  in  all  areas 
of  life. 

FOREIGN   MISSIONS 

"Our  mission  program  may  yet 
save  the  Church  of  the  Brethren," 
Ora  Huston  told  the  foreign  mis- 
sion sectional  conference.  He  said 
that  the  strangle  holds  of  racial 
prejudice,  nationalism,  and  lack 
of  perspective  in  imagination  often 
handicap  the  effectiveness  of  our 
mission  program.  However,  we 
have  a  tendency  to  underestimate 
the  accomplishments  of  the  past 
and  the  present  and  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  future.  He  based 
his  remarks  on  observations  and 
experiences  from  his  recent  world 
tour,  during  which  he  visited 
thirty-three  countries,  including 
India  and  Nigeria,  where  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  carries  on 
a  mission  program. 

Ora  Huston  observed  that  when 
missionaries  have  gone  into  areas 
where  there  is  race  discrimination, 
they  have  taken  some  prejudice 
with  them. 

The  people  among  whom  they 
work  are  aware  of  race  problems 
in  the  United  States.  In  spite  of 
these  obstacles,  the  mission  pro- 
gram offers  possibilities  of  helping 
a  church  to  overcome  racial  preju- 
dice. It  is  difficult  to  look  down 
upon  people  with  whom  the 
church  has  shared  the  gospel. 

The  speaker  was  impressed  by 
the  strength  of  nationalism 
throughout  the  world  and  its 
threat  to  the  mission  of  the  church. 
He  pointed  out  that  other  coun- 
tries can  see  the  power  of  nation- 
alism just  as  clearly  in  the  United 
States  as  Americans  see  it  in  them. 
The  mission  program,  he  claimed, 
has  the  potentiality  of  saving  us 


from  nationalism. 

According  to  Ora  Huston,  if  the 
mission  program  is  to  save  the 
church,  it  must  hasten  the  pro- 
cess of  transforming  authority, 
prestige,  power,  and  control  to 
national  leaders.  There  must  be 
a  willingness  to  permit  some  bun- 
gling and  even  failure  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  growth  of  the  younger 
churches.  Possibility  for  witness 
in  areas  which  are  not  politically 
friendly  toward  the  United  States 
should  be  explored.  The  Chris- 
tian's responsibility  is  to  go  wher- 
ever sin  exists.  If  entertainment 
and  business  ventures  find  ways  of 
penetrating  the  iron  curtain,  the 
Christian  church  should  also  do 
so.  Indian  or  Nigerian  leaders 
might  successfully  witness  where 
North  Americans  cannot  do  so. 

A  conversational  panel  com- 
posed of  three  missionaries,  a  mis- 
sionary under  appointment,  a  pas- 
tor, two  laymen,  and  the  executive 
secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mission 
Commission  then  discussed  the 
mission  program  today.  They 
pointed  out  that  missionary  op- 
portunities are  not  confined  to 
the  organized  mission  movement. 

Among  the  concrete  plans  for 
achieving  some  of  the  values  lifted 
up  by  the  speaker  and  panel  are 
the  efforts  to  send  workers  to 
Indonesia,  the  increased  use  of 
short-term  workers,  and  an  organ- 
ized tour  of  Ecuador  in  1961, 
which  will  include  visits  to  the 
work  of  our  own  denomination 
and  others. 

BRETHREN  SERVICE 

The  Brotherhood  witness 
through  Brethren  Service  was  set 
forth  in  daily  Brethren  Service 
sectional  conferences. 

On  Wednesday,  members  of  the 
Brethren  Service  staff  had  an  op- 
portunity to  present  briefly  the 
programs  they  represent. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


On  Thursday  morning  Ora  Hus- 
ton, peace  counselor  for  the 
church,  interpreted  a  familiar 
portion  of  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  under  the  title,  Blessed 
Are  the  Artisans  of  Peace. 

Peace  is  our  greatest  social  need, 
said  the  Brethren  Service  staff 
representative.  It  is  also  our  great- 
est religious  need.  If  we  never 
make  another  scientific  discovery, 
make  a  new  exploration,  invent 
another  machine,  or  test  another 
bomb,  we  will  not  be  any  poorer, 
but,  unless  we  increase  our 
chances  for  peace,  we  are  likely 
to  lose  most  of  what  we  have  at- 
tained in  our  present  civilization. 

Ora  Huston  said,  "The  people 
are  greatly  concerned  about  peace 
all  around  the  world.  There  was 
not  a  single  subject  brought  up 
more  often  in  the  thirty-three 
countries  I  visited.  They  want  to 
know  why  the  United  States  is 
preparing  for  war." 

Observing  that  many  young 
people  have  never  heard  that  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  has  a 
peace  position,  Mr.  Huston  said, 
"Must  we  wait  until  our  cities  are 
leveled,  our  resources  destroyed, 
our  freedom  gone,  before  we  state 
our  convictions  about  the  teaching 
of  the  New  Testament  on  peace?" 
He  called  attention  to  the  150 
young  people  who  volunteer  each 
year  to  give  a  year  of  their  lives 
to  work  for  peace.  He  said  there 
should  be  as  many  adults  volun- 
teering in  this  worthy  cause. 

"The  world  is  getting  bigger  in 

problems  while  growing  smaller  in 

terms    of    transportation."     With 

these   words,    Dan   West   shared 

with  participants   in   a   Brethren 

Service  meeting  some  reflections 

gathered  on  his  recent  trip  around 

I  the  world.    He  said  that  at  one 

^J  time  an  old  log  house  was  the  size 

I  of  his   world.    After   he   learned 

if)  that  the  world  was  larger  he  could 

I  not  fit  his  mind  back  into  the  little 

I  world. 

Christian  world  citizens,  ac- 
I  cording  to  the  speaker,  need  more 
I  than  ever  now  to  have  a  sense  of 
I  belonging.  "This  sense  of  belong- 
ing is  the  spiritual  stuff  out  of 
||  which  international  law  is  made." 

JULY  23,  1960 


Until  it  is  created  men  will  not 
live  together  as  world  citizens. 

Dan  West  observed  that  Chris- 
tians have  to  apologize  for  some 
things  that  people  have  done 
while  calling  themselves  Christian. 
He  said,  "I  am  in  favor  of  the  ecu- 
menical movement  in  its  purpose 
and  somewhat  in  its  functions. 
But  there  are  no  bargains.  The 
world  trip  has  made  me  more  of 
a  Dunker  than  before  and  more  of 
a  co-operator.  I  have  come  to 
respect  Brethren  faith  more  than 
ever  and  I  have  come  to  respect 
other  Christians  and  those  of  other 
religions  more." 

Dan  West  urged  Brethren  to 
contribute  their  utmost  best  to  the 
ecumenical  movement.  He  said, 
"If  we  blur  our  important  differ- 
ences, we  may  deny  our  faith. 
Elemental  human  need  must  be 
tied  to  a  Christian  faith.  We 
must  be  reaching  out  as  we  never 
have  done." 

In  terms  of  specific  challenges, 
the  veteran  peace  educator  said 
he  would  like  to  see  Brethren 
youth  raise  their  standards;  he 
would  like  to  see  Brethren  women 
give  half  their  wardrobe  in  order 
to  help  clothe  many  in  the  world 
who  have  no  clothing.    He  urged 


men  to  give  up  the  money  they 
spend  at  gas  stations  for  unneces- 
sary trips.  He  said,  "One  'fill-er- 
up'  at  a  gas  station  costs  more  than 
the  average  Brethren  gives  to 
missions  and  service  in  a  year." 
Challenging  world  citizens  to 
let  their  minds  and  hearts  be  big 
enough  to  include  many  of  the 
millions  around  the  world  whom 
they  have  never  seen,  Dan  West 
said,  "God  is  so  much  bigger  than 
we  have  dreamed." 

MINISTRY  AND  HOME  MISSIONS 

Increased  population,  migra- 
tions of  people,  and  the  rapid 
growth  of  urban  areas  challenge 
the  Protestant  churches  to  a  co- 
operative witness,  Dr.  Purd  Dietz, 
a  missions  secretary,  United 
Church  of  Christ,  told  the  session 
considering  church  extension.  He 
emphasized  the  necessity  for  over- 
all planning  if  the  churches  are  to 
meet  the  needs  effectively  and  to 
invest  their  limited  funds  wisely. 

The  new  Church  Extension  Pol- 
icy was  introduced  by  Galen  Og- 
den,  Ministry  and  Home  Mission 
secretary.  He  pointed  out  the 
need  to  increase  more  rapidly  the 
Church  Extension  Loan  Fund  to 
meet  the  requests  for  loans. 


After  the  business 

session  delegates 

Reuell    Pritchett, 

Tennessee,  (left) 

and  Harry  K. 

Zeller,  Jr., 

California,  carry 

on  discussion  of 

items  that  are 

before 

Conference 


Commissioned  as  missionaries  at  the  Sunday  afternoon 
consecration  service  were,  kneeling,  left  to  right:    the 
David  Rittenhouses  (Ecuador);  the  Dallas  Oswalts  (Nigeria); 
the  Wilbur  Martins  (Nigeria);  the  Wilbur  McFaddens 
(Indonesia);  the  Jack  McCrays  (India);  and  the  Robert 
Lenkers  (Ecuador).    Consecrated  also  were  representatives 
of  the  newly  ordained  ministers,  the  Dean  Millers,  and 
Rrethren  Service  workers,  the  Jerry  Royers 


Convocatid 


At  left:   W.  Harold  Row  (left),  secretary  of  the  Rrethren 
Service  Commission,  bids  the  Royers  good-by.   Immediately 
after  Conference  Jerry  and  Joan  left  for  their  assignment 
in  Japan 


Henry  Long  (center),  secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mission 
Commission,  talks  with  the  McFaddens  about  their 
temporary  assignment  to  Puerto  Rico,  while  awaiting 
clearance  for  Indonesia 


Below:   The  Dean  Millers  confer  with  Galen  Ogden  (center), 
secretary  of  the  Ministry  and  Home  Mission  Commission 
about  the  joys  and  problems  of  pastoral  work 


WSllpSIli 


■■■■.■     ■  ..:■■.,■   ';v     ■■;.■■■.     ■    ■ 


£rvice 


The  dedication  service  included  not  only  consecration 

and  commissioning  for  full-time  service  of  missionaries 

and  pastors;  those  who  administer  and  direct,  represented 

by  the  moderator,  also  dedicated  themselves  anew  to  their 

tasks.   At  right,  the  1960  moderator,  Edward  K.  Ziegler 

(left),  passes  the  gavel  to  the  newly  elected  moderator, 

Charles  E.  Zunkel 


Through  their 

contributions  to  the 

Conference  Offering  every 

member  of  the  church 

shared  in  the  closing 

service   of  Annual 

Conference  —  life,  time 

and  service,  and  resources 

were  all  offered  for 

dedication 


JULY  23,  1960 


A.  J.  Muste, 
secretary 
emeritus  of  the 
Fellowship  of 
Reconciliation, 
urges  Brethren  to 
work  for  a  ban 
on  nuclear 
weapons  and  for 
the  adoption  of  a 
policy  of 
nonviolence 


Reject  Nuclear  Arms 


■  Why  did  the  Summit  Confer- 
ence fail?  Because  it  was  never 
really  intended  that  a  genuine 
first  step  should  be  taken  toward 
disarmament.  This  was  the  ex- 
planation given  by  A.  J.  Muste, 
secretary  emeritus  of  the  Fellow- 
ship of  Reconciliation,  in  an  ad- 
dress to  the  Brethren  Service  sec- 
tional conference. 

Introduced  to  the  Brethren  au- 
dience as  the  "number  one  Chris- 
tian pacifist  in  this  country,"  Mr. 
Muste  described  the  Summit  Con- 
ference as  a  "kind  of  Greek  trage- 
dy in  which  the  statesmen  seemed 
like  sleepwalkers  moving  toward 
a  trap  they  could  not  avoid."  He 
maintained  that  the  results  of 
earlier  decisions  had  already  de- 
termined the  breakup. 

The  speaker  asserted  that  both 
Eisenhower  and  Khrushchev  had 
staked  their  political  future  on 
achieving  some  sort  of  relaxation 
of  tension  through  a  step  toward 
disarmament,  yet  Mr.  Muste 
claimed  that  neither  the  United 
States  nor  the  Soviet  Union  had 
seriously  objected  to  France's 
testing  of  an  atomic  bomb,  as 
might  have  been  expected  if 
each  really  wanted  an  end  to  test- 
ing. 

22 


"We  cannot  put  the  whole 
blame  for  the  failure  of  the  Sum- 
mit on  the  Communists,"  said  the 
speaker.  He  claimed  that  the 
United  States  had  made  no  plans 
for  the  economic  adjustments 
which  would  be  required  if  dis- 
armament were  to  be  taken  seri- 
ously. He  said  there  was  no  sense 
of  anticipation  prior  to  the  Sum- 
mit Conference,  which  would  in- 
dicate that  constructive  results 
were  not  expected. 

"Any  genuine  disarmament  by 
agreement  requires  revolutionary 
changes  in  the  way  people  live 
and  in  the  way  nations  are  organ- 
ized and  operate." 

According  to  the  veteran  peace 
leader,  there  will  be  no  progress 
toward  disarmament  until  nations 
get  rid  of  "the  obsession  that  vio- 
lence is  needed  to  guarantee 
peace."  Mr.  Muste  advocated  the 
rejection  of  the  nuclear  military 
establishment  even  as  a  deterrent 
and  urged  the  adoption  of  a  policy 
of  nonviolence. 

He  defined  nonviolence  as  in- 
cluding the  following  character- 
istics: (1)  nonviolence  means  that 
nations  should  stop  trying  to  put 
each  other's  houses  in  order.  It 
is  more  important  to  put  your  own 


house  in  order,  he  said.  He  urged 
the  United  States  to  forget  about 
the  sins  of  the  Russians,  their  es- 
pionage, and  their  preparation  foi 
war,  and  to  see  to  it  that  in  race 
relations  Americans  practice  de- 
mocracy and  Christianity. 

(2)  Nonviolence  means  feed-i 
ing  your  enemy  and  your  neigh 
bor.  It  means  raising  the 
standards  of  living  of  the  hungry 
so  that  we  gain  friendship  and 
establish  security  for  ourselves 
and  for  others.  (3)  Nonviolence 
provides  a  specific  means  for  re- 
sisting tyranny  and  aggression 
Mr.  Muste  pointed  out  that  the 
United  States  spends  $50  billion 
on  war  but  not  one  penny  on  in- 
vestigating and  developing  non 
violent  means  of  resistance.  (4) 
Nonviolence  is  a  way  of  repent- 
ance and  demands  a  revulsion 
against  violence. 

Nations,  said  the  speaker,  as 
well  as  individuals,  must  be  will- 
ing to  repent.  "The  people  of  this 
country  are  capable  of  a  moral 
revulsion  against  ever  dropping 
H-bombs  on  another  people.  We 
will  not  take  a  significant  step  to- 
ward peace  until  we  repent  of 
Hiroshima    and    Nagasaki." 

The  role  of  the  churches,: 
claimed  Mr.  Muste,  is  to  "go  to  the 
people  with  the  gospel  of  One 
whose  weapon  was  the  cross  and 
not  a  sword." 


REPORTERS  FOR  THIS  ISSUE 

Postbreakfast  and  after-session 
meetings  were  reported  by  persons 
asked  to  help  the  Gospel  Messengei 
editors,  since  it  was  impossible  to 
cover  simultaneous  meetings.  Those 
who  faithfully  reported  and  to  whom 
readers  are  indebted  for  reports  on 
age-group  and  cause  activities  are 

Esther  Crouse  for  the  Women's 
Fellowship. 

Ruth  Stanfer  for  all  youth  ac- 
tivities. 

C.  E.  Copeland  for  the  Men's 
Fellowship. 

Hazel  Peters  for  Brethren  Service 
sessions. 

Geraldine  Plunkett  for  Foreigc 
Mission  meetings. 

Joan  Macy  for  older  youth  anc 
young  adults. 

Mildred  Etter  for  Christian  Edu- 
cation sessions. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


let 


J 

mi 


ck 


The  Business  of  the  Church 

Continued  from  page  9 
i  which  accepts  it  and  puts  it  in  ap- 
propriate   files.     Later    these    same 
persons  or  others  write  to  the  House 
Committee  and  ask  for  information 
nn  their  file  concerning  certain  per- 
sons.     This    material    is    distributed 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Congres- 
sional Committee  without  most  per- 
sons     being      aware      that      it     is 
nunevaluated    and   has   not   in    most 
cases  been  thoroughly  investigated. 

The    general    secretary    observed 
that  criticism  of  the  National  Coun- 
cil seems  to  come  chiefly  from  two 
sources.    There  are,   of  course,   sin- 
Mcere   and    honest   persons    who    are 
[(opposed  to  membership  of  the  coun- 
cil, but  these  generally  do  not  en- 
gage  in  invective  and   making  un- 
[jsupported     charges.      These     come 
rather  from  individuals  and  groups 
iithat  are   chronic   critics   of  the   old 
UFederal  Council  or  the  present  Na- 
tional Council.    Often  they  are  de- 
fectors   from    established    churches 
Band   are   almost    always    antichurch 
I  jin    their    viewpoint.      The     second 
source  of  criticism   is   composed   of 
landividuals  and  groups  who  are  ex- 
Hxemely    conservative    on    economic 
Band  social  matters.   They  believe  the 
Dchurch   has    no   right   to    speak    on 
social,   economic,   or  political  issues 
and,  therefore,  are  strongly  opposed 
I  to  the  public  witness  and  testimony 
nof  church  groups. 

After  the  report  of  the  representa- 
tives was  adopted  by  the  Confer- 
hence,  Standing  Committee  submitted 
a  statement  on  Communism  in  the 
ijChurches  for  consideration  by  the 
^Conference.  The  statement  repeated 
the  conviction  of  the  representatives 
land  put  the  church  on  record  as 
^"reaffirming  our  faith"  in  the  Nation- 
al Council.  With  respect  to  the  ef- 
forts of  Communists  to  infiltrate  into 
tavery  phase  of  church  life,  the  state- 
'jment  said,  "We  are  confident  that 
llchurches  united  through  the  leader- 
ship of  the  National  Council  are 
ikware  of  this  threat  and  are  seeking 
[through  concerted  action  to  main- 
tjtain  our  heritage." 

Two  delegates  spoke  in  opposition 
[ito  the  statement  submitted  by 
5  Standing  Committee.  They  said 
[jthey  believed  that  some  of  the  accu- 
Hsations  against  the  National  Council 
licould  be  upheld  and  they  could  not 
i  (conscientiously  reaffirm  their  faith 
i  in  the  council,  since  they  had  not 
originally  or  previously  supported  it, 
land  one  delegate  said  definitely  that 
fULY  23,  I960 


his  church  was  not  in  sympathy  with 
the  National  Council. 

By  a  standing  vote,  approximately 
four  fifths  of  the  delegates  voted  in 
favor  of  the  statement  presented  by 
Standing  Committee.  Approximate- 
ly one  fifth  opposed  it. 

Fraternal  Relations 

In  reporting  for  the  Fraternal  Re- 
lations Committee,  reference  was 
made  to  areas  of  co-operating  with 
other  communions  and  the  interest 
the  church  had  shown  in  holding 
conversations  with  other  Protestant 
groups  for  mutual  understanding. 
The  importance  of  such  contacts 
was  emphasized  in  statements  of 
greeting  brought  by  a  number  of 
representatives  of  other  denomina- 
tions. These  included  a  Washing- 
ton, D.C.,  pastor  who  brought 
greetings  from  the  Brethren  Church; 
another  pastor  represented  the  Men- 
nonite  Church.  Irvin  Goering  spoke 
on  behalf  of  the  General  Conference 
Mennonnite  Church  and  Russell 
Rees  for  the  Five  Years  Meeting  of 
Friends.  Carl  Q.  Lee,  a  graduate 
of  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary,  spoke 
on  behalf  of  the  Christian  Catholic 
Church,  of  which  he  is  at  present 
the  overseer.  Representing  the 
Evangelical  United  Brethren  Church 
was  Bishop  Reuben  H.  Miller,  who 
indicated  the  interest  of  his  denomi- 
nation in  carrying  on  conversations 
with  a  number  of  different  commun- 
ions. Dr.  Jarman,  representing  the 
local  Disciples  of  Christ  congrega- 
tion, brought  greetings  from  that 
group.  A  telegram  from  J.  Claud 
Allen,  a  representative  of  the  Chris- 
tian Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
was  read  also  to  the  conference.  Dr. 
A.  L.  Roberts,  Secretary  of  the  Divi- 
sion of  General  Education  of  the 
National  Council,  also  brought 
greetings. 

Pension  Plan  Amendments 

In  connection  with  the  report  on 
the  Pension  Plan,  delegates  gave  at- 
tention to  some  proposed  amend- 
ments that  had  been  submitted  by 
the  Pension  Board.  One  of  these 
would  increase  by  2%  the  contribu- 
tion of  congregations  on  behalf  of 
their  ministers.  This  was  questioned 
by  some  delegates  but  it  was  pointed 
out  to  them  that  in  many  other 
denominations  an  even  larger  pre- 
mium is  paid  by  churches.  The  Board 
felt  that  the  increase  would  be  a 
step  looking  to  the  future  in  order 
to  secure  payments  for  the  men  who 
have  retired.  The  amendments  were 
adopted. 


Resolutions 

With  some  discussion  on  one  or 
two  points,  the  resolutions,  which 
had  been  prepared  largely  in  ad- 
vance by  the  Resolutions  Committee 
and  most  of  which  had  already  ap- 
peared in  the  Gospel  Messenger, 
were  adopted  by  the  delegates.  An 
additional  resolution  which  asked 
the  Conference  to  recognize  the 
heavy  responsibilities  being  carried 
at  this  particular  time  by  President 
Eisenhower  and  indicating  a  desire 
to  engage  in  a  period  of  prayer  on 
his  behalf  was  added  to  the  resolu- 
tions and  adopted  by  the  delegates. 

New  Business 

Items  of  new  business  had  been 
studied  by  Standing  Committee  and 
came  with  specific  recommenda- 
tions. One  of  these  asked  for  a  com- 
mittee to  study  the  Brotherhood 
retirement  policy  and  another  raised 
questions  about  the  ordination  of 
ministers.  A  query  regarding  the 
importance  of  establishing  a  Wash- 
ington office  was  referred  to  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board  for 
study,  but  was  amended  by  Confer- 
ence to  indicate  that  it  was  the  wish 
of  the  Conference  that  such  an  office 
be  seriously  considered.  The  ques- 
tion of  the  use  of  seminary  property 
by  Bethany  Hospital  was  referred 
to  a  committee  already  giving  con- 
sideration to  the  future  of  this 
property. 

The  Church  and  Its  Colleges 

At  a  late  Saturday  night  session, 
the  Board  gave  consideration  to  a 
lengthy  policy  statement  regarding 
the  church  and  its  colleges.  This 
was  prepared  by  the  Brotherhood 
Board  and  brought  to  the  confer- 
ence for  consideration.  Several  com- 
ments pointed  up  the  significance  of 
the  opportunities  for  service  that 
confronted  colleges  and  the  impor- 
tance of  supporting  college  teachers 
with  the  same  kind  of  encourage- 
ment that  had  been  offered  in  this 
Conference  to  ministers. 

Brotherhood  Fund  Goal 

The  Conference  delegates  adopted 
the  recommendation  of  the  General 
Brotherhood  Board  that  the  Brother- 
hood Fund  goal  should  still  aim  for 
the  $2,600,000  figure  set  by  the 
Conference  of  1955,  and  that 
$1,800,000  be  set  as  a  minimum 
goal  for  the  fiscal  year  1960-61. 


"Ascribe  to  the  Lord  the  glory  due  his 
name; 
bring    an    offering,    and    come    into 
his  courts." 

23 


■¥y 


is* 


I  iill 


She   prepares   dinner  on   a   stove  like   mother's.    Also 

in  this  unit,  homemade,  are  the  cupboard  and  sink. 

One  unit  had  a  refrigerator  too.    The  ironing 

board  and  table  and  chairs  completed  the  center 


Below,  left,   are   large  peg  boards;   right,   blocks   in 
many  sizes  enable  the  children  to  build  many  things 


Children's  Workers 


, 


Look  at  Building  an 


Pfliilti§"i& 


HI 


fl 


it  IL* 


■«* 


ii» 


*  .4 


H 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


UN 


■I 


quipment 


■  What  size  rooms  should  the  children  of  the  church 
school  have?  Where  should  they  be  located?  What 
kind  of  equipment  is  necessary  to  carry  on  a  good 
program  of  Christian  nurture?  These  were  some  of  the 
questions  considered  by  the  children's  workers  in  three 
sessions  at  Annual  Conference.  Building  Counselor 
Arthur  Dean  presented  a  plan  for  an  educational  unit 
that  would  meet  the  needs  of  an  average-sized  church 
with  budget  limitations.  He  listed  as  two  requirements 
good  lighting  and  accessibility  to  sanctuary. 

Homemade  housekeeping  units  for  nursery  and 
kindergarten  especially  were  displayed.  Samples  from 
commercial  companies  could  also  be  seen.  Other  items 
of  equipment,  puzzles,  clay,  blocks,  etc.,  were  available. 
JULY  23,  1960 


Left,  Arthur  Dean  shows  plan  of  educational  unit  to 
two  interested  pastors 


Below,    children's    workers    examine    the    homemade 
furniture 


w 


tiliL 


v 


**; 


Instead  of  having  a  piano  in  the  nursery  and  kinder- 
garten departments,  leaders  in  children's  work  are 
suggesting  the  use  of  an  autoharp  which  one  can 
easily  learn  to  play.    This  instrument  is  being 
demonstrated  for  interested  children's  workers 


25 


Brethren  Meet  Early  and  Late 


Brethren  Welfare  Workers 

■  What  is  the  role  of  the  church 
in  the  rehabilitation  of  individuals? 
This  is  the  question  that  concerned 
members  of  the  Association  of 
Brethren  Welfare  Workers  and  many 
other  interested  persons  when  they 
gathered  early  on  Saturday  morning 
to  conduct  the  business  of  their  asso- 
ciation and  also  to  listen  to  Dr.  John 
Vayhinger,  professor  of  pastoral  care 
and  pastoral  counseling,  Garrett 
Biblical  Institute. 

Dr.  Vayhinger  insisted  that  the 
church  has  the  greatest  single  mo- 
tivational stimulus  that  can  be 
brought  to  men  in  their  rehabilita- 
tion. This  derives  from  the  basic 
Christian  concern  for  the  soul. 
There  is  a  danger,  he  said,  that 
church  workers  can  make  their  gen- 
uine concern  for  individuals  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  Christian  concern  for 
the  soul,  which  is  at  the  heart  of 
the  gospel.  From  this  major  concern 
has  come  a  concern  for  other  people. 

The  speaker  said  the  church  can 
work  most  effectively  with  other 
people  when  it  creates  a  community 
and  develops  a  fellowship  in  which 
people  can  be  related  to  God  and 
to  significant  purposes.  The  church 
seeks  to  build  a  community  of  be- 
lievers. In  a  sense  the  church  is 
a  reincarnation  of  the  family.  It  es- 
tablishes a  friendly  group  which 
helps  men  to  respond  to  a  good 
Father  and  to  an  understanding 
Elder  Brother. 

In  dealing  with  sin  the  Christian 
treats  the  individual  who  is  a  sinner 
by  loving  him.  Sin  is  definitely  a 
fact  of  experience,  and  as  Christians 
deal  with  it  salvation  becomes  mean- 
ingful. Repeatedly  the  speaker  em- 
phasized that  although  Jesus  healed 
the  bodies  and  redirected  the  lives 
and  restored  the  mental  health  of 
individuals,  he  always  met  them  at 
the  level  of  their  deepest  needs, 
which  grew  out  of  his  basic  concern 
for  their  souls. 

The  tragedy  of  much  pastoral 
counseling,  observed  the  Garrett 
Seminary  professor,  is  that  men  who 
are  no  longer  concerned  with  the 
theological  questions  surrounding 
men  leave  the  service  of  God  and 
go  into  the  service  of  man.  Actually, 
a  counseling  session  can  become  and 
should  be  a  prayer  session. 

With  respect  to  alcoholism  the 
speaker  indicated  that  it  becomes  a 
substitute  for  a  good  Christian  expe- 
26 


rience.  The  most  important  therapy 
is  not  psychoanalysis  but  a  conver- 
sion experience.  When  the  church 
emphasizes  the  demands  and  the  to- 
tality of  conversion,  it  will  become 
the  center  of  the  rehabilitation  expe- 
rience for  men. 

Dr.  Vayhinger  believes  that  the 
gospel  centers  around  two  important 
statements  of  Jesus,  "You  must  be 
born  again,"  and  "Come  unto  me 
all  you  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden." 


Older  Youth  and  Young  Adults 

■  For  the  first  time  in  several  years 
specially  planned  programs  for  older 
youth  and  young  adults  attracted 
widespread  interest  and  participa- 
tion at  Annual  Conference. 

Prior  to  the  first  official  meeting 
of  the  college  students  and  older 
youth  on  Friday  evening  there  were 
informal  fellowship  gatherings  on 
Tuesday,  Wednesday,  and  Thursday 
evenings. 

The  feature  of  the  Friday  evening 
session  was  a  discussion  based  upon 
issues  raised  by  two  articles  which 
appeared  recently  in  Brethren  Life 
and  Thought.  The  articles  had  been 
written  by  Earle  Fike,  Jr.,  who  took 
the  pen  name  of  Pathfinder  and 
Vernard  Eller,  who  wrote  in  reply 
under  the  pen  name,  Deerslayer. 
Both  authors  were  present  for  the 
discussion  which  was  under  the 
leadership  of  Dale  Brown. 

Each  of  the  authors  presented  his 
reasons  for  writing  as  he  had  done. 
Then  the  college  students  and  older 
youth  entered  into  a  discussion  of 
questions  raised  concerning  demo- 
cratic procedures  and  trends  within 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

The  Saturday  evening  session  un- 
der the  direction  of  Ralph  Smeltzer, 
who  served  as  chairman,  followed 
the  pattern  of  a  "Face  the  Nation" 
television  program.  The  college  stu- 
dent who  was  interviewed  by  a  pan- 
el of  reporters  was  Jean  Neff  of 
Pottstown,  Pennsylvania,  who  has 
recently  been  a  student  at  a  Negro 
women's  college  in  Greensboro, 
N.C.  Jean  was  one  of  the  few  white 
students  who  took  an  active  part  in 
sit-in  demonstrations  recently  along 
with  Negro  students  in  the  South. 

The  Brethren  "reporters"  tried  to 
represent  the  points  of  view  of  both 
Negro  and  white  interests  in  the 
North  and  in  the  South.   In  response 


to  their  questions,  Jean  Neff  pointee 
out  that  there  are  three  roles  thai 
one  may  take  with  respect  to  the 
race  problem.  One  is  to  develop 
an  attitude  of  hate  toward  those 
with  whom  one  disagrees.  Anothei 
is  to  try  to  forget  entirely  about  the 
race  problem.  But  the  third  is  txj 
approach  it  in  an  attitude  of  love 
for  those  who  are  involved. 

She  asserted  that  the  problem  thai 
has  been  so  much  in  the  news  re^ 
cently  is  the  problem  of  all,  whethet 
they  live  in  the  North  or  the  South, 
She  indicated  that  Negroes  are 
learning  the  true  meaning  of  non- 
violence as  they  participate  in  the 
sit-in  demonstrations.  She  dis- 
tinguished between  the  Southern 
white  attitude,  which  is  to  love  the> 
individual  but  to  hate  the  race,  and 
the  Northern  attitude,  which  indi- 
cates love  for  the  race,  but  often 
is  expressed  in  hatred  for  the- 
individual. 

Jean  Neff  indicated  some  positive- 
ways  in  which  Christian  young  peo- 
ple can  approach  the  problem.    She 
mentioned  the  value  of  deputation 
teams   who   are   trained   in   nonvio- 
lence.   She  suggested  also  that  stu- 
dents   could    contribute    funds    for; 
those    Southern    students    who    are 
actively  engaged  in  the  movement, 
but  most  important  of  all  is  the  kind 
of  communication  that  will  develop 
lasting  friendships   with  persons  off 
other   races.     She   said,    "The   most 
important  thing  is  who  you  are,  nott 
what  color  you  are." 

A  tape  recording  of  an  interview 
with  Paul  Laprad,  another  Brethren 
youth  involved  in  the  sit-in  demon- 
strations, was  shared  with  those 
attending  the  Saturday  evening  ses- 
sions. As  a  result  of  listening  to  the 
testimonies  of  these  two  college  stu- 
dents, Brethren  youth  were  chal- 
lenged to  consider  ways  in  which 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  can 
make  an  effective  contribution  to  the 
race  situation  through  local  church 
activities. 

A  special  church  school  session 
for  college  students  and  older  youth 
was  planned  for  Sunday  morning,  at 
which  time  Graydon  Snyder,  a 
teacher  at  Bethany  Biblical  Semi- 
nary, was  the  speaker.  He  discussed 
a  number  of  questions  relating  to 
the  theme  of  discipleship  at  home. 
He  encouraged  the  college  students 
and  older  youth  to  think  seriously 
about  what  the  Bible  says  to  the 
present  day  with  regard  to  family 
life. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


■  or 

,  Junior  High  Activities 
oi  ■  Around  eighty-five  enthusiastic 
,i  i:  junior  highs  attended  the  outing 
Jplanned  for  them  on  Friday  after- 
jnoon.  Active  games,  refreshments, 
7  and  a  closing  vesper  in  the  Illini 
H Grove  were  planned  by  the  South- 
fern  Illinois  junior  highs  and  their 
m  leaders. 

J.  Benton  Rhoades  spoke  to  160 
U i  junior  highs  and  their  leaders  at  the 
J  Sunday  church  school  session.  He 
yj  challenged  the  youth  not  to  turn 
ilj:  away  as  did  the  rich  young  ruler, 
J  but  to  continue  to  seek,  to  ask,  to 
J!  move  ahead  in  their  search  for  truth, 
-i  a  living  witness,  and  a  vocation. 
jj  Junior  high  youth  of  Virden  and 
n|  Cerro  Gordo,  Illinois,  along  with  the 
m  Southern  Illinois  junior  high  direc- 
jjjtor,  Irene  Beery,  and  the  Central 
Jl  Region  junior  high  director,  Mrs. 
J  Dale  Strickler,  helped  in  the  plan- 
ijining  and  conducting  of  the  service. 

Junior  highs  also  joined  with  the 
Jj  senior  high  youth  and  older  youth 
Ji  in  a  daily  Preview  of  the  Day. 

4  Youth  Activities 

||  ■  Young  people  in  attendance  at 
Annual  Conference  took  time  each 
day  to  preview  that  day's  activities. 
On  Wednesday  morning  Vernard 
Eller  introduced  the  unique  space 
theme  which  was  adopted  for  sev- 
eral of  the  preview  sessions.  Al- 
though the  action  of  the  sessions 
took  place  on  a  fictitious  planet, 
some  of  the  participants  had  quite 
specific  things  to  relate  concerning 
actions  that  day  in  connection  with 
Annual   Conference. 

The  first  day  Vernard  Eller 
interviewed  Edward  K.  Ziegler, 
moderator  of  the  Conference,  who 
explained  the  functions  of  his  office; 
Dick  Coffman,  who  outlined  his  job 
as  youth  editor;  Bob  Richards,  who 
described  his  plan  to  produce  signifi- 
cant films  of  excellent  taste  which 
will  be  available  to  television  and 
to  youth  organizations;  Nancy  Ros- 
enberger,  who  reported  on  the  forth- 
coming revision  of  the  Alleluia 
Songster;  and  Benton  Rhoades,  who 
presented  the  emphasis  on  leader- 
ship development  in  church  voca- 
tions, which  is  being  started  this 
year.  He  called  attention  to  the 
guidance  services  being  made  avail- 
able to  youth.  Joe  Long  then 
explained  the  plans  for  youth  par- 
ticipation in  the  major  Conference 
sessions. 

Thursday  morning's  preview  pro- 
vided an  opportunity  for  additional 
JULY  23,  1960 


interviews,  on  this  occasion  with 
Morley  Mays,  Frank  Carper,  and 
Don  Rowe.  A  panel  composed  of 
Bob  Mock,  Joel  Thompson,  Anne 
Haynes,  and  Skip  Wagner  presented 
a  discussion  of  Brethren  Volunteer 
Service. 

On  Friday  morning  the  finals  in 
the  National  Peace  and  Citizenship 
speech  contest  were  held.  The  re- 
sults were  that  Lois  Ulrey  of  the 
Central  Region  received  first  place, 
Carole  Strohm,  Western  Region, 
second,  Martha  Ann  Zinn,  South- 
eastern, third,  Barbara  Ann  Zuck, 
Eastern  Region,  fourth,  and  Dean 
Heiser,  Pacific  Coast  Region,  fifth. 
The  winning  speech,  then,  was  giv- 
en before  the  entire  Conference  on 
Saturday  night. 

On  Saturday  morning  the  teach- 
ers for  the  three  sessions  of  church 
school  held  on  Sunday  for  junior 
high,  senior  high,  and  older  youth 
were  presented.  Al  Brightbill  and 
Paul  Weaver  were  interviewed.  Joe 
Long,  Dick  Coffman,  and  Don  Stern 
presented  the  new  youth  publica- 
tion, A  Guide  to  Youth  Stewardship. 

Among  the  late  evening  youth  ac- 
tivities were  informal  folk  games 
and  music  periods.  On  Thursday 
evening  an  all-Brotherhood  talent 
show  was  presented,  involving  youth 
from  every  region.  On  Saturday 
evening  a  dramatic  play  was  pre- 
sented under  the  direction  of  Carl 
Myers.  Youth  also  participated  in 
the  youth  picnic  on  Saturday  after- 
noon on  the  stadium  lawn. 


Women's  Fellowship 

■  Brethren  women  attending  Annu- 
al Conference  at  Champaign  learned 
of  several  ways  in  which  they  can 
commemorate  the  seventy-fifth  anni- 
versary of  women's  work  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Anna  Warstler,  director  of  the 
Women's  Fellowship,  called  atten- 
tion to  several  specially  prepared 
materials  highlighting  the  anni- 
versary. They  include  a  special  film- 
strip  prepared  for  the  occasion.  It 
is  entitled  Radiant  Treasure  and  was 
written  by  Mrs.  John  D.  Long.  Its 
initial  showing  came  at  the  women's 
meeting  on  Friday  of  Conference 
week. 

A  second  anniversary  feature  was 
the  publication  of  an  anthology  of 
poems  written  by  Brethren  women. 
Anetta  Mow  compiled  the  anthol- 
ogy, which  is  entitled  His  Pen  in 
Her  hand.  A  number  of  copies  of 
the    recently    published    book   were 


made   available    at   the   Conference 
sales  exhibit. 

Also  available  was  a  silver  thimble 
commemorating  the  early  years  of 
the  sister  sewing  circles  which  later 
became  known  as  Women's  Work 
and  last  year  as  the  Women's  Fel- 
lowship. Also  available  was  a  pack- 
et of  materials  for  the  seventy-fifth 
anniversary  year  containing  program 
ideas  for  the  new  year. 

Mrs.  George  Detweiler  of  Waynes- 
boro, Pennsylvania,  conducted  an 
installation  service  at  the  Thursday 
morning  period  for  newly  elected 
members  of  the  Women's  Fellow- 
ship. On  Friday  the  past  presidents 
of  the  women's  organization  re- 
ceived special  recognition.  Among 
those  present  were  Mrs.  Ross  D. 
Murphy,  Mrs.  E.  R.  Fisher,  Mrs. 
Paul  Halladay,  and  Mrs.  D.  W.  Bit- 
tinger.  Mrs.  Rufus  Bowman  was  al- 
so a  former  president  of  the  women's 
organization. 

Special  recognition  was  given  also 
to  Brethren  women  who  have  been 
designated  as  state  mothers  of  the 
year.  Two  of  these  mothers  were 
present,  Mrs.  D.  W.  Bittinger,  a 
Kansas  mother  in  1956,  and  Mrs. 
Harlan  J.  Smith,  the  Indiana  mother 
in  1959.  Not  present  were  Mrs. 
John  Glick,  the  Virginia  mother  in 
1951,  and  Mrs.  Susannah  C.  Boyd, 
the  mother  in  1959.  Mrs.  Kenneth 
Shamberger  from  Washington  state 
was  recently  chosen  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton in  the  contest  for  the  selection 
of  Mrs.   America. 

And  She  Ministered  Unto  Them, 
a  pageant  written  for  the  250th  An- 
niversary in  1958  by  Mrs.  Myrtle 
Crist  Porter,  was  given  a  repeat  per- 
formance at  the  early  Saturday 
morning  session  before  a  large  audi- 
ence of  both  men  and  women. 


Men's  Fellowship 

■  Two  resolutions,  one  relating  to 
the  surplus  food  problem  and  anoth- 
er to  pastors'  salaries  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  were  adopted  by 
the  National  Council  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  Men's  Fellowship 
in  sessions  at  Champaign,  111.,  dur- 
ing the  time  of  Annual  Conference. 
The  resolution  regarding  surplus 
foods  called  attention  to  the  abun- 
dance of  surpluses  in  America  and 
the  recognition  that  many  people  of 
the  world  are  still  suffering  from 
hunger.  The  resolution  urged  that 
"every  proper  means  to  influence  the 
agencies  of  church  and  government 
be  used  to  bring  about  the  distribu- 

27 


fiC 


*n 


(jtteat 
Wamen 
0-jf  the 

GUliAZian 
Qga£U 

EDITH  DEEN 


Over  120  outstanding  women 
are  represented  in  these 
inspiring  biographies  of 
Christian  women  from  the  dawn 
of  the  church  to  the  twentieth 
century.   There  are  full  studies 
of  47  spiritual  leaders  and 
concise  sketches  of  76  other 
women  from  many  times, 
countries,  and  denominations. 
This  is  a  companion  volume 
to  All  of  the  Women  of  the 
Bible.  $4.95 

Church    of   the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


tion  of  more  of  our  surplus  food  to 
the  needy  people  of  the  world." 

Another  resolution  related  direct- 
ly to  an  item  considered  as  business 
by  the  Champaign  Conference,  a 
report  regarding  pastors'  salaries. 
The  Men's  Fellowship  Council  de- 
cided to  go  on  record  as  supporting 
the  adoption  of  the  report  and  urg- 
ing local  congregations  to  be  alert 
concerning  the  adequacy  of  pas- 
tors' salaries.  This  resolution  was 
presented  to  Annual  Conference 
during  the  discussion  of  the  report 
by  the  delegate  body.  The  resolu- 
tions were  signed  by  L.  L.  Jonas, 
president  of  the  Men's  Fellowship, 
and  C.  E.  Copeland,  secretary. 

Men  in  attendance  at  the  Annual 
Conference  had  an  opportunity  to 
28 


hear  a  special  address  by  Bob  Rich- 
ards early  on  Wednesday  morning. 
His  address  was  a  stirring  call  to 
action,  alerting  men  to  the  fact  that 
passive  complacence  and  the  listless 
quality  of  Christian  witness  should 
be  replaced  with  the  strongest  kind 
of  action  by  every  Christian.  He 
said  that  the  goals  of  discipleship 
required  a  resolute  following 
through  on  the  part  of  active  laymen 
in  the  Christian  church. 

Dr.  Robert  Mayfield,  general  sec- 
retary of  the  Board  of  Lay  Activities 
of  the  Methodist  Church,  spoke  to 
the  men's  sectional  group  on  Friday 
morning.  Using  as  a  subject  the 
theme,  Launch  Out  Into  the  Deep, 
Dr.  Mayfield  observed  that  Christian 
laymen  have  been  doing  their  fishing 
in  shallow  waters.  He  urged  them 
to  launch  out  farther  from  the  shore, 
suggesting  that  it  is  the  job  of  Chris- 
tian men  to  lead  men  to  Christ,  to 
bear  witness  to  the  faith  they  have, 
to  work  together  as  a  church  group, 
to  become  a  praying  Christian  and 
a  disciple,  and  to  be  empowered  and 
filled  with  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  He  urged  men  to  practice 
the  presence  of  Christ  in  their  lives 
every  day.  Dr.  Mayfield  also  de- 
scribed a  number  of  the  activities 
involved  in  men's  work  in  the  Meth- 
odist Church. 

Another  speaker,  whose  message 
had  special  significance  for  laymen, 
was  Dr.  J.  Quinter  Miller,  assistant 
general  secretary  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches,  who  spoke  at 
a  Saturday  noon  session.  His  ad- 
dress will  be  appearing  later  in  the 
Gospel  Messenger. 

Among  the  goals  that  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  Men's  Fellowship 
adopted  for  the  coming  year  are  cer- 
tain ones  lifting  up  spiritual  needs 
such  as  the  importance  of  a  Christ- 
centered  family  life  and  prayer  fel- 
lowship groups.  The  men  also  are 
concerned  about  everyday  life  val- 
ues, and  they  are  concerned  spe- 
cifically about  the  distribution  of 
surplus  food  and  Christian  influence 
in  government.  In  terms  of  spiritual 
leadership,  the  men  are  seeking  to 
recruit  additional  ministerial  leader- 
ship and  are  working  for  more  ade- 
quate pastoral  salaries. 

In  business  sessions  the  men  at 
Annual  Conference  outlined  job  de- 
scriptions for  their  national,  region- 
al, and  district  officers.  Elections 
resulted  in  the  choice  of  L.  L.  Jonas 
of  Roanoke,  Va.,  as  president,  Virgil 
Marshall  of  Adel,  Iowa,  as  vice-pres- 
ident, and  C.  E.  Copeland  of 
Mansfield,   Ohio,   as   recording   sec- 


retary, all  for  a  one-year  tern 
Those  serving  on  the  Men's  Counq 
are  Lester  Rosenberger,  who  wa 
elected  at  this  conference  to  a  thret 
year  term,  Ronald  Rowland,  D.  C 
Gnagey,  Martin  Stine,  J.  C.  Del1 
Virgil  Marshall,  and  C.  E.  Copelanc 

Brethren  Medical  Workers 

■  Sixty-five  Brethren  medical  work 
ers,  including  thirteen  doctors,  me- 
at Gregory  Hall.  Dr.  Franklin  B 
Cassel,  president,  presided.  Thi 
speaker  was  Dr.  Lee  Smith,  medica 
director,  Castafier,  Puerto  Rico. 

Dr.  Smith  reported  on  the  nev 
hospital  and  its  wonderful  facilities' 
which  will  be  ready  around  Augus> 
1.  This  hospital  will  be  much  mor« 
expensive  and  the  community  can- 
not support  it  without  help  from  th* 
outside.  All  doctors  can  serve  b) 
helping  to  underwrite  the  salary  oi 
a  doctor  serving  the  project.  The 
climate  and  the  people  are  the  chiel 
resources. 

During  the  business  session,  Mrs. 
Ira  Frantz  was  elected  as  secretary^ 
treasurer  for  a  three-year  term.  The 
vice-president  is  Dr.  John  R. 
Wagoner. 

The  officers  were  empowered  to 
go  ahead  with  projects  and  in  co-i 
operation  with  the  General  Brother- 
hood Board  to  create  a  "medical 
workers'  pool"  for  those  giving  serv- 
ices in  projects. 


Readers  Write 

Continued   from   page   2 

Defense  still  remains  a  farce. 
Major  General  William  Creasy,  army 
chief  chemical  officer,  has  admitted 
that  massive  doses  of  disease  germs 
render  any  vaccine  useless.  "The^ 
doses  we  use  are  massive  doses," 
he  said. 

To  Brethren,  "Operation  Blue 
Skies"  should  be  shocking.  It  does 
at  least  two  things  that  cannot  be 
reconciled  with  any  form  of  Chris- 
tianity; it  makes  the  value  of  prop- 
erty greater  than  the  value  of  human 
life.  The  idea  is  simply  stated: 
Bombs  flatten  whole  cities;  germs 
only  kill  individuals.  Why  destroy 
the  beautiful  buildings? 

The  second  fallacy  of  "Operation 
Blue  Skies"  is  that  while  admitting 
the  immorality  of  atomic  destruction 
it  assumes  that  small-scale  killing  is 
suddenly  "humane."  The  Pentagon 
presumes  that  murder  is  illegal  but 
that  war  is  proper,  as  long  as  you 
kill  everybody  one  at  a  time!    Sud- 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


iff  '■■ 


[rote 


cam1. 


h 


tei1  den  mass   murder   is   no   longer   in 
oob  vogue. 

'  *  All  this  is  not  meant  to  frighten 
™«  the  Brethren.  It  is  only  meant  to 
^  (  indicate  wherein  their  modern  peace 
^  message  is  needed. 
^  Here  are  some  things  you  can  do: 
Get  accurate  information  into  your 
local  newspapers.  Keep  your  church, 
youth  department,  and  schools  well 
v™  informed.  Support  direct  action 
®  projects,  such  as  the  Fort  Detrick 
1 ■  protest.  Write  to  your  friends,  your 
f'  congressmen,  the  President  —  give 
**  them  your  opinions  and  the  church's. 
Obtain  and  distribute  peace  litera- 
ne  ture  on  this  and  other  problems.  Ed- 
itii  ucate  your  children  on  this  subject. 
gu  Meet  the  military  indoctrination  on 
to  campuses  with  a  Christian  witness. 
ca  Stay  informed!  —  Darrell  Ford, 
tl  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary,  Chicago 
I  24,  111. 

M 
II 

Anniversaries 


Elder  and  Mrs.  W.  O.  Tannreuther  of 

Waterloo,  Iowa,  celebrated  their  sixty- 
third  wedding  anniversary  on  May  30, 
1960.  They  have  served  the  church  in 
the  free  ministry  for  many  years.  They 
have  two  sons,  three  grandchildren,  and 
seven  great-grandchildren.  —  Clarence 
D.  Sink,  Waterloo,  Iowa, 


Obituaries 


Baker,  David  A.,  son  of  Allen  D.  and 
)  Mary  Gossard  Baker,  was  born  at  Hag- 
lerstown,  Md.,  Oct.  19,  1924,  and  died 

■  Dec.   12,  1959.    On  Sept.  6,  1947,  he 
I  was  married  to  Betty  Marie  Malott.   He 

i  was   a   member   of   the   Welty   church. 
'  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  four  sons, 

Itwo  daughters,  his  parents,  one  brother, 
and  three  sisters.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  his  pastor,  Bro. 
Glenn  Heckman.  Interment  was  in  the 
River  View  cemetery,  Williamsport, 
Md.  —  Mrs.  Maurice  Miller,  Waynes- 
I  boro,  Pa. 

Berkey,  Harry  W.,  son  of  William  D. 

■  and    Fanny    Seese    Berkey,    was    born 
:  March  31,  1885,  in  Salex,  Pa.,  and  died 

I  in  Johnstown,  Pa.,  May  11,  1960.  He 
•j  was  married  to  Emma  Alwine.  One  son, 
*  one  daughter,  and  seven  grandchildren 
M  survive.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
■I  Roxbury  church,  in  which  he  served 
las  a  deacon.  The  funeral  service  was 
i!  held  by  the  pastor,  Bro.  Levi  K.  Ziegler. 
1  Interment  was  in  the  Richland  ceme- 
I  tery.  —  Mrs.  Ralph  Kniss,  Johnstown,  Pa. 
Blickenstaff,  Ruth  Alice,  daughter  of 

Martin  Luther  and  Mary  Alice  Stouf- 
1  fer  Justice,  died  Dec.  6,  1959,  at  Smiths- 
l  burg,  Md.,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years. 

Her  husband,  George  Blickenstaff,  pre- 
||  ceded  her  in  death.  She  was  a  mem- 
i  ber  of  the  Welty  church.  Surviving  are 
I  three  sons,  fifteen  grandchildren,  and 
fj  two  sisters.  The  funeral  service  was 
If  conducted  by  Glenn  Heckman  and  John 
1  R.  Heffner.  Interment  was  made  in  the 
I  Green    Hill    cemetery.  —  Mrs.    Maurice 

Miller,  Waynesboro,  Pa. 
I!  JULY  23,  1960 


For  Brethren  Junior  Readers 


.    .    .   a   new   book 


The  ROADS  to  EVERYWHERE 


Opal  Catherine  Hoover 


•  When  ten-year-old  Helga  Handke,  the  daughter  of  a  displaced- 
persons  family,  comes  to  Chestertown,  Ohio,  from  Germany  she 
lives  next  door  to  Carol  Bowman,  also  aged  ten,  and  near  other 
children  her  age. 

•  Through  a  series  of  pleasant  and  unpleasant  experiences,  Helga 
becomes  accustomed  to  her  new  life  and  loses  the  many  fears 
she  had  developed  while  living  in  European  refugee  camps. 

•  The  Roads  to  Everywhere  is  a  wholesome,  interesting  book  for 
juniors  which  will  help  them  to  understand  better  and  appreciate 
more  the  history  and  the  widespread  program  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Price,  $2.00 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  111. 


Bosserman,  Oliver  B.,  son  of  James 
Monroe  and  Lucy  Ann  Krabill  Bosser- 
man, was  born  Nov.  3,  1880,  in  New 
Stark,  Ohio,  and  died  in  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  May  29,  1960.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Lincolnshire  church  in  Ft. 
Wayne,  where  he  served  as  a  deacon. 
On  Dec.  24,  1905,  he  was  married  to 
Lena  Richardson,  who  survives  him 
together  with  two  sons,  one  daughter, 
four  brothers,  two  sisters,  and  six  grand- 
children. The  funeral  was  conducted 
by  the  undersigned,  assisted  by  Harper 
S.  Will.  Burial  was  in  the  Greenlawn 
Memorial  cemetery.  —  W.  Harlan  Smith, 
Milford,  Ind. 

Brown,  Mary  Jane,  daughter  of  Harry 
and  Eva  M.  Walmer  Brown,  died  soon 
after  birth  on  June  11,  1960.  Her 
parents,  two  brothers,  her  paternal 
grandmother,  and  maternal  grandmoth- 
er survive.  A  graveside  service  was 
held  by  Conway  Bennett.  Interment 
was  in  the  Merkey  cemetery.  —  Mrs. 
Carl  Brightbill,  Myerstown,  Pa. 

Buterbaugh,  Nancy  Martin,  daughter 
of  David  and  Sara  Martin,  was  born 
Oct.  17,  1881,  and  died  May  23,  1960. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Broadfording 
church,  Md.,  where  she  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  ladies'  aid  for  twenty  years. 
She  is  survived  by  her  husband,  two 
daughters,  four  grandchildren,  and  one 
sister.  The  funeral  service  was  con- 
ducted by  J.  Stanley  Earhart,  Charles 
Wasson,  and  Samuel  Lindsay.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Edith  Myers,  Hagerstown,  Md. 

Clopper,  Anna  M.,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel and  Elizabeth  Reynolds  Linebaugh, 
was  born  May  17,  1888,  and  died  May 
30,  1960.  On  Jan.  31,  1917,  she  was 
married  to  George  David  Clopper.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Welty  church 
and  served  as  a  deaconess.  Surviving 
are    her    husband,    one    daughter,    one 


son,  two  grandchildren,  and  one  broth- 
er. The  funeral  service  was  conducted 
by  John  E.  Rowland  and  Glenn  Heck- 
man. Interment  was  in  the  Welty  ceme- 
tery. —  Mrs.  Maurice  Miller,  Waynes- 
boro, Pa. 

Clower,  Margaret,  daughter  of 
George  A.  and  Annie  Craun  Evers,  was 
born  July  13,  1884,  near  Bridgewater, 
Va.,  and  died  May  16,  1960.  On  May 
10,  1917,  she  was  married  to  Lewis  M. 
Clower,  who  survives.  Surviving  also 
are  one  brother  and  three  sisters.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by 
Brethren  Bernard  N.  King  and  S.  D. 
Lindsay.  Interment  was  in  the  Oak 
Lawn  cemetery.  —  Mattie  V.  Glick, 
Bridgewater,  Va. 

Coffelt,  Mary  A.,  was  born  in  Henry 
County,  Mo.,  and  died  May  16,  in  Glen- 
dale,  Ariz.,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five 
years.  She  was  a  long-time  member  of 
the  Glendale  church.  Surviving  are 
five  children,  six  grandchildren,  and 
four  great-grandchildren.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  by  Glenn  Harmon.  — 
Mrs.  Don  Heatwole,  Glendale,  Ariz. 

Davis,  Laura  H.,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Caroline  Hedrick  Reithmayer,  was 
born  April  19,  1866,  in  Hatfield,  Pa., 
and  died  June  13,  1960,  in  Lansdale,  Pa. 
Her  husband,  Lewis  M.  Davis,  preceded 
her  in  death.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Hatfield  church.  Surviving  are  two 
sons,  five  daughters,  five  grandchildren, 
and  five  great-grandchildren.  The  fu- 
neral service  was  conducted  by  Robert 
Jordan.  Interment  was  in  the  Lansdale 
cemetery.  —  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Nyce,  Lans- 
dale, Pa. 

Fervida,  William  O.,  son  of  Baker 
and  Minnie  Van  Der  Koy  Fervida,  was 
born  near  Nappanee,  Ind.,  Oct.  8,  1873, 
and  died  at  the  same  place,  June  1, 
1960.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Turkey 
Creek  church,  Ind.    He  was  married  to 

29 


!  c;t^A 


3  K^>- 


The 
fara*s 


THE  PARABLES 

SERMONS   on  the 

STORIES  JESUS 

TOLD 

GERALD  KENNEDY 

Here  Bishop  Kennedy  exhibits  the  special 
skills  in  which  he  excels:  a  keen  under- 
standing of  contemporary  life  and  needs, 
a  gift  in  the  use  of  perfectly  fitted  illus- 
trations, and  a  knack  for  the  close  appli- 
cation of  Christian  principles  to  actual 
life  situations  in  the  individual  and  in 
society.  For  example,  the  story  of  the 
prodigal  son  finds  application  in  Amer- 
ica's far-reaching  materialism;  "The  Ban- 
quet Without  Guests"  on  the  fickleness 
of  many  of  today's  conformist  church- 
goers; "The  Great  Surprise,"  the  parable 
of  the  last  judgment,  when  faith  is  un- 
expectedly found  upon  the  earth.       $3.95 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


Fannie  Whitehead,  who  died  in  1910. 
Later  he  was  married  to  Maude  Fulmer, 
who  survives,  together  with  five  sons, 
one  daughter,  one  foster  daughter, 
thirteen  grandchildren,  and  three  great- 
grandchildren. The  funeral  service  was 
conducted  by  the  pastor,  Orvin  Kilmer, 
assisted  by  Francis  Freed.  Interment 
was  in  the  Union  Center  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.    Leroy   Fisher,    Milford,    Ind. 

Hess,  Jennie,  daughter  of  Amos  T. 
and  Fanny  Esbenshade,  was  born  Nov. 
10,  1876,  and  died  May  20,  1960.  She 
v/as  a  member  of  the  Ashland  Dickey 
church,  Ohio.  Surviving  are  one  son 
and  one  daughter.  The  funeral  service 
was  conducted  by  A.  B.  Pierson.  Inter- 
ment was  in  the  church  cemetery.  — 
Mrs.  Jean  Schar,  Ashland,  Ohio. 

HoUinger,  Wilbur  M.,  son  of  Samuel 
Alice  Sanders  Hollinger,  was  born  Jan. 
16,  1904,  at  Five  Forks,  Pa.,  and  died 
June  10,  1960,  at  Waynesboro,  Pa.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Waynesboro 
30 


church.  Surviving  are  his  wife,  Gladys 
Sowers  Hollinger,  three  daughters, 
three  stepchildren,  three  grandchildren, 
one  sister,  and  one  brother.  The  funeral 
service  was  held  in  Greencastle,  Pa., 
by  Bro.  Lowell  Gearhart.  Burial  was 
in  the  Brown's  Mill  cemetery.  —  Thelma 
M.   Widdowson,  Waynesboro,  Pa. 


Church  News 

Southern  California  and  Arizona 
Los  Angeles,  Imperial  Heights  —  Har- 
ry K.  Zeller,  Jr.,  pastor  of  the  La  Verne 
church,  Calif.,  was  the  first  speaker  in 
our  series  of  preaching  missions  co- 
sponsored  with  the  South  Bay  and 
Ladera  churches.  He  also  presented 
colored  slides  and  informative  com- 
ments concerning  Russia  and  its  culture 
at  one  of  our  Sunday  evening  meetings. 
Our  church  is  an  official  collection  cen- 
ter in  this  area  for  relief  clothing.  We 
help  by  bringing  wearable  clothing  and 
by  contributing  cash  toward  its  process- 
ing and  distribution  —  Mrs.  Jay  Ger- 
eaux,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

Los  Angeles,  Ladera  —  Twenty-five 
new  members  have  been  added  during 
this  church  year.  The  council  recently 
voted  to  establish  a  building  fund  for 
the  erection  of  a  new  sanctuary;  the 
committees  are  having  regular  monthly 
meetings.  The  Easter  sunrise  service 
was  followed  by  a  breakfast  served  by 
the  men.  The  family  vesper  planned 
for  the  last  Sunday  of  each  month  in- 
cludes games,  snacks,  and  worship  for 
all  ages.  Our  vacation  church  school  is 
scheduled  for  July  25  —  Aug.  5.  Lec- 
tures and  pictures  by  Harry  Zeller,  Jr. 
and  Bob  Richards  have  created  interest 
among  the  people  of  our  new  com- 
munity. We  are  looking  forward  to  the 
coming  of  our  pastor,  Leland  Nelson 
and  his  family,  Sept.  1.  The  leadership 
of  R.  H.  Miller  this  year  has  been  an 
inspiration  to  the  congregation.  The 
church  observed  senior  member  day  on 
June  6.  Special  effort  was  made  to 
provide  transportation  for  all  members 
of  the  home  department  who  are  shut- 
ins.  The  Fellowship  class  served  dinner 
and  planned  a  brief  program  for  the 
afternoon.  Special  recognition  was 
given  to  Lafayette  Duke,  who  is  ninety- 
two  years  old  and  the  oldest  member  of 
the  congregation.  —  Mrs.  Paul  Lentz, 
Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

San  Diego  —  Donald  G.  Holsopple 
was  elected  moderator  and  Maxwell 
Old  assistant  moderator.  Weekday  re- 
ligious education  classes  are  being  held 
in  our  church.  On  April  23,  five  deacon 
couples  attended  the  deacons'  assembly 
at  Glendale.  At  the  June  council  Carl 
and  Lucille  Hildreth  were  elected  to 
the  office  of  deacon.  The  CBYF  was 
host  to  the  district  CBYF  sponsors,  Max 
and  Loretta  Baughman,  and  the  district 
youth  president,  Jim  Gilpin.  The 
Baughmans  showed  pictures  and  told 
about  their  experiences  in  Nigeria, 
Africa,  at  one  of  our  family  night  meet- 
ings. The  congregation  voted  to  renew 
the  license  of  Richard  Jacobsen  for  one 
year.  The  women's  fellowship  heard 
Ralph  Schloming,  executive  secretary 
of  the  Friends  Committee  on  Legisla- 
tion for  Southern  California,  speak  on 
Weapons   of   Love;   did   relief   sewing; 


Brethren  Placement 
Service  .  .  . 


jervice 
riewed 


This  column  is  conducted  as  a  free! 
service  in  the  interests  of  assisting  in- 
dividuals or  families  to  relocate  or 
secure  employment  in  Brethren  com- 
munities. It  does  not  provide  for  the; 
advertising  of  goods  or  property  fori 
sale  or  rent.  Information  on  paid  ad~ 
vertising  may  be  obtained  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices. 

This  service  is  part  of  the  Brother- 
hood program  assigned  for  administra- 
tion to  the  Social  Welfare  Department 
of  Brethren  Service. 

The  right  to  edit  and  reject  notices 
is  reserved.  Since  no  verification  of 
notices  is  made  no  responsibility  can 
be  assumed. 

When  writing  about  a  notice,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  number  be  given. 
Write  Brethren  Placement  Service, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Illinois. 

No.  461.  A  woman,  56,  with  a  num- 
ber of  years'  teaching  experience, 
desires  position  as  teacher  in  an  ele- 
mentary school  where  a  degree  is  not 
required.  References  will  be  given. 
She  and  her  husband  are  willing  to 
move  to  the  community  offering  em- 
ployment. Contact:  '  Brethren  Place- 
ment Service,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 


viewed  the  filmstrip,  Harvest  From 
Hobdays;  had  a  panel  discussion  on 
stewardsbip;  and  organized  a  telephone 
prayer  group  with  three  chains.  The 
pastor,  Niels  Esbensen,  and  his  wife 
were  delegates  to  Annual  Conference. 
The  vacation  church  school  was  held 
July  18-29.  —  Anna  Schriefer,  San 
Diego,  Calif. 

Idaho  and  Western  Montana 

Nampa  —  On  Mother's  Day  a  conse- 
cration service  was  held  for  twelve 
babies.  Anna  Warstler,  national  di- 
rector of  the  women's  fellowship,  talked 
to  the  women  in  May.  The  summer 
youth  director  guided  the  church  pro- 
gram while  the  pastor,  David  Albright, 
attended  Annual  Conference.  We  took 
part  in  the  dedication  service  for  the 
heifers  that  were  shipped  to  Japan  on 
June  19.  —  Ottie  DeCoursey,  Nampa, 
Idaho. 

Northern  Iowa  and  Minnesota 

Golden     Valley     Community  —  The 

ground-breaking  service  for  the  first 
unit  of  our  new  church  was  held  May 
22;  the  speaker  was  Warren  W.  Hoover. 
We  are  hoping  that  the  building  will 
be  ready  for  use  by  late  fall.  Our  love 
feast  was  held  during  Holy  Week.  On 
Easter  the  congregation  participated  in 
a  sunrise  service.  The  class  on  basic 
doctrines  of  the  church  met  at  the 
parsonage  Feb.  24  —  April  6.  The 
ladies'  aid  has  been  preparing  relief 
clothing  for  Hong  Kong.  The  pastor, 
Norman  Long,  and  his  wife  attended 
the  regional  youth  conference  at  Mc- 
GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


. 


Pherson  College.  We  have  visited  the 
Valley  View  rest  home  twice  and  had 
services  there.  The  young  adult  class 
viewed  slides  of  the  Holy  Land  from 
James  Eddy's  collection.  —  Donna  Jean 
Eddy,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Northeastern  Kansas 

Buckeye  —  Leonard  Lowe  preached 
one  Sunday.  We  observed  the  love 
feast  on  Good  Friday.  Some  of  the 
youth  from  our  church  participated  in 
the  Easter  community  sunrise  service. 
On  April  24  we  honored  the  group  of 
international  students  at  McPherson 
College.  They  gave  a  special  program 
of  music  and  worship.  Three  babies 
were  dedicated  on  Mother's  Day.  One 
person  has  been  received  by  letter.  — 
Mabel  Kreider,  Abilene,  Kansas. 

Ottawa  —  On  Sunday  evenings  dur- 
ing January,  we  had  a  school  of  mis- 
sions which  closed  with  an  all-church 
birthday  supper.  The  women's  fellow- 
ship sponsored  a  mother-son  banquet  in 
February  and  a  father-daughter  banquet 
in  March.  A  membership  class  was 
conducted  by  the  pastor  in  May.  Follow- 
ing it,  five  persons  were  baptized;  an- 
other has  been  baptized  since.  Two 
recent  improvements  in  our  church 
basement  are  a  worship  center  and  fold- 
ing partitions  to  provide  three  class- 
rooms. A  public  address  system  was 
installed   in   the   sanctuary    within   the 

East  year.  The  pastor,  Gerald  Mease, 
as  resigned  to  accept  the  call  to  the 
Fredericksburg  church,  Iowa.  On  May 
15  we  honored  three  high  school  seniors 
with  a  supper.  Two  of  these  have  re- 
ceived scholarships  to  colleges.  A  va- 
cation church  school  was  held  May  31 
to  June  10.  —  Mrs.  Roy  Gerhard,  Otta- 
wa, Kansas. 

Western  Kansas 

McPherson  —  We  had  two  classes  on 
Christian  beliefs  taught  for  a  six  or 
eight  week  period  by  Dale  W.  Brown, 
and  one  for  youth  taught  by  Mrs.  Gor- 
don Yoder.  The  evening  group  of  young 
women  who  have  small  children  had 
discussions,  book  reports,  and  study 
and  have  painted  furniture  in  the  edu- 
cation building.  The  sewing  group  has 
prepared  sixteen  layettes  and  other 
children's  clothing,  including  thirty 
pieces  for  the  Kansas  children's  home. 
In  May  a  dozen  babies  were  dedicated. 
Several  from  the  church  attended  a 
one-day  meeting  at  Newton  on  Brethren 
Service.  Our  summer  pastor,  Barry 
Deardorff,  has  arrived  for  his  ten  weeks 
of  work.  Fourteen  of  our  high  school 
group  attended  a  district  rally  in  the 
Wichita  church.  X.  L.  Coppock  was 
honored  recently  by  receiving  a  citation 
from  McPherson  College  for  his  thirty- 
nine  years  of  fine  work  as  pastor  in 
several  states  and  churches.  We  are 
having  our  vacation  Bible  school  in 
July.  A  continuous  board  of  directors 
for  it  was  named  and  approved.  A  fine 
collection  of  hobbies  was  shown.  — 
Mary  E.  Sherfy,  McPherson,  Kansas. 

Southern  Missouri  and  Arkansas 

Mountain  Grove  —  Lee  Kendall  and 
Herald  Gass  officiated  at  the  love  feast 
which  was  held  jointly  with  Cabool  and 
Greenwood.  Several  from  here  at- 
tended the  workers'  fellowship  meeting 
at  Cabool  which  was  directed  by  Loren 
Bowman.  On  May  3  we  had  a  supper 
JULY  23,  1960 


WESTMINSTER 
GUIDES 


to  the  Bible 


EDWIN  M.  GOOD,  editor 


AVAILABLE  NOW: 


•  Written  for  intefligent 
and  inquiring  laymen,  this 
excellent  study  series  ex- 
plains   in   simple,   interest- 
ing, and  nontechnical  lan- 
guage what  the  various 
groups   of  writings   in   the 
Bible  are  and  what  they 
mean  to  the  Christian 
church  today.    The  com- 
plete series  will  total  9 
volumes,  each  prepared 
by  a  recognized  specialist. 
$1.50  each 


You  Shall  Be  My  People:  The  Books  of  Cove- 
nant and  Law 

The  Story  of  Israel:  From  Joshua  to  Alexander 
the   Great 

The  Threshold  of  Christianity:  Between  the 
Testaments 

Jesus  and  God's  New  People:  The  Four 
Gospels 

The  Bible  and  the  Church:    An  Approach  to 

Scripture 
Servants  of  the  Word:    The  Prophets  of  Israel 
The  Way  of  the  Righteous:    Psalms  and  the 

Books  of  Wisdom 
Light  for  the  Gentiles:    Paul  and  the  Growing 

Church 
The    Church    Faces    the    World:      Late    New 

Testament  Writings 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES.  Elgin,  111. 


WHEN  COMPLETE 
THE  SERIES  WILL 
ALSO  INCLUDE: 


in  honor  of  Earl  Zigler,  missionary  to 
India.  He  afterwards  showed  pictures 
of  India.  The  children  gave  programs 
on  Easter  and  Mother's  Day.  When 
the  pastor,  Ramie  Gass,  was  away  hold- 
ing a  revival  his  son,  Herald,  filled  the 
pulpit.  On  the  last  Sunday  of  May 
Cabool  and  Greenwood  were  our  guests 
for  dinner  and  a  program  in  the  after- 
noon, which  consisted  of  singing,  the 
play,  Beautiful  Hands,  by  the  young 
people's  class,  and  a  discussion  on  re- 
gret, repentance,  and  forgiveness  by  a 
representative  from  each  church.  After 
the  supper  prepared  by  women  for 
family  night,  the  men  showed  a  picture 
on  wild  life.  Eight  hundred  pounds  of 
used  clothing  have  been  shipped  to 
New  Windsor,  Md.  —  Mrs.  H.  E.  Hurl- 
but,  Mountain  Grove,  Mo. 

Texas  and  Louisiana 
Roanoke  —  Our  January  school  of 
missions  studied  Africa.  The  young  peo- 
ple were  represented  at  the  regional 
conference  at  McPherson;  they  have 
cleaned  the  grounds  and  outside  of  the 
church,  and  at  Easter  presented  the 
play,  The  Uniform  of  Christ.  We  joined 
with  the  E.U.B.  church  for  the  World 
Day  of  Prayer,  Easter  sunrise  service, 
and  the  filmstrip  teacher  training  meet- 
ings. The  women  sponsored  a  mother- 
daughter  tea,  had  a  program  of  slides, 
scripture,  and  poetry  for  family  night 
and  presented  the  play,  And  Certain 
Women  Ministered  Unto  Him.  A  box 
of  bandages  was  mailed  to  Nigeria  and 
three  bags  with  seven  quilts  and  used 


blankets  and  clothing  were  packed  for 
overseas  relief.  Ora  Huston  and  Earl 
Zigler  have  given  talks  here.  Three 
deacons  and  their  wives  were  installed. 
Our  pastor  has  had  morning  devotions 
on  the  local  radio  station  several  times. 
Two  of  our  women  are  editing  a  four- 
page  monthly  church  newsletter.  — 
Mrs.  Paul  H.  Metzger,  Iowa,  La. 

Southern  Illinois 
Hurricane  Creek  —  Roy  Fulk,  who 
will  serve  as  pastor  for  another  year, 
conducted  a  pre-Easter  service.  The 
love  feast  was  observed  on  April  16. 
Georgia  Fulk  was  delegate  to  Annual 
Conference.  District  meeting  delegates 
are  Helen  Dunaway  and  Mary  Perkins. 
Ausby  Swinger  will  conduct  evange- 
listic meetings,  Sept.  25  —  Oct.  2.  The 
district  meeting  will  convene  at  the 
Free  Methodist  camp  ground.  —  Pearl 
Parker,  Smithboro,  111. 

Middle  Indiana 
Markle  —  A  pastor's  class  which  had 
ten  lessons  on  church  doctrines  has 
proved  to  be  beneficial.  On  Pentecost 
two  boys  were  baptized  and  four  adults 
received  by  letter.  Eleven  children 
were  dedicated.  Two  sections  of  the 
community  vacation  church  school  were 
held  in  our  building,  June  13-24.  Our 
delegate  to  Annual  Conference  was 
Robert  McLean.  On  Children's  Day 
a  special  program  was  given  for  the 
benefit  of  the  children  and  parents. 
Mrs.  Howard  Book,  district  children's 
director,  was  the  speaker.    The  men's 

31 


MY  NEW  ADDRESS  IS  .  . 


Kama 


R.  D.  or  St. 


P.  O Zone  State  

Help  us  to  keep  your  Gospel  Messenger  coming  by  reporting  any   change   in 
address  promptly.    Please  do  not  remove  old  address. 


JANE  ADDAMS 

WORLD 

NEIGHBOR 

Miriam  Gilbert 

Much  can  be  said  about  the 
details  of  the  life  of  Jane 
Addams.  But  it  is  the  large 
picture  —  the  great  sweep  of 
her  interests,  as  shown  by 
Miss  Gilbert  — that  inspires 
awe  and  makes  it  seem  pos- 
sible that  one  person  can 
help  to  solve  the  problems  of 
the  world.  Here  is  a  vivid  ac- 
count of  what  one  dedicated 
Maker  of  America  achieved 
by  bringing  world-wide  at- 
tention to  the  question  of 
freedom  and  peace  for  all. 
Illustrated.  Cloth.  Ages  8-12. 
$1.75 

Church  of  the  Brelhren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,  Illinois 


32 


fellowship  presented  a  program  on 
Mother's  Day  and  the  women  s  fellow- 
ship sponsored  the  Father's  Day  pro- 
gram. Our  mother  and  daughter 
banquet  was  served  at  the  Leon  Creek 
church.  Several  juniors  and  junior 
highs  are  planning  to  attend  Camp 
Mack.  —  Mrs.  Robert  Randol,  Markle, 
Ind. 

Pleasant  View  —  Six  have  been  bap- 
tized and  nine  received  by  letter  re- 
cently. L.  W.  Schultz  showed  pictures 
of  his  trip  to  Europe.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Robert  Vorderman  and  their  children 
from  Holland  are  now  living  in  our 
community.  Albert  Whitrnore  was  our 
delegate  to  Annual  Conference.  Seven 
of  our  young  people  are  attending  Camp 
Mack  this  summer.  The  offering  given 
by  the  children  who  attended  the  va- 
cation Bible  school  will  be  used  to 
send  baby  chicks  to  Haiti.  Nine  of 
our  members  helped  to  process  clothing 
one  day  at  Nappanee.  In  our  morning 
worship  on  Mother's  Day  one  child  was 
consecrated.  —  Mrs.  Amsa  Snell,  South 
Whitley,  Ind. 


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Danville  —  George  Sheets  of  Ashland, 
Ohio,  served  as  interim  pastor  before 
William  Loucks  came  last  fall.  Several' 
of  our  number  attended  the  leadership 
training  classes  at  the  Ashland  City 
church.  In  observance  of  Easter,  we 
had  Holy  Week  services,  concluding 
with  the  communion  service,  and  a  sun- 
rise service  for  youth.  The  men's  sub- 
district  meeting  was  held  in  our  church. 
Mrs.  Epstein  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Ohio,  spoke 
at  the  mother-daughter  tea  on  May  12. 
The  women's  fellowship  has  made  nine 
comforters  for  relief  and  seven  baby 
comforters.  Our  pastor  conducted  one 
week  of  revival  meetings.  —  Mrs.  Faye 
Motz,  Danville,  Ohio. 


Minister's  Book  of  the  Month 


Selection  for  AUGUST 

SPIRITUAL  THERAPY 

RICHARD  K.  YOUNG  and  ALBERT  L.  MEIBURG 

In  a  hospital  in  North  Carolina  a  very  significant  and  successful 
experiment  is  taking  place  where  physician,  psychiatrist  and  min- 
ister are  undertaking  a  program  that  is  as  fascinating  to  read  about 
as  it  is  heartening  for  the  future  of  humanity.  This  book  tells  how 
mind-body-spirit  healing  occurs  in  actual  cases. 

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GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


Gospel 


JULY  30,  1960 


Tharpe 


How  lovely  is  thy  divelling  place,  O  Lord  of  hosts! 


Gospel  Messenger         READERS   WRITE  .  .   .   to  the   edito 

(Thy  Kingdom  Come" 


The  Gospel  Messenger  welcomes  letters  commenting  on  editorials,  articles  an 
news.   Letters  should  be  brief  and  brotherly. 


KENNETH   MORSE       .......     Editor 

ELIZABETH  WEIGLE  -  Editorial  Assistant 


THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER,  official 
organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Published  weekly  by  the  General  Broth- 
erhood Board,  Norman  J.  Baugher,  Gen- 
eral Secretary,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
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cial rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917, 
authorized  Aug.  20,  1918.  Printed  in 
U.S.A. 

MEMBER:    The  Associated  Church  Press 

SUBSCRIBER:     Religious    News    Service, 
Ecumenical  Press  Service 

JULY  30,  1960 
Volume  109  Number  31 


In  This  Number  .   .   . 

Editorial  — 

More  Leisure  Time  —  Bane  or  Blessing?     5 
Get  the  Christian  Message  Out  in  the 
Open     5 

The  General  Forum  — 

Artisans   of   the   Dream. 

Charles  E.  Zunkel   3 

Prospects    for    a    Point    Four    Youth 

Corps.    Franklin  Wallick    6 

Mary  Schaeffer  —  One  Who  Was  Not 

Afraid.    Inez  Long   10 

Whose  School  Is  This?  Alice  Goddard  13 
Response    to    the    Challenge. 

Robert  Richards    18 

Previewing  Summer  Issue  of  Brethren 

Life  and  Thought   21 

A  Bible-Reading  Church.  Edna  Switzer  22 
Five  New  Citizens  for  Ecuador. 

Estella  Horning   22 

Reviews  of  Recent  Books 22 

News  — 

Kingdom    Gleanings    16 

News  and  Comment  From  Around  the 

World    24 

Overseas  Report   From   India. 

Andrew   Holderreed    25 

Church  News    28 


Secretary  of  Labor  James  P.  Mitchell: 
"I  think  we  are  already  on  that  frontier 
when  a  mutually  honored  ethical  base 
for  action  is  the  single  most  important 
element  in  our  economic  Me.  Common 
to  any  set  of  moral  terms  is  the  belief 
that  the  higher  purposes  of  society, 
which  might  be  called  the  spiritual 
purposes  of  society,  are  the  ones  that 
should  be  served  first.  What  all  this 
adds  up  to  is  that  morality  in  the  labor- 
management  relationship  is  a  practical 
necessity." 


Mixed  Reaction 

My  reaction  to  the  special  study 
on  discipleship  for  the  last  quarter 
Sunday  school  lessons  is  somewhat 
mixed.  Full  commitment  of  life  and 
special  emphasis  on  evangelism  fill 
an  important  educational  need  for 
our  Brethren  people. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has 
long  been  known  for  upholding  its 
doctrines  and  rituals,  which  will  con- 
tinue to  be  dearly  beloved  by  many 
of  our  people.  May  we  look  forward 
to  keeping  our  special  emphasis  on 
discipleship  and  evangelism  in 
proper  balance  with  our  accepted 
church   doctrines. 

However,  I  doubt  the  advisability 
of  departing  from  the  Uniform  Inter- 
national Sunday  School  Lessons  to 
promote  an  educational  program  on 
discipleship  and  evangelism  or,  as 
we  did  sometime  ago,  on  church 
history.  Frank  Denlinger,  919 
Washington    Blvd.,    Anderson,    Ind. 

Christian  World  Citizenship 

Dan  West,  respected  peace  leader 
in  the  church  of  the  Brethren,  made 
some  thought-provoking  statements 
at  Annual  Conference.  This  one  — 
"Deeds  of  sharing  can  stretch  'our 
belonging'  .  .  .  Our  consciousness 
cannot  shrink  but  our  belongings  can 
unless  we  expand  them  through 
deeds  of  compassion."  Another  sig- 
nificant statement:  "One  fill-'er-up 
at  the  gas  station  costs  more  than 
the  average  member's  contribution 
for  missions  and  service  in  the 
church."  He  challenged  the  men  to 
match  their  giving  for  peace  to  the 
equivalent  paid  at  the  gas  station 
to  "fill-'er-up." 

Bro.  Dan  West  has  traveled  wide- 
ly over  the  world  and  could  be  re- 
ferred to  as  "this  man  from  the 
west"  —  Western  civilization.  He 
challenged  the  women  to  discipline 
by  suggesting  that  "giving  half  of 
their  wardrobe  for  peace,"  could 
speed  up  Christian  world  citizenship. 

This  man  is  representative  of 
those  who  cannot  be  put  back  into 
a  small  world  since  witnessing  so 
much  suffering.  A  number  of  years 
ago  he  initiated  sending  heifers  to 
Spain  that  children  there  might  have 
milk  to  drink.  Since  that  time, 
Heifer  Project,  Inc.,  and  CROP 
through  the  Church  World  Service 
channels  have  shipped  livestock, 
helping  many  a  family  to  help  them- 
selves.  Many  women  throughout  the 


Brotherhood  have  been  giving  usei 
clothing  which  is  sent  overseas  als 
through  Church  World  Service. 

May  we  be  a  big  enough  denomj 
nation  to  look  with  favor  upon  th) 
co-operative  movement  rather  tha 
frowning  because  Brethren  Servic 
is  perhaps  not  mentioned  in  ever 
instance.  Most  denominations  hav 
recognized  that  the  Church  of  th 
Brethren  has  pioneered  in  this  sen 
ice  field.  May  we  be  humble  enoug 
to  be  willing  to  lose  our  identity  i 
need  be  to  speed  up  our  Christia 
world  citizenship.  —  Rachel  Franb 
1833  West  lies,  Springfield,  111. 

Homes  Could  Be  Powerhouses 

The  Gospel  Messenger  (July 
issue)  which  came  today  is  fille* 
with  excellent  messages,  beginning 
with  the  little  "orator"  on  the  cove 
page.  I  agree,  "Such  spokesmen  W 
need  now." 

Bro.  Richard  Bollinger's  messag 
is  timely,  thought-provoking.  1 
should  be  a  challenge  to  every  paci 
fist  who  believes  Christ's  rule  of  lov 
is  stronger  than  the  law  of  violence 

I  have  read  all  of  the  Confereno 
addresses  to  date.  All  are  very  good 
I  was  thankful  for  the  Conference 
Booklet  and  for  the  pictures  of  tbJ 
speakers   in  the   Gospel   Messenger 

I  was  able  to  pray  for  each  o 
them,  for  the  moderator,  for  th< 
Standing  Committee,  for  the  dele 
gates,  and  for  all  of  you  who  carriec 
the  responsibility  of  making  it  j 
great  Conference.  We  old  cripplec 
folks  who  cannot  attend  Conferenct 
can  still  have  a  part  in  it,  even  thougl 
confined  to  a  "house  of  prayer,' 
wherever  we  abide. 

Thanks  for  the  editorial,  "Condi!  M 
tions  of  Power."  I  am  so  thankfu 
this  power  is  still  available  to  al 
who  seek  it.  I  cut  it  out  and  pastec 
it  in  my  littie  House  of  Prayer  book 
let,  which  is  based  on  Leslie  Weath- 
erhead's  book,  A  Private  House  oi 
Prayer. 

I  often  wonder  how  many  thou 
sands  of  Christian  men  and  womer 
have  read  that  book  and  also  havt 
a  "private  house  of  prayer"  similal 
to  the  one  he  suggested. 

Homes  for  elderly  people  anc 
those  of  us  who  are  still  in  our  owr 
homes  could  be  powerhouses  for  tht 
work  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  oui 
floundering  world,  if  we  would  make 
use  of  this  power.  —  Mrs.  Editl 
Cripe,  R.  4,  Box  84,  Goshen,  In<| 
GOSPEL  MESSENGEJ 


r 


',, 


DREAM 


Charles  £.  Zunkel 


NO  ONE  in  all  the  world 
had  a  more  daring 
dream  than  did  Jesus  — 
he  dream  of  the  kingdom  of 
Uod!  This  kingdom  was  to  be 
•ealized  on  earth,  in  the  hearts 
md  lives  of  frail  mortal  flesh! 
?or  this  dream  he  lived,  he 
abored,  he  loved,  and  he  died. 

Across  the  centuries,  men  and 
vomen  have  come  to  share  it,  to 
Iream  it,  to  live  it,  to  labor,  and 
o  die  for  its  realization.  Caught 
p  in  the  sweep  of  its  majestic 
)eauty  and  fullness,  we,  too, 
hare  its  reality,  its  down-to- 
arth  necessity,  and  the  expec- 
ation  of  its  coming. 

So  it  was  for  Alexander 
dack,  Peter  Becker,  Chris- 
opher  Sauer,  John  Naas,  and 
irthers  who  became  the  found- 
ing fathers  of  our  own  fraterni- 
y.  They  attempted  in  their 
aay  to  recapture  this  magnifi- 
;ent  dream  of  Jesus,  to  shape  it 
In  terms  vital  to  the  needs  of 
meir  time,  and  to  pass  it  on  to 
as,  their  spiritual  children. 

It  was  not  enough  that  Jesus 
jhould  pluck  the  dream  out  of 


the  heart  of  God,  that  he  should 
shape  it,  live  for  it,  and  give  his 
life  for  it!  It  was  not  enough 
that  the  disciples  should  like- 
wise share  their  Lord's  dream 
and  give  it  to  the  world!  Nor 
was  it  enough  that  our  fathers 
should,  in  a  sense,  reshape  the 
dream. 

They  were  the  architects,  let 
us  say,  of  the  dream  they  have 
shared  with  us.  But  we  are  the 
artisans  whose  task  it  is  to  labor 
for  the  fulfillment  of  it,  to  de- 
velop and  shape  it  out  of  the 
issues  and  experiences  of  our 
world.  Let  us  examine  some  of 
the  major  structure  of  their 
dream. 

When  one  stops  to  reflect 
upon  it,  is  it  not  remarkable 
that  our  founding  fathers  —  the 
architects  of  our  dream  —  made 
central  in  the  concerns  of  the 
church  they  founded,  issues 
which  today  are  being  regarded 
as  the  key  issues  of  our  life?  In- 
deed, some  of  these  issues  are 
becoming  of  such  paramount 
concern  to  the  total  Christian 
church  that  the  very  life  and 


health  of  the  church  depends 
upon  how  we  deal  with  them. 
Yet,  it  should  be  regarded  as 
only  natural  that  out  of  the 
months  of  diligent  searching  of 
the  Scriptures,  particularly  the 
New  Testament,  these  issues 
should  emerge  as  primary  con- 
cerns of  the  followers  of  Jesus. 
To  name  them  will  perhaps 
seem  commonplace,  for  we  have 
so  often  heard  them,  but  very 
often  may  have  failed  to  give 
them  the  dedication  of  our 
minds  and  the  commitment  of 
our  wills. 

OUR   CONCERN    FOR   PEACE 

Undoubtedly,  the  reason  for 
its  relevance  for  our  founding 
fathers  lay  in  the  history  of  the 
times,  with  the  close  of  the 
Thirty  Years'  War.  Their  Eu- 
rope was  sick  and  weary  of  war 
—  war  that  had  drenched  their 
lands  in  useless  shedding  of 
blood. 

Today,  this  concern  has  rele- 
vance for  us,  in  that  our  genera- 
tion has  passed  through  two 
terrible  world  wars  and  even 
now  shudders  on  the  brink  of 
possible  nuclear  extermination. 
Norman  Cousins,  writing  in  the 
United  Church  Herald,  in  the 
issue  of  Nov.  20,  1958,  said, 
"Leading  nuclear  physicists  to- 
day believe  that  the  U.  S.  and 
Soviet  Russia,  between  them, 
now  possess  more  than  the  num- 
ber of  fission  and  fusion  bombs 
required  to  burn  off  all  forms 
of  life  on  this  planet.  This  fact 
should  be  considered  against 
the  background  of  warnings  by 
responsible  leaders  of  govern- 
ment who  have  served  public 
notice  that  nothing  would  be 
held  back  in  the  event  of  war. 

"If  war  should  come,  it  will 
be  only  superficially  a  war  be- 
tween nations.  Essentially  it 
will  be  a  war  against  God.  For 
it  is  the  work  of  God  and  not  of 
man  alone  that  is  now  in  jeop- 
ardy. The  precariously  bal- 
anced conditions  that  make  life 
on    this    planet    possible  —  not 


ilULY  30.  1960 


solely  human  life,  but  life  in 
general  —  these  conditions  can 
now  be  smashed  or  altered. 
Man's  works  of  art,  his  cities, 
his  cathedrals,  his  homes  are 
palpable,  personally  replace- 
able. But  his  genes  and  his 
basic  nature  —  these  belong  to 
a  higher  design  and  are  not  to 
expunge  or  assail.  Yet  this  can 
be  the  effect  of  his  present 
perilous  journey." 

In  such  a  time,  the  words  and 
concerns  of  our  Lord,  the  Prince 
of  Peace,  become  terrifyingly 
relevant  and  urgent. 

Between  1708  and  1960,  what 
have  the  artisans  of  our  found- 
ing fathers'  dream  been  doing? 
How  have  we  used  the  tools  and 
materials  at  our  disposal  to 
shape  the  structure  of  our 
dream?  Our  concepts  have 
grown;  our  labor  and  witness- 
ing have  changed  across  the 
years. 

At  first,  there  was  the  earnest 
refusal  to  participate  in  the 
military,  to  leam  the  arts  of 
war  or  to  engage  in  it.  For  this 
conviction,  came  great  suffer- 
ing, misunderstanding,  and  loss 
in  militarized  Germany.  Then, 
during  Revolutionary  War  days 
in  Colonial  America,  we  were 
greatly  persecuted  for  our  wit- 
ness and  refusal  to  participate 
in  war.  During  the  Civil  War, 
we  not  only  resisted,  but  hired 
substitutes  to  do  the  dirty  busi- 
ness in  our  stead.  This  was  far 
from  the  right  answer,  and  it 
was  costly.  During  World  War 
I,  some  of  our  young  men  re- 
fused military  orders  in  the 
army,  since  no  provision  had 
been  made  for  CO's,  and  they 
went  to  prison  until  the  war 
closed. 

Then  came  World  War  II. 
There  was  the  visit  of  repre- 
sentatives of  the  three  historic 
peace  churches  with  the  Presi- 
dent, asking  military  exemp- 
tion. As  a  result  there  was  the 
historic,  specially  called  Stand- 
ing Committee  meeting  of  1940 


Edwin  Royer,  one  of  the  officials  of  the  Troy  congregation,  Ohio,  greet 

David  Wheat  during  a  reception  for  new  members.    David  was  the  thirii 

member  of  his  family  to  be  baptized  in  recent  years 


in  Chicago.  The  issue  was: 
Will  Brethren  co-operate  in 
setting  up  and  administering 
CPS  camps  and  program?  How 
much  it  would  cost,  none  of  us 
knew.  Perhaps  a  million  dol- 
lars. 

There  was  nowhere  to  turn 
for  the  answer  but  to  prayer  and 
the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
There  was  no  chance  to  poll  the 
church  for  a  "yes"  or  a  "no." 
And  we  said,  "Yes."  We  know 
how  it  worked  out.  We  know 
the  problems,  the  heartaches, 
the  concerns  we  had.  Yes,  but 
through  it  we  made  progress. 

Then  came  the  formation  of 
the  Brethren  Service  Commit- 
tee. The  China  unit  was  out  on 
the  high  seas,  when  some  con- 
gressman got  a  brainstorm  and 
attached  a  rider  to  a  bill,  which 
made  it  illegal  for  any  CO  to 


leave  territorial  U.S.  The  uni 
had  to  return;  it  went  to  Puerto 
Rico  and  began  our  ministry 
there.  This  year,  we  celebrate  " 
the  completion  of  the  new  hos1 
pital  which  has  developed  ou 
of  our  long  witness. 

Through  this  witness  we  hav< 
grown,  as  wisdom  and  expert 
ence  led  us.  We  have  seen  th< 
development  of  alternative 
service  and  detached  servic< 
units,  or  projects,  since  Work 
War  II.  In  this  last  develop 
ment,  we  feel  we  have  an  ever 
greater  and  more  positive  wit 
ness  for  peace  than  ever  before 
It  is  no  longer  a  negative  wit 
ness,  but  now  a  clear,  positive 
constructive  witness. 

But  how  well  are  we,  tht 
artisans,  doing?  We  have  th< 
framework,  the  blueprint  with 

Continued  on  page  8 

GOSPEL  MESSENGEI 


Bit 


[ore  Leisure  Time — Bane  or  Blessing? 


EDITORIALS 


T  WILL  not  be  long  until  Americans  will 

work  a  four-day  week  and  enjoy  a  three-day 

week  end.    This  is  the  opinion  of  many 

bservers.    They  may  disagree  as  to  when  this 

ew  development  will  become  widespread,  but 

w  will  deny  that  it  is  on  the  way. 

What  the  four-day  work  period  will  do  to 
ur  economy  we  cannot  say.  Perhaps,  with 
utomation  moving  into  most  industries,  it  will 
Lave  little  effect  on  productivity.  But  for  those 
f  us  whose  work  cannot  so  easily  be  standard- 
zed  for  the  assembly  line,  the  prospect  is  less 
ttractive.  It  takes  just  as  long  to  write  an 
ditorial  today  as  it  did  when  men  worked 
eventy  hours  a  week.  We  may  be  able  to 
treamline  conferences  and  cut  down  on  travel 
ime,  but  there  are  few  short  cuts  to  arriving  at 
vise  decisions. 

As  Christians  our  basic  concern,  however,  is 
ith  the  added  leisure  the  future  offers.  What 
ill  really  happen  to  the  family  that  can  count 
n  a  three-day  week  end?  Will  father  take  on 
nother  part-time  job  to  supplement  his  four-day 
ncome  so  that  he  can  meet  the  payments  on  the 


cottage  and  boat  he  buys  for  his  new  leisure 
time?  Will  the  time  be  available  for  training 
opportunities  for  Christian  leaders,  also  for 
worthwhile  family  experiences?  Will  our  free 
days  and  quick  transportation  make  us  better 
ambassadors  for  Christ?  Or  will  the  attraction 
of  travel  actually  tend  to  pull  apart  the  church 
fellowship  and  scatter  its  members  as  soon  as 
the  work  week  is  over? 

The  answer  can  be  found  in  the  way  persons 
now  use  their  time.  If  our  lives  are  already 
empty,  leisure  has  little  to  offer  us.  We  cannot 
fill  up  our  spiritual  lack  by  simply  adding  more 
activities  that  fail  to  satisfy.  But  if  a  person  has 
already  related  himself  to  Jesus  Christ  in  such 
a  way  that  his  life  now  has  purpose  and  mean- 
ing, added  leisure  could  easily  afford  him  greater 
opportunity  for  service  and  spiritual  growth. 
More  time  for  leisure  could  make  more  Christian 
leadership  available  for  the  urgent  tasks  the 
church  faces.  But  more  time  for  leisure  will 
likely  also  create  many  new  problems,  many  new 
dangers,  and  many  new  temptations  for  those 
whom  the  church  attempts  to  serve.  —  k.m. 


iet  the  Christian  Message  Out  in  the  Open 


A  BRITISH  clergyman,  Dr.  Donald  O. 
Soper,  has  been  urging  his  fellow  min- 
isters to  do  more  of  their  preaching  out 
)f  doors.  Mr.  Soper  can  speak  from  experience 
)ased  on  many  appearances  in  Hyde  Park,  Lon- 
lon,  and  in  countless  street  meetings.  He  wel- 
:omes  the  rough  and  tumble  atmosphere  of  the 
)pen  air  where,  as  he  says,  "the  preacher  is  in 
secular  environment.  He  is  in  front  of  people 
o  be  shot  at  without  the  privileges  of  the  pul- 

Jnt" 
We  suspect  that  what  the  British  Methodist 
eader  wants  is  not  just  to  get  out  in  the  open 
J  With  our  Christian  message,  but  to  witness  to  its 
mower  in  places  where  people  congregate  — 
[which  means  facing  up  to  the  fact  that  most  of 
{the  people  who  need  the  gospel  do  not  congre- 
gate in  church. 

Certainly  those  who  are  preachers  among 

j  pur  readers  recognize  how  limited  their  ministry 

ivill  be  if  they  speak  only  to  the  faithful  ones 

vvho  come  regularly  to  church.  Perhaps  more  of 

I  them  should  confront  street  crowds  with  the 

gospel.   Surely  they  should  seize  the  opportuni- 

j  ;:ies    available    through    radio    and    television, 

through  the  public  press,   and  in  community 

JULY  30,  1960 


forums  to  bear  witness  to  their  faith.  They  must 
reach  people  where  they  live  or  they  will  not 
reach  them  at  all. 

But  those  of  us  who  are  not  preachers  have 
many  more  opportunities  than  they  to  communi- 
cate to  people  where  they  live.  We  are  the 
neighbors  of  the  pagans  in  our  communities. 
We  are  the  persons  who  work  side  by  side  with 
men  and  women  desperately  in  need  of  the 
gospel.  We  sit  next  to  them  at  a  ball  game  or 
in  a  restaurant.  We  talk  intimatelv  to  them  at 
family  reunions  and  we  know  them  well. 

Preaching  where  we  live  and  witnessing 
where  we  work  may  be  the  best  channels  for 
communicating  the  gospel  today.  By  all  means 
encourage  preachers  to  go  where  people  are. 
But  do  not  overlook  the  church  members  who 
spend  every  day  where  people  are.  They  too 
need  to  get  out  in  the  open  with  their  testimony. 

—  K.M. 


There  are  many  excellent  prophets  and  witnesses  of 
Christ  Jesus  who  never  enter  into  the  ministry,  to  wit, 
lawyers,  physicians,  soldiers,  tradesmen  and  others  of 
higher  and  lower  rank,  by  God's  holy  Spirit. 

—  Roger  Williams 


Prospects 
for  a 
Point  Four 


Youth  Corps 


Lawmakers  embody 

in  Congressional  bill  th 

person-to-person  basis  for  helping 

underdeveloped  area, 


Franklin  Wallick 


DURING  the  next  year  a 
study  will  be  under  way 
to  decide  if  the  Amer- 
ican government  should  in- 
clude a  Point  Four  Youth  Corps 
in  its  vast  multibillion  dollar 
overseas  aid  program. 

The  idea  for  such  a  program 
stems  from  the  success  of 
many  church-sponsored  volun- 
tary service  programs,  includ- 
ing the  work  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren. 

Fourteen  years  ago  I  worked 
in  China  as  part  of  the  Brethren 
Tractor  Unit  and  ever  since 
then  I  have  been  a  strong  be- 
liever in  the  worth  of  such 
enterprises.   Many  of  our  over- 


seas technical  assistance  pro- 
grams appear  to  have  something 
lacking.  That  "something"  is 
the  willingness  of  Americans  to 
live  close  to  people  who  are 
illiterate,  ill-fed,  ill-clad,  and  ill- 
housed. 

There  are  literally  thousands 
of  young  Americans  with  farm 
background,  girls  trained  in 
home  economics,  and  boys 
with  ordinary  mechanical  apti- 
tudes who  could  make  a  far 
greater  contribution  to  world 
bootstrap-lifting  than  some 
present  fellow  countrymen 
making  the  attempt  now. 

Congressman  Henry  Reuss 
along    with    the    late    Senator 


mm; 


C 


6 


Richard  Neuberger  proposec 
early  this  year  that  a  Point  Foui 
Youth  Corps  be  explored  to  see 
if  this  could  not  harness  the 
idealism  of  young  people  anc 
put  some  of  America's  practica 
know-how  at  work  in  distant 
parts  of  the  world  where  it  car 
count  the  most. 


The 
ing  on. 
critics 
sound 
While 


Sat 


fiiti 
idea  seems  to  be  catchmicl 
Some  of  the  staunches! 
of  foreign  aid  like  the 
of  this  new  approach! 
some  antiforeign-aic 
newspapers  have  grumbled 
such  respected  publications  a« 
the  Christian  Science  Monitoi 
have  hailed  it  "one  of  the  best 
devised  for  the  competitive  co 
existence  era." 

The  Reuss  proposal  is  aimed 
at  "a  draft-pay,  draft-duration 
draft-tough  alternative  to  selec- 
tive service  for  qualified  young 
Americans  who  choose  to  serve 
their  country  in  foreign  rice 
paddies  instead  of  the  drill 
field,"  as  the  Monitor  describe* 
it. 


A  team  of  volunteer  workers  help  i 
village  of  refugees  construct  an 
irrigation  system  that  they  might 
increase  their  food  supply 


World   Council  of  Churches 


GOSPEL  MESSENGEB 


lira 


K 


i- 


jjiving  with  farmers  of  Asia,  Nigeria,  or  South  America,  youth  with  knowl- 
edge of  agriculture  can  help  them  improve  their  methods  and  their  tools 


Those  of  us  who  worked  in 

>hina  realize  that  we  merely 

ampled  the  kind  of  program 

hat  might  be  worked  out  in  the 

uture  on  a  permanent  basis  for 

uch  places  as  Nigeria,  India, 

nd  Latin  America.    We  were 

a  China  during  the  height  of 

Be  civil  war  when  the  Chinese 

Rationalist  government  was  on 

,ihe  verge  of  collapse,  making 

»ur  work  nearly  impossible  in 

■nanv  cases. 

J 

Yet  in  spite  of  those  handi- 
caps, there  were  some  positive 
Contributions  made  —  both  to 
■he  Chinese  people  and  to 
lihose  of  us  who  worked  with 
■hem. 

Farm  boys  who  grew  up  with 
•in  ear  for  scientific  farming  and 
plvho  had  familiarity  with  ma- 
fchine-shop  routine  proved  to  be 
x*ood  tutors  to  Chinese  still 
forking  at  the  pace  of  the 
wheelbarrow  age.  Several  unit 
Dnen  are  still  hard  at  work  in 
lechnical  assistance  programs  in 
ijUxica,  Asia,  and  Latin  America. 

Many  a  government  foreign- 
;  xid  program  has  floundered  be- 
cause it  lacked  the  flair  for 
jjdealism  and  dedication  which 

\  ULY  30,  I960 


missionary  groups  can  put  into 
their  activity.  By  maintaining 
high  standards,  a  Point  Four 
Youth  Corps  could  cater  to 
those  with  humanitarian,  yet 
practical,  instincts. 

The  sensational  book,  The 
Ugly  American,  tells  how  ad- 
venture-seekers and  misfits  can 
foul  up  a  well-meaning  pro- 
gram. While  this  book  actually 
makes  the  "ugly"  American  its 
hero  because  he  is  doing  the 
work  most  accepted  by  the  peo- 
ple, it  shows  that  grand  scale, 
glittering  projects  often  cost  too 
much  and  accomplish  too  little 

in   the   wav   of   economic    im- 

j 

provement  of  emerging  nations. 

A  Point  Four  Youth  Corps 
would  necessarily  be  confined 
to  village-type  projects  on  a 
people-to-people  basis. 

One  universitv  has  suggested 
that  well-digging,  malaria  con- 
trol, animal  husbandry,  crops, 
irrigation,  soil  conservation,  and 
poultry  improvement,  mother 
and  child  care,  foods  and  nu- 
trition —  to     mention     onlv     a 

j 

few  —  could  be  undertaken 
with  the  supervision  of  trained 
experts. 


Kayfetz  from  Monkmeyer 


With  more  and  more  Amer- 
icans leaving  the  farm  because 
of  improving  farm  technology, 
what  a  wonderful  way  to  use 
the  skills  of  modern  farm  boys 
in  helping  to  tackle  the  misery 
of  people  in  other  lands.  And 
what  a  grand  way  to  show  other 
nations  that  Americans  are  not 
all  pleasure-bent  tourists  inter- 
ested only  in  buying  knick- 
knacks  and  taking  snapshots  of 
quaint  temples. 

The  tractor  unit  members 
that  I  worked  with  in  China  all 
had  their  cameras  and  color 
film.  Many  of  them  returned 
to  their  homes  loaded  down 
with  slides  about  their  work  — 
explaining  how  Christianity 
helped  the  suffering  during  the 
time  of  great  need.  Instead  of 
looking  at  people  as  tourists 
these  young  men  did  some- 
thing "for"  and  "with"  the 
Chinese  they  met. 

Some  of  Washington's  State 
Department  officialdom  looked 
at  first  with  kindlv  skepticism 
at  the  Reuss-Neuberger  bill. 
Now  even  hard-boiled  govern- 
ment bureaucrats  are  beginning 
to  soften  their  views  as   they 


Screen  Traveler  from  Gendieau 


No  longer  will  a  mother  use  a  drinking  fountain  as  a  bathtub 
for  her  child  when  she  learns  the  simple  rules  of  hygiene 


realize  how  much  more  effec- 
tive our  overseas  programs 
might  become  with  an  approach 
of  this  kind. 

Many  of  our  most  thoughtful 
leaders  believe  that  American 
young  people  need  a  cause  to 
live  for.  The  philosopher,  Wil- 
liam James,  spoke  of  a  "moral 
equivalent  to  war."  Not  all  of 
us  can  devote  a  lifetime  to 
foreign  missions  or  full-time 
church  work.  But  a  year  or  so 
of  service  during  our  early 
twenties  is  something  well  with- 
in the  realm  of  possibility. 

While  strict  pacifists  may  ob- 
ject to  military  conscription, 
such  training  does  have  as  an 
objective  service  to  the  nation 
and  the  community  in  the  spirit 
of  personal  sacrifice. 

The  Mormon  Church  has 
long  discovered  that  a  year 
of  service  to  the  church  by 
every  one  of  its  youthful  mem- 
bers goes  a  long  way  toward 
building  real  church  solidarity 
and  dedication. 

If  we  can  spend  billions  of 


dollars  to  build  a  rocket  to  the 
moon,  can  we  not  spend  a  small 
fraction  of  this  to  provide  stim- 
ulating outlets  for  the  youthful 
zeal  "to  rough  it"  and  "help 
others"? 

The  churches  of  America,  and 
some  secular  groups  as  well, 
have  launched  pioneer  projects. 
They  have  demonstrated  that 
Americans  are  not  softies  or 
hardhearted  lovers  of  luxury. 
But  most  of  these  projects  — 
worthwhile  as  they  all  are  — 
have  only  scratched  the  surface. 
Much,  much  more  must  be 
done. 

The  Christian  Science  Mon- 
itor again  notes  that  the  House 
Foreign  Affairs  Committee, 
which  praised  the  Point  Four 
Youth  Corps,  stated  its  own 
study  missions  "frequently 
found  that  the  best  American 
foreign-aid  projects  in  develop- 
ing nations  were  making  use 
of  young,  technically  trained 
Americans  working  at  the  vil- 
lage level. 

"It  said,  however,  that  exist- 


ing  programs  were  so  limited 
that  at  least  ten  highly  qualified! 
young  graduates  of  agricultural 
colleges  have  volunteered  for 
each  position  made  available  by 
the  International  Co-operation 
Administration. 

"But  even  America's  limited 
experience  in  this  field  indicates! 
strongly  that  the  kind  of  young 
men  and  women  dedicated  to 
service  in  the  villages  of  Asia, 
Africa,  and  Latin  America  — 
service  at  draft  pay  and  with 
no  PX  pleasures  —  make  good 
ambassadors." 


in 


Artisans  of  the  Dream 

Continued   from   page   4 

in  which  we  can  witness.    But 
what  of  our  witness?  On  Wed 
nesday,  March  3,  of  this  year, 
several  of  us  at  the  Washington 
adult  seminar  paid  a  visit  to'iei 
Selective    Service.     We    were 
graciously    received.     For    an 
hour,  we   sat  in  the  office  of 
Colonel    Charles    Brahl,    who 
works  under  General  Lewis  B 
Hershey.     With    us    was    Mr 
Alfred    Oddo,    a    civilian    ap- 
pointee of  General  Hershey 's$  * 
in   charge    of   all   I-W   affairs. 
They  spoke  of  the  general's  re- 
cent   visit    to    Europe,    of    hisi 
unqualified     praise     for     what 
the   Friends,   Mennonites,   and 
Brethren  are  doing  there.  Then1  ie 
Colonel    Brahl    made    this    as- 
tounding statement,  "If  we  had 
enough   of   this   sort   of  thing, 
we  would  eliminate  war." 

This  faith  in  peace  cost  our 
founding  fathers,  the  architects 
of  our  dream,  and  cost  them  j 
terribly.  Across  these  two  and  it 
a  half  centuries,  it  has  cost  a 
host  of  other  faithful  artisans 
just  as  terribly.  Now  when  we 
have  won,  at  such  great  cost, 
this  right  to  build  constructive- 
ly for  peace,  why  is  it  that  there 
are  reported  only  1,000  Men- 
nonites, 128  Brethren,  and  40 
Quakers  in  I-W  service?  What 
sort  of  artisans  are  we? 


GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


I 


K 

B 
AC. 


k 
k 


le 
i 

ft  i 


I 


ft 


J: 


. 


But  beyond  that,  is  it  not  the 
:ime  when  we  need  to  take  a 
aew  step  forward  in  our  build- 
fng  for  peace?  For  years,  many 
of  us  have  had  troubled  con- 
sciences that  some  eighty  per 
cent  of  our  tax  dollar  goes  for 
{hat  which  we  oppose  —  mili- 
tary expenditure.  Our  Presi- 
dent, in  recent  statements  in 
ij/isits  to  neighbor  nations,  has 
Expressed  the  faith  that  as  we 
I  educe  our  military  expendi- 
tures we  can  give  greater  eco- 
nomic aid. 

Here  is  a  tool  of  genuine 
i|)eace.  Why  should  we  not  at 
his  propitious  moment  in  his- 
flory  ask  our  church  to  send  a 
•  lepresentative,  along  with  a 
Quaker  and  a  Mennonite,  as  a 
'jlelegation  to  the  President,  to 
i  |sk  exemption  of  our  tax  dollars 
Ror  military  expenditures,  using 
i.jhem  rather  for  economic  aid 
nd  technical  assistance?  Is 
(his  not  the  next  major  step,  as 
we  build  for  peace? 

UR  CONCERN  FOR 
ACIAL  BROTHERHOOD 

We  have  consistently  taken 
le  official  position  in  our 
lurch  that  we  are  brothers, 
'hat  economic,  social,  or  racial 
arriers  have  no  place  in  the 
ody  of  Christ.  On  occasion, 
e  have  pointed  with  pride  to 
le  fact  that  in  the  1860's,  when 
ther  church  bodies  were  being 
ivided  "North"  and  "South," 
re  did  not  divide  on  the  race 
sue. 

What  are  we  artisans  doing 
i  the  building  of  the  dream  of 
ur  founding  fathers?  Ah,  yes, 
ie  dream  of  Christ?  These  are 
itical  days  in  our  world.  We 
mnot  much  longer  say,  "Lord, 
ord,"  and  refuse  to  do  his 
)mmand  —  to   be   his   church. 

I  am  now  a  pastor  in  Vir- 
inia.  I  cannot  speak  with 
ride  of  my  state,  as  some 
irginians  do,  when  I  think  of 
•me  aspects  of  our  dealing 
ith  the  racial  issue.    Some  of 

JLY  30,  1960 


us,  at  the  adult  Washington 
seminar  sought  interviews  with 
our  senators  and  congressman, 
to  attempt  to  make  our  con- 
cerns known. 

Last  year  in  our  Mill  Creek 
church  we  held  a  meeting  on 
the  public  school  issue,  invit- 
ing in  representatives  of  PTA, 
teachers,  clubs,  etc.,  both  Ne- 
groes and  whites.  Some  folk 
said  it  was  the  largest  meeting 
of  important  people  in  Rock- 
ingham County  that  they  had 
yet  seen.  We  had  intelligent 
discussion  of  the  issues  facing 
us  and  founded  a  county  Com- 
mittee for  the  Continuation  of 
the  Public  School,  to  be  alert  to 
act  in  any  need  or  crisis  on  the 
school  issue. 

Many  of  our  churches  have 
faced  the  issues  in  a  changing 
city  neighborhood.  Most  of 
them  have  run  to  the  suburbs. 
We  thank  God  that  a  few  are 
deciding  to  stay  and  be  the 
church  of  Christ.  In  the  days 
ahead,  many  of  us  will  be  asked 
to  stand  up  and  be  counted.  It 
will  mean  finding  every  way  we 
can  to  give  shape  and  meaning 
to  our  historic  statement  on  race 
in  1950.  Locally,  we  can  work 
at  eliminating  segregation  in 
eating  places,  libraries,  rest 
rooms  —  indeed,  in  every  place 
that  segregation  rears  its  ugly 
head. 

OUR  CONCERN  FOR 
HOME  AND  FAMILY  LIFE 

Let  me  express  but  this  one 
more  concern,  among  several 
which  could  well  be  named. 
We  find  the  breakup  of  the 
home  and  family  invading  our 
church,  which  has  long  cher- 
ished the  permanence  of  the 
marriage  bond  and  the  stability 
of  the  family. 

Occasionally,  some  incident 
brings  this  home  to  any  of  our 
local  congregations  with  a  sud- 
denness and  force  that  jolts  us 
wide-awake.  It  impresses  upon 
us  the  need  for  assistance  to  our 


youth  in  concerns  of  dating, 
courtship,  and  marriage,  and 
the  need  for  more  effective  pre- 
marriage counselling.  Also,  we 
become  more  deeply  aware  of 
the  need  for  the  close  co-opera- 
tion of  home  and  church  in  all 
areas  of  these  vital  relation- 
ships. 

But  what  of  juvenile  delin- 
quency? What  of  its  causes  and 
cure?  Here,  we  Brethren  are 
not  exempt,  either.  What  are 
we  seriously  doing  to  help 
our  parents  be  better,  more 
understanding  parents?  Are  we 
assessing  seriously  the  relation- 
ship between  working  mothers 
and  juvenile  and  home  prob- 
lems? Have  we  fallen  in  line 
with  the  tempo  about  us  — 
greed  to  get  ahead  financially, 
to  enjoy  the  things  of  life,  and 
to  avoid  the  so-called  monotony 
of  being  just  a  homemaker? 
Have  these  bitten  us,  too? 

WHAT   OF   THE   FUTURE? 

As  we  said  at  the  outset,  some 
of  the  structure  of  our  dream  is 
today  regarded  as  key  issues  of 
our  contemporary  life.  It  is  im- 
perative that  we  deal  creatively 
and  constructively  with  them! 
Either,  we  will  do  so  in  our 
generation,  or  the  results  will 
be  disastrous,  even  catastrophic, 
for  generations  to  come.  We 
cannot  long  put  off  further 
drastic  encounter  with  the 
threat  of  war,  with  the  amass- 
ing of  nuclear  and  biological 
weapons  to  prosecute  that  war. 
We  cannot  side-step  the  crying 
demand  of  the  colored  peoples 
of  the  earth  for  human  dignity, 
human  rights,  interracial  broth- 
erhood. We  cannot  allow  the 
home,  the  basic  unit  of  our  so- 
ciety to  continue  to  disinte- 
grate. These  dare  not  be!  Not 
if  it  is  to  be  well  with  us,  with 
our  children,  and  our  children's 
children.  Shall  we  refuse  to  be 
worthy  artisans  of  our  dream, 
the  dream  of  our  Lord?  Shall 
we  allow  the  dream  to  die? 


my  scud™ 

One.  Who-  Wai  Not  Apudd 


MARY!  Mary!  Shame  on 
you!"  shouted  the 
schoolteacher.  She 
pointed  a  finger  of  scorn  at  the 
small  pupil  who  had  disobeyed. 
"Shame  on  you  for  bringing  dis- 
honor on  your  church." 

Mary's  prankish  mood 
changed  to  shame.  She  hid  her 
face  against  the  bannister  where 
she  had  offended  by  twisting 
and  sliding  during  recess  at 
school.  Both  the  childish  mood 
and  the  shame  were  unusual 
with  her.  She  was  conscientious 
and  obedient.  She  was  seldom 
the  object  of  correction,  being 
at  the  top  of  her  class  as  a 
scholar. 


Inez  Long 


Only  ten  years  old,  she  did 
not  understand  that  the  teacher 
had  used  her  as  an  example  to 
worse  offenders.  But  the  teach- 
er's shouting,  the  shame  and  the 
occasion  of  being  a  public  ex- 
ample on  account  of  her  church 
were  never  forgotten.  On  Mary 
Schaeffer's  mind  the  teacher 
wrote,  in  her  own  crude  way,  an 
indelible  lesson.  It  was  a  well- 
timed  lesson.  Mary  had  just 
been  baptized.  She  was  keenly 
aware  of  the  demands  of  that 
baptism,  and  the  new  prayer 
veil  on  her  head  and  the  plain 


T! 
lar 
r 


er 
ate 
Die. 
¥ 
jcca 


nee 
el 
last 
mil 
M. 
eir 
111 
tae 

u 

liii 


10 


clothes   of  the   Brethren  wej 
constant  symbols  of  them. 

In  that  mysterious  way 
which  God  works,  the  scoldir 
of  the  teacher  instructed  Mai 
Schaeffer  in  the  need  for  vig 
lance  in  the  Christian  lif 
Forty  years  later  the  lessoi 
met  the  test  of  privation,  lone: 
ness,  and  tragedy  a  contine] 
away  from  home.  Mary,  he 
self,  was  surprised  to  find  ho 
well  she  was  prepared  to  me 
them. 

Her  preparation  for  sacrifii 
began  early.  She  found  it  dif 
cult  to  leave  home  at  elev< 
years  of  age  when,  by  necessit 
she  was  farmed  out  to  won 

GOSPEL  MESSENG 


e  ran  home  because  of  home- 
kness    but    her    mother    re- 
med    her    promptly    to    her 
ice  of  employment.    This  ex- 
rience   taught  her  that  life, 
lough  hard,  must  be  faced  be- 
luse  even  struggle  has  a  pur- 
ise.     For   years    she   had   no 
loice  except  to  struggle.    She 
ns  born  and  reared  a  child  of 
Ity  because  of  the  conditions 
1  stress  in  her  family.  Courage 
lis  not  spoken  of  as  an   ac- 
fcired  achievement.    It  was  a 
Icessity. 
Though     short     and     small, 
ary  grew  fast  in  ways  which 
e  young  seldom  know.  In  the 
ime  of  her  employer  she  was 
light  to  read  the  Bible  every 
ght  before  she  went  to  bed. 
er  self-discipline  in  her  pri- 
te  religious  life  was  remark- 
ile.   Though  she  loved  books, 
e  had  only  the  Bible  and  an 
casional    Missionary    Visitor, 
le  could  get  to  church  only 
ice  a  month  between  the  ages 
eleven  and  fourteen,  to  love 
ast  only  between  the  ages  of 
urteen  and  sixteen. 
Monthly  missionary  meetings 
ere    held    in    the    Lancaster 
lurch   where   she   worshiped, 
ne  night  Mrs.  Killheffner  re- 
ted,   "A  million  a  month  in 
hina  are  dying  without  God." 


Cora  Price  Bowen,  a  Sunday 
school  teacher  of  vision  and 
deep  spirituality,  encouraged 
her  to  be  a  missionary.  The  im- 
pact of  these  and  many  other 
forces  brought  her  to  choose 
China  for  her  life,  if  it  was 
God's  will. 

Then  came  the  arduous  task 
of  picking  up  her  schoolwork 
where  she  had  left  it,  un- 
completed, six  years  before. 
Through  the  next  seven  years 
of  school  she  realized  the  seri- 
ousness of  her  desire  and  the 
complexity  of  her  undertaking. 
She  prepared  to  be  a  mission- 
ary. She  prayed  very  simply, 
"God,  if  it  is  your  will  that  I 
should  go  to  China,  open  the 
way.  If  it  is  not  your  will,  close 
it." 

"The  doors  could  have  been 
closed  far  easier  than  they  could 
have  been  opened,"  Mary  said. 
"But  they  all  opened,  every 
step  of  the  way."  The  steps 
came,  one  at  a  time,  in  a  steady, 
plodding  pace  which  was 
Mary's  natural  gait,  even  for  the 
long  journey  to  China.  She 
graduated  from  Elizabethtown 
Academy,  went  on  to  Bethany 
Bible  School,  took  regular  col- 
lege work  at  Manchester  Col- 
lege, and  finished  in  1917.  All 
the  way  she  worked  and  prayed 


Rothroek 


ary  Schaeffer  meets  with  the  Shansi  group  in  Peking  early  in  May  1948, 
'(Ske  last  time  she  was  with  them  before  her  return  to  the  United  States 

S'G  JLY  30,  I960 


and  studied.  Generous  hands 
opened  some  of  the  doors. 
Others  she  opened  herself.  She 
believed  implicitly  that  all  of 
them  were  opened  because  it 
was  God's  will  that  she  go  to 
China. 

As  God  opened  the  doors, 
she  walked  through  them  with 
the  forthrightness  of  those  who 
know  God,  listen  for  his  call, 
and  obey.  With  conviction 
came  self-reliance  to  take  every 
step  that  was  needed,  even  on 
the  long  dusty  journeys  for  thir- 
ty years  in  the  isolated  villages 
of  north  China.  Some  were  so 
isolated  that  it  was  necessary  to 
travel  by  mule  for  one  or  two 
days  beyond  the  mission  sta- 
tion. The  Lancaster  church 
followed  her  tireless  steps  by 
sending  walking  shoes  for  her 
trips  to  proclaim  the  Word  of 
God. 

From  1917  until  1950  Mary 
devoted  herself  to  mission  work, 
largely  in  Shansi  province.  Her 
specific  assignment  was  village 
evangelism.  Taking  camping 
equipment  with  her,  accom- 
panied by  her  Chinese  Bible 
woman,  she  went  into  the  vil- 
lages and  lived  with  the  people. 
She  conducted  literacy  classes, 
held  women's  institutes,  and 
visited  in  the  homes.  She  won 
quickly  the  affection  of  those 
with  whom  she  worked.  Her 
excellent  command  of  the  lan- 
guage, together  with  her  con- 
versant style  in  many  dialects, 
was  a  great  asset. 

When  country  travel  was  not 
possible  because  of  the  wars, 
she  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
women's  Bible  school  at  Ping 
Ting  Chow.  Later  she  was 
station  treasurer.  During  the 
famine,  she  helped  in  the  relief 
work.  During  the  typhus  epi- 
demic she  helped  with  delous- 
ing.  Among  her  colleagues  she 
had  the  reputation  of  being 
afraid  of  nothing.  In  the  Gos- 
pel Messenger  of  March  26, 
1938,  one  of  her  letters  to  the 

n 


**\  \*°i- 


i    lb. 

Do  these  children  remember  the  Christian  lady  who  fed  and  clothed  them? 


home  folks  tells  of  the  crisis 
in  Show  Yang,  to  which  she 
and  Frank  Crumpacker  went 
after  the  disappearance  of  the 
Harshes  and  Minneva  Neher. 

"The  Harshes  were  much 
loved,"  she  wrote  during  the 
days  alone,  "and  were  proving 
good  material  for  mission  work 
though  on  the  field  for  only  a 
short  time.  Miss  Neher  has 
been  in  China  for  thirteen  years 
and  was  a  very  capable  worker. 
When  we  heard  they  were  gone, 
Brother  Crumpacker  and  I 
came  to  Show  Yang  immediate- 
ly and  tried  to  investigate  all  we 
could.  We  felt  that  I  had  better 
stay  to  try  to  hold  the  fort.  I 
was  here  about  two  weeks 
alone.  Was  I  afraid?  Not  often, 
though  one  does  not  know  what 
to  expect  from  day  to  day. 
When  we  decided  to  stay  here, 
we  put  ourselves  in  the  Lord's 
hands  and  will  take  what  comes 
to  us." 

By  1940,  after  three  years  of 
Japanese  invasion  and  occupa- 
tion, the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren missionaries  left  Shansi 
province  to  spare  the  Christian 
Chinese  from  persecution.  Fol- 
lowing the  end  of  World  War 
II,  they  returned  to  Ping  Ting 
on  April  20,  1946,  just  a  little 

12 


over  five  years  after  they  had 
left.  Many  things  had  hap- 
pened during  that  time.  No 
Americans  had  been  seen.  Chil- 
dren under  ten  could  not  re- 
member seeing  a  white  face. 
There  was  nothing  left  of  the 
mission  property  but  filth, 
debris,  and  destruction. 

The  returning  missionaries 
set  about  cleaning  up,  clearing 
away,  and  organizing  the  prop- 
erty. Hospitals  and  schools 
were  reopened.  The  church 
grew  so  that  on  April  5,  1947, 
Wendell  Flory  baptized  seven- 
ty-three people.  This  year  of 
creative  work  held  much  prom- 
ise. 

Wendell  Flory  had  gone  to 
Peking  to  bring  his  wife  to  Ping 
Ting  when  rumors  came  that 
the  Communist  army,  which 
was  within  three  miles  of  the 
mission  station,  was  on  the 
move.  A  large  army  headed  to- 
ward the  city,  took  it  over,  and 
left  after  twenty-four  hours. 
Mary  and  Dr.  Daryl  Parker 
were  the  only  two  missionaries 
left.  By  May  1  they  surmised 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
continue  their  work  long  and 
their  presence  put  the  Christian 
Chinese  in  jeopardy. 

Since  trains  and  bridges  were 


destroyed,  there  was  nothirj 
to  do  but  walk.  The  Ion 
slow  steps  to  China  forty  yeai 
before  were  now  retraced  bad 
ward  to  Peking  in  a  hundrec 
thirty-mile,  hazardous  walk, 
would  have  seemed  like  retres 
to  anyone  without  faith,  but  t 
Mary,  her  comings  and  goinj 
were  always  a  part  of  God 
larger  plan. 

Only  two  missionaries  ha\ 
given  more  years  of  service  i 
China  through  the  Church  t 
the  Brethren  than  Mary  Schae 
f er.  And  her  Christian  influenc 
over  these  years  of  intensfv 
service  assures  us  that,  while  w 
face  China  with  wondering  ey< 
about  what  is  happening  to  oi 
fellow  Christians  there,  they  a) 
turned  with  eager  faces  towai 
America,  wondering  what  h* 
happened  to  their  devote 
Christian  friends  like  Mary. 

They  cannot  forget  her  —  ti 
faithful,  fearless  Christian  won 
an  who,  though  terrified  ; 
times,  knew  that  there  was 
job  to  be  done  which  no  or1 
else  could  do  because  God  ha 
called  her  to  do  it.  She  acte 
because  God  asked.  In  th 
simple,  direct  statement  lies  tl 
convincing  fact  that  the  natur. 
disposition  of  people  to  pan 
under  stress  is  absorbed  in 
total,  personal  commitment  1 
the  will  of  God.  Mary's  coura£ 
was  not  an  achievement.  It  w; 
a  gift  from  God,  who  gave  h< 
a  job  to  do  that  needed  courag 
And  he  never  failed. 


Cecilio  Arrastia,  a  Protesta 
Cuban  evangelist:  "The  Christi; 
faith  is  revolutionary.  The  Magni 
cat  sung  by  Mary,  when  she  kno> 
that  Jesus  Christ  will  be  boi 
speaks  of  putting  down  the  migh 
from  their  seats  and  exalting  tl 
humble  and  weak.  The  church 
not  allowed  the  luxury  of  just  exi: 
ing.  We  must  do  God's  work.  T; 
last  word  does  not  he  wi 
Khrushchev  or  Eisenhower  or  Ma 
or  Lenin,  but  with  Christ  and  in  t 
Christian  revolutionary  faith  \ 
have  with  Christ  in  the  Spirit." 

GOSPEL  messeng: 


[hi 


;ti: 


r 


trti 


T 


k\ 


as  i 


fcia 


Whose  School   Is  This? 


J 


Alice  Goddard 


ON  is  a  Baptist.  He 
attends  an  interdenomina- 
tional released-time  week- 
■day  church  school  in  a 
■(Congregational  church.  It  is 
■not  surprising  that  Jon  asked, 
rWhose  school  is  this,  anyway?" 
■This  is  a  frequently-asked 
■question  and  has  many  answers. 

■IT  BELONGS   TO   THE   PUPILS 

In  the  first  place,  the  week- 
feday  church  school  is  for  the 
I pupils.  It  exists  to  nurture  them 
in  Christian  faith.  For  the 
■many  unchurched  boys  and 
Igirls  who  are  reached  through 
lit  this  school  provides  their 
■only  planned  study  and  work  in 
■Christian  education.  A  fifth 
■grader  recently  asked  his  teach- 
jer  to  read  the  23rd  Psalm  again 
■for  he  had  never  heard  it  be- 
Ifore.  This  was  his  first  intro- 
i.duction  to  the  Bible. 

The  weekday  church  school 
also  serves  boys  and  girls  who 
are  in  other  phases  of  the 
church  school  program.  Rightly 
planned,  it  supplements  and 
strengthens  their  other  work. 
Pupils  can  have  little  to  say 
about  its  administration  but 
because  it  is  their  school, 
their  ages,  their  cultural  back- 
grounds, their  experiences  in 
public  school,  as  well  as  their 
jother  religious  teaching,  must 
Ibe  considered  in  selecting  lead- 
ers and  planning  the  work  of 
|  the  weekday  church  school. 

|  This  article  is  one  of  a  series  planned  by 
(the  Committee  on  Children's  Work  of  the 
Division  of  Christian  Education  of  the 
(National  Council  of  Churches.  It  is  be- 
|ing  used  by  several  co-operating  de- 
nominations. 

JULY  30,  1960 


Elmore 


Weekday  religious  education  classes  provide  for  unchurched  boys  and  girls 
reached  by  them  their  only  planned  study  and  work  in  Christian  education 


IT  BELONGS  TO  THE  PARENTS 

Parents  have  something  to 
say  about  the  weekday  church 
school  for  it  is  theirs  also.  They 
must  sign  a  request  card  before 
the  public  school  can  release 
their  child,  even  when  he  has 
reached  the  youth  age.  This 
places  an  obligation  on  parents 
to  know  what  is  being  taught 
and  to  request  the  release  of  a 
boy  or  girl  only  when  these 
teachings  are  acceptable  to 
them  and  to  their  church.  Dis- 
cerning parents  ask,  "What  cur- 
riculum materials  are  being 
used?"  "Does  my  church  ap- 
prove of  them?"  "Who  super- 
vises the  teaching?"  "How 
qualified  is  the  teacher  to  give 
Christian  leadership  to  this  age 
group?" 

In  some  communities  parents 
seek  the  answers  to  their  ques- 
tions over  a  cup  of  tea  in  some- 
one's home  as  they  meet  with 
weekday  church  school  teach- 
ers and  administrators.  Some 
parents  visit  classes  occasional- 
ly to  get  firsthand  information 


on  the  teaching  and  to  find  out 
how  they  can  help.  Expressions 
of  appreciation  by  informed 
parents  as  well  as  their  criti- 
cisms, suggestions,  and  aid  can 
mean  much  to  the  program. 

A  parent  in  one  community 
was  not  happy  over  his  child's 
teaching  and  discussed  his  con- 
cerns with  the  weekday  church 
school  leaders.  As  a  result,  a 
meeting  was  called  of  parents, 
ministers,  teachers,  and  admin- 
istrative board  members.  The 
discussion  was  spirited  as  the 
parent  first  responsible  for  the 
meeting  found  that  where- 
as others  agreed  with  him  on 
certain  points,  some  of  his  in- 
formation was  faulty  and  some 
of  his  ideas  were  not  accepted. 

Not  only  this  parent's  prob- 
lems but  some  brought  by  the 
leaders  and  others  were  touched 
upon  and  a  plan  worked  out  for 
discussing  them  further.  Par- 
ent's voices  need  to  be  heard 
for  it  can  rightly  be  said  that 
the  weekday  church  school  be- 
longs to  them. 

13 


1111P11111I1 


ilSf'  111 


Clark 


Parents   interested   in  the   spiritual   welfare   of   their   children   seek   infor- 
mation  about   the   weekday   church   school   and   examine   the   curriculum 


IT  BELONGS  TO  THE  CHURCHES 

The  weekday  church  school 
is  a  school  of  the  churches. 
Working  through  the  council  of 
churches  in  a  community  or  a 
similar  organization,  they  ap- 
proach the  school  board  regard- 
ing the  release  of  pupils.  The 
churches,  as  in  any  part  of  their 
Christian  education  program, 
should  determine  the  budget 
and  underwrite  it,  arrange  for 
supervision,  provide  the  lead- 
ers, and  have  general  oversight 
of  the  work.  They  should  name 
the  persons  to  represent  them 
in  making  decisions  regarding 
the  weekday  church  school. 

The  same  practices  are  desir- 
able as  for  appointments  to  any 
representative  body;  that  is,  an 
official  body  of  each  church 
names  a  responsible  person  to 
act  on  its  behalf  rather  than 
letting  any  interested  person  or 
self-appointed  individual  speak 
for  it.  Under  this  plan,  the  ap- 
pointee reports  back  to  the  local 
church  board  or  committee  re- 
garding the  weekday  church 
school  as  one  part  of  the  total 
Christian  education  program, 
and  outlines  its  needs,  prob- 
lems, and  achievements. 

In  many  places  the  council 
of  churches  or  of  weekday  re- 
ligious education,  appointed  by 
the    churches    if    there    is    no 


council  of  churches,  appoints  a 
committee  or  board  to  carry 
detailed  responsibility  for  plan- 
ning and  conducting  this  pro- 
gram. This  group  acts  on  be- 
half of  the  council  as  a  whole 
under  its  supervision  and  sub- 
ject to  its  policies  and  general 
decisions. 

When  any  group  other  than 
one  appointed  in  a  responsible 
way  by  the  churches  controls 
the  school,  even  though  the 
persons  on  it  may  be  church 
members,  this  cannot  be  truly 
said  to  be  a  school  of  the 
churches  as  its  name  implies. 
Rather  it  is  a  school  of  what- 
ever group  sponsors  it  and 
parents  as  well  as  church  and 
community  leaders  should  know 
this  and  what  it  teaches. 

IT  BELONGS  TO  THE  COMMUNITY 

The  weekday  church  school 
is  a  school  of  the  community. 
Each  local  school  board  must 
be  approached  by  the  churches 
regarding  the  release  of  pupils 
within  that  community.  State 
laws  differ  and  community 
school  practices  are  not  all 
alike.  Consequently,  weekday 
church  school  patterns  and 
practices  vary. 

For  example,  a  council  of 
churches  in  New  York  state  in 
setting  up  its  weekday  church 


14 


school  could  not  follow  the  plai 
familiar  to  a  leader  recent!1 
come  from  Portland,  Oregoij 
Churches  must  become  familia 
with  the  laws  of  their  state  anc 
community  to  keep  within  then 
even  while  working  to  change 
those  which  are  not  desirable 

Although  this  is  a  community 
program  it  is  not  under  the  pub 
lie  schools.  The  churches,  no 
the  school  board,  administer  i 
and  determine  what  it  shall  be 
The  United  States  Supreme 
Court  has  declared  its  legalit) 
when  no  public  school  machin 
ery  is  used. 

Out  of  interest  in  the  effee 
tive  use  of  pupils'  time  tht 
school  board  often  keeps  ar 
eye  on  the  work  that  is  done, 
however,  and  the  standards 
maintained,  especially  in  the 
selection  and  training  of  teach- 
ers. As  one  school  superintend- 
ent often  says,  "Keep  up  the 
quality  we  now  have  in  om 
city  and  I  know  the  board  will 
continue  to  approve  the  release 
of  pupils.  Let  it  slip  and  the 
decision  is  likely  to  be  differ 
ent." 

Although     not     under     the 
public    school,     the    weekday 
church  school  does  provide  the 
churches  with  a  unique  oppor 
tunity  in  relation  to  general  ed- 
ucation.   A  way  has  not  been 
found  in  this  country  with  its 
many  faiths  and  cultures  to  add 
the  religious  dimension  to  pub 
lie  school  subjects  which  many!] 
feel  should  be  offered  to  chil-  j 
dren  and  youth.   With  its  close  I 
relation  in  time  to  general  edu-jl 
cation    the    weekday    church), 
school  enables  the  churches  toll 
give  this  dimension. 

Studies  and  plans  now  un- 
der  way  should   increase   the; 
churches'  opportunity  to  do  this  i 
as  they  bear  witness  to  God's | 
revelation  of  himself  within  all  I 
of    man's    experience,    as    the 
record    of    that    revelation    is  I 
encountered   in   public   school 
subjects.    Here  is  a  particular 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


In  My  Father's  House 

Edith  Lovejoy  Pierce 

O  heavenly  dispensation!  Room  for  everybody.  For  St. 
Paul  and  for  Jane  Smith.  No  competition  whatsoever.  No 
squeeze  play,  no  strings  pulled;  "God  shows  no  partiality." 
What  a  contrast  with  the  situation  here  on  earth! 

Six  good  singers,  but  only  one  can  win  the  scholarship. 
Ten  competent  books,  and  nine  eliminated  because  they  deal 
with  subjects  already  treated.  Fifteen  fast  runners  and  only 
one  can  win  the  prize.  But  when  we  run  "for  the  prize  of  the 
upward  call  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus"  we  all  win.  A  prize  for 
everybody  and  no  consolation  prize  either.  No  mere  honorable 
mention,  even.  Not  prizes  for  everybody,  with  their  grades 
and  comparisons,  but  one  prize  for  us  all.  We  all  share  the 
same  prize.  And  the  mystery  and  the  marvel  of  it  is,  that  the 
prize  is  not  diminished  by  being  shared,  but  rather  enhanced. 
We  enjoy  in  our  own  right  and  we  share  in  each  others  en- 
joyment.  For  the  prize  is  Christ. 

The  "many  rooms"  are  in  one  house,  the  house  that  is 
home.  Not  an  office  building,  not  a  palace,  not  a  parliament, 
but  home. 

"Whosoever  does  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  like  a 
child  shall  not  enter  it." 


purpose  and  function  for  the 
weekday  church  school  which 
|it  can  fulfill  as  can  no  other  part 
of  the  Christian  education  pro- 


gram. 


WHO   IS    RESPONSIBLE 

Whose  school 
way?"     It    is    the    pupil's 


FOR  rr? 
is  this,  any- 


but 


there  is  little  he  can  do  about  it. 
It  is  the  parents'  and  there  is 
jsomething  they  can  do.  Parents 
devoted  to  the  spiritual  welfare 


of  their  children  can  seek  in- 
formation about  the  weekday 
church  school  in  their  commun- 
ity, and  discover  what  is  be- 
ing taught  in  it.  They  can  find 
out  what  they  can  do  to  help 
and  then  do  it,  in  order  that  the 
weekday  church  school  may  fill 
its  unique  place  in  the  total 
Christian  education  of  their 
children. 

Dedicated  local  church  lead- 
ers of  children  and  youth,  as 


well  as  parents  will  realize  that 
the  weekday  church  school,  like 
the  Sunday  church  school, 
needs  trained  consecrated  lead- 
ers who  use  carefully  selected 
curriculum  materials  and  who 
work  under  competent  super- 
vision. If  there  is  a  weekday 
church  school  in  their  commu- 
nity at  present  they  can  discov- 
er how  it  is  administered,  who 
is  doing  the  teaching,  and  what 
is  being  taught. 

Even  more  than  this,  they 
can  take  the  initiative  in  their 
church  to  make  sure  it  is 
adequately  represented  official- 
ly in  the  administration  of 
the  interdenominational  week- 
day church  school,  and  stand 
ready  to  provide  any  leadership 
help  they  may  be  invited  to 
give.  If  there  is  no  school  but 
one  is  contemplated,  they  can 
give  the  same  careful  thought 
to  the  planning  for  it. 

Ministers  or  church  officers 
conscious  of  the  total  impor- 
tance of  Christian  training  can 
give  the  same  careful  consider- 
ation to  the  weekday  church 
school  as  to  the  rest  of  the 
church's  Christian  education 
program.  This  school  of  the  pu- 
pils, the  parents,  the  churches, 
and  the  community  can  be 
what  it  should  be  only  when 
every  person  responsible  for  the 
Christian  education  of  children 
and  youth  does  his  part  to  make 
it  that. 


!►  Dedication  services  for  the  new  house  of  worship 
!of  the  Arbutus  congregation  in  Johnstown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, were  held  on  April  3.  Paul  M.  Robinson,  presi- 
dent of  Bethany  Biblical  Seminary,  preached  the  dedi- 
catory sermon.  Taking  part  in  the  service  also  was 
Glenn  R.  Bowlby,  district  executive  secretary. 

For  some  years,  beginning  in  1935,  Arbutus  was  a 
fission  point  under  the  sponsorship  of  the  Walnut 
Grove  church,  also  in  Johnstown.  L.  B.  Harshberger, 
G.  E.  Yoder,  M.  J.  Weaver,  and  J.  A.  Robinson  have 
served  the  church;  the  present  pastor  is  Homer  C.  Hess. 

Ground  was  broken  for  the  new  building  in  April 
1958;  the  cornerstone  was  laid  in  October  1959.  On 
Palm  Sunday  of  this  year  seven  were  baptized.  Since 
moving  into  the  new  location,  the  membership  has 
increased. 

JULY  30,  1960 


KINGDOM    GLEANINGS 


The  annual  reunion  of  the  World  War  I  conscien- 
tious objectors  of  Camp  Meade,  Md.,  will  be  held 
Aug.  14,  at  the  Black  Rock  retreat,  on  Route  472, 
south  of  Quarryville,  Pa.  There  will  be  meetings 
morning  and  afternoon,  with  a  basket  lunch  at  noon. 

Miss  Leta  Wilson,  Oklahoma  City,  Okla.,  has  ac- 
cepted the  call  of  the  General  Brotherhood  Board  to 
become  administrative  assistant  in  the  Foreign  Mission 
Commission,  beginning  Aug.  26.  She  will  succeed  Miss 
Gerry  Plunkett,  who  resigned  to  teach  in  the  Elgin 
public  schools. 

Heavy  pre-enrollment  of  women  students  at  La 
Verne  College  has  resulted  in  the  renting  of  several  off- 
campus  residences  to  accommodate  thirty  women. 
Matrons  will  be  placed  in  each  and  students  will  eat 
in  the  college  dining  hall.  Miller  Hall,  men's  dormi- 
tory, is  being  remodeled  to  accommodate  additional 
men   students. 

Miss  Mildred  Magnuson,  who  had  been  director  of 
curriculum  development  for  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  for  the  last  ten  years,  died  on  July  11.  She 
had  worked  closely  with  the  uniform  and  graded  lesson 
committees  preparing  study  outlines  used  by  many 
Protestant  denominations. 

Juniata  College  has  begun  construction  of  a  new 
residence  hall  for  one  hundred  twenty  men.  A  loan 
for  8425,000  was  approved  by  the  Housing  and  Home 
Finance  Agency  for  the  project  which  will  cost  the 
college  an  additional  $50,000.  It  is  hoped  to  have  the 
building  ready  for  occupancy  with  the  opening  of  the 
college  in  September  1961. 

Gifts  to  La  Verne  College  during  the  year  ended 
June  30,  I960,  totaled  $185,614,  compared  with 
$149,385  a  year  earlier.  Major  sources  of  this  year's 
total  included  $71,884  from  Church  of  the  Brethren 
congregations,  members  in  local  churches,  and  dis- 
tricts, and  $14,793  from  corporation  benefits  through 
the  Independent  Colleges  of  Southern  California. 

Paul  Halladay  of  the  Manchester  College  depart- 
ment of  music  was  one  of  the  sixteen  participants  in  a 
Danforth  Summer  Seminar  on  Higher  Education,  held 
on  the  campus  of  the  University  of  Texas.  The  aim  of 
the  seminar,  sponsored  by  the  Danforth  Foundation  of 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  was  the  improvement  of  instruction  in 
colleges  and  universities.  The  sixteen  participants  rep- 
resented a  wide  range  of  disciplines  and  thirteen  states. 

Lewis  and  Virginia  Naylor  are  retiring  from  the 
active  pastorate,  after  many  years  of  service.  They 
write,  "We  express  our  appreciation  for  the  prayers 
and  inspiration  of  our  General  Brotherhood  Board,  the 
regional  office,  the  district,  and  our  district  secretary. 
All  have  been  a  great  help  in  our  ministry.  We  also 
express  our  thanks  to  all  for  the  privilege  of  serving 
our  church  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  for  forty-four 
happy  years."  Their  most  recent  pastorate  has  been 
at  the  Antioch  church,  Yoder,  Colo.  The  Naylors  have 
three  sons:  Kurtis,  Church  of  the  Brethren  representa- 
tive to  the  Geneva  office  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches;  Kent,  a  pastor;  and  Kirk,  who  is  in  educa- 
tional work. 
16 


Owing  to  the  illness  of  Claud  D.  Nelson,  De 
Kelly,  the  new  director  of  the  Department  of  Religio. 
Liberty  of  the  National  Council  of  Churches,  took  ov| 
the  leadership  of  the  July  11-22  La  Veme  Semiri 
on  Christian  Responsibility  for  Freedom.  The  semiri 
was  sponsored  jointly  by  the  Brethren  Service  Coi 
mission  and  La  Verne  College. 

Sylvia  Hixson,  a  sophomore  at  Elizabethtown  Cc 
lege,  will  spend  the  next  academic  year  in  Germany 
an  exchange  student.  Her  study  abroad  is  support* 
in  part  by  funds  contributed  by  fellow  students  throuj 
a  campus  chest  campaign.  While  Miss  Hixson 
abroad,  a  student  from  Germany  will  spend  the  ye 
on  the  Elizabethtown  campus. 

The  annual  consultation  of  the  Division  of  Inte 
Church  Aid  and  Service  to  Refugees  of  the  Wor 
Council  of  Churches  was  held  in  Berlin,  German 
July  20-26.  Among  the  150  churchmen  from  30  coui 
tries  invited  to  participate  were  W.  Harold  Row  an 
Kurtis  F.  Naylor.  M.  R.  Zigler  attended  the  meetir 
as  a  member  of  the  WCC  Central  Committee  assigne 
to  the  division.  A  major  agenda  topic  was  consider; 
tion  of  the  role  of  the  churches  in  areas  of  acute  huma 
need  including  co-operation  with  the  five-year  Fret 
dom  From  Hunger  Campaign  of  the  United  Nation 
Food  and  Agriculture  Organization.  The  churche 
co-operative  work  for  refugees  also  was  discussed  h 
the  consultants. 

Radio  Programs 

Dr.  David  H.  C.  Read,  minister  at  Madison  Avenu 
Presbyterian  church,  New  York  City,  and  summe 
speaker  on  the  Art  of  Living,  announces  the  followin 
topics  for  August  and  September:  Aug.  7,  UncompL 
cated  Christians;  Aug.  14,  Can  We  Be  Shielded  Fror 
Harm?  Aug.  21,  What  Response  to  our  Prayers?  Aug 
28,  On  Being  Forgiven;  Sept.  4,  Do  We  Need  a  Nev 
Religion?  Sept.  11,  Being  Alone  but  Not  Lonely;  Sep! 
18,  Are  We  Doing  Our  Duty?  Sept.  25,  What  W: 
Mean  by  Eternal  Life.  The  time  is  Sunday,  9:15- 
9:30  a.m.,  ET,  over  NBC. 

On  the  National  Radio  Pulpit  Dr.  John  S.  Bonnell 
minister  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  church,  Nev 
York  City,  will  speak  on  the  following  topics:  Aug.  7 
Healing  for  a  Sense  of  Guilt;  Aug.  14,  God  and  Mai 
in  the  Space  Age;  Aug.  21,  Work,  Play,  and  Worship 
Aug.  28,  Never  Strike  Sail  to  a  Fear;  Sept.  4,  Then 
Mighty  Man  of  Valor;  Sept.  11,  Good  News  for  i 
Troubled  World;  Sept.  18,  Can  Man  Make  Contac 
With  God?  Sept.  25,  When  Life  Becomes  a  Burden 
The  time  is  Sunday,  10:05-10:30  a.m.,  ET,  ove: 
NBC. 

New  Nations  of  Africa  is  a  series  of  thirteen  dis 
cussions  now  in  progress  on  the  program,  Pilgrimage 
which  comes  over  the  ABC  network  each  Sunday 
The  series  began  July  3,  and  Nigeria,  Sierra  Leone,  ane 
Ghana  have  already  been  discussed.  To  follow  will  be: 
July  31,  Cameroon;  Aug.  7,  The  Mali  Federation;  Aug 
14,  The  Republic  of  Guinea;  Aug.  21,  The  Republic 
of  Sudan;  Aug.  28,  Somalia.  In  September  discussions 
will  be  on  Togo,  Malagasy,  Congo,  and  Choss.  Consult 
your  local  paper  for  the  time. 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


CI 


A  Reminder  to  Church  of  the  Brethren  Ministers 

Have  you  returned  your  questionnaire  for  the  An- 
nual Conference  study  on  Recruitment  and  Conserva- 
tion of  the  Ministry?  If  not,  you  are  urged  to  do  so 
very  soon  in  order  that  this  vital  study  may  be  as 
comprehensive  as  possible.  Questionnaires  should  be 
mailed  to  Church  of  the  Brethren  Survey,  Church  Sur- 
veys, School  of  Theology,  Boston  University,  Boston 
15rMass. 

Changes  of  Address 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harlan  J.  Brooks,  retired  missionaries 
to  India,  will  be  serving  the  Chico  church,  Calif.,  be- 
ginning Aug.  1.  Their  address  will  be  1608  Hemlock 
St.,  Chico. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  C.  Snavely  should  be  addressed  at 
Chelsea  Methodist  Home,  Chelsea,  Mich. 

Thomas  E.  Shoemakers  address  is  changed  from 
Wooster,  Ohio,  to  P.O.  Box  592,  New  Paris,  Pa.  Broth- 
er Shoemaker  is  now  pastor  of  the  Dunnings  Creek 
church  in  Middle  Pennsylvania. 

Missionary  Families  Return  to  Nigeria 

The  Charles  Biebers  returned  recently  to  Nigeria. 
During  furlough  Charles  Bieber  served  as  pastor  of  the 
Pottstown  church,  Pa.  They  have  completed  two  terms 
of  service  in  Nigeria,  having  first  gone  there  in  1950. 
Following  a  period  of  language  study  at  Jos,  the  Biebers 
will  assume  responsibility  for  district  and  station  work 
at  Gulak. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ira  Petre  and  their  three  younger 
children  have  returned  to  Nigeria.  During  the  past 
year  Brother  Petre  served  the  Barren  Ridge  church, 
Va.  The  Petres  have  completed  four  terms  of  service 
in  Nigeria,  having  begun  their  work  there  in  1939. 
Following  language  study  at  Jos,  they  will  be  assigned 
to  Mbororo. 

The  Church  Calendar 
July  31 

Lesson  outline  based  on  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons;  the  International  Bible  Lessons  for  Christian 
Teaching,  copyrighted  1951  by  the  Division  of  Chris- 
tian Education,  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  U.S.A. 

Sunday  School  Lesson:  Luxury  and  Idolatry  Ruin  a 
Nation.  Hosea  8:1-5;  10:1-12;  13:1-6;  14:1,  4,  9. 
Memory    Selection: 

Sow  for  yourselves  righteousness, 
reap  the  fruit  of  steadfast  love; 
break  up  your  fallow  ground, 
for  it  is  the  time  to  seek  the  Lord, 

that  he  may  come  and  rain  salvation  upon  you. 
Hosea   10:12   (R.S.V.) 

August  7 

Sunday  School  Lesson:    God's  Love  for   His   Children. 

Hosea    11.     Memory    Selection:      See    what    love    the 

Father  has  given  us,  that  we  should  be  called  children 

of  God.    1  John  3:1  (R.S.V.) 
August  14 

Sunday  School  Lesson:    Isaiah's  Vision  of  the  Holy  God. 

Isaiah  6.    Memory  Selection: 

Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts; 
the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory.    Isa.  6:3  (R.S.V.) 
Aug.    4-6    District    meeting,    Middle    Indiana,    North 

Manchester 
Aug.  5-6  District  meeting,  Northern  Virginia,  Mathias 
Aug.    9-11    Middle    Pennsylvania    women's    fellowship 

workshop,  Juniata  College 
Aug.   11-14   District  meeting,   Southern   Missouri   and 

Arkansas,  Springfield 
JULY  30,  I960 


Aug.  12-14  District  meeting,  Northern  Indiana,  Camp 
Mack 

Aug.  15-18  District  meeting,  Tennessee 

Aug.  15-19  Study  Conference  on  the  Nature  and  Func- 
tion of  the  Church,  Manchester  College,  Ind. 

Aug.      16-18     District     meeting,     Southern     Indiana, 
Pyrmont 

Aug.   18-20  District  meeting,  North  and  South  Caro- 
lina, Little  Pine 

Aug.    18-20   District   meeting,    Second   West   Virginia, 
Shiloh 

Aug.    18-21    District   meeting,    Colorado,    First   Grand 
Valley 

Aug.  19-21  District  meeting,  Oklahoma,  Big  Creek 

Aug.    19-21    District    meeting,    Middle    Iowa,    Cedar 
Rapids 

Aug.  24  District  meeting,   Mardela,   Fairview 

Aug.  25-28  District  meeting,  Michigan,  Camp  Maniki- 
wa,  Carson  City 

Aug.  25-28  District  meeting,  Northeastern  Ohio,  Ash- 
land College 

Aug.      26-28      District     meeting,      Southern      Rlinois 
Greenville 

Aug.  26-28  District  meeting,  Northern  Iowa 

Aug.   26-28   Eastern   Region  youth   conference,   Eliza- 
bethtown  College 

Aug.  29  —  Sept.  2  National  Camp  Planners  conference, 
Camp  Mack 

Sept.  2-4  District  meeting,  First  Virginia 

Sept.  4  Labor  Sunday 

Sept.     9-11     District     meeting,     Northern     Missouri, 
Bethany 

Sept.     10-11     Southeastern    men's    fellowship    retreat, 
Massanetta  Springs,  Va. 

Sept.    15-18    District    meeting,    Northeastern    Kansas, 
Topeka 

Sept.    16-18    Eastern    Region    men's-women's    retreat, 
Camp  Harmony 

Sept.  16-18  District  meeting,  Southern  Iowa,  Ottumwa 

Sept.  16-18  District  meeting,  Nebraska,  Enders 

With  Our  Evangelists 

Will  you  pray  for  the  success  of  these  meetings? 
Will  you  share  the  burden  which  these  laborers  carry? 

Bro.  J.  R.  Jackson  of  Grantsville,  Md.,  in  the  Georges 
Creek  church,   Md.,  Aug.  7-21. 

Bro.  Rufus  McDannel  of  Collinsville,  Va.,  in  the  Fair- 
view,  Rocky  Mount  church,  Va.,  Aug.   12-21. 

Bro.  Russell  G.  West  of  Wiley,  Colo.,  in  the  Manassas 
church,  Va.,  Aug.  27  —  Sept.  4;  in  the  Old  Furnace  church, 
W.  Va.,  Sept.  6-18. 

Bro.  Roy  K.  Miller  of  Wilmington,  Del.,  in  the  Mount 
Hermon  church,  Va.,  Aug.  7-21. 

Bro.  R.  W.  Schlosser  of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  in  the 
Nettle  Creek  church,  Ind.,  Aug.  26  -  Sept.  4. 

Bro.  Floyd  Mallott  of  Chicago,  111.,  in  the  Richmond 
church,  Ind.,  Aug.  28  —  Sept.  4. 

Bro.  Owen  Preston  of  Burlington,  W.  Va.,  in  the  Kelley 
Chapel  church,   W.   Va.,   Aug.    18-28. 

Bro.  Archie  Naff  of  Floyd,  Va.,  in  the  Coulson  church, 
Va.,  Aug.  14-28. 

Gains  for  the  Kingdom 

Four  received  by  letter  in  the  First  church,  Denver, 
Colo.  Fourteen  baptized  in  the  Monroe  County  church, 
Iowa. 

Nine  baptized  and  two  received  by  letter  in  the  North 
Webster  church,  Ind.  One  received  by  letter  in  the  Mid- 
land church,  Mich.  Seven  baptized  in  die  East  Chippewa 
church,  Ohio.  Seven  baptized  in  the  First  church,  Akron, 
Ohio.  Two  baptized  and  one  received  by  letter  in  the  New 
Philadelphia   church,   Ohio. 

Four  baptized  in  the  Henry  Fork  church,  Va. 

17 


Response 
to  the 


Challen 


Robert  Richards 


ARNOLD  TOYNBEE,  in  his  amazing  ten- 
volume  history  of  civilization,  says  that 
you  can  measure  civilization  by  studying 
the  responses  of  the  people  of  history  to  the 
great  challenges  they  have  had  to  face;  that 
history  is  only  the  record  of  how  they  faced  one 
crisis  after  another.  The  way  we  react  to  our 
challenges  determines  the  destiny  of  our  lives, 
our  country,  and  our  world. 

We  live  in  the  most  challenging  hour  of  all 
time.  Depending  upon  the  responses  that  you 
and  I  make,  so  will  go  the  next  ten,  twenty, 
thirty  years,  if  there  are  those  thirty  years.  May 
I  list  what  I  think  are  the  primary  challenges 
we  face? 

There  is  the  challenge  of  using  the  genius  of 
man  for  the  creative  things  of  life  rather  than 
for  the  destructive  things  of  life.  This  one  hit 
me  not  long  ago  while  reading  Albert  Einstein's 
book,  Out  of  My  Later  Years.  Here  was  a  man, 
perhaps  the  greatest  scientist  of  all  history,  say- 
ing words  to  the  effect  that  it  was  his  hope  that 
his  theories  would  be  used  for  the  betterment  of 
mankind,  and  his  chief  sorrow  was  to  see  some 
of  his  ideas,  which  had  led  to  the  development 
of  hydrogen  energy  and  the  hydrogen  bomb, 
used  not  in  their  creative  intent,  but  for  de- 
struction. Einstein  went  on  to  say  that  it  seems 
as  though  there  is  a  bent  in  culture  that  uses  the 
great  genius  of  mankind  for  that  which  maims 
and  hurts. 

Latent  within  the  minds  of  thousands  are 


18 


tremendous  ideas  and  ingenious  methods;  the 
trouble  is  that  they  are  bent  in  the  wrong  direc- 
tion. The  first  real  challenge  of  modern  history 
is  to  use  our  genius  for  the  creative,  for  that 
which  builds  up  mankind  instead  of  that  which 
tears  down. 

Second  —  and  this  is  a  minor  one  —  there  is 
the  challenge  of  maintaining  health  in  a  day  of 
mechanization.  We  have  push-button  gadgets, 
mechanization  to  the  point  that  we  are  losing 
our  physical  dynamic.  We  are  losing  the  virility 
that  is  so  indispensable  in  building  happiness 
and  creativity  in  life. 

We  should  realize  that  health  is  the  predica- 
tion upon  which  great  things  in  life  are  built. 
A  nation  that  is  not  strong  physically,  or  a  per- 
son who  is  not  strong  physically,  cannot  ac- 
complish great  things.  I  believe  that  there  is  a 
relationship  between  physical  discipline  and  the 
discipline  of  the  mind  and  the  spirit  and  the 
emotions.  The  person  who  is  not  physically  fit 
is  indicating  a  basic  pattern  of  weakness  in  cer- 
tain areas.  When  a  nation  becomes  weak,  some- 
thing bad  has  happened  to  the  fiber  of  the 
people. 

Third,  there  is  the  challenge  to  maintain  an 
emphasis  upon  the  total  personality  in  a  day  of 
specialization.  The  more  and  more  I  see  this, 
the  more  I  am  convinced  that  sometimes  we 
see  people  only  as  functions,  rather  than  as 
sacred  entities  with  intrinsic  worth.  Nowadays 
a  man  is  thought  of  in  terms  of  a  laborer  or  a 

GOSPEL  MESSENGER 


soldier  or  a  scientist.  Each  one  of  us  is  more 
than  a  function.  Each  one  of  us  is  an  emotional, 
'moral,  mental,  esthetic,  spiritual  being.  You  do 
[not  deal  adequately  with  the  problems  of  men 
(until  you  recognize  that  these  facets  must  be 
ideveloped. 

If  there  is  one  ingenious  principle  of  the 
American  public  school  system,  it  is  this:  the 
I  emphasis  upon  building  a  total  personality,  not 
ijust  being  crammed  with  facts  that  can  put  out 
Sputniks  into  space.  How  much  more  important 
is  the  building  of  a  person  who  can  love  and  live 
and  adjust  and  give  and  take  and  create. 

Fourth,  there  is  the  challenge  of  maintaining 
personal  relationships  in  an  impersonal  urban 
''society.  As  I  go  into  urban  areas,  I  am  more  and 
i  more  impressed  with  the  fact  that  we  seem  to 
J  be  trying  to  depersonalize  everyone,  and  in  the 
process  we  are  dehumanizing  people.    I  have 
I  come  to  believe  that  the  old  Biblical  question, 
j"Am  I  my  brother's  keeper?"  has  an  unusual 
Relevance  for  today's  world.   In  a  day  of  loneli- 
•ness,  in  a  day  of  increasing  socialized  structures, 
we  need  to  break  through  the  walls  of  our  im- 
personal institutions  and  meet  people  and  help 
lf)them.  It  is  part  of  every  great  religious  philoso- 
,.  'phy,  and  it  is  one  of  the  great  challenges  of  our 
vtime. 

it  Fifth,  there  is  the  challenge  to  maintain 
t  brotlierhood  in  a  day  of  prejudice.  I  need  not 
i  stress  this  one  very  much.  I  am  quite  sure  that 
is  |  you  are  aware  of  the  racial  tensions  in  America 
|,and  in  the  world.  Every  headline,  every  radio 
]t '  report  —  yesterday's,  today's  —  are  filled  with 
3 !  this  gnawing  problem  that  is  eating  away  the 
i  heart  of  democracy. 

s         I  had  an  interesting  conversation  recently 

with  Dr.  Howard  Thurman,  of  Boston  Univer- 

■  j  sity,  and  Dr.  Thurman,  a  wise  preacher,  likened 

.  social  problems  to  a  man  who  had  a  daughter 

with  a  club  foot.    He  took  this  daughter  to  a 

i  doctor    and    waited    in    the    anteroom.     Soon 

i !  screams  were  heard  from  the   doctor's   office. 

i  People  in  the  anteroom  could  not  understand 

'  why  the  father  was  so  happy  about  it.   Finally 

one  man  asked  him  how  he  could  sit  there  smil- 

*  ing  while  his  daughter  was  going  through  such 

pain.   He  said,  "Sir,  you  don't  understand.   This 

is  the  first  time  she  has  ever  felt  anything  in 

her  foot." 

Dr.  Thurman  went  on  to  say  that  all  over 
the  world  the  conscience  of  man  is  being 
aroused,  that  in  this  age-old  problem,  at  last 
the  basic  principles  of  democracy  and  the  Chris- 
tian heritage  are  beginning  to  be  felt,  that  people 
are  really  beginning  to  wrestle  with  this  prob- 
lem.   He  said  that  it  would  be  solved,  but  not 

JULY  30.  1960 


Devaney 


Man  is  challenged  today  to  use  his  creative  genius 
not    for    destructive    but    for    constructive    purposes 

without  some  piercing  screams  as  the  conscience 
of  man  battles  with  the  problem. 

The  world  is  almost  won  scientifically;  it  will 
be  possible,  in  a  few  years,  to  go  around  the 
world  in  ten  to  twelve  hours,  perhaps  in  eight. 
The  world  is  that  small,  yet  it  is  torn  asunder 
by  prejudice,  not  only  racially,  but  religiously 
and  politically.  The  real  challenge  in  this  day 
is  to  maintain  brotherhood,  to  stress  the  essen- 
tial humanity  of  man. 

Sixth,  there  is  the  economic  challenge.   It  is 

19 


the  problem  of  feeding  the  world 
and  meeting  global  economic  need. 
I  was  in  India  a  few  years  ago. 
Coming  out  of  my  hotel  room,  I  ran 
down  the  steps,  grabbed  my  bags; 
late  for  a  plane,  I  jumped  into  a 
cab,  and  at  that  moment  out  of  the 
corner  of  my  eye  I  saw  a  lot  of 
human  beings  asleep  on  the  side- 
walk. I  backed  out  of  the  cab  and 
looked  around;  as  far  as  I  could  see 
on  the  right  and  on  the  left  people 
were  sleeping  on  the  sidewalks.  I 
found  out  later  that  thousands  of 
people  in  Calcutta  have  no  home 
other  than  the  sidewalk. 

Go  through  Hong  Kong  and  see 
people  there  sleeping  sitting  up,  and 
get  a  sense  of  the  tremendous  popu- 
lation increase  in  the  world.  I  need 
not  tell  you  that  a  whole  new  nation 
is  born  every  year.  Sixty-three  mil- 
lion people  were  born  last  year,  and 
many  of  them  are  literally  starving 
to  death.  They  want  an  economic 
answer.  To  talk  platitudes  to  them, 
even  to  talk  of  liberty  and  freedom 
to  people  who  have  known  nothing 
but  hunger,  want,  and  slavery  to 
economic  needs,  is  to  talk  foolishly. 

It  must  be  met;  the  real  challenge 
of  our  time  is  whether  it  will  be  met 
with  the  creative  genius  of  the  indi- 
vidual or  by  the  state.  It  all  boils 
down  to  whether  individuals  can 
rise  to  the  occasion,  to  whether,  in 
a  free  society,  individuals  can  with 
faith  begin  to  work  out  their  prob- 
lems. It  is  a  tremendous  question 
and  it  involves  all  of  us.  I  know 
the  tendency  is  to  let  the  state  solve 
the  problem;  therein  lies  the  real 
crisis.  We  must  solve  it  with  cre- 
ative individuals  helping  and  work- 
ing together. 

Seventh,  there  is  the  challenge  of 
meeting  the  dynamic  of  communism. 
I  put  this  one  next  to  the  economic 
challenge  because  I  have  seen  it  in 
Moscow;  I  have  seen  those  young 
intellectuals  marching  down  the 
street  with  outstretched  arms,  shout- 
ing, "We  are  out  to  win  the  world. 
We  are  out  to  win  the  world!"  They 
are  young  men  and  girls,  fresh  out 
of  school.  Their  leadership  is  not 
being  utilized  effectively;  because  of 
some  egotistical  twist,  they  go  off 
into  communism.  You  can  see  them 
in  Bombay  and  other  places,  eyes 
flashing  with  hatred,  inciting  mob 
riots,  disseminating  hatred. 

You  see  this  thing  and  you  begin 
to  realize  that  there  is  a  deadly 
dynamic  to  communism.  I  cannot 
understand  it;  I  suppose  you  have 
read  Das  Kapital;  you  know  all 
about  it!  It  is  nonsense,  in  many 
20 


respects,  but  the  fantastic  thing  is 
to  see  it  take  hold.  People  are  pas- 
sionately committed  to  it.  I  do  not 
think  it  will  ever  be  wished  away. 
I  do  not  believe  that  it  will  be 
bombed  away. 

It  will  be  defeated  only  by  a 
greater  passion,  for  a  greater  way 
of  life,  for  a  system  greater  with 
meaning.  Again,  it  involves  all  of 
us.  It  is  a  question  of  passion,  not 
of  theory  but  of  dynamic  and  of 
belief  and  of  purpose.  It  goes  to 
the  heart  of  moral  philosophy. 
Meeting  the  dynamic  of  communism 
is  one  of  the  real  issues  of  our  time. 

And  lasdy,  closely  related  to  this, 
there  is  the  challenge  of  maintaining 
a  spiritual  perspective  in  a  day  of 
materialism.  Not  only  Communist 
materialism,  but  a  more  subtle  form 
of  materialism,  eats  away  the  real 
genius  of  man.  Every  great  prin- 
ciple of  democracy  grows  out  of  a 
spiritual  framework.  You  do  not 
have  ideas  in  isolation;  every  idea 
has  a  root.  And  I  maintain  that 
the  sacredness  of  the  human  person- 
ality, the  idea  of  the  rights  of  every 
person,  the  concept  that  every  indi- 
vidual has  ingenious  creativity,  are 
all  rooted  in  a  Judeo-Christian  her- 
itage. These  are  part  of  our  culture. 
Such  a  spiritual  perspective  is 
essential. 

The  only  thing  that  can  meet  com- 
munism successfully  is  a  point  of 
view  which  insists  that  moral  values 
are  written  into  the  heart  of  the 
universe,  that  truth  triumphs  over 
falsehood,  that  goodness  triumphs 
over  evil,  that  love  triumphs  over 
hate,  that  there  is  a  purpose  to  life; 
what  we  need  is  not  just  a  meaning- 
less dialectic  weaving  to  and  fro 
wiping  out  whatever  it  will,  but  a 
thought  process  that  writes  moral 
values  into  the  process  of  history. 
To  say  this  requires  a  spiritual 
perspective. 

And  how  do  we  respond  to  these 
challenges?  We  can  respond  nega- 
tively. That  is  very  easy!  We  can 
respond  by  saying,  "There  is  really 
nothing  that  I  can  do;  after  all,  I 
am  just  one  little  person  in  a  vast 
world  of  social  forces  and  struggle 
for  power.  What  can  I  do?"  It  is 
always  the  wail  of  the  soul,  "What 
can  I  do  in  the  midst  of  such  terrific 
organizations?" 

If  you  are  ever  prone  to  doubt 
what  you  can  do  as  an  individual, 
think  of  Karl  Marx  writing  a  Das 
Kapital  by  candlelight.  Think  of 
two  little  lone  disciples  —  unknown 
to  the  world  —  Lenin  and  Trotsky; 
in  less  than  forty  years  these  three 


men  have  won  half  the  world  tc 
communism.  Or,  on  the  creative 
side,  think  of  men  like  Moses  and 
David,  of  men  like  Jesus,  who  stood; 
at  the  heart  of  a  society  ripped  with 
straggle  for  power.  Think  of  a  mat 
like  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  other  in- 
dividuals, who  have  stood  on  theii 
principles  in  the  critical  hours  ol 
history  and  have  changed  the  world. 

There  are  youngsters  today  who 
will  change  the  world  tomorrow. 
We  must  encourage  them  and  build 
in  them  true  ideas.  We  must  re- 
member that  ideas  are  no  good  al 
all  except  in  the  minds  of  individu- 
als. Causes  have  no  emotion  at  all 
except  in  the  emotion  and  passion  i 
of  individuals.  If  we  will  work  with 
the  minds  of  young  boys  and  girls, 
with  their  emotions  and  values,  we 
and  they  can  alter  human  history. 
Ultimately,  everything  depends  up- 
on the  individual.  Do  not  respond 
by  saying  there  is  nothing  you  can 
do.  Do  not  respond  with  the  hyste- 
ria of  fear.  The  world  has  too  much 
of  this,  already. 

Nor  can  we  respond  with  the  old 
philosophy  of  "Eat,  drink  and  be 
merry,  for  tomorrow  we  die."  That 
way  lies  disaster. 

We  must  respond  with  embodied 
faith.  It  is  easy  to  talk  about  faith? 
in  fact,  there  are  probably  two  hun- 
dred books  on  the  bookstands  today 
written  by  people  talking  about  faith 
or  about  positive  thinking  or  "magic 
in  believing."  They  are  great  books, 
but  I  think  that  ninety-nine  per  cent 
of  those  authors  are  talking  about 
what  one  per  cent  of  the  people 
already  have. 

Faith  is  not  something  you  can 
kick  around,  like  a  syllogism.  It  is 
not  a  game  of  intellectual  chess, 
Faith  is  something  that  quivers  on 
your  lip,  something  that  trembles  in 
the  human  hand,  something  that  you 
act  upon;  it  is  emotion,  grounded, 
incorporated,  embodied.  It  is  some- 
thing you  live  by;  so  often  people 
talk  about  it,  but  they  do  not  really 
have  it. 

What  would  happen  in  the  world 
if  people  like  you  and  me  would 
really  go  to  work  together,  as  a 
team,  and  say,  "We  can  triumph 
over  ignorance.  We  can  triumph 
over  the  forces  of  evil.  We  can 
triumph  over  brutal  force  and  mate- 
rialism, not  with  just  killing  and 
slaughter,  but  by  outiiving  them  and 
outcreating  them,  by  producing  a 
greater  dynamic!" 

I  think  of  one  who  said,  "In  all 
these  things  we  are  more  than  con- 
querors through  him  that  loved  us.' 
GOSPEL  MESSENGEF 


ijPaul  charged  a  pagan  world  because 

he  dared  to  believe  that  he  could 

J  beat  that  pagan  world  and  its  ideas. 

II  think  that  this  embodied  faith  is 

J  what  the  world  most  needs,  real 
I  faith  that  it  can  be  done,  faith  not 
Honly    in    ourselves,     but    in    other 

j  people. 

I   wonder  how   many   men   have 
I  been  changed  by   just   a   touch   on 

I  the  shoulder?    When   I  was   a  boy 

I I  of  sixteen,  a  young  minister  put  his 
u  hand  on  my  shoulder  and  said,  "Bob, 
I  you  ought  to  be  a  minister  for  the 
I  Lord."    It  changed  my  whole  life! 

I  wonder  how  many  people  have 
I  been  transformed  with  that  touch 
|  of  faith?  I  think  this  may  be  the 
i  great  need  in  our  homes  today.  In- 
\a  stead  of  the  tension  and  gnawing, 
I  we  need  this  touch  of  faith. 

I  wonder  if  it  is  not  what  needs 

to  happen  between  parents  and  chil- 
1  dren,  the  touch  of  a  parent's  hand 
A  saying,  "I  believe  in  you."  I  wonder 
1  if  this  is  not  the  schoolteacher's 
1  greatest  work  —  not  so  much  to  dis- 
I  seminate  factual  knowledge,  but  to 
j  instill  in  the  youngsters  a  sense  of 
i  the  faith  we  have  in  them.  I  wonder 
I  how  many  teachers  have  saved  the 
|  world  by  that  touch  of  faith?  How 
i  the  world  needs  it!   If  only  we  could 

believe  in  people! 

On   my   recent  trip   to   Russia,   I 

saw  many  bad  things;  I  could  write 
j  another  book  telling  you  about  those 
I  bad  things.  But  when  I  start  talking 
j  about  the  good  people  whom  I  saw 


over  there,  nobody  wants  to  listen! 
Why?  Is  it  because  nobody  wants 
to  believe  in  humanity  any  more? 
Maybe  what  the  world  needs  more 
than  anything  else  is  a  touch  on 
the  shoulder  with  somebody  saying, 
"I  believe  in  you,  I  believe  in  you!" 
Something  like  the  feeling  Jesus  had 
for  Peter  when  he  said,  "I  have 
prayed  for  you  .  .  ."  Embodied  faith 
in  human  relationships!  The  touch 
on  the  shoulder,  the  faith  that  lives 
in  action! 

We  must  respond  to  these  chal- 
lenges with  courage.  I  have  not  said 
anything  new  there,  have  I?  Cour- 
age is  as  old  as  Greek  philosophy. 
Five  hundred  years  before  Jesus,  the 
Greeks  made  it  a  cardinal  principle 
of  their  system  of  ethics.  We  talk 
courage,  but  we  know  not  what  it  is. 

Every  one  of  us,  in  some  way  or 
another,  must  meet  life  with  this 
principle.  We  have  to  meet  it  when 
we  are  hurt;  we  have  to  go  back 
into  the  fight  and  keep  on  going, 
keep  on  pitching,  to  conquer  the 
tragedy  and  live  a  creative,  useful 
life.  We  must  stress  the  quality,  the 
moments  of  happiness.  That  is  what 
makes  courage. 

Lastly,  we  must  meet  the  chal- 
lenges with  commitment.  This  is 
interwoven  in  every  aspect  of  life. 
I  have  seen  it  in  sports.  The  greatest 
athletes  whom  I  know  pray.  In  this 
world  of  muscle  and  bone,  I  have 
heard  them  breathe  a  prayer  that 
God  will  help  them.     I  have  seen 


them  kneel  down  in  the  locker  rooms 
and  say,  "God,  help  me  come  back." 

Let  me  sum  it  up  by  saying  that 
perhaps  the  problems  at  the  pe- 
riphery of  life  are  due  to  the  fact 
that  man  is  off  center  and  that,  if 
he  can  only  find  himself  in  cosmic 
relationship  to  God,  these  problems 
will  be  solved. 

The  greatest  challenge  ever  given 
to  man  was  stated  in  two  words: 
"Follow  me."  I  pray  that  you  will 
respond  to  every  moment  of  great 
inspiration  and  challenge,  but  above 
all  that  you  will  respond  to  this 
"Follow  me." 

Portions  of  the  foregoing  appeared  in 
the  book,  Heart  of  a  Champion,  by 
Richards,    published    by    Fleming    Revell 


Faithful  All  Her  Days 

Maili  Kwatamdiya,  one  of  the  old- 
est Christians  in  Northern  Nigeria, 
whose  spiritual  rebirth  took  place 
during  the  first  decade  of  Church 
of  the  Brethren  work  in  Garkida 
area,  is  dead. 

Faithful  to  the  church  as  long 
as  she  had  life,  within  the  last  week 
of  her  life  she  was  visiting  sick 
and  sorrowing  neighbors  in  her 
community. 

Surviving  are  children  and  grand- 
children, brought  up  in  the  Christian 
way,  either  still  in  Waka  Training 
Center  or  serving  at  various  points 
throughout  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren area. 


Previewing 

Summer 

Issue 


THOU GUT 


■  1  oo..'»:  s  "SSw 


■May***8 


JULY  30,  1960 


The  Language  of  Faith